Maxie: It seems wrong that someone so little would have to suffer like this, but he could still die, you know.

Spinelli: Don't -- don't stray down that particular path of negativity, please.

Maxie: I'm just saying it happens. And you're so close to all these people. You should be prepared for what could come next.

Sonny: Michael's going to be okay.

Carly: You keep saying that like it's some kind of an excuse.

Sonny: I remember when you were shot. I believed in you. You survived. Michael's going to survive because we're all believing that he is. We gotta throw everything out the window -- including blame. And I can't have you shine a light on my guilt, because I know exactly where that is. It's in my throat, a lump so big that no scream loud enough can make it budge. So all I can do right now is push it down because I know that it's the best thing to do for my son -- our son.

Carly: Michael's going to be okay, then I'm going to make sure this never happens again.

Patrick: Got to get this slug out. Suction on the left.

Robin: Got it.

Elizabeth: B.P. is rising.

Patrick: Okay, I see the bullet.

Robin: We're almost there, Michael.

Patrick: That's it -- right where I hoped it wouldn't be.

Nadine: I wasn't spying on you.

Nikolas: Oh, no, you weren't? You were just sitting on the floor underneath my desk, listening to a private conversation and holding a photograph of my dead fiancée, no less, but you weren't spying on me. I can report you.

Nadine: Well, according to what I heard -- I can report you, too. For taking some illegal experimental drug to keep having hallucinations of your dead fiancée. Or I could report Dr. Devlin for giving it to you -- I'm sorry, selling it to you for $10 million?

Nikolas: It's my business.

Nadine: Are you in the business of lying? Because that's what you're doing. You're not here to set up a program to help people. You're doing high end drug deals.

Nikolas: I -- I thought you of all people would understand what it means to me to keep Emily around.

Nadine: No, not at the expense of your life. Do you really think that Emily would want that for you? God, how do you look your little boy in the eye knowing what you're doing to him --

Nikolas: All right, I want you to leave now.

Nadine: Oh, you hold him, pretend to love him --

Nikolas: I love my son.

Nadine: Yeah, just not enough to watch him grow up. You think what you are doing is so romantic, but it's not. It's selfish. And when all this is over, the only thing that is going to be left is your orphaned son.

Maxie: I was too young and too sick to remember what happened when B.J. died and I got her heart, but I do remember what happened after. Bobbie and Tony were like a second family to me, but it all went to hell when their daughter died. It's like when B.J. left, she took something priceless from them that they couldn't get back. So they stopped trying. Then they got a divorce and everything changed.

Spinelli: Little dude is not going to die.

Maxie: Come to think of it, Mac and my mom fell apart after that, too. I guess losing a child, or anyone for that matter, really changes you. I mean, look at Georgie.

Spinelli: The Jackal has indeed changed since wise Georgie's passing, but you and me, we've managed to help each other.

Maxie: Well, we tried to find Georgie's killer. We wanted revenge and justice, but it didn't bring Georgie back. It didn't bring Coop back. It didn't take the sadness away. After my sister died, I was filled with hate and anger, nothing else really existed. Until I heard about Michael, I hadn't realized how wrong I had been. No matter what was going on between my mother and me, she had lost a child and it must have been killing her.

Spinelli: Young Michael Corinthos is in -- he's in the best possible hands. I should really report to Stone Cold.

Maxie: I think that maybe you should just stay out of everyone's way. I know you want to help, but you can't. Sometimes you just have to face the fact that there's nothing that you can do. Do you want me to take you back to Jason's house?

Spinelli: No, I -- I think there's still some place we can go that could do some good.

Carly: It's taking so long, Jason.

Jason: It only feels that way.

Carly: As soon as Michael wakes up, I have to apologize to him. I yelled at him for playing video games and -- I was angry. And, you know, you can't leave someone when you're angry.

Jason: No one's leaving.

Carly: I know. He's gonna be fine. He's gonna wake up and he's gonna be fine.

Patrick: We can close up. Good job, everybody. We did all we could. We did the best we could. I don't want you thinking otherwise. When we go out there, we go out there as doctors facing the parents of a patient.

