Chapter  78

Brenda arrives at the Outback safe and sound. Kyle is already there and they
have lunch and talk.

Meanwhile, back at the penthouse.

Sonny is having a wonderful time playing with his son and making up for lost
time. 
Stone's toys are laid out on the floor and they are sitting on a blanket.
Sonny is watching his son in awe as he plays and crawls around and makes baby
sounds, trying to talk.
"Mama."
"Mommy's not here right now son but your daddy is. I'll always be here from
now on.
I know you don't know what that means yet but I promise i'll always be here to
take care of you. And your mom too."
"Mama."
Sonny picks Stone up and puts him in his lap.
"Mommy will be back later Stone. I know you want her. I want her too. I miss
her when she's not around too. Your mom is one of the most beautiful,
stubborn, most perfect woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You father
was an idiot and I made a bunch of stupid mistakes which made me lose her. I
hope you don't do the same things I did to mess things up when you get older
and fall in love. I'll make sure you don't. I'm going to stay right here and
teach you. We'll do all the things fathers and sons do. The things I   
never did with your grandfather Mike."
"Pap."
Sonny looks at his son.
"Yeah, that's right. Can you say daddy ? Daddy ?"
"No" Stone mumbles
Sonny laughs
"Stubborn huh ? I wonder where you get that from. Its okay. You'll be able to
say it soon. I can wait. I have all the time in the world."

About an hour later, Jason and Robin enter the penthouse. 
"Hey Sonny. It looks like you're having a good time."
Sonny looks up
"My son and I are having a blast. Hi Jason."
"Sonny, I just came by to pick something up." 
Jason looks at Stone
"He looks good. I haven't really seen much of him since he was born. He looks
like you."
"Yeah, he does." Sonny responded
"That's good." 
"He's got Brenda's eyes and her nose but he's got your dimples."
Robin sat down next to Sonny on the floor.
"It looks like you two have known each other all your lives. He's real
comfortable with you. He knows you're his father. I know he does."
"Thank you Robin."
Robin smiled
"Anything for you."
"No, I mean it. I was worried that it wouldn't go well. I've just met my son
and already he's the most important thing in my life. Next to Brenda that is.
I was afraid that I wouldn't do well, that I couldn't take care of him by
myself. When Brenda left I-"
"Sonny, relax. I always knew that you'd make a wonderful father. You're doing
a wonderful job. Even Brenda would agree. Look at your son. He's happy and
he's having fun. Enjoy it and stop worrying. And as far as the alone part. You
have me, Jason, Mike, and Luke and Lois."
Jason finally spoke
"Robin's right. If you need anything all you have to do is ask and if you want
my opinion then I think you're doing a pretty good job."
"Thanks Jason, that means a lot."
Jason nodded
"I was hoping you two could help me with something."
"Anything you need, just name it Sonny."
"I wanted to turn Stone's old room into a nursery for my son. I'm hoping
Brenda might let me keep him overnight and I want a place for him to stay. I
have no idea what to buy. I want to get some toys and things for Stone too. I
was hoping you guys might want to help."
Robin smiled
"That sounds like a good idea. I'd love to go shopping with you."
"I agree but I don't think i'd be much help."
"Come on Jason. It'll be fun. We could furnish your penthouse too."
Jason from Robin to Sonny. He can't picture himself shopping let alone buying
furniture but figures it can't be that bad and agrees to go the next day.


Chapter 79

The Penthouse

A few hours later Brenda comes by to pick Stone. She had lunch with Kyle and
then went upstairs to visit V. It is about 2, almost 3:00 in the afternoon.
She walks in and sees Jason and Robin sitting on the couch talking. Stone's
things are lying on the floor.
"Hi guys."
"Hi Brenda."
"Brenda"
"Where's Sonny ?"
"He's upstairs with Stone. I think he's taking a nap."
"Oh, did everything go all right today ?" Brenda asked
"It went fine. Sonny's real good with Stone. They had fun together." Robin
answered
"That's good. I'm going to go check on them. Excuse me."
Brenda goes upstairs.

