July 8, 2024

This entry is part 26 of 47 in the Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction

Written in 52 minutes.


General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

“What just happened? What just—” Elizabeth fumbled with her one good hand for the control for the bed, wincing as she raised herself to a slightly sitting position. “Gram—”

“Darling, let’s just—” Audrey took the seat Jason had vacated, her hands trembling. “Let’s just take a minute—”

Mike reappeared in the doorway, Bobbie on his heels, both of them grim-faced. “They’re gone.  What the hell can Scott and Mac be thinking?” he demanded. “Jason wouldn’t have done this—”

“He’s gone too far. Too far—” Bobbie fisted her hands at her side. “He’s probably trying to get Jason to flip on Sonny, because God forbid we do any investigation—”

“I don’t understand. Gram—why did they arrest him? Why—”

“He said there were witnesses,” Bobbie bit out. “When he got to the waiting room. Well, those witnesses are full of shit. I’ve a witness, damn it. I was with Jason for over an hour before we got to Kelly’s—I was with him when we heard the damn gunshots—” She pressed her hands to her mouth, closed her eyes. “Oh, God. Oh, God. What’s happening? Why is this happening?”

Mike went to her side, and Audrey just gripped Elizabeth’s hand more tightly. “We’ll get to the bottom of this darling,” she promised. “Whatever evidence Scotty thinks he has, it surely won’t take them long to learn it’s faulty. Jason would never put you or your child in danger.”

Elizabeth winced, closed her eyes. “Oh, God. Everyone knows?” Her head started to ache. “I don’t even understand what’s going on.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Mike told her, patting the top of the covers. “You either, Audrey. We’ll get Jason’s lawyer and he’ll be out in no time.”

For just a few minutes in the alley that day, her world had seemed perfect. She was pregnant and the man she loved was excited to become a father.

It seemed so far away now.

PCPD: Squad Room

The entire room was quiet as Capelli directed Jason through the double doors of the entryway towards the interrogation room. Jason’s expression was as stone-faced as ever, though there were some evidence of his sleepless night in the disheveled nature of his hair and the weariness in his eyes.

But most of the cops weren’t interested in looking that deep. All they ever saw when they looked at Jason was a killer who’d gotten away with his crimes for far too long.

Capelli settled Jason at the table, locking the handcuffs to the table. “Someone will be right with you.”

“I’m not talking to anyone without a lawyer,” Jason said flatly, his eyes trained on the table below. “So there’s no point.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” Capelli closed the door to the interrogation room, then joined Mac and Scott across the room. “What do you want to do now?”

“Let him stew for a little bit,” Scott said. “Make him wonder why we think we have enough for an arrest.”

“If this comes out wrong—” Mac slapped the file against Scott’s chest. “You’re the one going down for this, you know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

General Hospital: Hallway

Courtney edged around the corner, made a face when she realized there was an officer on Ric’s door. Why couldn’t anything ever go her way?

She’d spent half the night at the PCPD, telling her story with the least amount of details, not even sure that Mac or Capelli were believing a word she’d said. But then she’d seen Jason being marched through the lobby of the hospital in handcuffs, so they must have believed it enough to act.

Now she just had to make sure that she tracked down anything that could go wrong, and unfortunately, the list was long. It wasn’t easy to frame someone after the fact, Courtney thought, with some irritation.

How did she get the cop to leave the room long enough for her to get in and make sure he was gone long enough for to also make her escape?

She went back to the nurse’s station and stood at the counter for a long moment. She couldn’t get the cop to leave by crying for help herself — everyone knew who she was. If only she could find away for an unrelated person in the area to need a cop—

She watched the people in the waiting area for a while, pondering her options, and finally, after nearly twenty minutes, she saw her chance. An older lady rose and headed down the hallway — leaving her handbag behind.

Courtney waited an extra beat before hurrying over to the area, snatching the purse, then shoving it under the sofa. Then, she followed the lady, caught up to her relatively quickly. “Ma’am, ma’am?”

“Oh, yes?” The woman turned, smiled faintly. “Can I help you?”

“I was going to tell you—you left your purse back in that waiting area, but before I could grab it and bring it to you, someone else ran off with it.” Courtney widened her eyes. “I think he headed for service stairs!”

The woman gasped, felt her arm where the strap should be. “Oh, oh, I need security! Oh!”

“I thought I saw a cop around the corner! Why don’t you go check and I’ll go to the desk to get security?” Courtney suggested. She waited for the woman to rush off, then headed into the hallway that fed into another hallway where she could approach Ric’s room from the other side.

She grinned when she saw the cop leave his post. Finally. Time for Step 2.

General Hospital: Hallway

“No, no, you’re doing everything you can, Leticia.” Bobbie sighed, turning away just as the cop a few doors down left the room he’d been guarding. By the time Courtney had snuck around the corner, Bobbie was staring in the opposite direction, listening to her grandson’s nanny on the other end of the line and never saw her go inside the room where Ric was recovering from his own surgery.

“No, I don’t think we’ll be able to rely on Mr. Corinthos right now. And well, I understand Jason’s the emergency contact, but—” Bobbie nodded. “Okay. I’ll stop by later. And keep you in the loop.”

She clapped her phone closed, and looked at Mike stepping outside of the room. “Was Audrey able to get Elizabeth settled?”

“Yeah, she’s going to get something to sleep. I don’t like this, Bobbie, I don’t like this at all.” Mike shook his head. “How could anyone think Jason would do this?”

“Scotty only saw a link to Sonny and that’s all he cares out,” Bobbie said bitterly. “My mistake was not raising holy hell when he hired Ric Lansing.” She looked at Mike. “I don’t know how much you know about what’s been happening since this summer, but—”

“I know you and Jason were together talking about doctors for my son,” Mike said, pitching his voice lower. “And I know that when I went to the Towers last night, that guard told me Sonny had been sedated but that things had been difficult earlier.” He paused. “That Sonny had gone missing, but that he’d turned up.”

“Oh, God.” Bobbie dragged her hands through her hair, stared blindly down the hall. “He did it. He had to have done it. He was in the middle of one of his episodes, and he thought Ric was a danger.” She looked back to Mike. “Does Jason know?”

“He knows what I know, yeah. At that point, he was willing to let it sit while he waited to find out how Carly was. What Elizabeth would be dealing with.” He paused. “Jason was adamant that he be here when she woke up. He didn’t her to hear from some doctor about the possibility of nerve damage. But I don’t know what, if anything, he planned after that.”

“Probably nothing.” Bobbie stared down at the phone in her hand. “Even if we turned Sonny over now, it wouldn’t be proof. They said there were witnesses. As much as I want to throw Sonny to the wolves—”

“We’d better wait for Jason before we make any moves. And not do something we can’t take back. But we have to get him out of there—”

“What we need is someone who knows the lay of the land and won’t have a problem playing a little dirty politics.” Bobbie looked at Mike. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I’m thinking how fast is the flight from Philly?”

PCPD: Interrogation Room

Scott stepped inside the room, then closed the door behind him. Then he set the file on the table and took a seat, finally lifting his gaze to Jason’s.

The anger radiated so visibly from Jason’s broad frame that the younger man was practically vibrating—and the hatred and fury banked in his blue eyes made Scott visibly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, shifted in his seat.

“Let’s get started.” Scott flipped open the file. “Where were you last night around ten-thirty—”

Jason leaned forward and only said one word. “Lawyer.”

General Hospital: Ric’s Room

Courtney leaned against the back of the door, took a deep breath. “Okay, I only have maybe five minutes so let’s make it clear.”

Ric, already sitting up, a plastic cup in his hand, frowned at her. “What are you doing in here? You playing messenger for your damn brother, trying to finish the job?”

“Believe me, Ric, the last thing you want is for me to tell people what I actually know. I backed your story up to the cops.”

“My—” Ric’s eyes went cool. “Are you wearing a wire?”

“I told them that I was there last night. That I saw it. That Jason shot you, accidentally hit Liz and Carly, and gave me the gun to hide.” Her lips twitched. “Isn’t it lucky for you that I ran into the real shooter and got my hands on the incriminating gun?”

“What’s your game here?” Ric demanded.

“Look, we don’t have a lot of time because I also have to avoid Bobbie and Mike because, of course, Elizabeth would be recovering just down the hall. And of course that bitch is still pregnant, because why not? Why wouldn’t she take everything from me?”

Ric opened his mouth, then closed it. “I’m lost.”

“You can either play along and get some real revenge—and help me get the same— or you can tell them the truth, watch Sonny get locked up in the loony bin while Jason and Elizabeth get to walk away like nothing happened.” Courtney raised a brow. “What it’s going to be?”

PCPD: Squad Room

Scott nodded, jabbed a finger at Jason. “Good. Good. You keep being smart, and maybe this will go the way it should. So don’t talk until we get you someone. Is Bobbie already calling or should I get the public defender’s office on the line?”

Jason didn’t even have a lawyer to call, but he was almost sure that Mike and Bobbie would have someone down here, and then this circus would be over. How could anyone think he was responsible for what happened? Did they think he was stupid enough to open fire with so many people around?

Did they think he was too damaged to realize that bullets would ricochet in that tiny enclosed courtyard?

Whatever they thought, Jason didn’t care. A lawyer would show up, slap Bobbie’s witness statement in front of them, and then Jason could focus on what was next. Handling Sonny, making sure Carly had what she needed to wake up, and most importantly, flying in as many nerve specialists as it took to restore Elizabeth’s hand to perfect use.

Anything not on that list didn’t matter to him, so Jason leaned back and prepared to ignore whatever Scott would say next.

And then Scott started talking, and suddenly had Jason’s full attention.

“I’m sorry about this, I am. It had to be this way, though I get that you don’t see that right now. But we know you didn’t do this. We being me, Mac, and Capelli. I believe Bobbie. You were with her the whole night, with her when you heard the shots. I know you didn’t do this, and maybe you do. We can talk about that if you want. But here’s what I do know.”

Scott hesitated. “I made a mistake this summer. I believed the wrong person. I believed Lansing when he said his wife was being vindictive and telling stories. Hell, maybe I just told myself I believed him,” Scott murmured, more to himself. “I thought Lansing could finally get me the Holy Grail, that I’d finally get to see Sonny go down like the rat he is. But I didn’t think about Carly. And I sure as hell didn’t think about Elizabeth.”

Why was Scott saying any of this? Jason squinted, but said nothing.

“I think part of me believed him all the way up until last night. I went to him after his surgery. And when he woke up, he looked at me, and he told me you’d shot him. That it was you.”

Jason pressed his lips together. Ric had identified him. Okay. That made it slightly more sticky. Carly was in a coma and Elizabeth didn’t remember anything. It had been a risk for Ric, but he’d banked on being the only survivor without a head wound. But one witness wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be—

“I didn’t have a reason to doubt him, but it just—” Scott shook his head. “It felt wrong. You know? My gut said it wasn’t right. I was still thinking it through in my head, running it past Mac and Capelli, trying to understand the story even though it didn’t match the evidence—and then Courtney told us the same thing.”

Jason knew he couldn’t hide the reaction to that news. He jerked slightly, sat up, shook his head. Scott nodded grimly. “Yeah. That’s what I figured. So that’s why it had to be this way. I know they’re lying. But I can’t prove it. That’s where you come in.”

July 6, 2024

This entry is part 26 of 36 in the Flash Fiction: Warning Shots

Written in 59 minutes.


Emily sprang up from the sofa as soon as Elizabeth walked through the door, raking her eyes over her roommate. Then narrowed them. “Where are your shoes?”

“Probably somewhere in Luke’s parking lot.” Elizabeth peeled the borrowed socks from her feet, balled them up. “Sonny didn’t have shoes I could wear, so he did the best he could. Oh, and your car is probably still in the parking lot.”

Emily opened her eyes, then went to the window, peered outside. “There’s still an SUV parked outside.” She turned, found that Elizabeth had moved on to the kitchen and had pulled out a can of soda. “Are you, like, in danger?”

“Um—” Elizabeth toyed with the tab on the can, made a face. “Maybe. I’m not sure what I can tell you beyond what I already said on the phone.” She leaned on the counter.

“Liz. Come on. I’m not going to tell anyone, you know that. Even if they torture me. Were you hurt? You’ve got scrapes—”

Elizabeth touched the skin above the pink tube top she’d put back on. She’d forgotten about that. “Oh. No. I mean, sort of. Jason pushed me down when the shooting started, and, there’s gravel.”

“So you were both still there when the shooting happened. The news didn’t seem to know for sure.” Emily perched on a stool on the other side of the counter. “Is my brother okay?”

“Em—”

“Liz.”

“He’s okay,” Elizabeth said finally. “I’ll ask him what I can tell you on that score. But I guess—I mean, I have to tell you something since I’m here to pack some things and then leave for the airport. And I could ask you if maybe you could just not ask questions, but—no, I’m looking at your face. That’s not going to happen, is it?”

“Listen. Listen.” Emily folded her arms. “I accept that part of rooting for you and my brother to be together means that there’s going to be things you know that I don’t. Because I’m me, and Jason told me once I get certain protection. Everyone knows Grandfather could pick up a phone and have a senator on the phone, but I also don’t want you to feel like you have to lie to me. If you tell me you can’t say anything, okay, I’ll have to swallow it. I don’t have to like it, though, do I?”

“No. No, you don’t. Um, I mean, it’s just…” Elizabeth paused. “The thing is, the guy last night—he didn’t get what he wanted. And Sonny’s worried if Jason, like, goes into hiding, they might think—”

“They might think you’re someone who could bring him back out. And you’re much easier to go after than I am.”

“Yeah, Gram’s not getting Senator D’Amato on the phone, I don’t think.”

“Okay, so you’re both going off the radar. I can live with that. Are you going to tell your grandmother anything?”

“Uh, I’m going to tell her I’m going to be super busy working on my art for a couple of weeks and I’ll call her when I can.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “You think I’ll get away with it?”

“Liz, you just got shot at last night. Your grandmother has already called here eight times. No, you’re not getting away with that. She’ll insist you come by and talk to her. Or stop by for diner or something. Let me think about it. We’ll come up with a good cover story. It’s good thing you moved out before this happened.” Emily paused. “Are you and Jason going wherever together?”

“Yes. And before you ask for further information, I will say that that status of the situation has…shifted more to your side of the aisle,” Elizabeth said. Emily  grinned. “Don’t get too excited. I told him that maybe we needed to spend more time together before he started getting all gloomy about our inevitable breakup. Because, hey, I know how to annoy people, so maybe he’ll be happy to see me go in a few weeks.”

“You did not. Oh my god, Liz—you are not annoying.”

“You haven’t dated me—and Jason had a point because maybe he’ll annoy me—”

“Nope. You’re going to fall in love and get married and happy cute babies, and I will be the best aunt ever.” Emily clapped her hands together. “And we’ll be sisters.”

“Wow. Okay, dial it way back!” Elizabeth held up her hands. “All I said is we agreed to spend time together. Maybe there’s nothing there. Maybe I’ll just use him for his body.”

