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Prologue---December 13, 1999
Karen sat at the table while Rachel circled the table. The door opened and both women watched as Chris walked in.
He shook his head in frustration.
Chris: "She won't listen to reason."
Karen: "Julie still wants to testify for herself? Doesn't she understand how bad that could be?"
Rachel: "She does. She just wants a chance to tell her story."
Chris: "Which is still bad. Because if she gets frazzled on the stand.."
Karen: "The DA will be able to cut her down and the jury will convict her."
Chris: "Exactly," He said as he adjusted the wedding ring on his finger.
Rachel: "This might not be so bad. I don't think you're giving Julie enough credit."
Chris: "Come on, Rachel. Let's be realistic. You saw how Julie took it when the evidence was being presented. She was nervous. That's only going to get worse when Dara is given the chance to cross-examine her."
Rachel: "Or it could work in her favor."
Karen: "Rachel, how can you say that? If Dara starts questioning her about the murders and rattles Julie, Julie could really explode and the jury is going to think she did the same thing with John Kanelos."
Chris: "I agree. This is a really bad idea, Rachel."
Rachel: "Well, it's not up to us anymore. This is Julie's decision to make, not ours."
Rachel left the room as Chris sank into a chair. He rubbed his eyes and frowned.
Chris: "I hate to see everything that Julie worked so hard for go up in smoke."
Karen: "You tried, Chris. That's all anyone can do. Besides, Rachel's right. This is Julie's decision to make."
Chris: "I know, but I just wish that I could persuade her to change her mind."
Karen watched Chris for a moment before they were called back into the courtroom. Karen stood beside Chris and touched his arm in support. He smiled back at her for a moment before Julie stepped into the room and stood in front of them, beside Darren Leopold and waited for the judge to enter.
Once the court was called to order and everyone settled Julie was called to the stand. She placed her hand on the Bible and swore an oath to tell the truth. She sat down as Darren stood.
Darren: "Mrs. Ramsey, we've seen evidence presented to the effect that you were being controlled by Greg Cooper. Do you believe in that evidence?"
Julie: "Yes, I do," She said as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
Darren: "Why?"
Julie: "Because I know that I could never do anything like that to anyone. I'm not a murderer."
Darren: "Mrs. Ramsey, do you believe that Greg Cooper killed John Kanelos?"
Dara: "Objection, speculation."
Judge: "Sustained."
Darren: "I'll rephrase. Do you believe Greg Cooper's confession?"
Julie: "Yes, I do."
Darren: "Is that part of his mind control over you? That you would believe anything he said?"
Julie: "No, that's not it at all. I believe him because I know that I didn't do it. If he says that he did, I think that's it's possible."
Darren: "No further questions."
Judge: "Cross?"
Dara: "Yes, your honor," She said walking to the podium, "Mrs. Ramsey, do you remember the events of the night that John Kanelos was killed?"
Julie: "More or less."
Dara: "Is that a yes or a no?"
Julie: "I remember some of it."
Dara: "So you don't remember it all?"
Julie: "No, but," She began.
Dara: "Do you remember where you were when John Kanelos was murdered?"
Julie: "I didn't kill him."
Dara: "Your honor, could you direct the witness to answer the question?"
Judge: "You will answer the question, Mrs. Ramsey."
Chris looked over to Rachel with a 'here we go' look as Karen reached over to take his hand. Karen took a deep breath as she watched Julie recompose herself.
Julie: "No. I don't recall."
Dara: "So you have absolutely no recollection of where you were at the time John Kanelos would have been dying? None at all?"
Julie: "I said I don't recall," She said firmly.
Dara: "When Greg Cooper was alledgedly brainwashing you, do you remember any of those procedures?"
Julie: "No."
Dara: "So you're not sure if you really underwent those procedures or not?"
Julie: "Well, I," She stumbled.
Dara: "Are you or are you not sure of the brain washing, Mrs. Ramsey? Did you undergo mind manipulation by Greg Cooper?"
Julie: "Yes, I did. He did brain wash me."
Dara: "He did?" She asked with a thoughtful look on her features, "How can you be sure?"
Julie: "Dr. Locke and I went through hours of therapy. We knew that was what happened."
Dara: "How? How did you find that out? Did Dr. Locke tell you that's what had happened?"
Julie: "Yes, after a few sessions."
Dara: "And you simply took her at her word?"
Julie: "She's my therapist. She only has my best interest at heart. She wouldn't lie to me."
Dara: "But your husband testified earlier that you didn't trust Kevin Collins while he was your therapist. Why trust Dr. Locke?"
Julie: "Because she wasn't biased. She had no reason to want me imprisoned."
Dara: "So that made you believe that she might be trustworthy?"
Darren: "Objection, is there a relavant question anywhere in our future?"
Judge: "Ms. Jensen?"
Dara: "I'd ask for a little lee way, your honor. My question is forth coming."
Judge: "Be sure that it does."
Dara: "Mrs. Ramsey, you testified that because Dr. Locke was in a position of non-bias, she would have your best interests at heart. Didn't Greg Cooper lead you to believe that you were his sister? Didn't that give him a position of looking out for your best interests? Didn't that give him the power to tell you what to believe?"
Darren: "Objection. Can we let her answer the first question before asking another?"
