November 8, 2004

Gatehouse: Living Room

Elizabeth sat down in the arm chair and smiled nervously at Lois Cerullo. “I wasn’t sure if Emily mentioned I’d be by today.”

“She did.” Lois played the hem of her pink sweater nervously. “I appreciate whatever you can do for my daughter, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth nodded but inside, she wondered if she’d be any good to Brooke right now. She felt empty. Hollow. Jason had been gone when she came back downstairs on Friday and she’d spent two days waiting for the second shoe to fall. No word from Jason, no inkling he’d told anyone the truth.

“Seeing you gives me hope,” Lois broke into Elizabeth’s thoughts. “This–this happened to you and you’ve risen up. You have a son, a life. You smile. If Ned hadn’t told me what happened, I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“It wasn’t overnight,” Elizabeth said, though the words warmed her heart. She had risen above her tragedy. Overcome it. She wasn’t the girl in the park any longer. “But I had an incredible support system. I hear that Brooke has one as well.”

“She’s got me and Ned,” Lois nodded. “And her family. Her friends. Dillon, the Jones girls, and her boyfriend has just–Lucas has never wavered.”

“He’s a good kid,” Elizabeth nodded. She looked up as Ned led Brooke into the room. She kept her face calm and composed but the bruises on the girl’s face broke her heart. No one should have to go through this. “Hey.”

“Thank you for coming, Elizabeth,” Ned said. He kissed his daughter’s cheek and tried to ignore the flinch. He looked to Lois. “We should give them some time.”

“I–” Lois hadn’t been that far from her daughter’s side since it happened but perhaps now would be a good chance to tell Ned about Lorenzo’s connection to Diego before anyone else could. “All right. Brookie, if you need me, we’ll be up at the main house.”

Brooke nodded and sat in her mother’s vacated seat. When they were gone, she smiled nervously at Elizabeth. “Hey.”

“Hey. I know–I know we don’t know each other but Emily asked me to come by and see if I could offer anything,” Elizabeth said uncomfortably.

“My dad said it happened to you,” Brooke said after a moment. She stared at her hands while she asked this.

“It did,” Elizabeth admitted softly. “I was a little younger than you. Fifteen.”

Brooke yanked her startled eyes to Elizabeth’s calm ones. “Fifteen?” she repeated. “That’s so horrible.”

“It’s horrible no matter when it happens,” Elizabeth said softly. “Seventeen, fifteen, twenty-five–it’s always horrible.”

Brooke nodded. “Did–did they ever find him? Did you know him?” she asked hesitantly.

“I did all the wrong things when it happened,” Elizabeth said, almost wistfully. “I showered. I refused to go to the police. By the time I reported it, the case was cold and it was later ruled inactive. So for a long time, I didn’t think I would find him. And I think I might have slowly gone mad. Believing every man I saw might have done it.” She took a deep breath. “But eventually, through a coincidence we found him. He went to prison on another crime but he’s serving time now.”

Brooke exhaled slowly. “Was it someone you knew?”

“Not really. I mean, he was someone Emily knew. It was her photographer,” Elizabeth admitted. “But not someone I was personally acquainted with.”

“Diego…he was supposed to be my friend,” Brooke said in a small voice. “Do you think it’s worse if it’s someone you know, someone you trusted?”

Elizabeth hesitated. “In a way…probably.” She joined Brooke on the couch. “I think it’s different for everyone. I couldn’t tell anyone and I didn’t even tell my own family for almost a month. Lucky Spencer found me that night and his father knew, his aunt. But I refused to tell anyone and didn’t tell my closest friends for months. I couldn’t bear for anyone to know. I thought–” she hesitated. “Before I was raped, I dressed in tight clothing. Short skirts, tight jeans, anything I thought might get Lucky’s attention. So part of me thought they would blame me. Say that I had brought it on myself.”

