Chapter 14

As the days progressed, the condition of Samantha Cassadine only continued to 
worsen.  Nothing the doctors at General Hospital did seemed to improve her 
condition.  She grew weaker and weaker to the point where she had to be put onto 
life support.  Throughout this entire ordeal, Stefan was in a total state of 
rage.  He lashed out at anyone and everyone because Cassadines were suppose to 
be in control and not helpless.  However, this situation was totally out of 
control.  After three long, agonizing days of waiting for any type of 
improvement, Dr. Abbott gave little hope for the future.  Stefan refused to 
listen to the doctor's words and removed him from his daughter's case.  He 
brought in Dr. Maxwell, a specialist from Boston Children's Hospital, to oversee 
his baby's care.  However, there was nothing that this or any other doctor could 
do.  For the bacteria that was causing Samantha Cassadine's meningitis was 
identified to be of the new virulent Strep Group A.  This bacteria was resistant 
to all known antibiotics.

As for Katherine, she never left her baby.  A bed was even brought into 
Samantha's room so that Katherine could keep a constant vigil.  Stefan and 
Katherine talked little to each other during this time.  Katherine treated him 
like a total stranger as they watched their baby fight for her life.  Because 
the facts were, Stefan was a stranger to her.  Combined with his daughter's 
illness and Katherine's coldness towards him, Stefan never thought that he could 
feel so much pain.  When he looked at Samantha lying in her hospital crib, he 
did not even recognize her with all of the tubes running in and out of her body.  
He wondered, could this really be the same little baby that he once rocked to 
sleep every night?  Those days seemed like a lifetime ago when in actuality it 
was only last week.

Dr. Maxwell arrived towards evening on day four of Samantha's illness.  He spent 
all that night and into the next day running tests and examining the baby.  
After a thorough analysis of the situation.  Dr. Maxwell requested a private 
meeting with Samantha's parents.  Stefan could tell by the tone in the doctor's 
voice that the news was not going to be encouraging.  Instantly, Stefan knew 
that he had to protect Katherine.  So, he met with the doctor privately.  Dr. 
Maxwell was a man nearing sixty.  His hair was gray and his face showed the wear 
and strain of caring for the sickest of children for over thirty years.  He was 
a man that believed in never giving up and fighting until the end, for a child's 
life was just too precious.  However, he was also a man who knew when it was 
time to allow a child to die with dignity. Sitting in the hospital waiting room 
just down the hall from Samantha's room, Dr. Maxwell began to speak with the 
baby's father.

"As you know, the bacteria causing Samantha's meningitis has been identified as 
Strep Group A.  This is an extremely virulent strain of bacteria that is 
resistant to antibiotics.  The only way for Samantha to recover is for her 
body's own immune system to fight off the infection… I am sorry to say that 
Samantha is simply not strong enough to do that."  Dr. Maxwell wondered how many 
times over the years that he had given this speech to a parent?  It never became 
any easier.  How did one tell a parent that your child, especially a baby was 
going to die?

This was not what Stefan had wanted to hear.  He closed his eyes and tried to 
block out the doctor's words.  He wanted the doctor to say that Samantha was 
going to be all right.  He wanted the doctor to say that Samantha would make a 
full recovery.  "If there are not antibiotics to treat this meningitis and 
Samantha's immune system is not strong enough to fight it, then what are you 
going to do next?"  Stefan opened his eyes, which were filled with fear.

Dr. Maxwell's answer was simple and straight to the point, "Nothing."

Stefan started screaming as his heart began beating almost out of his chest.  
"Nothing?  What do you mean nothing?  How can you say nothing?  Samantha is my 
daughter.  She is my baby.  You have to do something… What are you, another 
incompetent doctor just like the last one I fired?"

Dr. Maxwell took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.  Over the years, he had 
witnessed an endless number of emotional outbreaks by parents.  Stefan Cassadine 
was no different from any other parent who was about to lose their child.  "Mr. 
Cassadine, I understand your anger.  Blaming me is not going to change the 
situation.  You can fire me like the last doctor.  You can bring in specialists 
from around the world.  None of that will change the facts.  Your daughter has 
suffered severe brain damage due to the meningitis.  I am afraid that it is time 
that you begin discussing with the baby's mother about letting Samantha go."