Judge: "Over ruled."
Darren sat back down as the courtroom watched Julie.
Julie: "Yes, I believed that Greg was my brother and yes, I thought he cared about me. That didn't make me follow his orders."
Dara: "Then what did, Mrs. Ramsey? What did make you follow his orders?"
Julie: "The mind control."
Dara: "You already testified that you don't remember that. How do you know that's what was controlling you?"
Julie: "Because Dr. Locke." She started.
Dara: "Because she told you? Because she told you what to believe? Is that what this is? Are you just following orders again Julie?"
Julie: "No!" She shouted as she stood up, "I'm not crazy. I'm not. I know what's right and wrong, and I know that I didn't kill John Kanelos."
Judge: "Sit down, Mrs. Ramsey."
Julie sat down as the courtroom settled.
Dara: "How do you know you didn't kill John Kanelos?"
Darren: "Objection, haven't we been through this?"
Judge: "Ms. Jensen?"
Dara: "I'm revisiting the testimony of Mrs. Ramsey. She testified that she knows she didn't kill John Kanelos. I'm wondering how that is when she doesn't remember where she was when Mr. Kanelos was murdered."
Judge: "Over ruled, Mr. Leopold. Answer the question, Mrs. Ramsey."
Dara: "Do you need me to repeat the question? How do you know you didn't kill John Kanelos?"
Julie: "I just know."
Dara: "How? How can you know? You testified that you have no recollection."
Julie: "I don't."
Dara: "Then how do you know? You don't. You can't. Because you know that's a lie. You know that you were the one who murdered John Kanelos."
Julie screamed as she leapt off the witness stand toward Dara. She tackled Dara to the ground as balliffs moved forward to restrain her. Chris, Karen, and Rachel stood as did the rest of the audience members, watching as Julie was torn from Dara who lay on the floor visibly shaken and stunned.
Julie: "How dare you! I'll make you pay for this. I'll make you all pay!"
She screamed as she was dragged from the courtroom. The judge called the court into order and everyone complied.
Chris swallowed hard. Julie had done exactly what he had been afraid of. She had snapped under pressure. It was over. She would never be free.
Karen held Chris's hand as they sat back down. She saw the shock in his eyes but she also saw the finality that lingered there. He knew that the rest of the trial would be a formality. Julie had convinced the jury of her own guilt.
Chris looked over to Karen and spoke softly as the judge called for a recess.
Chris: "It's over. She's going to prison."
Karen: "Probably."
The next morning, the defense finished their presentation and closing arguments began. Dara presented a strong case before the jury went out to deliberate. They spent only one day sequestered before they returned the verdict. The piece of paper was delivered to the judge who read the jury's findings.
Judge: "Julie Devlin-Ramsey, we, the people of Port Charles, New York, have returned the following verdict on the charge of first degree murder. Guilty. We, the people of Port Charles, New York, have returned the following verdict on the charge of attempted murder. Guilty. We, the people of Port Charles, New York, have returned the following verdict on a second charge of attempted murder. Guilty."
Julie: "No! No! No!" She screamed as she began to cry, "No!" She turned to Chris, Karen and Rachel, "You all promised. You promised that you would get me out of here. You promised that I'd be free."
Rachel: "Julie, just calm down."
Julie: "No, I'm not
doing anything else you say. You all lied to me. You'll all
pay for this." She continued to scream as she was pulled from the courtroom.
Chapter One---December 22, 1999
Karen and Chris sat in the on-call room watching the eleven o'clock news. There were pictures of the trial and a story about Julie being transported to prison. Chris rolled his eyes.
Chris listened to the news report and groaned. Pictures of the trial were being plastered across the screen one after the other, especially of Julie's attack on Dara. What had he gotten himself involved in? This was suppose to be much simpler. Julie should never have testified. Although watching the scene on the news and seeing that look in Julie's eye again, maybe it was good that she had testified. Otherwise, he might be sleeping beside a serial killer at night.
Chris: "You'd think they'd get over this sooner or later."
Karen: "It's the press. It's a lifetime trial for them."
Chris: "Let's hope they find some other poor bastard to plaster across the screen soon."
Karen: "Let's hope," She said fixing herself a cup of hot tea, "Have you spoken with her since the trial?"
Chris: "Got a nasty phone call, does that count?"
Karen: "She called you too, huh?"
Chris: "I take it that means she called you."
Karen: "Yeah. She wasn't nice. No matter how I tried to explain it she kept saying how it was my fault and I'd let her down."
Chris: "Don't let her get to you, Karen. You tried to be a friend to her. She was the one that let us down."
Karen: "You most of all, I would think. You did marry her after all," She said walking over to set beside him, "Do you love her?"
Chris: "I don't know. I will say this. I care about Julie. I cared more for her than I have for anyone, but that doesn't matter now. I'm married to a convicted murderer who will spend the rest of her life in prison."
She sipped her tea and spoke softly.
Karen: "So what are you going to do? Stay married to her?"
Chris: "For now, yeah. I'm going to let the shock wear off before I do anything." He paused and looked over at her, "Have you spoken with Joe yet?"
Karen: "No, he's still avoiding me. I think he thinks I'm a little crazy for believing in Julie."
Chris: "Maybe we were both crazy."
Karen: "Maybe."
