The beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor rang in the air as Jonathan and Tammy sat in silence. It had been four hours since they brought Lizzie to the hospital and there was still no sign of her waking up anytime soon. Jonathan hadn't moved from his spot next to her since he had entered the room. A nurse, about three hours ago, brought him a chair so he wouldn't have to kneel on the cold, linoleum floor. He didn't really care. Cold floor or cold seat, there wasn't much of a difference. He wouldn't be fine until Lizzie woke up.

A slow yawn worked it's way past Tammy's lips, causing Jonathan's piercing gaze to flash toward her before settling back on Lizzie's face. It was the first time he had looked at her in two hours. The last time consisting of a cold, detached voice urging her to go home and get some sleep. She had refused and only received a nod in return before he turned back to Lizzie. Since then he hadn't moved an inch, only to blink and at one point brush a few escaped wisps from Lizzie's forehead. Clearing her throat, Tammy attempted to get his attention.

"Yes," his voice sounding dry and raspy, completely different from his previous frigid tone. A lone brown eye acknowledged her before it returned to it's visage.

An anxious hand ran through her blond locks before it settled back in it's place. "Jonathan," his name sounding weak on her tongue. She bit her lip as she tried to merge the sentences together correctly. "I think we should go. Lizzie isn't going to be waking up tonight and it's not going to do her any good if you look a mess when she does. Let's just go back to the penthouse, get a good night's sleep and a shower, and come back tomorrow."

"No."

Tammy blinked, once, twice, three times before shaking her head. Had she heard him right?

"What?"

"I said no. I can't go back to the penthouse and I won't leave Lizzie...not again," his voice breaking on again.

Tammy's gaze softened at his broken tone. She took a step toward him before his hand shot out.

"Don't"

"I just...," she took another step.

His shaking hands pushed back the unruly locks of his hair as he stood causing a loud screech to echo through the walls. "I'm not going, Tammy," his words sounding harsher than he meant them. "Look at her." His gaze flicked to the pale form of Lizze and then back to Tammy.

An accusing finger was left in the wake of his gaze. It jabbed the air above Lizzie's face as he continued. "How am I supposed to leave her now?! She's laid up in a hospital bed and you want me to go home and get some sleep!"

Tammy opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by, "Jonathan, if you don't stopping jabbing that finger at my face I'm going to bite it off." Both pairs of brown eyes snapped to the pale blue ones staring up at them.

Tension grew in the air and no one said anything. Lizzie's eyes scanned the room, taking in her surroundings and realizing that she was at Seeters. Once she deduced where she was she turned her head to get a better look at Jonathan. Worry lines were evident on his face and he had bags under his eyes. 'Why does he look like that' passed through her mind before the day's events caught up to her.

The soft gaze she had directed toward him quickly steeled as she remembered just why she was here. "Get out." The iciness of her tone causing Jonathan and Tammy to snap out of whatever daze they were in.

He tried to reach for Lizzie's hand, but she snatched it away. "I don't want or need you here. Get out," she said through a sneer. He shook his head, "I'm not leaving you." A bitter laugh forced its way out of her as she looked into his pleading eyes. "Right. I'm supposed to believe that now. After all that's happened today. Your just saying that because you don't want to think your an asshole. Well guess what you are."

The concern slipped from his eyes as he listened to her rant. Anger replaced it. "Look..," he was cut off. "No, you look. I told you that I was hurting, but you didn't listen to me. You left me to go gallivanting to God knows where and..," Lizzie stopped talking when she heard a soft shuffle. She turned and looked straight at Tammy. How she didn't see her the first time she didn't know, but she sure as hell knew why she was here.

Forcing herself to look back at Jonathan, she tried to smirk but it didn't work. Instead a sad excuse for a smile made its way onto her face. Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a soft sob. She tried again and managed a small, "Her." Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she continued. "The reason why you left class was because of Tammy wasn't it?"

Jonathan pulled Lizzie into his embrace as sobs wracked her body after her question. His previous anger dissipating with every tear she cried. He could feel her tiny hands hitting him, but he only tightened his hold.