Stefan's mind went numb by the words "letting Samantha go."  He couldn't let his 
baby die, not his little princess.  He had endured so much throughout his life, 
but he knew that he did not have the strength to bury his baby.  By now Stefan's 
hands were shaking as his mind raced for an answer.  It couldn't be possible 
that he was about to lose another child.  There had to be a solution.  There had 
to be a cure.  "You said that Samantha has suffered brain damage.  Can't that be 
reversed?"

Dr. Maxwell began shaking his head as he was about to speak. However, Stefan 
stopped him and spoke in earnest desperation. "No, wait.  Samantha's mother was 
in a coma for months and months. Her doctor put her on an oxygen treatment that 
healed much of her brain damage.  Maybe this same treatment can be use on 
Samantha."

"I know about the treatment that you are referring to, but it won't work.  I 
really am very sorry."

Stefan stood up and screamed once more.  "How do you know if you don't try?"  
Dr. Maxwell saw a father that was about to loose all control.  Taking a deep 
breath, Stefan sat down and spoke calmly. "Can't we at least try?"  His voice 
cracked as he begged the doctor for any sign of hope.

"I don't think you completely understand the gravity of the situation.  In order 
to put Samantha on Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, there has to be something to 
heal… The bacteria has eaten away at over 90% of her brain…  There is nothing 
left to heal."  The last statement was the final blow to all of Stefan's hopes.  
The words repeated themselves in his mind over and over as the doctor continued.  
"She is already essentially gone.  The life support is what is keeping her 
alive.  You really need to discuss with Ms. Bell what you want to do.  I have 
always been a firm believer in never giving up on a child.  However, I have also 
always believed in knowing when to let a child go.  It is a difficult decision, 
but it is one that has to be made."

Dr. Maxwell put back on his glasses and picked up the pile of medical records in 
front of him.  He hesitated for a moment before leaving.  Then, the doctor left, 
and Stefan was all alone.  He simply remained sitting in the waiting room 
completely overwhelmed by what he had to do.  How could he sign a release form 
which would remove all life support and allow his baby to die?  Stefan began 
thinking about all the plans that he had for his little girl.  He thought about 
all the things that he wanted to do with her that were never going to happen.  
He wanted to read her bedtime stories… He wanted to teach her how to ride a 
pony… He wanted to take her sailing in the Aegean… Most of all, he wanted to 
hear her call him papa.  Stefan had spent over half of his life turning the 
Cassadines into one of the world's wealthiest families.  Yet, there was nothing 
that all his money and power could do to save what was most precious to him.

Nearly an hour went by before he arose and walked to Samantha's hospital room.  
He opened the door to see Katherine still sitting at their baby's side.  Every 
time he came into the room, she was in the exact same position.  She looked 
tired from lack of sleep and from the constant worry.  Stefan sat down in a 
wooden chair next to Katherine.  He took hold of her hands and began to speak. 
"Katherine, we have to talk.  Look at me.  Please, look at me."

Katherine turned and faced Stefan.  She had a scared and haunting look on her 
face.  It was as though she already knew what he had to say.  "I just spoke to 
Dr. Maxwell, and he told me that the meningitis has caused irreversible damage 
to Samantha.  He told me that we need to begin thinking about letting her…"

Before he could finish, Katherine covered her ears with her hands.  "No… No… No… 
I don't want to hear it.  I know what you are going to say.  Please don't say 
it," she begged with her voice.  "Because once you do, the words can never be 
taken back."

Stefan pulled her hands down and grasped them with his own in her lap.  "I know 
that you don't want to hear what I have to say. I don't want to say it either… 
We have to let Samantha go… If it weren't for the life support, she would 
already be gone."

"Why did you have to say it?"  She asked angrily.  "I told you not to.  I begged 
you not to.  Now, those words can never be taken back."

"We have to face reality."  He was trying desperately to be strong for her, but 
he was so close to falling apart himself.

"Why?  Why do I have to face reality?  Why couldn't you just let me continue 
living with the hope that Samantha was going to be all right?  Reality is not 
going to give me my baby back.  Reality is only going to take my baby away."  
Stefan did not know what to say.  The words would not come.  Both their hearts 
were breaking over a baby that they both loved desperately.