Brooke nodded, her throat tight. “I thought maybe I led Diego on someway. Like…let him think I felt that way for him. I didn’t–I never thought he was more than friend. I have a boyfriend you know.” She swiped at her eyes. “Not that he’s really my boyfriend anymore.”

“Why?” Elizabeth asked softly. “Has he said anything?”

“No,” Brooke admitted. “But–well, don’t you think it’s only a matter of time?”

“I know why you feel it has to be,” Elizabeth admitted. “It was almost a year before I let Lucky kiss me. Six months before I could really stand anyone’s touch. And it was nearly three years before I became intimate with Lucky. See…I was a virgin when it happened to me.”

Brooke cleared her throat and her dark watery eyes met Elizabeth’s warm blue ones. “Me too.”

Elizabeth went with instinct and put her arms around the younger girl. Brooke pressed her face into Elizabeth’s neck and started to sob.

General Hospital: Sam McCall’s Room

Sam blinked. She moved her head to the side and smiled faintly when she saw Sonny slouched in a chair at her side. “That can’t be comfortable,” she murmured.

He sat up at her voice and rubbed his eyes. “Sam. You’re awake.”

“Mmm…I feel so groggy,” she said softly. She tried to sit up, but pain spread through her lower body. Her eyes darted to her abdomen and instantly she knew what was different. What was wrong. “Where is she?” Sam asked softly.

Sonny hesitated. “Friday morning, you were rushed to the ER. You were bleeding.”

Sam stared at him. “Where is she?” she repeated.

“She was stillborn,” Sonny said after a long moment. “She–she was deprived oxygen and she died.” He took a deep breath. “Sam, I’m–I’m so sorry.”

“No.” Sam shook her head. “No, I won’t–I won’t accept that. No!” she yanked her hands away from him as he reached for them. “Where’s Jason?” she demanded shrilly. “He’ll tell me the truth!”

“He’s not here right now.”

“I want Jason,” Sam said. “He should be here. She was his, too.” Tears slid down her cheeks, but she didn’t seem to register that. “How could you let her die?” she demanded.

“Sam–”

“Don’t touch me!” she cried, smacking his hands. “I don’t want you to touch me. I want to see my daughter!”

Sonny stood and took her hands in his almost forcefully. “Calm down,” he ordered. “You’ll tear your stitches.”

“I don’t care!” Sam struggled to pull her hands from his strong grasp. “Where’s Jason?”

“I’ll call him,” Sonny sighed. He let her hands go. “And I’ll tell the doctor you’re awake.” He stood and looked at her intently for a moment, then strode to the door.

“Sonny–” Sam swallowed hard. He turned in mid stride. “Did she suffer?” she asked quietly. “Did she hurt?”

“She never drew a breath,” Sonny sat back down. “She didn’t feel anything.”

“What day is it?” Sam clenched the sheets of her bed. “Saturday?”

“Monday,” Sonny corrected. He brushed her hair out of her eyes with a sad faint smile. “You’ve been in a coma.”

“Did you see her?” Sam asked. She brushed at the tears. “Was she beautiful?”

“She was,” Sonny replied. “We wanted to wait until you woke up to talk about arrangements. Names.”

Sam nodded slowly. “Adella Leigh,” she whispered. “Adella Leigh Corinthos. That’s what we should name her.”

Sonny exhaled slowly and nodded. “All right then. Adella Leigh. I’ll get a doctor.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Brianne set her file on Lucky Spencer’s desk. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, tugging her black pea coat off and draping it across the chair that sat in front of the desk. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning.”

“It’s fine.” Lucky waited until she was seated. “Mac gave me his notes. I’m not sure why you needed to meet with me.”

Brianne sighed. “I’m going to meet with Brooke Lynn tomorrow and I want to make sure I’ve got all my bases covered. The preliminary hearing is Wednesday. I’ll be calling the investigating officer.”

“He’ll be bound over for trial, there’s no chance he won’t,” Lucky replied. His eyes darkened. “The sick twisted little bastard.”

