Monthly Archives: July 2022

July 13, 2022

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the ZFlash - Watch

Written in 37 minutes.

 

 

Elizabeth switched off the engine, reached into the passenger seat for her purse to loop            over her head, then got out of the car to meet Emily who had driven her own car. “The diaper bag is in the trunk—I really shouldn’t even bother,” she said with a sigh, unhooking Cameron from his booster seat. “Why am I dragging them both to day care for half a shift?”

“Because it’s good for Cameron to get back into the routine,” Emily said, popping the trunk to grab the bag for Jake. “And for you to be away from Jake.”

“I like the hospital,” Cameron said, grinning at her. “Can I come work with you?”

“No.” Elizabeth went to the other side of the car, while Emily took Cameron’s hand, and lifted Jake from his car seat. She pressed him close for just a moment. Her sweet precious little boy who had nearly disappeared forever—Oh, God. Then put him back into the car seat, lifting the carrier from the car.

“You don’t have to do this. You don’t even have to come back full-time next week,” Emily told her gently. “The only time you’ve been to work, I was home with the boys. I know it’s hard to leave them with people you don’t know. That aren’t family.”

“I just—I don’t have a choice. I have to get back to work—”

“You said Jason offered child support,” Emily reminded her. “To help the case in court, to make it look like he was involved—”

“He is involved—”

“And with Lucky not even offering a cent voluntarily—which you don’t want—anyway—” Emily pressed her lips together. “You could get a nanny. Someone whose only priorities are the boys—”

“That’s—” Entirely too tempting, just as it had been when Jason had offered the child support as an option. Of course, he wanted to give her too much, and it would let her stay home even longer. But— “I like my job. And daycare is good for the boys. Cameron learned to talk faster, and he’s so good with other kids.”

“Okay.”

“So let’s stop arguing about this. I’m only here for four hours, and you’re going to be late.”

“All right.  Hey, Cam, hold Aunt Em’s hand, okay?” Emily said. “What are the rules in the parking garage?”

“Hold hand, stay close. No running,” Cameron recited. “I know everything, Aunt Em.”

“I know you do—” They started towards the bank of elevators, but they only managed to get a few paces away  from their cars when Emily stopped, her eyes wide. She shoved Cameron lightly towards his mother. “Stay here.”

“Em—” Elizabeth shifted Jake’s carrier to one hand and held Cameron close. “What’s wrong—”

“Just—” Emily waved at them, then went closer to the wall, then looked at Elizabeth, swallowing hard. “These are the overnight cars, aren’t they?”

“Yeah. I see Patrick’s, and I know he had the graveyard in the ER—Em—”

“Okay. Go drop the boys off,” Emily said, pulling out her cell phone. “I need—” Her voice faltered. “I need to make a call.”

“Mommy?” Cameron tilted his head  up. ‘What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Let’s go to daycare.”

She hurried the boys as quickly as she could into the daycare facility on the first floor, then left a quick message for Epiphany before rushing back to the parking garage. She’d only been gone for maybe ten minutes, but by then hospital security was on the scene, joined by police officers. There was a flash as a camera went off.

“Emily—” Elizabeth joined Emily, talking to one of the guards. “What’s—” Her words fell off as a stretcher wheeled past her, a doctor she recognized from the morgue. “Oh my God—”

“I saw her foot,” Emily murmured. “As we passed.” She shuddered, closing her eyes. Elizabeth watched in horror as a body was lifted onto the stretcher—into a body bag. The long, dark hair, the olive-skin. The bruises on her throat.

“That’s Leyla—” She pressed her hands to her own throat, feeling a strange burn. “Leyla. Has she been here all night?”

“No way to know yet—” Emily folded her arms. “How many times have we walked in this parking garage?” she murmured. “I was here just last night. Alone.”

“A million times,” Elizabeth answered, watching as Leyla’s face disappeared when the body bag was zipped. Walking alone at night —

“I’m going to need you both to come down to the station,” Detective Harper said as he came over from the scene. “Just to make a few statements.”

Nothing traveled faster than bad news, so by the time Emily and Elizabeth arrived at the station to give their statements, Nikolas and Lucky were in the squad room. Nikolas turned towards them. “Lucky called me as soon as it came over the scanner that you’d found a body.”

“Where are the boys?” Lucky asked Elizabeth, and she frowned at the absence of bitterness. “Did they see anything?”

“No. No—they’re at the daycare. I—” Elizabeth exchanged a trouble look with Emily. “I really don’t think we should talk about anything else until we give our statements.”

“Yeah, and we should probably wait for our lawyer,” Emily added. Harper, who had come in behind them, scowled.

“What do you need a lawyer for?” he demanded.

“You don’t need Diane for this,” Lucky told Elizabeth,  the sympathy gone now. “What do you have to hide?”

“It’s not about hiding anything,” Emily explained patiently. “I just don’t talk to the police without a lawyer. Not after what the PCPD did this summer—”

“Neither do I,” Elizabeth said coolly. She glared in the direction of the interrogation room, remembering that terrible day, the  horrifying moment as she stood alone in that room, listening to Lainey and Lucky accuse her of hurting her son. “So when Diane gets here, we’ll make the statement and that’s it.”

Nikolas sighed. “Fine. I get it.”

“It’s bullshit,” Lucky began but Harper waved him away.

“Whatever. I should have expected to see Morgan’s rat lawyer showing up here sooner or later—”

“What a lovely greeting,” Diane said as she swept inside the squad room. “Shall we get started?”

Elizabeth was relieved that her instincts had panned out — Diane had them in and out of the station within thirty minutes, their signed statements in evidence. Elizabeth had seen nothing, and Emily had done nothing more than call in the scene. Diane gave them a ride to the hospital to get the boys and their cars.

“Honestly, I don’t know why they dragged us all the way down here,” Emily said as Diane pulled into an empty space. “I’ve got a thousand missed calls from my parents. I need to go put out those fires.”

“Epiphany told me not to bother with my shift,” Elizabeth said, “since I’ve missed most of it. Go ahead and take care of it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Emily loped off towards the elevators, and Elizabeth turned to Diane. “They hauled us in because of Jason, didn’t they?”

“Yes,” Diane said, nodding. “That’s my suspicion. It’s no secret you’re in a divorce and custody battle with a fellow officer. With what  happened at the trial, between the acquittal and Lucky’s—shall we say, embarrassment—they’re not going to do you any favors.”

Elizabeth sighed. “He’s really not going to make it easy.”

“No. I’m going to win at the hearing,” Diane told Elizabeth gently. “But that doesn’t mean it ends. He can stall your divorce, he can appeal the custody—as long as Lucky has decided to make your life miserable, the system can—and likely will—help him.”

“He’s acting like we had some sort of perfect marriage,” Elizabeth murmured. “But it wasn’t. He’s had more affairs than I have—and mine was just one night, Diane.”

“I know. We’ll get through this, but it won’t be pretty.” Diane squeezed her hand. “Now, go get the boys and enjoy your unexpected day off.”

Elizabeth’s heart lifted slightly when she saw a bike parked at the curb of the house, and Jason on the steps.

“I hope it’s okay,” Jason said, coming over to help her when she parked the car. “I was with Diane when you called, and—”

Elizabeth unfastened Jake from the car seat and handed him to his father. “It’s more than okay.”

This entry is part 21 of 41 in the Mad World: Liberty

Cause sometimes shit don’t go your way, sometimes
And sometimes you gon’ have those days, yeah
And sometimes you’ll feel out of place
You can’t promise me it’ll be the same
Cause sometimes change
Sometimes, sometimes change
Sometimes change
– Sometimes, H.E.R.

Saturday, March 6, 2004

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Cameron’s first night was a long one. Despite his family’s encouragement, Jason didn’t sleep. He preferred to spend long stretches in the NICU, then trade places with someone so that he could sit next to Elizabeth.

