Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Jax looked around the relatively empty courtroom. The judge had decided
only witnesses and immediate family were allowed in the room, not media,
no spectators. Even the courthouse itself was empty. According to John
and Jane it was the courthouse steps that were filled with people, and Jax
knew that by the end of the day even the back enterance where he had been
led in would be a madhouse.
"What do you think will be done today?"
"Jury."
"That's all." Jane asked.
"That's all. It's going to be very hard not to find someone in this town
with an opinion already formed. Which could be good or bad depending on
what that opinion is. My hope is that is all there is today."
Down the hall Moreno and his attorney stood. The judge accepted the
verdict from the baliff.
A huge grin grew across Dara's face at the simple word. "Guilty."
Moreno looked at the people exploding in cheers behind him in the
spectator seats. He glanced around in the crowd for Morgan.
Jason had left him to dry. Moreno had planned to send Keesha to Jax
figuring he would get Jax's promise he would get him off. But then Jason
had come by, stating he had something else, and like a fool, Moreno
beleived him.
Moreno glanced at his lawyer. "Kill her." were his last words before he
was led off.
Jax watched as one by one either the assistant DA or Alexis checked off
someone on the list. He turned and looked at his father. "Any news?" he
mouthed.
No. His father shook his head.
"Then go. Find her." he whispered.
Again his father shook his head. He wanted to stay.
"Find...her." Jax repeated his voice low. He turned to the front again.
The man smiled into the phone. "Consider it done." he hung up. He
turned as his partner led Keesha back in from the bathroom in the small
abandoned house, her hands tied in front of her. "Get out." he ordered
to the other man. The man left without a word shutting the door.
"Your death warrant has just been signed." he walked up to Keesha. "Kind
of a shame, I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. You know,
you haven't said one word this entire eight days. You do realize it's
been 8 days, don't you? Have any last words."
"Go to hell." she said softly.
"Guilty."
"Guilty." Jason repeated. "I'll be home tonight."
"Where have you been?" Carly whispered.
"On lookout."
Jason had found Keesha the second day he had gone looking. Yet he simply
found a place to hide and stayed there as he weighed his options, finally
deciding he would wait and see what happened to Moreno. If he was found
not guilty, he was going to leave her there and Carly already had
instructions on what to do with Michael. He was going to take his family
and run, leaving Port Charles. If Moreno had been found guilty, that
meant that finally, Jason would be in charge once again, and he'd go and
get Keesha, to make sure Jerry wouldn't testify, and he'd be free.
Because since Jax bailed him out, he couldn't testify, Jax had put his
foot down and Keesha wasn't going to testify, that left Jerry, because
they were the only non-police who could explain what the documents Justus
had left meant. Without the testimony, the evidence would be thrown out
because there was no one for Jason's side to rebut, and that made the
evidence itself too discriminatory to be admissible on it's own. Dara
needed Jerry, and now Dara wouldn't get Jerry, and Jason would be free.
Jason peaked through his binoculors.
The man picked Keesha up, pushing her against the wall. An evil smile
grew across his lips. "I'm going to enjoy teaching you how to behave...."
Keesha kicked him as hard as she could in the groin
UGH!" the man fell over, doubling in pain, rocking in the fetal position.
Keesha lowered her knee and ran over to the tv, picking up the gun he had
left there. She cocked it and aimed it...
Rapid gunfire rang out from outside.
"YOU BITCH!" The man stood.
"I swear I'll kill you if you come any closer to me!" she yelled.
The man glanced out the window behind her. "DAMN IT!"
He opened the door behind him quickly, shutting it. Keesha sighed and
glanced around. What did he see?
"Oh my God..." she looked at the smoke coming in from the bottom of the
door.
Jason glanced up from inside the house, seeing smoke circulating upstairs.
He heard a noise and turned, his gun aimed.
"You can kill me, or save her..."
Jason shot him three times, and he fell.
"Or I can do both." he placed his gun in his waistband and ran back
outside.
Keesha dropped the gun, dizzy. She covered her mouth as best she could
with her bound hands. She knelt on the floor, she was so weak and tired...
Jason picked up his gun, throwing it at the window. Glass shattered and
he hopped in. "KEESHA!" he called, looking around.
He coughed, glancing around for her. His eyes locked on her body laying
on the floor.
He bent down, checking for a pulse. Finding a very faint one he picked
her up, putting her over his shoulder and carrying her out the window.
Jax laid down on the cot in his cell, repeating the prayer over and over.
He needed Keesha found, safe.
"Please."
Mac came downstairs. "Jax."
Jax looked up.
"Here are your clothes. Get dressed."
"Am I free to go?" he stood.
"I have a court order releasing you temporarily. For two hours."
"Why?" Jax's heart dropped.
"So you can visit Keesha. She's in the hospital."
"How is she?" Jax asked quietly.
Mac looked down. "Just get dressed. Fast. " he finished and waited.
"We don't know who brought her in. We got a call and found her on the
sidewalk." Monica lied as she answered Jerry's question. She recognized
Jason's voice right away.
"What's wrong with her?" Jerry looked at Keesha, so small in the huge
hospital bed.
