A/N – Thanks for reading and commenting! It was an emotional chapter and there is more drama to come, but it will only make them stronger!
Chapter 21
Elizabeth walked into Kelly's to get a drink.
"Elizabeth?"
She followed the voice and smiled. "Claudia Zacchara."
Claudia stood and they hugged. "Wow. You have certainly grown up."
"It has been a long time. How are you?"
"Good. The business keeps me busy."
"Did you follow your brother here?"
She nodded.
"He's lying low right now because he knows I was mad at him."
"What did he do?"
Liz smiled at her tone. "He filled my apartment with flowers and my boyfriend got upset."
Claudia cringed. "Was all forgiven?"
"No. We're no longer together, but honestly, it's not all John's fault."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Liz made a face. "Are you?"
Claudia grinned. "Look, I love my brother and if you are who he wants, then I would be all for it. I don't always agree with his methods, but he has a good heart."
"I know that, but I'm not the same person I was and he is chasing after a memory."
"So, you don't want to be with him? How do you know that really?"
"Right now, I'm just trying to deal with the accident and my own memories. I need time to do that."
"And after?"
"I don't know how long it will take for me to process all of this, but I think friends is all I can offer him."
"Look, I get where you are coming from and you have to do what is right for you. Let me talk to my brother and try to get him to back off."
"Thank you."
"Speak of the devil."
John grinned when he saw them. "My two favorite girls."
Liz gave him a look. "You didn't return my call."
"Um, you threatened to kill me. I wasn't sure what the protocol was for that. Do I beg for forgiveness, send more flowers, grovel—all of the above? I figured I'd let you cool down for a few days."
"You need to slow your roll."
"I'm trying. You're just so beautiful that I can't stop."
Claudia sighed. "You have series issues."
"But you still love me."
"I have to go, so I'll deal with you later," Liz said.
John watched her leave. "She's perfect for me."
Claudia put her coffee down. "John, you need to give her some space, no more flowers or anything unless you know that she is on board."
John sighed. "If I back down, I might lose her."
"You don't have her."
"Ouch."
"She broke up with her boyfriend."
He grinned.
"But, she's just not ready to move on. She seems frazzled and I think you should let her get her head on straight."
"I'll try. I want to be there for her though."
"That is up to her. You need to respect her wishes. If you happen to run into her from time to time and be supportive, I think that might score you some points. Forcing her into something she is not ready for won't."
"Alright, I'll scale back my efforts."
"How long are you staying in this boring town anyway?"
"As long as it takes."
"Great," she said sarcastically. "I'll look into renting some office space then."
"I don't need you to babysit me."
"Maybe not, but you need someone to have your back and I'm it."
"Thanks."
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Jason ended his call with Francis right before Liz walked in.
"We need to talk about the lawsuit."
"Okay."
"Sonny wants to settle out of court."
"I see."
"He fired Ric and wants to pay for any medical bills that the insurance companies don't pick up, your lost wages, and a quarter of the rebuilding that his insurance won't pay. He'll also cover all medical helicopter transport costs for a year instead of paying us for our pain and suffering."
"I'm not sure how to feel about that."
"I know. While the helicopter transport would help tremendously, you are in pain daily and lost your memory."
"And Ric?"
"That's the part that is really chapping my hide."
He smirked.
"Unfortunately, I can't sue him for negligence, only you can."
"Because of my injuries?"
"Yes. Are you willing to sue him?"
"Yes, but can I get anything out of him?"
She handed him a piece of paper. "According to Diane's detective work, Ric is worth about two million dollars which includes a boat, a house, and several cars. Diane thinks your broken leg and memory loss could be worth about two million."
"So, Sonny is basically walking away too. I don't agree with that. I want a million from him and a million from Ric."
"The litigation could drag on for a while. After your leg is healed, it would have to be assessed to see what kind of permanent damage you incurred. However, with all the trauma you suffered, I'm quite sure a jury would be on your side."
"I want whatever licenses Ric had taken away."
"I'm sure Diane will think of anything that she can. Sonny would basically get a write-off for charity for the helicopter transport, so I agree that he should pay more than that."
"This is mainly Ric's fault, so as long as he suffers the most, I'm good."
"Alright then. I'll let Diane know she can move forward."
"What else is going on?"
"I spoke to Sarah, briefly. She didn't sound good. I'll see her at dinner tomorrow night."
"I just have a couple of more days and the cast comes off and I get around a little better."
Liz smiled. "Are you going to work with Francis more?"