Chris: "But I can't imagine why he would hold that against you, unless there's something else going on that's none of my business."
Karen: "Well, you probably know already but Courtney is pregnant. She's going to have a bone marrow donor for Neil."
Chris raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He knew that Joe wasn't Neil's father. So what had Courtney been up to?
Karen: "We couldn't find a match on the national registry so we went to our last option. Joe artificially inseminated Courtney."
Chris: "So the baby is Joe's?"
Karen nodded.
Chris: "And you're okay with this?"
Karen: "Neil needs the marrow."
Chris: "But even a sibling isn't guaranteed to match. But the child is guaranteed to be another stumbling block for you and Joe."
Karen: "Maybe this is a good thing. It is after all another little life in this world."
Chris: "It's also one more link between Joe and Courtney. Sure you can really handle that?"
Karen: "Honestly? No, but I'm going to try," She said softly.
Chris: "I have something to tell you about that actually. There's something that Joe needs to know and he's not going to believe it coming from me."
Karen: "What?"
Chris: "Neil isn't Joe's son."
She looked at him for a minute and then laughed skeptically.
Karen: "Yeah right."
Chris: "I'm serious. You want to make sure? Get some of Joe's blood. Have the antigens matched again. It won't be the same as what's on file in Neil's bone marrow records."
Karen: "How do you know?"
Chris: "Because I changed the records."
Karen: "Why?" She asked, looking more worried by the moment.
Chris: "Because Courtney blackmailed me."
Karen: "So if Joe's not Neil's father, who is?" She asked looking at him with suspicion in her eyes.
Chris: "Frank."
Karen: "Frank? Now, I know you're full of it. They just recently started liking each other and being in the same room together."
Chris: "Don't you think that's ironic considering they only recently found out that Neil belonged to Frank?"
Karen: "But if that's so, then the baby she's carrying..."
Chris: "Wouldn't be a marrow donor unless Frank was the father or by a miracle."
She took a deep breath and shook her head.
Karen: "So if I go looking into this, I'll be able to prove it?"
Chris: "Yes. And there's something else. There may already be a suitable donor for Neil."
Karen: "Who? Frank doesn't have any children."
Chris: "Yes, he does. Christina."
Karen: "Christina???"
Chris: "Christina is Julie's baby. I delivered her and gave her to Janelle to take care of until Julie got out."
Karen: "Christina," She thought about the name, "And Julie named her after you."
He nodded.
Chris: "Yeah, she should be tested to see if she's a match for Neil."
Karen: "Why didn't you say something before, Chris?"
Chris: "Like I know everything that's going on with the Scanlon family," He said with equal disdain, "I didn't know that the bone marrow search had come up negative. Besides, Julie would have killed me if I had told anyone about Christina. She loves that little girl."
Karen stood and shook her head while walking to put her mug on the table.
Karen: "So, that's why you were missing when Julie escaped from Ferncliff."
He nodded.
Karen: "You were delivering her baby."
He nodded again.
Karen: "I can't believe this. I really can't believe this."
Chris: "Believe it. You should probably get evidence before you go to Joe. He's not going to take my word for it and he's not going to be happy with the news anyway. If you want, I could be the messenger. At least that way, he'd be miffed at me instead of you."
Karen: "No, I think it would be easier to take from me."
Chris: "Are you sure? I wouldn't want Joe to think that you were being led astray by me. God knows, I've been accused of that in the past."
Karen: "Will you help me? I know that sounds absurd coming from me, but I'm going to need your help if I'm going to convince Joe of this."
Chris: "You sure you want to involve me in this? I mean, Joe's more likely to believe this if you're the one that does all the evidence gathering."
Karen: "Chris, I need your help. Please don't make me beg."
Chris: "Come on, I may just enjoy it," He teased with a grin.
Karen: "Well, you just sealed it there. Like I'm going to do anything that you would get pleasure from."
Chris: "I can think of a few things you could do."
Karen: "Shut up, Chris," She said with a smile as she sank back onto the sofa beside him.
Chris: "Okay, okay, I'll try to behave. But I make no promises."
Karen: "I consider myself warned," She laughed, "So does that mean you'll help me?"
Chris: "Yeah, I will. I'm the one that got you into this. It's the least I can do to get you out."
Karen: "So how do we start?"
Chris: "We get the test results from Neil's antigen test. We'll need that to show that Joe's blood doesn't match."
Karen: "I can't believe I'm getting myself into this."
Chris: "I can't believe I told you," He said rubbing his neck, "Want to get started?"
Karen: "Might as well."
The duo left the on-call room and went to the records office. Chris sat in front of the computer while Karen watched for the attendant to return.
Chris: "We got lucky. He's usually like a prison guard about these files."
Karen looked back at Chris with a whimiscal grin.
Karen: "How would you know that? Been snooping before?"
Chris: "I'm pleading the fifth on that one," He said typing in the infomation and pulling up Neil's record, "Bingo."
He printed out the form and walked over to the door where Karen was standing.
Chris: "Pay dirt."
Karen: "Good, let's get out of here. I don't want anyone knowing that we were in here tonight."
They started down the hall when they heard the attendants voice coming around the corner. Chris pulled Karen back around the corner out of sight of the attendant.
Karen: "Now what?"