Robin: As opposed to what?

Patrick: Parents facing parents.

Johnny: If you want to arrest Trevor for the shooting tonight, I'd be happy to testify.

Trevor: Ms. Davis, John doesn't have any facts to back that up. So please reconsider, son. A mistake like that can come to snowball back on you.

Johnny: Trevor hates Sonny. Over and over again, day and night, I can't tell you how many times I've heard him say he wants Sonny dead.

Alexis: So why do you think he would choose tonight to act on that?

Johnny: Because Trevor just became proud owner of the Alcazar waterfront properties. He figured Sonny would come after him, so Trevor took a preemptive strike.

Trevor: You know what, Ms. Davis? I have a solid alibi. I was having drinks with the mayor at "Club 10." Check it out.

Alexis: I will. And what about you? Would you like to add anything?

Claudia: My brother is absolutely right. Trevor has been gunning to kill Sonny for months.

Trevor: Ms. Davis, arrest me or I'm going to leave the hospital.

Alexis: Just don't leave Port Charles.

Alexis: If this is your way of trying to resolve a personal vendetta with Trevor, find another resolution. You don't compromise my investigation, is that clear? Whoever did this to Michael will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, personally and passionately, by me. I say that as the D.A. and as a mother.

Claudia: Thank you, John --

Johnny: Don't. If Trevor says he has an alibi, he'll have one. All I did was buy us time. In the meantime, you fix this. You've got one chance, or I go to Sonny myself and tell him that I'm responsible for this.

Kate: I'm sure Jax must be out of his mind with worry. I bet it would help Carly if he were here.

Sonny: Jax is an outsider.

Kate: Like me.

Sonny: Hey, Kate, I didn't mean it like that. You know the last thing Michael said to me was? That he loved me.

Kate: That's gonna be the first thing you say to him when he wakes up.

Carly: Michael, baby, Mommy's right here.

Sonny: How did it go?

Patrick: We were able to extract the bullet, and Michael's vitals are starting to stabilize.

Carly: Yes! You are so strong. I am so proud of you.

Sonny: He's gonna live, right?

Patrick: Yes, he's gonna live.

Carly: That's right, you're going to be fine just like I said you were gonna be fine.

Patrick: Okay, we really need to get him to his room.

Nikolas: Can I have a word with you, please?

Nadine: I'm going on my break.

Nikolas: Only a minute.

Nadine: Uh, fine.

Nikolas: About what happened in my office, I'm counting on your discretion.

Nadine: Wow, here I thought you might apologize.

Nicholas: What Dr. Devlin and I are doing is highly confidential.

Nadine: I'm sorry, but a rich, spoiled, selfish prince, who is taking his beautiful son for granted and buying some illegal mystery drug just to prolong his own death, is none of my business.

Maxie: Well, this is the last place I would expect you to come.

Spinelli: Why?

Maxie: I don't know. You're just a man of science and numbers.

Spinelli: Don't you imagine a place where wise Georgie and Cooper look down on us?

Maxie: Well, I want to believe, but I'm not sure if I do.

Spinelli: Is there not power in our hearts and minds? Faith in ourselves, faith in others? Faith that we can focus our energies, even create energy and send it forth to change things for the good?

Spinelli: We come in the name of young Michael Corinthos, for his continued welfare and the welfare of innocents everywhere.

Ian: So, your highness, how many times else am I going to be summoned in here tonight?

Claudia: Just once. Shut the door.

Ian: Are you crazy, meeting me in here like this?

Claudia: Are you stupid? You fired into a warehouse with a little boy inside?

Ian: I had the perfect set-up and I wasn't going to get it again.

Claudia: You shot a little boy in the head!

Ian: I had Sonny in my sights. It must have been some kind of a reflection off one of the lights. Sonny got spooked and he pushed Kate Howard out of the way and the bullet ricocheted.

Claudia: Into a little boy's head.

Ian: At least he's still alive.

Claudia: No thanks to you.

