A Threat to the Cabin Trip

"Hold the elevator, please!"

A gorgeous blonde inside the elevator glanced back to the man rushing toward her. Unfortunately, her quick appraisal must not have been to her liking as she let the door finish its closing. A hospital staff member waiting, apparently for a down elevator, looked over at the disappointed newcomer.

"Tough luck, buddy."

"Yeah, tell me about," Graham Diamond replied before mumbling under his breath. "I bet this never happens to my brother."

The next ping from an arriving elevator turned out to be the one heading down to the basement. The staff member nodded to Graham before entering. The wait for another elevator seemed to take forever. Several more people joined him as visiting hours had started minutes earlier. Despite letting the others get onto the elevator first, Graham didn't go so much as a thank you. And that's the story of my life. I always seem to never get noticed.

Reaching the fourth floor, Graham made his way to Whitney's room. Seeing a doctor talking to Bridget, he quietly slipped inside.

"Thank you again, Hari. Having you continue to check on Sean has been a relief," Bridget said, giving a hug to her friend.

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Bhandari," Harvey added himself, shaking the departing doctor's hand.

"Everything good?" Graham asked once Dr. Bhandari left.

"Yes, no setbacks for Sean," Bridget informed him while patting her son's arm.

"Sean will be getting discharged in an hour or so," Harvey divulged.

"It better be sooner. His eyes are getting that glazed look in them again," Whitney piped in with a wary glance at her rescuer.

"Hey, I'm feeling fine. Real fine," Sean seemingly slurred.

"Well, us Diamond men do tend to heal quickly," Graham remarked, cracking a smile. The room full of groans told him they had heard the news. "So, you know?"

"Oh, we know," Bridget confirmed.

"How did you find out?" Harvey asked his brother.

"I got the strangest call out of nowhere this morning from Mayor Dunkley's campaign manager. I haven't the foggiest idea as to how he got my number, but he seemed almost giddy. I assume he's hoping that you'll get involved now."

"Hmmm, Dewey won't like his aide acting like that. If anything, he's going to be despondent if he thinks my support for his campaign had anything to do with this bullshit story," Harvey responded. "I better call him and dismiss that notion. Even if it's true, Dewey already has far too much stress over the accusations and stories that The Stinging Truth seems to drop every few days about him."

"I think the increasing number of stories about him ends any guesswork over the main intentions of the site. Politics and city government are the predominant focus over the last couple of months," Graham pointed out. Then with a side glance to the two teens, he added, "And if you're right about Dunkley's likely opponent, it's about to get worse."

"I say we burn them to the ground," Whitney stated heatedly. "They came after our family."

"Let us handle this, pumpkin. You need to worry about making a full recovery," Harvey said, disappointing his daughter. While Whitney wanted to be involved, she decided to let this battle drop for now.

"Are we going to handle it? I'm not even sure where to begin," Graham admitted. "The word is that Rollie Swift investigated The Stinging Truth last summer. All they ended up finding was a maze of dead ends. Nobody knows who owns it or who works for it."

"We might know one of their workers," Bridget revealed.

"Really?"

"Yes, both Bridget and I noticed the same suspicious man in the waiting room yesterday. We both believe he's the person that took the pictures of my disagreement with the nurse and Merton."

"Too bad you didn't copy him and take a picture yourself," Graham responded. "Having a face to start with could jumpstart an investigation."

"We didn't take a picture, but they certainly exist," Harvey noted, drawing curious looks. "The hospital security cameras should have caught plenty of footage of our photographer."

"Yeah, but we'll need to access it. Should I, uh, contact one of the people we use?" Graham inquired softy, hoping the teens didn't understand.

"Oh, I don't think we need to go that route. Norton Merton is very concerned that he offended a generous donor in Harvey Diamond," Harvey disclosed. "I'm sure he'll be happy to lend me a hand in this matter. Especially if I mention it revolves around a story intended to smear me and that Dalton is also upset."

"I'm sure knowing Merton as I do, he'll give you even more footage than you want," Bridget said, her voice giving away her view on the hospital administrator.

"Did you call Dalton last night?" Graham inquired.

"I tried to, but his phone went straight to voicemail. And this isn't news that I want to send in a text. So I called Florence," Harvey revealed.

"Ah, that will work," Graham chuckled. The secretary to the CEO of Diamond Corp, Florence Oaks, worked for over thirty years at the company. If anyone knew a way to get in contact with her boss, it would be Florence.

"I'd expect to hear back from him soon. They should be returning from their vacation later tonight."

"Well, if you want to deal with Merton or take Sean back to the cabin, I freed up my day. I'll be happy to keep my favorite niece company," Graham offered, causing Whitney to beam with thanks.

"Thank you, Graham, but Sean and I won't be heading back to the cabin," Bridget revealed.

"What?!" asked Harvey and the two teens simultaneously.

"Sean's going to need rest and relaxation. He's also going to need to stay off his feet as much as possible. He can't spend his time going up and down the stairs. I think him resting in his bed is more practical than his bunk in the boathouse."

"There's plenty of beds at the cabin that Sean can use," Whitney insisted. "We can just move people around."

"That's kind of you to offer, Whitney, but it's going to be hard for Sean to get much rest at the cabin. And I don't want his condition to take away from everyone's trip," Bridget replied.

"It will take away from your trip, Mom," Sean pointed out.

"You come before any of my activities, honey."

"Bridget, if this has anything to do with the article, then forget about it. Please don't let those assholes affect your life even more," Harvey countered.

"This is only about Sean; nothing more," she maintained.

"Well, I'm not going home. We're going back to the cabin, Mom," Sean insisted.

"Honey, please you need--"

"No! I'm not going to ruin your trip. I know how much you looked forward to seeing your old friends. You spend most of your time working; don't miss the chance to be with your friends. And you have to do this. Not for me, but for Aunt Cassie."

