Chapter One

Two hamburgers, one with everything, one with everything but onions, two orders of french fries, chocolate shake and diet coke and a small milk.

Two hamburgers, one with everything, one with onions, two french fries, chocolate shake, coke, milk.

Two hamburgers with everything, two orders of onion rings, chocolate shake, coke, diet milk.

Reaching the counter, Courtney Matthews scratched her head. What was that order, again? And why didn't she write it down?

She was about to turn back and get the order again, but Penny had beaten her to it. The Filipino waitress was already jotting order numbers down in her little notepad, and Courtney shrugged and moved behind the counter. If the other girl really wanted to take her table, who was she to argue?

The oven timer beeped and Courtney sighed as she flipped it off. Damn thing was so annoying. It took her a good few minutes to locate the oven mitts, and by the time she pulled them out from their fiery abode, the apple turnovers were looking a little more than golden-brown. Just brown was a more suitable description.

Penny was already retrieving the orders for Courtney's customers, and the younger waitress shot her blonde colleague a dirty glare as she walked back to the table. But the other woman was far beyond noticing. It was currently taking all of her concentration just to get the turnovers into the pastry case without breaking them. And she wasn't even succeeding.

Penny shook her head before pasting on a wide smile for 'her' customers. Why Bobbie hired the girl was beyond her. The older redhead seemed to have a soft spot for strays, but that still didn't excuse that hiring decision.

Her customers satisfied, Penny joined Courtney behind the counter to start the next batch of chocolate chip cookies. She had just gotten out the flour and set the chips on the counter so they'd be nice and soft when the blonde's high-pitched voice cut through the comfortable silence.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Courtney whined plaintively, half-throwing the spatula into the sink and not even noticing when several customers glanced up at her in disapproval at the loud clank. "She's supposed to be here by now – does she think that we're just going to cover for her? She's lucky that Bobbie hasn't fired her already."

It took everything Penny had to keep silent at that moment, and as the waitress bit her tongue, she had to remind herself that it just wasn't her style to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Instead, she remained quiet and resigned herself to stirring the batter with extra force.

"I mean, come on," Courtney continued, not picking up on the fact that her colleague had yet to agree with her. "Just because no one says anything to Princess Purity doesn't mean that we're fine with her ditching her shift."

Penny's snort of disbelief went unnoticed as Courtney turned the faucet on at full force. Elizabeth had yet to ditch a shift. In fact, that was left to Courtney, who seemed to think that work was an optional engagement that took a back seat to just about everything going on in her life.

Courtney was lathering her hands up with way more soap than necessary as the hot water ran on at full blast when Penny reached for the cookie sheets. Within minutes, the woman had spooned out identical blobs of batter and was already sliding them onto the waiting oven rack before Courtney had even rinsed the soap off.

"Well, I'm done for now," she announced, closing the oven. "I'm just going to finish up my Latin homework until one of my tables fills up."

Courtney nodded and resumed picking at her manicured nails under the steady stream of hot water. "You wouldn't have a file, would you?"

Penny lifted an eyebrow as she wiped her fingertips on a dish towel. "Not with me."

Courtney's sigh was lost under the twinkle of the wind chimes at the door, and Penny looked up to see one of the most gorgeous men she had ever laid eyes on walk through the door.

He was tall and lean, and even his wheat-colored sweater couldn't conceal the bulging muscles underneath. His hair was golden and spiked up, and he wore motorcycle boots under his pressed gray slacks.

Penny liked that – it showed her he had an irreverent attitude. Her eyes danced over his marvelous physique shamelessly as he sauntered into the middle of the restaurant and chose a table. He slid into his seat with the grace of a panther, and his strong arms, which he crossed over the top, seemed to swallow up the small table.

He was gorgeous, all right, Penny mused, her feet still glued to the floor and her eyes still glued to the fine specimen that had just chosen to make her day. He had deep cerulean eyes – she could make them out clearly even at her distance. His features were strong and angular, and his nose seemed of Roman build. All in all, she quickly decided, Adonis had decided to come into the diner for some afternoon coffee.

Courtney, despite her tendencies of aloofness, had noticed Penny's rigid stance at the counter and followed her gaze to the 110 man meat sitting a few yards away.

"Damn," she growled to herself, quickly shutting off the faucet. "What I wouldn't give to serve that…"

"He's at my table," Penny reminded her, leaping into action. She was already out from behind the counter before Courtney had a chance to move. Even though she herself was too coy to do more than make eye contact with the blonde god, she'd never let Courtney near him. The blonde would make shameless passes that would make even Penny want to pass out from embarrassment.

Which meant that it was her task to face the aesthetic masterpiece. "Hello," she smiled politely, tapping her pencil on the notepad in her hand.