The room went silent except for the sound of the oxygen machine, which was 
keeping Samantha alive.  Katherine looked at her baby covered in IVs.  She had 
been staring at her baby all day long. However, after hearing Stefan's words, 
the situation became more real.  There was no hope.  There was not going to be a 
miracle cure.  Katherine removed her hands from Stefan's grasp.  She pulled her 
hair away from her face and wiped away the tears that were burning in her eyes.  
Katherine knew that Stefan was right, but she just didn't want to admit it to 
herself.  She now knew what she had to do.  It was time to let her baby go to 
heaven. Looking at Samantha, Katherine began to speak just above a whisper.  
"Before we can let Samantha…” The words caught in her throat as her voice 
trembled.  "Before we can let Samantha go, we have to have her baptized."

"Yes of course, you are right.  I will find an Orthodox priest right away."  All 
Cassadine babies were given lavish baptisms. Yet, his baby's baptism would be in 
a simple hospital room.

Then, Katherine turned to face Stefan again.  "We should also be married.  I 
want Samantha to be legitimized before… before we let her go.  I want her to 
have married parents."  Katherine simply could not bring herself to say the word 
"die."

Stefan was shocked by Katherine's request.  He looked at her for a few moments 
to determine if she was truly being serious by what she had just said.  Her face 
revealed that she meant every word. "I will ask a priest to perform both 
ceremonies right away."  As Stefan stood up, he placed a kiss on Katherine's 
cheek.  She was so numb that she did not resist the gesture.  Stefan left the 
room and went to his office to make several phone calls.  He arranged for an 
Orthodox priest to be flown in from New York City.  Then, he arranged for a 
marriage license to be issued right away.  Using his connections with Judge 
Lancaster, Stefan was able to have many of the usual licensing requirements 
waived due to the grave situation.  By that very same evening, everything was in 
place. The Orthodox priest had arrived.  A marriage license had been obtained, 
and Stefan had two plain gold wedding bands in his coat pocket.  Speaking with 
the priest, Stefan explained the situation. He requested a simplified version of 
the traditional wedding ceremony and baptism.  There would be no celebrating 
tonight.

Stefan led the priest into Samantha's hospital room where he knew that Katherine 
would be found.  She had spent the entire day saying her last good-byes.  
Standing side-by-side next to their baby's crib, Stefan Cassadine and Katherine 
Bell were married.  It was not the ceremony that Stefan had once envisioned.  He 
had wanted to marry Katherine in Greece and to give her the wedding of her 
dreams.  Instead, the ceremony was brief and to the point. Katherine barely even 
paid attention to the words that were being spoken by the priest.  She mumbled 
the words "I do," and Stefan had to perform the exchanging of the gold wedding 
bands for the both of them.  Before she knew it, she was married to a man that 
she did not even know.  Katherine had only married Stefan for their baby's sake.

Then, the priest began the baptism.  He dipped his fingers into the Holy Water 
and made the sign of the cross on the baby's forehead while saying, "Samantha 
Elizabeth Cassadine, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost, Amen."  The baptism ended with the saying of the Lord's 
Prayer and one last making of the sign of the cross.  Within a ten-minute time 
period, Stefan and Katherine were married, and their baby was baptized.  
However, the worst and most emotional period of their lives was yet to come.

After the priest left, Dr. Maxwell and a nurse entered the room. Stefan 
reluctantly signed the release form to disconnect all life support.  Katherine 
was unable to bring herself to sign the form. Yet, her signature was not 
required.  Stefan had obtained full custodial rights after Samantha was born.  
He had the sole authority to make all decisions for their daughter.  Stefan put 
his arm around Katherine, and she put her head on his shoulder as they stood 
watching the tubes being disconnected from their baby.

Katherine then sat down in a rocking chair next to the window. The nurse wrapped 
Samantha in a pink blanket and placed the baby in her mother's arms.  This would 
be her first and only opportunity to rock her baby girl.  Stefan sat next to his 
wife and daughter.  He thought back to the night that Samantha was born.  It 
seemed like just yesterday, but yet it also seemed like a lifetime ago.  She 
looked so perfect and at peace.  Just by looking at the three of them, one would 
think they were any other normal family.  One would think that Samantha was just 
sleeping.