"That's a low blow, Sean."

"No, he's right," Whitney jumped into the family argument. "We're at the age where we take for granted always having our friends around us. You never know what will happen tomorrow. Look at me; I almost died. So don't throw away a chance to spend time with your friends, Mrs...Bridget. Not because of my clumsiness."

"I don't think I need to add anything, but I'll say that I agree with our children," Harvey added. "And we'll find a bed that is easily accessible for Sean. Either the den or master bedroom is on the first floor."

"Fine, it looks like I've been overruled," Bridget gave in.

"Excellent. I can stay as long as you need to be gone, Harv. Frida said she'd stop over later in the afternoon too," Graham mentioned.

"You know, if Sean's discharged when they said, we could stop at the cemetery," Harvey speculated.

"The cemetery! Now I feel like shit for forgetting about that," Bridget responded, feeling guilty. "I don't think Sean is up for it, however."

"I can stay in the car," Sean suggested.

"Honey, you will do no such thing. The car will be too uncomfortable."

"I have a better idea," Harvey announced, checking the clock. "I don't think Frida will mind one bit about watching over the dashing hero of her pumpkin princess for an hour or two."

"Are you sure? I don't want to put her out," Bridget queried.

"Oh, Frida will love spoiling Sean," Whitney declared.

Feeling relaxed as the painkillers kicked in, Sean merely shrugged at the suggestion.

"Good. I'll make a few phone calls and be back shortly," Harvey told them.

"Okay, I'll admit she does look like Lacey," Whitney agreed.

"You see, cutie, you do you like her bestie," Sean informed Libby Dall. He was sitting in a wheelchair that an orderly had placed him in moments earlier. It was the orderly that he addressed next. "You, my man, won the lottery with this job. This place is like a TV show with its hotness."

"Whatever you say, buddy," the orderly responded. Turning to Libby, he asked, "Do I have to wheel this kid out?"

"No, don't worry about it, Antonio. We'll handle that."

"Yep, my adorable nurse can handle me all she wants," Sean continued to embarrass himself.

Fortunately for him, Libby found it adorable after hearing about Bridget's past concerns over Sean. Eloa Agrela, over near the door, not quite as much. Still, she considered Bridget to be the best and kindest doctor she'd worked with, so she gave Dr. Tarver's son some slack.

"Are those designer scrubs cause you look fetching in them?" Sean dug a deeper hole for himself.

"I'm the lucky one. If they didn't discharge you, I'd be listening to this all day," Whitney remarked from her bed. "Not that I don't appreciate my hero."

"You sure leaving him at the manor is a good idea?" Graham asked his brother. "Valeria isn't one to put up with silliness."

"Trust me, I know. With that in mind, I've made an extra arrangement," Harvey responded. Now going on his second day of watching this side of Sean's personality, he found it amusing.

"Do you make house calls, Libs? Cause I want to see you and Lace side-by-side. You'll need to dye your hair red first. Your cute faces are the same, but I wanna know if the boobs and butts match too."

"Alright, Sean, you all ready? Your mom's on her way back," Eloa announced from the doorway.

Upon entering the room, Bridget's face and demeanor made it clear that she was perturbed. Knowing that she left the room to call Leonard, Harvey inquired over her husband.

"Is Leo stopping by before Sean leaves?"

"No, he isn't! The Wise and Irreplaceable Leonard Tarver can't be expected to interrupt his work at the drop of a hat to see his son. Honey Hollow Medical Center would crumble in minutes without him."

"Uh, did he say anything about the article?" Harvey asked, although he didn't want to upset Bridget further.

"Only one of his snide comments about my messy social life," Bridget relayed. "Leo's not dumb enough to believe that trash. He's just an ass."

"Dad's the wrong kind of doctor. He should be working on asses, not brains," Sean nearly shouted. Laughing at his own joke, he continued. "My dad's an ass doctor, a jackass, a donkey's ass, and a donkey puncher."

"Uh, that's not what a donkey puncher means," Whitney corrected him automatically. Sensing her father's eyes on her, she added, "Not that I know either. A girl hears things, you know, Dad."

"I think now is a good time to leave," Bridget suggested, moving to push Sean's wheelchair.

"I'll do that, Dr. Tarver," Eloa said, moving to push the wheelchair instead. "You know the hospital rules."

Bridget nodded, somewhat embarrassed at forgetting that hospital personal must handle the chore until the patient exits the building. To cover her feelings, she reminded Sean to say goodbye.

"Until we meet again, my ice mermaid," he said, saluting Whitney. Then, turning to Graham, he issued a warning. "No fucking my nurses. You got that, Mr. Diamond Two?"

"Quiet, dear. Be nice to Graham," Bridget admonished her son. With a wave to the two remaining Diamonds, Bridget, Sean, and Harvey made their way to the elevators. As they waited, Libby leaned down to hug Sean as they pushed him onto the elevator.

"Now, you take it easy, Mr. Hero," the blonde nurse said before whispering into his ear. "And maybe you should tell this Lacey how you feel about her."

"I feel nothing!"

"Dr. Bhandari called in a few prescriptions. I'll have to grab them after we're done at the cemetery," Bridget told Harvey once the elevator started to descend. "Hopefully, a different painkiller won't have this effect on Sean."

"I kind of like it. The kid seems too serious at times," Harvey said as Sean told Eloa that she looked like a supervillain sent to seduce him. "I'm curious to see him like this when he sees his friends."

"Harvey!"

"Hey, maybe a looser tongue will land him a girlfriend, or at least get laid.

"Yippee-ki-yay! I'm getting laid," Sean shouted as the elevator doors opened to reveal the ground floor.