Note: Written in response to the April 7th episode when Michael was shot… This is Elizabeth Webber's view of things that happened and how things would play out… It was written very quickly & without much edit… so if you see mistakes, point 'em out! And please let me know if you like it. I'd really appreciate it.
The Odd One Out
Harborview Towers
What Elizabeth Webber had previously known as the bottom of the world had just dropped out. With the ringing of a phone, her happy little cloud had disappeared. The words "12 year old boy en route to General Hospital, gun shot wound to the head, vitals inconsistent" made all the little fantasies and hopes for the future crash back to the earth. Especially with Jason's reaction to the call on his phone. It had cemented what Elizabeth had hoped was only an unfounded fear.
Michael Corinthos had been shot. Little Michael...
Jason Morgan was always a strong person. But as he hung up his phone, Elizabeth could see his legs shaking, struggling to hold him up under the weight of such knowledge. She wanted to approach him, hold him, tell him she loved him. But this was a pain she wouldn't be able to break through. The thought was confirmed as he turned to her with watery eyes.
"I've got to get to Carly. I've got to get to General Hospital," he said. He rushed by her to the door without really seeing her. His only pause was to pick up his jacket. As the door closed behind him, Elizabeth let her own tears free. If she could turn back time to a mere ten minutes ago and just leave it there, she would. She had been happy, in Jason's arms, basking in his love and loving him in return. Her pager went off, interrupting the thoughts. She grabbed her coat and rushed out the door as well, hurrying to scrub in to save the life of a boy that was as much a part of Jason Morgan as the gun he held in his hand.
General Hospital
It was jarring, to say the least, to watch the man you love comfort another woman. Especially a woman you disliked with a passion. But that dislike only caused Elizabeth a moment of pause as she watched Jason and Carly embrace. Then she remembered that Carly was a mother. A mother who was close to losing her son. The empathy kicked in then, and gave her the extra push to hurry and prepare to save that son's life.
It really hadn't taken long for Michael to arrive at the hospital. But to everyone in the waiting room, that elapse of time seemed like eons. Even to Elizabeth, the time seemed to stretch on. Between her duties, she'd sensed the wall of tension being built among those sitting in wait. And already, the parties were set. Jason and Carly versus Sonny. She could see it even now as Jason reached out to touch Carly, almost mindlessly, in comfort.
Sonny sat on his own. By his choice or by the seclusion of his ex-wife and his number one enforcer, it was hard for Elizabeth to tell. But as he sat there, all alone, she felt for him. She had looked over and seen his despondency, as Carly had demanded her son's clothes from her. For that brief moment, Elizabeth had thought the other woman had snapped. But as Carly had gently embraced the clothes and fallen apart, it had been Jason that was there to help her fall and then to pick her up. Elizabeth looked to Sonny in that moment and had seen that he'd felt how she had felt. The odd one out. Michael was just as much Sonny's son as he was Carly's. But it was obvious now... it wasn't Jason and Carly versus Sonny. It was Jason and Carly versus the world.
It had pained Elizabeth to see the state of such a fragile boy when the ambulance had finally arrived. For someone so young and innocent to be caught in the crossfire of something he had little understanding of... it was unthinkable. For brief moments, Michael's face would suddenly transform into Cameron's and the fear that Carly was feeling would become palpable in Elizabeth's own chest. In those moments, Elizabeth actually found she understood the blonde woman. She could understand the urge to hit, scream, cry, rage and bargain with the devil. If the situation had been reversed, she could very well go toe-to-toe with Carly herself and probably win. But most of all, Elizabeth understood the strength it took to withstand this outrage. And she knew that Carly had strength beyond a normal person. Elizabeth could only hope that the very strength that had pulled Carly out of a similar situation was at the core of her son.
As she had let a comforting hand run over the boy's cheek, she had looked up to see the tear ravaged face of Carly in the window, silently keeping vigil. And she had seen the loving kiss that Jason had placed on the woman's shoulder in show of support, his own face showing the lost look that shadowed on Carly's. Again, Sonny stood behind watching with his own guilt and his own loss etched on his face. But he was muted in contrast to the unit that was in front of him.
