GH: The Fight Over Baby Avery

General Hospital's Avery Jerome Corinthos has had a lot of strife in her short life. Below I'm going to summarize and discuss her story.

Avery was conceived when her mother Ava (Maura West) and Sonny (Maurice Benard) had sex in the Quartermaine crypt after AJ (Sean Kanan) was buried. At the time, Ava was with Sonny's son Morgan (Bryan Craig), and cheated on him. Ava and Sonny had a bond, but it was based on blood not love, as they both kept each others' secret. Ava knew that Sonny killed AJ, while Sonny released later that Ava killed Connie. Due to the pregnancy, Sonny kept Ava'a alive. Once the baby was born, everyone knew what both Ava and Sonny had done. Since both her biological parents were in prison, Avery was being cared for by her older sister Kiki (then Kristen Alderson, now Hayley Erin). Once Sonny was pardoned, and Ava was believed dead, Kiki decided to allow Sonny to raise her younger sister instead of fighting for custody. Michael (Chad Duell) hated the idea that Sonny didn't have to pay for AJ's death, as three months in prison wasn't enough of a punishment. He decided to go after Sonny by taking baby Avery away from his adoptive father.

A custody trial took place with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) being Michael's attorney, though in time it seemed like she regretted it. Ric (Rick Hearst) took over Sonny's case as Diane wasn't available. Carly (Laura Wright) was on Sonny's side, but she didn't want Michael to get hurt in the process. Originally, the judge assigned to the case was played by Emily Kuroda (Mrs. Kim on Gilmore Girls), but Michael got her replaced with Monica's boyfriend. Of course, this would be a reason enough for Michael to get custody. He won, but Sonny had one idea up his sleeve. Sonny allowed Kiki and Morgan to bring Avery to Ava's funeral at Ryan's Bar in New York City. While alone, her grandmother Delia (Ilene Kristen) mentioned how the only person who made her feel better was her late mother-in-law Maeve Ryan (played by Helen Gallagher for the entire run of Ryan's Hope). She then sung "Danny Boy" even if it was a few days early for St. Patrick's Day. Ava, who wasn't really dead got some scant moments with her daughter, but didn't kidnap her from Delia and Silas's (Michael Easton) urging. The baby was returned to Kiki and Morgan without them knowing that Ava was really alive. Kiki realized her sister shouldn't live like that and they brought the girl back. Michael took the baby to the Quartermaine mansion, but not before announcing that Avery's name was to be changed. She was no longer going to be Avery Jerome Corinthos, but Avery Jerome Quartermaine, and he'd be called her AJ for short. Carly and Sonny looked on in horror, though as a child Michael was named after Sonny, and had the Quartermaine name stripped from him.

This story has people feeling passionate on both sides. Some people are upset how Michael has turned his back on Sonny and Carly. He's out for revenge and doesn't deny it. Others are glad that Michael is acting out and fighting for himself. While Michael's motivation to take Avery has some malicious overtones, Michael is right that being a child in a mob family isn't safe. My feelings are: I'm glad that Michael is doing something, but I don't think his behavior is at all acceptable. He's lashing out, and his behavior reminds me of Carly. To ruin her mother's life, Carly slept with her stepfather, Tony and at the time Bobbie had no idea Carly was her daughter. Michael's behavior is of that nature, and since he cannot sleep with his mother to get back at his father, the next best thing is to take a child away, as he was taken from the Quartermaines. Michael has become the worst nightmare of his parents, and considering he was the "golden" child, GH moving in this direction is surprising and interesting. I just hope we get to see more motivation as the weeks go on as Michael cares for his younger adoptive sister.