He looked up at her and returned the polite smile with a nod. "Hi."

Penny forgot to breathe and had to blink rapidly several times to force herself back into the present and away from her fantasies. "Would you like to order, or do you need some more time?"

He glanced down at the menu in his hands then snapped it shut and handed it to her. "A number seven, no onions. And can I get a coffee with that? Black, no sugar."

The waitress before him could do little but nod, and Jason watched as she quickly disappeared into the kitchen. She popped back out a few minutes later and went over to the cash register to work out his receipt, and Jason turned back to his newspaper.

Courtney was watching the handsome stranger from her position by the counter, but despite the fact that she had been staring hard at him, desperately seeking to meet his gaze, he hadn't even noticed her.

She was still pouting when the wind chimes tinkled once more and Bobbie Spencer burst into the diner. The redhead spotted the stranger immediately and Courtney watched her walk over to him. She really wanted to know what they were talking about, but she couldn't make out a word.

"Jason," Bobbie smiled, her black boots clicking on the tiles as she walked up to him. "Hello, hon."

"Dr. Spencer," he greeted her with a smile and a polite tip of his head. "It's good to see you again."

"How're you settling in?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Jason was a renowned pediatrician from the city, and he had voluntarily transferred to General Hospital, and Bobbie would be damned if he thought he made the wrong decision.

"All right," he nodded. "Thank you for all your help."

"Not a problem," she smiled, waving a hand at him. "Don't even mention it. And be sure to let me know if you need anything else."

He nodded once, knowing that there wouldn't be anything.

"So," she clucked, a playful note creeping into her voice. "Ready for tomorrow night?"

She may have been mistaken, but Courtney could have sworn she saw the bronzed god blush. That sexy little flush of color, combined with his sheepish grin, made her knees turn to Jell-O, and she didn't even notice when Penny tapped her on the shoulder to move.

"Yes," Jason replied slowly with a certain amount of uncertainty in his gruff voice. "You didn't have to fix-"

"Oh, I know, I know," Bobbie interrupted him, switching her leather clutch bag to the other hand. "But trust me – I have a good feeling about this."

Jason shrugged as if to say, if you say so, and Bobbie patted him on the shoulder before walking briskly to the counter where her waitresses were standing.

"Kitchen," she whispered urgently as she blew past them through the green swinging doors.

Courtney and Penny glanced at each other, confused, but followed their boss.

"What's going on?" Courtney asked, tossing her thick blonde mane over her shoulders and nearly smacking poor Penny in the face. The girl tossed her another nasty glare and quickly sidestepped, edging closer to Bobbie as the redhead peeked out into the restaurant.

"Do you see that blonde in table four?" Her voice was low and excited, and Penny had to hide her smirk. Bobbie sounded just like a child divulging a carefully guarded secret.

"Hard to miss that hottie," Courtney growled, causing Penny to roll her eyes. When it came to class, some people were just clueless.

"Yes, well," Bobbie began, clearing her throat. There was an awkward silence that Courtney didn't even notice before the woman continued. "His name is Jason Morgan, and he's transferring from Johns Hopkins."

"A doctor?" Penny asked incredulously as she rose on her tiptoes to have another look at their newest patron. "Funny, he doesn't look like it." A doctor in motorcycle boots? Strange. Unheard of, even.

"I know," Bobbie nodded, her head bobbing up and down like a pigeon's. "Young, too – he's in his early thirties. He'll be heading up the pediatrics department at GH."

"Wow," Penny whistled, her eyes still glued on the muscular doctor.

"Anyway, he's new in town and he doesn't know anyone," Bobbie continued excitedly, waving to get both of their attention. "And I-"

"Hey, hey," Courtney burst in with a sugary-sweet voice. "If he's new, I'd be happy to show him around town."

"Oh, you'd show him something," Penny muttered under her breath. "But it wouldn't be the town."

Bobbie just stared at Courtney, clearly not liking being interrupted, and then shook her head quickly. "Thanks just the same, sweetie, but I solved that problem already."

"Oh?" Penny couldn't help but smirk at the forlorn look that passed over her coworker's face.

Bobbie nodded emphatically once more, again looking like a small child about to spill the beans. "I set him up on a blind date."

It took Penny a minute to make sure that she understood what her boss was saying, and when she was certain that she wasn't hearing things, the waitress burst out laughing. "A blind date?" she echoed amidst giggles. "Bobbie, I hardly would have pegged you as the Cupid type."

"Who's the date?" Courtney asked eagerly, and Penny had to keep herself from snorting at the hope in her voice.

"Elizabeth," Bobbie beamed, clearly pleased with herself.

