Part 3
"Elizabeth?" Jason called up, hoping to hear her reply. He was hoping she was awake and on her way out. He held his cell phone in his hand, fingers dialing 911 without looking.
"911, is this an-"
"There's a fire…" he rattled off the address without thinking and dropped the cell phone into his jacket pocket… already pushing through the outer door of the apartment building. He knew the layout of the building. Knew it, because he'd studied it; just like he did everything about Elizabeth.
It was only a few seconds up the stairs and to her door. Jason closed his hand over the knob and gave it a good shake only to stumble forward a step when it opened easily under his hand.
Unlocked.
Beyond the door the room was ablaze, the counter where the stove stood was engulfed in flames. A quick glance around the room and he spotted a fire extinguisher, but it wouldn't be any help now. There was nothing he could do to save the apartment, he had to make sure she was alright.
"Elizabeth?" No answer. Had she left?
The door to her bedroom was closed. Was she still asleep? Fear, stronger than he'd ever known seized his mind, if she was still here… she and the baby would die long before the fire reached them. The smoke was building up fast… so very fast.
"Elizabeth?" Still nothing.
Deep within her dreams Elizabeth was quickly becoming frantic. The rubble beneath her hands felt odd, the weight on her chest was near to smothering her. Somewhere in the fog of her fear she knew one thing was true. Somewhere just beyond her fingertips was Jason. He'd risked his life to save her and she wasn't going to do anything less than give him the same. "Elizabeth?" His voice sounded so far away… so very far and still reaching through the haze.
She tried to call to him, relief stopping up her throat; her heart filling her chest with hope as it was being crushed beneath the weight. "Jason, I have to tell you… "
If it was the last thing she was ever going to do, she was going to tell him everything she'd been hiding in her heart.
"Elizabeth?"
He sounded so close. As if he was just a few inches further, out of her reach. With a deep breath she gathered her strength and rolled to the side. "Jason!?"
He heard her voice and knew a moment of relief. Holding his sleeve over his mouth he pushed through the door and saw her tangled in the sheets on the bed, alone. It took some doing… even a little bit of praying and an uttered curse as he pulled the sheets from her body. She was fitful, constantly reaching out into the darkness for something… someone.
When her legs were free of the sheets he slid a hand under her legs and shoulders. "Elizabeth. I'm getting you out of here."
She turned into his arms, her arms going around his neck even though he wasn't sure she was awake. He felt her warm breath against his neck and his head fell back as a ragged sigh of relief left him.
Off in the distance he heard the high pitched whine of an ambulance siren and headed for the door, Elizabeth held tight against his body.
Feeling the cool night air on his face was a welcome gift. It meant that they were outside… they were safe.
He knelt down on the pavement and leaned her away from him so he could see her face. "Elizabeth." He touched her cheek, gently tapping her cheek, "Elizabeth… what happened?"
"Ja-Jason?" She shuddered awake and stared up at him, confusion written on her features. "What happened? Where?" She pushed away from him and her hand touched the cold pavement and came away wet, then turned to the street as the ambulance pulled up. "Jason?"
"I was passing by, the apartment, your apartment was on fire." He nodded to the ambulance driver as he got out of the cab. "I found you alone in your bedroom. Elizabeth, where's Lucky?"
"Lucky?" She put her hand to her forehead. "Lucky he… CAM!"
She pulled out of his arms and tried to gain her feet, but she began to cough and doubled over her hands cradling her unborn child. Jason was suddenly beside her his hand on her shoulder. "Cam? Where's Cam? Isn't he at Audrey's?"
Elizabeth shook her head and pushed away a hand trying to lower an oxygen mask over her face. She turned toward Jason and gasped for air. "He's upstairs, the other room. He's alone, Jason… he's alone. He needs me." She tried to push past him again, but he held her back, his hands on her shoulders.
"Stay…" he looked at the paramedic hovering over her shoulder. "Take care of her." He looked Elizabeth square in the eye to cut through the utter panic he read it in her eyes. "I'll bring him to you, Elizabeth… do you believe that?"
She nodded. "Yes... yes… I trust you, Jason... please hurry."
