Hey all! I know it's been forever since I've posted an update. SORRY! I wanted to get this out there, but I'm not sure if it's the way I wanted it to go. So I may pull it later. This chapter is a bit of a transition, I needed to move it forward...hope it's decent enough to enjoy!
If you followed instructions you're flying high over the east coast on your way back to Port Charles, if you didn't you're hopefully on the plane. If you really didn't listen and your still here, I would beg you to turn around and come back. I know you have responsibilities, things that are much more urgent and important than being here with me. I may have only spent a little over a week with you and unfortunately you don't talk too much, but I've started to get a glimpse at who are. Not just a hard-ass in your biker boots and leather jacket; but the person I imagine you don't let many people see. The person I'm sure you're sister Emily saw, the person she loved. I loved all the stories about your best friend Carly and her kids. And the stories you told me of your sister. You say you don't have a relationship with your family, but those people. Carly, Sonny their kids; they are your family. And you would do anything in your ability to keep them safe. And I know you will.
I only ask, pray that you take care of yourself. Your life is not expendable Jason, because you matter to people. You matter to me. And my world for one would be a much bleaker place without you in it. So please be careful.
I know you're not a man of many words, which is why I wrote you this letter in the first place. And because I didn't know if I could say all of this to you without having a breakdown and you don't need to be worrying about me. I want to know what happens in your life after you leave South Beach. I need to. And since I know talking to me for hours on the phone might not work well for you. I propose these letters or emails. They can be private, and something between the two of us. I want to know everything. Or at least everything you feel safe enough to tell me. Thanks for rescuing me pier.
One week, it had been one week since Jason had left Miami. One week after Jason had rushed back to rescue two of his ex-girlfriends. One week since the reign and terror of the text-message killer came to an end. After returning to Port Charles Jason's first stop was to Sam's apartment. After a complete search he found Sam's cell phone confirming that she hadn't left town like people had assumed. The series of events quickly transpired faster than he had time to process. After finding out Diego was headed to dump Sam and Elizabeth Jason moved quickly in the direction towards the bridge, finding the car leaning precariously over the edge and Lucky lying bleeding next to his squad car. After a quick sparring with Diego, he made a run for it leaving Jason to try and rescue the women. The car was about to topple over the edge and into the icy water below. Knowing his first priority was to get Elizabeth and Sam to safety Jason moved on top of the drunk and after breaking the glass was able to rescue Elizabeth. He cut his hands, badly.
Things after that happened more quickly. Being transported to the hospital, his hands covered in blood with glass embedded inside each cut. He was thankful for the painkillers which soon lulled him into a numb feeling. The doctors went right to work on his hands working to find and remove all of the glass fragments. Words began to circle from nerve damage to the possibility of getting most of his hand function back…with surgery. A word Jason refused.
Hours later with his hands wrapped in gauze Spinelli came in informing him that Diego was dead, after he accidentally hanged himself. Jason asked Spinelli to go into his phone bank and call Maxie to inform her of his accident. And that he wouldn't be able to talk for a while. Spinelli eager to learn more about his master's sunlight starlet quickly went to make the phone call.
"May I please speak to Maxie Jones?" Spinelli asked trying to sound as tech speak free as possible.
"This is she, may I ask whose calling?" Maxie asked on the other side of the line.
"Greetings, I'm Spinelli the young grasshopper of Stonecold," he continued forgetting his language.
"Spinelli, Jason's told me all about you. Is everything okay?" She asked quickly. "There has to be a reason you're calling me instead of him?"
"You are very astute. Stonecold, I mean Jason was injured today while…" Spinelli waited not wanting to divulge information that Stonecold might not want know. "It's not life threatening but he wont be able to communicate for a while."
"But he's okay?" Maxie said worry more apparent in her voice.
"I assure you as soon as Stonecold is able he will call you." Spinelli said trying to sound as positive as he could.
"Spinelli, be honest with me, as two people who care about Jason. How bad is it?"