Chris: "Good question," He said glancing back down the hall.
Karen: "I've got an idea," She whispered to him as the attendant's voice got closer.
Chris: "What's that?" He asked, following her as she pulled him closer to her.
Karen: "Shh," She said pulling him into a kiss as she glanced down the hall.
Chris was a bit shocked at first but followed her lead. It was a very good idea. It was a very good kiss, but the idea behind it was superb. This hall was usually empty at this time of night. It would be a perfect place for a clandestine rendevous. He pulled her into his embrace as she moved her back against the wall taking him with her.
Karen wrapped her arms around him, unbelieving what she was doing. She was kissing Chris Ramsey and enjoying it quite a bit. She couldn't believe that she had thought of this. Well okay, maybe she could. She had been known to act first and think later in the past, but she hadn't done something this impetuous in a very long time. And if truth be told, she enjoyed it even more after realizing that.
The attendant turned the corner and stopped in his tracks. Chris reluctantly pulled his lips from Karen's and looked toward the attendant. The attendant wasn't alone. Amy Vining was with him. Chris looked back at Karen who shared his 'uh-oh' glance. This would be all over the hospital by morning shift and blowed completely out of proportion.
Amy: "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."
Karen almost laughed but she was actually enjoying this too much. She looked back at Chris and adjusted his tie.
Karen: "That's okay, Amy. We were finished here anyway."
Karen saw the devilish look in Chris's eyes and knew what was coming. He pressed his lips to hers again in a quick but sultry kiss before smiling over to Amy.
Chris: "Now, we're finished," He took Karen's hand and led her down the hall, stepping into the elevator as the doors opened.
As the doors closed, Chris released Karen and took a deep breath. Karen looked over to him and caught his smile.
Karen: "What are you smiling about?" She asked with a big smile on her own features.
Chris: "You realize that everyone in this entire hospital will think we're having an affair."
Karen: "Probably," She laughed, "The look on Amy's face was priceless."
Chris: "Yeah, it was," He laughed with her.
Karen: "It was worth it though."
Chris looked over at her and saw the pink on Karen's cheeks. He smiled.
Chris: "Yeah.
It was."
Chapter Two--December 23, 1999
Chris walked across the lobby on the sixth floor and heard the nurses whispering near the desk. He smiled as he slid up beside Amy.
Chris: "Good morning, Amy."
Amy: "Good morning, Chris," She said with a smile, a smile that wanted more information.
Chris: "About last night, I just wanted you to know that we're not usually out in public like that. It was just a spontaneous moment. You understand," He said with a smile, enjoying creating this story for Amy's entertainment.
Amy: "Really, Chris, it's none of my business. I just was very surprised that you and Karen were involved that way. I mean, you're married to Julie and Karen is reconciling with Joe."
Chris: "Looks can be deceiving, Amy," He said stepping closer to her, "You never know where interest really lies, do you?" He whispered as he moved around her.
She blushed a little and then smiled.
Amy: "Whatever you say, Doctor," She said walking away.
Chris chuckled as he watched Amy walk away. He signed off the last chart and walked into the on-call room. Karen stood sipping a cup of coffee.
Chris: "Amy is already whispering," He said as he took the stethescope from around his neck and opened his locker, placing the instrument inside.
Karen: "God, I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
Chris smiled as he turned around to look at her.
Chris: "Probably not. You never know, I might not let you live it down."
Karen: "Somehow I already knew that one, Chris," She smiled, "Besides, like I said it was worth it, and," She said with a thoughtful smile, "It wasn't all that bad."
Chris: "Hold it. Say that again," He said with a smile.
Karen: "No, once was enough."
Chris: "Not as far as I'm concerned."
Karen: "Learn to live with it, Chris," She smiled.
Joe, Matt, and Eve entered the room at the same time and Chris winked at Karen out of sight of the others. Karen laughed softly as she placed her coffee mug on the table. Chris closed his locker and walked over to the sofa where he sank into the material.
Eve: "How did last night go?"
Chris: "Full of surprises actually."
Karen: "Yeah, it was. Some of which you're bound to hear through the hospital grapevine."
Chris: "That would be an understatement," He said with a broad smile.
Karen blushed slightly as she shot Chris a look and then smiled. Joe walked over to Karen and kissed her gently.
Joe: "You didn't have any trouble, did you?"
Karen: "Nothing that I couldn't take care of."
Chris: "Yeah, I learned last night that Karen can handle her own. And then some."
Karen: "Shut up, Chris," She said in a teasing tone.
Chris: "Okay, that's fine. I'm going home, unplugging the phone and passing out anyway. If anyone needs me, don't call. I'll be getting some much needed sleep."
Karen: "Me too. All I want to do is go home and crawl in bed and stay there."
Chris couldn't resist. He smiled and started to speak when Karen saw him and pointed at him.
Karen: "Not one word from you, Mister, or you'll be doing double shifts for everyone right through next July."
He laughed.
Chris: "Okay, I'll keep it to myself then."
Chris walked back over to his locker and took out his jacket and walked to the door. Eve followed him out of the on-call room leaving Joe and Karen with Matt.
Matt: "What was that about?"
Karen laughed.
Karen: "You really don't want to know."
Matt looked at Karen for a moment before leaving the room to attend to patients. Joe looked at Karen for a minute with skepticism.