"She's extremely malnourished, whoever had her wasn't..." Monica cleared
her throat. "Smoke inhilation...she passed out from the trauma and just
plain exhaustion. I checked for other signs of...but she has a few
bruises,nothing further.
"Jax is coming?" Jerry looked away from her.
"Yes, Edward pulled some strings. He should be here any moment, though
I'm not too sure he should see her like this..."
Amy Vining came in. "Mac and Mr. Jacks are here. Should I send them
back?"
Monica looked at Jerry.
"Take me to him, and let me talk to him first." Monica nodded her
agreement and wheeled Jerry to the waiting area.
"Where is she?"
"Back there...Jax, listen...She looks worse than she is, allright."
"Is she awake?"
"No."
"Is she in a..."
"No." Monica answered. "She's responding to stimuli, she's definitely
concious on some level, and that's an excellent sign."
"So then she should wake up soon. She's just knocked out now, right?" he
asked, his voice hopeful.
"She's very weak Jax. Her signs are...very weak." she repeated. "Under
more normal circumstances, I would say "yes." But given what her
condition would have been even without the fire..."
"Fire?"
"I have to prepare you that she...things could get worse. There's a fifty
percent chance they will get worse, and not better."
"Those are great odds to a Jacks, right little brother?"
Jax looked up from the ground. "Right." he whispered. "I need to see
her, please."
Jerry looked at Mac. "Can he take me."
Mac looked back and forth between the two. Slowly he uncuffed Jax and
Monica moved from behind Jerry's chair. Jax looked at Mac and then
wheeled Jerry down the hall, Mac following. Mac opened the door and then
left Jax and Jerry in the room alone. Jerry wheeled himself over to the
corner, bending his head.
Jax took a deep breath, completely confused by the sight of her. He had
prayed for this day, and now here she was...but she wasn't...his heart
continued to break.
Jax walked over and sat down on the edge of Keesha's bed. "I've been
looking everywhere for you...where did you go?" Slowly he reached out and
touched her face. The sound of her heart beeping in the monitor started
to quicken.
"Jerry?"
"That's what Monica means by responding to stimuli."
"Oh."
Jax's fingers trailed down her cheek. "Keesha...you promised me...you
promised me that you would never hurt me...you promised me..." his eyes
started to water. "...that you weren't going anywhere....so you can't
leave me, okay?" he bent down, resting his head against hers, cupping her
face in his hands. "I need you to stay...I need for you to prove Lucy
wrong...prove Sonny wrong. You have to wake up...you have to be
allright...make me feel like an idiot for even thinking I could lose
you...I want to be able to tell Lucy that sometimes nightmares are
just....Keesha?"
Jerry ran his fingers through his hair.
"Keesha...show Sonny that I don't lose everyone I love...do...not...leave
me alone. Prove *me* wrong. I'm here now...I'm sorry I wasn't here
before...but I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. So now it's your
turn. Show me that my fears won't come true this time...show me...wake up
Keesha..."
"Commissioner." Alex Garcia ran down the hall with a uniformed officer.
"What is it?"
"We have a change concerning Jax's alibi."
"What?"
"My name is David Cruz..." the man came up. "I ran La Zona Fabuloso, here
in Port Charles. We were only open for a few weeks."
Mac looked at Alex. "He brought a video...Jax is in the video...at time
of the murders. There are stills of that video...upclose shots. We're
checking on the validity of these documents."
Mac glanced at the hospital door. "Why are you coming forth now."
"Does that matter?" David answered.
Mac stared. "Yes. But I'll let it slide for now. Call Ms. Davis...."
Mac knocked on the door. "Little brother, it's time to go..." Jerry said
softly, as Jax continued to stare at Keesha, his fingers wrapped into her
curls.
"Jax is released on bail, the trial is being postponed while we check out
new evidence of his alibi."
"What?" Jerry glanced back at Mac.
"Jax, you can't leave the area until..."
"Get out." Jax finally spoke.
Mac nodded, closing the door.
"Jax?"
"Cassadine." Jax mumbled knowingly. "He's repaid our favor."
"But..."
Jax got up, opening the door to Keesha's room. Jerry looked at him.
"Give me a kiss first." he teased.
Jax bent down, placing a kiss on his forehead, causing Jerry to blink.
"Out." Jax said softly.
Jerry laughed as Jax closed the door. "Okay God, can you spare another
miracle."
"I'm not God, and I don't do miracles..."
Jerry looked up glancing over at Ned.
"How is she?"
"She'll be fine."
"As I said, I don't do miracles. But I do do revenge. For those that
deserve it." he handed Jerry peice of paper. "Money is missing from AJ's
account."
Jerry looked up at Ned again.
"Did you know AJ went on a business trip, to Berkeley, of all places.
Leave the rest of my family out of this. ALL of them."
"Agreed." Jerry stated deeply.
Jax came back over to the bed. "I love you, Keesha." he whispered,
waiting for her normal response.
But the only thing he could hear was the sounds of the machines she was
hooked to.
He sat back down, resting his head on her shoulder, draping his arm across
her body.
Shani
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