"Don't touch me," she whisper-yelled and pushed at his shoulders. She kept pushing, but before long gave up and laid there, limp in his arms. As her sobs quieted, Jonathan let go. With her arms free Lizzie reared back and slapped him in the face. Her face was red with anger and her breaths were coming out in short puffs. Jonathan was about to chew her out for hitting him, but the hurt in her eyes stopped him. "You were having sex with Tammy while our baby and I were dying on the floor. Do you know what that makes you? It makes you just like your father. Selfish and uncaring, you are just like Nate."

Jonathan's eye widened in shock before they narrowed. He raised his hand, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tug at his hair in anger or throttle Lizzie with it.

"He is nothing like his father Lizzie. How could you say that?" Both pairs of eyes turned to stare at the now fuming Tammy. It was taking all of her will power not to stalk over to that bed and smack Lizzie. "Do you have any id...," her words caught in her throat when she saw Jonathan shake his head and sigh.

"Forget it Tammy. She's right I am like my father." Tammy stood there in shock with her mouth hanging open. She wanted to deny his statement, but his attention was back on Lizzie. Her gaze dropped to their hands where she saw him holding her's in a death grip. He wasn't holding it tight to hurt her; it was like he was trying to keep her there. Tammy's eyes grew to the size of saucers at that thought. 'Jonathan's scared.'

"Lizzie, I am like my father in lots of ways, but I would never intentionally hurt you. I'm selfish and at times I can be a pain in the ass, but I'm not uncaring. I care about you and this baby whether it looks like I give a damn or not. Do you really think that I would have been with Tammy if I thought your cramps weren't you just whining. I thought you were doing what you always do. Faking foot aches so I'll rub your feet, having me run around Main Street looking for a tub of ice cream at 3 in the morning or faking restless sleep so you can keep me up all night talking about pointless things."

He waited for her response, but Lizzie wouldn't look at him. Trying to catch her eye, he bent down under her face, but she just pushed him away. Her shoulders began to shake, he thought she was going to cry again. He watched in silence as her shoulders bounced up and down and then he watched in wonder as she looked up and pointed a brilliant smile at him. Lizzie launched herself at him. "Your not like your father, Jonathan. Nothing like him at all and I'm sorry for saying that. It's easy for me to spit out lies and comparisons at people when I'm angry. Think of it as a defense mechanism. I shouldn't have said that after all you told me about him, but I wanted you to hurt as much as I was hurting. That doesn't make it right though."

Tammy stared at the scene in front of her. Lizzie and Jonathan were embracing like two reunited lovers and didn't seem to be aware that she was still here. She swallowed. This wasn't what she was expecting when Lizzie woke up and she really didn't know what to do. Should she blow up at them for forgetting she was here or should she just back off. Tammy knew Jonathan wasn't going anywhere for a while and truthfully she didn't want to stay to see them. It wasn't that she was jealous, far from it in fact. It was only that she never saw this side of Jonathan before. She knew him as being brash and funny and sweet toward her, but she had never seen it turned toward Lizzie. When he was with Lizzie he glowed. It was almost like she was home for him and that was something Tammy couldn't deal with at this moment. It was just too much.

She took a step back toward the door. "I'm going to go now." Jonathan just nodded and continued drawing circles on Lizzie's bump. Tammy waited for Lizzie to say something. She squared her shoulders as her steely blue eyes gazed at her. "Goodbye Tammy," she said before turning back to Jonathan and beginning a silly story about lamaze class that he had missed. With that Tammy eased the door open and snuck out into the corridor. It was the wee hours of the morning and she didn't want to wake the other patients. When she got outside she dropped down onto the nearest bench and started to shake. Lizzie's words were starting to sink in. That goodbye wasn't just a dismissal, it was an ending. Tammy didn't think she would be seeing Jonathan anytime soon, at least not as a lover. Lizzie would make sure of that. Shakingly, she got to her feet and shuffled down the street. She had a lot to think about. 'Should I fight for something that's slowly slipping out of my grasp or should I let him be where his soul is telling him to be?' Tammy shrugged. It didn't really matter. Jonathan wasn't the type to be pulled in every direction. He would choose in the end and the outcome really wouldn't be her choice. Then again it wasn't ever her choices that got a say.

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