The Path to Power
Chapter Three
"Hello Tasha." Cameron says quietly as he lets himself into the locked day room where there is a single patient.
"Hello Dr. Cam. How are you today? Has my Papa called yet? He will come and get me soon. I'm drawing him a picture. See?" The patient holds up a well marked and colorful picture that is signed on the bottom in a childish hand.
"This is very good. I'm sure he would like it. Why don't you make one for me? The walls of my office are very boring."
"Okay." Tasha reaches for a marker and concentrates on drawing.
"I wasn't able to get hold of your Papa." Cameron admits. The woman looks up at him her eyes filling with unshed tears. "But I received a phone call from your brother and he should be here very soon to see you." Cameron says in a hurry.
"Which one?" Tasha sniffs up her tears.
"How many do you have?"
"Two. I've never met them but Papa says I have two brothers: Stavros and Stefan. Stavros is very strong and smart and will be the boss of everything just like Papa."
"And Stefan?"
"Papa says that he likes books and figuring things out. That there isn't a puzzle that Stefan will put down until he's got it figured. Papa says he's got patience. Stefan is like him. Papa likes puzzles and figuring stuff out too."
"Why haven't you met your brothers, Tasha?"
"I don't want to talk anymore." Tasha puts away the markers. "I'm tired now. I want to lay down." She goes over to the couch and lays down and closes her eyes really hard wrinkling her nose as she does.
Cameron goes over to the couch and pulls out a blanket and covers his patient with it and then goes over to the door and keys himself out. Once back out in the hallway he sees Nikolas Cassadine standing next to an older man who is white knuckling the sill of the observing glass. "So are you the strong and smart one or the one that likes puzzles?"
"Puzzles." Stefan turns to face Cameron. "When did you start working for General Hospital? You are unfamiliar to me."
Cameron shrugs. "A few months. Private practice before that. Here and down in Florida."
"Florida." Stefan repeats eyeing the psychiatrist. "I've always been curious about people who move from Florida to New York. It seems... perverse."
Nikolas looks at the floor and actually snickers. He'd forgotten if it was possible exactly how testy his uncle could be. "Cameron was with Alexis when she went into premature labor and brought her to the hospital. He has been... a good friend... and was the first to realize there was a ... problem."
"Indeed."
From behind Stefan a voice comes. "Don't take offense at that, Dr. Lewis, Stefan was probably referring to me and my brother. Stefan."
"Barbara." Stefan turns around to look at his ex wife and nods in her direction.
"I would really like to talk to you." Cameron interrupts. "Fill in some blanks. You were around at the time and according to your nephew the only one around who might have the full history."
"I want to speak to Alexis first." Stefan counters.
Cameron shakes his head. "I can't recommend that. She's very fragile and if you go in there and upset her..."
"Uncle..." Nikolas starts protesting immediately having already gone thru this with Laura.
"I was observing you from the window. I will not... upset her."
Cameron shrugs. "Call her Natasha, no... call her Tasha, and don't push her. If I come in there to get you out I don't want a scene I want you to leave promptly." Cameron opens the door for Stefan.
Stefan walks over to the couch and sits down next to the supine woman. He waits until he sees one eye open and then quickly shut. "I saw that." He picks up an object from the table and then sets it back down.
"Did Dr. Cam send you?" Tasha asks in a low hiss keeping her eyes shut.
"No."
"Did my Papa send you?"
"My father as well. I am Stefan."
Natasha sits up fast and grabs Stefan by the arm. "Did Papa get Kristina out of the barn? He got her away from the blonde lady right? The blonde lady had her. I think she had her! Mama and the blonde lady were fighting and then I don't know."
"I'm sure that Kristina is fine. I am more concerned about you."
"I'm okay. Can I go home now?"
"A little bit longer with the doctors just to be safe. But I shall come to see you every day that you are here."
"But I don't like it here." Tasha blurts out.
"Has anyone been unkind to you?"
"No, but I want to go home to Papa, Mama and Kristina. I have to take care of Kristina. Mama needs my help."
Stefan reaches out and cups his sister's face and looks into those guileless eyes. Alexis' eyes had never been innocent. Not even when she'd arrived on the island all those years ago. Then she'd been a blank. Shut down. And even after she began to speak again after months of silence her eyes had held a dark knowledge. "I will speak with your doctor and see how soon you can come home. I will inform you of his decision." Tasha's lower lip juts out in protest. Stefan runs a thumb over it. "None of this. You have my word that you will not be in here a day longer than is absolutely necessary." Rising to his feet he goes over to the mirror and knocks on it. The door opens and he steps from the day room.
"Well?" Nikolas asks. "What happened? What do you think?"
"I think I have finally met my sister." Stefan turns to Cameron. "She does not belong here. I want her released."
"Well I have a problem with that." Scotty Baldwin says from behind Stefan. "Alexis is a confessed murderer and the only place she is going from here is to jail and then Singsing."
"Could you please try to be less of a moron!" Bobbie blurts. "You'd think that the DA would know that there are no women at Singsing."
"It's a figure of speech." Scotty says flushing.
"It's only a figure of speech if everyone else is using it. You know like up the river, or thrown in the pokey. Otherwise it's just you spouting off your ignorance."
Scott opens his mouth to defend himself but Cameron interjects his own two cents. "I believe I had you barred from this hospital."
