Written in 57 minutes. Did a spellcheck but not a reread.

Scorpio-Drake House: Kitchen

“Where’s Emma?” Patrick asked as he found Robin making a cup of herbal tea. “Did she load the dishwasher?”

“Yeah. I think she’s upstairs doing her homework.” Robin gently stirred her tea. “What happened earlier today?  I heard Elizabeth went a little crazy.”

“Is that the gossip that reached the lab?” Patrick grimaced, leaned back against the counter. “She had a panic attack. A bad one.”

Robin furrowed her brow. “I didn’t know—she didn’t used to have those, did she?”

“Not in the time I’ve known her. A few times after Jake died,” Patrick corrected, “but nothing like today. It was almost like she didn’t know where she is. She was almost catatonic and then Griffin tried to help her up—she started kicking and screaming.” He folded his arms. ” He hesitated. “Tom Baker is working as a custodian at the hospital. Laura said the parole officer got him a job there.”

“Tom—” The spoon in her tea clattered to the floor as Robin stared at him with wide eyes. “Tom Baker. The man who—” She took a deep breath. “Tom Baker,” she murmured.

“Oh, right—I didn’t think about it. Laura said this all went down in ’98. You and Jason were together back then, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, that was at the end of things mostly, but—” Robin paused. “I remember when he went on trial. Emily asked Jason not to do anything. She wanted to testify against Baker. To be as strong as Elizabeth was when she confronted him about the rape.” She rubbed her arm. “Jason agreed because it was what Emily wanted and he needed her to be okay after everything that had happened.”

“All I knew was that Baker didn’t get charged with the attack,” Patrick said. “What the hell happened?”

“The usual, I think. My uncle might know more, but you know how sexual assault cases are handled by the police—and the DA. Baker denied the confession, and it was her word against his. The DA didn’t want to risk it, and the PCPD put her case in cold storage.” Robin picked up the spoon, a bit more steady now. “She saw him today.”

“Yeah. Elizabeth told me about this years ago,” Patrick added, “and it’s not like I’ve never seen or met a sexual assault survivor, but it was—it kills me that it can still hit her like this after all this time. It’s been eighteen years, Robin.”

“She was just sixteen,” Robin murmured. “Barely older than Emma. I remember her back then. Lucky worked for Jason and we ran into them once in a while.” She cleared her throat, focused on Patrick. “What does Laura say? Can we get him fired or let go? I mean, he attacked an employee—”

“Can’t fire him without cause, and he’s officially not guilty of anything against Elizabeth. If Emily were still around,” Patrick said with some regret, “we might have a shot. But he didn’t even get charged with holding Elizabeth hostage. They plead it down after the mistrial.”

“I knew that—I just didn’t realize Elizabeth’s charges were left off entirely—” Robin’s lips thinned as she pressed them together. “This system,” she muttered. “It never looks out for women. If that ever happened to our baby—God, Patrick, it terrifies me. I know men are out there, but Baker’s in the hospital. Maybe we should tell Emma she can’t volunteer there any more.”

“She’s never alone,” Patrick said after a minute. “She works with a group, and if we tell her she can’t, we have to tell her why.”

“And she’ll tell Cam. I don’t think the boys know.” Robin sighed. “Fine. But I reserve the right to change my mind.”

“Duly noted.”

The conversation slid into other topics about the day, so Emma — listening just outside the door as she often did after dinner because that was when her parents always talked about anything they didn’t want her to hear — slid away and went up the stairs.

She went for her phone and texted Cameron.

hey meet me tonite midnight

k i’ll let u know if i cant get out

Morgan Home: Kitchen

Across the street, Jason was loading the last plate into the dishwater as Elizabeth sat at the counter. “I thought it was Jake’s night to do that,” she said. “I thought we said we weren’t going to let him get away with forgetting.” Instead, Jason had sent the boys upstairs with the rare opportunity to play video games in Cameron’s room. He’d helped them unhook the game system.

Elizabeth didn’t argue because they’d made a pact not to do that in front of the boys, and she knew why he’d done it. With video games, they’d be less likely to pay attention to anything else.

Jason shrugged one shoulder, starting the dishwasher and turning back to her. “I thought maybe tonight we let it go.”

“I’m fine,” Elizabeth said as he opened his mouth. “I told you I would be. I had a freak out, but I got it under control, okay? Laura said she’d talk to the maintenance department and make sure we don’t get assigned to same floors or even the same shifts if she could avoid it.” She hesitated. “I don’t want you worrying about me.”