Joe: "What's going on?"
Karen: "There's something I need to tell you, but not here. It has to be when we can be alone."
Joe half-smiled: "Is this about us?"
Karen: "It involves us, yes."
Joe: "Tonight then?"
She nodded before kissing him and leaving the room.
She stepped out and saw Eve talking with Chris. He looked over and caught sight of Karen. Karen motioned for him to join her and Chris said a quick goodbye to Eve. Karen and Chris boarded the elevator and started downwards.
Karen: "You're going to push this, aren't you?"
Chris: "Would I do something like that?" He asked innocently.
Karen: "Yes, you would."
Chris: "You're right," He nodded, "I would."
Karen: "Maybe I should have told Joe about last night, but I don't want to explain everything to him until we can be alone."
Chris: "You're afraid he's going to blow a gasket."
Karen: "I know he will. It's going to be hard for him to take."
The elevator lurched and stopped. Chris looked up to the panel and pressed the buttons. Nothing happened. He took out the emergency phone and spoke with maintenance.
Karen listened to the conversation for a moment before Chris hung up the phone.
Karen: "What did they say?"
Chris: "It could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours depending on where the problem is."
Karen groaned then laughed.
Karen: "Oh my god, do you know what Amy will be telling everyone?"
Chris thought about it and laughed.
Chris: "I certainly hope Joe takes that with a grain of salt," He said as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator and slid down to sit on the floor, "So much for going home and passing out in a nice warm bed."
Karen: "It wouldn't be too much to hope that maintenance might actually be able to fix whatever the problem is, would it?"
Chris glanced over at Karen with a sideways smile.
Karen: "Okay, nevermind," She took a frustrated breath and sat down beside him.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Chris spoke again.
Chris: "How are you going to tell him?"
Karen: "I have no idea. I don't think I can just say 'oh hi Joe, dinner is ready and by the way, Neil isn't your son.' Somehow I don't think that approach would work."
Chris laughed softly: "You never know. It just might."
Karen: "I'm serious, Chris. How am I going to go about this?"
Chris: "It looks to me like you only have two options. You could just come straight out with it and tell him. No build-up. No lead-in. Just give it to him. Or, you could always drop hints and let him figure it out. Although, Scanlon is a bit thick-headed and that would probably take him until Neil turns eighteen to figure out."
Karen: "Chris," She looked at him with disapproval before taking a deep breath. "He's not going to like it."
Chris: "I don't think any man would. Especially finding out that his own brother is the real father. Joe's going to have a long hard road ahead of him."
Karen: "Poor Neil. What's this going to do to him? I keep thinking about how happy he gets when Joe comes home from the hospital."
Chris: "Neil's a strong kid. He'll pull through."
Karen: "I sincerely hope so."
They sat in an uneasy silence again.
Chris: "I just realized something."
Karen: "What's that?"
Chris: "There's one thing that is less painful about being stuck in this elevator."
Karen: "And what would that be?"
Chris: "No cheesy music."
Karen laughed as she saw Chris smile.
Karen: "True, but I would rather hear that cheesy music and get off this elevator."
Chris: "Not enjoying my company, Doctor?"
Karen: "Nothing personal, Chris," She grinned.
Chris: "On the contrary, with what Amy is probably up there telling everyone and what is likely to run through the minds of everyone who has heard of our little adventure last night, I think I'm insulted that you wouldn't even want to be in here with me," He teased.
Karen: "That is exactly the reason I don't want to be here. If Amy is telling Joe what she saw last night, I'll never get in a word edgewise with him."
Chris: "Yes you will.
Right after he decks me."
Chapter 3
Joe, Matt, and Eve gathered near the elevator as it was taped off. Mary, Bobbie, and Amy walked up behind them.
Amy: "What's going on?"
Matt: "Apparently the elevator is stuck."
Bobbie: "Oh my god, is anyone in there?"
Joe: "Karen."
Eve: "And Chris," She said noticing Joe's omission.
Amy: "Oh," She said as if she knew something.
Eve and Bobbie noticed the sound of Amy's voice and looked over to her.
Bobbie: "What was that oh about?"
Amy: "I just thought it was interesting. That's all."
Eve: "No, that's not all. Come on, Amy. What is it that you have turning in that brain of yours?"
Amy looked over to Joe who was now completely attentive to what was going on with the ladies.
Amy: "Well, it's just that I saw the two of them in a very intimate moment last night."
Bobbie: "I'm sure you just misinterpreted something innocent."
Amy: "Bobbie, it's a little hard to misinterpret two people who are locked up in a heavy kiss."
Eve: "What? Amy, you haven't been in the drug closet again, have you?"
Amy: "No, and I wasn't the only one. Ask Morgan in records. He was there. He saw it too."
Eve stood a little shell shocked while Joe took a deep breath and stormed off from the others. Mary followed him while Matt looked at Eve.
Matt: "Karen and Ramsey? Not possible."
Eve: "It could be. Karen tried to help Chris get Julie's name cleared. They might have clicked along the way."
Matt: "She's got more sense than that."
Eve: "Matt, you know there's an old saying: love is blind. It's also deaf and dumb. She may have fallen for that charm of his. Chris does know how to wind people around his little finger."
Amy: "Somehow, I doubt it's his finger he has her wound around."