As Katherine rocked Samantha for the last time, she could feel her baby's warm 
body grow cold.  Then, Stefan took the baby so that he too could hold her for 
one last time.  The grief that they were feeling was overwhelming.  It would be 
hard to imagine any two people feeling any greater pain.  For on February 28, 
1999, Samantha Elizabeth Cassadine died.  She lived less than one month.

When a nurse came and took Samantha away, it was finally all over.  In one 
evening, a wedding, a baptism, and a death had all occurred.  As they left the 
hospital room for the last time, they found Gail Baldwin standing in the 
hallway.  Immediately, Katherine walked over to her and began to cry in Gail's 
arms. Throughout the entire evening's events, Katherine had never once shed a 
tear.  However, she could no longer keep her emotions intact.  Gail lowered 
Katherine down into a chair and comforted Katherine as she mourned the loss of 
her baby.  Stefan stood watching and wishing that Katherine would allow him to 
be the one who comforted her.  He had lost a baby too.  Even though he was now a 
married man, he never felt more alone in his life. Katherine still treated him 
like the stranger that he was.

"Katherine," Gail began.  "Katherine, everything is going to be all right.  You 
have to believe that.  You will get through this." Those words were spoken as 
Katherine cried on Gail's shoulder.

Pulling away from Gail, Katherine just looked at her.  "How can you say that 
everything is going to be all right?  Nothing is ever going to be all right 
again."  Putting her hands over her heart, Katherine continued.  "My baby is 
gone.  She is dead, and she is never coming back.  I don't know how I am suppose 
to go on living when a piece of me has died tonight."

Gail brushed back a strand of Katherine's hair as she spoke. "Samantha is in a 
better place now.  She is in heaven where she won't feel anymore hurt or pain.  
Knowing that she is safe should provide you with a little comfort."

"Well, it doesn't," Katherine replied with all the anger that a mother feels on 
the loss of a baby.  "I am a selfish, selfish person.  I don't want Samantha in 
heaven.  I want her down here with me… I want to see her take her first steps… I 
want to take her to piano recitals… I want to give her birthday parties… I want 
to hear her call me mamma… None of that is ever going to happen."  By now hot 
tears were flowing down Katherine's face.  Over the years, Gail had counseled 
countless patients.  This was one of the few times that she did not know what to 
say.  However, Katherine was more than just a patient. She was a friend, and 
that was part of the problem.

Katherine wiped away the tears from her bloodshot eyes with her fingertips.  "I 
just don't understand why Samantha had to die. Everyday women have babies that 
they don't want.  They throw their babies away in trashcans like pieces of 
garbage… I wanted my baby… I wanted to be a mother… Why?  Why did she have to 
die?"

"I don't know Katherine," Gail replied as she shook her head. "Your question is 
as old as time itself.  I don't think there is an answer."

"I know the answer," Katherine realized as tears began to fall once more from 
the corners of her eyes.  "I am being punished for all the things that I have 
done in my past… This is my punishment."

Gail was horrified by what Katherine was thinking.  "You listen to me.  This is 
not your fault.  This is not some type of punishment.  I don't want to hear you 
talking like that."

"Yes, it is.  This is my punishment for all of the sins of my past."  There had 
to be an explanation.  There had to be an answer for why Samantha had to die.  
"I just wish that I had never woke up from that coma.  I just wish that I had 
died so that I would never have to feel this pain.  I don't know how I am 
suppose to endure this hurt because it is never going to end… I just want to 
die… I just want to die."

Over and over, Katherine repeated those words.  They were like a knife into 
Stefan's heart.  From the moment that he had entered Katherine's life, he had 
only caused her pain.  Twice she had almost died, and now their baby was gone.  
He was finally married to the woman that he loved but under all the wrong 
circumstances. The plea that Katherine was making for her own life to end scared 
Stefan.  It was an emotion that he had only experienced a handful of times in 
his life.  He took a step towards her.  "Katherine, please don't say that you 
want to die."  How would he be able to endure if he lost both of them?  "Please, 
stop.  You are scaring me."

Katherine looked up at Stefan to see the man that she was now married to.  She 
took off her gold wedding band and threw it at her husband just like she had 
once thrown her diamond engagement ring.  The ring landed next to Stefan's feet.  
He looked down at the ring and then back towards his now wife.  Katherine stood 
up and walked over to him and began to pound her fists on his chest. "This is 
all your fault.  You were supposed to take care of Samantha.  You were suppose 
to take care of my baby… I hate you… I hate you… I hate you…” Stefan did nothing 
to stop his wife as she continued to pound away at him.  Finally, she stopped 
when she had no more energy to exert.  Then, he put his arms around her so that 
they could finally mourn the loss of their baby together.