“Impossible.” He leaned back against the counter, folding his arms. “You worry about me when I leave the house.”

“That’s different,” she said dismissively. “You carry a gun.”

“And you’ve been through enough,” he said. “You just found out you had a sister—”

“And we don’t talk about Hayden,” Elizabeth said flatly. “She’s gone and I don’t like her. When your secret sibling pops up, you can handle that anyway you want. I’m choosing to ignore her existence.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Jason—”

“You like to pretend things are fine,” he interrupted her. “Sometimes that works. And then sometimes it just makes it worse when you realize things aren’t—”

“What do you want me to do?” Elizabeth demanded. “Quit my job? Hide in my room? I did all of that eighteen years ago. He stole nearly a year of my life.” She took a deep breath. “Longer,” she murmured. “And maybe I never really got it all back. I don’t know. Can you?” She met his eyes. “You’re right. It’s been a long year. And before that, worrying about the Cassadines—losing then getting Jake back—I can understand why you think something like is going to knock me back. I’m stronger than I look.”

“You were bleeding out from a stab wound and shot Stavros Cassadine in the head,” he reminded her. “I am the last person who is going to question how strong you are.”

“Then what—”

Jason hesitated. “A long time ago, Emily asked me to let Baker make it to trial,” he said, shifting uncomfortably because he’d never be at ease with discussing his job with her. “She wanted to testify against him. When he went to jail, she made me change that promise.”

Elizabeth frowned. “I don’t—”

“She wanted him to finish his sentence so he could rot in prison, but she said when he got out — she wanted him to finish paying for what he did to you. At the time, I didn’t really know you,” he reminded her. “So I agreed because it was what she wanted, and honestly, even without knowing you—” He cleared his throat. “But it’s different now. Emily’s gone.” He took a moment because admitting that never got any easier. “And I don’t know if that’s what you need. Or want.”

“It’s what you want to do, isn’t it?”

“What I want doesn’t matter,” he told her. “But yeah, I’d like to rip him into pieces and set him on fire. For what he did to you then. For what he did to my sister. For today. For all the days in between you’ve had to live with it.”

Elizabeth’s lips curved into a small smile. “Set him on fire?” she repeated. “That’s not your usual style.”

“Elizabeth—”

“What I want—what I need—is for Tom Baker not to be something or someone I think about,” she said softly. “Part of me wants to tell you to go ahead because you’re right. He never paid for what he did to me. Thank you for agreeing to it back when Emily asked it even though I didn’t matter to you.”

“But?” he prompted.

“But he’s been out of my life for a long time,” Elizabeth continued, “and it didn’t change anything for me. It still took me years to trust myself or anyone else physically. It didn’t change how it felt for Manny Ruiz to grab me the way he did when he kidnapped me.” A shadow slid over her face. “Or how it felt when you did it to find Sam—”

“Elizabeth—”

“I think that was the worst of it for me. Back then—Lucky would touch me and I couldn’t handle it. It didn’t matter that I knew he’d never hurt me. Then,” she added with a wry smile because she still carried the scar from when he’d shoved a knife into her three years earlier. “Then when you just wanted to jog my memory to find Sam—I knew you wouldn’t hurt me either, and it still made me think of Tom Baker. He’s taken that from me, Jason. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back.”

There was silence in the kitchen then, the sound of the dishwasher gently running in the background.

“There is no justice. No way of making him pay for what he did to me. It wouldn’t make me feel better. It wouldn’t make it stop. It would just be revenge.” She hesitated. “And maybe that would be enough. I might change my mind,” she admitted. “But here’s the thing about making him disappear now, Jason—” She waited for him to focus on her. “If you’d done it quietly while he was in prison, that would be one thing. The PCPD know what he did to me. What he did to Emily. He gets hurt or disappears now, you’re the first person they’re looking at.”

“I—”

“And before you tell me that doesn’t scare you, I know that. It scares me,” she said softly. “Because the one thing I won’t let him take from me is my family. We have three beautiful boys who love you, Jason. We have another baby on the way. We waited too long for all of this. He isn’t worth the risk.” She held her hands out across the counter, waited for him to take hers. “He’s not worth a single minute of my time. He spent seventeen years in prison for what he did to Emily. I’m going to make that enough for me.”

