I'll Be There For You

Prologue

May 2003

You ever need anything....... I'll be there for you.

Emily Quarternmaine looked at the simple yet powerful words scribbled on the the postcard as she sat on her bed at the Quartermaine mansion. She had been back in town for a mere six hours and she was wondering why she had bothered returning at all. A single tear ran down her cheek as she thought of the fight she had just had with her former boyfriend Zander Smith. He had marched right out of there, believing she was addicted to prescription pills. If he had any idea what the real reason was.......

She looked at the postcard in her hands again. Neatly printed at the bottom was a phone number. His cell number. She could call him. She should call him. Though he had sent this months before, she knew he would still be there for her if he could. He had always been there for her, ever since she came to this town really.

She put the postcard down on the bed and reached for her own cell phone. She began to dial. Her hand was shaking a bit as she heard it begin to ring. It rang three times before she heard his gravelly voice come over the line.

"Corinthos." he said and she almost threw down the phone. But she reminded herself that this was Sonny. Sonny was good to her. Sonny was kind. If anyone could talk her down from this proverbial ledge she was quaking on, it was him.

"Hello?" Sonny said.

She finally spoke. "Sonny, hi, it's Emily. Emily Quartmaine."

"I know who you are, Emily. I recognized your voice right away."

Emily smiled in spite of herself. Yet, Sonny did know her. He knew her so well. So well in fact he must have known that this wasn't a social call because he asked, "Emily, what's wrong?"

Emily looked at the bottom of pills that lay in the middle of her bed where Zander had thrown them in his anger. A tear dashed down her cheek.

"Everything."

She felt humiliated as she began to softly sob into the mouthpiece even though she knew Sonny would never judge her for it.

"Where are you?" Sonny asked.

"What — why —

"I want to come see you." Sonny said. "You need someone and I would be happy to be that person you can lean on right now. You need someone."

"Yes." Emily sniffed "I would like to talk to you. Maybe we can meet somewhere. I am in Port Charles now. I would invite you over to the Quartermaine mansion but Edward would have a fit and ask a bunch of questions I just can't answer right now.... Sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Sonny asked. "Nothing..... Look, let's definitely meet. What about the north pier? We can be alone there."

Emily sniffled. "That would be good."

"Okay, I'll see you down there." Sonny said. "Emily, everything will be okay. Whatever's got you down.......... I'll help you make it right."

If only you could. Emily lamented silently.  The truth was that no one could fix the mess she was in. Not even the powerful Don Corinthos. She was out of hope and felt incredibly helpless, a feeling she loathed. Still she knew Sonny wouldn't judge her or try to  coerce her into doing anything she didn't want to do the way the majority of her family would. He would just be there for her....... and that's what she needed right now. More than anything.

She dashed at her tears and said, "I'm headed down there right now. Thanks."

"Anytime." Sonny said and the line went dead. Emily turned around on the bed and began scooping the pills into her hand.

———————

Sonny was leaning against the railing, looking out over the water when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, expecting to see the girl he had once known, but she didn't look much like the girl he remembered. She had grown and filled out in all the right places and her brown eyes.... They were filled with regret and worry — the kind only a true adult understood. He immediately held out his arms to her and she stepped wordlessly into them.

He hugged her for the longest time as he felt her too thin body shake against his as a sob rumbled up her body to part her lips. She burned her head in his neck and he lightly reached out and pushed her long chestnut hair out of her tears face.

"Hey, hey, there." he said. "Talk to me. What's going on, Emily? What's upset you? Did someone hurt you?"

She started to shake her head but that's when he spotted a bruise on her arm, one shaped like a hand-print. "Who hurt you?" he asked. "Who raised their hand to you?"

"Sonny, it's not like that." she said. "Not at all. Zander was just __"

"Zander Smith? That little punk put his hands on you?" Sonny shook his head and grit his teeth. "I am going to kill that bastard."

"Sonny, don't. He thought he was doing what was best for me."

"He had no right! Emily, don't ever think someone leaving his...........hands on a woman is okay."

"Okay, yes, he was wrong but he was scared. He was scared I was using drugs so he tried to shake some literal sense into me."

"Are you— are you doing drugs?" Sonny asked. He had never seen up close and personal How drugs destroyed people and he didn't want to think that sweet Emily was abusing them.

"I am taking drugs." Emily said. She was clearly overwhelmed. The poor woman could hardly breathe. "Then tell me how I can help you."

Emily clutched the bench seat so tightly her knuckles turned white. She looked at Sonny with tears swimming in her big brown eyes. "Sonny, I am taking drugs. But not for the reason you think." she said. "It's medicine."

"You're — you're......., sick?"

Emily nodded. "I am. I have...... I have cancer, Sonny. Breast cancer just like my birth mother Paige did."