Chapter 4:
The smell of coffee wafted through the lobby of the Metro Court as the last of the guests rushed across the freshly cleaned tile to the revolving doors. He watched a couple as he sat on the sofa on the far wall. He saw the woman stand on her tiptoes to quickly kiss her husband lightly on the lips, and then turn to hail a cab. After tucking her safely in the vehicle he tapped on the side of the cab and it sped off into the stream of yellow cabs that were headed for the bridge. The man stood on the sidewalk, a little longer than what most would. As he watched the cab until he could no longer pick her out in the traffic. He simply stood, twisting his wedding ring around his finger almost as if he planned to wait in that same spot until she returned. Jason looked down at his own hands, unaware that he had been swirling his wedding ring around his finger as he watched the scene that had just unfolded before him. His ring. The ring she had given to him the night of their wedding, unconventional as it was, he remembered that perfect night with bittersweet clarity. The exchange of vows with her voice steady and strong as she pledge her love and faithfulness to him, the toasts of friends and family, and the blissful night they spent in the cabin. The night he surprised her with their own hidden place, belonging only in their memory. He hadn't dared return since that tragic night. It was their place, and he wouldn't ruin the memory by bringing reality back there.
He had gotten lost in the memories again when he felt a presence beside him. "Jason" Sonny's voice shot through him, and it startled him.
"Sonny" Jason nodded in the direction of the chair beside him. His nonverbal agreement to talk with his friend and former business partner.
"How are you?" Sonny asked tentatively, knowing what his friends answer would be.
"I'm fine" A simple rehearsed and guarded response. The same response he had been given since the night of the funeral. Something in Sonny remembered the days when his friend would confide in him, would let him help. But that was the problem, no one could help. Therefore no one needed here his thoughts. Sonny tried to rationalize this in his mind the way Jason must have perceived the situation. He decided on a change of subject.
"I... I was wondering... if you ever wanted to come back to work... that we could work something out." Sonny trailed off realizing that business may not have been much better of a subject, but then decided to continue on with what he had come to say "Its been a year Jason, and its been difficult without you, I need you back... especially now with the broken trust between the families.
"I... will think about it" Sonny gives him a wary look, "I promise... you will have my answer by the end of the day." Sonny nods as he places a hand on Jason's shoulder, and then gets up and walks away.
As promised, He sat and thought about Sonny's offer. Weighting pros and cons of leaving the life of nightmares and dreams of his long-gone family or return to becoming what he was before them: a hired gun of the new york mob kings. He had almost made his decision until a high pitched laugh caused him to startle and pinned his eyes to the door. There a couple walked hand in hand even while inside the revolving door as catastrophic results occurred. When they finally pushed their way through the door, both were giggling and out of breathe. The tall man had dark eyes and dark hair that shaded his eyes. The woman had beautiful but 'bottled' red hair and it hung straight to the middle of her back with bangs sharply angled near her eyebrows. But her eyes were sparkling, a deep, deep brown that caused Jason's breath to catch in his throat leaving him fighting for air. The couple were already at the check-in counter, and curiosity felt as though it was eating Jason alive, as he walked up behind them just in time to hear the man speak to the receptionist.
"Reservation... please. " He was not concentrating on the blonde young woman behind the desk and stood captivated in the gaze the redhead woman's eyes.
"Name please" The receptionists bounced back, clearly annoyed and not used to having to fight for a man's attention.
"McBain... John McBain..." He said to the woman finally breaking eye contact with the woman but still mantaining a tight grasp around her hand.
Something inside Jason sickened and he felt as though he was off balance and might fall over at any moment with the slightest nudge.
A moment the nudge came, quicker and more unexpected as the couple turned around suddenly and sent Jason's body swerving into the side of the table. He leaned against the table as he got his bearing once again and then turned to face the couple. Up close he knew his initial reaction was warranted. There were too many similarities for this to be a case mistaken identity that had occurred so many times especially in the days following her brutal attack.
"I am so sorry, sir..." The woman's voice cut through his thoughts as he too became caught up in the gaze of the woman... she stared to for a moment and then turned to her husband and then back to Jason, and playfully added "Were you spying on us?"
Jason's eyes widened as she gave a playful laugh and touched his shoulder. "I am kidding" She smiled but her hand moved from his shoulder to his arm and he relied on the table for more and more support until it gave way and moved slightly to the side. He regained his balance but she clung to his arm now. "Are you sure you are alright, sir"
"Jason... uh... Quartermaine" He added quickly wondering why he had chosed to use the last name he had walked away from so many years ago. The woman smiled, but the mad did not and for the first time he noticed the gun holstered on the side of the mans belt and the flashy police badge that hung beside it. "I'm fine... really..." He tried to relax after she took her arm away, even though his entire body felt as though it had been electrified and his heart wavered between beating wildly out of control and not beating at all.
"Lyndsey... Lyndsey Locke" and she points towards the man beside her, but he reaches out his hand in faux friendship "Detective John McBain, Port Charles Police Department" Jason was right, it was not in friendship but a veiled threat.
The couple smiled and walked toward the elevator, everything within Jason fought against following them, one more chance to see those familiar deep brown eyes. But he stood still, processing what had just occurred asking himself questions that he could not answer...yet. The most nagging question of the all "Who was this John McBain... and what was he doing with his dead wife, Sam or Lyndsey as she called herself" This would be the first question he would have to answer, the others would follow. He knew based on his former career he could not research McBain without raising red-flags with the PCPD. He needed help, and suddenly he knew what he had to do. He picked his cellphone out of his pocket and pressed speed dial.
"I've made my decision..." He waited a moment. "Meet at the pier in one hour"
********Please review... reviews make me write faster...
********As stated before I am a JASAM FAN ALWAYS, and I was NOT a Caleb/ Livvie fan on PC... but I do enjoy the McBam FRIENDSHIP every once an a while... and I LOVE seeing Jealous Jason.