Inside Sonny's bedroom. Stone is fast asleep on the bed. Sonny is sitting on
the bed watching him.
Brenda walks into the room.
"Hey, I was just watching our son."
"I can tell. You know you really should get a baby monitor for that. Then you
don't have to sit there for hours to make sure he's okay."
"I'll get Stone some stuff in the next few days. Right now I just want to
watch him sleep. I've never seen him sleep before. He looks like an angel."
"That's because he is one."
Sonny and Brenda both smile
"I know."
"Of course we're not exactly biased."
"I don't care. If I say my son's an angel then he is one."
"You want to see his baby picture ?"
"Do you have one with you ?"
Brenda laughs
"Are you kidding me ? I've got tons of them in my purse alone. He's not even
two and I've got at least 5 albums. I gave most of the photos to Mike and Ned
and Lois. Robin has a bunch too and I sent Julia at least a hundred each
month."
Brenda opens her purse and takes her wallet out. She moves closer to Sonny
"This was right after he was born. Mike took it after we came home. This was
when Stone was 6 months old. This was Stone when he turned one. This one was
taken last month. Lois said that I should have some pictures of me holding
him. I sent one to Julia. I thought she might like it."
"I thought you didn't get along."
"We didn't but we kind of made up after you left. We worked things out.
Julia's not that bad. Most of that stuff that happened was our father's
fault."
Brenda looked down
"I'm sorry."
"For what ?"
"Everything. Especially everything bad that's ever happened to you. You didn't
deserve any of it. Mostly i'm sorry for my part in everything."
"Its not your fault."
"Yes, it is."
"Okay, maybe it is your fault but not everything."
They both laugh.
"You didn't have to agree with me you know."
"I know"
"Brenda ?"
"Yeah ?"
"Thank you. You have every right to hate my guts and banish me from your life
and my son's life. Thank you for letting me get to know our son and showing me
the pictures. I missed out on being there when he was born, bringing him home
from the hospital and watching him grow. I feel like a part of that now."
 "You don't have to thank me. I'm not doing this for you. Or me. I'm doing it
for my son. He has a right to know his father. That's something neither of us
had. I won't deny Stone that and the fact is for someone who just found out
that he had a son, you're doing a really good job. Robin agrees with me."
Sonny looked at her
"You know when Jason told me I was shocked and angry because I didn't know. No
one told me. I was off somewhere and you were here pregnant and alone."
"Sonny-"
"Just hear me out okay ?"
Brenda nodded
"I had no idea. After Jason told me I was so angry. Not at you or Jason.
Myself, for missing out on the chance to know my son. Being here with you. I
felt robbed. It was horrible. I finally ended up at Mike's. I stayed there all
night, sitting up and thinking. All of a sudden it hit me, it wasn't too late.
Mike was living proof of that. It might not be the same thing exactly but it
was close. Mike may not have been there before but he is now. Maybe that's
what counts most. I'm not going to waste time thinking on what might have been
and regret the decisions I made like Mike. I'm going to spend as much time as
I can with my son. Mike had a problem with gambling among other things. My
problem, one of them anyway, is that i'm involved in some bad stuff. Its a
dangerous business of secrets and lies that have cost me you over and over
again."  
"Sonny, don't rehash the past. You're right. Its over and done with. Live your
life in the now."
Sonny looked Brenda in the eyes and saw something new there. She had changed
so much. Brenda was still the most beautiful woman he had ever known but there
was something different about her.