The paramedics descended on her as Jason disappeared back into the apartment building.
Part 4
Jason went back through the door with one thought in mind. Cameron.
He had to shove aside the fear that burned through his veins. It wasn't going to do him or Cameron any good to freeze up in the middle of the inferno. He'd have to think about it all later, he'd have to understand why he'd never been so scared in his life.
"Cameron? Cam? Can you hear me?"
Through the crackling flames and snapping wood he heard fearful cries coming through the smoky darkness.
"Mama!"
"Cam… can you hear me? I'm coming for you!" He was alive… He was crying and to Jason at that moment, it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He rushed to the second bedroom door and pressed himself up against it to make sure Cam heard his voice. "Cam? I'm gonna have to open the door, step away if you're near it. Cam?"
"Mama!"
The fear in his little voice twisted in Jason's gut. Somewhere at the edge of his hearing, he heard the fire engines and knew they'd be too late. He had to get him out now!
Elizabeth fought down the fear and the questions that threatened to drive her insane. She'd let Jason go back in there, because of Cameron. She'd let him talk her into staying outside because she knew deep down inside that he'd die before he let anything happen to Cameron.
And in that same place, deep down inside her she knew there was a very real chance that neither one of them would make it out.
The paramedics were throwing a barrage of questions at her and while she did her best to answer them, her eyes and attention were focused on two things; the windows of her apartment and the door to the street.
"We need you to give us some details, miss, for the records. Your name?"
She answered mechanically, her heart pounding in desperate need of news, her hands twisting the sheet on the gurney they placed her on.
"The man who went in, the one who brought you out here… who is he?"
'My world.' "Jason Morgan. He went in to get my son." 'Please God,' she prayed, 'Keep them safe."
He put his hand on the door knob and winced as the metal seared his skin. Twisting the knob he pushed on the door, but it wouldn't go. The wood that the door was made of was swelling, distorting a bit with the heat. With a silent prayer that Cam had listened to him he leaned down and rammed his shoulder into the door.
It gave way under his assault and left unchecked it bounced off the wall with a bang.
"MaaMaa!"
Jason got down on his knees and looked Cameron in the eye. The boys face was tracked in sooty tears. "Hey, bud, I'm going to take you to your Mama. Alright?"
It was a second before Cameron caught on and nodded slowly while he held his arms out to Jason.
With not a second to spare, Jason whipped off his leather jacket and scooped Cameron up. Jason settled the jacket over the boy and put a protective hand over Cameron's head. "Now, I'm going to count to 20 and when I get to 20 you're going to be in your mother's arms, alright?"
He could feel Cameron trying to nod where the little boy's face was pressed up against his neck and just a breath before Jason left the darkness of the bedroom the boy reached his arms up and shackled them around Jason's neck.
As Jason rushed through the rising columns of flames and smoke in the main room of the apartment he couldn't believe how calm he felt. How much peace he felt with Cameron's arms wrapped around him. He no longer felt any fear of the flames. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. For this wonderful little boy and his mother he was going to walk through fire.
The fire engines arrived in a tight pack and blocked up much of the street with their shiny yellow bodies and flashing lights.
Elizabeth counted off the seconds that Jason had been back inside the building and she shook her head. It had been too long. He'd inhaled more than enough smoke when he'd brought her out and then he'd gone back into the apartment for Cam.
She swiped at tears coursing down her cheeks and tried to control the fear the weighed down on her faith. If Jason said he'd bring Cam out, he would. What would the cost be for him?
Firefighters in full gear surged past the ambulance and headed straight up the stairs. "Wait!" Elizabeth pulled away from the paramedics and tried to stop the onslaught of yellow jackets running past. "Jason's in there!"
A hand settled on her shoulder and she tried to pull away. "Miss… Miss… you have to calm down."
"No," she turned and looked up into the man's face, "You don't understand. My son… Jason's gone in to get my son."
He nodded and tried to reassure her. "My men will get them out, safe and -"
The windows of the main room exploded in a shower of glass and metal, raining it down on the sidewalk and the few firefighters that remained outside.
Elizabeth lunged away from the fireman at her side. "Jason!"