Spinelli thought over his words carefully. He had been around for Jason's yelling at the doctors that even with surgery he would probably only retain eighty percent function due to nerve damage, making it more difficult for him to wield his weapons of choice.
After the prolonged silence Maxie spoke up, "Spinelli? What hospital are you at? You're really not doing anything to make me feel better, so I'm going to figure out travel arrangements and I'll let you know."
"I don't think that is what Stonecold intended by my calling you." Spinelli said knowing that he had sufficiently messed up this phone call.
"I'll text you my arrival information." She said before hanging up the phone. Spinelli pulled the phone away from his ear staring at it dumbfounded how that conversation had gotten so far off course. Whether to tell Stonecold was the question now. Although if his master felt as strongly about the Sunshine Starlet as she did for him, maybe she could convince him to have the surgery, and he was even more curious to meet this woman willing to fly across the country at a moment's notice to be bedside for a man she had just met.
Maxie went into the back of her closet and found her full length jeans. It had been awhile since she had been in a climate where she would need them. But New York in the midst of winter would be freezing. Pulling on the jeans and packing a few more pairs. Maxie pulled on the tall grey boots and moved to the thickest sweater she could find. On the drive home from the office Maxie had called and booked an immediate one way ticket to Port Charles. She hastily packed the rest of her bag and soon Maxie was ready to head out of town. Checking outside the front window she saw that the town car had also arrived and she was on her way to New York. She sent her travel information on to Spinelli who assured her he would be at the airport to meet her. Ensuring that she would help her find Jason and she would be able to get better answers than Spinelli had relayed.
The quick flight gave her time to reassess what she was actually doing. She had sent an email into Markem telling him about using her vacation time, and saying she would be reachable by email and phone. Her blackberry served her well and if need be she could probably ask Spinelli to loan her a computer if absolutely necessary. She was mostly unsure about how Jason would take her unceremoniously crashing into his life, when she knew just how much of a private person he was. This would be the true test, of whether or not this thing between them was more than a vacation hookup. And Maxie prayed that it was.
When Maxie exited the plane she found Spinelli standing at the luggage carousel with a sign that read "The Sunshine Starlet", which he had called her during their first phone exchange. After a very energetic greeting from Spinelli, who if Maxie was being honest didn't resemble the picture she had created for him in her head, they quickly headed toward the exit where a black SUV equipped with driver was waiting. Maxie tried to answer questions but Spinelli was asking them a such an accelerated speed that even she had a hard time keeping up. She listened as Spinellie rattled off information about the accident that led to Jason being in the hospital, and briefly explained that he had bad experience with hospitals in the past. Spinelli was hoping Maxie's presence would be enough to help "his master" understand that he needed to have surgery.
When they arrived at the hospital, Spinelli and Maxie exited the car while Milo who was driving took Maxie's bag to Jason's penthouse. Maxie quietly followed Spinelli through the large hospital down hallways and on elevators wondering if she had done the right thing by coming to Port Charles. They hadn't made each other any promises. Would Jason be pissed that she had traveled here. Would he be angry with Spinelli for seeking her out? So many unanswered questions, but before she knew it Spinelli was guiding her to Jason's room. She could see him through the blinds, eye's closed, hands wrapped in gauze. Steeling up all the courage she could muster Maxie entered Jason's room.
"Maxie what are you doing here?" Jason asked confusion apparent before reality set in, "Spinelli."
"You had Spinelli try and call me and convince me you were okay? Next time you might want to find a more convincing messenger. Spinelli folded within two seconds." Maxie said moving to the side of the bed, sitting on it pulling her legs up underneath. She was trying to be confident and calm but after the week apart she really wanted to kiss him. Avoiding his wrapped hands Maxie placed her hand on his forearm giving him a gentle squeeze.
"Come here." Jason said inviting Maxie closer. He would yell at Spinelli later but in the moment he was very happy to have Maxie here, even if was because he was in the hospital. Even if she was going to see him in the most vulnerable state he had been in. "Emily's killer is dead."
