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I busted up my ankle and have an appointment with the ortho specialist tonight, so you get this update early.

Chapter 36

"You nervous about talking with Diane?" Jason asked Elizabeth the next morning. He was sitting on the couch when she came downstairs. It was earlier than she normally got moving so he had been surprised.

"No." Elizabeth was sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder. Nerves about her morning session with the doctor had not been why she couldn't sleep. Nope, nerves about her first date with her husband had been why she had to get up. First dates were always stressful and the fact that they were already married wasn't helping that. It was in fact making things worse. What if it was a disaster? She was going to think positive, tonight was going to be good. "Promise me you won't hold Diane's assessment against her."

"What do you mean?" Jason shifted slightly so he could put his arm around Liz.

"Diane may say that I'm not fit to work at the hospital." Elizabeth looked up at Jason. "If she does don't hold it against her." She explained. "Her job in this matter is to make sure that the hospital is protected. She has to be honest." Elizabeth didn't want this blowing up in the doctor's face.

"I understand." Jason took a deep breath. "Will you be upset if she says that?" Honestly he wasn't worried about Diane. She would make the call that was appropriate, all he cared about was how Liz would take the news.

"Yes, but I won't be surprised." Elizabeth snuggled closer. "I almost froze yesterday. Lives were at stake and I wanted to curl up in a ball."

"You didn't." Jason pointed out. "You held it together. Alan told me you most likely saved that little boy's life."

"She was so scared Jason. All I could think was that Sarah had lived through what that women was describing. Then when it was over I started thinking about how that could have been me. How Lucky got so close he actually had Cameron in his arms." She shuddered hard and Jason put her on his lap.

"I'm hoping to hear from Mac again this week." Jason ran his hand from the top of her head to the small of her back just trying to comfort her.

"I don't want to know. You will handle it, I have no doubt about that, but I don't want the details. I just want to know when he's gone." She requested letting the tension flow from her body.

"I can do that." Jason promised. When she looked up he gently covered her mouth with his. "Looking forward to tonight?"

"Yeah." She said blushing slightly. "Do you think I can do some shopping after my session? Since you'll be with Cam."

"Sure." Jason grinned down at her. "You could just send a runner."

"No." Elizabeth said laughing. "I need to get this in person." She wasn't sending some strange guy out to pick up lingerie for her. "What kind of sheets are on your bed?"

"Jersey. You don't like the way they feel?" Jason assumed that was why she was asking.

"I do like the way the fabric feels. It's really soft." Elizabeth hadn't wanted to get out of bed when she slept there.

"The spare bedroom has linen sheets." Jason told her.

"That feels nice too but yours feels better. Like a well-worn t-shirt." Before she got out of bed the other day she had crawled onto the side where he had slept and let his scent surround her.

"Jersey is what a lot of t-shirts are made of. That's why I picked it." He explained. "Cameron's sheets are basic cotton because they have the Chuggin Charlie image on them. Not many kids sheets come in higher end fabrics."

"That's because the image fades over time. You don't want to pay a lot of money for something that wears away." She knew how expensive sheets could be. She was guessing that Jason paid a fair penny for his bedding. While she normally liked to save money when possible, she had no problem splurging in this area. "I need to go get Cameron." He was still asleep with Charlie. She didn't move though. Where she was at felt really good.

"I don't want to let you go." Jason said softly.

"I don't want that either." Elizabeth sighed. "But if we don't get moving we won't have time for breakfast." She said sitting up and scooting off his lap. "Maybe later we can try that again." She said giving him a smile.

"Count on it." Jason growled before kissing her again. "Get the kid, I'll start breakfast."

Elizabeth knocked on Diane's open door. When the doctor looked up she walked in. "Hi."

"Hello Elizabeth." Diane came from behind her desk and smiled at the young mother. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you." Elizabeth felt a bit awkward. Kind of like the first day she brought in Cameron.

"Have a seat and relax. Did Jason come with you?" Diane sat in the armchair while Elizabeth got comfortable on the sofa.

"Yeah, we dropped Cameron off at daycare so he could play with Ben." Elizabeth explained.

"You might consider leaving him there for a bit when we are done. I want you to have some time to relax before switching into mommy mode." Diane knew that personal time for Elizabeth was rare.