“Oh—” Emily wrinkled her nose. “Ew. Why do you have to do that?”

“Because nothing else shuts you up. Stop planning my wedding and come help me pack. I only have, like, a half hour, maybe forty-five minutes tops before I have to be back at Sonny’s.”

——

“Yeah, just put them over there—” Sonny gestured at Max who came in with a suitcase, placed it by the sofa, then returned to the phone. “Yeah, Frankie, I need you to bury the flight plan, but it’s a one-way to the island. Yeah. As soon as possible. No, no, no return flight yet. I want the plane down there in case we need a quick return.” There was movement out of the corner of his eye, and he grimaced when he saw Jason gingerly making his way down the steps. “Yeah, we’ll arrange for the pilot to get to Miami and he can do what he needs to. Thanks, Frankie.”

He hung up the phone, looked at his partner. “You look like death warmed over. How many times do I gotta tell you to rest?”

“I’m fine—” Jason winced when he took a seat at the table, stretching his feet out and leaning back slightly to take pressure from his side. “There’s things we need to do and talk about before Elizabeth comes back.”

“Not much. I’m handling things. Max packed a bag—and I’m arranging for art supplies to be flown in from Miami. They should be there tomorrow.” Sonny studied the list. “She wrote brand names down. What are the chances she gave me the cheap stuff?” At Jason’s bewildered gaze, Sonny just shrugged. “I’ll just make some calls. Make sure. Look, I told you, you don’t worry about anything about getting better.”

“I know you said you’re sure this guy was working for Moreno, but I was thinking that all you know is he got the contract from David Reece.”

“And David Reece has a connection to Moreno. We know that,” Sonny reminded him. “Moreno set up that meeting three years ago when Reece delivered the message from the cartels.”

Jason squinted. “That’s true, but—”

“I know you’re not exactly Mary Poppins or Pollyanna, but you’ve kept to yourself. The only enemy you’ve made recently other than Moreno is Lucky Spencer, and that little twerp can barely tie his shoes.” Sonny lifted his brows. “Unless you think the kid used his father’s contacts to put a hit out on you and Elizabeth.”

“No, that’s—no.”

“Right? Just saying it out loud made me want to laugh.” Sonny looked back to Jason. “You focus on getting better. I’ll check in daily, let you know the status here. If the contract was on you the person, then whoever this is will get cranky with you gone. Maybe he does something. If it was business and just getting you out of the way, well, we’ll give them that. But you’re not coming back until you’re recovered—”

“How recovered?”

“Until you can stand up without wincing and run a mile,” Sonny said, and Jason scowled. “What good can you do me here unless you’re at least eighty percent? You’ve been shot before. You know it’s no joke to recover from these things—”

“This one wasn’t so serious—”

“And that’s why you didn’t wake up in the hospital. No, go down to the island. Rest. Get some sun.” He paused. “You and Elizabeth okay with all of this? She, uh, said some things that made me think maybe you two have talked about her being around more, and that you’d put a stop to it. I know I pushed this plan on you—”

“If I didn’t want to do it this way, I wouldn’t do it. You’re right. This guy wanted me out of the way. Let’s find out if he meant personally or professionally. Best way to do that is take me off the board. And Elizabeth—she could be a target, so she’ll go with me.” Jason looked away, looked towards the window, and the gray skies beyond. Rain drizzled against the glass, though it was lighter than it’d been earlier. “I tried to stop it. Letting her in. But it was—” he shook his head. “It was too late.”

Sonny came to the table, took a seat. “Look, for what it’s worth, if I get a vote, I like her.” Jason looked at him. “I like that she didn’t start to ask questions or think about the consequences of helping you until she’d done it. You were shot, and she didn’t hesitate. And then once I told her she had to stay until I had some answers, she didn’t blink. Maybe she’s not sure she wants this to be her life forever, but she’s going into it whatever it is with her eyes wide open.”

He hesitated. “I know what happened with Robin wasn’t easy.” Jason’s eyes shuttered and he looked away again. “But she was with you when you started to slide into this life. And Robin had the choice to hold on and take the ride or walk away. And I think, Jason, maybe you don’t want to admit it, but she was holding on just fine until Carly came into the picture.”

Jason exhaled slowly, dragged a hand down his face. “We were together, but it wasn’t the same,” he said. He looked back to Sonny. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it wasn’t all of this. Maybe it was Carly, and the secrets I asked her to keep. But either way—”

“Either way, now you know the best and worst parts about sharing your life with someone. And I don’t blame you for not wanting to go back into it. But like you said, you tried to stop it from happening, but it happened all the same. And now you got a choice to hold on or walk away. And so does Elizabeth. Do yourself a favor. Go down to the island, rest. Spend some time together. Think about what you’d be giving up. And I mean, really giving up.”

He leaned back. “I think about it all the time,” he told Jason. “About walking away from Brenda the way I did, breaking her heart. I thought I knew better, I thought I was saving her life. But she’s dead anyway, and it had nothing to do with me. I forced her out of love with me, and she ended up on a road that took her over the cliff.” His throat tightened. “And now she’s laying dead at the bottom of the lake. I’d give anything to go back to that day here with you, to show up at the church and do it right. I can’t ever fix that, Jase. I don’t get to have that day again.”

Elizabeth sorted through the top drawer of her bras and panties, irritated with herself for not buying anything better. Not that she was planning to show any of it off, she thought, but it would have been nice to have the option.

She dumped the nicest stuff she owned into the bag, then sat next to the bed, watching as Emily sorted through her closet, picking her own choices from Elizabeth’s wardrobe. “Do you remember when we were on the island, and I told you I felt like something was missing with Lucky?”

“Before the bar fight?” Emily asked. She folded a sun dress and set it in the bag. “Yeah. Why?”

“Pretend what I’m about to say isn’t about your brother, okay? Because I really wanna talk about this and I only have like fifteen more minutes before that guard knocks on the door.” Elizabeth curled a leg underneath her body.

“Okay.” Emily flopped down next to her.

“I think maybe I loved Lucky, but I wasn’t really in love with him. You know? Like—I liked him before all this happened, and I loved how sweet and supportive he was. And I thought he was cute. I always did. But I never thought about ripping off his clothes. Even before. When it was just a crush.”

“Well, you were—” Emily bit her lip. “I was gonna say you were still in high school, but I definitely had complicated and embarrassing dreams about Nikolas, and there were definitely some shirt tearing. On both sides.” She squinted. “Why is that important?”

“I don’t know. I guess because I mean, I’ve been worried about that part of whatever relationship Jason and I might have in the future. Like, the physical side. I was scared, maybe, that if I couldn’t do it—that it would be like Lucky. Like he’d start to resent it, and I’d never know it. And I know—I know, he wouldn’t,” she said quickly when Emily opened her mouth, “but I also knew Lucky wouldn’t throw it in my face either, and he did.”

“I hate that you have a point. Are you not scared about that now?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. With Lucky, I just…I don’t know. It never came up. And that seems insane to me.” Elizabeth went over to her jewelry box, picking through her small collection of necklaces and bracelets. “We were together over a year, and we kissed. But I never wanted to do anything else. I just thought that part of me was coming back really slowly.”

Elizabeth looked at Emily. “I would have said I felt that way on Valentine’s Day when I told you I was gonna, you know, make a move. Because I felt like I had to. Like it was time. But I didn’t really have the interest. I thought maybe it would come when I started things. But a month later, I was sitting on a sofa with Jason and he was looking at the cut on my lip, and his thumb just—” She pressed her thumb against her bottom lip. “It was, like, this electric jolt to my entire body, and everything just went on fire. And I thought, oh, this is what it feels like to want.”

She exhaled slowly, looked back at Emily. “I don’t know. I’m just rambling. I just had this weird thought that I wished I had, like, sexier things to wear—not that Jason cares about any of that, but that I’m already thinking about him in that way. None of it makes sense, does it?”

“I—” Emily furrowed her brow. “Okay, no, I’m following you. I think maybe you’re trying to downplay the way you felt about Lucky because it makes it a little easy for you to accept how badly it ended. If you didn’t love him, really love him, he couldn’t have hurt you that way, Liz. But I also think you’re just moving on. Maybe you’re right. Maybe there wasn’t that physical spark with Lucky the way there is now with—” She made a face. “With Jason. But does it really matter?”

“No, I guess not. I’m just…I guess I’m just nervous. We’ll be down there alone this time, and I’m scared.” She looked down at her her hands. “Because my brain turns off when we’re together, but what if comes on again, and I get, like, put back into that moment? Into that night?”

“Then you tell Jason to stop, and he will. Hey.” Emily reached over, squeezed her hand. “It’s okay to be nervous. But remember what you told me. You and Jason are just going to spend time together. Have fun. Walk on the beach. Kiss him on the terrace now that his annoying little sister won’t be there to interrupt.”

“Em—”

“Whatever happens, it happens. But you know yourself better than anyone else. You know what you’re ready for, and what you’re not. Listen to yourself, and trust that you’re spending time with someone who cares about you. Because that’s all that matters.”


heading to the island on july 15. 😛

July 5, 2024

This entry is part 25 of 36 in the Flash Fiction: Warning Shots

Written in 57 minutes. It’s shorter than usual because I honestly had zero clue where I was  going with this chapter until I started writing. Hope you like it, and let me know what you wanna see when they get to the island!


Maybe a stronger woman would have found the willpower to push Jason away. After all, he’d been pushing her away for weeks, hadn’t he? And the only reason he’d even kissed her today was to make her stop talking—no, she should definitely push him away and demand he have a conversation like an adult—

But a funny thing happened when Elizabeth raised her hands, intending to press them against his chest, to push him away—her fingers curled into the fabric instead and she gave in, let herself be swept back up in the moment. In how good it felt to be in Jason’s arms, to lose herself in his scent, the warmth, the dizzying weightlessness she’d felt only once before—that night in her studio—

His breath was hot, mingling with hers when he finally pulled back, his fingers still tangled in her hair. Elizabeth slid her hands up to cup his jaw, looked up so that their eyes met—held—and then she kissed him again, not really sure where she found the courage. His hand was warm, sliding across her skin, down her neck to the shoulder left bare by the shirt Sonny had given to her to wear.

Then both his hands were at her hips, sliding beneath the shirt, his fingers warm against her skin. She broke away, gasping for air, clinging to him. He swayed slightly, but held on, his arms around her waist, linked at the small of her back, his thumbs brushing against the bare skin of her spine. She buried her face in his chest, trembling.

“I’m a little confused,” Elizabeth said finally, pulling back to find him looking at her.

“So am I,” he confessed, and she smiled tremulously. There it was — the warmth in his eyes that she’d been missing all morning.

“You should be resting,” she murmured, resting her cheek against his chest again. “Laying down. Not that—” Her cheeks flamed. “I didn’t mean—”

But he laughed, his chest shaking slightly. “I know. And you’re right. I’m a terrible patient. If I’m honest—there’s some pain.”

“Some pain,” she echoed with a roll of her eyes. “How many laps around the bedroom did you do while I was out with Sonny?”

“Not that many,” he said, a little sheepish. He gingerly made his way over to the bed, his face creasing with pain as he sat down, spun slightly to put his legs up, but he sat up against the headboard. “I wanted to wash up.”

“And brush your teeth,” Elizabeth said, running her tongue across her taste. He lifted a brow, and she bit her lip, a little embarrassed. “I, um, could taste the mint.”

“You had coffee,” he said, and her flush only got deeper. He held out a hand. “Come here. I think we need to talk.”

“Another state of the union?” she asked, wrinkling her nose, but she sat on the edge of the bed, drawing one of her legs beneath her. “I’m sorry for…basically falling apart.”

“It’s been an interesting—” He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. “Eight hours? Is that it? It’s only ten?”

“I guess.” She picked at a loose thread in the comforter. “I meant what I said. I don’t want to go to the island if you don’t want me there. I’ve spent my whole life being somewhere I wasn’t wanted—”

“Not wanting you there isn’t the problem.”

“Then what it is?” She lifted her gaze to his again. “Sonny made it sound like the only option—”

“You have all the options you want to have, including going back to your life and forgetting any of this ever happened,” he said quietly. “I can put a guard on you, and we’ll go back to how it was.”

“Pretending I don’t exist?” Elizabeth challenged. “That’s what you want?”

Jason sighed, rubbed a hand down the side of his face. “No. No. It’s not. But it’s an option. I just—” He let his head fall back against the headboard. “Is that how you feel? That I’m testing you, waiting for you to fail?”

“N-No. Not exactly. It’s more like—” She pulled her other leg on the bed, sat cross-legged. “I guess maybe it’s me feeling like I have to prove myself. Like there’s some magical answer to all this and when I find it, you’ll change your mind, and I don’t know…we can stop having this conversation and go on to the next one.” She smiled weakly. “You know, like my parents. Always dangling their approval in front of me, and me deciding whether I want to try to earn it or thumb my nose at it so they can see how much I don’t want it. That’s on me, and I’m sorry. You’ve been pretty clear where you stand, and I’m the one who keeps pushing back.”

“I don’t know about that. I tried to be clear,” he admitted. “But I feel like we left a door open when we talked that night in the studio—”

“More like I wedged my foot in as you were trying to lock it,” Elizabeth cut in, and his quick grin felt like sunshine on her skin. “Then again, you’re the one who picked kissing me as a method to shut me up, so it’s probably not helping.”

“No, it’s not.” Jason studied her for a long moment, long enough that she wanted to squirm and look away. “Let’s try something different. What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Elizabeth repeated, bewildered. “Why? What do you mean?” She drew her brows back. “I want you to follow the doctors order and get better faster. I want you to not have been shot. To have told me. I want—” She looked down at her hands. “I don’t know. I want it to be like it used to be. When we could just talk and there wasn’t all of this in the middle. I don’t know why it has to be so hard. Or awkward.”

“I don’t know either. I don’t like it. It’s the last thing I wanted. All of this—” He paused. “I don’t know.”

“We just complicated something that didn’t need to be complicated,” Elizabeth decided. She scooted up towards the head of the bed and sat next to Jason shoulder to shoulder. “I should have just come straight to the garage the day after the show to tell you I was upset you didn’t show up or tell me you weren’t going. But I let it fester into this whole ball of resentment. And you—” She looked at him, found him looking back at her. “Can I be honest?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s like you pressed fast-forward button on something we hadn’t even talked about. I mean, Jason, we were just flirting, you know? And you were already planning how depressed I’d be about living with your life and trying to protect yourself from breaking up with me, and we hadn’t even gotten to a first date.”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it, drawing his brows together. He looked forward. “I—when you put it like that—”

“And I  started to freak out about the physical side of things when you know, that hasn’t even come up. And I don’t think I’d be a girl to sleep with you on the first date.” She squinted, looked at him. “Well, maybe. You’re pretty hot.”

“I’m sorry?” He looked at her now, startled.

