Jerry was worried. It had been nearly 24 hours since anyone had seen or heard from Jax, and Jerry was frantically trying to find him to make sure he was okay. He had left messages at both the penthouse and the cottage, and Jax was either ignoring them, or had not checked his messages. He had been trying his cell phone as well, since Jax was never without that, but his calls - all fifteen of them - had been directed to Jax's voicemail, which indicated that Jax had the phone turned off or the battery was dead or Jax was out of commission in some way. Jerry tried not to think about that last possibility.
Jerry had been to the Penthouse, but Jax wasn't there - which really wasn't surprising, because Jax had used that place as nothing more than a pit stop ever since Brenda's accident. Since that night nearly two weeks before, Brenda's country cottage had become Jax's de facto home. Jerry was now standing on the little stoop outside the front door of Brenda's cottage, pounding on the door, but there was no answer. He lifted the third flower pot on the left - the one housing the pale pink hydrangea - which hid the spare key to Brenda's front door. Quickly he slid the key into the lock, felt it click, and opened the door.
"Jax?" Jerry called, as he stepped through the door, and scanned around the front room for any sign of Jax. "Jax?" He ran into the kitchen and saw that Jax was not there either, and it appeared that he had not been there that morning. "Jax!" he yelled louder, as he took the steps up to Brenda's room, two at a time. He pushed open the partially closed door to find the bed strewn with Jax's Armani suit and shirt and tie from the previous day.
"He must have been in a hurry," Jerry muttered, thinking about Jax's near-compulsive need for neatness, and noting that Jax would not normally toss that suit so carelessly about. He hoped that Jax had just been in a hurry to get away for awhile, and that this apparent change in habits was not indicative of the deepening depression Jerry had gradually seen coming over Jax, as Jax had begun to question his faith in Brenda's still being alive after this long without a trace of her. Jerry felt guilty for the part that he had played in Jax's wavering faith, but he had wanted Jax to face the facts from the beginning. If he had, Jax would be well into the grieving process by now, and he could be on his way to healing again. Jerry loved Jax, and all that he really wanted was for his brother was to be whole again.
Soon after Jerry had called the office of J&J Jacks yesterday and Addie had told him that Jax had left hours before, telling her that he would be out of touch and out of town, Jerry had checked to see what vehicle he had taken. When he found that he had taken the motorcycle out of storage, Jerry knew that Jax had planned a road trip to do some serious thinking. Jax had always done this when he was at a crossroads in his life, and Jerry just hoped that this trip signaled that Jax was finally going to accept Brenda's death and move on. But then Jerry thought about another terrible choice that Jax could make if he finally accepted Brenda's death - and that thought chilled him to his very core. He tried to shake it off, but he couldn't. He needed to find Jax, and he needed to find him now! Something bad was headed Jax's way, and he only prayed that he was wrong in what it might be.
Jax sat in the restaurant area of the Pine Cone Motel and Restaurant in the same booth he had occupied the previous evening, waiting for the same waitress - Betty - who had served him last night, to bring him a cup of coffee and the breakfast menu. He felt tired and restless, and he checked his watch for the third time since he had sat down. "8:00 am," it read. "It's just eight," he sighed, realizing that the Brighton Service Station and QuikLube was just now opening - that is if Ed was prompt in his business hours, which Jax seriously doubted, having met the man. He seemed the type who would be lax in just about everything. But, even giving Ed the generous benefit of the doubt and assuming he would open promptly at 8:00 am, Jax doubted he would be seeing his bike before 11:00 am. There had to be something seriously wrong with the thing for it to stop like it did, and it would take a genius to fix the problem quickly - and Jax doubted that the word "genius" had ever been applied to Ed, nor ever would be - not even loosely!
He just wanted his bike now! Ever since his unsettling dream last night with Tom replacing him in Brenda's life, he had felt anxious, and he felt this overwhelming need to find Tom and his lady friend, and he couldn't do that without his bike. He laughed at himself when he realized that he was feeling toward Tom like a romantic rival, when the truth was he barely knew Tom, and Tom certainly did not know and love Brenda! Tom had his own love, and Jax was just being paranoid about a silly dream. Still, he couldn't tamp down these burgeoning pangs of jealousy that he felt whenever he remembered the dream, and he hoped that a quick trip to see Tom and to meet his lady would put to rest all of his envious feelings toward this man.