She rubbed her temple. “I’m the lawyer, you’re the cop. Let’s just pretend for a second that I know what I need to happen in that court room, okay?”

He smirked. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. What do you need from me?”

“First of all, I need an exact run down of her injuries.” Brianne uncapped her pen and poised it over her legal pad.”

Lucky flipped to the medical report. “Brooke had a broken nose, a broken arm, a concussion. Three of her ribs were bruised and she had various bruising and cuts on her face and arms. The doctor ran the rape kit at the hospital and Mac supervised. The kit was positive for semen which later matched Diego Sanchez’s DNA. We also have photographs of all her bruising and surface injuries.”

Brianne nodded and finished writing that down. “Diego has said she consented and her injuries are a result of rough sex. Is there any evidence that points that way?”

“You know Mac said you’d ask something stupid like that,” Lucky muttered.

Brianne set her pen down and leveled a cool stare at him. “He’s going to be saying that in court. His lawyer is going to attack that poor girl on the stand. I owe it to her to ask first and to be ready for it. I’m sorry that you and Commissioner Scorpio don’t seem to understand that.”

“No,” Lucky said reluctantly. “I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right. It just–it’s irritating to think he could even get to say that in public.” He shook his head. “There’s no evidence that backs that up. Brooke was dating Lucas Jones, had been for about two months. Her friends say Diego was just a friend. I stopped by the high school on Friday,” he told her. “And I talked to some kids–with parental permission of course. Diego had only been in school for a month. The only person they really saw Brooke with was Lucas. She, Georgie and Maxie Jones, Lucas and Dillon Quartermaine had a little group and Diego was really only on the edges. I got the impression they thought she felt sorry for him.”

“Good, good.” Brianne noted that. “I’ll need a list of names of those kids. If we need rebuttal witnesses.”

He slid a sheet of paper towards her. “Have you ever first chaired a case before?”

“No,” Brianne admitted. “Have you ever worked on a case like this before?”

“Not officially,” Lucky said cryptically. He leaned back in his chair. “Why would you pick something like this for your first case?”

“Because it’s an important case,” Brianne remarked. She slid her legal pad in her bag. “The Quartermaines are attached to it. And it appears that Lorenzo Alcazar is as well. It’d be a good way to make a name for myself.”

He nodded. “It would.” He paused. “But I don’t think that’s why.”

She stood and pulled her coat back on. “Well then I guess it’s a good thing I don’t care what you think.” She slid the bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We have an appointment to meet with Brooke Lynn at ten o’clock and I think it would help if you were present.”

“I’ll see you there.” He watched with considering eyes as the assistant district attorney walked briskly out of the squad room.

Kelly’s

Emily found her brother sitting at a corner table back near the counter. She pulled off her scarf and gloves as she made her way back there. She planted the scarf and gloves on the table and her coat on the chair. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to wait to talk to you about this. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it all myself, so–”

“You can save it. I talked to Elizabeth yesterday,” Emily said briskly. A waitress came over and she ordered a hot chocolate. Jason ordered black coffee. When they were alone again, she continued, “I can’t say that I don’t feel bad about the way things happened. I think I may have had a little to do with it. I said some things to Elizabeth I shouldn’t have and I know her brother may have had something to do with her change of heart. However, I whole hearted applaud her newfound backbone.”

Jason stared at her. “I’m not really sure what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying you treated her like dirt and I am so very disappointed in you. This isn’t the brother I’ve loved and respected for so many years. And then when she stands up for herself, gives you the ultimatum you so damn well deserved, you leave her.” Emily accepted the cup of hot chocolate and sipped it. “She’s devastated naturally.”

Jason didn’t even register the coffee set in front of him. “She threw me out.”

“You didn’t really live there. You don’t really live anywhere,” Emily murmured. Her brisk tone fell to the wayside and she peered at him through dark watery eyes. “I feel so very sorry for you, Jason. You had everything and you chose nothing instead.” She set the cup down and took a deep breath. “She told me that you were going to deed the penthouse to Sam. That’s a good idea. There aren’t a lot of happy memories there anyway. So you’ll need somewhere new to live. In a good neighborhood for Cameron.”