He wanted to be there when she woke up, wanted his face to be the first she saw so that he could tell her that their son was okay. That Cameron had responded to treatment — and that Jason had been allowed to hold him twice.

It was nearly seven the next morning when her eyes began to flutter. Jason didn’t even hesitate — he pressed the call button so that someone could take out her breathing tube, then grabbed her hand to squeeze it.

She coughed, her eyes flying open when she couldn’t quite take a breath, looking panicked. Then she found his face—their eyes met—and she squeezed his hand back.

“Hey,” he murmured, bringing her hand to his lips. “It’s okay. They’ll take out the tube in a minute. You’re okay.”

Her other hand flew up to touch her abdomen. She clenched her hand into a fist.

“Cameron’s okay. You delivered him yesterday, and he’s in the NICU. He’s doing well,” he promised her. “He’s never alone. Monica is with him now. He was strong enough—I got to hold him.”

She closed her eyes, a tear sliding her cheek as she nodded. Finally, a nurse came in.

“Good morning, Mrs. Morgan,” she said with a smile. “Dr. Drake will be here in just a moment, and we’ll be taking out your tube.” She looked to Jason. “How long has she been awake?”

“Just a few minutes.”

Patrick arrived shortly after with a relieved smile. “Hey there,” he said. He looked at the nurse. “Epiphany, you ready for removal?”

Elizabeth gagged as the tube was removed, and Jason was ready with water to soothe her throat. She drank greedily, her lips dry and cracked. “Cam—” She said hoarsely. “He’s…okay?”

“He had some issues with his lungs,” Jason admitted. “But it’s common, and Dr. Devlin said that his lungs were already showing improvement the last time I was upstairs. I got to hold him,” he repeated. “They never would have let me do that if he weren’t doing well.”

She nodded, closing her eyes again, squeezing his hand. “He’s okay.”

“You’re okay, too,” Patrick told her. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

“I—Waiting for you,” she told Jason hoarsely. “Then…Sonny…and blood. I coughed—there was blood—”

“We stopped the bleeding, and your lungs are also healing,” Patrick said. “Everything went as well as it could, Elizabeth. Good work.” He made a notation on his chart. “We’re going to keep the morphine drip steady,” he told Jason and Elizabeth. “Between the lung issues and the Cesarean, she’ll be in some pain for a few days. Dr. Lee will be by to check her stitches and make sure that’s going well. But we, ah, we dodged a bullet here.” He lifted a brow. “Now, I know you’re jealous because you were my first patient at General Hospital, but that doesn’t mean I need you coming to see me every few months.”

Elizabeth managed a surprised laugh as she nodded. “Won’t—won’t make it a habit.”

“Great.” He flashed them both a grin before leaving.

“You’ll be on liquids for the rest of the day,” the nurse—Epiphany—continued. “But maybe at dinner, we can talk about some solid foods. You know where the call button is.”

When they were alone again, Elizabeth squeezed Jason’s hand again. “Sonny?”

Jason hesitated, but then he nodded. “I left him with Carly and Justus. They handled it. Kevin Collins—he signed involuntary commitment papers to Ferncliffe.”

Her eyes widened. “Jason.”

“Don’t worry about any of that right now.”

She smiled faintly as her eyes drifted closed. “Tired,” she murmured, forcing them back open.

“Sleep,” he said, kissing the inside of her palm again. “It’s almost my turn to go back up to NICU and hold Cameron. I think—I think Nikolas is going to come down and sit with you.”

“Never alone. I remember.” With her free hand, she brushed his cheek with her fingertips. “Never alone.”

“Never,” he promised as her eyes closed again and she slid into a more natural sleep. He watched as her chest rose and fell evenly. He’d never get tired of watching her breathe.

Kelly’s: Dining Room

Kelsey craned her head to peer into the window that looked into the kitchen. “Do we comment on Dante working here or let it go?”

“We let it go,” Lucky decided, stirring cream into his coffee. “Lu gave me the heads up, and if we don’t annoy him—” He stopped as his phone vibrated. “Hold on, it’s Emily—I need—” He stood up and headed out to the courtyard.

Cruz’s eyes followed him, concerned. “He’s still wincing when he walks.”

“Yeah, I know. He got an all-clear from the doctor—” Kelsey picked up a sugar packet and twisted it in her fingers. “I’m trying not to be worried. He won’t like it if I hover.”

“He really won’t.” Cruz sipped his coffee. “You doing better? I heard your mom was in town for a few days. I bet that helped.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kelsey paused. “Sort of. We had another fight about her coming to Port Charles, and she only came because she felt guilty.” She sighed. “Maybe I should be nicer to her about all of this, but am I insane for feeling like she’s overreacting? Dad died in a car accident ten years ago, but Mom acts like it was yesterday, like this town is poison. It’s been comforting for me to be here with people who knew Dad and loved him. To drive by our old house.”

“People react to grief in all kinds of way, Kelse—”

“Yeah, but Mom didn’t even let me say goodbye. I couldn’t go to his funeral, and we moved like five minutes later. Dad died in June, and then we were gone by August.” She shook her head. “It’s not right.”

They looked up as Lucky took his seat again. “Hey, what did what Emily say?” Kelsey asked.

“Giving me an update on Elizabeth. She’s out of the woods,” he reported. “And the baby is doing okay in the NICU. Plus, she wanted me to hear it from her—” Lucky hesitated. “Sonny got sent to Ferncliffe last night. Carly got Dr. Collins to 5150 him.”

“Involuntary commitment.” Cruz’s brows shot up. “That’s a tough sell. He had to be a threat to himself or others—”

“Which makes me wonder exactly what happened in that penthouse before Elizabeth had to be rushed to the hospital.” Lucky shook his head. “But it’s not a criminal case. She just wanted Dante to get the heads up. I, uh, better go let him know.” He got to his feet and headed for the kitchen.

“Man, I hope this doesn’t mess with Dante’s head more,” Cruz muttered. “He’s got enough problems without the sperm donor making it worse.” He focused on Kelsey. “You said your dad died in a single car accident, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Coming back from an appointment with a client or something. I don’t know. It’s all mostly a blur.” She frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Ten years is a long time not to get over a car accident, and I met your mom the last time she was here. When you were hurt last fall,” he reminded her. “She only stayed a few days. You had a brain injury. You’d think she’d stick longer. She and Scott were all tense every time I came into a room with them together.”

Kelsey tipped her head. “She was really angry about me coming here to work. You think it has something to do with him? He wasn’t even in around when my dad died.”

“It either bothers you enough to find out,” Cruz said, “or you can let it go. That’s going to be up to you.”

Kelsey sighed, looked back down at her partially eaten meal and let Cruz’s words roll around. How much did it really matter that her mother had some sort of phobia about coming to Port Charles? In the end, she’d shown up. Wasn’t that what was important?

But would it always be like this? What if they got married? Had kids? Would her mother always refuse to be part of her life as long as Port Charles was Kelsey’s home?

She wasn’t going to be able to let this go.

Brownstone: Foyer

Carly peered through the window next to the door and grimaced. This was the absolute last thing she wanted to deal with today, but —

She pulled open the door and folded her arms. “I thought you weren’t coming to Port Charles until the hearing was scheduled.” Or that he wouldn’t show up here without warning.

“I never said I wouldn’t come earlier,” AJ said. “And I waited until I saw Michael leave the house with Lucas. We made a deal, Carly, but this is still where my family is from—”

“Then come to Port Charles and see them. Why are you on my doorstep?” she demanded.

“Carly—” Bobbie appeared over her daughter’s shoulder, her brows drawn together in surprise. “AJ.”

“Bobbie.” AJ flicked his eyes back to Carly. “I wanted to touch base on the recent developments. Can I come in? Or if Michael’s coming back soon, can we meet somewhere else?”

“No, he’s—” Carly stepped back. AJ had a right to know what was going on, and it was just her own defensiveness, her own exhaustion, putting her on the attack. “Lucas and his boyfriend took him to a movie, then they’re going to Kelly’s.”