“All right,” he said after another minute. “But if you change your mind—”

“I know who to ask.” She smiled, then slid off the counter. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he tugged her closer. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Robinson House: Living Room

Portia held out her hand with a raise of her brows. “It’s eight,” she said.

“You know,” her daughter began hotly, “some mothers would trust their kids.”

“And some mothers,” Portia replied sweetly, “know better. Did you have to talk to Carly Corinthos about what you did to her kid? No, I did.”

Trina’s eyes widened into pools of innocence. “I didn’t—”

“What you and Emma convinced Cameron to do,” Portia corrected. “I’m not saying Joss Jacks doesn’t have that, and a whole lot more coming, but we don’t go low in this house.”

“I didn’t go low. There is no low enough for her,” Trina muttered as she slapped her phone against her mother’s palm. “You think you’re at rock bottom, and Cujo is right there with you, digging an even deeper level—”

“Trina—”

Trina stomped towards the stairs. “A little blue hair never killed anyone, God, you’d think I cut it off—”

“Don’t get any ideas—” her mother called after her, wincing when she heard her daughter’s door slam. “Just like her father,” she muttered.

As if on cue, Portia’s phone lit up with her ex-husband’s name. She reached for it. “Marcus?”

“What the hell was that voicemail?” Marcus Taggert demanded. “Baker is out? Why the hell didn’t I know?”

“I really feel like I am the wrong person to be asking that question, and don’t you take that tone with me,” Portia retorted. “Call Jordan Ashford, why don’t you?”

“Portia—”

“This isn’t my problem. That’s the beauty of being divorced. Hey, maybe you could return some phone calls sometime and you won’t get blindsided.”

“We’re not doing this—”

“No, we’re not. Maybe you could come ask these questions in person and while you’re at it, you can visit your kid. Until then, we have nothing to say to each other.” She clicked the phone off, thought about throwing it — then carefully set it back down.

She wasn’t going to let that man get the best of her. Not anymore.

Morgan House: Backyard

Keeping an ear out for his father, Cameron managed to get out of the house that night undetected. He shimmied up the tree to the house they’d built two years ago for Jake and Aiden to find Emma waiting for him.

“Hey.” He grinned as he always did when he saw her. She was so pretty and she was dating him even though Spencer had asked her first. He was the luckiest kid in their class because she was definitely the prettiest and smartest—

Then her face registered, and Cameron’s smile fell. “Emma…” He sat next to her, awkwardly putting an arm around her. He still hadn’t quite figured out how to touch her without making a fool of himself. “What’s wrong?”

“Did your parents say anything about your mom today?” Emma wanted to know. “About work?”

“No.” Confused, he slid away slightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Because mine were talking in the kitchen after dinner tonight, and I—” She fumbled with her flashlight. “I don’t know I should say anything but I feel like I have to. I feel like me knowing this and you maybe not knowing this—it breaks the rules or something—”

“Emma—”

“Did you know your mom was raped when she was sixteen?” Emma asked in a rush.

+11

Written in 58 minutes. Did a spellcheck but not a reread.

General Hospital: Hallway

The world around her fell away. The bright, fluorescent lights, the clean anti-septic smell, the squeaking of shoes against the floor, the beeping of monitors, and the hushed voices —

All of it melted away as Elizabeth stared at the man who had been the center of all her nightmares. Her vision narrowed until it was pinpricks of light in a dark world —

There was something cold and wet against her back, and she could feel the slush of snow under her fingernails as she dug her hands into the ground, bucking wildly against the heavy weight on top her—why couldn’t she scream—why couldn’t she—

“Whoa, whoa—” Dimly she heard a panicked voice from somewhere far away but she couldn’t breath. She couldn’t force air into her lugs—she couldn’t scream, couldn’t speak, couldn’t—

Patrick barely spared a glance for the pair of men as one of them dragged away the new guy—Elizabeth’s face was chalk white as she slid to the ground, Patrick grabbing for her just before she hit the linoleum. “Damn it,” he hissed. He whipped his head around. “Can someone—”

“What’s wrong?” Griffin Munro darted across the hallway, kneeling next to Elizabeth who was still gasping for air, clutching at her throat. “What happened?”

“I don’t—” Patrick just stared in abject horror as the younger doctor attempted to lift her into his arms but Elizabeth began to fight wildly, kicking—and now she was screaming— “Baby, hey—”

“We need a sedative—”

“Wait, wait—” Patrick warded off a nurse who was coming towards them with a syringe. “She’s pregnant,” he bit out. “What’s in that?”

