WHAT GOES AROUND, PART FIFTEEN

    "I'm sending you for an MRI." said Dr Bodin.

    "As you wish."  Carl was subdued, after the previous night's crisis.

                                        *******

    Meanwhile, in another part of BCUH, Nick opened his eyes. 

    "Sofia?"

   "Nick?"

    Nick looked around  his hospital room.  "What happened?"

   "You uh, you got hurt." said Sofia, "But you're gonna be okay. Oh Nick!"

She flung her arms around him.  "Oh gosh, I better call Michael and Donna!"

                                 *******

    Elsewhere in Bay City, Vicky and Cindy met at Trent Forbes' law office for the reading of Grant's will.

    "There are bequests to various charities  -" the lawyer began.

    "Skip all that," Cindy demanded, "Just get to the good part."

    "Very well: 'I hereby give and bequeath everything of which I die possessed, including all money, jewellery, artworks, stocks, bonds, property etc  to '- " His voice faltered, while a look of surprise spread across his face.

    "Don't stop now!" said Cindy.

    " To - to my beloved wife, Cynthia Brooke Harrison."

    "WHAT?" yelled Vicky.

    "Let me see that!"  Cindy snatched the will out of Forbes' hand, "Hey, what are you trying to pull?  This isn't Grant's signature!  See for yourself." She handed it to Vicky.

    "You're right." Vikcy agreed, "It's not Grant's handwriting!  Besides, Grant would never have disinherited Kirkland. He loved that little boy, as much as he was capable of loving anyone but himself."

    "I agree." said Cindy, "What game are you playing, Mr Forbes?  Hoping to earn a fat fee as executor?"

    "I assure you, Mayor Harrison did deposit a valid will in my keeping," said Forbes, "One which he signed in my presence, and that of witnesses."

    "So - where is it?"

    "It WAS  in my safe."  Forbes gave Cindy a suspicious look.

    "If you can't find it, what then?" said Vicky.

    "In the absence of a will, Grant Harrison will be declared intestate, and his estate will be divided, one third going to his widow, and the other two thirds to his surviving children."

    "Kirkland's his only child." said Vicky.

    Cindy managed to keep her cool, although inwardly she was dancing with glee.  She knew about the law; she liked money, but she was clever enough not to be too greedy.  She could manage on one-third of Grant's millions (which would itself amount to millions).  At the same time, Kirkland was getting a big enough piece of the pie to keep Vicky happy.

    "Can I have the suite at the Love Towers as part of my third?" she asked, "I'm used to living there."

    "You're welcome to it." Vicky replied.

                                               *******

    "Even though Joe's been dead to me ever since I threw him out, I'm surprised that I don't feel any grief." said Paulina, "  He's dead - and I'm glad I won't have to face some big custody battle.  Do you think I'm a bad person?"

    "Of course not, Darling." said Rachel, "Once the shock of Joe's sudden death wears off, you'll remember his good points, as well as his faults, and then you'll be able to grieve.  Give yourself time."

    "I thought I loved Joe, but I can't have, not really.  Love doesn't just - Die, does it?"

    "Did it die, or did Joe kill it?"

                                                     ********

    When Dr Bodin returned from lunch, the first thing he noticed was that the window of his office was wide open.  Then a figure stepped out from behind the door.

    "What are you doing here?" said the Doctor.

    "Here - hold this!"  He thrust an object into Dr. Bodin's hand;  it was a handkerchief, with the monogram CH.

    "What - ?"

    Without warning, the intruder grabbed the doctor and tried to throw him out of the window!  Bodin resisted, clinging to the window frame and yelling for help.

    Just then, his receptionist arrived, and added her cries to his, while attempting to fend off his attacker by hitting him with her purse.  Finally, Hospital Security arrived, dragged him off, and pulled the doctor to safety.

    "He tried to kill me!" said Dr Bodin, "Call the police!"

                                                 *******

    Rachel received a phonecall that rocked her world on its foundations.

    "Matthew's been arrested!"

    "What for?" said Paulina.

    "For - trying to kill Carl's doctor!"

    "There has to be some mistake!"

    "Apparently, there were witnesses!" said Rachel, "I'd better call Cass!"

