Friday, November 5, 2004

Elizabeth’s Cottage: Bedroom

It was barely past dawn when her bedroom door slowly pushed open and Jason entered. He had slipped past the sleeping Steven on the couch downstairs, crept in to spend a few moments with Cameron before coming to Elizabeth’s room.

She was curled up on the right side of the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. A pillow from the side of the bed he used when he was here.

His eyes wandered around the room. This was the only room in the house that showed his presence. A small picture of him holding Cameron was on her nightstand. So small that unless you picked it up and looked at it, you couldn’t tell who was holding the baby.

Compared to the large portraits hanging downstairs with Elizabeth and Cameron, Steve and Cameron, Audrey and Cameron, even a group shot of the trio–this demonstrated exactly how distant he was from this family that he loved.

She wore his blue shirt to bed.

Jason sat on the left side of the bed and sighed heavily. As much he loathed admitting it, Steven Webber was right. Elizabeth deserved better than this. She deserved someone who would put her first. Treat her like the most important person in their life.

She stirred and sleepily opened her eyes. “Jason?” she murmured. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

“Go back to sleep,” he told her softly. He leaned over and pulled off his shoes before stretching out on the bed next to her. “You need your rest.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. Her eyes were still hazy with sleep but it didn’t mask the regret in them. “I shouldn’t have sent Steven to get Cameron.”

“I’m glad you did.” Jason took a deep breath. “We need to talk but you need to sleep. I just…I wanted to be here.”

Elizabeth nodded and laid her head against her pillow. She noticed that one of his was sitting between and she smiled a little. “Sometimes…when I’m dreaming…I think I’m not alone.” She shoved it towards him and he put it behind his head.

“Your brother really cares about you, Elizabeth,” Jason said after a moment. “I may not agree with his methods, but he does.”

“Yeah…even if he is an arrogant bastard,” she murmured. She closed her eyes. “Sleep now, okay?”

General Hospital: Connor Bishop’s Room

Emily leaned against the wall and watched as two uniformed MPs stood guard on Connor Bishop’s room. “At least he can’t escape,” she murmured.

“Just as soon as he’s recovered, he’ll be gone,” Nikolas assured her. He squeezed her hand. “And we can finally get on with our lives.”

“Hmm,” Emily replied. “I do feel sorry for him. I thought you were dead for months, I can imagine what’s he’s going through. He wanted someone to pay for what happened to Mary. Can you say you wouldn’t want the same?”

Nikolas sighed heavily. “No.” He rubbed his neck. “I’m going to go check on Kristina. Why don’t you go home? We’ve been here for days.”

“Okay, but I’m going to by Jason’s first. Sam’s real close to her due date and I want to see how she’s feeling.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you at home.”

Outside Brooke Lynn’s Room

Lois was seated on a chair outside her daughter’s room. Ned was inside, taking his turn sleeping at Brooke’s side.

She had barely slept in three days, her eyes felt gritty and her throat was hoarse from the crying she’d gone through. Diego Sanchez was in jail and it would give her great satisfaction to see him go on trial and eventually go to jail for his crimes.

But it would not put the light back in her daughter’s eyes or give her back the innocence that Lois had fought for her to possess.

She felt a weight sit in the empty chair next to her. “Lois,” Lorenzo Alcazar said softly. “I am so sorry.”

She cleared her throat and looked into his warm brown eyes. Full of compassion, sorrow…and something she couldn’t quite name. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“I have–I have to tell you something.” Lorenzo shifted. “Before you hear it from someone else.”

Lois frowned and rubbed her eyes. “It can’t wait?”

“It has to do with Brooke,” Lorenzo said. He exhaled slowly before beginning. “When I was much younger, I was in Los Angeles. I had an affair with a woman and she became pregnant. I offered to marry her, give the child my name but she refused. Though I hadn’t entered the business yet, my brother and father had and she worried for her safety, for the baby’s safety. I couldn’t argue with that. So I gave up my rights and gave her money.”

Lois hesitated. “You have a child.”

“Twins. They’d be about sixteen now.” Lorenzo saw the understanding in her eyes, the disgust and he forced himself to continue. “Until they were twelve, I had no contact with them. Their mother married and had other children. She died and her husband did not want them around. He put them into the system.” He closed his eyes. “I didn’t know about it. I would have claimed them both. It wasn’t until after I saw Luis and Sage together that I knew I wanted my children in my life.” He hesitated. “But the time I found them, they were fourteen and wanted nothing to do with me. They rather I’d leave them to foster care.”

