Thank you guys for the feedback! I hope you enjoy where this story is going or plans to go… Like I said in the first chapter, this story grabbed a hold of me and refused to let go.

(For my other two stories, I am hoping to have an update for both, sometime today, but no later than tomorrow!) Thank you one again for the wonderful support!

Chapter Two

The job Elizabeth was offered by Monica Quartermaine, and had agreed to do, was none other than caring for Jason Quartermaine, Monica's adopted son.

Elizabeth was shocked when she learned that Jason had yet to come out of his coma, she had just surmised since he no longer warranted front page news, that he had recovered...

Monica explained that Jason was living in the guest house. Much later on she would learn that Ned Ashton had lived there for some time, but when it came time for Jason to come home, Monica thought the guest house to be the best place and seeing as how Ned was just looking for an excuse to get out from his families constant watchful eye, he jumped at the chance.

It was a single floored building, with many windows to let in the warm summer light. Both Monica and Alan agreed that Jason needed to be away from the main family, even though they fought less around him, they didn't want him to have to deal with that kind of stress while incapacitated.

Her first day on the job, brought some great realizations, first and foremost being, Monica expected her to live in the guest house. If Elizabeth wanted the job, she was going to be a 24/7 nurse, taking care of all of Jason's needs. Monica had hired a physiotherapist to keep Jason's muscles from atrophying. She also learned there was a rotation of people who were going to be seeing to Jason, but mostly, just to help her out, moving him when she needed to change his bedding, helping her while she administered his sponge baths. She was his private nurse, tending to all he would require, that was something that Monica was downright adamant about. For her comfort, there was a maid who came each morning to tidy up, Thursday's the maid vacuumed and washed windows and did the laundry, which kind of unnerved Elizabeth. She wasn't raised dirt poor, but she was used to washing her own clothes, especially, her unmentionables… However, the maid would not back down, claiming she was hired to do a job, and the job she planned to do. There was also a cook who arrived at six am everyday, made breakfast for her, while she ate, he made a small lunch that could always be found in the fridge. Six o'clock on the dot, he returned and prepared her evening meal. He wasn't overly friendly, but he did question her, as to her likes and dislikes, cringing at some of her favorites. He was a four star chef, cooking limp spaghetti with tomato soup was beneath him, but he did what he could, and ever so slowly, started introducing different things to her. It was a trying time, but in the end, he knew he had won her over.

It took her a couple of days to get settled, but finally she was on a schedule that worked for her. Mornings were not her favorite thing in the world, but it was easy to dismiss that, especially when she looked into the unexpressive face of Jason Quartermaine.

A week had gone by and she was becoming used to the routine that she had set up, for an hour or two in the mornings she would read to Jason from the books that Monica had laying around, she then moved on to massaging his body with a special ointment that would help prevents bed sores. At first, she couldn't help but avert her eyes as her hands came in contact with his more intimate areas, but even bashfulness wears thin. It was during her first attempt at applying the cream that she really noticed how handsome of a man he was, no doubt about that, proud cheek bones, expressive lips, soft dirty blonde hair and those muscles, Elizabeth's heart would have stopped at the sight of his rippling abdomen and defined pectorals, but thankfully, no sooner did she see these things than Monica appeared.

"How is my son doing?" Monica asked.

"Well, we—I mean I, I was just applying the ointment…" Elizabeth said, her words seeming all jumbled. She cleared her throat and began again. "I was applying the ointment, hoping to avoid any chance of bed sores. I have been reading to him daily, among other things. As you can very well see, there is no change, but then again, I have only been here for a week!"

"Yes, yes… But do you notice a change, is he more responsive?"

"To be honest, I really don't know, I will need more time with him. Although, I am curious, why did you pick me? I just finished my first year, there are hundreds of people out there with much more experience than me. And don't get me wrong, I am grateful for this opportunity, but I really don't understand!" Elizabeth said, looking beseechingly at the older woman.

"Were you not rated top in your class, are you not in actuality almost a full year ahead of your other classmates?" Monica inquired.

"Well, yes, but…" Elizabeth stammered, a little uncomfortable with this woman knowing so much about her and her grades.

"There is no but, it is a dreadful word, besides, when I talked to your professor, he told me I would be a fool if I didn't offer the job to you. He rambled on and on about how smart you are and how capable, not to mention that you were remarkable with patients. With someone as prominent as your professor, when he tells you something, you don't question it, you jump at the opportunity, understand!" Monica said.

"Yes, I guess I do." Elizabeth replied, all the while thinking, 'the rich, they think they have the world by the reins, all their connections and such, but still, when an accident occurs they are no better than the lowliest homeless person. Yes, they could afford the best medicine and the best care, but a coma wasn't cured by medication or skilled hands…'

"I want you to give me weekly reports, Alan and I want to know every little thing that happens or changes! Understand?"

"Not a problem." Elizabeth replied, stepping away from her employer and continuing with the massage.

For a few minutes she was sure Monica was going to stand around and watch the whole thing, but finally after countless minutes, she retreated, shutting the door quietly and leaving Elizabeth to her work and her thoughts.

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To the rest of the world, Jason Quartermaine had been forgotten. His family stopped by once in awhile, spent five awkward minutes talking to him and then left. For Elizabeth though, she much preferred it that way, too often she was forced to listen to some silly trivial aspect of the Quartermaine's life. When it was just her and Jason, she rambled on, talking about anything and everything, filling the small house with her ramblings.

