WHAT GOES AROUND, PART EIGHT

     A figure in a green scrub gown,hair hidden under a cap, and face masked, approached Shane's hospital room.

    "Hold it right there, Lila!"  said Sister Patrice.

    Lila pulled down her mask.  "How did you know it was me?"

    "Well, for one thing, nurses on duty don't wear stilletto heels." said Patrice, "Besides, I know you, Lila.  You were bound to try something like this."

    "Ah jist wawnt to see how Shane is." said Lila, plaintively.

    Patrice's face softened.  "He's getting better all the time." she said, "In fact, he's being released from the hospital in a few days.   Shane and I will be staying with Mr and Mrs Hutchins until he's completely well again."

    "Oh, wunnerful!" said Lila, "Carl will prob'ly set the dawgs on me if Ah try to visit!"

    "Don't say you weren't warned." said Patrice.

(Note:  Yes, I know that in the real world, people as badly injured as Shane aren't released from the hospital after only a couple of weeks , but this is AW, where Vicky could jump out of bed right after brain surgery with just a bandaid on her brow :-D)

                                                         *********

    Meanwhile, at Cass' office:

    "I need to know if there's some legal way I can force Lila to have a DNA test." said Matthew.

    "I'm sure it can be done, Matt, but why?" said Cass.

    "Because I think I'm the father of the baby Lila's carrying, but she denies it."  Matthew took Lila's medical file out of his briefcase.   "See, according to this, she conceived the same week that we spent the night together."

    "Where did you get this?" Cass demanded.

    "Out of Lila's trash.  What does this doctor's signature look like to you ?Dolan?  I think I'll pay him a visit."

                                                       *********

    The day Paulina had been dreading arrived; Joe took her to court  in an attempt to get custody of Dante.  His argument was that, since Paulina was a drug addict, she was not fit to look after the boy.

    "Your Honour," Cass countered, "It's true that my client has had a problem with substance abuse.  We don't deny that she became hooked on the diet pills she was using in an attempt to lose the weight she put on when she was pregnant.  However, she has been completely drug free ever since last October."

    "She burned Pop's house down in December!" said Joe.

    "The fire was an accident caused by a Christmas candle falling over." said Cass,  taking a document out of his briefcase. "Your honour, my client has voluntarily submitted herself to drug testing every day for the last two weeks.  As you can see from this  - " He handed the record to the baliff, to be passed to the judge, "- she has no trace of any controlled substance in her system."

    "Two weeks!" muttered Joe.

    "She didn't do it sooner because she didn't realize it would be necessary." said Cass.

    After consideration, the judge came to a decision: "The child Dante Carlino will remain in the custody of his mother, on condition that she continue to be tested for drugs, on a daily basis."

    "Yes!  Anything you say!  Thank you!" said Paulina.

    "However," the judge admonished, "If you fail even one of those tests, you will find yourself back in my court, where we will reconsider the custody arrangements."

    "I won't fail!  I promise!"

    "See that you don't.  Court is adjourned."

                                                   ********

    Vikcy was having a meal at Carlino's when Grant spotted her through the window and came in.

    "May I join you?" he smarmed.

    "No."

    "I hear you're tired of McKinnon already." said Grant, "Why am I not surprised?"

    "It's none of your business, Grant."

    "Unfortunately, your sordid love life affects my son.  That makes it my business."

    Neither of them noticed Lila, sitting at a nearby table, where she could hear everything.

                                                     *******

    Matthew had determined that there was no doctor named 'Dolan' on the staff of BCUH, but there was an OB/GYN named 'Nolan'.  He tracked him down in the ward.

    "Dr Nolan?" As he turned, Matthew recognized him as the man he has chased away from Lila's door. "You!"

    Nolan tried to bluff it out. "I beg your pardon?"

    "We've met before."said Matthew, with an obnoxious smirk.

    "I'm afraid I don't recall it, Mr - ?"

    "Matthew Cory."  He flourished the medical file, "Are you the one who gave Lila Roberts this?"

    Nolan grabbed it. "Where did you get this?  Hospital files are confidential!"

    "Lila had it."

    "Then she stole it!"  Nolan rushed into the File Room, opened the  "R" drawer, and ruffled through it. "Wait a minute!  Lila's file is still here!"

    "Maybe you should take a closer look."

    Nolan read the file he had just removed from the filing cabinet, and his face turned purple.  "This is a forgery!" he spluttered, "Lila Roberts tried to sweet-talk me into changing her file, and when I refused - "

    "As of course you did." prompted Matthew.

    "- she substituted this one!"

    "So, this is the real file?" said Matthew, "The one that says I'm the father of her baby?"

    "I don't believe it says that." said Nolan, "As I recall, she insisted that Dr Roberts was the father."

    "A DNA test will prove it." said Matthew, "How soon can I arrange for Lila to take one?"

    Dr Nolan shook his head. "A DNA test cannot be performed in vitro.  You will have to wait until the child is born."

    "But, that's nearly eight months!  Isn't there anything you can do?"

    "No, nothing.  However, I can have Lila prosecuted for theft and forgery."

    "I wouldn't do that; not when I can testify that you tried to force yourself on her.  A judge might think that Lila had promised to sleep with you provided you changed the record, and then refused to keep her end of the bargain.  You could find yourself in trouble with the Ethics Committee.  I think it would be best if you just forgot about it."

    "Forgot about what?"

                                                        *******

    Lila lay in wait for Grant in the lobby of the Love Towers, where they both lived.  When she saw him getting on the elevator, she squeezed in just as the doors were closing.

    "Oh, it's you!" she said, feigning surprise, "You kin tell that ex-waff of yours to stay away from my husband!"

    Glancing up at Grant through her long eyelashes, she saw that she had him on the hook. "Any woman who leaves a husband she hasn't even been married to fo' half a year, to chase aftuh a man who's too sick to protect himself is nothin' but a slut!"

    "I quite agree." said Grant.

    Lila got off at her floor, smiling to herself. 'Vicky Hudson'ts gonna be too busy tryin' to keep custody of her liddle boy to have any time fo' Shane!' she thought.

    Meanwhile, Grant entered his own suite, singing: "Zippity-do-dah,zippity day/ My oh my, what a wonderful day!"

    "You're in a good mood." said Cindy.

    "Yes, I am! And do you know why?"

    Cindy shook her head.

    "Because -"  Grant said, "Kirkland is going to be living with us full time!"

    Cindy's heart sank; she and Kirkland had hated each other from the moment they met, each seeing the other as a rival for Grant's love.  The last thing on earth, the very last thing Cindy wanted was to have the brat underfoot all the time.

    "How nice!" she said, smiling, "When did you arrange that?"

    "I haven't arranged it yet,but it's as good as done." said Grant, "When the judge hears what Victoria's been up to with Shane Roberts, I'll get custody."

    "Tell me more."

]

To be continued.