Robin: My heart breaks for what you and carly are going through right now. No one should have to sit by their child's bedside and wonder if they'll ever wake up. But that doesn't excuse carly's behavior. I mean, she may not need you right now, but michael does. You're his father. He needs you now more than ever.

Sonny: Carly's just doing what she can to protect michael and morgan -- i can't fault her for that. It's more than i did.

Robin: Listen, i have no doubt that carly loves her children, ok? But that being said, she has also used them to manipulate them with any man that she happens to be with at the moment. I mean, she did that with michael before he was even born. She used her preganancy to play tony and a.J. Off of each other, and then after that, she told jason to lie about being michael's father, and then when he got fed up and left, she used michael to work you, so i am sorry. Carly is in no position to tell you what is in the best interest for your child.

Sonny: Listen to me. When i adopted michael, i promised that little boy that i would keep him safe and love him. Listen. I should have put michael first above myself, above kate. So basically what i have done... Is i have failed my son in every way that matters.

Max: With all due respect, ms. Davis, you have no right to judge me or ms. Miller. It's not like you are the relationship expert. I mean, you married ric lansing.

Diane: Max makes an excellent point, and ric lansing is only one of the reprehensible men that you have slept with. There's sonny and jerry jacks..

Alexis: I never slept with jerry jacks.

Diane: Ok, but you've kissed him.

Alexis: How do you know that? Never mind. It's none of your business.

Diane: Ok, so my relationship with max is open to your criticism, but i am supposed to respect your privacy and remain mute when you fall apart when jerry jacks walks into the room?

Alexis: I do not fall apart.

Diane: Alexis, you are projecting your fear and your doubt, and given your affinity for choosing all the wrong men -- i can't say as i blame you, but i have absolutely no regrets about sleeping with max.

Max: Likewise, ms. Miller. Maybe we can do it again some time.

[Diane laughs]

diane: Now might be a perfect time for you to make that discreet exit.

Alexis: Ok.

Max: Bye-bye.

[Door slams]

diane: I am so sorry. You're gonna have to -- no -- oh, i'm sorry.

Max: No, i --

diane: No, go ahead.

Max: I... I just wanted to say thanks. I've never had anyone defend me like that.

Diane: It was my pleasure.

Max: Ok.

Diane: Ok, great. Well, i guess -- i guess i should be --

max: Yeah.

Diane: I should be going.

Max: Did you see my sock anywhere?

Diane: I, uh, i have not seen your sock, but --

max: No, thanks, i'll find it.

Diane: Yeah, it's here. Didn't run away.

Max: Yeah, that's right.

Diane: Ok.

Max: Oh, ms. Miller --

[max sighs]

diane: I'll call you.

Max: Yeah.

[Max sighing]

max: So that happened.

Robin: Relationships are -- they're just difficult, aren't they? I mean, whether you're together or not. I don't have to look past my own crazy relationship with patrick to know that. I mean, how -- how two well-intentioned, intelligent people managed to mess things up the way we have is beyond me.

Sonny: Yeah, but the difference is patrick can't get you and that beautiful baby you're carrying killed.

Robin: Sonny, carly knew who you were and what you did before she even married you. It was her choice to bring michael into your life and to have morgan, for that matter. I mean, it's a little late for her to start acting like it was all a big mistake, don't you think?

Sonny: What if -- what if the best thing for me to do is walk away from my sons?

Robin: You grew up without a father, right? You honestly telling me that you're better off because of it?

Sonny: Well, mike was a gambler. He wasn't a gangster, so the only enemy he had was his
bookie. My kids have been a target their whole lives. I can't blame carly for wanting to keep michael and morgan safe.

Robin: No, no one has the right to push a father out of their child's life.

Carly: Hi.

Jax: Hey. So what did the doctor say? Have they given you any idea of michael's prognosis?

Carly: Dr. Drake was able to stop the bleeding when we removed the bullet, so --

jax: Ok, did they give you a time frame of how long it'll be before he regains consciousness or --

carly: They're not sure, but he's getting better. I can tell. I mean, his color's better than it was yesterday, and he squeezed my hand earlier when i was talking to him.