She saw the pain in his eyes, knew how it felt to have your child reject you. She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“I kept my eyes on them anyway,” Lorenzo continued. “And I’m not ashamed that I may have bribed. Pulled strings to get them into certain homes. When…” he stopped. “When Diego began getting into trouble with the police, I pulled more strings. And I was going to do so yesterday. His sister Maria called to tell me he had been arrested. I went to arrange his release.”

She pulled back and swallowed hard. “I–he’s your son. I can’t blame you for wanting him free.”

But he saw the distance in her eyes and knew it would never be breached. “And until Mac told me what he’d been arrested for, I had wanted that.” He looked away. “Then he told me that my son had raped and beaten your daughter. I couldn’t believe that it would be possible. I demanded to see him.” He took yet another deep breath and decided to finish it. “Diego is my son. I can apologize for what he’s done but I cannot change it. I’m deeply sorry, Lois, for what has happened.”

“You don’t doubt that he’s guilty then?” Lois asked, a little sharply.

“No. I wanted it to be false. But after I saw him, after I heard him, there can be no doubt in my mind. I only hope he gets what he deserves for trying to break such a special young woman.”

Tears burned in Lois’s eyes and she looked away, towards the door where beyond it, her daughter and ex-husband slept. “So do I,” she whispered viciously.

He hesitated another moment before leaving her side.

Cottage: Bedroom

The sounds of Cameron stirring came through the baby monitor. Always a light sleeper, Jason stopped Elizabeth from fully waking up. “I’ll go get him.”

“‘E’s prob’ly hungry,” she slurred. Yawning, she turned over and drifted back to sleep.

Jason got out of bed and padded lightly down the hall. Cameron was in his crib, his legs kicking and his face scrunched up. “Hey, Cameron,” Jason said softly. He picked him up and cradled him in his arms. “I bet you’re surprised to see me.”

Cameron gurgled and waved his arms. “I’m going to be around a lot more,” Jason promised. “That is, if your mother lets me.”

“She will,” Elizabeth murmured from the doorway, her hair tousled from sleep, her eyes a little hazy. She’d changed into a button down shirt in preparation to breast feed Cameron. “He’s hungry.”

Jason crossed the room and handed the baby to her. She started for the rocking chair she usually sat in to nurse him but Jason beat her there. He sat down and tugged her into his lap. “I’ve never been able to see him this time of the morning,” Jason said regretfully.

“He’s not always a prince,” Elizabeth remarked. She unbuttoned her blouse and waited until Cameron’s tiny mouth had latched onto her nipple before speaking again. “I didn’t realize until later what it must have been like for you last night,” she said softly. “Having someone come to your home and take your son away. I am so sorry for that–”

“The penthouse isn’t my home,” Jason corrected. “This is. And I’m tired of pretending it’s not. I’m glad your brother knows the truth and I’m glad he came over last night. It’s made me understand that this isn’t…this is just as hard for you as it is for me and I hadn’t fully realized that before.”

“It’s not so bad,” she murmured. “Before, I was alone. And now I have you and Cameron. Even if I only have you part of the time, I don’t have to sit and wonder…does he care about me? Is this in my mind? Is this real? Now I know.”

“But you deserve better than this.” Jason shook his head. “Cameron deserves better than this. You deserve a family with someone who treats you better.”

Elizabeth stiffened. “”If you’re trying to walk away,” she began.

“No. I’m not–I’m not strong enough to do that,” Jason said. “I love you. I want us to be a family.”

“I want that too,” Elizabeth replied. “But Sonny–”

“If Sonny is my friend, he will understand. And if he doesn’t, then he’s not my friend at all,” he said, a little regretfully. “Carly–she’ll learn to accept it. My friendship is something she depends on so if she wants to keep it, she’ll learn to deal.” He touched her cheek. “I’m not willing to wait for my life to start anymore.”

“Well I’m certainly not going to argue with that,” Elizabeth said. Cameron let go of her nipple and yawned, indicating he’d nursed long enough.

“Lucky guy,” Jason murmured. “He gets to do that whenever he wants.” He met Elizabeth’s eyes. She bit her lip and suppressed a smile.

“So do you,” she replied softly, leaning forward to kiss him. “Steven’s gone. He left a note saying he saw you come in and decided to leave us alone.”

“Well,” Jason remarked, “that’s good news.” He kissed her again. “It’s been far too long since we had a chance to…talk.”

“Mmm…” Elizabeth nuzzled his neck. “Let me put Cameron back down to sleep and we can…talk.”

General Hospital: Kristina’s Hospital Room

Sonny stepped up the doorway where Alexis and Ric were sitting by Kristina’s bedside. He held a cup of coffee in hand. The night before had been the first night that Carly and the boys had been gone. He and Carly had been separated before–it was not the first time he’d spent the night apart from his boys.