--------------------

With a jolt, Stefan woke up.  His heart was pounding, and he was in a cold 
sweat.  He looked around the room and realized that he was in his office.  The 
room was dark except for a lamp, which cast a slight glow.  He looked down at 
his watch and saw that it was just after 9 o'clock at night.  He leaned his head 
back against his chair and took a deep breath.  Stefan thought about the day's 
events slowly over in his mind.  He remembered the confrontation with Katherine 
earlier that day in this very same room.  He recalled finding his baby in the 
emergency room and later being diagnosed with meningitis.  He remembered 
Katherine striking him across the face after finding him with Laura Spencer in 
the hospital chapel.  Then, he started to think about the memory of Samantha 
being removed from life support and dying in his arms.  Shaking his head, he 
realized that all his memories were real except for the last one.  Samantha was 
not dead.  The last memory of his baby dying was just a dream.

---------------------

Katherine could hardly believe her eyes when she turned around to find Anthony 
Moreno standing in front of her.  She stood up and gave her old friend from 
years ago a hug as she spoke.  "I can't believe its you.  It has been ages since 
I have seen you last." Katherine stepped back and continued to look at Anthony 
in shock.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he replied.

She shook her head no.  "You didn't scare me.  You just startled me.  I just 
didn't expect to see you."

"Would you like for me to leave?"  He asked as he motioned towards the door.

"No," Katherine answered.  "Absolutely not.  I would like for you to stay."  She 
sat back down on her chair as Anthony took off his overcoat and laid it on the 
back of his chair.  Then, he sat down himself.

Katherine continued to look at him in astonishment.  "I can still hardly believe 
it is you.  When was the last time we saw each other?"  She was asking because 
the truth was that she really did not know.

"The last time we spoke was not long after Damian died.  Do you remember?"  He 
had heard that Katherine had suffered permanent memory loss of the last several 
years of her life.  He was here to find out the extent of this injury.

"I remember."  Thinking about Damian saddened her.  "So, we haven't spoken since 
then?"  She asked in a questioning voice.

"No, we haven't talked in years.  I gather from your questions that the rumors 
circulating about you are true.  You have suffered a memory loss."

"Katherine rubbed the side of her right temple.  "Yes, it is true.  Everything 
is a blank since the summer of 1996."

Anthony really did feel sorry for her up to a point.  Yet, he was here on a 
mission which required personal feelings to be set aside.  "You are a fighter.  
Memory loss or no memory loss, I know that you will be able to overcome this.  I 
saw that spirit the first time I ever laid eyes on you.  Damian brought you to a 
party that I was throwing.  Remember?"

"Of course, I do," as Katherine smiled to herself.  "It was a New Years Eve 
Party.  You always gave the best parties."

"I would have made a pass at you that night, but you were with Damian.  You were 
always with Damian.  I thought the two of you would eventually get married.  The 
two of you made a great team. He was a fool to ever let you go."

Katherine thought about those days of long ago.  They seemed more real than the 
present.  Thinking about her time with Damian in New York City made her feel 
uncomfortable.  "Do you mind if we talked about something else?"

Anthony glanced over at the hospital baby crib.  "I hear that you are a mother 
now?  How is your baby?  How bad is this meningitis?"  He had a purpose for 
coming here tonight, but he truly was concerned about Katherine's baby.

"Samantha has been on antibiotics for almost 12 hours.  The doctors are hopeful 
that the infection was caught in time."  As Katherine looked at her baby, she 
continued.  "It just breaks my heart to see her so sick."

"Your baby is going to be just fine.  I know it.  Now, tell me. How are you?  
How are you really?"  He needed to know the emotional state that she was in so 
that he could determine how much influence he would be able to exert.

Katherine glanced down at her hands and closed her eyes for a brief minute 
before answering.  "I am full of worry over my baby, and I am angrier than I 
ever thought possible with Stefan Cassadine.  There just seems to be so many 
events that have happened over the past several years that I just don't 
remember. It is just so frustrating that everyone else knows more about my past 
than I do."  Katherine began relating the episodes of her life that she had read 
about in the newspaper articles that had been left anonymously in her hospital 
room.

