Written in 68 minutes.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2024

Jamesville Correctional Facility: Parking Lot

Elizabeth laid her head back against the headrest, let out a long breath of relief — they’d made it out of the building, to the SUV, and Jason was now climbing into the driver’s side, starting the ignition.

They weren’t going to stop her. She could really go home.

“It’s an hour and a half back to Port Charles.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes, turned just her head so that she could see Jason, illuminated from the back by the tall lights dotting the parking lots, leaving his features in dim shadows. “Is it?”

“Do—I don’t know if you ate. They were going to have food back home, but it’s—I wasn’t thinking about how far it was. We could stop.”

Elizabeth looked ahead, the hulking gray building still visible. “I should eat,” she murmured. She couldn’t remember the last meal she’d eaten — only picking at various piles of mush over the last five days — had it really been breakfast on Friday morning? “I guess…I guess we could stop.” She forced herself to clear her throat, looked back at him. “The—the picture.” She fumbled in the pocket of her jeans where she’d stowed it, her fingers trembling. “Thank—thank you.”

“I wish you’d had it sooner,” he muttered, then dragged a hand down his face. “I don’t have connections the way I did—it took that long just find someone willing to do it—”

“I was having…” She swallowed, forcing herself to speak, though her voice sounded rusty. Had she really spoke since her last meeting with Diane? “All the days…were b-bad. But y-yesterday. I n-needed it. I couldn’t remember if I’d…if I’d told them I loved them.”

“They know that—”

“But I t-try to tell them every day because you—you don’t know—” Her words wobbled, and she tried to swallow the sob that bubbled up. “I w-was just so scared I might not see them again—” She pressed both hands to her face, trying to control her breathing, trying to hold off the trembling, the shaking, the tears—she could hear Jason swear under his breath, and then heard him moving—She looked over, through the blurry tears, she realized he was reaching for the door, and she reached over, grabbing at his arm. “No, no, don’t—I j-just—can we go? Please. Can we get out of here?”

“I just—” Jason sat back, and grimaced, then he hit the steering wheel so hard she flinched, and he swore again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He gripped the wheel with both hands, the knuckles almost white. “I’m sorry. Let’s go. Let’s get you away from here.”

Penthouse: Danny’s Bedroom

Danny lay sprawled out across his bed, holding the phone close to his face, scrolling through his social feeds, moving from app to app and then back again. When he heard the knock on his open door, he didn’t even look over. “What?”

“I just got home. Dante said you ate dinner and came up here. What’s up?”

Danny slid a glance out of the corner of his eye, saw his mother leaning against the door. “Why does something have to be up?”

“I thought…well, I guess I thought you’d be at your brother’s. Dante said you didn’t go over, even when he offered to drive you. You got the news, right? Elizabeth made bail.”

“What do you care?” He tossed his phone aside, sat up. “Don’t start acting like you give a damn what happens to her or Jake.”

Sam paused, clearly took a minute to gather herself. “We need to have a conversation about the way you’ve been speaking to me—”

“I’m just doing what my mother taught me. Right? You’re the one that was talking mad shit about Elizabeth literally a week ago. And my brother. What was it—oh, yeah, about her accepting crumbs and having low standards?”

“I—I should not have said that.” Sam stepped forward. “That was wrong—And I know that. I knew that then. I was just very angry, and I wasn’t thinking. I’m trying to make up for that, Danny. Didn’t I say you could see your dad whenever you wanted—”

“He’s a little busy right now,” Danny bit out. “Since the FBI thinks Elizabeth killed that guy and Dad’s covering for her. Or did you forget?”

“I didn’t. Danny, I know it was hard for you with the FBI—”

Danny shoved himself off the bed. “You know, Jake never had to talk to them, right? Dad said no, and that was the end of it. But you made me talk to them, and now they think they can bother me all the time—”

“They talked to you again? Without me?” Sam demanded.

“What were you going to do? Stand there?” Danny sneered. “Why do you want me to talk to him, huh? You gonna find a way to put a wire on me? Record our conversations and get Dad in more trouble?”

“Danny, I would never do that—that’s not fair—” Sam backed up a few steps, back into the hall when Danny came towards her.

