Elizabeth felt out of sorts the rest of her shift. Her feelings didn't hurt her patients at all, her genes and her conscience took care of that... but it was every moment alone... the odd gap in people at the corner of a hallway... or the few minutes break she managed to squeeze in for herself. That's when she felt it.

The emptiness.

She'd heard amputees talk about a similar feeling, the 'ghost limb.' Hands or arms that are missing and yet still tingle with feeling... or ache.

Elizabeth wondered if it was possible when you lost someone you loved. Loved all the way down to the core of who you are. A missing piece of your heart that was only carved out because you let it happen... or because someone else ripped it out of your chest... no anesthesia or pain-killers provided.

Hands settled over her eyes and the world went dark.

Jason sat in the SUV and waited. Waiting had always been his specialty, but he'd never really enjoyed it. Thomas opened the driver's door and slid in before reaching his arm back to Jason. "Chili special. Fries and Burger. The works... just the way you like it."

He looked toward the windows. "Anyone recognize the order?"

Shrugging, Thomas opened his own package. "No one said a thing... it's been yea- a few years since you've been back, Jason. Folks forget things."

A moment later, Thomas was devouring his tuna sandwich and turning up the radio. Jason was still watching the windows, peering past the curtains at the interior. It looked pretty much the same as it always had. Pretty much.

But still, the waitresses were all new, the customers... none of their faces looked familiar at all.

"Hey, Mom, guess who?"

"Great idea, stupid, now she knows!"

Elizabeth grabbed at the hands and pulled them down to her mouth to kiss them one after another. Turning on her stool she wrapped both of them in her arms. Emma leaned into her embrace, but Elizabeth was careful to balance Jake on his feet without making it obvious. "You got here on the bus allright?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Duh, Mom! We're here!"

"I know... I know..." she blushed, "I just... I just..."

Emma's giggle was infectious. "You just worry... and we love you for it." A quick look at the call board was all Emma needed. "Dad's still in surgery?"

Elizabeth nodded. "A tough one... there was a bleeder that he hadn't expected."

Jake's gaze was steady as he leaned back against the counter. "I bet he wished you were in there with him."

She blushed. "Well, I'm sure he'll say something like that, but he knew this one was going to be long and he didn't want both of us falling asleep at the wheel on the way home."

Jake and Emma exchanged smiles. "You could let US drive you guys home."

"Sweetie," Elizabeth stood and reached for a chart, "while your father would be happy to have you drive us home-"

"He'd be stomping on the invisible brake the whole way." Emma pushed Jake's shoulder and although her daughter had done the same thing thousands of times before, Elizabeth still held her breath until Jake playfully pushed her back.

"Why don't you two go to the staff lounge and get your homework done."

Jake shrugged. "Why not, if we get stuck on a Bio question we can just ask anyone coming in through the door."

Both teens gave Elizabeth a kiss before they disappeared down the hall.

"I still can't get over seeing them looking so-"

"Adorable?" Elizabeth grinned at her friend.

Epiphany shook her head. "Grown up... I still remember both of them when they were born... and then later when Jake-"

Elizabeth's indrawn breath and the pallor of her skin spoke volumes. She remembered the moment too.

"Was in that hit-and-run, we all remember him from his weeks in Peds." Epiphany moved to her side and gave her fellow nurse a cheerful smile. "He's a strong young man, Elizabeth," she put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, "and most of that strength comes from you."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth, clutched the clipboard to her chest. "He's got good genes... the rest of it was just me over-protecting him over the years."

Epiphany walked back toward her station at the hub. "You know that's not it, Elizabeth... it's all the love that boy has had... from both you and Patrick. It shows."

Cameron stepped into the coffee shop and lifted his face up to catch some of the air-conditioning from the vent. He'd been walking around for the last few hours. At first, from frustration alone... and then he didn't want to miss his meeting with Sonny Corinthos. Just because Jason Morgan was going to be an ass, Cameron wasn't going to let it affect his future.