“It’s fine,” another voice barked. Epiphany Johnson grabbed the syringe from the shell-shocked nurse and jabbed it into Elizabeth’s arm. Elizabeth’s struggles gradually disappeared until she slumped back against Griffin, her eyes closed. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded. Then she looked around the hallway. “Go back to work!” she ordered, gesturing with sharp movements. Most scattered immediately.

“But—” the nurse who had attempted to help swallowed. “Can we do anything?”

“You can go back to work.” She nodded at Griffin who was rubbing his shoulder where Elizabeth had nailed him. “Let’s get her into a room. Get Morgan and Laura Spencer down here.”

“I’ll get Laura,” Patrick volunteered as Griffin lifted Elizabeth into his arms, this time without the attack. “And call Jason. Wait—” He put a hand on Epiphany’s arm. “She ever mention the name Tom to you? There was a custodian here. Said she was the reason he went to prison.” He whipped his around. “He’s gone now, but—”

“No, but Laura will. She’s known Elizabeth most of her life.” Epiphany followed Griffin into the room.

Patrick pulled out his phone and sent Jason a quick text to get to the hospital, adding Liz was fine, but she needed him. Then he went to find the hospital administrator.

General Hospital: Administrator’s Office

Laura frowned when Patrick shoved his way into her office, even as her assistant followed him. “Patrick, what on Earth?”

“I’m sorry—but Elizabeth just—” The doctor took a deep breath. “She had a panic attack, I think. Or something like it—”

“What? Why?” Laura started out of the office, both of them ignoring the assistant who was complaining about appointments. “Cancel them,” she snapped. “My daughter needs me.” She went stalked towards the elevator. “What happened?”

“Things were fine. She was fine,” Patrick stressed, “and then we ran into these custodians. There’s this new guy—Elizabeth looked upset when she saw him and then he said she was the reason he went to prison—”

The doors opened but Laura didn’t move. “Laura—”

“What was his name?” she asked, her heart pounding. No. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t be—

“Tom.” Patrick put a hand out to stop the doors from closing. “Laura, what the hell is going on?”

“Tom.” Laura took a deep breath, then stepped onto the elevator. “Tom,” she repeated. “Tom Baker.”

“You know who he is? Laura—”

“It’s not—” Laura fisted her hand against her heart. “It’s not my story to tell, but the only Toms that Elizabeth knows are her uncle…and someone who hurt her very much once.”

Without a word, they stepped onto the elevator and Patrick jabbed a finger against the button. When he spoke next, his voice was tight. “Tom Baker was the man who raped her.”

“She told you?”

“Yeah. A long time ago.” Patrick stared blindly at the silver doors in front of him. “How the hell does that man get hired to work here without you knowing? Without Elizabeth knowing?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Jason didn’t remember much of the drive between the warehouse and the hospital. He’d read Patrick’s text message and had gone on autopilot. Everything shut down inside — he only had one goal.

Get to the hospital. Get to Elizabeth.

At the nurse’s station, he opened his mouth to ask where his wife was, but then the second set of elevators opened and Laura and Patrick stepped out. Jason charged towards them. “Where is she?”

“I’ll take you there, but Jason—” Patrick put up a hand. “She’s okay,” he repeated. “She’s fine and so—” He slid a glance towards Laura. “Everything is fine.”

“Then—”

“She saw Tom Baker,” Laura said softly. “He’s here in the hospital.”

Jason’s hands fisted. “What happened?” he demanded. “Where is she?”

“She lost it,” Patrick said as he walked them both down towards the hallway. “First she went white, and then kind of fell to the floor. Griff tried to pick her up, and she went wild—” He cleared his throat. “We had to sedate her.”

“Oh, God.” Laura pressed her hands to her face. “Oh, God. She didn’t know. If she had known—”

“I don’t think she even knew he was out of prison,” Patrick said. “Jason—”

“He’s supposed to be up for parole in six months,” Jason bit out. He’d been keeping track of the man since the day he’d gone into the system for blackmailing Emily and holding her hostage—along with Elizabeth. “I’ll find out what the hell happened.” And which one of his men had let him down.

“You must have flown here,” Epiphany said as they approached her. “She’s fine,” she assured Jason. “Griffin is with her, and she’s resting. Still out from the sedative,” she added. “But she’ll be coming around shortly.”

