A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you guys liked the last chapter!
Chapter 9 - Flashbacks
Elizabeth laid awake looking up at the ceiling. She started to cry and she didn't even know why. It was like she had no control over her emotions anymore. Grabbing a pillow, she clung to it as she wailed into it, muffling her pain.
Ric stood against the door listening as his heart ached for her. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Jason's number that Max had given him.
"Morgan."
"Jason, it's Ric," he said as he moved to the living room.
"What's wrong? Is she okay?"
Gina looked up at him. It was the most animated she had seen him since they had gotten back.
"She's crying. She hasn't stopped and it's been a half hour. I don't know what to do."
Jason sighed. "She needs to let out her emotions. Let her cry."
"That's a hard thing to do."
"I know. I don't know how to explain it to you. It just kind of hits you every once and a while and she just needs to let it out. If you need me to come over, just say the word."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."
Ric ended the call. It was so hard to do the right thing. He wanted to tell Jason to come over, but at the same time, he hated Jason because he knew he could reach his fiancé when he couldn't.
It had gotten quiet in the room and Ric slowly opened the door. He was surprised to see that she had made some weird tent on the bed and was resting inside of it. She looked up at him and held out her hand and Ric got on the bed and she cuddled into his arms as he laid there looking up at the sheets, wondering what it must have been like for her on the mountain. Was she afraid? Did she think she was going to die? He hated this. After an hour, her body started to twitch and she clutched his shirt.
"Elizabeth."
She started to fight in her sleep. "Jason," she screamed, jerking awake. She was panting and almost seemed shocked to find Ric next to her.
"It's okay. I'm going to go get you some water."
He slipped out of the bed and Elizabeth flopped backwards. She had been dreaming that the mountain lion had gotten inside of their shelter and was attacking Jason. The nightmares just wouldn't end and she was so tired.
Ric handed her the bottle and sat down. "When you were found, they pulled family members into a room here and told us what to expect when you came back."
"Were they right?"
"I don't think they could have prepared me adequately, but she did say that it would be rough. When you're ready, I think you should probably talk to someone about PTSD. It might help you get a grip on the nightmares and however you're feeling."
She nodded. "I just need a few days and I will. " Elizabeth knew she needed help.
"She left her card and said she'd be happy to make some recommendations."
"Thanks."
"I'm trying not to smother you, but it's hard when all I want to do is make things better for you. So, if I mess up, please don't hold it against me."
She sighed. "I'll try not to."
"There's one more thing and you're not going to like it."
"What?"
"The press are not going to go away until you two make some kind of a statement."
Elizabeth cringed inside. She knew he was right.
"I could arrange something for tomorrow so you could get it over with and be done. We'll announce that this will be the only statement that both of you will make."
She nodded. "Let me talk to Jason, okay?"
"Okay." He handed her his phone.
She took it and watched him walk out and then went into the bathroom and called Jason.
"Ric?" Jason asked. "Is she okay?"
"No, it's me."
He relaxed back into the couch as Gina watched him curiously. "What's wrong?"
"I'm losing my mind. I made a lean-to on my hotel bed."
Jason chuckled. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Yeah well, it's because you probably aren't mental like me."
Gina watched him smile and felt a tinge of jealousy.
"Listen, Ric thinks that the press won't go away unless we make some kind of statement. He wanted to set it up for tomorrow and then let them know this will be our only one. I think he's probably right, although I have no desire to speak to them."
Jason sighed. "Are you sure you're alright with that?"
"I'm sure. I want it done and over with."
"Okay, tell him to set it up and let me know the time."
"I can't wait to see you."
"Me too."
"See you later."
Jason smiled. "See you later."
"What happened?" Gina asked curiously.
"That was Elizabeth. Ric is going to set up a press conference for tomorrow morning. If we talk to them, it will get the media off of our backs and we can just get that out of the way."
"Are you sure that you're ready?"
"I just want it to be done."
The truth was that he'd do anything to get to spend time with Elizabeth again. Having her closer made him feel like he could get through this.
"May I go with you?"
"Of course."
She turned and looked at the television, but she really wasn't watching. The only thought running through her mind was how in the world she could ever compete with Elizabeth Webber.
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Jason put on a top and some pajama bottoms and crawled into his bed. As soon as he closed his eyes and settled, his mind was bombarded by images of the crash. Gina watched his body jerk as he relived it in his head and started to sweat. He suddenly yelled, "Elizabeth." and sat up as he breathed heavily.
Gina touched him and he jumped away from her and slid out of the bed. She froze, not knowing what to do as he looked around the room frantically.
"Jason."
He looked over at her as if he was surprised to see her there.
"You're home and you're safe. Come back to bed."
He felt like his mind was playing tricks on him and he closed them and tried to breathe deeply. Walking into the bathroom, he sat on the edge of the tub and bent forward with his elbows on his knees. He held his face as he rocked, telling himself that it was over and he was safe and Liz was too.
Gina watched at the clock. He had been in there for an hour now when she finally slipped out of bed and slowly opened the bathroom door. Jason looked up at her as she walked towards him. She held his face and leaned over and kissed him. He tried to kiss her back; even considering that maybe if he made love to her he'd forget for a few minutes, but he couldn't do it. Pulling back, he emotionally said, "I can't."