Betty finally arrived with his coffee and the menu, and Jax ordered the #3 - 2 eggs, over easy; 4 slices of bacon, crisp; a small stack of buttermilk pancakes, with fresh maple syrup; orange juice, freshly squeezed; and a side of whole wheat toast, 2 slices. It was a far larger breakfast than Jax usually ate, but he had a big task ahead of him - finding Tom and confronting his own paranoia about the man. "If you're gonna make a fool of yourself, you might as well do it on a full stomach!" Jax laughed to himself, as he settled back into the booth's seat, sipped his coffee, and waited for Betty to bring on the first course of his man-sized meal.
Tom sat on a chair beside the gurney in the back cubicle of the Carlisle Urgent Care Center, where Angel was still a patient, and sighed as he watched her sleeping peacefully. He glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearly 9:00 am. It had been a long night - in more ways than one!
He had arrived with Angel just after 11:00 last night, and then it seemed to take forever for someone to look at her and determine what needed to be done, and then all the tests seemed to have taken forever as well. And then Dr. Mooney, who had left a little after 6:00 am and who had since been replaced by Dr. Mark Stencil, had ordered that Angel have another 500 cc of IV fluids to bring her electrolytes up. They also said they wanted her here for a little longer for "observation." Dr. Mooney had finally diagnosed that she was pregnant, with anemia and dehydration as well, and the extra fluids were for the dehydration. Tom was holding the prescriptions that Dr. Mooney had written for Angel: iron for her anemia, and prenatal vitamins for her pregnancy.
Her pregnancy...Tom still was having a hard time accepting that, but the visual proof of that very thing was clutched in Angel's hands and hugged to her heart as she slept - the ultrasound picture of her and Jax's baby. Jax's baby - at this point she still could not remember who she was (Brenda Barrett), let alone who the father of her child was (Jasper "Jax" Jacks), and only he was privy to that information. And that fact made him uncomfortable. He was not one who liked to keep secrets. His profession required that he keep so many secrets - and often outright lie - that he always made it a point not to keep secrets from - or to lie to - those he loved. And he definitely loved Angel. No, he planned to tell her this secret - eventually - but he had to find the right time and place to tell her - and he wanted to do a little background checking on Jasper Jacks and J&J Jacks of Alaska, as well, first.
His thoughts drifted back to his call to his partner, John, in the middle of the night. If John had done what he had asked - and he had no doubt that he had - then the items he had requested John send to the cabin by way of special courier should be arriving there shortly. As soon as he had those things, he could get all the information he needed, and once his curiosity was satisfied, he would tell Angel who she was and let her decide whether or not she wanted to return to Jax and the life she had had with him.
But Tom already knew what she would do...It was apparent just a few hours ago, when Dr. Mooney had called Tom back into the cubicle to tell him of Angel's condition. Angel had been holding the ultrasound in her hand and touching the image of the 10-week-old fetus lightly with her fingertips; her eyes wet with tears of wonder and joy. She loved that baby already, and Tom knew it was because she felt a loving connection with its father - and it was a connection that not even near-death and a memory loss could wipe out. Tom envied Jax and Angel that, and he would not be the one who would stand between them finding one another again. But he did need to know more about Jax before he reunited them. He didn't think he was being unreasonable, just understandably cautious. He loved Angel and he only wanted the best for her, and he needed to know for certain that Jax was indeed the best for her.
A little after 9:00 am Jax looked up from his third cup of coffee to see Billy, the tow truck driver for Brighton's Service Station and QuikLube, standing by his table. "Uncle Ed sent me to get you. He says your bike's good as new!" Billy said as he fidgeted from side to side, like an antsy five-year-old.
