So, yes, I know another new story but, this one got in my head and wouldn't let go. I am going to update this story once a week (With a possible second if I am having a good week, writing wise). All I Want is Everything is going to be updated Wednesday, Sunday. I'm Pretty But Not Easy is going to be updated Tuesday and Saturday. I've Gone Awry will be done on Thursday's. That way, I am given a little more time to write oneshots when they spontaneously pop in my head (Meaning Never Unseen will get an update fairly soon) and I can also finish editing and finishing my stories that are partially written, like Irrefutable Love and the like. If I get more chapters done for a story, then there could be extra posts, but I don't want to overwhelm myself with so many stories. Hope you all understand. The Quotes for the prologue are from Don Quixote. As I've said before, you can find all my new stories and the refreshed Right Kind of Wrong and the TLC'd chapters of Irrefutable Love at Heather's Haven on Yuku. Hope you all enjoy and will let me know what you think.
Snowflakes and Blood
Prologue
"Jason, what happened?" Elizabeth asked as she fell to her knees beside him, in the cold snow. Thankfully it was hard packed and not the fluffy stuff of a few days earlier, although, if the snow continued to fall, the fluffy stuff would be back with a vengeance.
"Jason, you need to answer me." She said with a slightly panicky fear encroaching in her tone.
When she still didn't get a response, her fear and nervousness kicked up another notch. Laying her head on the upper slope of his left pectoral, she tried to ignore the sounds of life around her and concentrate solely on the man in front of her.
The faint thump, thump of his heart caused her to cry out in relief but the growing stain of red on his gray shirt, caused her fear to ratchet up a degree or two higher.
"Jason Morgan, you will answer me when I talk to you. This is not a place to be lying down on the job, get up damnit." Elizabeth cried.
Unable to understand the unintelligible words he mumbled, Elizabeth tried to think of the best way to rouse him, so that he could assist her in saving his damn life.
Calling on every bit of strength in her diminutive frame, Elizabeth managed to wedge herself between him and the tree he was semi propped up against. With something to use as leverage, she'd be able to exert more strength in getting him upright, without exhausting herself.
No sooner did she get behind him, than his head lolled to her shoulder. A gash on his forehead was weeping a sluggish amount of blood, but the oddest thing happened next. A snowflake, completely unique, or so she had heard of each snowflake, landed in the tiny drop of blood and somehow didn't lose its shape but went from pristine white, to the color of his lips, a perfectly pale dusty rose.
'Snowflakes and Blood' Elizabeth thought to herself. It wasn't until that moment that she realized she was becoming slightly hysterical.
Using her scarf, she wrapped it as tightly as she could around his wound and the packing that used to be her gloves. The gunshot had been a through and through, so a glove on each side, should help to stop his bleeding, or at the very least slow it some.
Shoving all other thoughts out of her head, she focused her attention back on Jason and the matter at hand. Having no medical knowledge beyond the most mundane, she couldn't be sure how serious his wounds were nor tell how much blood he had already lost. The more time she sat lollygagging, the less time she had to save his life and not saving him wasn't even an option. Her heart and soul followed his, she was sure of it.
Using the tree at her back as leverage, she managed to slowly and carefully get the both of them to their feet. She didn't want to make any sudden movements and risk tearing the wound any further but the man was solid. Normally it was something she liked about him but in this instance, she could stand for him to be a little…smaller.
"Jason, I don't care where you need to dig, but you need to help me, help you. I can't do it all on my own, I'm just not strong enough. I love you and will not leave you. Dig deep baby, help me!" She wasn't even sure what she was saying, but the sound of her voice took the edge off her terror.
"Elizabeth?" Jason queried groggily.
"That's right baby. I'm right here, now you need to help me, please Jason."
When she felt his body slacken even more, her heart jumped into her throat. He couldn't be dead; God would not be so cruel as to steal him from her, when they were so close, they were on the cusp of the rest of their lives. Her mind repeated that sentence over and over, a mantra like prayer slash plea.
Feeling a little strength and determination come back into his body, Elizabeth called on every ounce of strength in her body and heart. Wrapping her one arm around his back, she started to move them forward. One slow step at a time.
His feet shuffled along, but with maddening slowness. Each step in her overwrought mind seemed to take years, not moments.
"Is there somewhere safe I can take you?"
"Safe…house…" He managed to mumble out.
It was only by the grace of God that she actually knew where that was.
When her car came into view, she gave a silent shout of joy. The tears she had managed to hold at bay, now came with an unbidden ferociousness. Their sluggish decent down her cheeks only served to alert her to the continuing drop in temperature and forced her to quicken her pace.
If she was cold, Jason would be ten times more so. His jacket had protected his upper body, mostly, from the wet snow, but everything below was wet. Although, with the decrease in temperature, his clothes were becoming stiff, which meant that he was not only in risk of hypothermia but frostbite as well.
By the time she managed to finagle him into the car and then herself, she took a moment and looked at her dashboard clock and was shocked to see it had taken over two hours.