“Okay.” AJ stepped inside the foyer, waited for Carly to lead him into the living room before speaking again. “I wasn’t planning on contacting you on this trip,” he told her. “I flew in for some paperwork at ELQ and was going back tomorrow. But when I landed, it was in all the papers—”

“I know.” Carly scowled at the dining table where the pieces of the Herald were scattered. The media didn’t have the whole story, thank God, but it hadn’t stopped them from speculating. The Herald, as always, had taken the more respectful route, merely stating that Sonny Corinthos had been admitted Ferncliffe while the Sun gleefully reported Elizabeth’s hospitalization being connected. They were, but that wasn’t anyone’s business.

“I was worried,” AJ said, “based on what we talked about a few weeks ago.” He tipped his head. “What’s going on? If you can or want to talk about it.”

“It doesn’t affect the petition.”

“Carly,” Bobbie murmured. “Maybe—”

“It doesn’t,” she insisted. “In fact—” She jerked a shoulder. “It just makes me more convinced than ever that I need Sonny away from the boys, and he’s left me without a choice with Michael. If he can do that to Elizabeth—” she told her mother. “We begged him to get help—”

“Elizabeth?” AJ echoed. “I thought the Sun was just full of shit—”

Carly winced, turned back to her ex-husband. “It wasn’t,” she muttered. “Sonny flipped out, and Elizabeth had a health crisis. It’s not his fault, I don’t think. I mean, he didn’t hurt her. She was already sick, but the guards were dealing with him, and time was lost.”

“Is she all right? She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

“She had the baby yesterday,” Bobbie told him. “He’s in the NICU. It looks okay for now, but it was a close call. And we’re all still a bit on edge.” She touched Carly’s shoulder. “I’m actually going to the hospital now, all right? I’ll call you.”

“All right, Mama.” Carly hugged her mother, then returned her attention to AJ. “Lucas and I are keeping Michael from the papers and from other people the best we can. He doesn’t ask about Sonny much anymore, and I’m going to take that as a good sign—”

“I know you said it doesn’t affect the petition,” AJ cut in, “but if Sonny’s at Ferncliffe—” He swallowed hard. “Doesn’t that mean he’s getting the help you wanted him to?”

Carly stared at him for a long moment, then looked away out the front bay window. She wandered over to it, her back to him. “I don’t know anymore. I can’t think that far ahead, I guess. Not yet. When I asked him to get help, it was right after I left in December. He didn’t do it.”

“But it’s happening now—”

“It’s a temporary commitment,” Carly replied. She looked at him again. “It’s just a 5150. If he stabilizes and stops threatening to kill people—” She cleared her throat. “He could be out and back, and we’re in the middle of this all again. He didn’t get help, AJ. I signed the damn papers after he threatened to kill Jason.”

AJ blinked. “He did what?”

“It’s a long story, and I don’t want to get into it. All you need to know is that it hasn’t changed my mind.”

“Not yet,” AJ added, and she frowned. “He could end up staying, Carly. He could actually get help. Does it matter that he didn’t want it?”

“I—why are you arguing with me?” she demanded. “You’re getting what you wanted—”

“I’m asking you not to make promises you won’t keep,” he retorted. “If you find out tomorrow what the hell is wrong with Sonny and that it can be treated, can you stand there and tell me you won’t take it back? We haven’t filed the damn petition yet, Carly. And if you don’t—” His face twisted. “I don’t know if I can come back to Port Charles, run ELQ, and still not be part of Michael’s life. I’m not strong enough for that.”

She closed her eyes but said nothing. AJ was right. What difference did it make how Sonny had ended up in Ferncliffe? Wasn’t what happened next more important? If he could get help, if they could find a piece of the man he’d been once—

If that happened, would Carly want to undo all of this? Would she still want Sonny in Michael and Morgan’s lives? God, it hurt so much to think about that possibility. It nearly stole her breath.

“I don’t know what happens if Sonny gets treatment and we get a measure of sanity back,” she finally said, her voice softer. “You weren’t in the room last night. You didn’t see—” Her hands were shaking as she brought them to her face. “You didn’t see what happened between Sonny and Jason. I’m sorry. I can’t pretend I have the answers today.”

“Okay,” he said. “Okay. That’s honest, and I can accept that. I have to prepare myself, Carly, for you to take it back. You always do.”

“I know what I’ve done before,” Carly said, flinching. “But I also have to prepare myself for you to start drinking again. You always do,” she threw back at him. “We’re both asking for a measure of trust here, and if you can’t do that, then I don’t know why we’re even bothering—”

AJ put up a hand. “Why don’t we leave it there right now?” he suggested. “You don’t know what’s going to happen with this 5150 thing yet, and I can occupy myself at ELQ with other things.”

“Fine. I’ll be in touch.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Elizabeth opened her eyes again and smiled when she saw Jason sitting at her side. “Hey,” she murmured. She fumbled for the controls and raised herself up, wincing slightly. The morphine had been dialed back a few hours ago, and she was starting to feel the pain. “I was hoping you’d be here when I woke up.”

“Hey.” He leaned forward to kiss her lightly, lingering another moment. “I was in the NICU when you were having dinner. I got to hold him again.”

“I’m so jealous,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “Kelly came by while you were gone, too. She said I can go up to see him tomorrow. And if I’m up to it, I can hold him.” She smiled. “I get to catch up, right?”

“You can take as many turns as you want,” Jason promised, sliding her hair off her forehead with a smile. “You did the work, you should get the rewards.”

“Well, you’ll still get to spend more time with him for a few days. Kelly wants me to take it easy.” Her smile deepened. “It’s crazy, you know? I was so afraid to think about this part. I was sure that something terrible would happen, but I’m not scared anymore. I made it through the delivery, and the doctor said the CTEPH surgery itself isn’t so bad. We—we get to plan.”

“Yeah, we do.” He kissed the inside of her palm. “I—I have to go, though.” Jason hesitated. “I’m sorry. It’s just—something came up, and we—I have to take care of it.”

“What?” Elizabeth asked. Her eyes searched his. “What’s wrong?” He wouldn’t be leaving her or Cameron right now if it weren’t serious.

Jason paused, then nodded. “We know the Zaccharas were behind the sightings,” he told her. “We were right. They were hoaxes planted by Anthony and Trevor to screw with us.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So Ric was never in the country.”

“No. But it needs to stop. We need to know where he is, and we need to make this over,” Jason told her. “If it could wait—”

“But it can’t.” She nodded. “It’s okay. You know I understand. And I’m never alone here. Emily said Cameron isn’t either. It’s not just you and me anymore. We have so many people who love us. I’ll be okay until you come back.”

“I love you,” he told her. He got to his feet, and dropped a kiss on her forehead, then turned to find Bobbie in the doorway. “Hey.”

“Hey, my turn,” Bobbie said. She kissed his cheek. “Now get out of here and let me have my girl all to myself.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Jason told Elizabeth.

“I love you, too,” she called after him. “See you tomorrow.” She smiled at Bobbie. “Have you been with Cameron?”

“Just finished my turn,” Bobbie told her. “Alan’s reading him another book.” She squeezed Elizabeth’s hand. “You did it, sweetheart. He’s here, and he is so beautiful.”

“I get to see him tomorrow,” Elizabeth said. Her eyes drifted closed. “I get to hold him.” She sighed as she slid back into sleep. “I can’t wait.”

Port Charles Municipal Building: Scott’s Office

Kelsey knocked on Scott’s slightly ajar door. He gestured for her to come in. “I should have known you would be here today—” She paused. “Do you ever go home?”

“Needed to distract myself with work. Thought about going to the hospital, but Bobbie doesn’t need me right now.” He sighed, leaned back. “You heard about Corinthos, I guess.”

“Yeah. Lucky’s parents are keeping him in the loop so that he or Lu can warn Dante. The press were at Kelly’s again. Someone leaked the 5150 to them.”