Elizabeth was permitted one day off a week, but rarely took more than a couple of hours. When she was gone, an older nurse was brought in to care for him. She always looked annoyed at Elizabeth when she returned early, life the young nursing student was jilting her out of her hard earned money or something. But it wasn't about the money for Elizabeth, she had grown rather fond of Jason. He was the perfect man, he listened, and while he was incapable of sharing his ideas with her, she was more than happy to carry on the conversation, for while she spoke, he never annoyed her by interrupting or telling her some of her thoughts or ideas were stupid. The perfect guy, no doubt!

Elizabeth secretly hoped that the caring attention that she lavished upon him, would possibly give him a reason to awaken. She couldn't imagine wanting to wake up for his family, they were a nutty bunch, to say the least, but as the weeks turned into months, Elizabeth realized, there was no special woman in his life, in all essence, he was alone. And knowing what she was thinking was wrong, she couldn't help it, she wanted to be his reason for waking up.

Monica hired an extra nurse to care for Jason while Elizabeth was in school, but Monica was very determined to keep Elizabeth as his full time caregiver. Her days consisted of school and her evenings were occupied with Jason and her later evenings, just before she would go to sleep; she saved those quiet downtimes for studying. Friends, they just didn't factor in to her equation, there were a few of the nursing students that she was friendly with, but for her, her job had become more important that trivial relationships. Although, she did feel slightly guilty for the small amount of time she could spend with her father, it seemed the further she got in the nursing program the less time she had for him…

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Two years now, she had been Jason's personal nurse, always giving him the best care and attention she could offer. She had discussed it with Monica, the nurse that was helping her out while she attended school was going to remain on throughout the summer, Elizabeth was going to graduate early, all she had to do was finish a couple of courses through the summer and she would be done. Monica even offered to pay her more once she was certified, but to Elizabeth, it felt wrong to take more money, especially for a job she had come to love, but the older woman was adamant about the pay increase, and Elizabeth knew, it was a argument she was not going to win.

It felt like longer, but at the same time, it didn't. But a simple fact was becoming clearer, one that scared her, one that could cost her everything, if she wasn't careful…

She was helpless to fight her desires, while she spoke nothing of her increasing feelings, to him or anyone else, she knew in her heart of hearts, what she was feeling, but her mind tried to deny it, but it wasn't the strongest organ or muscle in her body, that would have to be her heart, her heart knew the truth and refused to let her forget it. Often she tried to reason with herself, it was foolish, silly, childish even to think that she was growing to love a man whom she had never spoken to, never exchanged words with at the very least, not only that, she had never seen his eyes, never had the chance to look into their mysterious depths and see the truths that lie beyond. She was being fanciful, but nevertheless, she knew what she was feeling and was terrified of it too.

Jason Quartermaine was heir to a great fortune, his family was rich, not just in monetary value standards, but also with the size of their family and all they did for the community. That was where her knowledge of the Quartermaine's ended, she had tried to discover why the family didn't visit as often anymore, but whenever she asked those questions, perhaps asking them of the wrong people, she was shut down, and rather rudely. Monica had visited with her son, two, sometimes three times a week for an hour or so. Alan came by when ever his schedule permitted him to, but he only stayed for fifteen to twenty minutes, almost as if it pained him to see his son in this condition. Lila, while well would visit as often as she could, but as one year merged into two, the visits from his family became less and less.

She had heard from one girl in her class that A.J., Jason's older brother was drinking heavily again, and that was why the family didn't have the time to visit, but to Elizabeth, that seemed like a weak excuse.

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She had heard a term which she supposed explained what she was feeling. They called it the "Florence Nightingale Syndrome". And while the sun shone and allowed her a moment to contemplate it, she knew it was untrue, but as she laid her head down at night, waiting for sleep to take her, she knew, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, she was head over heels in love with Jason Quartermaine.

How couldn't she be, the man was easy on the eyes, but something that seemed cosmic, call it what you will, fate, destiny, compelled her to continue to speak to the young man, telling him of her dreams, her hopes and even divulging her fears and the information that no one was privy to, her anger, that seemed to grow everyday, towards a mother who never wanted her.

But not only did she tell him those things, she also shared her days with him, seemingly talking without pause. She was not used to rambling, at least as far as she was concerned, but as she stepped into his room, it was all she could do to stop talking when the time came for her to retire to bed. Even in an unnatural sleep, he portrayed a man capable of listening. That very well could be her projecting her wants on the man, but his soft lips and calm handsome face spoke of a greater capacity, a greater ability to listen, without judgment or endless questions.

"Elizabeth, get a hold of yourself, the next thing you know, you'll be telling yourself that running your fingers through his ever lengthening hair is natural, just an added bonus to taking care of him. Like he would really care how soft his hair is, or without knots or not. Delusional…" She said to herself, knowing talking to herself was a sign of something, but all her life, she had done it, it wasn't like it was going to change now…

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With graduation just days away, Elizabeth suddenly began to worry, wondering if staying with the Quartermaine's and caring for Jason, was the best thing for her. She feared not for her job, but for her sanity, for her heart. She didn't want to love a man who may never wake up, but it was a fact she was coming more and more accustomed to, unable to deny.

Would she not be better off, finding a new job, perhaps seeing if the hospital would hire her. At least then she would be away from Jason, but that thought alone sent a spike of fear directly into her heart. All this time, she had spent caring for him, talking for endless hours about nothing and everything, bundled up within Jason, sealed behind his kissable lips, were secrets she thought she would never share with anyone… Realization dawned upon her, for good or bad, she was going to be there for Jason, till he woke up or till the ends of time…It was a sad fact, but one she couldn't deny, he was her best friend, only friend is she was willing to admit it, and whether or not he woke was beside the point. Elizabeth Webber didn't leave her friends down and out. And just like that, another life altering decision was made!

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