"Can't you tell she's faking?!" Scott snarls. "It's all about beating a murder rap but she confessed and she will pay."
"And you got your medical degree where, Dr. Baldwin?" Cameron counters. "And you're basing your diagnosis on what observation?"
"Listen you quack!" Scott protests.
"I want Dr. Kevin Collins in for a consult. If he is not available find him." Stefan tells Bobbie. Bobbie nods and leaves to make the phone call.
"Oh great. One nut job evaluating another."
"Make up your mind, Mr. Baldwin. Do you think that my aunt is sane or not?" Nikolas steps toward Scotty. "You've already had a hand in driving one woman crazy, my mother, you will not be allowed to do the same to my aunt."
"That was Spencer!" Scott defends himself.
"Hello Scott." Gail Baldwin adds a calming influence to the floor. "Did you come to take me to dinner?"
"Gail."
"Because I know that you wouldn't be here to agitate the patients. Hospitals are places where people come to get well, right Scotty?"
"Yeah, I came to take to you dinner." Scott takes his stepmother's arm and starts back down the hall. He looks over his shoulder. "This isn't over." They continue walking down the hall."
"Wow she just appeared out of nowhere." Cameron shakes his head.
"Barbara." Stefan nods. His ex must have done more than just try to call Kevin Collins. "She has a habit of meddling." He gets back to the matter at hand. "Ale... Tasha is no threat to anyone and does not belong here."
"The choice is here or jail unfortunately." Cameron counters. He holds up a hand to stay Stefan's protest. "I agree with you. This is no place for a child and that is what we have here. I was trying to work with Alexis when I first suspected there was a problem. And I really don't want to work with Alexis here when Baldwin can walk in anytime and agitate her. Can you imagine what just left here talking to her?" Cameron indicates with a thumb to the woman coloring at a table in the day room. "It's a recipe for disaster."
"I think that is my cue." Dara says wryly. "Dr. Lewis you haven't been returning your calls."
"A representative of the DA's office has already been here and been barred from this floor. This is redundant." Stefan stands between the window and Dara so that she can't see into the dayroom.
"I'm in private practice now." Dara informs Stefan. "Jax contacted me about defending Alexis interests against Baldwin. First things first I need to get into Alexis' apartment."
"Why is that?" Nikolas asks.
"Alexis is an attorney and a damn good one facing single motherhood. You can bet that she had things like a will, a medical power of attorney, any number of papers so that she would be the one making her decisions for her and her child rather than the court."
Stefan nods at Nikolas. Nikolas replies to Dara. "Let's go."
"Nikolas, after I see Kristina I will be checking into..."
"Going home to Wyndemere." Nikolas interrupts his uncle. "Dara and I will meet you there with whatever paperwork we find."
"Very well."
"So we understand each other?" Faith says finally. She'd hit the ground running since returning from Las Vegas as Mrs. Faith Ashton. She'd gotten to meet some of the players up at the big house but the welcome carpet hadn't exactly been rolled out. No surprise there, Ned had brought home too many brides for there to be anything more than a what was your name again response. Edward had been busting with something to say but held his tongue. As soon as he could get a private moment there was going to be a loud conversation there.
"You got it, Mrs. A." Alice nods her head. "I'm on it. And you don't have to worry about a hair on that baby's head cause I'll break anyone's hand that lays a finger on her."
"Anyone, Alice. If Mr. Ashton hasn't put his baby in that person's arms himself. Then they die. I don't care what their last name is."
"Even Mr. Eddie?"
"Especially Edward." Faith says coolly. "He'll pay handsomely for the privilege of seeing the baby... no pay handsomely for the possibility of seeing the baby. Do you have a problem with that?"
"You're the boss." Alice shrugs.
"Yes, I am." Faith states with a shrug. "Ned said that he has all of his daughter Brooklyn's things in the attic from when she was a baby. They need to be brought down, set up and cleaned. Get help if you need it but it needs to be done tonight. Ned is planning on bringing the baby home tomorrow morning. Whatever isn't in the attic that the kid will need-- buy it. Call the hospital to get recommendations of what they are feeding her and what schedule she is on."
Alice nods and gives Faith a thumbs up before leaving the room. Faith rolls her eyes. Alice is... rough around the edges but she seemed competent enough. And she'd be damned before she had some young thing in here for her new husband to diddle when he got mad at her. And Ned would get mad at her. Men always did. Eventually. Sooner or later the blood started flowing back to their brains rather than just to their heads and they realized what idiots they were.
Ned comes in from the car from a quick shopping trip to Wyndams where he'd loaded up on stuffed animals. He carries them up to the nursery and sets the bags down and then comes back to the living area of the gatehouse. "I'm not so sure about Alice."
Faith thumbs thru a magazine. "If you want your kid home tomorrow then Alice it is. Finding a nanny could take ages what with background checks and the like."
"But Alice? She is hardly... nurturing." Ned voices his complaint at the staffing situation.
Faith closes the magazine with a snap of her wrist and throws it down on the coffee table. "You and I have spent the last few months pissing off everyone in town. And that Cassadine kid didn't look like he was going to be throwing you any welcome to daddydom parties either. Alice is perfect for the job duties. Nurturing is your job not the help's."
Ned considers Faith's comment and slowly nods. "Are you ready for the onslaught?"
"Bring it on."