Anthony crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at Katherine with a 
sideways glance as he asked, "How did you find out about your past?"

"That is the strangest part about it.  Someone left newspaper articles in my 
hospital room anonymously."  Katherine thought about how she found those 
envelopes.  "I have no idea who it was." As she looked at Anthony with his odd 
expression on his face, she realized who the anonymous sender was.  "Anthony, 
was it you?"

Holding up his hands in front of him, he replied, "Guilty as charged."

Katherine was confused.  "Why did you do that?  Why didn't you just come and 
visit me?"

"Visiting you was not really an option," he replied as he left out a deep sigh.  
"Your Mr. Cassadine had guards stationed outside your room around the clock.  
Plus, he had given strict orders that you were not allowed any visitors.  So, I 
improvised."

"First of all, he is not my Mr. Cassadine," Katherine snapped back.  "He happens 
to be Samantha's father.  That is all. Considering everything that has happened 
the last several years, I am not surprised to learn that he ordered no visitors 
for me… I assumed that I didn't have any friends just like usual."

"I don't want to hear you talking like that.  You have plenty of friends, 
especially from the old days.  You just choose to disassociate from us."  
Anthony wanted to impress on Katherine who her friends truly were and who she 
could truly trust.

Katherine thought about what he had just said, and it was true. After her mother 
had died, she had come to Port Charles to gain her rightful inheritance and to 
become part of society.  She had completely turned her back on her friends from 
New York City. However, all her plans had seemed to backfire in the end.  The 
saying was true, life does tend to laugh at the plans we make. "Well then 
Anthony, I need to thank you for what you did.  I was about to leave Port 
Charles with Stefan Cassadine.  You saved me from another mistake."

"I know you Katherine, and you are nobody's fool.  When I heard that you might 
have suffered a memory loss and that you were about to leave the country with 
that man, I realized that you knew nothing about your past with the Cassadines… 
Old friends stick together."  Anthony was carefully choosing his words.  He knew 
that Katherine felt alone in the world.  He was inviting her back to the only 
world that she remembered.  "So, what are your plans?"

"My plans?"  Katherine had hardly thought about the future.  All her energy was 
focused on her baby.  "I suppose once Samantha has recovered that I will go back 
to running Deception."

Anthony smiled to himself inside.  He knew that what he had to tell her next 
would drive yet another wedge between her and Stefan Cassadine.  "Katherine, 
there is no Deception."  He had wanted to tell Katherine this bit of information 
in person.

Katherine laughed for a moment but stopped when she realized that he was being 
serious.  "I know that I am not the world's finest businesswoman, but surely, I 
didn't bankrupt the company during the past few years."

"You are a fine businesswoman.  Before you went into that coma, Deception was at 
its pinnacle."

"What happened?"  Katherine was desperate to know the details that destroyed the 
company that she had worked so hard to build.

Anthony did not relish hurting Katherine, but he had to.  It was the only way to 
attain his goal.  "Helena Cassadine is what happened.  Remember what those 
articles said?  Helena Cassadine hired an actress named Lauren Masters with an 
uncanny resemblance to impersonate you.  This imposter gave Helena power of 
attorney over all of your assets.  Helena liquidated everything that you owned.  
When she went on the run for murdering Lauren Masters, your bank accounts were 
empty, and Deception was bankrupt.  Helena Cassadine took everything, and I mean 
she took everything."

"Everything that Damian left me is gone?"  She hoped that he would say that 
something was left.

"Everything," Anthony replied simply.

Katherine's mind raced by what she was being told.  "I can't believe this.  I am 
totally penniless.  From the moment that I have awoke, everything has been going 
from bad to worse."  She thought about all the hard work that she had put into 
Deception, and now it was all gone.  It made her sick to even think about it. 
Looking over at Samantha, Katherine did, however, realize what was really 
important though, her baby.  Money could be replaced, but not her precious 
little girl.  There would be other Deceptions, but there would only ever be one 
Samantha.  "I suppose that I am just going to have to get a 9 to 5 job and be 
single-working mother.  Thousands of women do it, and so will I."

"Do you think that Stefan Cassadine is going to let you keep Samantha?"  He was 
curious by what her answer would be.

