Audrey had broken all traffic laws to get to the hospital when Jason called to tell her that Elizabeth had woken up. Standing in the room, they were patiently awaiting some good news.

"Well missy, it would seem as if everything is moving along quite smoothly, however we do need to keep you here a bit longer just to make sure that you're okay," the doctor concluded.

"How long is 'a bit longer'?" Elizabeth asked, desperately wanting to go home.

"We're not quite sure at the moment, but I can give you an accurate projection after we take a look at some of those test results."

"Thank you," Elizabeth smiled. "No offense or anything, I just really want to get out of here."

"I don't blame you," the doctor chuckled. "I love my job; you know helping other people. Not lying in a bed meant for my patients."

"They always say doctors and nurses make the worst patients," Elizabeth grinned.

"Well whoever said that is very wise. I'll just go run the test results and I'll be back to check on you later."

The physician left the room, leaving Audrey and Jason looking at a smiling Elizabeth.

"Jason, do you mind if I have a minute with her?" Audrey asked.

"Sure, no problem," he replied. "I'll be right back," he added after kissing Elizabeth. Jason left, using that opportunity to call Emily and share the good news.

Audrey occupied Jason's chair, bowing her head into her wrinkled hands.

"Grams," Elizabeth whispered. "You really need to stop worrying. It's not good for your health," she scolded.

Audrey smiled. She was always thinking about others before herself.

"You heard the doctor. He said I was fine," Elizabeth added.

"I know," Audrey sighed. But she also knew that there would be a day when she wouldn't be okay.

"Won't you smile?" Elizabeth asked. "One day those frown lines will stay permanently."

"Oh honey," Audrey laughed. "I'm long past that day, and they're called wrinkles."

Elizabeth laughed with her.

"Do you remember the time when you climbed all the way to the top of that old sycamore in the yard?"

"I was so mad at you for making me come down," Elizabeth giggled, recalling the memory.

"You were only six, and I thought you were going to kill yourself trying to jump out. You said you wanted to be a bird so you could fly around all day," Audrey explained, smiling.

Her smile soon faded, replaced by a somber expression. "If I've ever held you too close, it's only because I wanted to keep you longer."

"Oh, grandma," Elizabeth sighed.

"I love you darling," Audrey said through tears, embracing her granddaughter.

Audrey had left the room and Jason was lying down on the hospital bed next to Elizabeth who was slumbering peacefully. He wrapped his arms around her waist and he felt something hard. Picking it up he realized that it was a book. The hard green cover was worn, and there were bits of paper, lace and ribbon sticking out of the pages.

"Don't worry, it's not a bible," Elizabeth smiled teasingly. "Go on, open it."

The first page was covered in elegant script, as were the others after it. There were sayings and quotes from well-known people, and what he assumed to be small excerpts from books and articles. There was also the occasional drawing or frayed picture as well.

"It was my mother's" Elizabeth explained. "I found it in the attic when I was wandering around the house one day. It has all of her thoughts and musings," she said. "And every time I read it, I feel like I learn a little bit more about her."

Jason kissed her forehead trying to chase away the sorrow that clouded her beautiful eyes.

"Here, read that one," she instructed, her slender finger poking at a quote in the middle of the page.

"'In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.'" Jason echoed. "Robert Frost."

"Oh and then there's this one," Elizabeth said.

Jason cleared his throat. "I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see."

"John Burroughs," they both said in unison. Jason flipped a couple of pages and stopped at a longer one.

"You found my favorite," Elizabeth smiled. "How did you know?"

Jason shrugged returning her beam and continued reading.

"'Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It is not rude,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always preserves'."Jason read as Elizabeth joined in during the last phrase.

"Okay, so that one was from the bible," Elizabeth grinned.

"I liked that one too," Jason smiled, kissing her hand.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and smiled at him, bringing her hand to his face. Her breaths were long and slow, her voice raspy and quiet. She ran her hands along Jason's countenance, her fingers nimbly tracing every detail, committing them to memory. Jason watched her slowly, lying perfectly still, afraid to twitch under her touch. She sighed and murmured something incoherently before bringing her hands back down. With both hands, she took Jason's palm to her face and leaned into it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I've been thinking," Elizabeth began. "I've always wanted to do as much stuff as I can, you know. And I still do. But I realized that it's about people too."

"Maybe God had a bigger plan for me than I did for myself," she continued.

Jason pondered Elizabeth's profound statement.

"Like, he sent you here to me because I'm sick. To help me through all of this," added. "You're my angel."

Jason Quartermaine did not do tears. Or sappy emotional moments. At least not the Jason Quartermaine he used to be; make that pretended to be. But at that moment he was near tears. He leaned in and kissed Elizabeth softly as she rested her head under his chin.

"I love you," he told her as she fell asleep yet again.

Alan warily stepped out of the double doors of the elevator that emptied him onto the 10th floor of the familiar facility. General Hospital. It seemed like ages since he'd been there last. Knowing that he was not wanted there, he swiftly walked to the nurses' station in search of information about a certain cancer patient who happened to be his son's girlfriend. He was going to get Jason to be proud of him again if it were the last thing he did.

"I just looked over the test results and it looks as if we're going to have to keep her here for a while longer," the doctor explained.

"How much longer is a 'while'?" Audrey demanded, knowing that Elizabeth would not want to stay cooped in her room for much more than a few days.

"We aren't exactly sure but as of now, indefinitely. Her case is very perplexing and we want to make sure she is absolutely healthy before going home so that something like this or possibly worse doesn't happen again."