Gina tried not to take it personally, but it hurt that he seemed to want nothing to do with her, but she kept reminding herself that she needed to be patient—at least that was what she kept telling herself. "Just come to bed with me Jason. You need to sleep."
He took her hand and followed her back into the bedroom. Feeling guilty, he reached for her and let her cuddle against him, knowing that it wasn't fair to her that he was so distant. How can you explain something you don't understand yourself? Before the trip, he was happy with Gina. Everyone was going as planned and he was good with that. But now, all those feelings were locked away deep inside of him in a place he couldn't seem to reach. He felt fractured and disconnected. Three hours later, his body finally fell into a fitful sleep.
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Ric had finally convinced Elizabeth to take a sleeping pill. It was only then that she seemed to rest peacefully. He watched her sleep, wishing that when she opened her eyes in the morning, that she would be back to normal. That she would be his Elizabeth, smiling and full of energy and light; not the Liz that was lying next to him, haunted by demons he couldn't see. It was a long night for them all and there was no sign that anything would change anytime soon.
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Jason put on a blue dress shirt and slacks. He wanted to get the interview over with. The cameras and reporters were definitely not his style. The only thing he was looking forward to was seeing Liz. Gina slipped into some slacks and put on a sweater Jason had brought her. It had snowed overnight and she wanted to make sure she was comfortable and warm. They were going to the interview and then over to the Quartermaine's for brunch. Jason wanted to get the initial visit over with so he didn't feel pressured to see anyone.
"You ready?"
"Yeah," he said as he opened the bedroom door. "After you."
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Elizabeth finished getting dressed and took another look in the mirror. It was almost like looking into the eyes of a stranger. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes which were slightly vacant. She put on some foundation and then the rest of her makeup and when she was satisfied, she walked into the other room where Ric was waiting.
"You look nice. Do you want some juice?"
She nodded and he gave her a glass. She savored the taste as Ric eyed her curiously. Smiling, she said, "I was just thinking that I would have killed for this on the mountain."
Ric nodded. "Yeah, I guess you couldn't order out. What did you eat?"
"Jason had some beef jerky and we found some snacks on the plane."
Ric was glad that she was opening up a little.
"Are you ready?" She really wanted to get this over with.
"Yeah, let me grab my jacket," he said before running into his room. He put it on and then walked with her to the door.
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They stood in a small area waiting for Jason to arrive. A few minutes later, he nervously entered the room and her face lit up a little and Ric watched Jason's do the same. Giving up pretense, she walked over to him and gave him a hug and asked him how he slept. They chatted a bit while Ric and Gina did the same.
"Last night was hell," Ric said.
"Tell me about it."
"So I guess you're getting the cold shoulder too?"
"Pretty much."
"I don't know what to do."
"I guess we just have to be patient. I was reading online that the first four to six weeks are the worse."
Ric nodded.
A woman from the FAA came inside. "Are you two ready? There is a big crowd out there."
Jason sighed and nodded.
"Yes," Elizabeth said. Her stomach was doing somersaults and Jason watched as she rubbed it slightly.
He held out his hand and she took it and they walked to a table and sat down while cameras from all around the world started to click. There was a moderator sitting with them as a well as the FAA representative and the CEO of the airline. A few first responders stood off to the side that had been flown in as well.
"Let's get started," she said as she pointed to one of the reporters.
"Ms. Webber, can you tell us what happened right before the accident?"
She looked over at Jason who grabbed her hand under the table. The room was completely silent which was a little unsettling.
"I was going to try to nap and I felt the airplane bank to the right. That was strange to me, but I tried not to think anything of it," she said before grabbing her glass of water and taking a sip. "The plane dipped and it startled me and then it was so quiet that everyone kind of froze waiting for something else to happen, which it did. The plane dropped down more violently. The man I was sitting next to grabbed my hand and then we started to shake and it plummeted. "
She was visibly shaking at this point. Ric was about to jump on stage when Jason put his hand on her back and rubbed and she visibly relaxed a little.
"We had gone into a cloud bank and people started to scream. They could see the mountain next to us and then the right wing struck it and then ripped through the fuselage. I believe that is when the plane broke into pieces. After that, we hit the ground violently and it was chaos. The left wing was ripped off and we slammed into the mountain. I lost consciousness around that time," Jason said quietly.
"Then what happened?"
"I woke up and the seat next to me was gone. My head hurt, but I got up and walked around. The inside of the plane looked like a tornado had hit it. It was crazy. A woman moaned and in Spanish, she told me tell her son Alberto Diaz that she loved him. She was hurt badly and then passed out. I don't think she suffered long. I came upon Elizabeth's seatmate and he was dead. I felt for her pulse and realized she was alive, so I tried to wake her. When I couldn't, I undid her seatbelt and carried her out and laid her on the ground. I went back inside where I found a few people with weak pulses, but they were badly injured and didn't make it so I started looking for water, food, and a first aid kit."
Jason grabbed the glass in front of him and drank some water before they continued with the questioning.