"I'm going shopping after we are done." Elizabeth was trying not to fidget. She wasn't sure if they were on the clock or not.

"Would you mind if I asked what for?" Diane was a firm believer in retail therapy.

"Jason and I are going out tonight. On a date, and I want to get some nice things." Her blush told the doctor what kind of things.

"Good for you. Date night during the week is a wonderful thing." Diane got up and removed a card from her wallet. "This is a fabulous store, and it's only a few blocks from here."

Elizabeth knew the shop. An upscale boutique that she used to walk past with Cameron on their way to the old apartment. They always has such pretty things in the window, but she couldn't afford to shop there before. "Thanks."

"How did you sleep last night?" Diane wanted to know.

"Like a rock. I was exhausted." Elizabeth tucked her feet under her and got comfortable. "I've been sleeping really well since we moved into the penthouse."

"Why is that?" Diane thought she knew but it was important that her patients learn to speak for themselves.

"I feel safe." Elizabeth told the doctor.

"Good. Let's talk about yesterday. How did you feel when the mother and her son walked into the ER?" Diane would start there.

"Nauseous." Elizabeth was honest. "I wanted to curl up."

"But you didn't." Diane pointed out. She suspected that Elizabeth had at some point gotten therapy but could use a refresher.

"No, I was there to work." Elizabeth said like that explained everything.

"Have you had therapy?" Diane didn't believe in circling the drain. When she wanted to know something she asked.

"I have. After I was hospitalized and Cameron was taken. I saw a counselor at work. For a few months to deal with the fear. Cameron was too young for therapy to be of help, or at least that was what I was told. I knew it was important for me to be healthy so I could help him. I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone after Portland." Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to stay calm.

"Why trauma?" Diane was trying to get a read on Elizabeth.

"Because you don't have time to think." She responded. "I was a ward nurse during the first six months of my practical and I spent a lot of time thinking about my patients and worrying about my patients. I noticed on the days I was assigned to the ER, that I left lighter at the end of the day. Things move so fast you don't have time to obsess."

"Why nursing?" Diane wanted to know.

"My Gram was my hero growing up. She said she wanted to be nurse, but married life and kids was the path she took instead. Listening to her talk made me curious. I looked into medicine and decided it was a good career for me. I never wanted to be a doctor though." Elizabeth missed her family. Especially her Gram who had lived with them when she was growing up. "She died before I got my degree, but she knew I was going into nursing."

"Does your job fulfill you?" Diane wanted to know.

"It does. It also frustrates me and rips my heart out." Elizabeth said laughing. "I love it almost as much as I hate it." She gave the doctor a self-conscious smile. "I probably shouldn't have said that last part, but it's true. Every day I see what people can do to each other and themselves. It's tragic most of the time, and sometimes it can make you hate people. Sometimes it makes you proud to be a part of the human race. Especially when someone steps up and helps when they don't have to."

Diane nodded. "Tell me about Portland."

"Can Jason come in? Is that allowed?" Elizabeth wanted him with her.

"It is." Diane smiled getting up and going to the door. "Jason?"

"Is everything alright?" He'd been sitting in the reception area pretending not to worry.

"Elizabeth would like you to sit in with us." Diane explained.

"Okay." Honestly he wanted to be with her. "Hey." He said sitting next to his wife.

"We are going to talk about Portland. I know you want to hear what happened." Elizabeth told him why she wanted him in the room.

"I do, but only if you are comfortable." Jason told her.

Diane watched the interaction. They were both so open with one another. It was a new side of Jason for her. Diane had no clue if Elizabeth was always so open but it was clear she trusted her husband. Diane saw couples who had been married for decades who weren't this free with each other.

"I am." Elizabeth promised him. "Where should we start?" She asked Diane.

"Why Portland?" Diane wanted to start there.

"We were in Washington State. I drove from Colorado and we stayed in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho before going to Washington. I was keeping us on the west coast of the country because I'm familiar with those areas." Elizabeth put her hand in Jason's. "We stayed a bit in each state, no more than a month in the first three. When I got to Washington we stayed for a few months. While we were there I met a woman one night at the Laundromat. We always came on the same night. She was watching me, but I didn't realize it. After about a month of bumping into each other, we started saying hi and then talking some. We had been in North Bend for three months when she said she could help me." Elizabeth told them.