Jason blinked and looked away. “You’re right,” he said roughly. “I woke in the hospital seven years ago with no memory, no family, no friends. I had nothing. And despite everything between, that’s all I have now.”

“No.” Emily shook her head. “You’re still my brother, Jason. And I still love you. I’m just not that thrilled with you.” She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. “You have always been my rock. Always there for me, never failing, never faltering. Let me be that for you.”

“I’m not going to work for Sonny anymore,” he said after a long moment. “I don’t think it’s done anything good for me in years and I think it’s time I left the organization for good.”

“I think that would be an excellent idea,” Emily said. She sat back and a smile crossed her face. “But I know the Cassadine Industries could use a security expert to oversee everything. Nikolas has been expanding the business over the last year and it’s quite the little empire. It’d be challenging which I think would be something you’d want. But more, it would be safe. For a family.”

Jason studied his sister for a moment. “You’ve talked this over with Nikolas already.”

“I talked to him on Friday. It was obvious something in your life was going to have to change. I didn’t think you’d decide to leave Sonny just now but I had hoped to offer this alternative to you.” Powerful relief flooded her veins as Emily realized her brother was actually considering this. “Nikolas would have the rest of the details and when I suggested you fill the position, he was really happy about it.”

“Emily, I appreciate it. I do. But I–”

“No, no, don’t say no yet.” Emily leaned forward. “Talk to Nikolas first. Just talk to him. If you’re really not interested, then okay. But please just give it a chance, okay?”

“Okay,” Jason said after a moment. “Would you help me find an apartment?”

Emily sat back and sighed. “You’re really going through with this.”

“I have to be in Cameron’s life,” Jason said, his voice resigned. “After the way I treated Elizabeth, she had every right to throw me out. I don’t deserve to ask her for her more.”

“What about what she deserves?” Emily asked softly. “She deserves a family. Someone who loves her. Elizabeth deserves you, Jason.”

“Not now,” Jason shook his head. “I have nothing to offer her.” He paused a moment. “Will you help me find an apartment?”

“All right,” Emily replied. She leveled one last glare at him. “Idiot.”

General Hospital: Board Room

Alexis tapped a pen against a note pad and sat straight when Ned entered. “Ned. What’re you doing here?”

“There’s a board meeting.” Ned rounded the table and took a seat next to the head of the table, across from Alexis. “I heard you’d been reappointed the counsel to the hospital.”

She nodded slowly. “You’ve heard about Kristina.”

“I’m glad she’s all right,” Ned told her. “It was a good thing a donor was found.”

She bit her lip. “I was sorry about Brooke Lynn. I–I can’t imagine what that must be like.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ned said briskly. He opened a folder. “So Sonny knows the truth. Has he filed for custody yet?”

“No,” Alexis said, a little stung. She sat back and shifted in her seat. “We agreed that we would wait until she was recovered and back at home before we talked about that. That Kristina’s welfare came first.”

“He agreed to that?” Ned remarked caustically. “I’d watch my back, Alexis. He does nothing that’s not in his own interest.” He flipped through the papers idly, not really looking at them. “I hear congratulations were in order.” He glanced at her naked finger. “No ring.”

“It was rather sudden.” Alexis covered her left hand with her right. “We haven’t had time for traditional things.”

“Ric Lansing.” Ned looked at her and though his face remained expressionless, Alexis had the feeling he was mocking her. “And I had my issues with Sonny.”

“I’m not sure you have room to judge,” Alexis said, a little haughtily. She tapped her pen more incessantly against the legal pad. “Five seconds after you realized Skye wasn’t your cousin, you were trying to sleep with her. And might I add, Faith Roscoe wasn’t one of your better choices.”

“Says the woman who’s only healthy relationship is with her profession,” Ned replied with heavy irony.