“Okay.” He was okay. This was okay. He could handle this. “You said she had to be sedated—”

“I checked,” Patrick added. “They know.” He winced. “Does Laura—”

“Know what?” Laura drew her brows together. “What’s going on?”

“We were—we just found out yesterday—” Jason sighed, then looked at Elizabeth’s mother-in-law. “She’s pregnant.”

“Oh.” Laura’s eyes brightened. “That’s wonderful! I know she said you were trying—but—” she looked at Patrick. “You made sure they knew—”

“I checked it,” Epiphany assured her. “Most sedatives are fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” She nodded her head at Jason. “You better get in there. She needs to see a familiar face when she comes around.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” He looked at Laura. “Why was Baker at the hospital?”

“He apparently works here,” Patrick said flatly.

Jason’s nostrils flared. “He what?”

“I don’t oversee every hire,” Laura said. “But I know he plead guilty to holding Elizabeth hostage. That should have sent up a red flag. We don’t hire anyone who has a felony conviction against a current employee.”

“He didn’t—” Jason took a deep breath. “They plead that down,” he said. “Officially, I mean. It was only—only Emily’s charges went forward. Elizabeth’s case was dropped when they dropped the rape charges.”

“Oh, Christ.” Laura closed her eyes. “I’d forgotten that. I thought—But—but it was in the arrest file, and I know Taggert said he was going to keep his eye on things. He was at the parole hearing the first time. I’ll call Jordan. Maybe something got lost.”

“Maybe.” Jason didn’t want to know anymore. The man who had brutalized and traumatized his wife was out on the loose, breathing the same air—working in the same building—

That wasn’t going to last.

He dismissed the three of them and went into the hospital room where he found a dark-haired doctor sitting by Elizabeth’s side. One of the doctors who was studying with Patrick, he remembered. Griffin something.

“Hey. Hey.” Nervous, Griffin got to his feet. “I’m glad you’re here. Um—vitals are good, I mean. She’ll be okay when she wakes up. I hope—” He looked back to Elizabeth before focusing on Jason. “I’ll get back to work.”

“Thanks.” Jason dismissed the doctor and took the seat he’d vacated. It was strange to see Elizabeth stretched out on the hospital bed, dressed in the purple scrubs she wore on days when she worked on Patrick’s OR team. Her face was pale, her eyes looked almost bruised against her skin. He didn’t like to see her this way. In a hospital bed.

It always brought back the day Jake was born and she’d nearly died. Or when she’d nearly died from the biotoxin and he hadn’t gone to see her. Or when she’d nearly drowned, then had hallucinations of Jake.

She’d spent too much time almost dying in a hospital bed.

Jason reached for her hand, rubbing his fingers over the rings he’d placed there three years earlier. He’d make sure his was the first face she’d see when she woke.

And then he’d finish Tom Baker. The man was never going to get another chance to do this to her.

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Laura tapped her foot as she waited for Portia Robinson to get her page. Finally, the doctor stepped around a corner, frowning as she approached Laura. “Mrs. Spencer—”

“Dr. Robinson, thank you for answering my page. I apologize if I took you away from anything important,” Laura said. “This isn’t hospital related,” she added, “but it is an emergency. I need Taggert’s contact information.”

Portia frowned, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re the second person to ask me about Marcus this week,” she said. “The commissioner was also trying to track him down. What’s wrong?”

“Jordan was—” Laura hesitated. “Taggert was keeping an eye on a case that was important to my family,” she said. “He contacted my daughter-in-law the last time Tom Baker was up for parole. But this time—”

“Your daughter-in-law—” Portia raised a hand. “Jordan just told me about this yesterday. Baker got out on parole and was working here. I knew Marcus was worried about some case that Baker wasn’t charged with—is that her?”

“Yes. And, according to what he told us then — and what my son-in-law thought — Baker wasn’t supposed to be up for parole. I need to find out what happened—”

“Of course. I don’t understand how Marcus let this go,” Portia murmured. She reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “He never gave me details, but that parole hearing happened right before we separated. He was relieved when Baker didn’t get out. He never would have—”

She pressed a button, dialing her ex-husband. “Voicemail,” she muttered. “Marcus, it’s Portia again. Please get in touch with me. It’s an emergency. Trina is fine, but Tom Baker is out of prison, and he’s working at the hospital. I don’t know the details, but you need to get in touch with Laura Spencer and Jordan as soon as possible. Please.”

“Thank you,” Laura said. “Is it like him to not get back you?”

