WHAT GOES AROUND, PART FOUR

Lila had her hand outstretched to open the door of Shane's room when a nurse asked, "Excuse me, are you Lila Roberts?"

"Why, yes, Ah am."

"Then, you can't go in there."

"Whutevuh do you mean? Thass mah husband's room!"

"As I understand it, Dr Roberts is your ex-husband, " said the nurse, "And you have been specifically banned from entering his room. If you don't leave, Security will throw you out."

"As it happens," said Lila, drawing herself up to her full height, "Ah'm heah to see mah own doctah!"

*********

"So, when are you kids gonna tie the knot?" said Michael.

"Father Luigi says he can marry us this Saturday." said Sofia.

"I've been thinking," said Michael, Would you two mind if we made it a double wedding?"

"Are you and Donna getting back together?" said Nick.

"I haven't actually asked Donna yet. She might say no."

"Don't be silly!" said Sofia, "She's crazy about you. Isn't it kind of short notice, though?"

"Life is short." said Michael, "I just got a reminder of how short. So, if Donna's willing, why waste time on a long engagement?"

********

"Mother!" Amanda burst into the living room of the Cory Mansion, "Did you hear about Alejandro Del Toro?"

"I enjoyed his last book of essays," said Rachel, "What about him?"

"It's his 'last' all right!" said Amanda, "Carl kicked him off the list of Cory authors!"

"Carl! You didn't - did you?"

"Yes, I did," said Carl, "Cory Publishing is in business to make a profit. In this day and age, belles lettres do not sell. We have been publishing Del Toro at a loss for years."

"Daddy didn't mind!" said Amanda.

" 'Daddy' is no longer CEO." said Carl, "I am. And I am determined to trim away the deadwood."

"Well, Alejandro Del Toro had a heart attack!" cried Amanda.

"Oh no!" cried Rachel.

"I'm sorry to hear that the man is in poor health," said Carl, "But really, it changes nothing. Dropping him from the author's list was purely a business decision."

"So, the hell with him, is that it?" said his stepdaughter.

"Don't put words into my mouth, Amanda." said Carl.

"Darling, we have got to put this right," said Rachel.

"What do you suggest? Shall we continue to publish Del Toro, at a loss, because he had a heart attack? I'm sorry, but I just don't see it that way."

*******

"Congratulations, Lila, You are four weeks pregnant." said Dr Nolan, writing on his clipboard.

Lila thought fast. If Shane found out that she was only four weeks gone, he would know that the baby wasn't his!

"Oh, yo' makin' a mistake, Dr." she said, "Ah'm eight weeks pregnant. Ah'm sho' of that."

"That's not possible."

"But - the last time Ah made love with mah husband was eight weeks ago." Lila picked an imaginary bit of lint from the doctor's lapel, looking up at him appealingly, "Cain't you jist - change whut you wrote?"

"Why don't we talk about it, over dinner?" said Nolan.

********

"Mom, Chris Chapin is dead!" this time it was Matthew who burst into the house without knocking.

"I know. Nancy called me." said Rachel, "But how do you know about it? There was nothing in the news; Chris Chapin wasn't a nationally known figure."

Matthew ignored the question. "Did you know that Carl was in Denver when it happened?"

"Chris lived in Denver? Nancy didn't mention that." said Rachel, "Wait a minute - how do you know where Carl was? Are you spying on him?"

Amanda had spotted Carl's address book on the coffee table, and was looking through it.

"Tell me, Carl, " she said, in a triumphant voice, "Why is Chris Chapin's home address in your book?"

"I made a point of finding it out, so that I could go to Denver and murder him." said Carl, "That's what your next accusation will be, won't it?"

"You said it, not me!" said Amanda.

Rachel had to ask: "Darling - why do you have his address?"

Carl took a deep breath. "If you examine that book, you will find Evan Frame's current address in it, as well as that of Larry Ewing, and a number of my other enemies. I like to keep track of their whereabouts. You know, Rachel, I'm becoming tired of having to prove myself to you, over and over. If I haven't won your trust yet, I never will!" He headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" said Rachel.

"Out!"

Amanda and Matthew exchanged looks of satisfaction. Anything that drove a wedge of doubt and suspicion between Carl and their mother could only work to their advantage.

"You can wipe those smirks off your faces," said Rachel, "You haven't made me mistrust my husband."

"We just want you to see Carl for what he is, Mom." said Matthew.

"I do - and that's not all I see." said Rachel, "That business with Alexander Nikos taught you nothing! Because you two were plotting with him against Carl, I was kidnapped, shut into a tomb with a rotted corpse, almost blown to pieces, and I wound up having to kill Nikos! And your only regret is that you didn't succeed in putting an end to my marriage!"

"Alexander lied to us!" Amanda whined, "He never said he was going to get back at Carl by hurting you!"

"Would you have cared, if he had?" Rachel was implacable.

"I can remember when this house used to be full of love and laughter!" Mathew burst out, suddenly.

"It still is, when you're not here." said Rachel. "You have worn out your welcome in this house, Matthew. Don't come here again, without an invitation."

"You'd throw Matt out of Daddy's house - for Carl?" cried Amanda.

"This is MY house, Amanda. Mine - and Carl's." Rachel headed for the stairs. "I'm going to spend some time with the children who haven't hurt and disappointed me. Be gone when I come back."

They watched her go upstairs.

"Oh Matt, maybe we've gone too far!" said Amanda, "I don't think she's going to forgive us!"

"There's nothing you and I could do that Mom won't forgive." said Matthew, "It's just a matter of time."

"Don't be so sure of that."

********

"Than you fo' a lovely dinner." said Lila, at the door of her suite, "Goodnight."

"Aren't you going to invite me in for a cup of coffee?" said Dr Nolan.

"Ah don' have any coffee."

"That's all right; I never drink it." said Nolan "But I'm sure we can find something else to do."

"It's late, and Ah'm tired."

"You asked me for a favour." Nolan pointed out, "Don't you think you owe me one in return?"

"Ah'm sho' Ah don' know whut you mean."

"We've not children, Lila," said Nolan, "You know the score: You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

"Ah assure you, Ah have no interest in scratchin' yo' back!"

"Is this guy bothering you, Lila?" It was Matthew, whose suite was just across from hers.

"Yes, he is!"

"What's the problem, Lila? You're already pregnant!" said Nolan.

"I think you'd better leave!" said Matthew menacingly. With an angry look at Lila, Nolan did.

"Thank you, Matt, Goodnight." Lila tried to close her door.

"Not so fast! He said you're pregnant. Is it mine?"

Oh great! The last thing Lila wanted was for the man she had pressed into stud service to think that he had any claim on her baby!

"No!" she said,"It's not."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course Ah am!"

********

Rachel heard a voice, singing: "Come Landlord, fill the flowing bowl/ Until it doth run over/ For tonight we'll merry merry be / Tomorrow we'll be sober!"

Carl came through the front door, a bit unsteadily. He smelled of cognac.

"Are you tight?" said Rachel.

Carl nodded. "Are you going to chastise me?"

"No, I want to apologize." said Rachel, "I do trust you, Darling. I told Matthew not to come to the house any more."

"Did you? That's nice."

"Let's go to bed, Darling."

Note: I don't remember the name of the author Carl kicked out of Cory, except that it sounded Spanish. And as he never actually appeared, it won't be listed in the AWHP. Anybody know it?