She bit down hard on her lower lip and trapped her words back. He was going through a difficult time as a parent. He needed to lash out, Alexis reminded herself. They’d been friends once. Good friends. She took a deep calming breath. “He makes me feel a little less alone,” she murmured. “A little less isolated.”

Ned closed the manila folder slowly. “Brooke was sitting in her room this morning,” he said slowly, “and she was staring at a blank white wall. I called her name for almost a full minute before she heard me. I came here in a rotten mood and I took it out on you, Alexis. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. I’ve taken things out on you plenty of times.” She offered him a faint smile. “Who else can you treat like dirt if not your friends?”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Desk

“Clean bill of health,” Elizabeth remarked as she met her grandmother at the nurse’s desk. She leaned over and touched her son’s cheek. “Was he okay?”

“He was a perfect angel,” Audrey beamed. She looked at her great-grandchild with pride. “He has his great-grandfather’s nose.”

Cameron had a pudgy nose that looked nothing like her grandfather’s but Elizabeth merely smiled and let her grandmother have her beliefs. “Steven says I’m just fine and I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

“Good. I have tomorrow off and it would be my pleasure to sit with Cameron.” Audrey crouched down next to the carriage and trailed a finger down his chubby cheek. She frowned and pressed her hand more fully to his skin. “Elizabeth, darling, he’s warm.”

Elizabeth’s smile faded. “Warm?” She knelt in front of her son and touched his cheek. Cameron did indeed feel warm. His face was mildly flushed. Slightly panicked, Elizabeth lifted him into her arms and searched for a doctor.

“He’s probably just got a little case of the sniffles,” Audrey said with a nervous smile. “I’m sure he’s fine.” But she rounded the nurse’s desk and paged Steven.

Her brother stepped off the elevator a moment later and frowned when he saw Elizabeth’s glassy eyes. “Bits? What’s wrong? Did you run into Jason?”

“Jason?” Audrey questioned. “What does Jason have to do with anything?”

Ignoring her grandmother, Elizabeth shifted Cameron to Steven’s arms. “He’s warm. And he’s flushed.”

“All right, all right.” Steven adjusted Cameron in his arms and peered into the infant’s face. “His eyes do look a little bright. He may have a small cold.”

“May?” Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and poked him directly in the chest, her red finger nail digging into the white fabric of his lab jacket. “Listen, Doogie, I don’t have the patience for maybes and might bes. You fix him, and you fix him now.”

“Okay, okay.” Mildly amused now, Steven shifted Cameron higher into his arms. “You haven’t called me Doogie in years.”

If flames could have shot out of her eyes, they very well would have as Elizabeth and her grandmother followed Steven into an examining room.

After a brief examination, Steven deduced that his nephew did indeed have a cold and ear infection. He wrote Elizabeth a prescription for Cameron–ear drops and a cough syrup to handle the rest.

“You’ll want to keep him inside, so you probably should take the week off instead of coming back to work,” Steven told her.

“See, everything is just fine, darling.” Audrey kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and squeezed Steven’s shoulder. “Now I have to start my shift. You call me if you need anything, all right?”

“Right, Gram.” Elizabeth watched her grandmother disappear out the door. “I–I’m sorry I snapped at you, Steven. I just–he’s the most important person in the world to me.”

“I totally understand.” Steven kissed Cameron’s forehead and ruffled the baby’s soft dark hair. “He’s pretty important to me, too, Bits.”

She smiled faintly at the nickname. “And don’t mention Jason in front of Gram. Not yet. I’m trying to think of the best way to tell her.”

“You know…” Steven hesitated. “Jason not telling Sonny or Carly…is almost like you not wanting to tell Gram. Or wanting Mom, Dad or Sarah to know about Cameron at all. You know that they won’t accept it. Won’t understand. So you don’t tell them.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “Playing Devil’s advocate?”

“I’m just saying I do understand his initial reasons for keeping this all to himself,” Steven remarked. He put Cameron into the carriage and secured him. “My issue isn’t with the secret. It’s the way he keeps it. The way he treats you. His son. I honestly believe he loves you so it’s hard to understand why he’d do it.”