Chapter  80

"You're probably right."
"I am right. I'm always right." Brenda joked, trying to lighten up the moment
"Yeah, I know."
Brenda reached over and pulled the blanket closer to Stone. She saw Sonny
staring at her.
"What ?"
"What what ?"
"You keep staring at me."
Sonny shrugged
"You're just...there's something different about you. Its like you're at peace
and you've changed. Its not just the pain that I caused you or everything i've
put you through. Well, maybe some of it is but its...you're different. Its
almost like you've grown up and older, wiser."
"Gee thanks. I think."
"No. You're still the most beautiful woman i've ever laid eyes on but its like
you're a better person and you're more mature. You're still so young and
energetic. My guess it would be because you have a son now, our son and you're
a mother."
Brenda felt the tears in her eyes. She's trying to keep them from falling.
"It is because of Stone. He's the most important thing in my life. I'm
responsible for him, I can't afford to make a mistake."
"I know. He's been in my life for less than a week and he's already the most
important thing in my life too. From what I can see you've done a perfect job
so far. You gave our son a home with people who love him and he's happy and
healthy. That's the best thing you can do for Stone. "Sonny pauses. "Thank you
for that from the bottom of my heart Brenda. I know that I probably don't
deserve a beautiful son like Stone but I'll do whatever it takes to make sure
he's safe and happy. I've screwed up a lot but i'll try my damnedest not to
this time. Thank you for giving me that gift."
Sonny took her hand in his and just held it. After a few minutes he pulled her
closer. 
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you." Sonny said as he saw her crying
"You didn't. Its just that that's the most beautiful thing you've ever said to
me. You were never one for words but you just said more in those few sentences
than I could ever hope. Its all I really wanted. To have kids and be a good
mom. To have a family. It might not be exactly what I dreamed of but its close
enough."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't. You have nothing to apologize for anymore. Its not totally your fault.
We might have had our happy ending with our dream house if I hadn't messed up
too. Lets just forget about it all."
Brenda glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
"We've been talking for hours almost. Its late. I should be going."
"Are you sure ?"
"Yeah. Stone's waking up. I'd better get him home before he dozes off again or
else he'll be up all tonight."
Brenda sat up and pulled herself out of Sonny's arms. Sonny stood up too. He
loved holding her in his arms even for a few minutes. He felt disappointed and
a wave of regrets washed over him as he watched her pick up their son. This
should be their home. The woman he loved more than life itself and their son
should be with him. Always. He resolved himself to try to get her back, even
if he had to beg and plead.  
"I'll go downstairs and get all his things." Sonny is almost out the door when
he turns around again
"Brenda ?"
Brenda looks up from Stone at him. She is sitting on the bed holding him.
"What is it Sonny ?"
"Can I say something else ?"
She smiled halfheartedly
"You can tell me anything."
"I meant what I said. You were already a wonderful person before but now
you're an even better person. You're flaws are gone. Not that you had that
many...it was usually me. As much as I love my son a part of me is jealous
because he's done that for you. I never could. I always wanted to do what
you've done for me which is make me a better person. Your love did that for me
and much more. You chased away my demons and kept me 
alive and well most of the time. I probably couldn't have survived without it
these past years. I wouldn't have wanted to. I don't know what to do now that
i've lost it."
Sonny turned again and left Brenda sitting there. 
She opened her mouth to say something, to stop him, something but she couldn't
bring herself to.
Sonny stooped in the hallway and waited to see if she would come after him,
call out, something, anything. Nothing. Slowly he continued down the empty
penthouse.

Chapter 81

Sonny walks downstairs just as Jason and Robin are walking in the front door.
"Hey, did you guys go somewhere ?"
"Yeah, we went to get some stuff for dinner." Jason said
"I came upstairs to tell you and see if you needed anything but you looked
busy."
"Its okay Robin. I think i'm all set for now."
The only thing I need is my family back, he thought to himself, and that's not
anything I can buy back.
"Are you kidding me ? That kitchen is nearly empty. This coming from the man
who kept his cabinets full of spices, his refrigerator full of fresh
vegetables and stocked up on Colombian coffee."
They all laughed.
"I know. Jason here isn't exactly the best at taking care of things like
that."
Robin and Jason carry bags of groceries into the kitchen and start putting
them away. Brenda is walking downstairs with Stone.
"What's going on ?"
"Robin and Jason roped me into making dinner."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll have a good time then. Can you get Robin for me ? I need
to talk to her."
Sonny nodded
"Sure, they're probably making a mess in my kitchen. I'll be right back."
Robin comes out of the kitchen.
"Brenda, hey Stone. What's up ?"
"Are you staying for dinner ?"
"I wanted to spend sometime with Jason. We just got back together..." Robin
trailed off as she remembered something.
"Oh, we were supposed to have dinner together. I'm sorry. Let me tell Jason-"
"No, its okay. Stay and have fun. We can always go out some other time."
"You sure ?"
Brenda smiled reassuringly
"Of course. We'll be okay. Stone and I will be fine."
"Why don't you stay ? We can all have dinner. Just like old times." Robin
asked not convinced.
"I can't. Maybe with just us and Jason but I can't stay here in this place
with Sonny. I'll be okay. Come on Stone, say goodbye to Aunt Robin."
Robin took him while Brenda picked up Stone's bag.
"Brenda, what happened ?"
Brenda sighed. Living with Robin brought them closer, they could tell when
there was something bothering the other person.
"Can we talk about it later ? I can't deal with it right now. I just have to
get out of here."
"Okay, i'll be home late so don't wait up."
"I won't. Listen...never mind."
Sonny and Jason walk into the living room
"Sonny, can you say goodbye to Stone. I have to get going."
"You don't want to stay for dinner ? Sonny's making pasta and clams."
"No thanks Jason. Maybe some other time."
Robin shoots Jason a look and he backs off.
"Okay, let me get the door for you. I'll have Renaldo walk you down. "Jason
said as Sonny handed Stone back to Brenda.
"Bye, Jason. I'll see you later Robin. Sonny."
They all say their goodbyes. Brenda leaves. 
Renaldo walks her down to the garage and helps her into her car. She thanks
him and drives off. 