"Samantha is my baby, and she stays with me."  Katherine spoke without 
hesitation in her voice.  "No one is going to take my baby away."

Anthony nodded in agreement.  He didn't really want to see Katherine loose her 
baby either.  However, he knew that he was going to have to use Samantha 
Cassadine as a tool to control Katherine so that he could obtain what was 
rightfully his.  "I hope that you are right.  I hope everything turns out that 
way. If you ever need any help though, just let me know."

The way he said those last words made Katherine feel uncomfortable.  Part of the 
reason that she had left New York City all those years ago was because of the 
violence that consumed the lives of those she associated with.  "Just what kind 
of help are you referring to?"

"Oh, I don't know.  Maybe I could arrange for Mr. Cassadine to take a swim in 
the Port Charles River with a pair of cement boots."  He made the suggestion in 
the most serious tone of voice.

"Anthony, that is not even funny."  The mere thought of what he was proposing 
sent chills down her spine.  She knew that Anthony was being serious.

He leaned forward and took hold of Katherine's right hand.  "What Stefan 
Cassadine has done to you isn't funny either.  I meant what I said.  If you ever 
need anything, just let me know.  I will be there for you.  I promise."

"I appreciate your offer.  I really do, but I don't think that Stefan is the 
type of person you really want to go up against." From what she knew of him, 
Katherine realized that he would be a very formidable opponent.

"I see. You don't think that I am any match for Stefan Cassadine, but you are?  
Katherine, listen to me.  If you are planning to walk away with Samantha, you 
are going to need my help.  The Cassadines are one of the world's wealthiest 
families, and they have friends in high places.  However, I have friends in low 
places, and sometimes those friends are the most helpful.  Just think about what 
I have said."

Katherine knew that he was right.  Stefan would never allow her to just walk 
away with Samantha and never look back.  She would need the help of every friend 
that she had ever had.  Yet, she didn't want to become indebted to Anthony 
Moreno because those types of debts were impossible to ever repay.  Reaching 
into his inside coat pocket, Anthony took out his checkbook and began writing a 
check.  Instantly, Katherine tried to stop him.  Before she could, he ripped out 
the check and put it into her hands.  "I can't accept this.  I won't accept 
this.  I don't want a handout." Without even looking at the dollar amount, 
Katherine returned the check.

"Don't think of this as a handout.  Think of it as a gift or as a loan until you 
get back up on your feet."  He really wanted Katherine to take the check.  He 
wanted her to feel indebted to him.

"My answer is still no," Katherine replied adamantly.  She didn't want his 
money.  If she had to start all over from scratch, she was going to do it all on 
her own.

Reluctantly, Anthony took the check back.  "You make it awfully difficult for 
someone to help you.  Will you at least promise me that you will come to me if 
you ever need anything?"

Katherine nodded and answered with an, "I promise."

Anthony stood up and put on his overcoat.  "I have to be going. You take care of 
yourself and that little baby of yours."

"I will," she replied.

As Anthony Moreno was about to walk out the door, he turned around, "One more 
thing, promise me that this time you won't be a stranger.  Keep in touch whether 
you need anything or not."  He especially meant those last words.

At first, Katherine hesitated.  "I… I promise that this time I will stay in 
touch with my friends, especially my old friends." Then, he was gone.  Katherine 
leaned back against her chair and gave a sigh of relief that the visit was over.

Walking down the corridor towards the elevator, Anthony Moreno could only smile 
to himself.  His meeting with Katherine Bell had been more productive than he 
could have hoped.  She was all alone in the world with a little baby, and she 
was penniless.  It would only be a matter of time before she came to him for 
help in order to keep her child.  Once she did, Katherine would be in his debt 
forever.  Now, all he had to do was find Helena Cassadine.  Once she was in 
police custody, the Damian Smith fortune would be returned to Katherine, and the 
money that he had coveted for so long would finally be his.  As he walked past 
the hospital waiting room, the television set was on but was playing to an empty 
room. The newscaster was relaying the day’s events.  "Wallstreet was saddened 
today by the death of William Baxter.  Mr. Baxter was the founder of Baxter & 
Co., a Wallstreet brokerage firm.  He died at his Long Island estate early this 
morning from an apparent heart attack.  He was 73.”