“I mean, I never thought about if I’d have a three date rule. You know, you’d have to buy me three dinners before you got under the clothes.” Elizabeth pursed her lip. “I never needed to develop that philosophy. But maybe I should.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“We were both skipping ahead, and skipping some stuff that might be fun. Like, remember when we were on the bike on the island? After we yelled at each other at those rocks. Going back to the house,” Elizabeth said. “I liked that. And walking on the beach in the moonlight, talking.” Her cheeks heated and she looked away. “And you know, on the terrace.”

He exhaled slowly. “So you’re saying we just throw out all the stuff we talked about last week.”

“No, no, because there’s some stuff in there that’s important. I feel like I just got a little crash into some of the things I might have to deal with, though I’m hoping the shooting and dragging you through a parking garage is, like, once a year tops, you know? Do you get shot more than that?”

“Uh—no, but—”

“And well, the physical stuff is going fine, I think. The first time might have been fluke where my brain just took a vacation, but it happened against today. I think I’m doing okay there. What do you think?”

“I—” Jason looked at her. “Yeah. That’s—that’s all good.”

“Good. But other than that, yeah, I think we throw it out. We’re going back to the island, and you have to get better anyway, so it’s not like you have to worry about me jumping you or anything.”

“That’s—that’s good to know.” His voice sounded slightly strangled. “So—”

“And we just let things happen. You know, live in the moment. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Maybe we’ll hate each other in a few weeks,” she told him, and the corner of his mouth curved up in a half smile.

“You think that’s possible?”

“Sure. I can be pretty annoying, I have it on good authority. Plus, you haven’t even see how much I ignore people when I’m painting. Sonny said he could get me art supplies. I didn’t even tell you! I signed a contract with the Jerome Galleries. I’m going to have an exhibit in August.”

He grinned. “That’s great. It’s exactly what you were hoping for.”

“Right? But it’s also super stressful because now I have to paint and create, and I will totally ignore you for hours at a time. And when I’m not, I talk too much. And you hate that.”

“I don’t—”

“I know, you said like to listen to me talk, but maybe that’s just because you haven’t really gotten to know me yet. So you know, give me two weeks to get on your nerves. And you! You might annoy me.”

“Maybe I’ll annoy you,” he said. “I don’t like to talk. Maybe you’ll get tired of carrying the conversation. And I hate watching TV. I don’t watch movies.”

“See? We don’t even have to worry about what happens in six months. We’re going to burn this out in, like a month tops. Problem solved.” She slid off the bed. “I have to go tell Sonny we’re all set. He’s getting me security so I can go to the pool house and pack.” She looked around and found her clothes folded on the top of the dresser where she’d left the night before. She scooped them up. “You’re going to rest, right? Don’t, like, start doing push-ups or whatever.”

“No, I’m going to rest.”

“Good. This is a good idea. You’re going to be happy we changed the plan.” And going on instinct, she leaned in and kissed him quickly. “I am very good at annoying people. Ask anyone. In a week, you’ll be begging Sonny to send me away—”

“Not going to happen.” He caught her arm, pulled her back to kiss her again, drawing it out. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

“No, you’ll be asleep. Rest. Or you’ll see how annoying I actually can be.”

July 4, 2024

This entry is part 24 of 36 in the Flash Fiction: Warning Shots

Written in 76 minutes. Sorry. The cat kept walking in front of the screen and then I had trouble ending the scene.


June 2000

Elizabeth sat at the dining room table in Sonny Corinthos’ penthouse, watching the rain pelt the windows overlooking downtown Port Charles and contemplated the insanity of her life in the last six months. The boy she thought she’d love forever had broken her heart, and somehow that had led her to the home of Port Charles Public Enemy Number One and in a complicated something with his right hand man.

And last night, she’d been shot at for nothing more than standing next to the wrong person in a parking lot.

Elizabeth scrubbed her hands over her face, trying to rub some common sense back into herself. Or maybe if she tried hard enough, she’d knock herself into reality, and all of this would go away because this really couldn’t be her life could it?

A door closed down the hall, and a few minutes later, Sonny appeared. The older man looked as tired as Elizabeth felt. She’d seen him in passing over the last few years, and had never known him to look anything but put together with designer suits and neatly combed back hair. Today, that same coal-black hair was disheveled, hanging in curls over his forehead, stubble lining his jaw, and he wore what must have seemed like casual lounging clothes to him — a pair of black pants and a slate gray shirt.

“Um, I was wondering if it was safe to go home now,” Elizabeth said after Sonny had headed for a mini bar set against the wall. He poured himself a glass of water. “I’m supposed to work at Kelly’s later today—”

“We should talk about what happens next, and the options on the table.” Sonny came to the table, sat across from her. “You’ve done remarkable all things considered. What are you, eighteen?”

“Nineteen. I’ll be twenty in a few months,” she muttered. She picked at the chipped polish on her thumb. “Why?”

“If you think I’m saying something about your age, I’m not. I know more than most that age is just a number. I was running the streets at fourteen. Working for Joe Scully by fifteen.” He folded his arms on the table, leaned forward. “And Jason? You know he’s only twenty-six.”

“Yeah—”

“Twenty-six,” Sonny murmured. He rubbed a finger across his lips. “You know, I left him everything a few years ago. He was twenty-four. Barely working for me maybe a year and a half. And I just handed him the keys to the empire I’d built.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. “I guess I never thought about that. Why would you trust someone so young so fast?”

“I don’t know. Jason’s got a way about him. You know what I mean, don’t you? One second, he’s just this kid I’m helping out, and the next—he’s my best friend and practically the only person I’d trust my life with. Can’t tell you how or why it happened. Only that it did.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how it was. He was just Emily’s brother. Or the guy who gave Lucky a job and a place to live. But he was always nice to me. Then—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. He listened, even when I didn’t think I needed to talk. And then the next thing I knew—” she trailed off, looked back at her hands. “I’m not some silly little girl with a crush.”

“I never thought you were.”

“Oh.” She lifted her eyes to him. “You said we had to talk about the options. I don’t know what that means. Jason’s going to be okay, isn’t he? And he just wanted me to be safe. I am now—”

“After we’re done here, you and me, I’m gonna send you in to have probably the same conversation with Jason. The thing is, I don’t know if he’s gonna sugarcoat the situation so that you don’t get too scared or maybe he’ll make it sound worse than it really is so you run away screaming, and he doesn’t have to keep pushing you away.”

“I think I know which one he’ll pick,” Elizabeth muttered, and Sonny grinned then, a dimple winking in his cheek.

“Me, too. Our boy is a little too self-sacrificing if you ask me, but we’ll worry about that later. The thing is Jason’s going to be okay, but he’s not there yet. He needs to rest and he needs to stay off the radar. What happened last night—well, the guy didn’t succeed in his goal.”

“Because Jason’s alive.”

“Bullseye. So he’s going to look for an opportunity to finish the job.” Sonny paused. “Now, that part’s easy. Jason’s gonna lay low, recuperate, and I’m gonna figure this out hopefully before he’s well enough to worry about it again. My worry is that if I take Jason off the board, this guy is going to get pissed. And he’s going to do whatever he has to so that he lures Jason out of hiding.”

Elizabeth exhaled on a rush of air. “There are other people. Better people—”

“There’s Emily and Michael and you. That’s it. That’s Jason’s circle at the moment. No one’s going to go all the way to Paris to dig up an ex-girlfriend, though it’s something to consider,” Sonny admitted. “So, fine, we add Robin to that list. Robin’s not here. Emily and Michael? Quartermaines. No one’s touching them. In fact, that’s what happened last night. This guy waited for Emily to leave, and took his shot. He did not care that you were there. But—”

“But Jason took me with him when he left instead of leaving me behind as a random witness,” Elizabeth murmured. “And Emily said the papers printed my name. That she got phone calls.”

“People know who you are. I don’t want you to be someone they can use against Jason, not when I need him to recover. I also just don’t want to see you hurt.”

“So what happens then? What are you asking me to do?” Elizabeth frowned. “I have to work, okay? And I didn’t—I didn’t tell anyone yet except my grandmother and Emily, but I signed a contract this week for an art exhibition the last week of August. I have to paint.”

“I can handle that second part. And I can make some calls. Luke’s a friend of mine, and he and Bobbie co-own Kelly’s with Ruby gone, don’t they?”

“Yes, but—”

“I know this isn’t fair. Especially since you and Jason aren’t exactly on the same page about what you’re doing. I got the idea last night that maybe you were having second thoughts about all of this.”

“Second thoughts? Try fifth and sixth.” Elizabeth sighed, leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know. I don’t know how anyone signs up for this life. To love someone in it, that seems impossible. To actually live it—how do you do it?” she asked, leaning forward. “Am I allowed to ask that? You can tell me to shut up. It’s none of my business—”

“No, but I don’t mind answering. Some people—they go into this world for the money. For the power. Some? They thrive on violence. They like to hurt people. Others?” Sonny sniffed. “They grow up in it, and it’s an inheritance, you get me? It’s an expectation, the way maybe your family thought you’d go into medicine, I’m sure, with all the doctors in your family.” He paused. “I had…a difficult childhood,” he said. “And I wanted to make sure no one could hurt me again. I needed the power to control my world. The rest of it? The money, that’s nice. I don’t care for the violence, but I don’t turn from it either. It doesn’t scare me, particularly. I’ve never known much peace in my life. I don’t think I’d know what to do with it.”

“I should run away screaming,” Elizabeth murmured. “Jason thinks I will, and there’s part of me that wants to stay just to prove him wrong. But that’s not—that’s not fair. To him or to me.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I can’t help but notice that you haven’t run away screaming yet. Something’s holding you back.” Sonny tipped his head. “I asked you to stay last night. But I didn’t force you.”

“Last night, someone shot at me just because I was standing too close to Jason,” Elizabeth said slowly. “When you say it that way, you know, it makes it sound like it’s Jason’s fault. But he didn’t pull the trigger. I told everyone I had a date to this dance.” She looked down at her hands. “I told them that I had a date because I didn’t want them to think Lucky had hurt me by breaking off our plans to  go with my sister. I got dressed up, I let my grandmother take pictures of me, and I went to the movies. Afterwards, instead of going home, I walked through the park.” She met Sonny’s dark eyes. “I should have gone home, but it was too early. I sat on a bench to wait a little bit, to finish my popcorn. I told a lie, and that’s why I was raped.”

“That’s—” Sonny paused, took a deep breath. “You know that’s not why—”

“It’s why I was sitting on that bench in that moment. Because I lied. I know that doesn’t make it my fault. Just like standing too close to Jason doesn’t make it his fault if something happens. But I understand why he thinks it does. Because there’s part of me that won’t ever be able to forgive the silly little girl who told that lie.” She cleared her throat. “When Jason says he thinks one day I’ll change my mind and I’ll look at him like a monster, I think — well, maybe he’s right. Because I keep seeing myself in the mirror and blaming myself for what happened to me.” She let out a rush of breath. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you wanted to talk about. You said there were options. I have to go away, too, right? Until Jason is okay, you think I’ll be safer if I go away.”

“Yeah.” Sonny cleared his throat. “Yeah. And you’d be doing me a favor if you went with Jason to the island. He’s a terrible patient who never follows orders if someone doesn’t make him. I’ll make sure you have everything you need for your art. Just make a list. But yeah, I think that’s best.”

“The island? With Jason?” Elizabeth bit her lip. “And he knows this? He agreed already?”

“He did.” Sonny tipped his head. “Does that surprise you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it does. Um, but he agreed, so that must—it must be okay. I just—I don’t—you’re sure me going away doesn’t mean Emily or Michael would be the next up?” Elizabeth asked. “Because I—”

“As certain as I can be, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Emily. Michael’s a kid — it’s harder to use him. But I can put someone on her here.”

“Okay. Okay. If you’re sure this is the best way, and Jason already said okay, then we can do that. I just—I don’t want to do anything that will make this worse.”

“I can’t imagine how that would be possible. I appreciate this, Elizabeth. I’ll be able to work up here and not worry about either of you.”

——

Jason might have promised Sonny he’d lay down, but it wasn’t a promise he was able to keep. He knew Sonny was out there, explaining this horrible situation to Elizabeth, and he had no doubt Sonny was going to make it sound as dire as possible so that she’d agree to go to the island. After the way Jason had acted over the last twelve hours, there was no way she’d want go back there willingly.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and then it pushed open. Elizabeth stepped in, her brow furrowed. “You’re supposed to be laying down.”

“I need to move around—”

“You need—” She closed her mouth, then sighed. “I don’t know why Sonny thinks you’ll listen to me. That’s the whole reason he wants me to go with you, but if you won’t listen to a doctor, why would you listen to me?”

Chagrined, Jason clutched the post at the end of the bed, wrapping his hand around it, and holding the other against his bandaged side. “That’s what he said?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he was just trying to make it sound like I’d be useful instead of a terrible burden and someone he has to look after.” Elizabeth folded her arms, the oversized t-shirt sliding off her shoulder again. “It’s my fault,” she muttered. “If I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have worried about me, and maybe you wouldn’t have been shot—”

“What?” Jason cut in, bewildered. How had she turned this around to make it her fault? “They were shooting at me—”

“But I was there because I told the parking attendant to leave me for last.” She looked at him, her eyes swimming. “I could have gone first. Nikolas told me to go first, but I said it was fine for him. And I only did it because I was hoping you’d come out to say goodbye to Emily, so I waited like the stupid girl with the silly crush that I told you I wasn’t, except that’s exactly how I acted. I ignored everything you said, and now you and Sonny are both worried about my safety—”

“Okay, we need to back up—” Jason took a step towards her, but she shook her head.

“No, no, I keep going over it, and I listened when Sonny explained it all to me — I waited so we’d be out there alone, a-and then you were so worried about me you didn’t even take care of yourself, and now this guy who wants to hurt might try to use me which is exactly what you said would happen, and I promise I was listening—” She sucked in a sharp, quavering breath. “I promise I take this seriously, I just—”

“Hey.” Jason winced as he took a few more steps towards her. “Hey. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who made myself a target, okay? They were shooting at me—”

“And you got hurt when you pushed me down, so if I hadn’t been there—” Tears clung to her lashes when she lifted her gaze to his. “Sonny told me you agreed that I should go with you, but you don’t want that, do you? That’s the last thing you want. I’m not an idiot. That’s why Sonny talked to me. He said you agreed, but that doesn’t mean you want me to go—”

The fact that she was right—that his first instinct had been to reject the plan made Jason feel about two feet tall. He grimaced. “It’s not like that—”

“And now you’re looking at me like I’m insane, and trust me, I feel insane because I was fine out there talking to Sonny, but I came in here, and you’re standing up walking around like an idiot because you just got shot and you won’t take pain medication, you won’t rest—and it’s because you’re trying to get better faster because you don’t want to be alone with me, and that’s my fault. You think I’m going to push you into something you don’t want—” She pressed her fist to her mouth. “Because that’s what I was doing, right? Last night. In the hallway, and then in the parking lot—you said no, and I didn’t listen. Oh, God.” Horrified, her eyes widened. “Oh, God. You said no, and I didn’t care—what kind of person am I?”