Jax: Well, that's good.

Carly: Yeah.

Jax: Did you tell patrick about that?

Carly: Hey.

Jason: Hey.

Carly: You're back. Hi.

Jason: Glad you made it home safe.

Jax: Thank you. I wish i could have been here sooner, but thanks for staying with carly through the surgery. I believe michael's doing better. He squeezed carly's hand this afternoon.

Carly: Why don't you get back in there in case, you know, he does it again for you?

Jax: Yeah.

Carly: Ok.

Jason: You need to tell jax what the doctor said.

Carly: No.

Michael is getting better.

Jason, i know this.

Carly: Did you take care of what you had to take care of?

Jason: Yeah, i did.

Carly: Good, because michael needs you, and i need you.

[Piano chords]

claudia: Hey, i thought i might find you in here. Remember when we were little, and i used to lock you in here when daddy would get out of control, teach you how to play? You used to play for hours and hours and hours until he'd calm down.

Claudia: We'd just get lost in the music, huh? Forget about everything else.

Johnny: It's not that easy anymore.

Claudia: I did something stupid, john. I went to see michael corinthos in the hospital.

Johnny: If you're hanging around sonny's kid, sonny's gonna know you had something to do with it.

Claudia: I told you it was stupid.

Johnny: Why would you do that?

Claudia: Because, i just -- i don't know, i wanted to see him for myself. I guess i thought maybe he'd be sitting up in bed eating an ice cream cone or something. It wouldn't be that bad, and i wouldn't feel that guilty, but he was just laying there still, with all these tubes down his throat. He looked like a little doll, and i just kept thinking to myself, you know, when you were a little boy, i promised that i would protect you, no matter what happens. I promise i am not gonna let you pay for my mistakes.

Johnny: Could anyone see you at the hospital?

Claudia: Carly walked in on me standing next to michael's bed.

Johnny: Did she accuse you of anything?

Claudia: Her husband jasper jacks i think has his suspicions, but carly seems to think i was just there because i want to work sonny. I did the only thing i could. I -- i just let her yell at me, but i kept thinking to myself, how would she react if she knew that i was responsible for her little boy getting shot?

Johnny: You didn't hurt michael on purpose.

Claudia: He's in a hospital, johnny. He can't speak or move because of me.

Johnny: You didn't pull the trigger. At worst you're guilty of trusting the wrong person. That's all.

Claudia: He could have died last night.

Johnny: You wouldn't let me go to sonny and take responsibility for this, and i'm not gonna let you do the same thing. We need to make an agreement. Nobody can know that you hired somebody to take him out, ok?

Claudia: Why are you excusing what i did, john?

Johnny: Because you're my sister. I'm not gonna let you throw your life away out of guilt and remorse.

Claudia: Yeah, well, don't worry about it. If sonny finds out what i did, you won't have to be concerned about my life.

Sonny: I lied to myself, thinking that i could turn down my involvement in the mob like you turn down the volume on the radio, shove it aside, and... Try to make everybody believe that i'm a legitimate coffee importer.

Robin: Right, and you can still do that.

Sonny: No, i can't. You know why? Because i'm in too deep, can't get out, but i thought that i could fool, you know, fool myself into thinking, hey, you can change.

Robin: Ok, but you are still michael's father. That counts for something.

Sonny: Not more than my son's life.

Robin: Instead of just blaming yourself for all of this, have you thought about what your son wants? I mean, do you even know?

Sonny: He would want me to be with him.

Robin: Then that's what you should do.

Carly: Hey, sweetie. Jason's back. Do you want him to tell you another story? When michael was a baby, jason would sit and talk to him for hours, and michael got so used to the sound of jason's voice, and even now if he can't sleep, he'll call him, and they'll talk for hours.

Jax: I didn't know that.

Carly: That's because michael works so hard at convincing everyone he's grown up when down deep inside, he's still a little boy, who sometimes still needs to talk to his uncle jason.

Jax: What kind of things would you talk about?

Jason: I just, you know, used to read him books about africa and asia and other countries.

Carly: Places that you're gonna take him when he's better.

Jax: By all means, sit. I'm sure michael would love to hear a story.