“Not unusual,” she admitted. “He goes undercover sometimes at the DEA, and he might be under right now. He doesn’t always warn us.” Portia grimaced. “One of the reasons we got divorced,” she muttered. “I’ll let you know if he gets back in touch with me, and I’ll text you his number.”

“Thank you—”

“Mrs. Spencer—is your daughter-in-law all right? Elizabeth is a great nurse, I mean. I just—”

“She’s all right.” For now, Laura added to herself silently as she walked away.

General Hospital: Hospital Room

Elizabeth turned her head and slowly forced her eyes open. She felt like she was swimming through a thick sea of cobwebs. She found familiar blue eyes peering at her, and she frowned. “J-Jason?”

“Hey.” His fingers brushed her cheeks. “How are you feeling?”

“Confused,” Elizabeth admitted. She cleared her throat and gratefully accepted Jason’s help in sitting up and then the water he gave her. “What—” She looked around, realizing she was on a hospital bed. Alarmed, she pressed a hand against her belly. “Jason—”

“The baby is fine,” Jason told her. He covered her hand with his own, the other sliding through her hair. “Perfect,” he promised. “Do you—” He hesitated. “Do you remember what happened?”

“No—” And then she did. Everything inside her trembled. “Jason. I—I saw—he said—he was here—he said—”

“Hey.” Jason edged onto the bed, taking both her hands in hers. “I’m right here. Nothing is going to hurt you. No one,” he added. “Look at me.”

She did, focusing on his eyes, on the feel of his hands wrapped around hers. He always made her feel safe. “Tom Baker,” she said softly. “He was…I turned a corner, and he was just there. We bumped into him, and I started to apologize—” Her voice faltered. “He said not a word. That’s what he said. He said don’t say a word,” she corrected. “But that night—the night he—” Elizabeth closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. “He hissed it into my ear. Not a word. Then he said it again that day in the studio. That’s how I knew—I recognized him, I could hear his voice, I could feel him—”

“Stay with me—” Jason tipped up her chin. “Stay with me here,” he ordered. “Right here. Right now. That was nineteen years ago,” he reminded her. “You’re safe here. With me. He’s not here.”

“He’s not here,” she repeated. She closed her eyes. “It’s over. I’m not sixteen anymore.” Sixteen. Her whole world had shattered and she’d pieced it back together, painstakingly fitting the jagged shards into something that looked like a normal person.

But shattered glass was easily broken—how many times had she fractured over the years? “Nineteen years,” she murmured. “And it can still hit me. It can still feel like now. How is that possible? How is that fair?”

“It’s not.”

“I want to go home. Can I—can you just—I want to go home.”

“We’ll go home. I’ll get Laura to grab the boys and they can go with her for the night—”

“No, no. I want the boys. I want to go home, and I want the boys. I want our family. And our life.” She took a deep breath. “I worked too hard, fought too long—he’s not doing this to me. I broke a little,” she admitted. “But I’m okay.” Elizabeth squeezed Jason’s hands. “I’m okay. Let’s go home.”

+12

Written in 48 minutes. Did a quick spell check and readthrough. I didn’t think I’d finish another scene in 12 minutes, so I just stopped.

Morgan Home: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth lingered in the doorway, listening as Cameron and Jake bickered over who would get to use the bathroom first. “You have about thirty seconds before I come in there and brush your teeth myself!”

There was some silence, then a hushed, fervent set of whispers before Jake slunk out of the room, sending his mother a beleaguered glare. “I’m not a baby anymore,” he muttered.

“That’s how I knew it would work.” She rolled her eyes and left the doorway, unfastening her watch. “Never fails,” she told Jason. “Threaten to hold them down and shove a brush in their mouth, suddenly they’re the souls of cooperation.”

He grinned at her, sitting on the bed to take off his boots. “I told Laura the adoption was finalized,” he said.

Elizabeth made a face, tossing the watch and her necklace into the porcelain tray atop the dresser. “I meant to say something,” she confessed, “but it’s been awkward. I know she supports it—”

“But she’s not one hundred percent on board,” her husband finished. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him, closing her eyes. “She knows it was the right decision, but—”

“But it’s admitting that Aiden is never going to know the boy I fell in love with.” Elizabeth sighed. “It’s hard,” she continued. “When I was just a little older than Cameron, I had all these dreams about a family with Lucky. Remember?” She twisted. “When we talked in Jake’s that first night, and I told you about wanting a baby with Lucky?”