Jason winced, reached for her hands to pull them away from her face. “Hey, okay, we need to take a deep breath. Elizabeth—” He took her chin in his hand. “Look at me. Hey.”

She closed her eyes. “Please don’t look at me. Please don’t. I’m making a fool of myself, and it’s going to be so much worse when you’re nice about it—”

“Well, I can’t do anything about that. Can you look at me? Please?”

Her lashes fluttered, and then her eyes were open again, misery in every line of her expression. “You should be resting.”

“I will. You’re right. I should be listening to the doctor. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He winced, because his side really did hurt like a son of a bitch, but he had to do this first. “Okay. First, I did not say no. And you did nothing that made me feel like that you didn’t listen to me the other night Or last night.”

“But—”

“I don’t think you’re trying to push me into anything. I don’t. And last night—” He sighed. “I was just about to offer you a ride on the bike before everything went to hell because I didn’t want you to just go home. So what if you made sure you were the last to leave? That’s not why I was hurt.”

He slid his hands down her shoulders to her arms down to her hands. “But if you’re asking if I think going to the island together is a good idea, no, I don’t. I think it’s going to make this harder for both of us. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s the best way to keep you safe, and to keep me from worrying about you off in some safe house with guards you don’t know.”

“I—” Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry for falling apart. It’s not exactly doing much to reassure you that I could do this if you gave me the chance.”

“I don’t want you to worry about that—”

“I can’t help it.” She smiled, though it was a thin one, and it didn’t reach her eyes. “I was so scared last night when I realized you’d been hurt. And, God, I was so mad.” The color returned to her cheeks. “Why didn’t you say anything? You didn’t tell me you were hurt, and I was looking for my stupid shoe—”

“I wasn’t thinking about it—” Jason winced when she just narrowed her eyes. “I just knew I didn’t have a lot of time to get you somewhere safe—”

“You matter, too, okay? I don’t want any of this macho crap where you think I’m some damsel in distress you have to rescue—” She poked him in the chest. “So if that’s what you think—”

“I don’t—”

“Because I dragged you off your bike and to the elevators, and I don’t think some flimsy princess could do that—and I did it without shoes—so I think I get extra credit for that.”

“Is there a test I don’t know about?” he asked, confused. “I mean, I’m grateful—”

“All of this is a test. You didn’t set it up,” Elizabeth said, letting her hand fall to her side, “but that doesn’t mean you aren’t grading me. Tell the truth. You thought this would be enough to send me running. Maybe you were hoping it would. Is what you want? Really? For me to go?” Her tone had shifted again. “Because I’ll tell Sonny that I’ll go to the island and stay somewhere else like the resort or something. I don’t want to be somewhere I’m not wanted.”

Jason opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head, and did something truly insane. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her against him, claiming her mouth with his.

July 3, 2024

This entry is part 23 of 36 in the Flash Fiction: Warning Shots

Written in 57 minutes. I had a little trouble getting the first part of the scene together, so writing went a little slower than I wanted.


June 2000

He didn’t recognize the wallpaper. Jason squinted, his bleary gaze trying to make sense of the dark-colored wall in front of him. His bedroom was a bland white, so he wasn’t home. And the ache he felt when he moved his hand, the fire that raced down his side as soon as he tried to shift on the bed stopped any movement of his body. So he turned his head, slowly until his right cheek was resting against the pillow.

Beside him lay Elizabeth, curled up on her side, her curly hair spilling over her shoulders, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, the other wrapped around her waist. She had a shirt that was too big for her—something gray that slid off one shoulder. Jason squinted. There was a cut on the skin left bare. And a scrape. Was she hurt? Why was she sleeping next to him?

And then it came back in a rush—the parking lot, the headlights, shoving her to the ground, the look in her eye when she was looking for her shoe—and then the rest of it was gone. He didn’t remember anything else.

Jason looked past her, to the door, then exhaled slowly. That he recognized. His old room at Sonny’s, when he’d first moved in. He hadn’t gone upstairs until after Michael was born, and he’d needed to be closer.

He’d made it to the Towers, he thought, remembering now that had been his goal. Get Elizabeth to Sonny. He’d done that. She was safe.

Jason touched his side, hissing when the pain lanced through him again. He tried to sit up, sliding one leg to the side and barely managed to lift his upper body up, hanging on to the edge of the nightstand with a death grip. “Damn it,” he muttered. He just wanted to get to the bathroom or to a mirror to see how bad it was.

He heard rustling behind him, and sighed. He’d wanted to be out of bed before she woke up, hadn’t wanted that picture in his head, of knowing what she looked like when just opening her eyes.

“Jason?” Her voice was sleepy, his name half-yawned, then spoken. Then she said it again, worried. “Jason! What are you doing? You got shot!”

“Yeah, I figured,” he grunted, but she’d already raced around the side of the bed, had a hand on his shoulder.

“You have to lay down. The doctor said you needed to rest. I’ll get Sonny, okay? A-and if you’re in pain—” She released his shoulder, then to look at the night table, picked up some bottles. “There’s something here for that—”

“I don’t like pain medication,” he said.

“But—”

“I don’t want it,” he cut in, and his voice was sharp enough that Elizabeth flinched, set the bottle down. “I don’t like the way it makes me feel.”

“I know—”

“How would you know that?” he demanded, then felt like an asshole when she dropped her eyes. “Look, I just—I need to talk to Sonny—”

“He told me you wouldn’t want pain medication when you woke up,” Elizabeth said, and he closed his mouth. “That’s how I know. And that’s why I stayed in here. Because he said the minute you were up, you’d try to get up and you weren’t supposed to. He said you’re a terrible patient who never listens to the doctors, so he thought maybe you’d listen to me.” Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, I guess on that he was wrong. It’s not pain medication. Not that way.” She showed him the bottle. “It’s just something to help with the inflammation.”

“I’m—” Jason grimaced, looked down at the carpet, though that didn’t help because her bare feet were in front of him, and they were painted the same color she’d been wearing the night before, a bright pink that made him think of throwing her to the ground, scaring her. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“You got shot, you’re entitled to be cranky.” But she kept her eyes averted. “I’ll get Sonny. I know you’ll want to talk to him.”

“Elizabeth—” He called after her, but she was already in the hallway. Damn it. He dragged a hand over his face, feeling the stubble beneath his fingers.

When Sonny came in a few minutes later, Jason had hobbled to his feet, using the headboard for balance. The older man just sighed. “So much for hoping a pretty face would make you a a better patient. Sit back down before you tear open those stitches—”

“I just want to see—” But Sonny was in front of him, and Jason had no choice but back up, then to sit down, wincing at the pressure on his side. “I just wanted to see how bad it is—”

“Entry and exit wound. No internal damage, you lucky son of a bitch. If you follow orders, you might be up and moving in a few days, and back to your normal in a few weeks—”

“I don’t have a few weeks—”

“Sure you do. Now take your medicine.” Sonny held out two pills and a glass of water. “Start thinking of ways to apologize to that very nice young woman who dragged your sorry ass from the parking garage up here—”

“What?” Jason demanded, but Sonny just lifted his brows, pressed his lips closed. “Fine,” he muttered. He took the pills, chased them with the water. “What are you talking about? I got her back here—”

“You got as far as the parking garage and practically keeled over. And instead of calling 911 like a normal person might or running away screaming, Elizabeth managed to drag you to the elevators. You don’t remember any of that?”

“No—” Open your eyes. Lean on me. He winced. “A little.”

“And she agreed to stay here while I tried to get to the bottom of whatever the hell happened last night. But maybe I should have put her in a safe house considering she looked miserable when she came down to get me.”

“Do you know what happened?” Jason asked, ignoring the rest of it.

Sonny stroked his jaw. “Yeah. We got the shooter. Don’t get too excited — he’s not one of Moreno’s men so we can’t neatly tie it. He got a contract.”

“A contract—” Jason repeated. “What—”

“Shooter got the contract directly from an old friend of ours. You remember David Reece?”

Jason squinted, then realized how he knew the name. “Messenger for the cartels? The one who told you that there was a hit on you before the wedding?”

“Yeah. Shooter can’t connect us to Moreno, so I can’t say for sure it was him. I don’t know who else it would be,” Sonny said. He ambled over to the window, peered through the blinds. “But a contract makes sense for how it got set up. He picked the contract up yesterday morning, but couldn’t get a clear shot of you until last night.”

“But—”

“You were always around other people, and he had orders to minimize casualties. And to under no circumstances open fire with Emily around. No one wants the kind of heat she’d bring. Shooter waited until she left last night, and after that—” Sonny slid his hands in his pockets. “He didn’t much care about who was next to you. So you were worried Elizabeth was part of it, she wasn’t.”

“She was just standing next to me.” Jason closed his eyes. Just like Nikolas Cassadine that night at Luke’s.

“If she’d gone with Emily, he would have shot you then.”

“Okay. Okay. So Elizabeth is safe. That’s all that mattered.” And after last night and this morning, he figured that had put the period on whatever relationship she thought she wanted. She’d be running in the other direction.

“Well—”

Jason lifted his head, not liking the tone of Sonny’s voice. “What? What’s the rest?”

“Shooter doesn’t know who paid him, so he only talked to David Reece. We caught him on the phone with Reece.” Sonny hesitated. “They know you’re alive — and they know you didn’t go back inside the club like maybe you could have. And the brunette? Her name is in the paper this morning as a person of interest. The PCPD have been calling Audrey Hardy and Emily down at the pool house.”

“Shit.” Jason dropped his head in his hands, wincing at the pain. “So if they didn’t—”

“If there was any chance of thinking she was just a random woman standing next to you, everyone knows now it was Elizabeth Webber, roommate to your little sister. Add that in to the fact that you made sure she was with you when you left the scene—”

“Damn it. Damn it. I should just gone back inside.” Jason gripped the headboard again, pushed himself to his feet. “I should have called you—”

“You’d been shot, Jason. You didn’t know if you’d pass out, if Luke was still inside the club, if they were going to come back. Give yourself a break. All you wanted was to get Elizabeth somewhere you were sure was safe. And you did that.”

“And made it worse—”

“You couldn’t have known that. Look, we can complain about how we got here, or we can deal with the situation as it is. The contract is unfilled, so Reece is just going to hand it out to someone else. You’re in no shape to be seen in public. The PCPD will have a thousand questions if they find out you’ve been shot. And Elizabeth—”

“Will get dragged in, too. Okay. Okay. So I’ll go away. I’ll go down to the island until I can walk—”

“Exactly.” Sonny paused. “Except for the part if you disappear from public, you’ve just David Reece and probably Anthony Moreno all the ammunition they need to pull you back.”

“Elizabeth. She’ll be a target. So will you, but—”

“But I’m already a target. And it’s not like they’ll kill her right away. They’ll hold her hostage, lure you in—”

“Stop talking. I got the point,” Jason bit out. He swayed slightly, his head spinning. “Safe house. You have to keep her safe until I can come back and handle this.”

“Right. I’ll put her with some strange guards she’s never seen before, tell her to pack up her whole life for a few weeks while you recuperate in the Caribbean.” Sonny cleared his throat. “And you’ll be just fine and normal, following doctor’s orders down there, not worried about her at all.”

“No,” Jason bit out, because he knew the only answer to all of this. He’d gone out of his way to keep Elizabeth away from this part of his life, but in a moment of weakness he’d gotten her those stupid tickets so he could make her smile, and maybe make up for how he’d hurt her—and he’d ruined everything. She’d been shot at, thrown around, and had, apparently, been left to deal with him after he’d passed out from the gunshot.

He wouldn’t have to worry about keeping his hands off her on the island. She’d probably insist on a room on the other side of the house, if she agreed to go at all.

“She has to go with me,” he said, and saw Sonny’s shoulders relax. “You should have just said that from the beginning—”

“And miss watching you tie yourself in knots trying to get out of it?” Sonny scoffed. “Not a chance. You needed to realize for yourself this is the best way. I won’t have to worry about you, because you already bit her head off about following’s doctors orders and you feel bad so you’re not doing it again, right?”

Jason clenched his jaw. “She told you that?”

“No, I’m freaking Colombo putting together clues. You’re on your feet, and she was upset. Now, lay back down and I’ll arrange things. And I’ll be the one telling her because you—” Sonny stabbed a finger at him. “—need to practice not making that face when she’s in the room. She saved your life last night, idiot. Don’t make me or her regret that.”

July 2, 2024

This entry is part 22 of 36 in the Flash Fiction: Warning Shots

Written in 65 minutes.


June 2000

She hit the ground hard, a heavy weight falling on top of her, the gravel beneath digging into the skin left bare by the hot pink tube top that had seemed like a great idea six hours earlier—

Elizabeth barely had time to cover her head with her hands before the last blast of gunfire exploded, and she heard the spark and sizzle of something electrical shorting out—tires squealed—

“Stay down—” The words were little more than hot air breathed against her neck, and then the weight pressing her down vanished. There were a few screams, some shouts, horns and cars braking on the nearby streets, but Elizabeth didn’t move. He’d told her stay still, and if there was one time to follow directions, it was when the guy who’d been shot at a thousand times told you not to move.

But then she was being lifted, rolled over, Jason’s hands wrapping around her biceps, pulling her to a sitting position, almost like a rag doll. Those hands kept moving, tracing down her sides. “Are you hit? Are you hurt?—”

Elizabeth finally raised her head, met his frantic eyes. “N-No—are you—”

“We have to get out of here.” He hauled her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist when she stumbled, one of those platform wedges she loved so much having fallen off. She turned slightly, as if to find it. “What is it?’ he demanded.

“My s-shoe—” She swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she brought them up to rake her hands through her hair. “I c-can’t find my shoe—”

Another night flashed through her head. Being thrown to the ground. Her shoe was lost. The lights whirled around her and Elizabeth lost her breath for a minute, slapped at the hands holding her. “Don’t—” The breath vanished and she couldn’t form any more words. She just moved away, backing up, then falling—the height difference between her feet thanks to the missing shoe throwing her off balance.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Jason knelt down, wincing, his expression still tense but his tone softer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—we just—” He raked his hands though his hair. “I have to get you somewhere safe. Okay? Please. They might come back, and you were with me. I don’t know—”

The lights swirled again, and Elizabeth took a deep breath. She sat up, kicked off her remaining platform. “I lost my other shoe somewhere,” she said. “I’m okay. Let’s go.” Jason stood, wincing again, and held out his hand, pulling her to her feet.

“I’ll buy you a dozen pairs, but—”

“No, we can go. I can go. We’re okay.” It wasn’t two years ago. It wasn’t cold beneath her back. She could do this. “Let’s go,” she said.

He’d scared her, Jason realized. Throwing her to the ground, hauling her around like a sack of coffee. He hadn’t meant to do that, and if he’d taken his time, if he’d just thought about it, they might not have wasted precious minutes standing here—

Time he really didn’t have as the fire in his side only burned hotter, blood dripping, clinging to his skin, sliding down. He just had to get her to Sonny. If he could get to Sonny, she’d be safe, and it didn’t matter what happened to him.