Jason: I brought him a book, but i know -- i know you want to spend some time with him.

Jax: I think i have some things to do anyway. You'll be ok?

Carly: I'm ok.

Jason's here, ok.

Jax: Ok, i'll be back soon.

Carly: Ok.

Jason: All right. Here. "There's this town in the north of spain called pamplona. People come from all over the world to run with the bulls during the festival of san fermin.


Claudia: If anyone ever did to you what i did to michael, i'd kill them in a second.

Johnny: We made a mistake.

Claudia: No, the only mistake that you made was trusting me to handle this.

Johnny: Ok, well, it was my responsibility the whole time. I'm in charge of this family. I should have handled the hit on sonny.

Claudia: I didn't want you anywhere near this, john. That was the whole point.

Johnny: I'm not a little boy anymore. You don't need to protect me forever.

Claudia: I can try.

Johnny: Look, we screwed up, but risking your life and going to sonny isn't going to wake michael up any sooner.

Claudia: If he wakes up at all.

Johnny: I'm serious, claudia. Nobody can know we were involved. Promise me.

Claudia: For now. What? If sonny tries to pin this on you, there is no way i am gonna sit by, keep my mouth shut, and watch you take the fall.

Johnny: Ok, then we need to make sure that sonny never finds out, which means no more seeing his family, no more going to the hospital to visit michael or to apologize to carly. If jax is already suspicious, you need to keep a low profile.

Claudia: Well, you know what? You might do the same thing with lulu. Look, john, i am sure that she cares about you, but i guarantee, at the end of the day, her family is always gonna come first, as it should.

Johnny: You don't need to worry about me and lulu. We're done, for good this time.

Claudia: Was that your choice or hers?

Johnny: Does it matter?

Claudia: I just don't want to see you hurt.

Johnny: Ok, i'd be a lot worse off if something happened to you.

Claudia: Why, you're stuck with me.

Johnny: I wouldn't have it any other way.

Claudia: I'll see you later, ok?

Claudia: I thought you said you and lulu were over.

Johnny: We are.

Claudia: Why was she here?

Lulu: Nina?

Logan: Nina took the night off.

Lulu: I know. I was supposed to be covering for her. What's going on?

Logan: Well, i wanted to surprise you, and it looks like it worked.

[Knock on door]

jax: Hi, i'm sorry to bother you at home. I tried to get ahold of robin and patrick, but they wouldn't answer their pagers.

Elizabeth: No, that's ok. Come in.

Jax: Thanks.

Elizabeth: Has something happened with michael?

Jax: I was hoping you could tell me. You assisted in the surgery, right?

Elizabeth: I did.

Jax: Was there any complications at all?

Elizabeth: Sit down. The bullet was lodged in michael's temporal lobe right behind his ear. Dr. Drake was able to extract the bullet, and it did relieve some pressure on his brain.

Jax: Ok, so based on the damage, do you think that michael will recover?

Elizabeth: Jax, i'm not a neurologist, but you should talk to carly. I -- i know dr. Drake has spoken with her about michael's test results.

Jax: Yeah, it's -- you see, carly thinks that he's getting better. I just need to know if that's a possibility.

Carly: You know you have to keep up your end of the bargon. You can't tell about all these wonderful places and then not take him.

Jason: I know.

Carly: You have to promise me that when he gets better we're gonna take him some place really special. Remember when we went to florida?

Jason: Yeah, i remember being really hot.

Carly: You took michael in the ocean to cool him off, and we laid him down for a nap, and he was so relaxed with his little fists by his head. Then he woke up and smiled at us. I would give anything for him to wake up right now and smile at us.

Sonny: How's michael?

Carly: There's a hole in his head. How do you think he's doing?

Sonny: Carly, come on, i don't want to fight. I just want to see my son.

Carly: He's my son, and i'm never gonna let you hurt him again.


>> On the next "General Hospital" --

claudia: You want lulu? Keep her.

Lulu: I just can't do this anymore.

Robin: Have your feelings changed about this baby?

Elizabeth: Michael's coma is permanent.

Sonny: I'm not leaving my son.|