                                                 *******

    When Rachel arrived at Police Headquarters, she found Cass already there.  Matthew was in the holding cell.

    "I've arranged for his transfer to BCUH, for psychiatric evaluation." Cass told her.

    "Can I speak to him?"

    "Yes, of course." said Josie.

    "Matthew - Darling - what were you thinking of?" were Rachel's first words to her son.

    "I was trying to get Carl out of our lives." he replied, as though it was reasonable, "Dr Bodin would have been found, clutching Carl's handkerchief, thrown to his death, just like Chris Chapin.  There's plenty of evidence of how unstable Carl is.  Even you would have testified to that, Mom.  He would have been arrested for murder, tried, convicted, and sent to  prison, and we would have been free of him, at long last."

    "You were willing to kill a man, just to get rid of Carl?"

    "If that's what it took."  Matthew shrugged, "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, Mom. "

    Rachel had to ask:  "And - Chris Chapin?  Did you - arrange his death too?"

    "No, he jumped - or maybe he fell.  That's what gave me the idea, though." he replied, "The coincidence of Carl being in Denver when it happened was just too good to pass up."

    Rachel could only shake her head.

(Note:  We were never told who killed Dr Bodin, which was typical of the inept, sloppy writing which plagued AW's last 18 months, but I always suspected Matthew. ;-D)

    "He's sick!" Rachel said, "And I didn't see it!"

    Cass put a comforting arm around her. "You've had other things on your mind." he said, "Matt will get the help he needs ."

    Just then, Lila arrived, "Ah'd laik to see - oh, Matt!"

    Matthew had been released from the holding cell and was being put into handcuffs for his trip to the Psych Ward.

    "Matt, whut's to become of me - of us?"  Lila cupped her hands over her swollen abdomen.

    "What's this about, Lila?" said Cass.

    "Ah'm his waff!"

    "Wife?' said Rachel.

    "It's true, Mom."said Matthew, "We got married the day of Joe's funeral."

    "In that case," said Rachel, "The family will pay you an allowance until Matthew is - feeling better."

    "I feel fine, Mom."

    "Let's go, Cory."  said Officer Tibbs, leading him towards the door.

    "I'll arrange the allowance." Cass said, "It  will be enough for your living expenses, Lila, and that's all.  So don't think you can run up  huge debts and expect the Cory family to pay them!"

    "Oh, Cass!"  Lila fluttered her eyelashes at him.

    "I know you, Lila!"

                                                   *****

    After that, it was almost an anticlimax when the results of Carl's MRI showed him to have a brain tumor.

    "Ah suspected that," said Bobby, "The headaches, the mood swings, the clumsiness - it all fit."

    "Is it - operable?" said Rachel.

    "Yes."

    "Oh, thank God!" Rachel closed her eyes, as tears of relief poured down her face.

    "I wish you could be the one to do the operation, Bobby." said Carl, "There's no doctor I trust as I do you."

    "Ah'm just not up to it, physically, yet, and you can't afford to wait." said Bobby, "Besides, the best man for the job is Dr Baxley.  He taught me everythin' Ah know about the human brain."

                                           ********

    Dr Baxley agreed to do the operation, and arrived from New Orleans that same evening.  Carl's surgery was the next morning.  Paulina, Amanda, Bobby and Patrice kept Rachel company in the waiting room.  For the most part, the silence was broken only by Patrice's murmured prayers over her rosary.  Rachel was unable to sit down for more than a minute at a time.
    "Why is it taking so long?" she fretted.

    "It's normal, in this type of operation." Bobby assured her.

    Finally, Dr Baxley emerged.  "Your husband survived the surgery." he assured Rachel, "We removed as much of the tumor as we could, but I'm afraid it was a glioblastoma."

    Rachel turned to Bobby for an explanation of the unfamiliar term.

    "Glioblastomas tend to - spread into the surroundin' tissue." he said.

    Rachel was horrified:  "You mean - the tumor will grow back?"

    "Carl's gonna need chemotherapy and radiation treatments, to make sure that it doesn't." said Bobby, "He's gonna be very sick, for a long time.  But there's every reason to hope for a complete cure."