Uncle Ed? Jax thought sarcastically. Why doesn't that surprise me? Nepotism is alive and well in Brighton! But what did surprise him was the fact that Ed had managed to fix his bike "good as new," and in such a short time. Perhaps he had been too harsh in his previous assessment of Ed and his mechanical abilities. If he indeed had fixed his motorcycle as good as new, he was giving Ed a nice bonus for a job well done - and nephew Billy, too. But as Jax remembered his previous hellish experience with yesterday's ride in the truck where Billy talked nonstop, he decided Billy was not getting invited on this gravy train! He paid the check, leaving a generous tip for Betty, and followed Billy out of the restaurant, seriously debating whether or not he should grab a stack of paper napkins to stuff into Billy's mouth to make the ride back to the service station more tolerable.
It was after 10:00 am before Angel was released from the clinic, nearly twelve hours after they had arrived, but to Tom it felt like years. So much had happened in those intervening twelve hours - he had seen his dream wither and die before his very eyes as he watched another man's dream take root and grow. He felt exhausted from the night's events - but his exhaustion was more emotional than physical, despite the fact that he had been up for over twenty-eight hours at this point.
He glanced over to the passenger seat at Angel, still dressed in the black, silk dress he had gotten her, staring lovingly at the image of her baby. She was so beautiful - almost glowing - a far cry from the pallid woman she had been on the trip to Carlisle. Tom guessed it was true what they said about pregnant women... She looked so happy, and so alive, and Tom felt his heart break as he realized that she had found happiness without him. For the past couple weeks he had been the one to provide her every need and her every heart's desire, and he selfishly wanted that to go on for the rest of their lives. He reprimanded himself for that thought immediately, realizing that all that he really wanted for Angel was her happiness, and he knew that her true happiness depended on full-disclosure from him about what he knew of her and her past - especially about the man who was the father of her child. He hoped that his laptop had arrived so that he could be online and downloading information about Jax as soon as he had gotten Angel settled. The sooner he got all of his information, the sooner he could help her find her past - and her future as well.
Jax couldn't believe how well his bike was running once again! Just yesterday this expensive machine had been useless, but now it was roaring down the highway as good as new. No, Jax thought, actually better than new! He didn't remember this bike ever having run this smoothly before. Ed was indeed a genius!
It's too bad intelligence doesn't run in that family, Jax laughed as he thought of Billy, who had managed to back the tow truck into a tree as they were leaving the motel to return to pick up Jax's bike. And, as if that weren't bad enough, Jax had had to listen to Billy lament about what "Uncle Ed" would do to him when he saw the damage to the truck. Luckily, it was only a ten-minute drive this time as compared to the thirty minutes of pure hell he had endured with young Billy yesterday. Still, it made him regret his decision not to pick up those extra paper napkins!
Jax had given Ed a very generous bonus for his masterful - and quick - work, and that had made Ed feel comfortable enough to talk about anything Jax wanted to know. And what Jax wanted to know was about Tom, the man with the transmission problems the day before.
"Oh, you mean Tom Langan," Ed had said, shoving the wad of hundreds that Jax had handed him into the breast pocket of his coverall, and buttoning it shut. "He has a vacation cabin about 15 miles from here, on Old Charles River Road."
"So, he's not a local? He's just vacationing here?" Jax had asked, curious where Tom was from.
"Well, he lives in New York City, but he's been coming here for vacations since he was nine or ten, so he's kind of a local. We used to play together summers when we were kids," Ed continued. "He's a real nice guy. Just went through a bad divorce a couple of years back. His ex-wife still uses the cabin sometimes, too."
Jax's ears perked up at that. Perhaps this woman Tom had such big plans for was his ex-wife. After all, he and Brenda had gotten back together ... "So, is his ex-wife here with him now?"
Jax had barely finished the sentence before Ed was guffawing. "Hell, no! They can barely stand to be in the same state together. I can't imagine them wanting to share the close quarters of that little cabin for eight, long weeks!" Ed was nearly doubled over from laughter at that thought. "But Mike Harmon, who owns the little store just a couple of blocks from here, said that Tom had ordered some women's clothes - and tiny ones at that - a week or so ago, but then Tom wouldn't let him catch sight of who they were for. So everyone around here's been real curious about who he might have hidden in that cabin with him."