Her eyes had cleared of that terrible look, and Jason hurried her over to the bike, handing her the helmet, clenching his teeth when he swung his leg over the side, and he nearly bit his tongue when Elizabeth’s hand slid past the wound.

“Jason—are you okay—”

“I’m fine. We have to go.” He switched on the ignition, and she tightened her hold on him. He roared out of the parking lot, just seconds ahead of the police sirens. The PCPD would come find them eventually, but not until he’d made sure Elizabeth was safe.

——

There was something terribly wrong. Elizabeth knew it even as they raced away from Luke’s, towards the buildings where she knew he and Sonny lived at Harborview Towers, but she thought it was his worry, his obvious fear that whoever had taken those shots would come back.

When they pulled into a spot in the parking garage, Elizabeth drew hands back, unsnapped the helmet, and swung her leg over the side. She set the helmet on the back of the bike, then stared at her left hand, almost not registering the meaning of the red smeared across her skin.

With trembling fingers, she lifted her eyes to Jason slumped over the front of the bike, the black cotton T-shirt having masked the blood until they were in the bright lights of the garage.

“J-ason—” Elizabeth tugged at his shoulder. “Jason, you have to—oh my God—” All while he’d been checking on her, dragging her to safety, he’d been shot—”Jason, open your eyes, please—”

“Sonny.” Jason’s eyes, just a sliver of blue as he forced them open. “He’ll—” And then he slumped again, this time losing his balance, falling over into her, nearly taking the bike with him. Elizabeth gasped, wrapping her arms around his torso, shoving back with all her strength.

“Jason, you have to help me. I have to get you upstairs—” She twisted her head, frantically looking for someone, anyone. Why wasn’t anyone coming to help? Did she call, scream for help? Or would that get him in trouble?

She swallowed her sobs, shoved again, and somehow, someway, she was able to get Jason back into a sitting position, the bike teetering, but staying up. “Oh, God. Jason, you have to help me. Please. I—” She bit her lip. “I’m not safe yet, okay? I don’t know where to go. Where he lives.” She touched his face, her fingers softly combing through the hair just above his ear. “Jason. Please. I need your help.”

Jason stirred again, his eyes opened. “Eliza…”

“Hey. Hey, no, no, don’t close your eyes again—” She stroked his face. “Stay with me. Help me. I don’t know where to go. You can show me, can’t you? Where does Sonny live? I can—” She wound one of his heavy arms over her shoulder. “You got on the bike right? We can—we can get off the same way. Just lean on me.”

“Have to get upstairs—” He took a deep breath, slightly more conscious now, his words still slurred.

Somehow, maybe through a miracle from heaven, she got Jason off the bike, and once on his feet, he seemed to fall into autopilot. Step by step, towards the bank of elevators.

“Fifteenth floor.” Jason grunted, leaning against the concrete wall. He closed his eyes. “Sonny can send someone for me—”

“I got you this far,” Elizabeth muttered, jabbing the button again. “Don’t—” She darted forward, caught his arm over her shoulder again as he started to slump. “We’re almost there, okay? We’ll get upstairs and someone will be able to help.”

The elevator ride was the longest of her life, and Elizabeth couldn’t even begin to think about what she’d say if the car stopped along the way because there was no hiding the mangled mess of blood of Jason’s side, the blood streaked across her hands, his face, and probably hers now, too.

But the doors never opened until the top floor, until they’d reached the fifteenth floor. The car doors opened, and step by painful step, Elizabeth guided Jason out of the car, and into the hallway.

“I’ll go get help—” she started, but she could already hear footsteps, and a man in a dark suit came around, his eyes wide.

“Jason! Holy hell!”

The man raced back to the penthouse, shoved open the door. “Mr. C! Mr. C! Jason’s been shot!”

It wasn’t every day that Sonny found bleeding man on his doorstep, but it happened often enough that he didn’t even blink. He and Max half-carried, half-dragged Jason into the penthouse, Sonny barking at the terrified brunette to follow them. He didn’t think about her again until he’d settled Jason on a bed in the unused maid’s room on the first floor, and told Max to make a call to their doctor while he took stock of Jason’s injuries.

Entry and exit wound, so that accounted for the blood, Sonny thought, using a pair of scissors from the first aid kit to cut away the t-shirt around the wound.

“S-Sonny.”

Sonny grunted, not glancing up from applying pressure against the wound. “A little busy here.”

“Elizabeth.”

“She’s fine. Dragged your sorry ass up from the parking garage—how the hell did you get here from Luke’s?” Sonny demanded.

“Bike.” Jason clenched his jaw, and the pain ripped across his face. “Had to get her here. They—they waited.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone gone. Just me. Just her.” Jason reached forward, gripped Sonny’s shoulder. “Could—they could have waited for her to go, but they didn’t. You—you’ll make sure—”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe. You just focus on not dying on me, you got it? Leave the rest of it to me.”

Finally, their doctor arrived and Sonny was able to think about Elizabeth. He was a little impressed that rather than giving into instinct when Jason had started to pass out and calling 911, she’d brought him up here.

He found her in the kitchen, sitting on a stool at the island, staring her blood-streaked hands. Her curly hair hanging limply around her shoulders, her mascara and eyeliner had run enough to give her slight raccoon eyes, and there some light scratches and cuts along her shoulders.

Sonny took the stool across from her. “Well, this isn’t the way I wanted us to meet.”

He was rewarded when the corner of her mouth tugged upwards. “No, not really in the top five, I guess.”

“Sonny Corinthos. Thanks for getting him upstairs.” He tipped his head. “You didn’t wash your hands yet.”

“Didn’t want to until I knew—” She licked her lips, then finally met his eyes. “Is he okay? I mean, will he be okay?”

“Probably.” Sonny scratched his jaw. “He drove you here? On the bike?”

“I didn’t—I didn’t know he was hurt. He wouldn’t let me ask—I wouldn’t have let him leave that way—I would have refused—” Her eyes filled. “But he kept saying they might come back and he wanted me to be safe.”

“He was right. Until I know what happened, it’s better if you stay here. If that’s what you want.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, and Sonny went over to the sink. He wet a dishcloth, then brought it to her. “I’m sure this was a lot—”

“Not the worst night I’ve ever had,” she said softly. She wiped the blood from her hands, almost mechanically. “This is what he meant, isn’t it? Tonight. This is why he thinks he has to be alone.”

Surprised, Sonny took the stool next to her. “Maybe. Is that he said?”

“He said my face would change.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “That knowing what he does is one thing, but living with it is another, and this is what he meant. This feeling. Worried he might die. That’s going to happen again, isn’t it?”

Sonny considered very carefully how to answer her question. “It’s not like this every day,” he said finally. “But it’s also not not never. Not everyone wants to sign for it.” He waited for her to look at him. “Jason’s been through that,” he admitted, “with someone he loved very much. She promised she could handle it, and couldn’t. And also, to a lesser extent, with someone else who liked the power and money. I can understand him not wanting to do it again. To watch someone walk away. Or—not wanting you to go through it all.”

Elizabeth nodded, almost absently. “I told him we’d have to trust each other. There are things that terrify me, too. And I-I think I’m there. That I could—but he’s not ready.”

“He might not ever be ready. But it doesn’t really matter if you’re not. Jason’s a good guy who deserves to have someone special in his life. I know he cares about you.”

“The way I feel right now, this would happen again. He’ll go out, and I won’t know until I seem him again if he’s okay.” Elizabeth rose from the stool, went to the sink to rinse her hands. “Living with that uncertainty, it’s…”

“Too much?” Sonny asked.

“I don’t know.” She dried her hands, turned back to him. “Do I have to know that tonight? Is that a fair thing to ask when we don’t even know if this is anything more than just—” Her cheeks pinked up. “More than what it is. Maybe it’s just physical.”

“Do you believe that?”

“No,” she said softly. She looked at her hands again, clean though Sonny thought she might see the blood for the rest of her life. “I think it would be just easier if that’s all it was.”

“Maybe.” Sonny got to his feet. “I’m going to check on the doctor. You should call Emily. Let her know you’re both safe and you’ll call her in the morning.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Sonny was at the door when she called out his name. “Yeah?”

“Did I do the right thing? I mean, what he would have wanted me to do?”

“Jason wanted you to leave him on the floor of the parking garage and get to me so you’d be safe.” Sonny’s smile was slight. “Aren’t we both lucky that’s not the kind of woman you are?” Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “When the doctor’s done, if you want to stay with him, you can. I’ll find you some clothes.” He paused. “It was nice to meet you, Elizabeth.”

June 29, 2024

This entry is part 25 of 47 in the Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction

lol remember back in the early days when you guys thought i was gonna write a positive courtney story. adorable. told you. trust the journey.

written in 62 minutes.


PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

“I think we need some sleep,” Mac said, pressing the grit from his eyes. “We’re not going to make any progress going over the same thing over and over again. We can read Courtney’s statement a thousand times, and it’s not going to make sense any more now than it did an hour ago.”

“I know, I know. I just—” Scott went to the window, tipped the blinds down, looked towards the hospital. “I don’t like it.”

“What’s to like? We’ve got Carly still in surgery until—” Mac squinted at the clock on his desk. “What did they say? Eleven?”

“They have to drill into the skull,” Scott murmured. “Relieve pressure. And it might not enough. They might have to remove a piece of the skull altogether. I don’t know which way they went.” He looked back at Mac. “There are problems with the statement, yeah, but how do we reconcile them telling the same story when we know Courtney hasn’t talked to Ric?”

“That—” The commissioner made a face. “Yeah, okay, I get you there. But we know Jason didn’t do it.”

“Do we?’ Capelli offered, from across the room, lounging on the sofa, his elbow on the arm of the sofa, propping his head up. He stifled a yawn. “I mean, two wits that say he did it, one of them has the gun—”

“Bobbie said she and Jason came to Kelly’s together. That they’d been together. That tracks with the vehicles in the parking lot. How does Courtney get away without Bobbie hearing her? They were right there when the shots were fired.” Mac shook his head. “I get it. Two witnesses independently saying the same thing. It trips me up, but not enough to do anything with.”

“Especially since neither of them are particularly credible,” Scott admitted. “When you consider the relationships here. Do we know if Courtney knew about the affair?”

“Do we even know it was an affair? I’m not keeping up on Jason’s romantic life, and I’m sure you’re not either. Maybe he and Courtney broke up for a while.” Mac shook his head. “Whether she knew or not, we can’t get around Bobbie giving Jason an alibi. Do you really think she’d cover for the man who put her daughter in brain surgery?”

“No. I don’t.” Scott looked back at them. “But Courtney and Ric are telling the same story, and Courtney’s got a gun that matches the bullets. Still need to do some testing to find out if it was the same one, but—”

“Anyone test Morgan for residue at the scene?” Capelli asked, though the words were more slurred now.

“No need. He was a witness. No one seriously thought he’d shoot his best friend and ex-girlfriend. Look, Scott, you’ve only been around Jason the last year. I’ve been around him since he became Jason Morgan. If I’d found Ric’s body dumped in the harbor, yeah, he’d be my first visit. But a messy shooting in the middle of a public courtyard that leaves three victims, and not one of them dead? That’s not how it goes down.”

Scott snorted, then sat down. “Christ. I can’t believe we’re having a conversation about throwing out witness testimony because we know Jason Morgan’s a better killer than this shooter.”

“And Scott, we really shouldn’t be including you in this conversation at all. Not if we want a special prosecutor to take this over—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Scott took a deep breath. “Look, you’re right. We need to sleep. We need to let this roll around in our heads.”

“I don’t know how a few hours of sleep is going to change the facts. I have two witnesses pointing the finger at a guy that’s alibied by the victim’s mother.” Mac dragged a hand down his face. “But maybe something will shake loose while I’m sleeping. Meet back here in three hours.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

The sun was just beginning to break through the gray clouds when Mike arrived, a brown bag in one hand and a tray of coffees in the other. “I thought everyone could use something to eat.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Audrey said, coming forward to take the items. “You were able to open this morning?”

“Yeah. Yeah. They, uh, cleared the scene after midnight. I thought about keeping it closed, but—” Mike hugged Bobbie. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

“Still waiting for surgery—” Bobbie swayed slightly, exhausted from the restless night. Felicia brought a bagel and coffee to her from the bag Audrey had unpacked. “I couldn’t—”

“You have to eat.”

“When Carly gets out of surgery—”

“They said that could be three or four more hours, honey.” Felicia pressed the bagel back at her and this time, Bobbie sighed, took it, then sat down. Content that her friend was  going to eat at least a few bites, she turned back to Mike. “Have you seen Sonny yet?”

“Ah, no. I went by last night, but they weren’t letting anyone up. You know how strict they can be. Jason’s been preoccupied. I wasn’t going to ask him.”

“You know…” Felicia hesitated. “I mean, you know Jason’s preoccupied with—”

“I knew before this happened, yeah. It’s…not ideal. But I’m not going to judge.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just struggling to understand why we’re not…” Audrey gestured. “Why can’t you go up and wake Sonny? This is his wife and child.”

“Sonny hasn’t been feeling well the last few days,” Mike said after a long moment. “I think he took something to sleep. What’s the point of worrying him, you know? What can he do that we’re not already doing?”

“Still.” Audrey folded her arms. “It’s troubling. What kind of man—I’m sorry, Mike.”

“You don’t to apologize to me, Mrs. Hardy. Let me help you with that,” Mike said to Felicia who was looking through the bag for utensils. He was grateful for any reason to stop Audrey’s questions. Until he saw Jason, he didn’t know what to think, and didn’t care to speculate.

General Hospital: Bathroom

Jason splashed some cold water on his face, trying to jolt himself awake. He ought to have slept more last night, he knew. Especially once Elizabeth was out of surgery, and their baby was still safe. But Carly was still in an operating room, and Sonny—

He’d had a call from Max an hour ago — Sonny was still locked down. Courtney had come by to get some of her things, and some things for Michael, too. Someone was going to have to talk to the little boy today, so at least she was good for something.

Jason exited the bathroom, switching off the light, then watched Elizabeth sleep for a while. He should go get some coffee. Something to eat. He hadn’t had either since maybe noon the day before.

He found Mike in the waiting area by the elevators, and slowed his steps, spying the coffee sitting on the table with its top still on. Mike held it out to him.

“It’s probably cold by now, but caffeine is caffeine,” he said, and Jason nodded, taking it. It was just below lukewarm, but it was better than nothing. Mike tipped a bag towards him. “Something to eat for later. You never remember to that anymore.” He smiled slightly. “That’s changed. You used to eat like a horse when you worked at Luke’s.”

“Still do when I remember to eat,” Jason said. They sat down, taking the sofa in the waiting area. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Have you been down to see Bobbie?”

“Yeah, yeah, I dropped some food off. She’s with Felicia and Audrey Hardy. Carly’s still in surgery, probably for another three hours. I figure that’s a good sign. She’s made it this far.”