The rush to surgery had given everyone that spark of adrenaline that took all thought away from the "what if's" of the world. The morose, but hurried, escort to the next trial kept everyone grounded in the present and thinking about saving a life. But the aftermath was what shifted thoughts. The quiet of the operating room kept Elizabeth thinking of the helplessness of it all. And once again, she saw Cameron's face wrapped in towels and tubes and fighting for his life. She would be lying if she said that it hadn't shaken her. Elizabeth stripped off the gloves and the protective gear and exited the solemn operating room. She needed to see Jason. Looking at his face and holding him would make her feel better about everything.
But as she turned the corner to where Michael's room was located, Elizabeth was faced with the reality that it really wasn't about her feelings and her fears.
It was soul crushing, to say the least, to watch the man you love give his everything to another woman. Elizabeth watched as Jason fell apart, no reserves, in Carly's arms. The care she attended him with mirrored what Elizabeth could have done for him. But there was something else. Something that Elizabeth had never cared to look for, or ever cared to see. There was more than just caring. Carly accepted Jason's burden as she would accept another breath. It was instinctive. And it was unconditional. Carly's eyes had looked up to met Elizabeth's and there was a steely dare in them for her to intrude on their grief. Because it wasn't just Carly's grief, and it wasn't just Jason's grief. What Carly felt, Jason felt. And vice versa. This wasn't a situation where Carly supported Jason. Just like earlier had not been about Jason supporting Carly. This was mutual. And until that little boy woke up with a smile on his face and a demand for a cheeseburger, it would be unending.
It was a bitter pill to swallow to be on the outside looking in. But as Elizabeth turned and nearly ran into Sonny Corinthos, she knew that she wasn't the only one. And wherever Jasper Jax currently was, she felt bad for him too. Because his absence paved the way for the family that had started out years ago as Jason, Carly and Michael to cement itself. Now, the inevitable 'other shoe' was hovering somewhere and she wondered when it was going to finally drop.
The next day...
Elizabeth knocked on the door not really knowing if he'd be there. There was no guard posted, but that didn't mean anything right now. The guards were working overtime at the hospital right now, per Jason's orders. After a fitful night sleep, she knew that she needed to have a conversation with Jason. Things were getting out of hand, and so quickly. It had caught her off guard. And that made her think about things. A lot of things.
It surprised her when he pulled the door open. He was the epitome of disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot. But despite that vulnerability, he didn't draw her near or reach out to her. She walked into the penthouse knowing that the verbal invitation would not come.
"Jason..." she started. He closed the door, but stayed where he was. "How is Michael doing?"
"Patrick doesn't hold out much hope. Even though Michael survived the surgery, the chances look good that he could remain in a vegetative state. And there is no saying what type of effects this will have on him should he wake up," he said, running a hand over his tired face.
"How is Carly handling it?" she ventured. Jason didn't say anything for a moment.
"Not well," he said finally. "This is worse than when we thought he was dead before. Before, he was just gone. It was almost easier to handle. This time... this time we're watching him go and there is nothing we can do."
Elizabeth moved towards him and finally gave in to the urge to touch him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him as much of her comfort as she was capable of giving. It disheartened her to know that it felt lacking. One of his arms came up and squeezed her shoulder for a long moment. But eventually he stepped back, reclaiming his spot next to the door. Elizabeth turned from him, not able to take this reserved, cut-off Jason staring at her. As she looked around the apartment, she thought of all the women that had been in Jason's life. Carly had been shot, kidnapped and targeted multiple times. Her children had been put in dangerous situations. Sam had been shot, tortured and used as a means to get to Jason. Emily was dead. Courtney had been kidnapped, lost their child and had been threatened. It was a long list of heartache and tragedy. They had tried a relationship once before, and it had failed. She wasn't so sure why she had thought it would suddenly work again when neither one of them had changed. But now there were children to think about. And she didn't want to become one of those women on that long list... Elizabeth turned to look at him again.
