Chapter 8
Caroline pushed Michael's stroller in silence, as Shane gave her long side-
glances. Caroline caught Shane's eye and smiled. Shane was so familiar to her,
but somehow his presence made her feel a bit uncomfortable. For so long, Shane
had been the man she was in love with. Now, he was just a man she loved.
“So, uh… Robin and Jason are together. How do you feel about that, you know,
considering that you and he are raising a child together?” Shane asked.
“Fine. Jason's happy, and that's great.”
Shane looked at her sadly. He knew that she was lying, and it hurt him to know
that she was hurting over Jason's involvement with another woman. “So Robin
seems very nice,” he commented, fishing for more information.
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, that girl's about as nice as a Perana with
PMS,” she said dryly. “But then again, I'm no sweetheart either.”
Shane smiled. “You don't think you're nice?”
“Shane, I know I'm not nice. But unlike HER, I don't try and hide it. She
pretends to be polite and proper with everyone else… AND they buy it. She only
allows her other face to show when she's with me. You have no idea how much I
would love to wipe that smug ‘I'm so much better than you’ smile off of her
pretty little face.”
Shane laughed. “Well, knowing you, that smile probably has been wiped off a few
times. You're not one to take crap from anyone.”
“Damn straight! I just wish that it would disappear permanently. She just always
looks down on me and I HATE it. I mean… Its like she thinks I'm trash, and it
scares me ‘cause sometimes I feel that way.”
Shane stopped walking and faced her. “Wait a minute. You don't honestly think
that you're trash, do you? Caroline, I don't care how you acted, what you
thought or what you did since you came to Port Charles. I KNOW you. Yeah, you've
changed a bit, but you're still YOU. You're still the same person I fell in love
with. You're a fighter, a real survivor. Don't listen to anyone, or try to
please them. Be who you are. You said you're not nice. Now I admit you're no
saint, but you're human.”
“If you say so,” Caroline muttered under her breath.
“What so you mean “If you say so?” Shane asked, overhearing her. He was quiet
for a moment. “Caroline, are you happy with your life here? Are you happy with
yourself?”
Caroline laughed bitterly. “Do I LIKE myself? I don't know. I used to. Now… now
I don't know how I feel about anything. The only thing I'm sure about is
Michael. He's the reason why I wake up every morning. He's my savior, and my
hope. When I look at him, I know I did at least one thing in my life right. No,
make that two. Eleyna was my other miracle,” she said, blinking back tears.
Shane looked at her. She looked so lost and innocent when she talked about her
children. He wanted to help her so desperately. He wanted her to be happy and
carefree. He wanted her to be the way she used to be, the Caroline Benson he
grew up with.
He took her right hand, and saw that she was wearing her engagement ring, He
turned her hand over, and gently kissed it. He then began to kiss her fingers.
“Shane,” Caroline began. But before she could say another word, Shane kissed her
on the lips. The kiss started off sweet and soft, but then they started to kiss
faster and hungrier. Caroline was about to protest, when she felt herself let
go. She kissed not to think; just letting herself be with him. Her hand, which
had been gripping the stroller tightly, slowly moved up his side and behind his
neck. She could feel him wanting her, and she realized that she wanted him. She
suddenly stopped, and turned away from him.
“Oh my God. I don't want Shane,” she tried to convince herself. “I can't. Just
this morning, I wanted Jason. Shane is my past. Jason is the one who I want to
be with now, isn't it?” she thought frantically.
“Caroline? What's wrong?” Shane asked softy, putting his hand on her shoulder
from behind.
Caroline bit her lip as her hot, salty tears began to stream down her face. “I'm
not going to turn around and look at him now. I can't. I just can't. If he looks
into my eyes, he'll know. He can't find out… I don't want him to,” she thought.
Shane moved closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“Caroline, why did you stop? Please tell me. Let me in on what you're feeling
and thinking. One moment you're with me completely, and the next, you're a
million miles away. What is it?”
He spun her around, and saw her tear streaked face. “Or should I say ‘who’ is
it?” Caroline closed her eyes, but it was too late. He had already looked in
them.
Shane let go, and turned around. “It's Jason, isn't it? He's the reason why you
pulled away from me. You're in love with him, aren't you?” he asked softly.
He waited for her answer, and with each passing second, he felt as is a knife
was digging and twisting inside his heart.
*****************
AJ put his black mustang convertible into park, and looked at his watch. It was
a quarter past one, and he was late. He was supposed to meet Judge Reinhold in
chambers fifteen minutes ago. He swore to himself as he got out of the car and
slammed the door behind him. He quickly walked to the doors of the courthouse,
and opened them. He looked at his watch again, and quickened his pace as he
proceeded to the Judge's chambers.
“Come in,” the Judge's voice called out, upon hearing the knock on his door.
AJ opened the door and entered. “I'm sorry your honor for being late. My sister
Emily had a sleepover last night, and let me tell you that with six teenage
girls trying to get ready, it’s a battle to get into the bathroom. It's probably
easier to get gourmet food at McDonalds. I mean seriously, I could have watched
'Gone With The Wind,’ at least twice.”
Judge Reinhold laughed, and motioned AJ to have a seat. “I can relate. I have
three teen-age girls at home. They're either on the phone or in the bathroom.
Now, what can I do for you young man?”
“Well, I want you to draw up a court order for a paternity test.”
“You think you may be a father?”
“Yes. The mother swears the baby's not mine, and won't let me anywhere near him.
She says another man is the father, and he's going along with it. I just want to
make sure. If the kid's mine, I want to be a part of his life. There's no way in
hell the mother will allow a paternity test, so here I am.”
“Well AJ, your grandfather is a very good friend of mine. Ordinarily this
paperwork would take a while, but I'm sure I could bend the rules for you. Come
back tomorrow, and you'll have the court order.”
“Thank you, your honor,” AJ said standing up to shake the judge's hand.
“You're welcome. I'd do anything to help a Quartermaine. Oh, and can you ask
Edward if we're still on for Saturday's golf game?”
“Of course,” AJ said as he opened the door to leave.
**************
“Jason, I think that we should go somewhere. I'm not going to be like Carly… I
mean Caroline and insist that we go somewhere hours away. I was thinking that we
should go to OUR bridge. What do you think? Remember the first time we were on
the bridge together?” Robin rambled on.
Jason was only half listening to his girlfriend. He was too preoccupied with
thoughts of Caroline. He thought back to how happy she looked when she first saw
Shane enter into the Penthouse. He remembered her soft loving warmth in her
voice as she talked to her ex. “I still love you too.” Those had been her exact
words. “Is she still in love with him, or does she just love him as a friend?”
he asked himself.
He had no idea why he was thinking abut Caroline. He was probably just worried
about her. He closed his eyes and his mind drifted off to the nights they had
spent at Jake's. He remembered the passion, the fire, and the taste of her. He
wondered if she had been the same way with Shane.
“Jason, don't you think so?” Robin asked as she looked at him expectantly.
“Um… yes?” Jason answered, not knowing what he was saying yes to.
“Good. I knew you would see it my way. So then it’s settled. After we go to the
bridge, we'll go to Uncle Mac's for dinner.”
Jason sighed. “Damn! Why didn't I listen to her? Now I'm stuck having dinner
with the enemy,” he thought as he vowed to pay attention the next time Robin
gave a speech.
(
geocities.com/televisioncity/set/9865) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/set) (
geocities.com/televisioncity)