"That's so good Jason," Maxie said leaning up to look him in the eyes. "Is that how this happened?"
"Glass fragments, nerve damage." Jason said emotion free.
"So surgery?" Maxie assumed.
"No—"
"And why not?" she asked hoping to hear Jason's reasoning even though she had already heard Spinelli's.
"I don't like hospitals." Jason stated simply.
"And neither do I, but I'm here." Maxie said not giving him an out. "Now what's the real reason?"
"I've spent some time in hospitals too, it's left a bad taste in my mouth." Jason spoke trying to pull Maxie back down.
"If it can fix your hands isn't the annoyance worth it?" Maxie asked allowing him to pull her down along his body. "Just think about it. You know this isn't exactly how I pictured our reunion."
"Yeah, how exactly did you picture it." Jason asked trying to lighten the mood.
"Well I imagined us in a much bigger bed." Maxie leaned over to kiss him as the door opened and a woman dressed in scrubs walked in. "And that wasn't in my dream either." She smiled pushing back and moving off the bed.
"Sorry, I'm just here to see if Jason has changed his mind about surgery." The new woman spoke looking everywhere but at Maxie.
"No, Elizabeth I haven't changed my mind." Jason said quickly.
"Actually Elizabeth he will be having the surgery." Maxie said loudly, making the gorgeous brunette look at her in astonishment at Maxie's boisterousness. "Just give us a few minutes."
Elizabeth raised a questioning eye at Jason before leaving the room.
"So that's one of the ex-girlfriends that you rescued?" Maxie asked after the door closed, "she's cute."
"Maxie—"
"No, you listen to me." She said putting on her business face. "Your hands are very important. Not just for work or life, or being able to ride your motorcycle. But think of what else your hands can do. What else they can touch?"
"Okay, I'll do it for you." Jason relented mostly wanting Maxie to end her visualizations.
"No, you're doing this for you—but you'll thank me for it later." Maxie smiled leaning over to kiss him. Jason brought his gauzed hands up to kiss her, and immediately put them down at the odd sensation. "See my point exactly."
"Fine." Jason said aggravated by the wrappings on his hands. "Let's just get this over with."
"Good, I'll go get that nurse." Maxie said with an extra bite.
"Maixe—" Jason warned.
"I'll be nice, this is your city not mine." Maxie said leaving the door open behind her.
Jason laughed as Maxie left and Spinelli quickly popped his head into the room afraid to face his mentor and friend.
"Stonecold?"
"It's okay Spinelli, you can come in."
"Does the sunshine starlets absence mean that she is on her what back to the sunshine state or—"
"She went to go to the doctor I'll be having surgery." Jason informed, putting the cyber genius at ease.
"Well that is most joyous news! I knew that you would come to your senses, all it took was the visit from the one lightens the mood of the—"
"Enough." Jason exclaimed wanting the conversation to end. "Thank you for calling Maxie."
"It was my pleasure."
"The surgery will take some time, will you take Maxie back to the penthouse? I'm sure she'll need to change or sleep or something."
"Your wish is my command." Spinelli smiled taking a small bow as Maxie and Elizabeth walked back into the hospital room.
Maxie and Jason shared a heated kiss despite the audience and Maxie easily returned to the penthouse with Spinelli, filling him in about her life as they traveled. By the time the duo returned to the hospital Jason's surgery was already underway and all they could do now was wait. Minutes turned into hours and finally word came through that the surgery had been a success if was just a matter of physical therapy and time now.
Maxie stayed in Port Charles as long enough to see Jason return home from the hospital. She had wanted and tried to stay longer but Jason being Jason wasn't a very cooperative patient, even when Maxie offered sponge baths.
As Maxie boarded the plane she opened an envelope Jason had placed in her hand second before she got on the elevator, same ruled applied as before.
As soon as she was seated Maxie wasted no time opening it.
It was only one line, and the writing was in a shaky scrawl that Maxie knew wasn't Jason's normal hand writing.
But the words brought a smile to her face and a tear to her eyes.
All it said was, "I Love You."
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