Ian: The good news is that no one could possibly suspect that I was the shooter -- I'm the admirable Dr. Devlin. Nobody knows that I smuggle drugs and I use Zacchara resources to do it. You don't tell on me, I won't tell on you.

Claudia: That's it, hmm? That's your level of remorse, Doctor?

Ian: I've done my fair share of crying for people I cared about. I'm all cried out. Tears don't solve anything, only clear heads. Now, we can both walk away from this tragic mistake. Nobody else is the wiser and nobody else gets hurt, right?

Carly: I just want to sit with him.

Jason: You will.

Carly: I have to be there when he wakes up.

[Cell phone rings]

Carly: Oh, God. Jax?

Jax: What's happening?

Carly: Michael's out of surgery. He's in his room -- we're outside the room right now. He's alive. And you know what? He's going to be perfect. Where are you?

Jax: They closed the airport, so I'm stuck here.

Carly: It's okay. Jason's here with me, and you do what you have to do. I don't want you taking any chances coming home to me.

Jax: I really wish I could be there with you.

Carly: I know. You come home when it's safe, okay? You come home to me and the boys.

Jax: I love you.

Carly: Patrick's coming out. He's going to talk to us. I have to call you back.

Sonny: He's going to be okay, right?

Patrick: Like I said, the bullet is out and he's stabilizing. It's too soon to tell how severe the damage is.

Carly: There's not going to be any damage. He's -- he's fine. He made it through the surgery. When can we see him?

Patrick: Now. Two at a time.

Carly: Come on.

Carly: Hey, baby. Mommy's here. I'm going to be right here when you wake up, okay?

Claudia: He's older than you were.

Johnny: Hmm?

Claudia: Michael. He's older than you were when Daddy tried to kill you and shot your mom instead. I remember being at the top of the stairs and looking down and seeing him see you. I remember watching our father pick up a gun and point it at you. And your mom seeing him. And you couldn't move. I started screaming.

Johnny: It's done --

Claudia: No, no, it's not done, John. It's not done. That kind of thing stays with you. It comes back. You know what I thought and remember thinking? He's evil. It's evil and terrible and unredeemable to shoot a child.

Claudia: And now I have become my father.

Johnny: No, you haven't.

Claudia: Yes, I have. I did that. I put that little boy in the hospital, John.

Johnny: You didn't pull the trigger.

Claudia: Don't say that I didn't mean for it to happen. I did it. I did it. I did that.

Carly: Do you know how great you did? You made it through just like I knew you would. That was our deal, right? We don't quit. Not you, not me. Jason and I are going to be here with you every single second.

Patrick: You okay?

Robin: You were your usual brilliant self in there tonight. I was so afraid Michael was going to die, but --

[Sighs]

Robin: Thank you.

Patrick: Robin, why are you thanking me?

Robin: Michael is alive because of you.

Patrick: You're talking like someone who was close to Michael or an expectant mother. Be a doctor.

Robin: It's too soon to be fatalistic.

Patrick: Robin, you saw the damage. You saw where the bullet landed. It would have been kinder to Michael and his family to just let him die.

Robin: Don't say that.

Patrick: Those people waiting outside his room, waiting for him to wake up and open his eyes and smile. You know just as well as I do Michael is never going to wake up again.

Sonny: I want to pray.

Kate: Then you should, Sonny. Give thanks that Michael made it through the operation okay.

Sonny: [Sighs] I've just got so much in my head right now. All the choices that I've made, slipping into the darkness and picking up a gun. I made conscious decisions to lie, steal, and take people's lives. To do anything I damn well please because -- as long as I got what I wanted. And I knew that, you know, eventually I would have to pay a price, and I thought I already did -- when my first wife and my unborn baby died, when my marriage to Carly ended, after my breakdown, you got shot. That was it. I paid the price.

[Sonny cries]

Sonny: But I never thought that, you know, my -- my son. I never thought that my son would have to bleed for me.

>> On the next "General Hospital" --

Kate: I love your brother, but I do not want to die for him.
Luke: Ugly business, shooting a 12-year-old.
Jason: I want you to wake up.
Patrick: Someone has to tell Michael's family.
C
arly: Did you guys get the test results back?