Eve, Bobbie, & Matt: "Amy!"
Amy: "What? You were all thinking it," She said with a frown before walking away from them.
Mary found Joe bursting into the on-call room. She followed him and frowned when she saw the rage in his eyes as he turned to her.
Joe: "How could she do this to me Mom? She said she had something to tell me, something about us, and now I find out that she's been with Ramsey."
Mary: "We don't know all the facts. Amy is very bad to take things out of context, Joe. What if Chris approached Karen and she didn't return his advance? She could be innocent."
Joe: "But Amy said that Morgan saw it too. Did everyone know something that I didn't?"
Mary: "No one knew anything, Joe. Just calm down. We don't know all the facts yet."'
Joe: "She had better come clean with me, Mom."
Mary: "I can't believe I'm defending Karen, but you really should listen to her before you make any rash judgements."
Joe took a deep breath.
Joe: "You're right. Karen has never lied to me. I can't expect that she would do something like that."
Mary smiled: "Come
on. Let's go back out there and see if that elevator is moving again."
Chapter 4
Karen: "How long has it been?"
Chris: "Hour and a half," He said sleepily as his eyes were closed.
Karen: "How freaking long does it take?"
Chris: "Shh, you'll disturb my beauty rest."
Karen: "Come on, Chris. You can't go to sleep on me. I need you to keep me company."
Chris: "What was that? You need me?" He asked with a smile, "Fancy that after saying you didn't want to be in here with me."
Karen: She smiled, "Chris, you are anything but boring."
Chris: "Wow, the lady is throwing compliments my way now. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" He teased.
Karen: "Just fine except for wanting out of here."
Chris: "Well, it looks like it'll take them a while to get us out of here. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned."
Karen: "And who's the one complaining about the company now?"
Chris: "Not complaining about you. Merely the situation, dear," He said with a smile, "I really wanted to go home and sleep. But that's just going to have to wait now, isn't it?"
Karen: "Looks that way."
Chris: "Oh well, I guess it could be worse."
Karen: "How could this be worse?"
Chris: "I could be stuck in here with Harmon."
Karen laughed and poked Chris.
Karen: "You are awful."
Chris: "Never pretended to be otherwise," He grinned.
Karen: "Why do you act that way?"
Chris: "Because it's fun. What about you? Why did you reform? Isn't it boring?"
Karen: "Sometimes, but then again, I have the security of knowing that no one's going to be accusing me of something I didn't do."
Chris: "You miss it though sometimes, don't you?"
Karen: "Miss what?"
Chris: "Doing something just because you know you're not suppose to."
Karen: "Yeah, I guess I do occassionally."
Chris: "And that kiss. You enjoyed that, didn't you? Especially since it wasn't suppose to happen and it was completely out of the ordinary for you."
Karen: "I suddenly feel like I'm on trial here."
Chris: "This isn't an inquisition," He smiled, "Just trying to find out a little about you. Trying to understand you, that's all."
Karen: "I think you're doing more than trying to understand me."
Chris: "Now what could I possibly be doing, Doctor?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Karen: "Trying to figure out if there was an ulterior motive for that kiss. I think you're fishing."
He grinned. She was trying to figure him out too. This could be fun.
Chris: "I think you're trying to figure me out now."
Karen: "So, how am I doing so far? You're looking for an ulterior motive, aren't you?"
Chris smiled coolly, not letting anything slip by him.
Chris: "You're worried about that. You're worried that there was another motive. Now, I am intrigued. What is the ulterior motive that you're so worried about, Karen?"
Karen: "I'm not worried," She said, trying to make light of this and not quite understanding how she got herself into this situation, "I just think you're prying."
Chris: "No, you don't. You're afraid that I'll discover something without prying," He smiled.
Karen: She looked at him and rolled her eyes while breaking a smile, "What are you smiling about?"
Chris: "You liked kissing me, didn't you?"
Karen: "I told you that it wasn't bad."
Chris: "It was hell of a sight better than just not bad. Come on, Karen. Admit it. You're attracted to me."
Karen groaned.
Karen: "Your ego is in for a major deflation here, buddy."
Chris: "I don't think so," He smiled, "You know it and it's driving you insane. Just admit it. Trust me, it helps to voice your feelings," He smiled even broader.
Karen: "I have feelings about you, not for you. There's a very big difference."
Chris: "You can try to fool yourself all you want. It's very clear in your eyes," He said locking gazes with her.
Karen: "You're so full of shi"
Chris: "Now now, Dr. Wexler. No reason to use such harsh language," He grinned.
Karen: "Now, I'm so very sure of it. I hate you," She said as she stood and began to pace the elevator.
Chris: "All that energy," He said standing up as he watched her, "Wouldn't be a bit nervous there would you?"
Karen stopped and spun on her heel to face him.
Karen: "No, not at all. Claustrophobic is a good word. Your ego is taking up all the air in here."
He laughed.
Chris: "You really are flustered about this, aren't you?"
She took a deep breath.
Karen: "You are driving me insane. I never said I was attracted to you nor did I say that I wanted anything more than one kiss. I didn't even say that I wanted that one. It just happened."
He grinned and took a step towards her. She stood her ground and looked up into his eyes.
Chris: "You're shaking. Why?"