"Elizabeth?" The disdain in Courtney's voice was plain; she wasn't even smart enough to disguise her loathing in front of the woman that had practically taken the brunette under her wing from the moment she stepped into town several years ago. "You set him up with Elizabeth?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Penny smiled broadly, inwardly snickering at the disbelief on Courtney's face.

"Me, too," Bobbie agreed excitedly. "This is just what she needs after what happened with Sonny."

Penny nodded sympathetically. Elizabeth Webber had just come off of a particularly nasty relationship with the local mobster, Sonny Corinthos. From what Penny had heard, the guy was an all-around jerk that expected Elizabeth to lay down her passions and dreams and be his arm-candy as he shmoozed up local politicians and carried off his low-grade cons. He was verbally abusive and a chauvinistic pig in general, and Elizabeth had been smart enough to end it about two weeks ago. Still, that didn't keep the dimpled don from actively pursuing her – sending her flowers, sending her gifts, and when that didn't work, sending his bodyguards on his behalf.

"She needs to move on," Penny agreed slowly. "But don't you think it's a bit soon? She just broke up with him almost two weeks ago…"

Bobbie shrugged. "Well, it's too bad for her if she's not ready. Because this is in the bag – Jason's a wonderful man and I have this gut feeling that they'll hit it off. So, she's going – whether she likes it or not."

Penny giggled as Courtney fumed, and Bobbie hazarded another glance at their unsuspecting target.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of her, though," the redhead sighed. "I've been calling her cell, but she's not answering. She's probably still on call." Elizabeth was a nurse at General Hospital, just like Bobbie herself, and she filled in her shifts at Kelly's when she could. Her schedule was tentative at best, and a replacement was always on hand.

"If she stops in later today, I'll be happy to give her the message," Penny offered.

Bobbie smiled at her. "That'd be wonderful, hon. Thank you." She glanced at Courtney, then back at Penny. "Well, I'll let you two get back to work. Remember to tell Elizabeth – tomorrow night at seven at the PC Grill. Tell her to call me."

Penny nodded and the redhead smiled at the two girls before walking briskly out the swinging doors. She smiled at Jason and was soon out of the diner, leaving only Penny and Courtney in the kitchen.

Jason's order was done and Penny quickly set to work putting it all on a tray. Courtney, meanwhile, was still fuming.

"I can't believe Bobbie would waste a man like that on that muffin-face," she complained, stomping her foot on the floor like a horse trying to do a really hard math problem. "It's terrible."

"Oh, honey, please," Penny snorted, finally giving in to her pent-up urge to let Courtney hear it. "It's not like you have a chance in Hell with him. Let it go."

With that, she left the kitchen with Jason's order, leaving a very irate Courtney still fuming.

"I'll have my chance with him," she muttered, stalking out and going behind the counter. "And then some."

That night…late that night…

"Her husband's in the waiting area," Dr. Tony Jones told her in a hushed voice. "Will you talk to him while I go file the records?"

Elizabeth nodded wearily. "Sure, no problem."

"Thanks, honey." Tony offered her a warm smile and a soft pat on the shoulder before he turned the corner and disappeared down the corridor.

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her throbbing temples. It was late. Ungodly late. If she ever got home, she wouldn't move from bed for at least twelve hours.

She had been working since that morning, and it was a miracle that her legs still held her up. Take long hours, throw in a handful of traumatic accidents, a smattering of surgeries, and a few of Sonny's goons throwing their weight around at the main desk, and Elizabeth was more than ready to call it a day and just get home to her apartment.

The waiting room was just ahead and she could see the slumped form of a dark-haired man as he sat in the uncomfortable chairs. Her footsteps quickened and he must have heard her coming because he sprang up from his seat to meet her at the door.

"How is she?" he blurted out anxiously. "How's Faith?"

Elizabeth took in his disheveled appearance – the wrinkled pants, the creased oxford shirt, the unruly black curls – and the panic in his eyes. "Mr. Lansing, your wife is fine. She made it through."

An enormous sigh of relief escaped the man in front of her, and he had to lean against the doorway for a moment.

"And the baby?" His voice was a whisper, as if he knew he was hoping for too much.

Elizabeth's dark blue eyes were soft and gentle. "We were lucky. They both made it."

He brought his large hands up to cover his pale face and sank to the floor in relief. "Oh, thank you, God."

He remained where he was, and Elizabeth knelt down beside him and gently touched his shoulder. "Would you like to see her?"

His coal-black eyes peered back at her through his fingers and he had to swallow before he could find his voice. "Yes, please."

Elizabeth stood slowly and held out her hand. "Come with me, Mr. Lansing."