“Vultures,” Scott muttered. He shook his head. “Bobbie’s probably a mess, and I don’t want to think about how Carly felt having to sign that paperwork, but maybe it’s for the best.”

“Maybe. Lucky said Elizabeth is going to be okay. And the baby seems good. Did Bobbie tell you?”

“No, no, not yet.” Scott reached for some paperwork. “That’s good, though. Kid needed a break.” He focused on her. “You didn’t come here to update me on that, did you?”

“No, I came to ask you about my dad.”

“Your dad?” Scott frowned. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Mom left Port Charles so fast after Dad died, and she didn’t really want to talk about him.” She met his eyes. “For ten years, she’s refused to come back, and I’ve had to be almost dead or going through a crisis to get her here.”

“Kelsey—”

“So I guess I’m asking what’s going on. And why my mom doesn’t really seem to like you anymore. I thought it was because you offered me the job, but—”

Scott hesitated. “I think your mom took your dad’s death harder than anyone thought. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“But—” Kelsey shook her head. “That’s not okay. That’s not good for her to still be like this. Dad died a long time ago. She always said it was a car accident, but was that really it? I mean, accidents happen. It’s almost like she’s scared to be here. And she said something really weird when Lucky got shot—how it brought back things with Dad.”

“Kelsey—” Scott closed his eyes. “I’m asking you to let this go.”

“And I’m asking you for the truth. He was my father, Scott. That should count for something.”

He sighed, dragging his hand back and forth across his head. “I know that he was found in his car, I know that it was ruled an accident, and by the time I got to Port Charles for the funeral, the papers weren’t covering it. I never looked into it further.”

Kelsey swallowed hard. “How could you never look into it? He was your best friend—”

“Because your mom didn’t want to get into it. And at the end of the day, that was what mattered to me.” Scott hesitated. “Do you want me to pull reports now? Make  few calls?”

“No.” Kelsey shook her head. “No. I just need—I need to sit with it, okay? Because if I start doing any of that, I can’t go back. It might just make things with Mom worse, and I don’t want that.”

“All right. If you change your mind—”

“I’ll let you know.” Kelsey left his office and started down the hallway towards her own.

She’d lied to Scott, of course. He knew something he wasn’t telling her, and she didn’t trust him not to keep sugar coating the truth. She needed to pull the files on her own.

She needed the truth about her father once and for all.

Ward House: Kitchen

Tamika frowned when Justus walked through the door that evening. She set down Kimi’s dinner, then tightened the strap on her booster seat. “You’re home early.”

“Missed my girls.” Justus leaned down to kiss Kimi, then brushed his lips across Tamika’s. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She squinted, then shook her head. “Nope. That’s not it. Kimi, eat your dinner. Mama and Daddy have to go in the other room.”

“Don’t like mac,” Kimi said with a pout. She poked the noodles suspiciously. “Want cookies.”

“You get cookies when your plate is clean—and if you dump it on the floor—” Tamika said as Kimi lifted her plate. “I’ll just give you more.”

Kimi stuck out her tongue but then picked up her fork and started to shovel the food into her mouth.

“What is with kids today?” Tamika complained as she and Justus went into the dining room. “If I tried to talk back to my mother at three, my butt would be up close and personal with the back of a brush. Mama said I was too soft.”

“She’s eating, isn’t she?” Justus pointed. “Mikki, I’m fine. It was just a long day, and I wanted to be home—”

“It’s five, and you said you’d be working long hours tonight with Jason at the hospital.” Tamika raised her brows. “You wanna try a third time—”

“I can’t talk about it,” Justus muttered. “Let’s just—there’s something I know that Jason thinks he should. I disagree. And I’ll be out of a job again tomorrow because I won’t tell him.”

“Uh huh. Why aren’t you telling Jason whatever he wants to know if it’s bothering you, and you know you’re right?”

“Because I don’t know if I’m right,” he admitted.

“Oh, I cannot—” She sat at the table and folded her arms. “Look, I got spousal whatever, right? So just tell me what is going on.”

Justus grimaced, then sat in the other chair, arranging himself so he could keep an eye on Kimi in the kitchen, still working on her dinner. “We figured someone was feeding someone information about Sonny so that they could use it to make things unstable. The Lansing sightings? All made up. South America, the ones traveling up the coast — all a lie.”

“Well, direct hit then.” Tamika propped her chin on her hand. “You know who these someones are? They got a good reason?”

“Lansing is dead. And has been since November. I don’t know anything else about it,” he added quickly when Tamika widened her eyes in surprise. “But that’s the story. And Anthony Zacchara and Trevor Lansing wanted to use it to drive Sonny crazy because they thought it would make it easier for them to move in.”

Tamika nodded. “Sounds right. But they didn’t figure on Jason?”

“I’m not sure anyone ever knew just how much Jason was running things these last few months,” Justus admitted. “Sonny’s been in charge for a decade, and the only time Jason was in charge, he was a lot younger and got out within the year.”

“So you know who was telling these guys about Sonny, and you won’t tell Jason?” Tamika shook her head. “I don’t get it. That seems like a thing a person should know—”

“I understand why this guy did it, and I know he never ever thought it would backfire like it did yesterday. This guy—he wouldn’t have put Elizabeth in danger.”

“But he did, which is why Jason wants to set him on fire. Well, he sure knew who to dump this on to protect himself.” Tamika sighed. “I don’t envy you. I guess—I guess you gotta do what you think is right and hope Jason will understand one day.”

“Yeah. But I wonder—I think that if you were the one in danger, if it had been you and Kimi’s life this guy played with—” Justus took her hand in his. “I think I might want blood, too.”

“You might want it, baby, but you wouldn’t do it. You already carry enough guilt,” she murmured. She smiled at him, sadly. “You already have Damian Smith on your head. Don’t you go adding no one else, even for me and Kimi. Jason will either get that, or he won’t. You always made your limits clear to him. Don’t back down now.”

“I won’t.” He smiled at her, a relieved expression. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. And hey, I think I can get your mind off of this.” She got to her feet. “Portia came to work today with her own surprise. Kimi’s going to get a cousin in about eight months.”

“A cousin? Portia—” Justus winced. “Oh, hell, does that mean my niece or nephew is gonna be related to Taggert—”

“But don’t say anything yet. She hasn’t told him.”

“Wait, I know, and he doesn’t? Damn it—”

Her laughter echoed from the kitchen as he scowled.

Quartermaine Mansion: Terrace

It was still a bit chilly for afternoon tea, but few things stopped the indomitable Lila Quartermaine. She was bundled up with her hands left free to clutch the delicate porcelain teacup Reginald handed her.

“I’m so pleased you’re coming home,” Lila told AJ. She looked to Edward. “Your grandfather was just telling me how well you’ve done in New Orleans.”

“And we need a dedicated CEO here,” Edward told him. “Ned’s too busy, and there’s conflicts of interest. I’ll be happy to hand over the last of it—”

“You’ll never hand over the last of anything,” AJ said dryly. “But that’s an argument for another day.” He skimmed his eyes over his grandmother once more, reflecting on what Ned had told him. His grandmother had always felt immortal to him before, but his cousin was right. Lila was fading. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“Well, I’m pleased to hear that you and Carly are coming to terms finally on young Michael. It’s a goddamn shame what she’s been through this year,” Edward offered gruffly, “and that insane bastard she’s stuck with—”

“Edward,” Lila murmured.

“I’m sorry, Lila, but after yesterday, I won’t hold back. I spent a few hours at the hospital this morning,” he told AJ. “You wouldn’t believe how little Cameron is or how pale poor Elizabeth is. After all Jason did for that man—”

“You’ve seen Jason’s son?” AJ cut in. “I thought he was in the NICU—”

“He is, but board members get a little bit of privilege. And Jason’s been slowly warming up to us these last few months. Finally seeing Sonny for who he is,” Edward said with a nod. “We were invited to the wedding.”