Nearby, two thugs are outside watching Brenda. One reaches into his pocket and
pulls out his ringing cell phone.
"Hello ?"
"Did you grab the kid ?"
"No, there was a bodyguard there. We couldn't risk it."
"Dammit. There are 2 of you and there was one guard. I told you to grab the
brat. Leave her but grab the kid. I don't care how you do it. Just do it and
hurry. We have to move fast. We need Corinthos's kid to make this work." 
The man on the other end hangs up.
"What did he say ?" The man asked the other one who had just hung up the
phone. His accent thick.
"He's not happy. We better grab the kid tonight. You knock out the broad and
i'll grab the kid."
"What do we do with the model ?" 
"Boss doesn't care."
The other man nods as he reaches under his jacket and traces his gun.   


Chapter 82

Brenda settled Stone in his car seat, buckled up and drove off. Her cell phone rang and she answered it when the she hit a red light. 
"Hello ?"
"Brenda ?"
"Yeah. Ned ? Is that you ?"
"Yes, I just called to see if you were free tomorrow night."
"Actually, I was going to come over and help Lo with some things."
"Good. Then you can have dinner with us. PC Grille. Say 6:30. I'll make the reservations."
"Sounds good. " 
"Where's Robin ?"
"Having dinner with Jason and Sonny."
"Oh."
"What is that supposed to mean ?"
"What was what supposed to mean ?"
"That 'oh'."
"Nothing."
Brenda pauses. "Ned, can I ask you something ?"
"Anything."
"What do you know about Kyle ? I mean, we were having lunch and he didn't say much about himself and he kind of brushed me off. We spent most of the time talking about the usual stuff and about me."
"Brenda, if I were Kyle. The last thing i'd want to do is talk about myself. He was probably spellbound sitting so close to you."
"Thank you but I don't think that that's it."
"No ? Well Kyle is a smart successful guy. He's had some problems with his family but who hasn't ? When I knew him he wasn't the quiet one that's for sure. Maybe you should just relax. You just met. Give it some time, I don't think you can expect his whole life story in less than 2 dates."

Brenda pulled onto the main road that went to her house thinking about what Ned had said. Maybe she was expecting too much but she couldn't help remembering what she had felt when she had met Sonny. It was like fate that they had found each other. Sparks flew. She had felt so much so fast. Before she knew it she was in love. Madly, passionately and deeply.  
When she had found him in his car shot and bleeding, she actually prayed that he wouldn't die. She had just met him but she had already known that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He was her soulmate, the one person that she could love and who would love her forever. Or so she thought. She remembered earlier that day when she was with Sonny, he had his arms around her and he was saying all these things to her. They were just lying there watching their son sleep. It felt so right. His arms felt so strong and safe. 
She sighed as she glanced in the rearview mirror. There was a dark car. One that had been following her for the last 10 minutes. Maybe more, she wasn't paying that much attention. She breathed with relief as the car disappeared from sight and pulled into a nearby street. 
She quickly glanced over at her son.
"Its okay sweetie. We're almost home. When we get there we'll both have our dinner and then we're going to get a good night's sleep. Then maybe your mom will stop being so paranoid."
Brenda turned off the main road and exited on a smaller one. About 10 minutes later she had almost reached the house. Something in the middle of the road had caught her eye
and she slowed down, pulling the car into park. There was a car in the middle of the road. It had just stopped there. She honked the horn on her steering wheel. No answer. She thought about driving around the car but she was afraid that she would get stuck in a ditch and that it might disturb Stone. A man got out of the car and started walking towards her.
"Excuse me ma'am. Do you by chance have a phone so we can call the Auto club ? There's something wrong with the car and we need a tow."
Brenda reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. 
"Hold on, I'll call them for you."
Brenda got a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She brushed it away and was about to dial when the man pulled out a gun.
"Step out of the car right now."
She gasped and slowly opened the car door. She reached over and unbuckled Stone out of his car seat.
"Leave the kid."
"Oh god, please don't hurt my son or me. My purse is in the car. Take whatever you want. Take the car, just don't hurt my son." 
"Sorry lady but we've got our orders."
Suddenly everything went black. Brenda had been hit on the head and was knocked unconscious. 
Another man had gotten out of the car and walked over.
"I knocked her out. She shouldn't wake up for hours. I'll grab the kid and take him to the warehouse. You take her car and dump it somewhere."
"We're leaving her here ?"
"We don't need her, just the kid. Someone's bound to find her sooner or later. Come on, lets get out of here before someone comes along."

