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Are there options to replace a bad laying queen or will the hive take care of itself and make a new queen? The egg pattern is very sporadic at best. I do see larva so she is laying a few but no pattern at all. Not sure what to do next

If she was ever good, one option is to make sure there are eggs in some of the cells, pinch the queen, and let them make her daughter. Your hive will be losing population during this time, and the replacement may not return safely from her mating flight. It may be worth it if she was good and simply gave out. If she hasn't been all that good, I would purchase a new queen, pinch the old one, and introduce the new queen in the same way you do when installing a package. While I would prefer the hive be queenless for at least a couple of hours before putting the new queen in, I would put the cage in immediately if I thought the new queen might get chilled (can hurt laying ability) or cooked while in her cage awaiting being placed in the hive. If you are SURE a new queen is available, you could remove the old one, then go and pick up the new one, and do the introduction upon your return with her. I would NOT try a direct release of the new queen.