“Steven, I don’t really want to dissect Jason’s mind right now. I want to take my son, go home and forget about the whole thing.” She grimaced. “Except for where I have to call Jason and tell him Cam’s sick.”

Brownstone: Living Room

Carly came down the steps and smiled hesitantly at Jason. “Morgan’s napping and I managed to keep Michael upstairs by promising you’d stop up before you go.”

Jason nodded and remained standing next to the sofa. “Bobbie at work?”

“She’s got a late shift.” Carly folded her arms and looked at the ground. “So, listen, Jase, I know I haven’t always been the kind of friend you wanted me to be.”

“I never wanted you to be anyone but yourself,” Jason corrected quickly.

“Well…you’re a better person than me.” She met his eyes. “I know you’ve been seeing Elizabeth. That you were with her the morning Sam lost the baby.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I–I was talking with Steven Webber when Mama told us they couldn’t find you. He said he had to make a call and left. Jase…the only person you and Steven have in common is his sister. He wouldn’t confirm it, so don’t be mad at him.”

“I’m not,” Jason said after a moment. “I came here to tell you that.”

She nodded. “I know that you kept it from me, from Sonny. And I know that you expected me to throw some sort of hissy fit about how she’s not good enough for you and all that stuff.” She shrugged. “Two weeks ago, you may have been right.”

“Carly–”

“But it’s okay,” she hurried on. “I–I’m glad that you’ve found someone. And though I don’t really like her, she’s always put you first. And I think that’s something you need–”

“We’re not together anymore,” Jason interrupted abruptly.

Carly closed her mouth and frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“We were.” Jason took a deep breath. “Carly, Cameron’s my son.”

“I–” Carly exhaled slowly. “Your son.”

“Yes. Last fall…Elizabeth and I–I don’t know how to describe it,” Jason hesitated. “It wasn’t an affair. We were both–I was going to break things off with Courtney but she was still recovering from the miscarriage…and the pills. I didn’t know how to do it. And when Courtney set the date for the wedding, Elizabeth thought–” he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We broke things off. She didn’t realize Cameron was mine until the doctors readjusted her due date.”

“And you’ve been sneaking off to be with him, with her,” Carly murmured. Memories of not being able to reach Jason on his phone, of his strange and sudden disappearances began to filter through her mind. “Was it her idea to keep the secret or yours?”

“Mine,” Jason said with some regret. “Elizabeth agreed and we both thought it was temporary. But one day after another passed and before I realized it, she was telling me that as far as she was concerned I wasn’t being a father to Cameron and she couldn’t be with someone she didn’t respect.”

“Jason…” Carly let her hands fall to side. “When did this happen?”

“Friday.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “And she was right. So I’m telling you the truth. I’ll tell Sonny about Cameron, but he found out about Elizabeth Friday morning.”

“And Courtney?” Carly asked.

“I’ll deal with that. I don’t want to hurt her. But I don’t want her to hear it from anyone else,” he told her. “Carly–are you okay with this?”

“Well, let’s see.” Carly folded her arms again and took a few steps towards him. She turned and took a few steps away. She faced him. “You have a son. A little boy that probably looks like you, that’s going to grow up and know you’re his father. And if I can give Elizabeth any credit at all, she’s not going to keep you from him. I’m very happy for you,” Carly continued, “but I wonder if there’s anything I can do regarding the rest of it. Can I talk to her? What?”

Some of tension bled from his shoulders and Jason relaxed a little. “No. No, I’ll handle that. But I’m sorry that I underestimated you. I thought you’d take this differently.”

“Well, Jason, I’m sorry to burst your little bubble there but you pegged me pretty right. If you had told me about this months ago, I would have. But things have changed.” She smiled faintly. “I suppose I have.”

Jason’s cell rang and he took it from his pocket, noting he had a missed message. He flipped it on. “Hello?”

