Title: Don't Give Up
Circa: 2006
Significant Change: Story plot takes the place of the pregnancy storyline.
Disclaim everything recognizable as thought up by those behind the soap opera known as General Hospital.
Previously on Don't Give Up:
Across town, as Emily and Robin get back to work, Elizabeth is putting her son down for his nap, only this nap time is different than before. Instead of laying him down to sleep like she always does, Elizabeth lays down beside him in bed, holding him close as he lays fast asleep in her arms. As much as she wanted to walk out of the room like she always does, she couldn't help it. She just couldn't walk out.
"I love you, sweetheart." she whispers, gently running her fingers through his hair. "I hope you'll always remember that...I hope you'll always remember me."
After a while, Elizabeth finally pulls herself out of her son's bed, leaving him to sleep in peace as she makes her way downstairs. In spite of all the emotions running through her, in spite of all the things she'll be missing that she can't help but think of now, there were still things she had to handle before she passes away. Things that she could no longer put off to a later date.
Walking to her desk downstairs, Elizabeth rifles through the lawyers that she knows, trying to find the one person she could trust to do this for her. The first one that pops up is Ric, but that thought was quickly discarded as she remembers all the reasons why that wasn't a good idea. Then there's Alexis, right away she felt a bit of a conflict of interest, seeing as she slept with the man that her daughter's in love with. Yeah, Alexis is definitely out.
Strange how the two best lawyers she knows both present a conflict of interest in their own separate ways. Not to mention that both lawyers just happen to be married to each other and Elizabeth used to be married to Ric...yeah, if that's not a conflict of interest, she doesn't know what is.
No. In order to pull this off, she needs a lawyer outside of Port Charles, a lawyer that has no ties to anyone in town and who will uphold the attorney-client privilege, even after her death. She needs a lawyer that's to the point and doesn't mess around. But where can she find a lawyer like that?
Walking over to her laptop, Elizabeth brings up her web browser, hoping that with some stroke of luck, maybe she'll be able to find a lawyer online. Looking through webpage after webpage, Elizabeth was beginning to lose hope that she'll find a lawyer this way when she pulled up a site profile on Diane Miller.
It was a long shot, but on her profile it states that she sometimes takes cases at a lower rate than her usual high rollers. From the looks of it, she's exactly the kind of lawyer that Elizabeth needs. Between her credentials and the possibility of meeting Elizabeth's financial budget, this lady just might be the lawyer to answer her prayers. Well, some of them, at least.
Sending Diane an email, detailing exactly what she needed from a lawyer, to an extent, Elizabeth hits the send before shutting her laptop and getting the ingredients ready for dinner. With Emily coming over, she wants to put together a dinner more elaborate than a TV dinner for her and some chicken nuggets for Cameron.
By the time she made a decision on what she wanted to make and got the ingredients together to get started, her son comes walking downstairs looking for her. With a slight smile, she wipes her hands on the wash cloth before walking out to meet him in the living room, swiftly picking him up into her arms.
Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, Elizabeth carries him into the kitchen, setting him up on his high chair with his coloring book and crayons before getting started on dinner, listening as he rambles on and on about the elephant he's coloring.
He's getting clearer and clearer with his words, which made her enjoy listening to him more and more. Completely amazed by how fast he's learning and how smart he's become. Compared to a lot of kids his age, Cameron has been advancing a lot faster than she could have ever imagined. Making her wish she could be there to see just how advanced he'll become and where that'll take him.
"Elizabeth, I know I'm early, but I thought I'd help with dinner." Emily's voice travels to her from the front door. "You in the kitchen?"
"Yeah!" she calls back, swiping at the tears that have found their way to her eyes. "We're in the kitchen."
"Oh, hey, Cam." Emily walks over to him, a bright smile on her face. "How's my favorite little guy doing?"
"I'm coloring." he points at the picture with such excitement only a kid nearing three years old can perfect.
"I can see that." Emily laughs softly, looking at the very colorful animal. "And it looks beautiful. I guess that means you're gonna be an artist like your mama, huh?"
"He can be anything he wants to be, right, Cam?" Elizabeth counters, a soft smile on her lips, turning away as she feels more tears coming to her eyes.
"Liz, you okay?" Emily questions, walking over to her after placing a soft kiss on Cameron's forehead. "You look like you're about to cry."
