Disclaimer: Anything remotely recognizable as being a part of the cannon General Hospital.
Claiming any artistic creativity thought up by yours truly. Copy Writers be fore shamed.
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If It Makes You Happy
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Chapter Eleven:
Reading Between the Lines
In spite of her every effort, Elizabeth just couldn't get her encounter with Jason out of her mind. Something about the way he spoke, the look in his eyes, and the words he said, something just wasn't adding up. Or maybe it was and she just wasn't seeing it. With a sigh, she pulls herself out of bed, needing to get ready to face her day and find a new job.
Her parents have taken up temporary positions with General Hospital, letting her know they were on their way out early that morning, taking her brother with them. Something about putting him to work while they're in town.
Knowing what kind of work her brother was into, she couldn't help but smile slightly at the irony. The kid that usually did whatever it took to get on the police's bad side is now a forensic consultant. How ironic. Which left her sister, who has decided to be lazy for once and not jump on the job train.
"Hey, baby sister." Sarah greets, sliding over a cup of tea, laughing softly at Elizabeth's expression. "Relax, Lizzie, mom made it before she left. I wouldn't dare try to make you a cup of tea."
"Right." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Thanks."
"No problem." Sarah shrugs, flipping through her magazine. "So, where you headed?"
"Thought I'd go job hunting." Elizabeth admits, plopping down on a stool. "What about you? Any big plans for today?"
"If by big plans you mean, sitting on the couch pigging on in front of a I Love Lucy marathon, then, yeah." she shakes her head. "Huge plans."
"Fair enough." Elizabeth downs the rest of her tea before rising to her feet. "Ice-cream's in the big freezer and the rest of my junk food is locked away in the top shelf."
"Good to know." Sarah smirks. "And good luck with the job hunt. Better me than you, I always say."
"Right."
Walking out into her living room, Elizabeth's eyes divert to the abortion pamphlets that lay just atop of the adoption pamphlets. As Jason's words sink in, she picks up the pamphlets and drops them into the trash bin, feeling the sudden urge to rid them from her sight.
Letting out a deep breath, she picks up her purse and coat before heading out of her house, feeling a sudden sense of control. Now to figure out what the hell Jason was up to the other day and put her life back into perspective.
"Hey, Liz." Emily greets her, handing her the newspaper. "Figured you might need that when you told me about the job hunting."
"Thanks." Elizabeth smiles slightly, taking the paper before sitting down at the counter, not at all surprised that Emily hasn't flipped the closed sign yet. "You know, I can't believe you told Jason about me and Lucky."
"Actually...I kind of only told him that because of the other thing I told him."
"What other thing?"
"That I saw abortion pamphlets on your table." Emily winces. "Don't hate me."
"Now I get it." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Did you really think I'd ever get an abortion?"
"No?"
"I thought you knew me better than that." Elizabeth looks at her seriously. "My mom brought those by, along with adoption pamphlets and what to expect when you're expecting pamphlets. She wanted me to weigh all my options. You know my mother, always the planner."
"Oh." Emily smiles apologetically. "Now I feel stupid."
"You should have just asked me when you saw them." Elizabeth points out. "Instead of running to your brother."
"I kind of freaked, okay?" Emily admitted. "Sue me."
"I should get going." Elizabeth hops down. "You do know its past time for that sign to be flipped, right?"
"Eh, I'll get to it." Emily laughs softly. "I'm sorry for running to Jason the way I did."
"Its okay." Elizabeth assures, smiling slightly. "If not for you, I just might have believed that I didn't mean anything to him."
"So...does that mean..."
"That means that you're going to stay out of it." Elizabeth says simply. "See you later, Em."
Making her way out of the diner, she heads towards the docks, needing the comfort of the docks as she dives into the hectic life of job hunting. The smell of the ocean is the first to hit her sending a calming sensation to flood through her.
Next is the soft sound of the water clashing up against the lower deck, making her smile slightly, reminding her of all the times she had spent sketching on that deck to ease her daily anxieties. Of course, most of those times, she had Lucky right there beside her.