"Really?" Jax was now very curious about Tom and this mystery woman.
"Yeah," Ed continued. "See, Tom's kinda shy about women, and it just surprises us that he would have a woman with him.. Course, he works for the government or something, so maybe he's gotten better with women lately. You know, like James Bond."
Jax laughed at that! Somehow the man he had met last night seemed about as far from James Bond as James Thurber was! If Tom worked for the government, he most likely shuffled papers, as mild-mannered as he seemed. But Jax could be wrong. He'd only met him briefly, after all, and he hoped that their next meeting would give him a little more insight into the man - and help Jax understand why he felt so connected to him.
After Jax had left Ed, and before setting out for Tom's cabin, he had ridden the two blocks to Mike Harmon's store to pick up some breath mints, since he had neglected to pack a toothbrush for this unexpected overnight stay in the country. While in the store, his eyes had settled on a tiny, white, angel bear that he had felt compelled to buy. "For the baby," Jax had thought the minute he had seen it, and so he had purchased a roll of wintergreen Breathsavers, which he had stuffed into his right front pants pocket after popping one into his mouth, and the tiny, angel bear wrapped in white tissue paper, which he zipped inside his leather jacket, next to his heart. He smiled as that simple act seemed to make him feel even closer to Brenda and their baby, and he whispered aloud: "It won't be long, Brenda. I know it."
He turned onto Old Charles River Road, slowing the bike considerably since it was a gravel road with lots of washouts from the storm a couple of weeks ago. The storm where Brenda was lost, he thought sadly. He had only gone a few miles when he saw a small cabin come into view on the left. Jax pulled up outside, and was soon greeted by a large, golden retriever who came bounding out of the partially open front door.
"Hi, boy! How are you?" Jax asked Charlie, as he patted the friendly dog playfully on the head. "Is Tom here?" Charlie started barking as soon as Jax mentioned Tom, and ran back up onto the porch and inside. Jax followed just behind.
"Tom?" Jax yelled as he rapped on the open front door. "Tom, are you here? It's me, Jax. You gave me a lift to the motel yesterday." Jax moved cautiously inside, and looked around. Evidence of last night's romantic dinner was everywhere - the spent candles on the mantle; the now wilted roses and the open bottle of wine on the table; the dirty dishes in the sink; and what appeared to be the remains of a salad scattered all over the floor.
"Gives new meaning to the term 'tossed salad,'" Jax chuckled, but then he sobered as he realized that something must have happened here last night to make Tom take off so suddenly, neglecting to shut the door after him. Or after them, Jax thought.
"What happened here, boy? Hmmm?" Charlie came over to Jax, and Jax knelt down and patted his head again.
Jax's cell phone rang. "Damn! I knew I should have kept this turned off again today!" he swore as he unzipped his jacket to pull out the offending appliance. Just then Jax noticed a single, red rose on the floor near the table, and he bent to pick it up as he was answering the phone, unaware that the tissue-wrapped bear fell out of his open jacket as he did so. He came back up with the rose, as he flipped open the phone. "Jax, here!" he said gruffly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jacks, I know you asked not to be disturbed, but this is an emergency! " It was Addie, Jax's executive assistant, and the usually unflappable woman was noticeably upset.
"That's okay, Addie," Jax assured her. "What seems to be the problem?
Addie hesitated slightly, then she said, "It's the FBI, sir. They're here, and they're seizing computers and files. They say that J&J Jacks is being charged with racketeering."
"What?!!" Jax couldn't believe his ears. "I'll be right there! Call the lawyers, and notify Jerry and Dad. I'll be back in Port Charles in two hours!"
Absently, he shoved both the phone and the rose inside his coat, zipped it up, and headed out the door and back to his bike. His meeting with Tom would have to wait. What was left of Jax's world was crashing around him, and he needed to get back to Port Charles to try to shore it up so that when Brenda did return to him there would be something left to return to! Jax fastened his helmet and then started the motorcycle and headed north on Old Charles River Road at break neck speed, soon disappearing over the horizon, just as the green Ford Taurus, carrying Tom and Angel home from an evening of discovery, pulled up to the cabin from the south.