“It was lovely,” Lila said. “It’s wonderful that you and Alan are finally reconnecting with Jason.” She hesitated, looked at AJ. “I hope that you will find the same peace with your brother.”

AJ wasn’t holding out much hope that Jason would ever let him back in, and AJ didn’t think he really wanted to. Not after Jason had helped break up his marriage— “I don’t know about that, but Jason will have to put up with me if Carly goes through with the custody petition.”

“And after last night, I doubt any family judge will let that man near those boys. He’s not fit to raise a cockroach,” Edward muttered.

“We still need to get in front of a family court,” AJ reminded him. “Carly could change her mind at any point, and as much as I want to be with my son, I don’t want him hurt anymore.”

“I know it’s hard to trust her,” Lila said, “but she really has come a long way this year.”

AJ had no doubt of that. He remembered the shaky woman that had come to New Orleans the month before asking for help. But the weeks had passed, and the Carly he’d seen that morning was as bristly and unfriendly as he remembered. “I’m going to take it one step at a time.”

“And you should,” Lila said. “Trusting someone who’s hurt you before can be quite terrifying, my darling, and I know how badly she’s hurt you. I know how it hurt to lose Michael and be shut out of his life.”

AJ’s throat tightened. He looked down at his own cup of tea, lukewarm and nearly unpalatable. “How can I be sure it’ll be different this time?”

“You can’t, dear, but that’s what makes trust such a fragile and dangerous exercise. Someone has to be the first to offer their hand and ask for help. Carly has done that. You reached back. Now comes that most difficult moment—” Lila paused. “You have to hold on.”

“I don’t know if I can, Grandmother,” AJ admitted.

“Of course you can. Your grandfather hasn’t always deserved my trust,” Lila said, flicking her eyes to Edward, who made a face. “But we’ve held on to each other. When one of us faltered, the other never let go.”

“Carly and I aren’t—”

“It’s not so different,” Edward said. “You may not be married any longer, but you share a son, and there were times when I know you only held on for Alan and Tracy,” he said to his wife, who smiled fondly but did not argue. “It can be enough.”

“For Michael, for the chance to be his father, I can try.” One more time, AJ finished silently. Just once more.

Zacchara Estate: Study

Claudia leaned back in her chair, enjoying the show.  She smirked and sipped her wine as Anthony and Trevor cast blame on each other for screwing up the plans.

“You should have done a better background check!” Anthony snarled. “You’re lazy! You’ve always been lazy! You should have demanded a meeting in person!”

Trevor hissed, throwing up his hands, whirling away from Claudia’s father. “Ah, you’re nuts! It’s not my fault he balked at the last minute! You’re the one that got us into the mess!”

“I’m the one? I’m the one?” Anthony repeated, his eyes bulging. His face was flushed red as he stabbed a finger at Trevor. “Whose fucking idea was it to send your idiot son to Port Charles?”

“It was a good idea—it should have worked,” Trevor retorted. “You’re the one—”

Claudia glanced over at her distracted brother, who had been ordered to sit in on the meeting since, as Anthony always said, this would all be his one day. She snorted. It’d be nice if they noticed that John didn’t give a shit about any of it and was only counting down the days until his mother’s trust fund was released to him. Then he was out of here.

“How much longer do you think they’ll do this?” she asked. John Zacchara glanced up at her from his book and made a face.

“I don’t know. I still don’t know why either of us are here.”

“So they have someone to blame at the next meeting.” Claudia wandered over to the bottle of wine left out to chill. She refilled her Merlot and resumed watching the spectacle. Eventually, Anthony and Trevor would calm down—one of them would figure out how to blame Claudia, tell John to go run an errand—and then they’d come up with a new plan.

Just another day in paradise.

Except tonight—it didn’t go that way. The third time Anthony stalked past the glass double doors that faced their back terrace, she saw his shirt flutter in the slight breeze.

One of the terrace doors was ajar—just slightly pushed open, letting in some of the chill of the March night.

She set the wine glass down, but before she could do or say anything,  a dark figure shoved the door open the rest of the way and grabbed Anthony from behind, jerking his head back.

Jason Morgan had materialized out of seemingly thin air like a goddamn magician, the barrel of his gun at Anthony’s temple, the click of the hammer ominous in the silent room.

July 11, 2022

Updated: Invisible Strings – Part 4

NOTE: I’m aware there’s a bug keeping the previous/next chapters from showing up on the stories. I use a WordPress plugin to power the stories, and there’s a bug in that plugin. There’s a fix supposed to come out today. Hopefully it does. 

Happy Monday! Just a couple of notes as we head into this week –

  • Mad World’s posting schedule gets updated again. We’re keeping Tuesday & Thursday. I’m scheduling a chapter to go live on Saturdays, so we’re moving to 3x a week.
  • Starting on Sunday, I’m going to be posting the revisited flash fiction, Not Knowing When. I didn’t make any massive changes, just cleaned it up and edited it into six parts. It was about 36k and 110 pages. I’ll post one part a day for most of next week.
  • With any luck, this is the last week I have to go to doctor appointments and tests (I’ve had them every week since school ended).
  • I’m hopeful that I can add Tuesday and Thursday to flash fiction, so that I can update both stories twice a week. Those would be optional updates (I’ll do it if time and energy allows), but it would be great to have daily updates.

Patreon Updates

  • Early Access (Love $3 Tier): Mad World, Chapters 96 & 97 | Not Knowing When, full story.
  • Weekly Alpha Draft Update (Stalker $15): Counting Stars, Chapters 6-8
  • Crimson Discovery #20 (Stalker & Obsessed)
  • Crimson Check #24 (All Tiers)

This entry is part 4 of 22 in the Flash Fiction: Invisible Strings

Written in 32 minutes.

 

 

Elizabeth wanted to call the words back nearly as fast as they’d fallen from her lips — refusing to marry the man she’d traveled across the country to wed was the absolute height of insanity, and clearly, she wasn’t in her right mind.

In fact, she opened her mouth to say so, but then closed it. She’d come here to marry the man who had advertised for a wife. Not the man who stood in front of her, with kind eyes. He pitied her, nothing more, and Elizabeth could not—would not—be someone’s wife out of charity.

“Miss Webber,” Jason Morgan began, his brows drawn together in surprise. “I think we should discuss this further—”

“There’s nothing to discuss.” Elizabeth rose to her feet and crossed to the window overlooking the dusty street. Port Charles was so different than the world she’d left behind, with its close and cramped buildings. She could look out this window and see the world beyond the handful of streets. The mountains, the water of Grand Lake—

She’d wanted this to be hers, but it had been nothing more than a dream. How strange to learn that she was still capable of those—

“I feel responsible,” he began, and she closed her eyes. “And, as I said, I did make a promise—”

“To your grandmother.” She turned, jumping slightly as she found him no more than a foot away. He moved quietly. Elizabeth cleared her throat. “You made a promise to your grandmother, and it’s admirable—”

She stopped speaking when he took her hands in his, the roughness of his skin startling her. She curled her fingers inward, embarrassed at their condition—

But Jason had already noticed her injury. “What happened?” he wanted to know.

“Textile loom,” she murmured. She pulled her hand away, fisting it behind her back. “I was fortunate not to lose more.” She cleared her throat. “Mr. Morgan, I thank you for your consideration—”

“I don’t understand why we can’t at least talk about it,” Jason cut in. She closed her mouth. “You came here to start a life with me—”

“With the man from the letters,” Elizabeth insisted. “You make it sound as if—” She took a breath. “That was quite different. I thought that I was coming here to marry someone who had actively looked for a wife. Can you truly not see the difference?”