“Yeah.”

“That boy—that sweet, caring boy deserved to be a father. It hurts to let go of that. I thought I had years ago, but when I realized I was still holding onto a small piece of it when Lucky sent the paperwork to terminate his parental rights. I know Luke said he’s been better, but he’ll never be that boy again.” She stared at the collar of Jason’s t-shirt. “I don’t know why I have to keep relearning that. He hasn’t been that boy for nearly twenty years.” She forced a smile. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m so maudlin about this. Aiden loves you, and I love that he has you.”

“I know, but he and Cameron both know they’re not my biological sons. Aiden’s going to have questions one day. We need to be ready to answer them.”

“Thank you for putting up with me.” Elizabeth leaned up to kiss him, then lingered. “How long do you think we have before Cam tries to sneak downstairs for one more video game?”

“It’s only nine,” Jason murmured, brushing his lips down her jaw. “Maybe ten minutes before he thinks we’re not listening.”

“Well, not enough time for that,” Elizabeth replied, “but—” She put her hands against his chest, pushing him back gently so their eyes could meet. “I’ve been waiting all day to get you alone.”

“I can be creative in ten minutes,” Jason offered, but she shook her head. She went over to the purse hanging on the back of her door. When she turned back to him, she was holding out the pregnancy test. He stared at him for a long moment before raising stunned eyes to hers. “Is that—”

“Yeah. I, um, thought maybe, but I didn’t want to get our hopes up—” She bit her lip. “So I took it at work, and then Britt did a blood test to confirm—” She laughed as Jason came forward to pick her up and swing her around before hugging her tightly. “I guess you’re happy.”

“We’ve been talking about it for a year,” Jason reminded her. He pushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears, then letting his thumbs slide down her cheeks. “Everything we’re going to get right this time. You won’t need double shifts, and I’ll be here for the cravings and to take care of the boys—”

“And you’ll get to hold the baby in the hospital and everyone will know—” Elizabeth sighed happily. “I was so afraid to hope—so sure I was just being selfish. I mean, we have three beautiful boys—we have Jake, our miracle—I didn’t know if we’d get another chance—” She broke off when she heard a tell tale creak.

“I got it,” Jason told her, kissing her forehead. He pulled open their door to catch Cameron at the top of the stairs. “No.”

“Just one more game—”

“No.”

“Come on, Dad!” Cameron scowled. “Spencer keeps saying that I only suck because I’m not allowed to have it in my room—”

“You don’t have to go to sleep, Cam, but you know the rules. In your room at nine.”

“When I’m an adult, I’m going to have all the game systems right next to the bed,” Cameron muttered but he slunk back to his room and slammed the door.

“Are we being too strict?” Elizabeth wondered as Jason returned.

“He’d play those stupid games all night. We already took away the phone and tablet,” he reminded her.

“I know. And he doesn’t look death warmed over because he’s actually sleeping at night.” Satisfied, Elizabeth perched on the edge of the bed. “You sure you want sign up for another eighteen years of enforcing rules?” she teased.

“Only with you.”

General Hospital: Hub

Jordan stepped off the elevator and headed straight for Portia Robinson. She waited as Portia finished talking to Finn, then waved to get her attention. Portia made a face that reminded Jordan that they were not friends — but came over anyway.

“This isn’t about Trina, is it?” Portia asked. “I told her about curfew—”

“No. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Marcus,” Jordan said. “But he hasn’t returned my calls. I thought you might know what’s going on—”

“He’s working a case,” Portia said. “As always. Or at least, that’s what he said when he canceled last weekend with Trina. You know, Jordan, the whole point of divorcing Marcus was so that I didn’t have to constantly answer questions. Leave a message with the DEA—”

“Wait—wait—it’s about one of his cases from when he worked here,” Jordan said as Portia turned to leave. “It was before he started seeing you, I think, because it’s definitely before he left the PCPD for the DEA, but this guy is up for parole and the case file said to contact the arresting officer.”

Portia sighed. “He never talked about his cases—”

“Thomas Baker,” Jordan cut in. “Arrested in 1998 for blackmail and holding Elizabeth Webber and Emily Quartermaine hostage. It looks like a pretty straight-forward case — do you know why Marcus would care about his release?”

“Baker?” Portia repeated. She held a chart against her chest. “I actually—it’s one of the few cases Marcus checked in on when he left the department. He went to Baker’s first parole hearing five—no, six years ago. Wanted to make sure he’d serve the full twenty. I think he said Baker was suspected of another crime, but Marcus couldn’t make the charges stick.”

