Darkness seemed to be the constant thing since Jason's face faded away into the abyss. She could feel her body being moved, she could vaguely hear Johnny and Francis as they discussed modes of transportation. It had kept her calm while it lasted, but soon enough that vanished, too.
Now all that was left was the darkness, a cold and nerve racking darkness, that made her fearful and absolutely anxious. More than anything, Elizabeth wanted the darkness to go away, to see some form of light again, anything to tell her that she wouldn't be stuck like this forever. Alone in the darkness.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jason's voice floated through her mind before she felt herself being pulled away slightly. "Elizabeth? Hey, open your eyes."
And she did, only the sight that waited for her when she broke through the darkness wasn't the sight she had expected. She was standing in front of Jason, only this Jason was from years in the past, when they had danced together in Kelly's. This couldn't be real, she thought to herself, she had to be dreaming. She tried to remember the last time she saw Jason, but kept coming up blank. This couldn't be real.
"You okay?" he looks at her with concern, prompting her to step out of his embrace.
"I'm sorry." she says in a hushed tone, stepping away as she tried to figure out what was going on.
"Its okay." he says softly, smiling slightly when her eyes meet him. "Its okay, Elizabeth."
"Its not." she shakes her head. "Something's not right...this can't be real."
"I know it must be hard after losing Lucky the way you did..." Jason tries to find a way to comfort her. "I want to help you...I'm just not really sure how."
"I'm sorry." she says again, shaking her head. "My head's just...nothing's really making much sense right now."
"What if we go for a ride? That usually helps you clear your head." he suggests, checking his watch. "I have some time before my meeting...I can drop you off."
"Um...okay." she agrees, something telling her she needed to. "I just need to lock up."
"I can wait." he says with a slight smile, glad that she agreed.
Elizabeth subtly watched Jason as she put things away, turning out the lights after pushing in chairs, wondering what the hell was going on, all the while. After making sure everything was set for closeup, she allowed Jason to help her into her jacket before leaving the diner with him.
They got on his bike and took off into the night, Elizabeth clinging onto him for dear life, the fear still coursing through her body. Something wasn't right. This couldn't be real. Even know she's certain of that much, she still couldn't figure out what brought her to that place and why she couldn't remember the last thing that happened to her.
"I don't get it, she should be awake by now." Emily says with fear in her voice, staring down at Elizabeth as she lays in the guest room at the Quartermaine estate.
"You're right." Audrey lets out a weary sigh. "I don't understand it. The toxin should be out of her system by now."
"I'm gonna call Francis." Emily says seriously. "He should know what's going on."
"Use this." Audrey hands her the burn phone that she had been given. "He'll answer immediately."
"Thanks." Emily smiles slightly before walking out of the room. Something was definitely wrong and she'll be damned if she's going to let Elizabeth die now.
Francis and Johnny were handling some stuff for Sonny, obviously being kept away for a while to ensure that they didn't feel the need to talk to Jason about it. Obviously he didn't trust them to keep their mouths shut and that meant giving them crappy jobs in order to keep them away from Jason.
"Its them." Francis holds up the phone. "You got the device?"
"Yeah." Johnny shakes his head, flipping the switch to avoid being heard by anyone. "Answer it."
"What's wrong?" he answers immediately.
"She's not waking up." Emily's voice gives away her fears. "The toxin you gave her should have been out of her system by now...you said it wouldn't hurt her."
"Relax." Francis says carefully. "What are her vitals like?"
"She's stable." Emily admits. "Doesn't mean that something's not wrong, Francis...she should have woken up by now."
"I know." Francis lets out a weary sigh. "Look, I'll find a way to get there soon, but you and Audrey are all she has right now. Can you handle it?"
"Yes." Emily concedes, glancing back at the door. "I'm scared for her, Francis."
"We all are." Francis admits, glancing over at Johnny. "I'll do my best to get there to check on her. Until I do, I need you to call me if there's any changes, okay?"
"Okay." Emily agrees. "Just get here as fast as you can."
"I'll do my best."
Ending the call, Francis fills Johnny in on Elizabeth's condition, both men stumped as to why she hasn't awoken yet. They had the dosage right, that much they're certain on, having checked and quadruple checked to be sure. The question now, who's going to tell Jason?
"Where are you going?" Courtney asks her husband, walking out with a bottle of beer for him, knowing he needed to relax.
"I have to go see Carly." Jason says simply, securing his gun at the small of his back before shrugging into his jacket. "I'll be right back."
"Jason...we should talk about what happened." Courtney insists, setting the bottle down on her pool table before walking over to him. "Please..."
"Later." he says seriously, glancing over at the beer before looking at her. "Do me a favor and get that off my pool table. I'll be home later."