    Rachel thought  quickly:"These treatments - is there someplace Carl could take them, in Florida?"

    "As a matter of fact, " said Dr Baxley, "A colleague of mine has a clinic in Key West."

    "How soon will it be safe for Carl to travel?"

    "Rachel?" said Paulina.

    "Mother?" said Amanda.

    "Carl's going to need a peaceful, stress-free environment while he's ill." said Rachel, "We all know how impossible that would be to achieve in Bay City.  So I'm taking Carl, and the Twins, to the Florida beach house."

    "But, you'll come home once he's better - won't you?" said Paulina.

    "I can't think that far ahead." Rachel replied.

    "But - what about Cory Publishing?" said Amanda.

    "Damn Cory Publishing!" said Rachel, "That's the least of my concerns, right now!"

    "But Mother," Amanda whined, "Somebody has to be CEO!"

    With Matthew in the Psych Ward, there was one obvious choice.  Amanda could not surpress the smug grin that lifted the corners of her mouth; at last, she was going to be in control of her father's company!

    "Very well," said Rachel, "Paulina, you've got the job, effective immediately!"

    Amanda was flabbergasted:  "You can't be serious!"

    So was Paulina:  "Rachel, I don't know anything about running a corporation!"

    "You ran Carlino's." Rachel pointed out, "You built it up from nothing into a success."

    "Yes, but - that was just a little family restaurant."

    "I ran a restaurant myself once," said Rachel, "What it taught me about organizing things and dealing with crises was invaluable training for running Cory Publishing.  You'll do just fine."

    "It's not fair!"  whined Amanda, "It's Daddy's company!  I should be CEO!"

    "Paulina is as much Mac's daughter as you are."  Rachel pointed out. "What goes around comes around, Amanda. Carl and I  asked for your help once, and you turned your back on us.  "

    "If I'm gonna be CEO, I'll need Amanda's help." said Paulina.

    "As long as she understands that you're the boss."

    So that was it!  If Amanda wanted to retain a toehold in her own father's company, she was going to have to take orders from her bastard half-sister!  It was one more example of how the entire universe conspired to thwart Amanda Cory!

    Amanda took a deep breath.  "When do I start?"

EPILOGUE:  Key West, Florida, several months later.

    "I now pronounce  you husband and wife." said the minister, "You may kiss the bride."

    Bobby (now fully recovered from his injuries) and Vicky kissed passionately.

    "I'm pleased that you two decided to tie the knot here in Key West." said Carl.

    "How could Ah get married without my best man?" said Bobby.

    "Are you sure having Steven and Kirkland stay here while Bobby and I are on our honeymoon won't be too much trouble?" said Vicky.

    "Not at all!" said Rachel, "We're delighted to have them.  We've missed all of you."

    Vicky turned to the two boys.  "Now remember, you two have to behave yourselves.  Grandpa Carl is sick, and he needs peace and quiet."

    "Believe me, Vic, peace and quiet are in short supply around here, now that the Grubs have learned to walk!  They keep us hopping." said Carl, "Besides, I'm not made of glass."

    "The treatments leave you very weak." Rachel pointed out.

    "I'm fine, as long as I take my naps, just like the Little Ones." said Carl, "Speaking of which - "

    "Let's cut the cake, quick!" said Vicky, "Then you can go lie down."

    "I'm suprised that Paulina found time to bake one." said Rachel, "I know how busy she is at Cory."

    "It was her weddin' present." Bobby explained.

    "A toast!" said Carl, pouring champagne for the adults and ginger ale for the children, "To Victoria and Bobby Reno.  May your love endure, and may you always be as happy as you are today - as happy as Rachel and myself!"

    "I'll drink to that." said Rachel.

 The End

Note:  The genesis of this story was my wondering what would have happened if Shane/Bobby had not died in that car crash.  What if Rachel had been able to turn to him for advice, when Carl started acting oddly?  As it was, she had no one to turn to but her obnoxious children and her 'friends' Cass and Felicia, all of whom did their best to poison her mind against Carl.  Felicia, especially, was so malicious that I'm not surprised Rosie made her the villain in NO SHADOWOF ANOTHER.