"That's the plan. He'll pick me up in the morning."
"I'm happy for you. I know you're going nuts."
"I remembered some more."
"Really? What?"
"It's coming in pieces. I remembered a little more of my childhood. Some of it was good and some bad. Sometimes, I feel this anger that kind of takes my breath away. It's something I'm not looking forward to recalling."
"Well, I'm warning you right now that you can be ornery if you want, but I'm not going anywhere, so do your worse."
He softly smiled. "Thanks for the warning."
"I need to go talk to Epiphany. Do you think you'll be alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fully charged," he said patting the arms of the wheel chair."
"No wheelies allowed."
"You're just no fun."
She smiled. "If you only knew…"
"I'm hoping that someday you'll show me."
"When you're off crutches and meds, I'm taking you to Jake's bar. Can you play pool?"
"I don't know. Can you?"
A devilish grin crept onto her face. "It's been years."
"Uh-huh. Something tells me that it will all come back to you."
"Maybe. I'll see you soon."
"Be careful."
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Without a word, Elizabeth put down the coffee she had bought for Epiphany and hugged her tight.
"Have you decided?"
"Yes."
"And?"
They pulled apart.
"You do understand why I'm hesitant."
"I do. You're worried about Patrick and dying."
"This is just so much to deal with, but I'm not ready to go yet."
Liz squeezed her hand. "Then you'll do it?"
Epiphany slowly nodded. "I just hope I survive it."
Amelia walked towards them. "I'm glad you came around."
"I'm trusting you to help him in there. He seems like he's strong, and I know his instincts will kick in, but if I code he'll need you to help keep him calm and focused."
"I understand. I won't let you down."
"Thanks."
"How long will she be in the hospital after the surgery?"
Amelia sat across from them. "Best case scenario is probably a week. We won't know until she wakes up and we can do tests. You have a DNR?"
"Yes."
"During the surgery, if you code, I want to bring you back."
"You want me to take it back?"
"Yes. Trust me and Patrick to do the right thing by you."
"Patrick will be emotional."
"I won't. I know your wishes and I will see to it that he abides by them, even if I have to tackle his ass."
Epiphany slightly smirked. "Okay." She grabbed the coffee and took a sip. "Just what I needed."
"Did you start taking the meds?" Amelia asked.
"Yes."
"Good. In forty-eight hours, I hope to God you will be as good as new."
"Me too."
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Elizabeth slipped behind Patrick who was on the roof. "Epiphany is going through with the surgery."
His eyes remained focused on the horizon. "I'm scared."
She laid her head on his back. "Me too."
"What if I fail her?"
"You won't. No matter what happens, you will do your best. If it's her time to go, there's nothing more you can do."
He squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know if I can accept that."
"Patrick, you need to focus on the procedure. Somehow, you'll have to separate yourself emotionally or you don't belong in that OR room. There can be no room for error. Can you do that?"
"I'll get it together."
She rubbed his back. "I believe in you."
He turned to face her. "Thank you."
"Pretend I know what the hell you are talking about and walk me through the surgery."
He took a deep breath and went over everything. It helped to say it aloud. Liz listened raptly and when he was finished, he hugged her. "Thank you. That was just what I needed."
"I'm glad I could help."
They went to the waiting room and Liz was surprised to see Claudia sitting there.
"Are you alright? What's going on?"
She patted the seat next to her. "Some guy tried to mug John down at the docks."
Liz's eyes grew big. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, he hurt his arm. They are checking it to make sure it's not broken."
"He just can't stay out of trouble."
"You should see the other guy."
"They caught him?"
"Yup. John did some damage and then the police showed up."
"Did the guy have a weapon?"
"I don't think they found one."
Sabrina walked towards them. "You can come back."
Claudia stood. "Can she come with me?"
"Sure."
They followed her to a room.
John smiled. His face was bruised, he had a band aid on his forehead and his arm was in a sling.
"You are a mess," Liz said.
"You should see him."
"I heard. Does he have to stay?" Liz asked Sabrina.
"Just until his drip is done. He should stay in the sling for a few days. It's just a sprain."
"I'll bet you twenty he's out of it by tonight," Claudia said.
Liz shook her head. "You haven't been in town for a week and you're already getting in trouble."
"It's my talent. I'm fine. Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?"
"I was visiting a friend."
He grabbed her hand. "Thanks for checking in on me."
"You're welcome."
Claudia watched Elizabeth carefully, wondering if John had a chance in hell in getting her back.
"I missed you."