"I think we started making plans a little too hastily," she said. His eyes went to the floor. He didn't deny her statement. When she approached him, he did look up at her.
"I know." She stopped in front of him and raised a hand to his face.
"What we have is nice, Jason. And I love you for it. But what we have isn't real," she said. Jason nodded as she continued. "What we have exists in the clouds where nothing can go wrong. Not in a world with guns and guards."
"I know. And that is my world. That will always be my world," he said. A tear slipped down her cheek at his acceptance.
"Even with Michael?" she asked. "What if that had been Jake?" Elizabeth could see the anger bubbling inside of him, but he kept it in check.
"Do you think Michael is any less my son than Jake is?" he asked. "He's not. Michael has been my son since the day Carly first walked through my door pregnant with him. And if I had been the one protecting him, nothing would have happened to him. Sonny was stupid. He was trying to prove that our world couldn't touch Michael. He took chances he had no right taking. He was acting out of spite because people were telling him to get out of Michael's life. And that one stupid act could have cost a 12 year old boy his life."
"So if I asked you to stay out of Jake's life, you would do it?" she asked. Jason looked at her, incredulous. It made Elizabeth feel small.
"We go from talking marriage yesterday, to me not being Jake's father again?" he asked. "Let me tell you one thing and I want it to be perfectly clear: Jake would have never been at that warehouse to begin with."
"I'm sorry," she said. She really was. She never doubted Jason's dedication to those he loved. And she never doubted that he would lay down his life for those very people. "I never meant to imply that Jake was unsafe with you." Jason sighed.
"Yes, you did," he said. "I guess there's just one thing I can't seem to understand right now. You were going to let the world think that Lucky Spencer was the father of my child. But that was contingent on his staying sober and being faithful to your marriage. Otherwise it would be too dangerous for your children. What made you think my world would be any safer? Elizabeth, you know who I am. You know what I do."
He was right. It didn't make sense. She had been willing to vilify Lucky for bringing dangerous things into Jake and Cameron's world. Yet she had been willing to expose them to a world that only knew danger herself.
"I am so sorry..." her apology was interrupted by a knock on the door. Thinking it was just a guard, Jason opened it to come face to face with a somber Carly. The woman looked bone tired. Her make-up was worn off by tears, her suit was wrinkled and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Yet she still looked like the ever-strong Carly Port Charles had come to know and love, when occasion called for it.
"You didn't come back. I was getting worried," she said to him after spotting Elizabeth. "But I see you're busy." She turned to leave, but he reached out and took her hand, stopping her retreat. The ache in Elizabeth's heart didn't hurt as much as she expected it to. But she suspected that it wouldn't hurt at all after a while when things righted themselves.
"Stay. It'll be just a moment. Then I'll go back to the hospital with you," he said. After a moment, Carly nodded. She squeezed his hand back before letting go. And Elizabeth could see that, even though they were no longer touching, they were that team once again. With a sigh, Elizabeth picked up her purse from where she'd set it and gave the two people standing before her a last look.
"We all have places we need to be," she said. Then she looked at Jason. "We'll have to talk sometime." And with that casual parting, she closed the door to the penthouse behind her.
Elizabeth had originally thought that the second chance to be with Jason meant that this was the way things were supposed to be. She had always wondered what would have been when it concerned him. But maybe, now, the second chance with Jason had been the second chance to put it all behind her. A second chance to put an end to something that really never should have began. They had a child together, and he would grow into a beautiful little boy with both his mother and father loving him. She would never deny Jason his chance to love his son. But watching a mother's pain at the consequences Jason's world wrought opened her eyes to what strength and what determination she would never have. She didn't belong in that penthouse and she would make damned sure that her son knew he didn't either, despite his father's ways.
Carly was welcome to the world. Elizabeth knew the blonde would be drawn back into it. It was the natural way of things and inevitable. And Elizabeth hoped against all hope that little Michael would pull through for everyone's sakes. Port Charles wouldn't be the same if he didn't.
The End
A/N: Please let me know what you think!