But it was different this time. Even he could feel it.

“How is she?” Sonny asked softly.

Alexis turned and stopped Ric from rising. “I’ll talk to him,” she murmured. She stood, brushed her fingers over her daughter’s cheek before going to join Sonny in the hallway.

She closed door and took a moment to gather herself before facing Sonny. “She’s…feeling better. The transplant seems to be a success, there’s no reason to think she won’t continue to improve.”

Sonny nodded. “I’d like a chance to speak with her. When she’s up and feeling better. I want her to know that I’m her father, Alexis.”

Her throat tightened. “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

“I think I told you once that I didn’t give a damn what you thought,” Sonny said tightly. “Because Carly kept this from me, because you asked her to and touched a part of her that remembered Robin, Jason and Michael, my marriage is over and my boys are not in my house anymore. Because you kept this from me and lied to me, I have missed years of my daughter’s life. I have missed her first steps, her first words, her first smiles. Whether you like it or not, she is my blood. She is my daughter just as much as she is yours.”

“You have no right–”

“Because you saw fit to deny me those rights,” Sonny growled. “I understand your fear for her safety. It’s something I have lived with every day of my children’s lives. But that does not give you the right to decide what I should or should not know. If I had kept this from you, if I could have, you would have raised holy hell. Did you think that once I found out the truth, I would just let it continue? That I would let my son of a bitch brother step in and take what is my right? To be her father?”

“Sonny,” Alexis closed her eyes. “I want you to just–please. Do not do this right now. She’s just beginning to recover. I don’t…” She bit her lip. “You have every right to demand to see her, to know her and I know that we will have to deal with this. I am begging you. Let her get better. Let her fully recover from this so that when we do deal with this, it’s with clear heads and not heavy hearts.”

He wanted to argue, he wanted to press the point. But what he wanted, what Alexis or Ric wanted didn’t matter.

Kristina did.

Sonny slowly nodded. “All right. Kristina’s recovery comes first. Once she’s home and feeling well, we will discuss this further.”

Alexis felt the vise around her chest begin to loosen. “Thank you.”

Sonny smiled sadly. “We used to be friends, Alexis,” he murmured. “Good friends. There are days that I miss it.”

Alexis felt her eyes water. “There are days I miss it, too.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Sam groaned as she slowly moved down the steps. She was going to have to give some serious consideration to just moving her bed down to the living room. These steps were going to kill her.

She’d just reached the landing when a sharp pain lanced through her abdomen. Sam gasped and struggled to get to the phone. She’d dialed the first three digits of Elizabeth’s number when she collapsed and hit the floor.

Cottage: Hallway

Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on

Jason pressed her against the wall outside her bedroom and sank into her mouth, devouring her like he hadn’t tasted her in days. She slid her fingers into his short hair, fisting them when he bit her lower lip.

Restless, she moved her hips, pressing them against his in hopes of easing an ache that seemed a permanent part of her existence. He dug his fingers into the undersides of her thighs and lifted her legs so she could lock the long lengths around him.

General Hospital: Chapel

Hey now, all you lovers
Put your lights on, put your lights on

Lorenzo sat in the front pew, his hands folded, his head bowed. He’d felt for Lois. Not the sweetness he’d had for Sophie or the choking obsession for Carly. He’d felt something deep for Lois Cerullo. Something lasting and comforting.

And because of something out of his control, something he could never change, it was gone.

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Hey now, all you killers
Put your lights on, put your lights on

Carly wearily propped her elbows on the counter and waited for her mother to finish her shift so they could go to the house, have dinner and discuss Carly’s future.

Someone cleared their throats behind her and she turned, unable to ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the sight of one Dr. Steven Webber.

“Hello,” he said. “I heard about…your…marriage.” His caramel colored eyes were filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” she murmured softly. “But not for the reasons you’d think.”

Morgan Penthouse: Hallway

Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on

Emily stepped off the elevator and went towards her brother’s door. She knocked and frowned when she thought she heard something.

She knocked again. “Jason? Sam?”

A whimpering from within sounded and Emily’s heart tightened. She fished in her purse for the extra set of keys and hurried to open the door.

A partially conscious Sam was crumpled on the floor.

Kristina’s Hospital Room

Cause there’s a monster living under my bed
Whispering in my ear

“Are you all right?” Ric murmured as Alexis took her seat next to him. He took her hand and brought it to her lips.

“I think I’m going to be,” Alexis replied after a moment. “I think that we might be able to work with Sonny, even co-exist.” She looked at him. “I want him to be part of her life if we can work something out together.”