Liz warmly smiled. "I missed you too. Of course, if you weren't causing trouble, I wouldn't have had to put you on a time out."
"True, but making up can be a lot of fun."
"You have serious issues. Maybe I should have them take a scan of that big noggin."
"They could try."
Claudia smiled. "They couldn't fit it in the machine."
"Ouch."
"I have to go, but if you need anything, you know where to find me."
"Okay."
They watched her leave.
"I would do anything to be with her," John said softly.
"I know, but it may not be in your cards."
Jolene walked into the room and checked his bag. She thought John was very handsome. "You're almost done." She checked all his monitors while Claudia and John chatted and then went to go get a wheel chair.
"She was totally checking you out."
He frowned. "No she wasn't."
Claudia shot him a look. "I think I know when someone is interested. You should get her number."
"You know where my heart belongs."
"You need to admit the fact that you are not in love with Elizabeth and who you were in love with doesn't exist anymore."
"But, I think if we spent time together, we could have something again."
"There is not a flicker of any desire in Liz's eyes. I watched her. You are a friend to her, one that is a part of her and she'll always love—that is it. I'm not going to tell you to not fight for her. You just need to be honest about it."
Jolene parked the chair and the began to take the I.V. out. "I don't think I've seen either one of you around before. Are you new in town?"
Claudia smiled. "Yes. We knew Elizabeth when she younger."
"Oh. You're from Colorado?"
"Yup," John said.
Jolene had seen the news report and then realized who he was.
John knew from the look on her face that she had put two and two together. "Yes, she was my girlfriend."
"She's a good person."
"Are you from here?"
Jolene smiled. "No. I'm from down south, but I love it here."
"Why?" Claudia said making the nurse chuckle.
"It's laid back, close to Canada, and not too far from Manhattan. I like living by the water."
"I'm trying to get used to it. It's quite a change from the pace of New York City," Claudia said.
"It's quieter, but you'll get used to you it. You ready to go?"
John nodded. "I hate hospitals."
"If you liked them, I'd probably have them throw in a few head scans," Jolene said playfully.
John grinned and Claudia made a mental note to find out what she could about the nurse.
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Amelia looked at Kylie's scan one more time. Something just didn't add up. She had paged Patrick and soon, he walked into the room.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. I think Kylie may have had a prior head injury. Look at this section." She pointed and he frowned as he examined it.
"Did you ask her mother about it?"
"Yes. She said that she wasn't aware of anything."
"Do you think she's being abused?" Patrick asked.
"I don't know. I didn't notice a father being around."
"Let's try to get some information before we sound the alarm."
"Okay."
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Elizabeth went home and fed Jason and then got changed for her dinner. He insisted that he was fine on his own.
She hurried into the Metro Court and made her way to the dining room.
"Hey sis," Steve said giving her a big smile.
"Hey."
"Elizabeth," her mother said.
"Mom." She drew out the word, making her dad chuckle. "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you."
"Are you turning forty again?" Steven asked.
"It's really not polite to comment on a woman's age."
"You still look young," Liz said.
"You know you're beautiful, mom," Steve said.
Sarah was unusually quiet. "Can I have a long island ice tea?" she asked the waitress.
Steve cleared his throat and muttered, "Slusher…"
Sarah glared at him.
"Isn't that a little strong?" Andrea asked.
"Not for me."
"Can I get anyone else anything?"
"I'll have a glass of chardonnay," Andrea said.
"Me too," Liz said.
"Scotch on the rocks for me," Jeff said.
"I'll have a Peroni," Steve said.
"So, what's going on?" Andrea asked.
Steven told them about a couple of cases and they all pitched in some ideas except for Sarah who was concentrating on drinking fast.
Andrea wondered what the heck was going on. Sarah didn't usually drink like that in front of her. They ordered dinner and Sarah ordered another one.
"Perhaps, you should slow down," Andrea said.
"I'm fine. Elizabeth, how is the construction coming along?"
Liz took a sip of her drink. "They are almost done clearing everything out."
"That was fast," Steve said.
"I know. I'm hoping it won't take more than a couple of months to get the re-building done. They were able to save a portion. Francis is going to have to pull some men from other jobs, but he thinks it's doable. If I went with Sonny, he has the staffing, but I just don't trust him."
"Are you going to sue?"
"Well, I haven't totally decided. Jason is going to sue Ric and we may settle with Sonny if he agrees to all of our terms."
"Hopefully, the judge will throw the book at Ric," Jeff said.
"I hope so too," Liz said.