Chapter  83


Back at the penthouse. A while later

Robin is upstairs freshening up. Sonny, Jason and Robin have just finished dinner. Jason and Sonny are downstairs talking.
"Did you get the file ?" Sonny asked.
"Yeah, Benny sent it over this morning. I haven't had a chance to go over it."
Sonny nodded
"Its okay. You were busy with Robin. I'm happy that you two are back together. Just bring it to me the papers and i'll go over them. There's something off about Montgomery."
"Other than the fact that he actually likes Ned ?"
Sonny laughed
"Yeah but other than that, I'd feel safer knowing everything checks out. I just want Brenda and my son safe."
Jason nodded
"I would feel the same way if it were Robin, I'll go get the file. You can look over it. I've got to take Robin home."
Jason was about to leave when he saw Sonny grab his head and sit down on the couch.   
"Sonny ? You okay ?"
Sonny rubbed his face.
"Something's wrong. I can feel it."
He quickly got up and walked over to the phone. He dialed Brenda's phone number. 
He let it ring and ring until the machine went on. 
"Brenda, its me. If you're there pick up. Its important. Brenda ?"
Sonny hung up
"Damn. She's not there."
Jason walked over to Sonny.
"Maybe she just didn't want to talk to you or she's out someplace."
"No, there's something off. I can feel it."
"Sonny, i've got men watching the house. Nothing can happen to her there."
Sonny shook his head.
"It doesn't matter if there are 10 or a hundred men guarding her, they'll find a way." 
Sonny picked up the phone again.
"Who are you calling ?"
"Her cell phone number. Brenda always carries her cell phone with her."
Sonny dialed the number and let it ring 10 times before hanging up
"She's not answering. Damnit, where can she be ? We have to find her. I can't lose her. Not again. Brenda had Stone with her, what if my son's hurt too."
"Sonny calm down, I'll call some people and start looking for her. Call Lois and Mike, whoever Brenda might be with. She might have turned off her phone since Stone was with her."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Sonny said, still hopeful that the bad vibes he kept getting weren't about Brenda. She had to be safe. So did his son. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to either one of them.

Elsewhere,

Brenda could barely make out the ringing coming from her cell phone that was still lying next to her where it had fallen. There was a painful throbbing in her body. The pain was almost unbearable. She passed out again immediately.





The Penthouse

Robin and Jason are standing together talking.
"You can't find her anywhere ?"
"No, Sonny's real worried. No one knows where she is. Ned talked to her and she was driving home. She was in her car and they were talking on her cell phone. Sonny called the same number and there was no answer. Robin, she should be home by now."
"Are you sure she's not there ?"
Jason nodded
"I've got someone watching the house. Its empty. The lights are off and her car's not there."
Robin was getting really scared. Jason noticed this and held her in his arms.
"Its going to be okay. We'll find Brenda and Stone. Sonny won't let anything happen to him."   
Robin pulled away slightly and glanced over at Sonny who is staring out the window
"Is he okay ?"
"No, maybe you should talk to him."
"I will. I think I should stay here with him. I don't feel like being alone. They'll call if Brenda comes home, right ?"
"The second they see her, my men will call and i'll take you to her."
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. I feel bad, I promised Sonny that i'd take care of Brenda. Now she's missing."
Robin reached up and put her hand on Jason's face.
"Jason, its not your fault. No one blames you. Not me and especially not Sonny. I'm going to go talk to him. You go do what you have to do."
Jason goes into his office to make some calls while Robin tries to comfort Sonny.
Robin put her hand on Sonny's shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it ?"
"I can't. I keep picturing the worst possible..."
Sonny's voice trails off. He quickly walks over to the front door.
"I have to get out of here. I can't stand around here waiting and doing nothing while Brenda could be someplace hurting and scared. I have to find her. Its killing me, this waiting."
Robin tries to stop him.
"Sonny, you have to calm down. I know you're scared. So am I but we're doing everything we can to find her. The police are looking for her and so is Jason. I have to believe that Brenda and my godson are going to be okay. They have to be."   
Just then a very somber Jason walks downstairs.
"Jason, any news ?"
"One of my men were driving back into town and they found her."
"What do you mean they found her ? Where is she ?"
"She was lying on the side of the road. She was unconscious and bleeding. They rushed her to GH."
Robin felt the tears streaming down her face while Sonny was fighting back his.
"What about my son ?" Sonny managed to get out.
Jason dreaded what he was about to say.
"He's missing. Stone wasn't with Brenda when they found her. There wasn't any sign of him."  
Sonny felt like his heart had been ripped out. Not only was the woman he loved more than life itself in the hospital being treated for god knows what but his son was missing and possible kidnapped or worse.
"I have to get to GH. I need to see Brenda."
Robin squeezed his hand.
"I'm coming with you."



Continued












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