“I guess.” Jason set the coffee down. “I don’t know what’s out there. What people are saying. I don’t know if the police have any leads—”

“I saw a few officers at Kelly’s this morning when I helped Penny open. If there are leads, they’re not sharing. They, uh, were talking about all of this. And—” Mike tipped his head. “Did you know yesterday when we talked, did you know about the baby?”

Jason looked at him. “Yeah. I’d found out the day before. Elizabeth—she told me I could tell you if I thought I needed to, but I didn’t—” His lips tightened and he looked away. “I didn’t think I did. We wanted to keep it quiet. It wasn’t the plan—”

“I never thought it was. And I understand wanting it quiet, with what Courtney through a few months ago. And I know Elizabeth lost a baby in May. She took resigned from work shortly after, so, yeah, I get that. But it’s out now. You should know that. Courtney will know shortly.”

“I know that it should matter to me that she’ll be hurt when she finds out,” Jason said slowly, “and maybe it does somewhere, but—”

“You don’t have the room for it right now. How’s—how’s that with the surgery? With her injury?”

“Holding on.” Jason picked up the coffee again, sipped. “The doctor said she still had around an eight percent risk of miscarriage, but getting this far is a good sign.”

“Good. Good. Last thing either of you need. Especially with Carly’s situation up in the air. I’m sorry about all of this, Jason. I really am.”

“I thought—” he stared down at the white coffee top. “I thought I’d hit rock bottom days ago. Standing in the penthouse, listening to Carly cry about Sonny losing it, pushing her. I thought it can’t get worse than this. I’d screwed things up for all of us by not doing something for Sonny a long time ago, for not being honest with myself a year ago, for continuing not to be honest six weeks ago—” He met Mike’s gaze. “I didn’t know it could get worse. I never—”

“Always something beneath rock bottom, Jason. You never hit bedrock,” Mike said, though the tone was kind. “Sometimes we don’t get the results we deserve. I know you had a plan to get things sorted out, but we ran out of time. Because we’re not talking about why Sonny’s not here.”

Jason closed his eyes, then opened them, met Mike’s again, who nodded. “Okay,” the other man said. “Okay. So what do we do? What’s the plan?”

“The plan is for me to stay right where I am until Carly’s out of surgery, and I know how she is. Until Elizabeth is awake, and stable—I have to tell her—” His voice cracked slightly, and he took a breath. “I have to tell her there might be nerve damage. That she might not be able to paint again. She can’t hear that from a doctor.”

“Christ,” Mike swore, rubbing his mouth. “Oh man, that’s going to kill her. Yeah, you need to be here. That’s—there’s no question, Jason. You’re exactly where you need to be. So what can I do?”

“I don’t—I don’t know. I know if—I know if I’m right, he didn’t mean to do it. I know he never would have hurt them if he’d been well.” His voice shook. “I know all of that. But right now, if I look at him, I won’t remember that. I’ll just think about my child, about the woman I love, and the friend who’s been through too much already having her brain cut into—I can’t do it, Mike. Not right now.”

“Of course not.”

“So he stays where he is for now. Max has his orders to keep him at the Towers, even if he has to be sedated again. I don’t care. I can’t. I’ve put him first too many times. Right now, my family comes first, and that’s not him. It can’t be.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Tony finally came back around ten-thirty, scraping the green surgical cap from his hair as he entered the room. Bobbie lunged to her feet, her eyes wide and hopeful. “Tony.”

“Carly’s in post-op. We had to do a full craniotomy,” he said, and Bobbie blanched.

“What is that?” Felicia asked. “What’s—”

“Removed a piece of her skull,” Audrey murmured, stepping up to a put an arm around Bobbie’s shoulders.

“She came through it, and so did the baby,” Tony added, and Bobbie sighed in relief. “We’re monitoring the baby, in case we need to deliver, but so far so good. We were able to release the pressure, Bobbie, but it’s hasn’t completely eliminated the cerebral edema. The swelling,” he clarified for Felicia and for Mike who’d risen to his feet. “We’re hopeful that meds will help with this. But Carly’s fallen into a coma.”

“Oh, God—” Bobbie pressed her hands to her face, the words little more than a sob choked out. “God. This isn’t right. This isn’t fair.”

“What’s the prognosis?” Mike asked. “When will she wake up?”

“We don’t know.”

PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

Scott knocked on Mac’s open door, then strolled in, a cup of coffee in his hand. “How do we feel after a little shut-eye?”

“Not particularly great.” Mac hung up the phone, rubbed his eyes again. “Capelli went to the hospital when he clocked back in. Elizabeth’s awake. She can’t remember what happened past Carly and Ric in the courtyard. That’s where it ends. Maybe she gets that back eventually, but—” He paused, looked at Scott. “Carly’s in a coma. They don’t know if she’ll wake up, if the swelling in her brain will go down, so her memories are the least of our worries.”

“That’s…unfortunate.” Scott took a seat. “I’d hoped one of them could give us something to work with, but—”

“Scott, really, I think we should wait for the special prosecutor.”

Scott sniffed, then sipped his coffee. “No need. I withdrew the request. I’m back on the case.”

Mac stared at him for a long moment. “That is not a good idea.”

“On the contrary,” Scott said, getting to his feet and setting down the coffee cup. “It’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time. Now—” He rubbed his hands together. “I have to go write up an arrest warrant.”

General Hospital: Elizabeth’s Room

Elizabeth grimaced as Jason brought the straw to her lips, but drank the water and soothed her tired, sore throat. “I’m so sorry about Carly,” she said when she was able to talk again.

“Yeah. It’s not—” Jason grimaced. “It’s not…it’s not great news.” He took a deep breath. “But Carly’s tough, and she’s been through a lot. We’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”

“I’ll feel better when I’m not laying in this bed, so I can help. Or do something. I don’t know. Sit with Bobbie. There has to be something. Now that I know the baby is okay—”

“There’s still a slight risk,” Jason cautioned, and she sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re right. We should think positively—”

“Easier for me to do.” With her free hand, she touched his face, though it took what little energy she had to do so. “I didn’t spend all night worried about my best friend having brain surgery.”

“I was worried about you. I still am.” Jason covered her hand with his, then turned his face in to kiss her palm. “There’s…I should tell you something about—about what Tony said after your surgery. About your arm.”

“I can barely move any part of it, even what didn’t get shot.” Elizabeth tried to wiggle her right fingers, but the pinky barely moved. “How long until that’s okay?”

“Um—” Jason lowered her hand to the bed, but still kept hold of it, staring at her chipped nail polish. “I don’t know. There might be—that’s why Tony went in for your surgery. The nerve in shoulder. The bullet was—”

“Jason.” Elizabeth’s browns pinched together. “What are you trying to say? I can’t—” Her voice quivered. “I won’t get the full use back?”

“I won’t let that happen, okay?” His head came back up, his eyes fierce. “I won’t. I’ll find every specialist. We’ll go anywhere. I’ll spend every last dime if I have to—”

“But I might not be able to hold a paintbrush again,” Elizabeth said softly. “That’s what you’re trying hard not to say.”

“I—yes. That’s what they said, but I promise. You, and our baby—” He covered her abdomen, curving his long fingers over her hospital gown. “You’re the only thing that matters—” He stopped, sat up, and frowned towards the door.

Elizabeth heard it now—the raised voices of someone coming near. Then the door opened, and Scott  Baldwin strode in, Mac on his heels. And right behind them, a furious Bobbie and—her grandmother.

“Scotty Baldwin, if you don’t call this off right now, I promise you that I will have your parents on the phone so fast. They would be so ashamed—”

“You’ve really done it now, Scott!” Bobbie bit out.

“What the hell is going on?” Jason demanded, getting to his feet. “Why are you—” Then he saw the cuffs in Mac’s hands, raised his stunned gaze to the commissioner. “What are you doing?”

“Jason Morgan,” Mac said, almost reluctantly, “you’re under arrest for attempted murder.”


and that’s a wrap until july 8. enjoy!

June 28, 2024

This entry is part 24 of 47 in the Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction

Written in 56 minutes.


Forest Hill House: Porch

Leticia Juarez’s gaze was still slightly unfocused, pulled from sleep by the knock at the front door. She remained in the doorway, not giving any indication that she intended to let either Mac or Capelli inside.

“Ms. Juarez,” Mac began, “we just want to confirm what time Carly left here. That’s all. I don’t need to come inside—”

“Why are you here?”

The voice came not from the bewildered nanny but behind them, from the front walk. Mac turned, and Capelli took a few steps towards the edge of the porch. Courtney stood there, at the base of stairs.

“Where’s Carly?” she asked. “Why are you here? Leticia—”

“They say Mrs. Corinthos has been shot,” Leticia said when Courtney joined her at the doorway.

“We were going to look for you next, to ask you some questions—”

“Carly’s been shot?” Courtney pressed a hand to her mouth. “By who? When? Where? Is she at the hospital—why didn’t anyone call me?”

“We’ve been trying to track down Sonny all night. Maybe you can get us in—” Capelli began but Courtney cut him off with a slice of her hand across her chest.

“No, you answer my questions first, damn it! Where’s my sister-in-law?”

“In surgery. It happened at Kelly’s,” Mac said, hesitated. He didn’t believe Courtney was involved, other than needing to be crossed off the list. “Carly was shot, and so were Ric Lansing and Elizabeth Webber.”

The blonde’s eyes bulged at that and she looked away for a minute, took a deep breath before returning her gaze to Mac. “Are they alive?”

“Last I heard, yeah. But we have just as many questions as you do.”

“Well, I don’t have any answers for you. So why don’t you go ask someone who can tell you something?” Courtney turned to the nanny. “Stay with Michael. I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

General Hospital: Hospital Room

The night continued to crawl by in excruciating seconds, minutes, and hours. Carly remained in surgery and would for several more hours. It was delicate work repairing the damage done by the bullet to her head, and they wouldn’t know anything until closer to dawn. Elizabeth had fallen asleep after their brief conversation, a more natural rest.

Jason only left her side briefly to allow Audrey some time, and to check on Bobbie. To talk to Leticia, assured that Michael was safe. He spoke briefly to Max — Sonny was at the Towers. He’d just showed up. No one knew if he’d left the building or when he’d returned. But he was locked up tight, and no one would leave the door again.

He couldn’t find the room to think about what happened next, if he should tel the police about Sonny or find another way out. It went against everything he believed in to turn Sonny over to the police, particularly when he knew the cops wouldn’t care about a mental health crisis.

Though right now, watching Elizabeth sleep, knowing he’d have to tell her there’d be possible nerve damage and that their baby, this precious gift that they’d barely begun to appreciate, might not survive—Jason was finding it hard to care about the mental health of the man who’d put her in this bed. Or was responsible for the bullet in Carly’s head that might take her life, and leave her children without a mother.

It was too awful, too painful to think about, so he didn’t. He shut it down and put it away, and sat next to Elizabeth, making a promise that he’d never leave her again.

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Bobbie accepted the coffee that Felicia handed her, wrapping her hands around the plastic thermos that her friend had brought from home. She’d brought a second one for Audrey, though it remained untouched on the table next to her.

“This is so awful,” Felicia said, sitting in the chair across from Bobbie. She readjusted the hair clip in her messy blonde hair, then smoothed a hand down her neck. “How are you both holding up?”

“No news is good news,” Bobbie said. She sipped the coffee, letting it soothe her throat, sore and tired from crying. “As long as she’s in surgery, there’s hope.”

“I’ve failed so terribly,” Audrey murmured. Both women looked at her. “I let her drift away from me. Just as I let my Tommy drift. What kind of mother am I? What kind of grandmother?”

“Tommy drifted all on his own, Audrey. The phone works both ways,” Felicia reminded her. “That one isn’t your fault.”

“But Elizabeth is,” Bobbie said flatly. Then she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault, Audrey—”

“To walk in here tonight, to learn that my granddaughter had been married to a monster I encouraged her to be with—that she’s pregnant and wouldn’t tell me—”

Felicia’s brows shot up, and Bobbie winced. “Audrey, they—well, maybe it’s useless now. But they were going to keep that quiet. Jason only told me because—well, I suppose he wanted to tell someone.”

“Jason and—” Felicia pursed her lips, absorbed that. “What’s this about Ric?”

Briefly, Bobbie filled her friend in on the basic details, watching her blue eyes widen until it was nearly comically, and Audrey’s face lost what little color had returned.

“I don’t understand, he works for the DA’s office now,” Felicia said slowly. “How could they—how could Scotty do this?”

“He thought it was his ticket to finally gaining power over Sonny,” Bobbie said bitterly. “What did my daughter matter? What did Elizabeth matter? Not when they could finally throw Sonny or Jason in jail.” Her eyes filled again and she put her head in her hands. “I was so scared for so long, and I thought I had her back, but instead, she might be lost forever.”

Audrey put an arm around Bobbie’s shoulder, tucked her in. “Carly’s strong, Bobbie. You know this. As you said, no news is good news. Your daughter will recover, your grandson will be born, and you will have them both to spoil. And I—” She took a deep breath. “I will have a great-grandchild to love. It will be so lovely to share that with Lila. She’s so fond of Jason. What’s done is done. We must look forward. I’ve made my mistakes. My judgments. It ends tonight.” She looked at the clock, noting it was just after four. “It ends this morning,” she corrected.

Harborview Towers: Lobby

Mike slapped his hand against the front desk. “What do you mean you won’t wake him up! Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Corbin.” The man swallowed hard. “But I have strict instructions—”

“I’m going upstairs, and if you want to stop me—” Mike started towards the bank of elevators, but they opened before they reached them. Max jogged out, his eyes rimmed red with exhaustion.

“Mr. Corbin. Hey. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I had to get someone to cover the door. Let’s talk.” Max gestured towards a grouping of sofas and furniture. “Jason told me to talk to you, so I’m talking.”

“I don’t want—” Mike broke off. “You’ve spoken to Jason.”

“That was part of the wait. I had to call him. See what he wanted me to do. You’re Mr. C’s dad, you know? I didn’t want to just let you sit here or send you away. It’s not cool.” Max hesitated. “Jason said you know that Mr. C’s not well.”

Mike closed his mouth, exhaled slowly. “Did he have problems tonight?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Bad ones. I had to sedate him. That’s why you can’t come up. There’s no reason. He’s not gonna wake up until morning, you know?” Max rubbed his chest. “And no one’s saying it, but we lost Sonny for a little while earlier. We found him, but we just—we don’t know.”

“Christ. You’re saying it might have been—” Mike turned away for a minute, absorbed that. “Okay. Okay. Yeah. That’s fine. I’ll talk to Jason in the morning.”

General Hospital: Hospital Room

Jason didn’t know when he’d closed his eyes, didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he heard his name being spoken, he jerked awake and sat straight up.