“Do you know what kind of crime?” Jordan asked. “Should I be keeping an eye on this guy?”

“Rape and assault of a teenaged girl. Marcus never got specific with me, and I knew better. I think maybe he wanted to keep the victim in the loop since she wouldn’t be notified. Why is the case coming up now?”

“Because he made parole,” Jordan said with a wince, “and his parole officer got him a gig here. At General Hospital.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll have Dante pull the rape files from back then. Can you get in touch with him?”

“Yeah. I’ll do what I can. This case—it stuck with him,” Portia murmured. “He’d wanted to know the guy is out.”

General Hospital: Hallway

“Hey. Got a minute?” Elizabeth asked, catching up to Patrick Drake as the neurosurgeon started his rounds.

“For you, Webber, no.” Patrick flashed her a grin. “You can have two.”

“Generous.” Elizabeth paused. “I don’t know if Robin told you we talked in the locker room yesterday—”

“Yeah, she told me you know about the IVF.” Patrick rocked back on his heels. “Crazy, right? Starting over again, but it went great yesterday. Hopefully it’ll take.”

“So she didn’t tell you what she and I talked about?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, she said you’d be tracking me down on your own.” Patrick furrowed his brow. “You good? Anything wrong? The adoption?” He scowled. “Did that little bitch mess things up—”

“No, I told you it was finalized. It’s good news.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “You’re not the only ones starting over. Jason and I have been trying for a year, and yesterday—” She grinned. “It came back positive.”

“Oh, yeah?” Patrick wrapped her in a tight hug. “Look at you, joining us on the crazy train.” His grin was broad as he pulled back. “Oh man, can you be excited and terrified at the same time?” he asked as they started walking down the hall. “I used to be a lot younger.”

“Yeah, but think of all the mistakes we won’t make again,” Elizabeth said. She slid her arm through his. “And you know, we were both kind of alone for the hardest parts. Right after they were born, when they were just babies.” She took a deep breath. “I know Robin didn’t want it that way—”

“But it’s how it rolled out. It’s part of the reason we’re doing it again. She didn’t get to have everything. Between the PPD, Africa, and those psychos—she missed half of Emma’s life. We’re making up for it, but it’s not the same.”

“Same. Jason’s been in and out since Cam was born,” she told him, “but we really just—we want that experience. Start to finish, you know? I want him to have all the moments.”

“Still, we made a pretty good team,” Patrick said. “The pair of single parents in history. Those kids never got away with a single thing.”

“Well, they almost managed to stow away on a plane and get to Greece,” Elizabeth reminded him.

“You know, I should have been more angry about that,” he admitted, “but Dante said seeing Maxie and Lulu tied and gagged up by a bunch of fifth graders was a highlight of his life. And hey—”

“They left Aiden with a remote and a Lunchable,” Elizabeth finished, grinning at the memory. It had once been a terrifying one to recall—how close their precious babies came to joining the chaos in Greece, but after three years — it had become almost a legend. “Did you hear the late gossip from the ninth grade?”

“I try hard to forget that’s happening,” Patrick said with a grimace, “how did Emma get old enough to be a freshman?” He sighed. “What did Joss do this time?”

“She tried to make Trina miss the cheerleading tryouts, so Trina might have enlisted Cam to dump blue hair dye in Joss’s shampoo.” Elizabeth paused. “I don’t think Emma was part of it—”

“Who do you think talked Cam into doing it?” Patrick said. “I may not acknowledge this whole dating thing, but I know your kid is a sucker for anything mine asks him to do.”

“They’ve been dating for a year, Patrick. When are you going to admit it—” Elizabeth laughed as they turned a corner, walking straight into a pair of custodians. “Oh, I’m sorry—”

“No worries,” one of the men said as they turned to face Patrick and Elizabeth. Elizabeth stared at him as the man smiled. “Don’t say a word.”

Elizabeth’s hand slid from Patrick’s arm as she forced herself to speak. “How—why—I don’t—”

“Elizabeth?” Patrick asked, concerned. “Do you know him?” He squinted at the man’s name tag. “You’re new, aren’t you? Tom? When did you start?”

“Just last week,” Tom said with another smile. “Elizabeth and I go way back.” He fastened his eyes on hers. “She’s why I went to prison.”

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