The gentleman rose wearily and took her hand, and Elizabeth led him down the hallway to the ICU. She could feel his pulse in his wrist and she instinctively squeezed his hand. After studying nursing and then finally becoming a certified nurse, she knew how lucky all three of them were. The man at her side could easily have lost his wife, his unborn child.

But thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and the excellent staff that she had operated with, he hadn't. They were both waiting for him in Room 16, and although it would take some time, all of them would be perfectly fine.

And despite all the long hours, despite all the craziness and the meager hours of free time, that was why Elizabeth chose to stay with her nursing career. Because the feeling that came from knowing that you had pulled someone from a world of confusion and pain and uncertainty, and delivered their loved ones to them, was a feeling that made her heart swell and made her life worth living.

This was where she belonged, and she knew it. She knew she'd never leave this world voluntarily, and she knew she had found what she loved doing. Sonny had been an ass to demand that she quit, and she was glad that she found the courage to tell him that enough was enough and he could take his chauvinism and waltz straight down to Hell with it.

Because when push came to shove, Elizabeth Webber knew what she wanted and she gave it to herself, even if it meant skipping out on some of the other things in life.

The next day…

"This is the operating room," Tony Jones found himself explaining. "The scrub station is right behind, and the room next to it is what we use for our observational surgeries. Viewers are seated in the balcony above – right there."

Jason looked to where the older man was pointing and nodded once. General Hospital, though smaller than what he was used to, was impressive. All staff members were extremely qualified and well-trained individuals and the administration and Board of Directors ran the institution smoothly and efficiently. From what he could tell, it was going to be a fine place to work.

"How about we break for lunch now?" Tony suggested, rubbing his hands together. "The cafeteria is located on the main level, and several of your pediatrics' colleagues take their breaks now. How about it?"

His blue eyes still surveying the bustling hallways, Jason nodded. "Let's do that. I'd like to be able to talk more personally with my staff anyway. Now seems as good a time as any."

"You'll get along famously with all of them," Tony assured him. "In case you hadn't already heard, you've got some of the greatest nurses this hospital has to offer."

"Oh?"

Tony nodded emphatically. "Oh, sure. Dr. Spencer might fill in occasionally – she started out as a nurse and sometimes doubles up. Melissa Bedford is an excellent nurse – transferred here from Cook County Hospital in Chicago about two years ago. Still fairly new but very on-task. Reliable, efficient, you name it. Plus, you've got Elizabeth Webber – she's been a nurse here for about three years."

Jason's ears perked up at the mention of his blind date for that evening. "Elizabeth Webber?"

"Sure, sure. Great kid – I've known her since she was a teenager. Parents are also doctors – they're with the Doctors Without Borders program."

Jason nodded in recognition and Tony continued.

"She's typically a Pediatrics' nurse, but we've been using her in the operating room frequently. She's incredibly knowledgeable and always up for a challenge. She's punctual and dependable, and I guarantee you will never have a problem with her. Treat her with respect and she'll be your best ally and friend."

Jason nodded as they entered the cafeteria. "I'll keep that in mind."

Later that day…

Elizabeth trudged wearily into Kelly's for a late lunch. Spying only Courtney at the counter, the brunette dumped her bag on the floor and collapsed onto the stool.

"Hey," she offered her coworker. "Can you just get me a number seven and a soda? Thanks."

Courtney looked up at her from under cornflower bangs. "You missed your shift yesterday," she tossed back coldly as she set to work preparing the order.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I wasn't scheduled to work yesterday," she informed the younger girl.

"Yes, you were," Courtney insisted, sullenly slapping the ingredients between the bread. "I should know. We were waiting for you and you never showed. Can't say I'm surprised, though."

Elizabeth was not in the mood for the frivolous girl's moody rants, and she fixed her best, darkest glare on the blonde. "Check the schedule. I wasn't scheduled to work." The blonde didn't reply, so Elizabeth tried again. "And you know that since Bobbie and I both work at the hospital, our shifts there take precedence over our shifts here."

Courtney huffed. "Yeah. Fine. Whatever. Here you go."

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied curtly, accepting the brown bag. "The schedule for this week hasn't been done yet, has it?"

Courtney shook her head.

"Do me a favor and call me to tell me when I'm supposed to work?" Elizabeth asked, sliding off the stool. "Wait, actually, on second thought, don't. My cell's broken and I'm already having my number at the apartment changed. I'll call here instead."

"Whatever."

Elizabeth nodded and shuffled over to the door. "You closing tonight?"

Courtney shook her head as Elizabeth pushed the wooden door open. A hint of mischief sparkled in her light blue eyes and her lips curved upwards in a sinister smirk. "Can't. I've got a blind date tonight."