Mine (General Hospital)

Chapter 1: Confirmation

March 9th 2019

     "I don't know why Kristina had to chose here of all places to meet." Carly complains.
     "She's working and doesn't have a long lunch." Sonny reminds her, pulling the chair out for her, pushing it in when she sits. "Be nice. I know Kristina has been getting on your nerves lately but she's going through some stuff."
     "I know, I'm trying." Carly claims, leaning back in her chair. Kristina comes bouncing over, kissing her father's cheek.
     "Hi, Dad. Hi, Carly. Is there some special reason you called me for a lunch today?" Kristina asks, taking the seat across from them.
     "We actually do, but let's start eating first. I know Carly's starving." Sonny laughs.
     Carly looks around the bar. "Julian's not around, is he?"
     "He's in his office but he's not actually working the floor today. Why does it matter?"
     "Because I may throw up if I have to see his face." Carly comments.
     The group orders and eat their lunches with only minimal and unimportant banter. Once they all come to the end of their meals, Sonny holds Carly's hand. "So, I know you're wondering why we planned lunch."
     "Yeah, totally am. What's with it all?"
     "Carly and I are expecting a baby." Sonny announces.
     Kristina nods. "Oh, okay. Well, congratulations." She looks down at her phone. "My lunch break is over. Julian will have my head on a plate if I take a longer lunch again. It'd be the third time in four days. You guys can stay but I have to go." She gathers up her dishes and takes off to the backroom.
     She dumps her dishes in the sink and starts to scrub furiously. "What are you doing?" Julian asks, walking up behind her.
     "Dishes."
     "Are you trying to break my plates? They're new. Are you pissed because I'm dating your mom or pissed because I'm not dating you?"
     "What? No, I'm over that. It was just a crush, and a one night stand we shouldn't talk about. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at my father and Carly. She's pregnant and they're acting like I should be happy for them. I'm not happy for them. She's a bitch and she's done nothing but shit talk me for the last few months."
     "Carly's pregnant?" He asks, grabbing the edge of the sink. "How far along is she?"
     "Twelve weeks. Why do you care?"
     He tightens his jaw, squeezing the sink edge. "Hold down the fort."

A Little Later

     Julian walks into Carly's office, sitting across from her desk and staring, not saying a word. Carly looks up from her computer, swallowing hard. "What are you doing here?"
     He doesn't answer, he just stares. "I'll call security."
     "I have my lawyers on speed dial." He warns.
     "Why should I care?"
     "I'm ready to sue for custody of our kid."
     "What do you mean?"
     "I know you're pregnant and I know it's my baby." He states.
     "Bullshit. It isn't yours. It's Sonny's baby, my husband."
     "You know that I know better than to believe that. I can the lie in your voice. This can get really messy really fast. I know you don't want that."
     "Even if it is yours, you'll never be my child's father. Sonny will be their dad. Even if it isn't his biologically, he'll still love them as his own." Carly claims.
     "You have too much faith in his loyalty."
     "Sonny." Carly greets, looking at her husband as he enters her office.
     "I heard you two talking. What the Hell is going on?" He demands.
     "Julian's confused. He thinks I'm Olivia. I think he may be having a stroke. We should call him some help."
     "Cut the bullshit." Julian remarks, turning to face Sonny. "We had unprotected sex on December fourteenth."
     "The fourteenth? That's two weeks before New Year's, you could've known you were pregnant by then. Did you know? Is that why you insisted we have unprotected sex on New Year's?"
     Carly swallows, starting to crack under her husband's intense gaze. She nods, tears dripping down her arm. "Yes. I knew."
     Sonny's jaw drops. "I, I can't believe you cheated on me and got pregnant, then tried to pass it off as my baby. I thought we were over stuff like that? I thought you loved me more than that."
     "I do."
     "Clearly you don't. Julian, I fucking hate you, but not as much as I hate you, Carly. Neither of you are worth my time. Julian, enjoy this whore, she's all yours. Carly, I hope you enjoy being a single mother." He storms out, slamming the door.
     Carly turns a metal melting gaze on Julian. "Look what you've done."
     "I am, and it looks like I just got partial custody of my baby." He smiles and stands up, leaving. As he gets on the elevator he takes his phone out of his pocket, ready to call Alexis before seeing the voicemail notification. He clicks it and puts his phone to his ear.