“Jason…” Elizabeth paused. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He shifted, turned away from Carly. “Are you–is everything okay?”

“Yeah…well…Cameron’s got a cold…and an ear infection.” There was another pause and he could almost see her, sitting on the sofa in the cottage trying to decide what to say to him. “He’s all right, I mean we’ve got medicine and he’s sleeping. I thought you should know.”

“I’ll be right over,” Jason told her. “We–we have to talk.”

“I know.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I’ll see you when you get here.” There was a click and he knew she’d hung up. Jason clicked to listen to his one message. When it finished, he slid the phone in his pocket and turned to Carly, who was trying to hide her curiosity.

“The message was from Sonny. Sam woke up.” He stared past her, out the window and into the street. “She isn’t taking the whole thing very well and she asked for me.”

“And what did Elizabeth say?” Carly asked.

“How’d you know it was her on the phone?” Jason asked.

“Your voice.” Her lips curved. “It changed. It was very cute, Jase, by the way. What did she want?”

“Cameron. He has a cold. An ear infection.” He met her eyes. “I told her I’d be over.”

“Well, you should go,” Carly said. “Sam’s a big girl. Sonny’s with her.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile. “And I can’t believe I said that without wanting to be sick.” She shook her head. “But you already know what you should do.”

Cottage: Living Room

It was nearly midnight when Jason got to the cottage. Elizabeth was curled up in a ball, on the corner of the couch, watching the local news. She turned as he stepped off the front landing into the living room. “I expected you a few hours ago,” she murmured. She took a glass of water from the table next to the sofa and sipped it. “Cameron’s been up and down most of the night. You should go see him.”

“Sam woke up,” Jason said after a long moment of silence. “I stopped by the hospital to see her. I only intended to stay a minute but…” he shook his head. “No excuses. I should have called.”

Elizabeth stared into the glass. “Is she all right?”

“Physically, yes. Sonny’s still with her.” Jason shifted and stared down at the top of her head. “I spoke to Carly today. I told her about Cameron.”

She glanced up sharply. “You did?”

“She knew part of it.” He rounded the sofa and sat gingerly at the other end. “She thought what Sonny had. That we were seeing each other after you got back from Napa Valley.”

“But now?” Elizabeth prompted.

“She’s okay with it.” He stared at the television, not registering what was on the screen. “I’m trying to find the right moment to tell Sonny, I promise you. He’s just lost his daughter. He’s got Kristina to deal with. Sam…I’m not putting it off–”

“Jason…I don’t expect you to run right out and do it. I know Sonny’s going through some stuff.” Elizabeth curled her legs underneath her. “I’m not asking you to make Cameron your only priority. I’m just asking for him to be your first.”

“I know.” He looked at her. “What about you?”

“What about me?” she murmured.

“What happened between us Friday afternoon…” Jason hesitated and looked away. “It doesn’t change anything. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Elizabeth said softly. “But it doesn’t ever seem to be enough.”

“This time, that’s my fault.” He stood and faced her. “I talked about making you and Cameron the number one priority in my life. I said that I loved you, that I wanted a family. I broke my own rule, Elizabeth. My words meant nothing. I never wanted that.” He shook his head. “I never used to be like that.”

“You meant them when you said them,” Elizabeth murmured. “I don’t think you know what you want, Jason. Or how to make it happen.”

“I know that I love you,” he said solemnly. “And that I’m not willing to just…let this go. I’ve done that. I’ve let you go too many times and we always seem to end up back here. I’m not doing this again. I have to ask you for something. I don’t deserve it but–”

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked. She looked up at him, met his eyes and held them.

“Don’t give up on us yet,” Jason said. “Please.”

“As long as you don’t get married,” Elizabeth said, only half-joking. She stood and touched his cheek. “I love you Jason. I won’t give up.”

He nodded and then stepped back from her. “I should go see Cameron.”

She nodded and watched him leave the room. She should feel relieved but somehow, she only felt sad.

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