EPISODE 35

Zander's hospital room --

"I think you need to see this ...." Ric said as he sprinted into Zander's room and turned on the TV set that hung in the corner of the room.

"Wait, weren't you ..."

"Yeah, yeah in a minute, you have to see this ..." Ric replied as he turned the channel to the news coverage about the explosion down on the docks.

"The mob wars got a shot in the arm tonight as a warehouse, down here on Pier 53, was destroyed by an explosion earlier tonight. The building owned my local business man, Zander Smith, is now nothing more then a heap of ashes. Eye witnesses say that the flames from this fire, shot over a hundred feet in the air and could be seen across town. Zander Smith, himself, a victim of an alleged mob hit a last week, is re-cooperating at General Hospital. There is no word as to what ignited this explosion, and we will be continuing our coverage of this fire. As details become available, we will pass them along to you."

Zander pushed the blankets from him and tried to get out of the hospital bed he was lying in.

"Hey woah you're not going anywhere." Ric rushed to his brother's bedside to keep him in bed.

"You don't expect me lie here and take this, do you?" Zander replied as Ric pulled the blankets back up over Zander.

"You'd never get 5 feet from this bed in your condition, Zander!"

"Don't you dare try and stop me, Ric! I have two men down there!"

Ric sighed heavily, he knew Zander was bound and determined to fight his own battles, but he was in no shape to do any of it. Ric backed off and watched as Zander tried to stand up, he wincing in pain as he did so.

"Zander please! You are in no condition to go fighting this battle by yourself!"

"What do you suggest I do, Ric?! They blew up my warehouse!"

"Yeah and your damn lucky it wasn't you!"

Zander was exhausted just trying to get out of bed, he unsteadily sat back down. Zander realized he wasn't going anywhere. The pain was too unbearable. He laid back down in the hospital bed and Ric helped him with the blankets.

"Now, are you going to listen to me?"

"No, I'm not."

"You are so stubborn, you know that?"

Zander smirked at Ric's comment.

"I can't very well run my business from this hospital bed, Ric. The longer I stay here, the more vulnerable I become."

"Well you can't very well go anywhere, at least not for a while. You'll have to up security."

"I thought you had Alcazar in custody? What the hell happened?"

"We do .... he's in lock up."

"Then who the hell blew up my warehouse, Ric?!"

Ric shrugged, not knowing the answer that Zander was looking for.

"Morgan. That son of a bitch blew up my warehouse!"

"You don't really know for sure it was Jason."

"Look, if it wasn't Lorenzo, then who else could it of been?!"

Ric and Zander contemplated who would of destroyed the warehouse and its contents before being interrupted by two of Zander's men.

"Sir .... it was Morgan." Marcus exclaimed as he and Frank unsteadily walked into Zander's room. Ric assisting Marcus to the chair, and he sat down, while Frank balanced himself against the doorframe.

Marcus and Frank both covered in black soot from the explosion, both had noticeable cuts and abrasions. "Are the two of you alright?" Zander asked as he propped himself up to get a better look at his men.

"Yeah we're fine. We scrambled out of there before the emergency crews showed up."

"How do you know it was Morgan who blew up the warehouse?"

"We saw his limos parked out back in the alley. They were gone before we got closer and then ..... up in smoke it all went."

"Do you believe it now, Ric?! It was Morgan and I will not just sit here and do nothing!"

"Zander let the police handle this, please."

"You just didn't ask me to let the police handle it, did you?"

"Zander they can prosecute Morgan, he'll do 10 to 15 for this!"

"You know damn well he will not even get past the grand jury, Ric! No .. I have to handle this myself, Ric .... Morgan just made it a little more personal!"

"Speaking of personal .... what is Emily going to say about you taking out her brother?" Ric asked, none of them noticing that Emily sat just outside the doorway in a wheelchair and she was listening to the banter.

"You're going to do what?!" Emily spoke up from just outside the door. Frank let her pass and she wheeled herself into her husband's room.

"I think this is our cue, Frank ...." Marcus said as he saw the glare Emily gave him to leave. Marcus and Frank left Zander's room and waited out in the hallway for further instructions.

"I will let you handle this one, Zander." Ric said as he backed out of the room slowly, leaving Zander alone in the room with a scowling Emily.

"What are you thinking?!" Emily demanded from Zander.

"I'm thinking of keeping my family safe and with Morgan still around, you and the children are not safe!"

"Let me talk with him, Zander .. Jason listens to me. I can get him to back off."

"He almost killed Marcus and Frank .. not too mention he blew up my building! I am not letting you get near him, Em!"

"He's my brother! He wouldn't hurt me!"

"He wouldn't? For all we know he hired the guy who put you in the hospital in the first place!"

"Zander, you know .."

"No, Em .. I don't .. I don't anything for sure. And I'm not taking any more risks with my family! You are not going to see Jason and that's final!"

"You are impossible you know that?!"

"Yeah I do, but when it comes to you and the children, I have to be! I cannot let you put your life at risk any more, we almost lost the baby once because of this business, I am not going to put you or the baby at risk again!"

"I have body guards at my door 24 hours a day, nothing is going to happen to me or this baby."

"And nothing is going to happen if you stay away from Jason!"

Emily sank in the wheelchair, tired of arguing with her husband who obviously was not going to give in to her talking to Jason. She laced her fingers together across her 7 month belly and looked up at him.

"Okay ....." she caved to his rules.

"Okay what?" he replied.

"Okay I won't ask to see Jason."

"Promise."

"Yes I promise. I'll let you handle it."

"Thank you." Zander smiled.

Zander reached his hand out to her, she took it in hers and caressed it. "You trust me, don't you?" Zander asked.

"Of course, I do."

"And you know I love you, and I will do anything to protect you. Even if it means taking out Jason."

Emily looked up at Zander. She knew he would protect her and the children at all costs, she had no doubts. He had always been her protector and she could depend on him to keep her safe. She had always known this day would come, the day when she had to watch her husband order the hit on her brother, Jason .... but it didn't make it any easier.