Jason pressed his lips together, nodded. “I do. But I was looking—”

“You said your grandmother asked you a year ago,” she reminded him. “You must not have been looking hard—and don’t tell me that you decided once you saw me,” she added when he opened his mouth. “You feel responsible. You said so yourself—”

“I was looking, but not very hard,” Jason admitted. He reached for her hand again, resting her balled up fist in his palm. “Do you want me to arrange for transportation somewhere else? Back to New York? Maybe in San Francisco?” He tilted his head. “I will, of course. You’re free to do as you wish.”

She stared at her hand in his, then slowly uncurled it, allowing it to lay flat against his palm. If she returned to New York or anywhere back in East, there was little respectable work outside the mills and factories. She knew that was no life for Cameron. Would it be different in San Francisco? Or anywhere else?

She closed her eyes, then slowly drew her  hand away once more. “I thank you for your consideration,” Elizabeth said softly. “For your kindness in handling a difficult situation,” she continued. “I must rely on your good nature a day or two more while I consider where to go next.”

Jason tipped his head to the side. “You’ll have the rooms along as you need them, but—” He squinted. “Can I speak bluntly?”

She frowned. “Yes, of course—”

“I find you physically attractive,” Jason said, and her eyes widened. “I would not be asking you out of pity or offering a marriage in name only. In fact, I came here to offer you exactly what you’re asking. A few days to get yourself together and then to help you go wherever you chose.”

“You—” She couldn’t form the words. “I don’t understand.”

“But I think that we could help each other.” Jason reached for her hands once more, but this time, he laced his fingers through hers, tugging her just an inch closer so that their bodies brushed. “I do want a family,” he continued. “And you want one for your son. For yourself.  I can give you that.”

“And you—” Her voice was nearly breathless as she absorbed this turn in the conversation. “You would want to—” He wanted her? “I mean—”

“I changed my mind the moment you decided to reject me,” he murmured. Her eyes flew to meet his. “I’m sorry for what’s happened. Back in New York. With my cousin. But we can make the best of it. I’m asking you to let me try.”

Make the best of it. Hardly a romantic proposal. But she hadn’t expected romance, had she? And she hadn’t expected this—this feeling—this swirling, fluttering pull that had been gone so long— She’d hoped for friendship, for warmth, and companionship. She’d hoped for Cameron to have someone he could look up to.

She wanted somewhere to belong, someone who wanted her. And this man she scarcely knew was offering it.

“I—” She licked her lips. “Are you sure?” she breathed. “I would not want you to feel obligated—”

“I don’t.”

“Then—” Elizabeth nodded. “All right. Yes. I can—I will.”

Jason dipped his head, closing the short distance between their mouths and kissed her, softly, gently. She melted against him, sliding her arms around his neck, letting herself feel for the first time in years. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe she would regret it—

But, oh, just maybe — this was the answer to all her prayers. Did she deserve that much?

July 8, 2022

Update Link: Signs of Life – Part 39

Happy Friday! Today kicks off a celebration on Twitter for Rebecca Herbst’s 25th anniversary of playing Elizabeth. I began a thread with clips and caps that I’ll embed below, and will hopefully be able to update every day. Feel free to join in or just like and retweet to get her trending. It’s no secret that Elizabeth is the character I keep coming back for, and I definitely plan to celebrate her.

Even more exciting, creating the clips was the first time that I’d used Premiere since upgrading to a new computer, and holy crap, it moved so fast! My old laptop really hated it, so I had to give up even attempting any video projects, but now I can get back to organizing my clips and doing research and watch party livestreams.

See you guys on Monday!

This entry is part 39 of 41 in the Flash Fiction: Signs of Life

Written in 51 minutes.

Thursday, February 3, 2000

PCPD: Squad Room

“Wait here,” Jason murmured to Elizabeth by the doors. “I’m just going to talk to Alexis, and then we’ll get out of here.”

“All right.” Elizabeth caught his hand as he started to walk away. “Hey.” He looked back at her. “None of this is your fault,” she told him. “It’s not.”

He squeezed her hand, then released it. She was wrong, of course, but he appreciated the attempt. If he’d told Sonny weeks ago, if he’d found a way to do it more quietly, he could have kept this from blowing up.

But instead, he’d waited. He’d been selfish, trying to protect himself and Michael, and not doing what was right. Now Sonny had been arrested for assault and trespassing, Carly was in the wind, and Michael’s life was going to be destroyed anyway. All Jason had done with his silence was delay the inevitable.

“Hey.” Alexis emerged from the interrogation room with a sigh. “Alan’s holding firm on the charges of trespassing, and right now, AJ’s not in the mood to deal.”

Jason scrubbed his hands down his face. “They’ll back down eventually,” he muttered. “To protect the name. The last thing they want is to be splashed over the papers with all of this.”

“You’re probably right. When Edward gets down here,” Alexis continued, “I suspect he’ll talk to Alan. AJ’s angry. Humiliated. Which he has a right to be, I guess—” She bit her lip. “I don’t think I can get Sonny out today. Maybe later tonight if I can get a quick arraignment, but—”

“That’s fine.” Jason glanced back at Elizabeth, then at Taggert who was glaring in her direction. “I need time to track Carly down and it’s easier if—”

“Why bother?” Alexis wanted to know. “What purpose—”

“I don’t care about her,” Jason interrupted. “But Carly’s angry. And panicking. She does her worst damage at this point. Shooting Tony, having me arrested for kidnapping—” He shook his head. “And she’s going to take it out on me. The last time she did that—”

“Right.” Alexis held up a finer. “Excuse me.” She stalked towards Taggert who had just stood. “Going somewhere?” she asked coolly. Taggert tore his eyes away from Elizabeth and looked at the attorney.

“I just thought I’d ask—”

“She’s represented by counsel and there’s an injunction against this department. You’re not allowed to breathe in her direction until the internal investigation against Capelli is completed,” Alexis reminded him. “And we’re still reserving our right to sue—”

“I didn’t—”  Taggert took a deep breath. “None of that is my fault—”

“No?” Alexis arched a brow, then tapped the shield he wore on a chain around his neck. “This makes it your fault. You were the lead officer on that search and you knew from prior encounters that Capelli was overly aggressive and angry with my client. You let him into that penthouse. You let him go upstairs to search her personal posessions. You let her go upstairs with him—”

“She went on her own—”

“Protect and serve,” Alexis cut in. “You stayed downstairs to harass Jason, and you let Capelli loose. Her wedding dress, by the way, couldn’t be repaired.”

Taggert grimaced, then looked over at Elizabeth again who just stared back at him. He returned his attention to Alexis. “You and I both know she’s protecting him. That she knows something about Moreno’s murder—”

“Prove it,” Alexis challenged. “Until then, stay away from my clients. Slapping a badge on your chest doesn’t make you a good man. You should know better than that.”

Jason waited for Alexis to back into the interrogation room before joining Elizabeth again. “Hey. Let’s get out of here.”

“Definitely.’

Quartermaine Mansion: Family Room

AJ stared at the minibar, at the decanter of vodka that was kept there. The glass tumblers by its side.

He’d thought Carly’s pregnancy was karma—the universe returning the favor and allowing AJ some revenge. He’d get to raise his brother’s child. He deserved that much, didn’t he?

But he’d been right that day with Carly — she was the punishment he deserved for what he’d done to his brother, what he’d done to his family. He’d been in this room with his parents, trying to block out the sound of their disappointment, the vision of their disgust—and Jason had been there, trying to make peace.

He’d give anything for that moment back, for just a chance. He’d go upstairs and sleep off the drunk, he’d wake up with a hangover but maybe then he’d go to rehab—

But there was no redemption. You couldn’t be forgiven for murder, and it didn’t matter if Jason hadn’t died. His brother, his beloved little brother, would never come home. It was worse, somehow, than death.

He deserved what Carly had done to him, and maybe he deserved even worse. He deserved to die himself, didn’t he? What kind of father could he ever be with his past, with his crimes?

As if in a trance, AJ reached for the vodka and poured himself a glass.

“Don’t—”

AJ turned and found Ned in the doorway, his hand up. “Don’t do it, AJ.”