Karen: "Anger does that."
Chris: "It's not anger. You're scared of me."
Karen: "Why would I possibly be scared of you?"
Chris: "Because you're afraid of yourself around me," He smiled stepping around her.
Karen: "Now why would I be afraid of myself? I know what I'm capable of."
Chris: "That's why it scares you," He said stepping up close behind her and whispering near her ear, "You and I both know what you're capable of. The kiss for example."
She took a deep breath as she felt his proximity and could feel his breath on her skin. She turned around to look at him and was amazed at just how close to him she was.
Karen: "Chris, I'm only going to say this one more time. I hate you."
Chris: "Sure you do," He said softly before lowering his lips to hers and taking her into his arms.
He moved one hand down her back, pressing her body to his while the other hand lingered in her hair. His kiss began as a kiss just to prove his point but now he was enjoying the kiss and wasn't about to let go of her. She put up some resistance, pressing her palms against his chest for a moment before stopping and wrapping her arms around him to engage herself further in this kiss. She moved her fingers into his hair, kissing him with as much attention as he was devoting to her.
When their lips finally parted, Karen looked up into Chris's eyes and he smiled at her.
Chris: "I told you that you were attracted to me."
She looked at him for a moment before shoving him away.
Karen: "God, I hate
you," She breathed as she rolled her eyes.
Chapter 5
Joe: "How long has it been already?"
Matt: "Two and a half hours."
Joe: "God, what is wrong with these people? Can't they fix the damn thing already?"
Matt: "They're working just as fast as they can."
Joe: "It's not fast enough."
Matt: "I feel so sorry for Karen. Having to sit in there for that long a time with Ramsey. I bet she's going insane."
Joe: "Hmm," He murmured while thinking it over. What if Amy was right? What if it was something more than a maintenence problem going on? What if ...... there was no point in getting all worked up over something that in all likelihood wasn't happening. Karen wouldn't have anything to do with Chris.
Eve walked up beside them and placed a chart into the rack on the desk.
Eve: "It's still stuck?"
Matt: "Yeah, they're talking like it could be any minute now."
Eve: "I bet they're killing each other in there. Chris and Karen with their personalities running on very little sleep. This is not a good combination."
Matt: "I was just telling Joe that I feel for poor Karen in all of this. Being stuck in a confined space that long with Chris Ramsey must be hell on the nerves."
Eve: "Some people would relish the idea. Chris is great company."
Matt: "I don't know how you can say that. He's a troll."
Eve: "I'll be the first to admit that Chris has his faults but he is not that bad a guy really. You've only seen his bad side because you're his competition. He hates to come in second."
Joe: "Or third or any other place but first. He's a jerk, Eve."
Eve: "He is not," She frowned, "I just hope that both of them are okay after being in there that long. They're both going to be very tired."
Joe: "What's that suppose to mean?" He turned to Eve with anger flashing in his eyes.
Eve: "They just spent a double shift and were on their way home. I can imagine that the lack of sleep has to be weighing on them by now," She said tenatively, "That's all I meant by it Joe."
He took a deep breath and walked off with a chart in his hand. Eve glanced at Matt.
Eve: "He thinks they're together as in together?"
Matt nodded.
Eve: "I can't believe
that he would think that about Karen. She loves him so very much.
I just hope that he doesn't ruin it by accusing her of something when they
get this thing working again."
Chapter 6
Chris leaned back against the wall as he loosened his tie and sank to sit on the floor.
Karen: "What are you doing?"
Chris: "Since it appears that we're going to be stuck here for the duration, I want to get some rest. I need to make myself comfortable," He said pulling his tie from his collar and unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt before leaning into the corner and closing his eyes.
Karen took the tie from his hand and he opened his eyes to look at her.
Chris: "What are you doing?"
Karen: "Gee, that sounds familiar," She smiled as she tied up her hair in a bow using his tie, "I wanted to tie up my hair and this works perfectly."
Chris: "Looks better on you than it does on me."
Karen: "Really?" She smiled, "Looked pretty good on you."
He smiled.
Chris: "I could always change my mind about sleeping."
Karen: "Don't get your hopes up," She said sliding out of her shoes and placing them to the side as she sat down directly beside him, "I just wanted to get comfortable too."
Chris: "And throwing a compliment this way was part of becoming comfortable?"
Karen: "Don't start. You already made one point. If you make anymore, I'll never be able to live with myself."
He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Chris: "You never know, you might like it."
She looked at him and smiled.
Karen: "You never stop, do you?"
Chris: "Nope."
Karen: "God, what did I get myself into?" She said taking a breath and leaning back against the wall, closing her eyes.
He laughed.
Chris: "You don't really want me to answer that, do you?" He asked closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall.
Karen: "No, not really," She said trying to get comfortable before finally leaning over on Chris, "You make a good pillow."
Chris: "It's good to know that you can still find some use for me," He said lightly.
She smiled as they both relaxed
and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 7
The workers from maintenance stood outside the elevator tearing the tape down.
Eve: "It's fixed?"
Joe: "Apparently. It only took them FOUR hours. They're going to recall the elevator to this floor and then do a trial run through all the floors. When the elevator gets here, Karen can finally get out of there."
Eve: "Chris too," She frowned, "I bet they're both so tired that they can hardly stand."