The guard at the door barely raised an eyebrow at the sweat on his face or the dust on his clothing. "You here for the meeting with Mr. Corinthos?"

Cameron nodded. "That's me." He looked at the clock. "On time from halfway across town on foot."

The guard didn't say anything in response. He was already opening the door behind him. "Cameron Drake is here."

"Let him in."

Cracking his neck to loosen up, Cameron took in a deep breath and entered the office only to stop short.

Jason Morgan was sitting behind the desk.

Cameron looked around. "I had a meeting with Sonny."

The enforcer barely raised an eyebrow at the mention of Sonny's first name. "He was called away for business, so you have to deal with me"

"I have to... so it's a no then... right?" Cameron could feel the anger rising deep inside him. "I can't believe you're going to ruin this for me!"

Jason stood slowly, his gaze quiet and watchful. "You're too angry for this kind of business, Cameron." He set his hands on the desktop. "Your father was the same way."

"My father-"

"Zander Smith was a hothead and he was dangerous." Jason ground his teeth together. "He got people hurt."

"Isn't that the point?" Cameron's laugh was painful for Jason to listen to. "People get hurt... I'm okay with that."

"Innocent people, Cameron. Are you okay with that?"

Banging his knuckles on the deskstop, Cameron leaned in toward Jason. "That's for me to decide, isn't it?" He smiled suddenly. "But really, it's Sonny's call not yours, so I'll just come back when he's here."

Cameron had a hand on the doorknob when Jason stopped him. "Sonny left it up to me. He thinks you may impress me yet," Jason's ice-cold gaze told another story, "but I'm not holding my breath."

Wrenching the door open Cameron left the office and then the coffee shop. "Impress you? Just you wait, Jason Morgan... I'm gonna impress the hell out of you."

Elizabeth came down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen ready to put something together for dinner. She stopped just inside the door and stared.

Jake was at the counter, rolling hotdogs in some kind of pastry and Emma was chopping up a salad. It wasn't just the way she tossed cherry tomatoes into his mouth or the way he nodded to the music they had playing from Emma's ipod. Sometimes it was just the simple moments of happiness that reminded her of everything she could have had.

No, she shook herself mentally. She did have it all. Patrick had seen to it. "Hey, you two... what's going on?"

"We're making dinner, Mom." Jake and his sister shared a look and a little laugh. "

"We're old enough to turn on the stove, Mom." Emma gave her brother a wink. "I learned in Girl Scouts."

Jake snapped to attention and held up his left hand. "And they taught me in Boy Scouts."

"Yes," Elizabeth shouldered in between them, "but you're not cooking over a campfire. What are you making?"

Halfway through the explanation, the house phone and Elizabeth's cell phone rang at the same time.

Emma grabbed the counter phone and Liz answered her own. "Hello? Hello? Is somebody there?" When she received no answer she hung up and waited for Emma to finish her call.

"Okay! Bye, Dad!" Emma's smile was sweet and long-suffering. "Dad's gonna be later than he thought... so we're supposed to eat without him."

Elizabeth's cell phone beeped a warning for a text message. She read it and then reread it again.

"I need to go and see someone... will you two be okay here by yourselves."

"We're in high school, Mom," Jake argued, "not diapers."

"Okay," smiling she pressed a kiss on each of them before she picked up her keys from the wall-mounted hooks and her purse from the counter. "You too make sure to get-"

"Ourselves fed and homework done. Yes, Mom. Night, Mom." The two chorused from the counter.

Elizabeth slid in her car and opened her phone on the dash. She listened to Patrick's away message and then left him one of her own. "Patrick, I have an errand to run... the kids are making dinner. I hope the house is still standing when you get home. See you when I get home."

The car turned over and before she shifted into reverse she looked at the text message again to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

From: PRIVATE

MESSAGE: HEAD TO NOWHERE

Her heart beating wildly in her chest Elizabeth backed down the driveway and headed out of town.