Elizabeth’s head was turned toward him, her eyes open. “I didn’t…mean to wake you. I just…” Her lashes fluttered. “I woke up. I saw you—”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” He came forward on the chair, sitting on the edge, raising her injured hand to his lips, kissing the inside of her palm. “I’ll get a doctor. Are you in pain?”

“No…” Her voice was soft, almost floating. “No. Numb. What…happened?”

“What do you remember?” he asked carefully.

“Kelly’s.” Another flutter of her lashes, then her eyes focused on his, some of the glaze fading. “Carly. We talked. Then…Ric came. Did he—” Her voice broke. “I can’t move my arm. What did he do? I don’t—I don’t remember anything. The baby—”

“Is fine,” Jason finished. “Can you hear that sound over there—”

She closed her eyes. “The beeping. Yes.”

“That’s your heart. The faster one is the baby. Okay?”

“Okay.” Elizabeth swallowed hard. “What did Ric do? Where’s Carly?” Her voice was stronger now.

“Carly’s in surgery. I don’t know what happened. You’d—you’d all been shot by the time we got there. You were shot in the shoulder. But you’re going to be okay.”

“All of us—” She pinched her brows together. “What? Who—”

“The police don’t know yet,” Jason said, which was the truth. He didn’t want to burden her yet with information he hadn’t confirmed. “It’s okay. Let me go get a doctor. All right? Just rest.” He kissed her hand again. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

General Hospital: Hallway

“Scott. Hey.” Mac got up from the bench as the district attorney approached them. “Did you hear back from the state yet about a special prosecutor?”

“No. No. But it’s only six in the morning, so—” Scott dragged a hand down his face. “We get the report in from the crime scene guys?”

“Nothing definitive, but none of our theories are ruled out, so there’s that.” Mac sighed. “We couldn’t get in to see Sonny, though I’m not surprised by that. Courtney said she didn’t know anything. She show up here?”

“Not yet. I’ve been keeping a list of who goes up to surgery—” Scott glanced down at his notepad. “So far it’s just Morgan, Bobbie, Audrey, and you know Felicia joined them about two hours ago.”

“No Courtney or Sonny. Weird,” Capelli said. “Did you get confirmation from Morgan about the baby?”

“More or less, yeah. Audrey Hardy didn’t know anything, and Bobbie let it slip, so I think it was something they were keeping quiet. Which, yeah, that tracks if Morgan’s father.”

“Bet the fiancee doesn’t know,” Mac said. “She didn’t seem to have a reaction when we talked to her at Carly’s. So we don’t know anything new?”

Scott hesitated. “I wouldn’t say that—uh, Ric woke up for a little while. He…told me it was Morgan. Tried to kill Ric, and the women were accidents.”

“Ric—” Mac closed his mouth, just stared for a minute. “Are you serious?”

“It fits the theory of Ric being the target,” Capelli pointed out, but Mac just shot him a dirty look. “Well, it does.”

“Yeah, but—” Scott began, but he was cut off when he heard someone calling out Mac’s name behind them. Courtney was there, likely having just turned the corner.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t—” she inhaled sharply, tears glimmering in her blue eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. I can’t live with this anymore.”

“Can’t live with—” Scott stopped, looked at her hands. At the towel-wrapped item she held. “What is that?”

“I was there. Tonight. At Kelly’s.” Courtney sucked in a sob. “He told me to leave. He gave me this and told me to hide it, so no one would know. I didn’t know Carly was hurt. I thought she fell. I didn’t know. So I went to get it, and I knew I had to give it to you, but you have to believe me, it was an accident, okay?”

“What was an accident?” Mac prompted.

“He just hates him so much! He’d never hurt Carly or Elizabeth, but—” Courtney’s lips trembled. “Jason just hates Ric more anything.”

June 27, 2024

This entry is part 23 of 47 in the Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction

Written in 62 minutes.


Harborview Towers: Lobby

“We should have just gone straight to the hospital,” Capelli muttered, stepping away from the guard at the desk. “They’re not going to let us upstairs.”

“No, not without a warrant.” Mac squinted at the elevators. “But it’s interesting, don’t you think—Sonny’s here. They said as much. Why isn’t he at the hospital already? Pregnant wife shot in the head after being kidnapped this summer? Something’s not right.”

“Do you think he’s the shooter?”

Mac hesitated, then gestured for the other man to follow him towards the lobby’s doors. When they were outside, back on Harborview Road, he turned back to look at the building, at the top floors. “I don’t know what I think. Ric Lansing is a pile a garbage that Scott decided was worth the risk of keeping around. I can think of ten people who might have a reason to shoot him. I can also think of a few people who might not be sorry to see Carly Corinthos go down, though not as many as it used to be.”

“But both of them and Elizabeth Webber?” Capelli shook his head. “That’s where I keep getting tripped up. Maybe we’ve got two shooters. Ric shoots Liz and Carly, and someone else shoots him—”

“Maybe. Maybe.” Mac scratched his jaw. “Ric’s got reason to hate Carly. And Elizabeth. But who shoots him and flees? No calls to 911 other than Bobbie’s.”

“Do we know where the sister is? Sonny’s,” Capelli added. “You heard Morgan when he got in the ambulance. Elizabeth is pregnant. They’re clearly sleeping together. Maybe Carly knew?”

“I’ve met the sister. She’s a ditz who can barely tie her shoes.” Mac grunted. “But yeah, maybe we snip off that end. Wonder if she knew about the baby.”

“Only one way to find out.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Scott hesitated at the entrance to the room, watched as Jason Morgan paced the room, the restless energy radiating even on the other side of the room. Bobbie sat slumped in one of the chairs, her eyes staring ahead blankly, puffy and red from crying. Beside her, Audrey Hardy sat stiffly, her eyes watching Morgan suspiciously, darting back and forth.

But then she saw him, and got to her feet. “Scotty! Oh, thank heavens. Tell me—” The older woman came across the room, and Scott reached for her outstretched hands, squeezed them, and kissed her cheek. “Tell me you know something.”

“They’re still gathering evidence at the scene,” Scott said, reassuring his parents’ oldest friend. “I’m so sorry about this, Audrey. Bobbie. This is—this is awful.”

“One more tragedy for my daughter to live through,” Bobbie said, her tone clipped. She slowly rose to her face. “I don’t know what happened, but it starts and ends with Ric Lansing. Somehow, he’s at the root of this. And if you’d done your goddamn job, you worthless coward, he’d be in jail and those girls would be on their feet—”

“What is she talking about?” Audrey demanded, whipping her head back to look at Scott.

Scott grimaced, averted his eyes but unfortunately looked straight at Jason Morgan whose malevolent gaze could probably felt in China. “Carly’s disappearance this summer—there were many rumors, and we couldn’t prove them—”

“Elizabeth gave a statement,” Jason said, flatly. “You found the damn panic room—”

“And Carly was still gone. Elizabeth left Ric. The word of an angry estranged wife with no corroboration?” Scott rubbed his chest. “We couldn’t do anything with the statement. Not then.”

“Panic room—” Audrey pressed a hand to her cheek, took a step back. “Will someone tell me what happened to my granddaughter?”

“Elizabeth found Carly in the damn panic room right before she had the pulmonary embolism,” Bobbie told her friend, and the older woman’s lips parted, almost as if to form a denial. “She saw her, Audrey. Carly was screaming for help, but Elizabeth collapsed first. And Lorenzo Alcazar swooped in to kidnap Carly again—”

“That wasn’t corroborated either—”

“Oh, evidence is important to you? Really?” Bobbie snorted, stalked away. Took a deep breath, looked at Audrey. “You think I don’t know what you’ve been thinking since I called you? What did you say when I told you—”

“Bobbie—”

“You said I thought she was done with all that. I thought she’d come to her senses about what a danger Jason Morgan is.” Bobbie stabbed a finger at the man in question. “Well, that man is the one standing here and the one you wanted for her kidnapped my daughter and hid her in a panic room in his own home for weeks! Don’t stand there and pretend that you had no idea what a monster he was—”

Audrey pressed her trembling lips together. “Bobbie, we’re both upset—”

“No, no, you don’t get to do that. You’ve looked down on Jason from the beginning, from the moment he came into Elizabeth’s life, and he’s the only one who’s never hurt her! Ric Lansing is the kind of man you wanted for her, don’t pretend you didn’t encourage her!”

“She never told me—”

“She shouldn’t have had to,” Jason said, and both women looked at him, started. “But that’s not important right now. It’s not.” He dragged hands over his face. “What happened this summer, what Baldwin didn’t do—none of it matters right now.” He sat down, exhaled slowly. “There’s nothing they know?” he asked, his voice quiet. “No leads?”

“No. We’re waiting on the crime scene techs to come back.” Scott shifted again. “But they’re thinking there were ricochets. Maybe one of them wasn’t the target. We think maybe Carly—”

“What?” Bobbie looked at him blankly. “Why?”

“Initial intake report—” Scott slid his hands in his pockets. “I read them before coming up. Ric was shot twice. One of those wounds still has a bullet, but the other has an exit wound. Went in the back, out his chest. I asked them to run the bullet they take from Elizabeth—I think she was hit with the same bullet. You heard more than one gunshot,” he said. “You don’t know how many, but it was more than one.”

“Felt it wouldn’t stop,” Bobbie murmured, pressing both hands to her face, closing her eyes.

“Three,” Jason said, and Scott nodded. “I only heard three. Unless they shot before we got there—”

“Two for Ric, and a nick in the brick suggests that at least one shot ricocheted.  I’m just—it narrows it down. Ric being the target, Elizabeth and Carly being bystanders.” He hesitated. “The DA’s office is recusing itself from this case. We can’t prosecute an crime done to one of our employees. We have a conflict. The state’s going to send a special prosecutor.”

“So you do have some ethics,” Bobbie said bitterly. “Nice to know—”

“I only—” Scott cleared his throat. “I only meant that I’m not here—I mean, I’m here to help the investigation. But it’s not official. It’s not. I think maybe—” He forced the words from somewhere inside. “I know you’re right, Bobbie. If I’d pushed harder this summer, if I hadn’t—maybe the blame for this comes back to me. You get blinded sometimes by the rage, by the frustration of someone always getting away without consequences—” He stared down at his hands. “But Carly and Elizabeth shouldn’t be here right now.”

“No, they shouldn’t. You’ll have to live with that,” Bobbie said tightly. “And if my daughter dies, if something happens to my grandson, to Elizabeth and her child—”

Audrey gasped, but Bobbie kept going. “If anything happens to any of them, the blood will be on your hands. I hope you choke on that rage, Scott. I hope it keeps you warm at night because no one else ever will. Get out. And don’t come back unless we have an attorney present.”

Harborview Towers: Lobby

She’d forgotten her suitcase.

In the mad flight from her brother’s penthouse, Courtney had forgotten to grab the suitcase she’d left at the elevator, and had had to go back for it.

Now, as she lugged it towards the doors, Wally, the front desk guard, called her over. “What? Do I have to turn in my key or something?” she demanded.

“Uh—” The man looked baffled. “I don’t know. Jason didn’t—I mean, that’s not why—you’re staying with Mrs. C, aren’t you?”

And then Courtney remembered the cover story that explained her absence. So Jason hadn’t told anyone about their breakup. “Why does it matter?”

“I can’t get a hold of Jason, and Mr. C isn’t taking calls. At all.” Wally hesitated. “But the cops were here. I thought maybe Mrs. C or you could let Jason know. We didn’t let them up.”

“Didn’t you try to call her?”

“Yeah, but she’s not picking up either.”

I killed her. I killed her. Oh, God. I killed her.

Courtney took a step back, took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let Carly know. She’s…she’s probably asleep or something. Thanks, Wally.”

“Sure thing, Miss Matthews. Have a great night.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Audrey Hardy looked five years older than she had when she’d arrived after Bobbie’s diatribe — or maybe it was the news that Elizabeth was pregnant, Jason thought, glancing over at the elderly woman. He hadn’t known Audrey had encouraged Elizabeth to stay with Ric, though it made sense. Harvard educated lawyer who dressed in suits—

He looked back out the window, saw himself reflected back. On paper, Ric Lansing had been everything Jason wasn’t. Hard to blame Audrey for wanting better for her granddaughter than a coffee importer with ties to the mob who rode a motorcycle and had been responsible for Elizabeth’s kidnapping. And a bomb in her studio. And being shot at—

Maybe Jason wasn’t what every grandmother wanted, and that was fine. But one look at Elizabeth, and Audrey would have seen that she was unhappy. She’d never looked deeper than that. Maybe it wasn’t fair to be angry at her for pushing Elizabeth towards Ric, but he was tired of being angry with himself or frustrated with Elizabeth for it.

The minutes ticked by, the clock on the wall taunting them with every spin of the second hand, the longer minute hand crawling towards one in the morning. He sat for a while, then paced again.

Thought about who had done this—though as soon as Scott had related the medical reports, Jason knew. Who would want Ric dead and be crazy enough to shoot wildly around two innocent bystanders, one of whom was his pregnant wife?

It had to be Sonny.

Despite that conviction, the certainty, Jason did nothing with the suspicion. He didn’t tell Mac or Capelli when they’d come knocking, had sent them away with nothing more than he didn’t know. But he also didn’t call Max to check on Sonny, to start making arrangements to get Sonny out of the country—

He’d spent his entire life protecting Sonny from the world, from rivals, and from himself, and now because Jason hadn’t acted quickly enough, hadn’t forced Sonny to get help years ago—because Jason had been paralyzed by the decision, Elizabeth was in surgery and might lose their baby, and Carly might die.

There was a snick of the door when the handle turned and a whoosh when it was pushed open. Tony came in, dressed in green surgical scrubs, a matching cap on his head, the mask pulled down around his neck.

Bobbie half-rose from her chair and Jason turned to face him. “Is it—”

“Carly’s still in surgery. That will likely take all night,” he told Bobbie. “I’m scrubbing in shortly. But Elizabeth was my priority. The bullet was near a nerve in her arm—” He stopped, looked at Audrey, then at Jason. “She’s in recovery. We think we were able to repair any damage to the nerve, though she might have some loss of strength and movement in that arm. In her hand.”

“Her hand—” Jason swallowed hard. Flexed his own in response. “She’s an artist.”

Audrey simply closed her eyes, pressed a fist against her lips. “Tony—”

“We just won’t know,” Tony said. He touched Audrey’s shoulder, then hesitated, looked at Jason. “Does…does she know—”

“Yes. And Elizabeth will ask as soon as she wakes up—” If they lost the baby, and Elizabeth lost her art all at once—he couldn’t finish his question. Couldn’t put the words into the world.

“So far, so good. We monitored the fetal heartbeat, and there were no signs of miscarriage. She’s not out of the woods. The risk remains high, especially if she develops an infection or there are any complications,” Tony warned. “Dr. Meadows will be in with more, but right now, the news is good. Someone will be in to let you know when we move her into her own room. I’m going in to handle Carly’s case now—”

“Tony—” Bobbie came forward. “Thank you, thank you for—”

“Don’t thank me yet, Bobbie.” But he squeezed her hand, and left.