Walking out on his wife, Jason knew that it hurt her to do that, but he had to keep up appearances. It wouldn't be believable if he just accepted what Sonny did and didn't pull away from everyone slightly. A part of him knew that he wasn't pretending with Courtney. She had simply accepted Elizabeth's death like it was nothing. Like his life meant more than the life of an innocent woman. He couldn't wrap his head around that.
"Hey." Carly smiles slightly, wrapping her arms around him when he walks up to her. "How're you holding up?"
"I'm fine." he looks at her curiously.
"The guards." Carly gestures to the two standing a few feet away. "Lets sit, okay?"
Pulling out her chair for her, Jason waits for her to sit before he takes his seat. It wasn't that hard to keep up the charade that he believed Elizabeth was dead, the anger he felt was very much real and the promise of Sonny paying for it...well, that's very much real as well. He just had to plan it right.
"Need a napkin?" Carly questions carefully. "For your drink."
"No, thanks." he says simply, lifting his beer to his lips and taking a long gulp.
"Yes...you do." Carly says seriously. "Don't be a caveman, Jason. Use the napkin."
"Fine, Carly." Jason grunts, taking the napkin from her. "I'll use the damn napkin."
It was then that he noticed the writing on it and shook his head. Of course, what better way to communicate than a damn napkin. Reading what was written, Jason fought the urge to jump out of his seat and rush to the Quartermaine estate. Elizabeth wasn't doing as well as they all thought she'd be doing.
"I'm glad you're not gonna do anything stupid." Carly comments, laying a napkin on her lap. "I mean, I know how much the muffin meant to you, but its for the best, you know?"
"If you say so." Jason states, knowing what she meant. It was her way of saying that he should let the two guys handle it. "I'm ready to order. You?"
"Yeah...I'm famished." she smiles slightly, waving over the waiter.
"Where's Michael?" Jason asks after they ordered their food.
"With my mother." she assures, taking a sip of her drink. "She's taking him out of town tonight. They're heading to Disney World in Florida...she even promised to take him to the beach. You know how much he loves the water."
"Yeah...I know." he shakes his head, thankful that Michael wasn't going to be in town. "I'm sure he's going to love it."
"I know I love it." she says simply, accepting their meals with a smile. "So...how's Courtney?"
Walking into her brother's penthouse, Courtney finds him at his desk, handling whatever business he was in need of handling now. Her presence, of course, had him stopping long enough to greet her before storing the stuff away.
"He's shutting himself off, Sonny." she says seriously. "I need you to tell me how I can get him to open up to me."
"That seems like a personal problem to me." Sonny counters, pouring himself a drink. "I did what you asked...he's still alive. How he handles everything...well, that's your problem."
"You're my brother, Sonny!" Courtney snaps. "Come on! Help me out! I don't want to lose my husband."
"Look, he's gonna be like this for a while, you just have to wait it out." Sonny concedes. "Give him time...he'll come around. Drink?"
Elizabeth didn't want to let him go, but the ride could only last for so long. It didn't stop her from holding on for a long while after he put the bike in park outside her grandmother's house. She was afraid to let him go, not really sure why, but she just couldn't do it.
"We're here." he says softly, sliding his hand over her joint hands on his abdomen. "I'd stay with you if I could, but I have to get going."
"I know." she whispers, shutting her eyes as she simply laid her head against his back. "I hate it when you have to go."
"Elizabeth..." he didn't know what to say to that.
"Its okay." Elizabeth sighs, releasing her hold on him, dismounting the bike soon after. "Just be careful, okay? I can't lose you."
He stared into her eyes for a moment, making her wonder what he was going to do. A part of her wanted nothing more than to force him to stay, still unsure of what was going on, but having a feeling that she knew what was about to happen and she hated it.
"I'll see you soon." he promises, smiling slightly, clearly confused by her words. "Okay?"
"Okay." she shakes her head. "I'm gonna hold you to that."
"You do that." he agrees, taking the helmet from her. "I have to get going."
"Tomorrow...I'm gonna be at my studio all day." she says to stop him from leaving. "Come find me when you're done? Please?"
"Elizabeth..."
"Just so I know you're okay." Elizabeth explains, smiling slightly, trying to had her concern. "Please, Jason?"
"Okay." he shakes his head, taking her hand in his to wrap her in a warm embrace. "I'll stop by the moment I can."
"Thanks." she whispers, allowing him to let her go.
Emily and Audrey were starting to grow worrisome as they watched over Elizabeth. They both know a good amount of medical information between the two of them, but this wasn't their specialty, they had no idea how to handle this. Both could only hope that Francis can get there sooner rather than later. If only Alan and Monica could be let in on the secret, but they both know they can't tell anyone. It was risky having them know already, they wouldn't go against Jason's wishes by telling anyone else.
"She's gonna be alright, right?" Emily asks of Audrey, being the less knowledgeable between the two.
"We can only pray by this point." Audrey takes Emily's hand in hers. "All we have is prayer, my dear...lots and lots of prayers."