"I'm fine, Emily." Elizabeth insists, turning on the water to wash off the vegetables. "I was just slicing onions and my eyes are stinging a little."
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Emily counters, turning her around to look at her. "Because this is the second time I've found you with tears in your eyes. If there's more to it, you know you can talk to me, Liz. I'm here for you, no matter what."
"Its nothing, Emily, I swear." Elizabeth gives her the best smile she could give, sighing inwardly at the sound of a knock at her door. "Look, I should go check who that is. Can you just finish washing off the vegetables for me?"
"Sure." Emily shakes her head, watching Elizabeth wipe her hands off on the wash rag. "I'll take care of it."
"Thanks."
Walking out of the room, Elizabeth makes her way to the front door, only to end up wishing that she hadn't when she finds Patrick on the other side of her door. Glancing back at the kitchen, Elizabeth moves him further back onto the porch as she walks out of the house, shutting the door behind her. She couldn't handle a visit from him right now. Not with Emily just inside and easily within hearing range.
"What are you doing here, Patrick?" Elizabeth looks at him disbelievingly, wishing he'd act just a little more professional than he has been lately. Though, a part of her should have taken their friendship into consideration when she had went to him for the tests in the first place.
"I need you to let me help you." Patrick insists, looking at her almost desperately. "You matter to too many people to give up now. Please, you have to let me consult other doctors. There could be a treatment out there that I'm not aware of, a treatment that could work."
"You don't believe that anymore than I do." she states seriously, looking him directly in the eye. "We've gone over this from every angle, Patrick. There's no getting around the inevitable. As long as you can't operate, there's nothing more you or anyone else can do for me."
"Maybe if we consult Robin, maybe she can come up with a cocktail to help shrink the masses enough to operate." Patrick suggests, needing some kind of hope, any kind of hope in order to save her. "There has to be something! This can't be it!"
"I can appreciate why you're pushing this so hard, I really can. If it were you, I'd feel the same way." Elizabeth concedes, letting out a deep sigh before shaking her head. "But I've seen my scans and I know enough to know when its time to just accept what is. There are too many masses in my brain that, even on the off chance that you could operate, it would take nothing short of a miracle to get them all out and save my life."
"I've performed countless surgeries that were too critical to take on and all my patients survived!" Patrick blurts out, unable to accept this is all he could do for her. "I've saved people from the brink of death who are now leading rather successful lives years later. You can't make me believe that this is all I can do for you! I refuse to believe that all I can do is sit back and watch you die!"
"I've come to terms with what is, Patrick, and you should, too." Elizabeth swipes at the tears falling down her cheeks. "A human body can only take so much before it just gives up and that's what mine has done. I know its hard, but you just have to accept that you can't save everyone. That you can't save me."
"I can't accept it." Patrick takes in a shaky breath before fixing his expression to display the most sincere look he had ever truly meant. "I won't accept it."
"I'll just see you at work tomorrow." she says plainly, pushing open the door before looking at him seriously. "Hopefully you'll come to realize what I have and just accept that my time's up."
"Hope for something else because I'm not giving up on you." he says wholeheartedly, making sure she gets just how personal he's taking this. "I'm going to find a way to save you. Someway, somehow, I will save you."
"Goodbye, Patrick."
Turning her back on him, Elizabeth walks back into her house, shutting the door behind her before making her way to bathroom. She had to fix herself up before going back into the kitchen to start on dinner. She wishes that there was a miracle to save her just as much as Patrick wishes for one, but there comes a point when you just can't fight the truth. When everything piles up and only one outcome can be derived from it.
That outcome being her death. So, as much as she wanted to hold out hope, she had to be realistic and that meant doing things to prepare for what's undoubtedly coming. That means making sure that her son will be taken care of and will grow up to lead a long healthy life. No matter how much she wishes she could be a part of it, she has to think like a mother and ensure her son's future. Even if its without her.
"Who was at the door?" Emily questions when she walks back into the kitchen.
"It was just Patrick." Elizabeth says simply, moving to heat the oven. "He just wanted to go over a treatment option to see if it would be viable for one of his patients."
"And is it viable?"
"Unfortunately, no." Elizabeth sighs, getting started on laying out the layers for the lasagna. "There really isn't much we can do for his patient."
"I'm so sorry."
"So am I." Elizabeth agrees, taking a deep breath before shaking her head. "Believe me, so am I."