Audrey looked at Jason, her eyes damp. “The baby…are you—”

“Yes.” Jason lifted his chin. “It’s mine. And I love your granddaughter.”

“You should—” Audrey took a seat, took a long careful breath. “You should be in with her. She should see you when she wakes. You’re right. The first she’ll want to know is if the baby is—she should see you first.”

Grateful that it wasn’t an argument, Jason nodded. “Thank you.”

“Bobbie, I’ll stay with you until we know about Carly. I’m—I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for all of it.”

General Hospital: ICU

When Ric Lansing was moved from post-op to his own room in the ICU wing, there were no tearful family members. Just a reluctant Scott Baldwin who wished he’d been anywhere else.

“He’ll be groggy if he wakes from the surgery,” the nurse said as she walked Scott into the room. “Press the call button.”

“I’m probably not—” Scott stopped when he realized the nurse had already walked away. He headed towards the bed, wondered what the hell he was supposed to do.

Ric’s head turned slightly, and his eyes opened. Scott sighed. Of course, he’d wake up. He had shit for luck, didn’t he?

“W-hat—where am I?”

“Hospital,” Scott said gruffly. “You got shot. You know who did it?”

Ric’s brown eyes were bleary, glazed over. “Lizbeth.”

“Fine.” Scott shoved his hands in his pockets. “So is that a no?”

Ric licked his lips. “She’s okay?”

“Fine, fine. Shot to the shoulder, concussion, but fine. Just answer the question.”

“Concussion.” Ric closed his eyes, turned his head away, was quiet for so long, Scott thought he’d drifted to sleep. But then he looked back, lifted his gaze. “He didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“He? Who?”

“Shots…must have gone wild. He’d never—he’d never hurt them.”

“Listen—”

“Thought he was smarter than that.” Ric closed his eyes. “Thought Jason knew how to handle a gun. Guess I was wrong.”

June 26, 2024

This entry is part 22 of 47 in the Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction

Written in 57 minutes.


Kelly’s: Parking Lot

The SUV passenger door closed with a slam, and Bobbie stood for a minute squinting at the familiar car parked in the spot across from Jason. “Did Carly tell you she was coming here?”

“No,” Jason said. “No, she didn’t, but—”

Pop pop pop—

A smattering of gunshots, mixed with screams that cut off abrutply stopped Jason dead in his tracks, but only for a second. His heart racing, he broke into a run, crossing the small parking lot and running around the brick wall that separated the courtyard—

Then the world fell away. His vision grayed, and he had to swallow hard, had to just a moment for his brain to catch up with the rest of his body, to process what his eyes had already seen.

Carly and Elizabeth crumpled next to a table, lying close together—Elizabeth’s arm slung over Carly’s shoulder, and Carly’s hand flung out near Elizabeth’s head. Beyond them, near the street exit, Ric lay on his stomach, groaning, a dark spot of blood visible on his upper shoulder.

Bobbie stumbled into Jason, cried out, and dashed around him, breaking Jason’s paralysis. She slid on her knees behind Carly, and Jason crouched by Elizabeth, bile rising in his throat when he saw the gunshot in her upper chest, near her shoulder. He carefully rolled her onto her back, and saw blood trickling down her cheek.

But her skin was still warm, and the hand he clutched to his chest still had a pulse, thready, but present. He was already digging his cell phone from his pocket when he looked at Carly.

Her mother had also rolled her just slightly onto her back, and the blood on her forehead continued to ooze from the bullet wound that began at her hairline and furrowed into her blonde hair, the strands changing color.

“Oh my God, oh my god—” Bobbie pressed two trembling fingers to Carly’s neck, muffling a sob. “She’s breathing.”

“D-Don’t move them anymore. Don’t—” He didn’t know what else was hit, didn’t know what damage he might cause—how was this happening? What the hell had happened? How had all three of them ended up with bullet wounds—where the hell were the guards—

Bobbie snatched the phone from Jason and frantically dialed the emergency number. Reluctantly, Jason placed Elizabeth’s hand on her chest and went over to look at Ric. He kicked the man over, hoping like hell to see a gun somewhere in the vicinity. It wouldn’t explain everything, but it would give him somewhere to start.

But there was no gun. Someone else had been here.

Jason returned to Elizabeth’s side, took the scarf Bobbie shoved into her hand from her bag and bunched it up against the shoulder wound, putting pressure on it. They couldn’t do that for Carly—couldn’t chance dislodging the bullet in her—

God. The bullet in her head. Had it penetrated the skull? Was Carly dying before their eyes? Would Elizabeth—

“What the hell happened?” Bobbie demanded, snapping the phone closed. “What the hell is  this?”

“I don’t know.” Sirens whirled in the distance, and Jason swallowed, staring down into the too pale,still face of the woman he loved, praying to a God that had forgotten him long ago. “I don’t know.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Courtney dumped the suitcase by the door, then went over to the shelf to snatch down some of the things she’d brought over to make it feel like home. But it had never been home. She’d never been more than a rest stop, she thought bitterly. Now that Jason had his perfect Elizabeth back, Courtney wasn’t necessary.

She shoved the things into her suitcase, zipped it back up, then dragged it out towards the elevator. Before she pressed the button, she glanced over towards her brother’s penthouse, and made a face. She should probably check on him, especially since she’d dropped the break up on him and had left. And also mentioned Elizabeth, Courtney thought with a wince. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but maybe it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do.

Not that Courtney gave a tinker’s damn about that damn whore, but it would be another crime Jason would be happy to add to the list of reasons it was okay he’d cheated on her.

“Sonny—” Courtney stopped, frowning when she realized the door was slightly ajar, and she could hear weeping.  “Sonny?” she repeated, pushing it open.

The room was dark, lit only by the barest hint of moonlight through the clouds. Sonny sat on the floor, his knees drawn up, his back against the sofa. His shoulders shook with sobs. Well, this wasn’t good, she thought. She flicked on a lamp at the desk, and Sonny’s head jerked up, his hair and eyes wild.

“Who’s there?” What’s going on?” He lurched to his feet and Courtney fell back a step. “Who are you?”

“It’s Courtney. Your sister.” Courtney held up her hands, backed up again when he came forward. “Courtney—”

“I don’t have a sister. I never—” Sonny dragged his hands down his face, looked around. “Where is she? What did you do with her?”

“With who—Sonny—”

“Lily—” He lunged again and this time, he grabbed Courtney, shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “What did you do to my wife?” he roared, spittle flying from his mouth. She flinched, turned her face away.

“Let me go—” Courtney tried to struggle, but Sonny’s grip was so tight, she could almost feel it down to the bone. “Let me go, Sonny! Lily’s dead! She’s dead!”

Sonny flung her away, and Courtney went flying, hitting the side of the desk with her hip. She winced.

“I know she’s dead! Do you think I’m stupid? That’s what you all think, isn’t it?” He turned back, shaking a finger at her. “You think I’m nothing more than Puerto Rican street trash dragged in by your cousin!”

“My—” Courtney stared at him. “Sonny—”

“You’re no better than all the rest of them, thinking that you’re better than me! Go, go to your damn fancy college. What the hell do I want with some bitch who can’t stand next to me? Who’s too scared?”

“Sonny—”

He grabbed her again, his eyes fervent, filled with rage. “No one walks out on me! Not even you, Connie! You wanna go? You wanna go be some rich bitch who’s too good for Benson hurst, then go! But I’m the one doing the leaving—” And then he shoved Courtney away again and she hit the door, slamming it shut.

Trembling, Courtney just held her hands up again. “Stop, stop!” she sobbed. “I’m your sister! I’m Carly’s best friend Stop!” she screamed, but Sonny had already grabbed her again, throwing her towards the sofa. She hit it with a thud, then fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of her.

“Don’t you ever talk about Carly! Don’t you—” He broke off abruptly. He put his hands at his head, his fingers ripping into the disheveled curls. “Carly. Carly. I killed her.”

“W-What—” Courtney struggled to her feet. If she could just get to the door— “What—”

“I killed her. I killed her. Oh, God. I killed her.” He stared down at his hands. “The blood.” He held them out. “Do you see it—it’s all over me—the blood—”

The door opened behind Sonny, and Max was there, his eyes wide. “Oh, no, Miss Matthews. Are you okay?” He came around Sonny, his foot kicking at something metal. It went flying across the room, slid under the sofa. “Mr. C—” He avoided Sonny’s fists, then came forward with a syringe plunging it into Sonny’s shoulder.

Sonny continued to fight for another minute, maybe two, but then finally slumped, and Max half-dragged, half-walked him towards the sofas, leaving him lying there.

Shellshocked, Courtney just stared at her brother, at the madman. “What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. We couldn’t find him, but then he just showed up back here like he was never gone—” Max grimaced, looked at her. “He hurt you. He’s going to be so upset when he realizes it. I have to call Jason—Do you—”

“I’m leaving,” Courtney said, backing up. “I’m leaving and I’m never—I’m never coming back here alone. You tell Jason that. You tell him I’m done. This is his problem to fix.”

And then she fled.

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Rage coursed through his veins, but there was nowhere for the anger to go, no one to blame, nothing he could do except pace the length of the waiting area again and again. He’d tried sitting still, but his foot had started to tap, and he’d had to get up.

From one wall to the other, pausing only to scan the parts of the emergency room he could see from here, hoping to see a doctor or a nurse, or someone that could tell him how Elizabeth was, how Carly was—

Behind him, Bobbie sat, pale and shaken, her hands clasped together in a fist that she had pressed against her mouth, her eyes closed. The ride in the ambulance had been like a long waking nightmare with paramedics shouting out procedures and numbers that Jason only half-followed. He knew that Elizabeth’s condition had been more stable than Carly’s, but that could change in an instant.

Hadn’t the whole world crumbled around him in less a few seconds?

What if Carly died? What if she was dead already and they just hadn’t told them? What if Elizabeth—what if she lost the baby—or what if the head injury was worse than they thought—

Tony Jones appeared out from behind a curtain and seemed resigned as he walked towards them. Neurosurgeon, so it could be either woman. Jason didn’t even care that Tony hated him, that he hated Carly. He just wanted the man to tell him that both women had survived.

“Tony—” Bobbie rasped out his name, struggling to her feet. Jason put an arm around her waist, steadying her. “Tony. Tell me.”

“Carly’s still in the trauma room,” Tony said gently, his tone not  giving any hint of the deep history that existed between them, beyond his fondness for Bobbie. “Right now, I can tell you that her condition is critical. They did an X-ray and the bullet didn’t fully penetrate the skull. But they need to take her into surgery to be sure since they don’t have the bullet to remove. A nurse will be out with some paperwork.” He hesitated. “Is Sonny—”

“I have her power of attorney,” Jason said numbly. “In case he’s not available.”

“Of course.” Tony paused. “I nearly called Audrey Hardy as Elizabeth’s next of kin, but she came around in the trauma room—”

Jason’s head jerked up. “She’s awake?”

“She asked for you.” Tony’s lips were thin, disapproving. “And gave consent for you to handle her treatment.”

“She’s pregnant,” Jason blurted out. “The paramedics—”

Tony nodded, looked down at his notes. “There’s no sign of miscarriage, though surgery and anesthesia raises that. Along the stress this kind of injury can do to the body. We’re monitoring, and Dr. Meadows is sending in a resident to observe surgery.” He paused. “She’s critical, but stable condition. We’ll be able to upgrade her if the surgery goes well.”

“Go see her, sit with her until the surgery,” Bobbie told Jason, her hand wrapped around his arm. “You’ll feel better if you can talk to her.”

“I—”

“I’ll stay with Bobbie,” Tony said. “You should go before they put her under. We’ll bring the paperwork for Carly when we can.”

“Thank you.” Jason squeezed Bobbie’s hand, then hurried away.

Tony stared after him, his eyes squinted. “Wasn’t he engaged to another woman?”

“God, Tony. Really?” Bobbie said, then sat back down, put her head in hands and wept violently.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

Scott Baldwin ducked under the yellow caution tape, grimaced as he approached Mac Scorpio and Andy Capelli standing by the entrance to the diner. “Do we have any fucking clue yet?”

“Crime scene’s going over it now,” Mac said. “Right now, all we know is Carly and Elizabeth were both shot from the front, and Ric in the back.”

“Witnesses can’t say how many shots,” Capelli said, flipping through the notebook. “Morgan’s statement was brief and terse. He was climbing in the ambulance and right after he told me to go fuck myself, he said he heard three. Bobbie Spencer thought it was five. I’ve got as few as two and as many as seven.”

“Surveillance camera’s down,” Mac said, with a sigh. “So that’s not much help. Tech thinks there are some ricochets — one of the bullets has blood on it. Carly’s the only one without a bullet in the wound. I’m thinking she got nailed with a ricochet aimed at either Elizabeth or Ric.”

“Well, see, who the hell would want to shoot them both?” Scott demanded. “If it’s just Ric, then it’s Morgan all day—”

“No way he opens fire with Elizabeth and Carly so close. Especially since he told the paramedics Elizabeth’s pregnant.” Mac paused. “And, uh, judging by the way he looked—”

“Great. Morgan and Corinthos Junior at the scene of the crime.” But Scott sighed, crouched down, saw the blood stains from where the women had been laying. “I wish I disagreed with you, but as much as I hate Corinthos and Morgan, this doesn’t feel like them. Especially with Bobbie in the picture.”

“We need to get over to the hospital, get better statements from Morgan and Bobbie,” Capelli said. “And Sonny. Where the hell is he?”

“Probably at the hospital by now.” Scott got to his feet. “You guys take the victim’s families. I’ll wait on Ric. He was shot in the back, but we don’t know anything yet.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

She was swallowed up by the white surrounding her—the sheets, the pillow beneath her, the pallor of her skin, her lips dried and cracked. The only color was the pale blue hospital gown and her brown hair laying across the stark white of the pillow.

The hospital gown been pulled down off her shoulder, and a protective, temporary dressing over the bullet wound, where blood still seeped. Her heartbeat pulsed from a machine behind them, steady. He let that be a comfort, he thought, lifting her pale hand to kiss the inside of her palm.

Her eyelids fluttered, and just a sliver of blue appeared. “You’re here,” the words falling out in barely an audible whisper. “I told…them…to find…you.”

“I’m here. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He stroked her face, hoping she couldn’t see the fear in his eyes or feel it in his touch. “You’re going to be okay.”

“What…what…happened…”

“I don’t know yet. Don’t worry about that right now. You just focus on getting through surgery.”

Her lashes fluttered, then her eyes opened again. “But…the…baby. Don’t…can’t…won’t survive losing….”

“Tony said so far so good, okay? So we’ll just focus on that. You’ll both be okay.”

“Kay…” Her voice slurred. “Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

There was a slight clearing of the throat from behind him, and Jason looked to find Tony behind him. “We have to take her into surgery now.  You should call her grandmother.”

“I will. I will.” Jason kissed Elizabeth’s hand once more, then backed away, watching as the hospital staff rolled her out of the room, down the hall—

And out of sight.