“What’s the point?” AJ asked. He closed his eyes, wrapped both hands around the glass, letting the warmth of alcohol seep into his body. “Why bother staying sober?”

“For your son,” Ned said gently. He reached AJ and took the glass away. AJ didn’t fight. “Carly was a mistake. You did your best to give Michael a family, but that’s over now. She’s given you what you need to get her out your life for good. We’ll find her, AJ. You’ll serve her with papers, and it’ll finally be over.” Ned poured the vodka back into the glass. “Carly’s not worth this.”

“I—” AJ swallowed hard. “I wanted it to work. I really tried.”

“I know you did.”

“I even asked Jason for permission,” he said. He met Ned’s eyes. “After you talked to me — I thought — I’ll get Jason’s blessing. And instead—”

“Instead, Jason decided to come forward. He must have been waiting. Maybe he thought it was your child. That there was a chance. Did you tell him there wasn’t?”

“Yeah.” AJ managed a laugh. “Yeah, I did. I tried to do the wrong thing in the right way. I guess I got what I deserved.” He exhaled slowly. “I won’t drink, Ned. Not tonight.”

“That’s enough then. We’ll take care of tomorrow when it comes.” Ned put his arm around AJ’s shoulders. “Let’s go upstairs. We’ll go see Michael, okay?”

“Okay.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason set the receiver down and put his head in his hands. Nothing. No sign of her. How the hell had Carly been able to disappear?

He glanced over when Elizabeth came through the door, her bag slung over her shoulder. “Hey. How was class?”

“Fine.” She dumped the bag on the sofa, then leaned against the side of the desk where he sat. “No luck?”

“No.” Jason leaned back, looking towards the ceiling. “She did this before. When Michael was born. She disappeared.”

“I remember.”

“There were decisions that had to be made about Michael. About his health. And he didn’t even have a name. I could have told the truth then.” He tilted his chin back down to look at her. “I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I’d promised her,” Jason said. “And I knew what the Quartermaines would do. She’d never get the baby back. They’d used her leaving against them, and I just thought—she deserved a chance. But I should have told the truth.”

“You’re saying that now, two years later, because you have the advantage of knowing what she was capable of,” Elizabeth said gently. “Give yourself a break, Jason. You did the best yo could at the time, and Michael’s better off for it. Maybe there were other times you could have told, but you’re only human. And you loved him. I know how much you still love him. He’ll always be a little bit yours.”

“I just—she’s out there,”  Jason said slowly, “angry, scared, and panicking. And planning.”

“Jason, what can she do?” Elizabeth wanted to know. “I mean, to you? To Sonny? Or the Quartermaines?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He didn’t really have all that much to take, he thought. He had Lila and Emily. He had Elizabeth. What else could Carly really do? He reached out for Elizabeth’s hands and drew her down to sit in his lap, holding her close. She tucked her head under his chin. He traced her wedding ring with the tip of his index finger.

“You’re doing the best you can, Jason. Carly, Sonny, and AJ are adults who can make their own mistakes.”

“Yeah. I’ll just feel better if she’s somewhere where she can be watched.” Jason exhaled slowly, then stroked Elizabeth’s back. “But there’s nothing else I can do until she makes a mistake and we find her.”

“Then I think—” Elizabeth shifted until she was straddling him, one knee on each side. “I think we should find something else to do.” She arched a brow. “I’m really tired of talking about Carly.”

“Me, too.” Jason grinned then, and swallowed her gasp with his mouth as he abruptly stood. He set her on the desk, and she parted her legs so he could get closer.

“You know, the desk is on my list,” Elizabeth teased as she nipped his lips. “Right after the shower.”

Friday, February 4, 2000

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

The call came early the next morning — so early that the sun hadn’t yet broken through the clouds. Elizabeth stirred, then groaned, shoving her face deeper into the pillow. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

Jason slid his arm from beneath her and reached for his cell on the nightstand. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Call me if she moves.” He hung up and rolled back towards Elizabeth. “Hey.” He brushed his lips over her hair. “I have to go.”

“Okay,” she mumbled. She shifted onto her side to peer at him blearily. “Call me if you need me.”

“Go back to sleep.” He kissed her gently, then went to confront Carly, promising himself this would be the last time.

Motel

Carly yanked open the door and smirked at him. “Took you long enough. You’re getting slow.”  She stepped back, as if she meant to let him in.

“I’m not staying,”  Jason said flatly. “You can come back with me, or I’ll wait until you leave, then follow you. I’ve already called the Quartermaines to tell them where you are.”

“So AJ can serve me?” Carly rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorway. “Or so Sonny can?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, you can tell Sonny not to bother.” She tossed back her hair, then glared at him defiantly. “He has nothing to do with this—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Jason said tightly. “Not again—”

“I’m not,” she shot back. “I did what I should have done weeks ago. Lucky for me, New York doesn’t have a waiting period because the last thing I need is to be fighting two custody battles. So I took care of it.”

Jason stared at her for a long time, then swallowed hard. Waiting period. New York didn’t have a waiting period. “You had an abortion.”

“The right to choose and all,” Carly said. She folded her arms. “Go ahead. Judge me. I don’t care.”

He exhaled slowly, then shook his head. “I’m not going to do that,” he said, and she blinked at him. “You’re right. It’s your choice. It’s always been your choice. You’ve made all the choices, and I’ve just followed your lead. I guess we’re all better off if you’re not dealing with Sonny in court.”

She clearly hadn’t expected that. “Wait—”

Jason glanced behind him at the sound of another car pulling into the empty space next to his bike. He stepped aside, waiting for Ned to get out, a sheaf of papers in his hand. “Good luck, Carly. You’ll need it.”

“She’s all yours,” he told Ned as he passed him.

“Thanks.” Ned turned to Carly and handed her the paperwork with the divorce and custody petitions. “You’ve been served. Have a nice day.”

Update Link: Watch Me Burn – Part 3

Starting today, you can also download new ebooks for Mad World! Book 3 is available for the first time, and I’ve collected Books 1-3 into an ebook. So if you’ve fallen behind or never got around to reading it, and it feels like too much, this is a great way to caught up. You can also change the fonts and display in an ereader device. Clicking on the links will download zip files with all three available formats. Choose the one best for your device and needs.

Tomorrow, I’ll be releasing a partial ebook for Book 4 with Chapters 76-95 to mark the halfway point in Book 4.

I’ve tested these on my own devices, but if you run into any display issues, please let me know by commenting below!

I have three more books I need to organize into ebooks — Ricochet (Fool Me Twice Book 1), Reflections of You (Broken Girl Book 1), and Bittersweet. I’ll focus on Ricochet first because it’s never been released in ebook.

See you tomorrow!

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the ZFlash - Watch

Written in 43 minutes.

 

 

Confronting Lucky had felt good at the time, but as the day continued, Jason started to have his doubts. Elizabeth had warned him that her custody issues with Lucky were going to get bad, and he’d known that Lucky was trying to stay in Jake’s life. The last thing Elizabeth needed was Jason getting in the middle when he was so close to being in Jake’s life full-time.

The worry that he’d done something to harm her chances gnawed at him long enough that he decided he needed a second opinion. Unfortunately for him, Diane wasn’t in the mood to help.

“I cannot discuss Elizabeth’s case with you,” Diane sniffed as she swept into the office at the warehouse. She wrinkled her nose as she took in the dingy, cramped room where Jason did the books, but offered no verbal opinion. “You wanted her to have the best attorney possible. That comes with some drawbacks—”

“I’m not—” Jason scowled and shoved himself to his feet. “I’m not asking for state secrets. Or even anything about her case.”

“No?” Diane arched an eyebrow. “Then what exactly am I here for?”

“I’m asking as Jake’s biological father,” Jason said, his teeth clenched, “what can Lucky do about visitation and can he keep me away my son?”