“What’s not fair is you acting like a raging lunatic for weeks, grounding me for the rest of my life, making me to talk to the FBI who are stalking me—”

“Watch the attitude—” Sam cut in sharply.

“Go to therapy.” And then slammed the door in her face.

Webber House: Front Entrance

Elizabeth approached the front door, light pouring through the windows. Then she stopped, folding her arms around her upper torso. Jason came up behind her, touched her shoulders— she flinched at first, then relaxed. “I was torn at first when I realized you hadn’t kept the boys with you. I wanted to see them so much, but I’m glad—” she blew out a breath, then turned to face him. “I’m glad I had a chance to lose it when they weren’t in the room. I don’t even know what this has been like for you, for them, but I’m sure they were scared—”

“None of that matters right now,” he said.

“It—”

“We can talk about it tomorrow when you’ve had time to rest, to take a real shower, eat real food.”

For the first time in nearly a week, the corners of her mouth twisted with genuine amusement. “I thought I was the bossy one.”

She was rewarded with his own slight smile. “I’ve been taking lessons from the master. Come on.” He reached past her, and pushed open the door.

Elizabeth turned back, started to walk inside — but she didn’t get any more than a few steps over the threshold when Aiden barreled into her, throwing his arms around her shoulders, wrapping her up in a tight hug with every ounce of energy he could muster. He’d always hugged like that, she thought, holding him. Since he was a toddler — he’d embraced the people he loved with everything he had.

But Jake — Jake, who was always so much more hesitant with his physical affection — Jake surprised her by coming around to the side, and hugging her from the back so that she was sandwiched between both her boys.

“Can you let your mother in before you suffocate her?” Laura said, with a teasing laugh, rubbing Aiden’s shoulder. “Come on. Let her come in, sit down.”

“Sorry, sorry—” Aiden stepped back, sniffled a little, then cleared his throat, rolled his shoulders. “I was gonna be cool about it—”

“You’ve never been cool a day in your life,” Jake said, reluctantly releasing his mother, sweeping his eyes over her, his expression registering concern.

“Neither have you—” Aiden shot back out of habit, and Jake elbowed him. Oh, it had been so long since she’d watched the two of them banter like this—the tears welled up in her eyes against her will, and it was a challenge to keep them at bay when Laura hugged her — more gently than either boy.

“I’m not staying, honey. You’ve had a hell of a time, and you need rest and recharging.” Laura drew back, tucked a piece of Elizabeth’s hair behind her ear. “But I just couldn’t go one more day without seeing your face.”

“S-Same.” Elizabeth closed her eyes when Laura kissed her forehead. “I—I’ll call you.”

“When you’re ready. I love you, sweetheart.” She stepped away, and Diane was there now—

“I’m also not going to stay. Give me a call tomorrow when you’re ready to talk about’s next. Or—” Diane lifted her brows. “Don’t. Jason’s got your bail release covered, and he and I can handle the next few days if you just want to take your time.”

“I d-don’t—” Her hand fluttered up around her mouth.

“Mom, we got you ribs from Eli’s,” Aiden said, drawing her attention to him. “And I made you the brownies you like. With extra chocolate.”

“Cam’s on FaceTime,” Jake said, holding up a phone for her to see, and she could just make out the face of her oldest son.

“Let me know,” Diane said—and Elizabeth snapped back to her, blinking. “You’ve been through hell. Take a deep breath. Everything can wait.” She walked past Elizabeth, probably to talk to Jason.

And then Jake was shoving the phone in her face, and oh, oh, there was her baby. Her oldest. Her firstborn, the love of her life—

“Mom. Hey.” His voice was small, but clear and he was grinning at her. “Oh, man, it is so good to see you!”

“It’s g-good—” Her throat felt so tight, but she forced the words past her lips. “It’s good t-to see you. I love you. I l-love—I c-couldn’t—” She gulped in a deep breath, the inhale a shuddering sob—and then Cameron’s face dissolved in a haze of tears, and she started to cry. Deep, wracking, hysterical sobs.

Jason heard the first shaky breath, and looked up from Diane, startled when Elizabeth just fell apart, the shaking of her shoulders—He came forward, slow at first—and then with almost a leap when her knees startled to buckle.