"Hold on Jason, I'll get you warm and get your wound looked after right away. Don't give up, just remember what you have waiting for you here. Whatever you do, don't go following any bright white lights, a harem of 40 virgins will not be your ultimate goal, come the end, so ignore them; remember that listening to persuasive voices is a bad thing, so do not listen to a word they have to say. Lord knows that should be easy considering you rarely listen to anyone, hence why we are in this mess to begin with." Elizabeth said with a little exasperation coloring her words.
"Don't…be…mad…love…you…" He stuttered out before falling silent.
"That better be a righteous, healing sleep, you aren't allowed to die on me. Especially since you just said I love you for the first time. Dying and proclaiming love is not allowed on the same day, ever!"
When only silence greeted her, her heart that had just begun to beat a steady, less edgy tempo, jumped into a higher gear. Being even a little relaxed, was obviously not in the cards for her tonight.
XxXxX
"The wounds received in battle bestow honor, they do not take it away..."
XxXxX
It might have been difficult, but she finally managed to maneuver Jason into his house and in front of the fire she started.
Before she had even attempted to move him though, she made sure to get the house warm. It took her six trips just to get enough wood to suffice them for the night and into the day, her arms were exhausted and carrying more than a few pieces of wood at a time, just wasn't possible.
She was positive she had strained her upper body muscles but they would be okay, she'd just have to take it easy in the coming days.
Once she had the fire blazing hotly in the fireplace, she grabbed the mattress off the bed and dragged it into the living room, placing it as close as was safely possible. Once she had it made and the covers pulled back so that it would allow for ease when she put Jason on the bed, she moved away and began the last few things she needed to do.
Making one last trip to his bathroom for the first aide box, after stopping in the kitchen for a bottle of whiskey, Elizabeth was once again ready to brave the cold and bring Jason in from the warm car.
XxXxX
"...for hope is always born at the same time as love..."
XxXxX
Elizabeth cut his clothes from his body, being extra careful when she came close to his wound. When he was without a stitch, she slowly lowered his body onto the couch and the towels she had there.
Taking a long pull from the whiskey bottle, she was able to shore up a little courage to perform the task at hand.
She cleaned and sterilized everything before she used them, not wanting to be the cause of an infection. Remembering a sewing class from when she was younger, Elizabeth tried to keep her stitches close together and neat. When she began, she was worried the stitching would cause even more pain, but it seemed Jason had moved beyond the pain, he didn't even flinch once, which made her job much easier.
As soon as she was done, she carefully moved him to the bed and laid him back. Thankfully, all she had to do was move the coffee table out of the way, scoot the mattress to in front of the couch and then gently lift his upper body and settle it and then moved his feet, once that was done, she moved the mattress back in front of the fireplace.
When the most pertinent things were done, Elizabeth realized Jason was naked. It registered before that she had cut his clothes off, but didn't have the luxury to enjoy it.
Realizing now wasn't the time to be ogling him; she set an inner clock for ten seconds, to look her fill until a later date. When her mind begrudgingly alerted her to the fact that her time was up..
She carefully tucked the blankets around his body, hoping the snugness of the blankets would help to trap some of his body heat and redistribute it throughout his body.
Grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, Elizabeth made her way back to the living room.
Taking a steadying breath to fortify her nerves, she hastily removed her clothes and crawled in beside him.
She wasn't positive but she did recall some mention about skin to skin contact helping a person to warm up when they were in risk of hypothermia. She had thought of a warm bath, but didn't want to warm him too fast and cause a shock to his system, besides, this way was also easier, because she didn't have to worry about him drowning.
The moment their skin connected from foot to shoulder, Elizabeth felt the pleasurable yet painful jolt of their deep connection, thrum brighter and stronger than ever before. Like lightning only backwards, instead of depleting after the initial jolt, it only grew hotter and more secure.
Even if she would have wanted to, she didn't bother to try and hide the breathy moan that escaped her lips, as Jason pulled her closer, settling her weight more securely to his side. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to move onto his left side, otherwise, this would be much more painful for him.
Tomorrow, rather today, she'd worry about life and all the trials and tribulations that would arise, for the moment; she would bask in this moment in time, until she could no longer do so. She had no desire to borrow more burdens or troubles than those she already had, that road led to nothing but bigger problems.
"Sleep the sleep of the healing Jason, sleep so you can come back to me and tell me you love me. I'll wait an eternity; just…believe in us and what we can be."
With the last of her wakefulness, Elizabeth whispered words of her love.
"Live my love, live for us, live for me and for the life we can make. Goodnight." Elizabeth said, placing a loving kiss upon his slightly feverish brow and giving into the sleep her body demanded.
When she heard the accursed clanging from the grandfather clock, from her almost sleep state, strike five am, Elizabeth tried with all her might to prevent her eyelids from drooping even further but it was all for naught. She succumbed to the sandman and rode his waves of sleep, into a deep and erotic filled dream.
XxXxX
"... he who's down one day can be up the next, unless he really wants to stay in bed, that is..."
XxXxX