Diane pursed her lips, folded her arms. “Speaking in general terms, stepparents don’t usually have a lot of power to push for visitation or continued contact. It’s unfortunate when there’s a longstanding relationship, but the court defers to biology.” She hesitated. “There’s a nuance to this case that a family court judge might entertain as Lucky is the parent on the birth certificate and has provided support as the father for the last three months.”

Jason’s heart sank. “So he can win.”

“If I were in court arguing for your right to visitation,” Diane began, “I would win. You’re the biological father looking to establish contact.  Beyond that, Jason, I honestly can’t tell you much more. You’d be better off asking Elizabeth. I can’t even meet with both of you sine you are not party to the case. Any meeting with a third-party won’t attach attorney-client privilege.”

He was frustrated by that answer, but Diane was devoted to her profession, and he wanted Elizabeth to have everything she needed to get Lucky out of her life. It wasn’t her fault. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Elizabeth is my client,” Diane reminded him as she picked up her purse. “I plan to give her the best advice to maintain full custody of her boys.”

“That’s a goal,” Jason said with a nod, even though he wondered if the best way for Elizabeth to keep the boys and get rid of Lucky would be to eliminate Jason from the equation. What would he do if that was the answer?

Robin marked the patient’s dosage adjustment in a chart, then handed it to Leyla Mir, the nurse on duty. “Thanks,” she told her. “That’s effective with the next round.”

“I’ll take care of it.” The pretty, dark-haired woman disappeared around the corner, and Robin turned to Emily.

“Nikolas wants me to go to dinner with him,” Emily said, with a sigh. She flipped through the charts at the desk. “I told him I’d think about it. Am I insane? Should I just go for it?”

“As the queen of overthinking everything,” Robin said, “I am definitely not the person to ask for advice.”

“After everything we’ve been through—” Emily set down her pen. “It would be stupid to waste time. You know? After losing my dad this year—” Her voice faltered slightly, then her tone firmed. “But I don’t know. I don’t want to go back. Or rest on nostalgia.”

“I get it. Jason and I dated way past our expiration date,” Robin reminded. “Everything about that last year was just postponing the inevitable. And look at Lucky and Elizabeth. They kept trying to go back, and where are they know? Miserable and fighting bitterly in court.”

“Yeah. That’s a good point. Right now, I’m lonely,” Emily admitted. “That’s why Elizabeth and I moved in together. Nikolas wants me to remember how good it was, and he’s not wrong, but it was also terrible. At he humiliated me at the end—” She took a deep breath. “I just can’t.”

“Fear of being alone can make you do terrible things,” Robin said softly. “I put up with Carly and lying about Michael because I thought no other man would ever want me with the HIV. I’m so glad I got out of it, even if I had to burn everything down around me.”

“I’m glad you did.” Emily made a face. “If you hadn’t told AJ about Michael, Jason might have ended up with Carly. That would have been a disaster.”

Elizabeth answered the door with Jake perched on her hip and half-twisted away from the door to remind Cameron that he couldn’t just touch everything because it was in front of him—she barely registered Jason at the door before Cameron reached out for one of her grandmother’s glass sculptures she’d left on the coffee table by mistake. “Cameron—here—” She shoved Jake at Jason and hurried across the room.

“What did I tell you—” Elizabeth snatched up the dolphin, and Cameron blinked up at her with his wide blue eyes. “Cameron.”

“But it’s fish. I like fish.”

Elizabeth put the dolphin into the curio cabinet she’d brought from Audrey’s house and closed the door. “It’s glass.”

“A glass fish,” Cameron corrected. “Makes it different.”

“Glass—” She shook her head, counted to five, then tried again. “Gram’s glass animals were one of her favorite things. You know how your train is your favorite?”

Cameron nodded.

“What if I let Jake crawl around and touch your train and he broke it? By accident. Would that be okay?”

“No. He’s a baby. Trains are for big kids.” Cameron jabbed a thumb into his chest. “I big kid.”

“Exactly. Trains are for big kids. He gets stuffed animals, you get the train, and I get—” Elizabeth gestured. “Glass animals.”

“Oh.” Cameron studied the now closed cabinet with all the animals tucked away safely. “Glass animals for really big kids.”

“Yes. Really big kids.”

“Okay.” Cameron beamed at her, his tiny baby teeth flashing. Then he looked past her. “Hi, Jase.”

Elizabeth turned to find Jason still holding Jake. He’d closed the door and stepped down the two steps into the living room. “Hey. Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Hey, Cam.”

“Why don’t you go play with your trains?” she told Cameron. “Aunt Em and I finished the playroom last night.”

Cameron nodded and started the climb to the stairs.

“I wasn’t expecting you, was I?” Elizabeth asked. She started to reach for Jake, then stopped herself. Jason should get to hold his son as much as he wanted. She folded her arms behind her back. “I’ve been distracted — I’m supposed to go back to the hospital full-time next week—I’ve only been part-time for the last month—and we’re still unpacking—” She sighed. “Not that you need an appointment or anything—”

“No, I came over to talk to you. And you’re fine.” Jason hesitated. “I ran into Lucky earlier today.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and went over to another box with her grandmother’s glass collection. She knelt down and started to unwrap them. Jason set Jake down on the baby blanket, arranging him on his back so Jake could wiggle and reach for the toys tied to the plastic arch above him.

“That must have been fun.”

“Yeah, well, I usually ignore him,” Jason admitted. She looked up at him. “I didn’t this time. He’s going after Cameron and Jake to punish you. I mean you told me that, but—”

“Yeah, he’s telling his lawyer that he loves them, but he’s not paying an ounce of child support and he hasn’t even asked to see Cam since we moved out, much less Jake. Diane says it’s going to screw him in court, but I’ll guess we’ll see.” Elizabeth sat back on her heels. “I’m sorry, Jason.”

“It’s fine—”

“It’s really not. None of this would be happening if I hadn’t been stupid and weak last fall. If I had just told you the truth from the beginning or—”

“We can’t go back.” Jason knelt down next to her, stopping her as she reached for another animal to unwrap. She met his eyes. “Regrets don’t solve anything, okay? I also didn’t have to listen to Carly. I could have told you no in February. You’re not the only one who made mistakes.”

“No, but—” She closed her eyes. “Diane keeps telling me that it’ll be okay. Lucky’s getting a hearing only because he’s Jake’s legal parent. The court will order a paternity test—that’ll take care of it.”

“I talked to her,” Jason said. “But she wouldn’t give me anything. I get it—she’s not my lawyer, but—”

“Oh. I should have—” Elizabeth furrowed her brow. “If you tell me what you want to ask, I can find out. But she’s already told me Lucky can’t win. If you weren’t in the picture, he might get visitation with Jake. But you are. And, like I said, Lucky hasn’t even tried to see the boys. He’s going to argue I wasn’t faithful—” Her cheeks flushed. “And, no, technically in August, I wasn’t. But I’ve got Maxie. And this year—” She bit her lip and their eyes met again. “The court doesn’t really care about emotional affairs.”

Emotional affairs. Like admitting that they loved one another and had for a long time. Jason exhaled slowly. “They won’t?”

“No. Because I can honestly say that nothing physical happened, and then Lucky will have to explain about Sam. Like I said — I’m going to win,” Elizabeth said. “It’s just going to suck for a while. But you being around Jake—that’s going to help. So you can come whenever you want. You don’t even have to ask—”

“Thank you.” Jason released her hand and they both looked over at Jake as he kicked his feet and giggled, his tiny hand latching onto one of the toys, releasing it to watch it bounce back, then repeating it. “Thank you,” he said again.

It was late that night when Leyla Mir completed her shift and headed to the parking garage. Her feet were aching, and all she could think about was running a hot bubble bath and soaking with a book —

She only had time to hear the scratch of something against the concrete floor before something wrapped around her throat and her airway was choked off. She dug her fingers into the thin strap at her neck, but she couldn’t get beneath it—

Then she was being dragged backwards—and then—

There was nothing at all.