🏨🚘🏥

     Julian crashes into the nurses' station. "Where's my sister?"
     "Calm down." Liz starts. "She's alright. She's in room nine."
     He nods and runs back down the hall, turning quickly into her room. He rushes past him and to her side, kissing her head. "Are you okay? What happened to you? Did someone try to hurt you?"
     "Julian, let Kim finish talking." Ava says.
     "Why's Kim here?"
     "I collapsed someone called an ambulance. They had to bring me here, but I'm alright." Ava assures him.
     "It's probably stress. Ryan's trial starts in two weeks." He turns to Kim. "She was with the DA this morning going over her testimony. You probably stressed yourself out. I'll get you home and make sure you get relaxed and stay with you so you don't feel alone. I should've been staying with you this whole time but-"
     "Julian!" Ava interrupts. "I'm pregnant."
     Julian bites his fist. "Oh, Ava, I'm so sorry."

March 12th 2019

     Julian leans closer to Ava, placing his hand on her back. "You don't have to do this if it's too much on you. Your written statement will be enough."
     She turns and shakes her head. "The jury needs to see my face and hear my story from my own mouth. And Ryan needs to see that he didn't break me. I will make the man who killed my daughter pay. He will pay today."
     He nods slowly, moving his hand away so she can get up and go up to the stand. She gets sworn in and sits. "Ms. Jerome," Margaux starts, "could you please describe the events of February twenty-fourth?"
     "Ryan, who I believed to be Kevin Collins, had just proposed to me and we were going on a weekend getaway to a cabin. It was normal at first, then we went to the bedroom and he changed. I thought it was some light bondage, I didn't realize what he was doing. He was rough with me, much rougher than is fun. After he finished, literally, he left me there. He was gone for about an hour before I managed to get myself free. I thought he planned on playing a joke on me and he got hurt. I called him and no one answered. I turned on the tv by accident and the news was on. Kevin, Ryan, was being arrested for being a serial killer. The man who had just sex with me was the same man who killed my little girl."
     "When did you realize that he was assaulting you?" Margaux asks.
     "When I saw the news. Then I found out why two weeks ago."
     "That's all I have to say, your honor. I think Ms. Jerome's statement is pretty self explanatory." She takes her seat, giving Ava a reassuring smile.
     Ryan's lawyer, the definition of a slim ball, Richy Crockett, stands and walks over to Ava. "Were you two not engaged to be married?"
     "We were."
     "And didn't you go to the cabin willingly?"
     "I did."
      "And did you not plan to have sexual relations with your finance?"
     "I thought I did."
     "Than it was consensual. Or am I wrong? Doesn't giving your consent mean it's consensual?"
     Julian braces himself, seeing the vain in his sister's neck practically jump out. She grips the wood and stands. "I was brought to a secluded cabin, strapped down to the bed, and forcibly impregnated by the man who murdered my daughter so that I'd always have a piece of him. Fiance or not, he raped me."
     "Your honor, he's harassing my witness." Margaux states.
     "Mr. Crockett, please stop harassing the witness." The judge warns.
     "Your honor, all I'm asking is for her to say whether or not the sex was consensual, it was. Therefore-"
     "Stop it!" Kim shouts. "She can't take any more of this right now. Look at her."
     "Who are you to talk?" Mr. Crockett demands.
     "Her obstetrician. Ava, are you alright?"
     Ava shakes her head, half falling out of the stand. "I feel dizzy."
     "Can I go get her?" Julian asks Margaux. She nods. Julian rushes over to Ava, catching her as she stumbles.
     "I'm gonna be sick."
     "I got you." He guides her out of the courtroom and to the closest bathroom, Kim hot on their heels.
     Julian holds Ava's hair, looking away as she hunches over the toilet. Kim kneels next to them, rubbing Ava's back. "You're okay. Let it all out." She comforts.
     "Thank you. Thanks for being so kind to her despite who her brother is."
     "Ava never did anything wrong to me, and neither did you. You fell out of love while I was falling in love with someone else. It isn't your fault, it was just bad timing. I have no hard feelings against you."
     He nods his thanks and turns to Ava, whose covering her mouth. "I'm done." She says, burying her face in his chest. "I love you."
     "I love you too, Av." He rubs her back, pressing his cheek to her head.
     "She'll be fine. Just get her home and get her resting. Try some food that's easy on the stomach, crackers, broth, and water. And call me if you need anything."
     "I will. Thank you. Alexis, you can stop eavesdropping from the hallway." He chuckles. "Hello, Lovey. I'm gonna take Ava home, I don't know if you wanna come or stay."
     "I'll stay and let everyone know that you didn't take off for no reason. I hope you feel better soon, Ava."
     "Thank you." She whimpers, still pressed against Julian.
     "Come on you, let's get you to bed."