Joe: "Probably."
Meanwhile in the elevator, Chris lay on the floor of the elevator sleeping with Karen curled around him also sleeping. The elevator shifted and they both were instantly awake.
Karen: "What was that?" She asked remaining completely still.
Chris smiled as he looked down at her and saw the intimate positioning of their bodies.
Chris: "Hopefully, that was the sweet sound of freedom," He spoke softly then deepened his tone, "Although in this position, I think I could do with being stuck a while longer."
Karen began to examine her surroundings. Her leg was thrown over his, her head on his chest, and her hand inside his jacket. His arm held her around the waist while his other hand was draped on her thigh. She looked up at Chris and saw the amused look on his face.
Karen: "How did you do that?"
Chris: "Do what?"
Karen: "Get me all wrapped around you like that," She said moving away from him.
Chris: "That was all your doing, sweetheart," He smiled watching her move out of his arms. He took a deep breath and stretched as he got to his feet.
Karen: "No it wasn't. I never would have ended up that way."
Chris: "But you did. Maybe your unconscious self is trying to tell you something."
Karen: "Yeah, that I was cold."
Chris: "Rationalize all you want," He said extending her a hand to help her up.
She took his hand and stood. Her foot gave out under her full weight and Chris caught her in his arms to hold her up. Karen laughed softly.
Karen: "My foot's asleep."
He looked into her eyes and smiled.
Chris: "Maybe your unconscious is still trying to tell you something. The next time you want me to hold you, all you have to do is ask."
She rolled her eyes.
Karen: "How many times do I have to tell you? I hate you."
Chris: "As many times as it takes to convince yourself," He said before placing a kiss to her lips.
She responded for a moment before stopping herself.
Karen: "I'm not the one that needs convincing. You are."
Chris: "I don't think so," He grinned.
Karen: "I hate you."
He placed a quick kiss upon her lips.
Karen: "I hate you."
He kissed her again exploring a little deeper and lingering a little longer.
Karen: "I hate you."
He kissed her deeply this time, moving his fingers to cup her face allowing him deeper access. His tongue teased her, daring her to respond to him. And she did. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, threading her fingers through his thick hair.
The elevator began to ascend as Chris slowly removed his lips from hers. She looking into his eyes and swallowed hard.
Chris: "We're going up."
Karen: "Feels that way."
Chris: "Still hate me?" He asked with a grin.
Karen: "Don't tempt me," She whispered as the elevator stopped, paused and then the doors opened.
Joe, Matt, Eve, Amy, Bobbie, and Mary were all waiting when the doors opened. Chris looked over to see Joe's face. Amy had been busy.
Chris: "Scanlon, your lady here has trouble standing. Her foot is asleep. Help me out here?" He asked watching as Joe's rage faded, and he took Karen from Chris's arms.
Joe: "Are you okay baby?"
Karen: "I'm fine, except for my foot," She smiled as Joe helped her off the elevator.
Chris grinned as Eve slipped her arm around him and led him off the elevator.
Eve: "What about you, Roomie? How are you holding up?"
Chris glanced over to Karen and smiled before focusing on Eve.
Chris: "I just want my bed right now. I need some sleep. I think my unconscious is playing tricks on me."
Karen groaned as she heard him then turned to Joe. She smiled as she pressed her lips to his and kissed him.
Karen: "I'm feeling much better now."
Joe: "He didn't harrass you, did he?"
Karen: "Not really. Nothing that I didn't deserve."
Chris heard and turned towards her with a smile.
Chris: "Excuse me. I was the one being berated in there. Telling me how much she hated me over and over again."
Karen: "To which as I recall, you had a cheeky comeback."
Chris: "I'm not sure cheeky applies," He grinned, "Perhaps another word. . . like.."
Karen: "Shut up, Chris," She warned as she smiled, "How about we just call it an adequate comeback?"
Chris: "How about appropriate?"
Karen: "How about no."
Chris laughed.
Chris: "Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize," He smiled, "I'm out of here, people. Time for some sleep."
Karen: "Me too," She said as she tested her foot, "Joe, could you help me to the car?"
Joe: "Sure," He said helping her down the hall.
Chris watched them and smiled. Eve noticed and couldn't contain her curiosity.
Eve: "What's going on?"
Chris: "Who said anything was going on?"
Eve: "That big goofy grin plastered across your face did. And what's this about a hot kiss between you and Karen?"
Chris: "Which one?" He asked with a straight face as Eve's eyes widened.
Eve: "Are you telling me that you and Karen are an item?"
Chris: "Lambert, if we were an item, would I let her walk out of here with Scanlon?"
Eve: "You would if it served your purpose."
Chris: "I would not," He said before frowning, "I didn't know you of all people had such a low opinion of me, Lambert."
Eve: "I don't. It's just kind of hard not to notice the look you gave Karen and that entire conversation that passed between you which I still have no idea what it was about. And then there's this matter of a kiss," She said with an inquisitive look.
Chris: "A gentleman never tells. Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. How many more cliches do you want?"
Eve rolled her eyes.
Eve: "Go get some sleep. You're grumpy when you don't get enough sleep."
Eve walked back to the nurse's station while Chris walked toward the stairs.
Chris: "I don't think it's sleep that I'm not getting enough of."