WHAT GOES AROUND, PART THREE

"Welcome home, Dad!" Nick enveloped his father in a bearhug.

"Take it easy, Champ! My ribs are still pretty sore." said Michael, wincing.

"Sorry."

"I'm the one who's sorry. I spoiled your wedding day."

"Sofia and me can get married any time." said Nick, "Just so you're there to be my Best Man. The other day, I didn't even realize you hadn't come home. I got up, I put on the coffee - 'Coffee's ready, Dad!' - and then a cop came to the door and said you'd been in an accident, and I freaked! I ran round the house yelling 'DAD! Where are you?'."

He shook his head ruefully at the memory.

"You think you were surprised?" said Michael, "I was driving up the mountain in snow so thick I couldn't see past the hood of my car, suddenly I saw headlights coming straight at me - and the next thing I knew, a mattress hit me in the face!"

"Thank God they invented airbags!" said Nick, "What were you doing up there in the middle of an ice storm, anyway?"

"I was trying to save your sister from herself. Donna told me Victoria had gone up to the cabin to be with Shane. I was gonna try to get her to go home before Jake found out."

"It's too late." said Nick, "Vicky hasn't left Shane's room since the accident. The only reason Jake's still living at the cottage is to take care of Steven and Kirk."

*****

"Victoria?" Carl stood in the doorway of Shane's hospital room.

"Oh, hi Carl."

"How is he?"

"Shane is going to be fine." Vicky said the words fiercely, as though defying the Powers That Be . Shane was going to survive, because any other outcome was unthinkable.

"And how are you?" said Carl, looking shrewdly at her, "When is the last time you ate - or slept?"

"I dunno. What day is it?"

"Mmmph." Shane's eyes opened, "Vicky?"

"I'm here."

"Good."

"You have a visitor." Vicky stepped aside, to give Shane an unimpeded view of Carl.

"Hello, Lad." Carl took Shane's hand, and bent to kiss his forehead. Shane's hand squeezed his in response.

"Carl." he sighed.

"You look a bit of a mess." Carl told him, "Once you're well enough to leave the hospital, Rachel and I want you to come and stay with us while you convalesce."

Shane smiled and fell asleep again. Carl took Vicky by the elbows and turned her towards the door of the room. "Come along."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Home. Your home. You need to eat and sleep and see your sons."

"But -Shane."

"Shane will be here when you get back. If you wish, I'll sit with him in the meantime."

"Well, okay."

****

Meanwhile, at Carlino's:

"I want this restaurant." said Paulina, "I invested a lot of time and hard work into making it a success. All Joe ever contributed was the name on the sign. It's mine."

"I'll see what I can do." said Cass, "I suppose you want custody of Dante?"

"Of course I do!"

"Joe will probably contest it." Cass warned, "And with your drug problem -"

"I don't HAVE a drug problem!" said Paulina,"I haven't touched a pill since I went into rehab."

"I believe you." said Cass, "But Joe can still make you look bad."

"Paulina? What's going on?"

"Hi Jake. Cass and I were just discussing my divorce settlement."

"Divorce? You mean, you finally wised up and kicked Joe the Jerk out?"

"You got it!" said Paulina.

"Congratulations. Funny coincidence."

"Coincidence?"

"Yeah." said Jake, "Vicky will probably be calling you, Cass, as soon as she can spare the time, from hovering over Shane Roberts' sickbed."

"Oh, Jake, no!" cried Paulina.

"Vicky and I should never have gotten married." Jake shrugged, "She's not in love with me, any more than I'm in love with her."

"But - you ARE in love with her!"

"I've stopped lying to myself." said Jake, "I've only ever really been in love with one person: You."

"I was hoping you and Vicky could make it work." said Paulina, "That way, I wouldn't have to feel guilty about dumping you for Joe."

"Sorry I let you down, Cupcake." said Jake, "But then, I always do! That's why I lost you to the Jerk."

****

"Shane! Shane darlin' , wake up ."

"Vic -?"

"No, it's me, Lila! Ah got somethin' to tell you! Ah'm gonna -"

A snore interrupted her. Infuriated, Lila began to shake him.

"Damn you, Shane Roberts, you listen to me when Ah'm tawkin' to you! Wake up!"

Hard hands grabbed hold of Lila and tore her away from Shane.

"What are you doing?" It was Carl.

"Let go! Ah'm havin' a private conversation with mah husband!"

"Shane is not your husband, and he is in no condition to talk to anyone yet." said Carl, "As far as you are concerned, visiting hours are over!"

He thrust her out into the corridor, and closed the door in her face.

****

Meanwhile, at the Cory Mansion, Rachel signed for a package.

"I wonder who Carl knows in Denver?" she mused, looking at the return address. Just then, the telephone rang.

"Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Nancy!"

Nancy was Rachel's much-younger sister.

"Darling, what's wrong? You sound as though you've been crying."

"It's Chris! He commited suicide!" sobbed Nancy.

(Chris Chapin was Nancy's ex-husband.)

"How dreadful! What happened?"

"He jumped off his balcony!"

****

"You know, Jake, even when I was 'madly in love' with Joe, it was always You I turned to when I needed sympathy or support. Deep down inside, I knew I wouldn't get them from him ." said Paulina, "I really treated you unfairly, didn't I?"

"You wanted somebody stable and secure and predictable." said Jake, "The only predictable thing about me is that I'm always gonna mess up.

I don't blame you for dumping me. Well, I do, a little bit. I mean, I come back five months after I 'died', and you're marrying someone else. FIVE MONTHS? If it was you that died, I wouldn't even have started dating for at least a year."

"I was such a basket case that I didn't know what I was doing." said Paulina, "If I had, I would have seen through Joe. You're right, he is a jerk."

****

"Rachel? What's wrong, Love?" said Carl, seeing Rachel's face, "This ought to be a day of rejoicing. After all, Paulina has finally come to her senses."

"Nancy called. Chris Chapin committed suicide."

"I can't pretend to feel any sorrow. As you know, there was no love lost between us." said Carl, "But it must be very distressing for Nancy."

"Yes. Even though their marriage didn't work out, she still cared about him."

Carl noticed the parcel on the table, "Is that for me?" He tore it open. "Ah! There it is!"

It was Carl's address book. The covering letter was from a hotel in Denver, explaining that Carl had left it in his room.

"What were you doing in Denver?" Rachel wondered.

"Business."

"I thought you were in New York."

"For the most part, I was." said Carl, "However, I made some side-trips to Montreal, Philadelphia, and Denver, among others. If you wish, I can furnish you with a complete itinerary."

"No, of course not, Darling!"

To be continued