Though he disliked the idea, Kristina was not his daughter and his marriage to Alexis was still fragile, still too new to push for an alternative.

And maybe it work after all.

Brooke Lynn’s Hospital Room

There’s an angel, with a hand on my head
She says I’ve got nothing to fear

Lois crept back into her daughter’s room and took a moment touch Ned’s forehead. The man was so exhausted, she would have to convince him to go home soon.

For the first time in days, Brooke seemed to be sleeping in somewhat peace. Her forehead wasn’t crinkled up in distress and her breathing was slow and even.

She couldn’t imagine what Lorenzo must going through right now, facing the knowledge that his flesh and blood had brutally raped and beaten a young woman. And then the decision to let him face the charges when he easily could have had him released…

She kissed Brooke’s forehead and left the room.

General Hospital: Emergency Room

There’s a darkness deep in my soul
I still got a purpose to serve

The doors flew open and a stretcher raced in, Emily at its side. “Mom!” she called, spying Monica Quartermaine.

“Emily!” Monica came towards her and when she spied Sam on the stretcher, she looked behind them for Jason. “Where’s Jason?”

“I can’t get a hold of him, he’s not answering his cell,” Emily said, brokenly. “She was just lying on the floor.” She struggled to keep her tears in. “I should call him again.”

Jones House: Maxie’s Bedroom

So let your light shine, into my hole
God, don’t let me lose my nerve
Lose my nerve

“Why haven’t you been to see her yet?” Lucas asked softly.

Maxie shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what to say.” She looked up at him. “She’s always…so strong. She’s always been so tough and just…she’s Brooke. I can’t–I don’t want to see her like that, Lucas. I’m scared.”

“Maxie…”

“I’m scared,” she repeated. “If this could happen to Brooke…it could happen to anyone.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now
Wo oh hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now

Sonny almost had to skid to a stop as he launched himself off the elevators and rushed towards Emily. “Where is she? Is she all right? Where’s Jason?”

“She’s in surgery,” Emily said softly. “I don’t know anything other than that. And…” she closed her eyes. “I can’t find Jason.”

Cottage: Bedroom

Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on

Jason peeled the shirt from her shoulders and flung it somewhere. She wore nothing underneath save for a pair of white bikini panties. His fingers slid down her torso and cupped her breasts.

Elizabeth bit her lips and fought back a whimper as his thumbs strummed her nipples. She broke free of his kiss and clawed at his shoulders with her fingernails when he thrust his hips into her center. “Jason!”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on

Steven frowned and took a step towards the woman who had occupied far too many of his thoughts. “Then for what reasons?”

Carly shook her head. “I shouldn’t have even said anything,” she murmured. “Never mind.”

“Carly–”

“Carly,” Bobbie rushed up to the pair. “Have you seen Jason?”

Carly frowned. “No…”

“Sam’s in the ER,” Bobbie told her, “and no one can find him.”

Steven bit his lip and frowned.

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Because there’s a monster living under my bed
Whispering in my ear

Sonny hissed when he got Jason’s voicemail again. He slammed the payphone down and dragged his hands through his hair. Jason was gone, disappeared into thin air.

And Sam was in some room, fighting for her life and the life of her child.

Swearing under his breath, he picked up the phone and jammed some more coins into it.

General Hospital: Chapel

There’s an angel, with a hand on my head
She say’s I’ve got nothing to fear

Lorenzo looked up as Lois sat next to him. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

She took his hand in hers. “I am so sorry for what you must be going through right now,” Lois told him. “And so damn grateful for what you did.”

“I didn’t–”

“You sacrificed your son for my daughter.” Her eyes were swollen from crying, but clear. “Thank you.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

La ill aha ill allah
We all shine like stars

Monica stepped out from one of the rooms, her eyes red, her hands shaking. “Sonny.”

“I haven’t found Jason yet,” Sonny told her. “But I’ve got medical power of attorney to okay any operation that’s–”

“Sonny,” Monica interrupted softly. She put a hand on his arm. “We lost the baby.”

Cottage: Bedroom

La ill aha ill allah
We all shine like stars

Elizabeth fell onto her back, exhausted. She couldn’t stop her lips from curving into a satisfied smile. “We should really talk more often.”

Jason laughed, his voice sounding a little thick. “Yeah, well…” He brushed his lips over her shoulder. “I didn’t say we were finished discussing this yet.”

She giggled and then moaned as he nibbled at her throat.

And tucked into the back pocket of his long ago discarded jeans, another missed call logged itself onto his cell phone, bring the count to twelve.

Then we fade away

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