Shaking her head of thoughts of her soon-to-be ex-husband, Elizabeth sits down on the bench and starts flipping through the newspaper, breezing through most of the articles before she finally lands on the help wanted section. Crossing her fingers, she hopes and prays that she can find a good job within the published ads.
"You're leaving me?!" Sam looks at him in complete shock. "You can't leave me! I'm pregnant! We're gonna be parents, for God's sake, Jason!"
"Did I say anything about leaving you?"
"You didn't have to!" Sam practically shouts. "I heard you talking to Sonny...I saw it in your eyes when he mentioned me...how can you be leaving me?"
"Sam..."
"Oh, god." Sam sighs, turning away from him. "That tone...god, I hate that tone."
"What tone?"
"That tone you use when you're gonna tell me something you know I'm gonna hate." Sam groans, looking at him sternly. "Who is she? And don't even fix those lips to say that there's no other woman...there has to be another woman if you're going to leave me and your unborn child."
"Sam..."
"If you think that I'm gonna let this bitch break up our family, you've got another thing coming." Sam snaps. "After everything we've been through, how could you be doing this, right now?"
"Samantha!" he shouts, needing her to shut up already. "You done?"
"Depends on what you have to say."
"This wasn't how I wanted to do it...I actually didn't know how to do it." Jason sadly admits, shaking his head. "But...yes, I am leaving you."
"I knew it!"
"And yes, there's someone else." Jason concedes, taking a deep breath. "And she's pregnant."
"She's...you son of a bitch!" she swears, glaring daggers at him. "If you think that I'm going to let that woman's child anywhere near our child..."
"I can't think that far ahead." Jason sighs, shaking his head. "I'm trying to do what I've always done and stick with the truth...and the truth is that I'm not in love with you anymore."
"Let me guess, you're in love with your new woman, is that it?"
"I never wanted to hurt you." Jason says carefully. "Its just that...if it were me, I'd want to know."
"I'm not you."
"Would you rather I lied and continued to see her behind your back?" Jason counters. "Or go with Francis's plan and fake my death before running away with her to make a living in some unknown country?"
"I'm not gonna make this easy for you." Sam says, tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna make this a living hell!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Jason grabs his travel bag. "I'll get the rest of my stuff later...you can keep the penthouse."
"Oh, how generous of you." she says sarcastically. "Next you'll tell me that you'll be here for me whenever me or the baby need you."
"I intend to be a father to your baby." Jason pulls open the door. "Whether you let me or not...well, that's up to you."
"I won't deprive my child of a father."
"Okay." Jason shakes his head. "I'm truly sorry things ended up this way."
"Oh, just go away."
Handing his things off to Johnny, he heads down to his motorcycle, feeling the need to see Elizabeth and hoping she'd be where he thinks she'd be. As the doors close to the elevators, Jason is oblivious to the slight smirk on Johnny's face. The guard hoping that this would be the beginning of something better for his friends.
"Elizabeth." he says carefully, finding her sitting on the bench with her head thrown back and the newspaper resting on her lap.
"I hate job hunting." she mutters, turning her head to look at him. "You know, for a guy that said we shouldn't see each other, you're really bad at it."
"I know." he smiles slightly, gesturing to the bench. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all." she shrugs, making room for him. "I finally get what you were trying to say the other day."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." she leans over, kissing his cheek. "And, just so you know, abortion was never something I'd consider."
"But the pamphlets that Emily saw..."
"Were from my mother." she explains. "Her way of making sure I've thought it through."
"Oh."
"You could have just asked."
"I know...I probably should have."
"Would you have really stood by me if I were to have an abortion?" she looks at him curiously.
"If it would have made you happy...yeah."
"Wow." she shakes her head. "Okay."
"I left my wife."
"Well, that was random." she looks at him confusedly. "What do I say to that?"
"You can say that we can hangout." he counters, unsure of how he was going to tell her the rest of it. "Like we did that day in your studio."
"Which time?" she says teasingly. "The first time...or the other time?"
"Why don't we go up and see where it takes us?"
"Sounds perfect."
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