He caught her from behind, holding her as they hit the floor, Elizabeth still clutching the phone, still hysterically sobbing like she was breaking into two, harsh, angry gulps of air, punctuated with apologies, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

Aiden seemed frozen to the ground, his eyes wide and panicked. Jake was slow to react, almost as if he were swimming through the air, but when his dad wrenched the phone from his mother, held it out, Jake scooped it up.

Diane had already made her own exit, closing the door behind her. Jake grabbed Aiden’s arm and dragged him towards the stairs, all the way, Cameron’s distant voice demanding to know what was going on, and how he was getting on the next plan—

“I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry—” Elizabeth couldn’t stop saying it. Jason took a deep breath, angled them so that his back was leaning against the sofa, his legs splayed out, and she was tucked in his arms, holding on. “I’m sorry. I just—I h-heard h-his v-voice—”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Jason kept repeating it, hold on for dear life, for the storm to pass. Had he really thought what happened in the car would be enough? He felt like an idiot now, not managing this return better. Too much at once, too many people—

—

At the top of the stairs, Jake and Aiden sat, side by side, listening to their mother’s sobs, a little quieter now, but no less haunting.

“Damn it—will—”

Jake aimed the phone at he and Aiden. “Mom lost it, okay? She’s—Dad’s got her. We—” He looked at Aiden, then back at Cameron. “We thought it would be easier for her if we were upstairs.”

“She didn’t even lose it that way when Franco died,” Aiden said, and Cameron sighed.

“Not that any of us saw, but maybe she always hides it.”

“And she can’t this time,” Jake finished grimly.

“I’m coming home—I’m booking—”

“No. Dude, don’t make it worse for her. Don’t do that. You know how she feels about you and school—”

“I don’t care—”

“Well, that’s selfish,” Aiden said, stunning both of his older brothers. Cameron scowled at him, and Aiden swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, but it is. Okay? Mom’s having enough problems. You’re literally coming on on Friday, Cam. You come home now, you’ll miss classes, and she’ll feel worse. Right?”

“Right. Right. Damn it.” Cameron shook his head. “I hate this.”

“Me, too—” Jake stopped. “Shh,” he breathed. “She stopped crying.”

—

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said, dully, her head laying on Jason’s shoulder, her eyes staring at the white shirt. “I—I thought I’d gotten over it.”

“It’s okay.” She felt his chest rise and fall with the words, a comforting rumble. She closed her eyes, hoping the warmth radiating from his body would engulf hers.

“It’s n-not. The b-boys-they’ve—”

“They can handle it. You don’t have to be perfect for them.”

“I’m far from perfect,” she muttered, and she felt his chest rumble again. “I just wanted to get the days, to believe Diane, but, oh, God, until I saw Cameron’s face, and I heard his voice. I didn’t realize—I didn’t realize how scared I was I’d never see him again outside of the jail. I didn’t—did I tell him I loved him when I put him on the plane back to school? Did I tell Jake or Aiden? I don’t think I did. I think I just nagged at them about their sneakers and homework and—”

“They know, I promise you. They know.”

“But I need to tell them—” She struggled to sit up, and he reluctantly moved, then rose and helped her stand, holding on to her hands.

“You will.” Jason lifted her chin so that she looked at him. “But you need to sleep. You’re safe here. No one’s going to come and take you away again. Getting you out was the first step. Now I’m going to find out who did this to you.”

Her smile was a bit wobbly, and then she leaned her forehead against his chest again. “I hate this.  I hate falling apart. I hate being weak.”

“We’ll argue about that later. Come on. You need water, and something to eat.” He guided her to the kitchen.

—

His parents’ voices had faced, so Jake looked back at Cameron, who had remained silent for all of that. “Okay, they’re gone. Here’s the plan. You — stay at Stanford until Friday. Be the perfect pre-med. You and me—” he looked at Aiden. “Perfect sons. And when we find out who tried to set Mom up for murder, we make their lives hell.

“If there’s anything left when Jason gets done,” Cameron said wryly. “Okay. Message received. I’ll see you guys on Friday.”

“See you.”

Jake ended the call, took a deep breath. “Let’s get out of the way, so Mom doesn’t think we’ve been listening to her lose it.” He got to his feet, hauling Aiden up, hoping they weren’t making as much noise as he feared. “Remember—”

“Perfect son. Got it. Piece of cake.”