"She said it just like that?" Diane thought she knew what was coming. The look on Jason's face said he did too.

"Yup. Our clothes were drying and Cameron was sleeping on a couple of the chairs, because it was late. She said it just like that. We were alone and I think that was why she decided to do it then." Elizabeth looked out the window and watched the clouds float by. "She told me that she knew someone who could get me some new papers. That if my son and I kept traveling under our real names we would be easy to find, even if I was using cash." Elizabeth had sat there like a deer in headlights. "She gave me a name and a phone number. She urged me to call right away because the longer we stayed in one place the easier tracking us would be."

"How long before you called?" Diane wanted to know.

"One month, but after that conversation I didn't see her at the laundry mat anymore." Elizabeth told them both. "I called and the woman on the other end said I was among friends. We talked for a bit and before we hung up she told me to go to Portland, and to call the number she gave me. I did. It was a huge gamble but I had to take it."

"How did you get the new identity?" Diane wanted to keep her patient talking.

"We went to Portland and got a motel room. I worked for a couple of weeks before calling. The guy asked me our first names and where I worked. When I asked the cost he told me whatever I could afford. Even if it was only five dollars that would be enough. A couple of days later at the bar I was working at a guy walked up, said the password. I gave him an envelope with one hundred dollars and he gave me the new identities." Elizabeth leaned back in the chair, but didn't let Jason's hand go.

"How long after that did Lucky show up?" Jason asked her.

"Three days. When he forced his way into the room, he told me he had been watching me for a week. He never said how he found us, but I guess that didn't matter." Elizabeth shrugged. "He was so angry and I was just as pissed as he was. There wasn't any time to run. I just managed to get Cameron in the closet before he hit me the first time." Elizabeth looked at Jason and gave him a sad smile. "I did a fair job of kicking his ass, but he's a big guy and really strong. I wasn't going to win, not fighting fair."

"Fair had nothing to do what happened in that room." Jason said squeezing her hand. "You did what you had to."

"I stabbed him with the knife I carried. He was walking out the door with Cameron and I stabbed him." The tears fell but she didn't bother to wipe them away. "He yelled and fell, Cameron was under him screaming and I was so afraid that he was hurt. I got him away from Lucky who was trying to get the knife out of his side and we ran. I drove across town to get medical attention. Registered under a false name, and paid in cash. When I was cleared we drove to the train station and hoped on the first one leaving. A few transfers later and we were in Ohio." She finished up and took the handkerchief Jason was holding out. "Thanks."

"Want some water?" Jason was awed at her strength.

"Yes please." Elizabeth said nodding.

"Here." Diane handed her a glass. "Did yesterday stir those memories up?"

"They did." Elizabeth admitted. "But I was dealing with them. Until Leyla spoke up." Elizabeth could feel her temper spiking. "I know she said that to rile me up and I fell for it. Even as I reaching for her I knew what was happening and couldn't stop it. I think I would have hurt her badly if Epiphany hadn't interfered." That scared her some. "I'm not violent by nature."

"What happened between you and Leyla didn't have a thing to do with your nature. Everyone can be pushed to their limit, its part of the human design. Leyla picked the perfect moment to shove. And I agree with you, you would have hurt her badly." Diane had seen rage, pure and simple in Elizabeth's eyes. Leyla had pushed the wrong button. Quite often bullied children who fought back did so after one incident too many. They simply snapped and Elizabeth had reached that point yesterday. "I have everything I need for my report. Alan will call you with my findings tomorrow."

"That's it?" Jason said looking at Diane.

"That's it." The doctor told him.

"But you haven't talked about the first incident." Jason was confused.

"That isn't what today is about." Diane explained. "Today is about figuring out if Elizabeth is fit to work in the ER. It's about her confrontation with Leyla. The root of that was Portland. During Elizabeth's regular sessions we will talk about Lucky, Sarah, and everything that lead her to Port Charles. We can also talk about anything that is on her mind in general." Diane stood up.

"Thanks Diane." Elizabeth did feel better.

"You are welcome. Enjoy your shopping." The doctor said as she walked them to the door. "You can tell me next week what you got."

"It's a date." Elizabeth promised before walking to the receptionist desk to make that appointment.

"Can I come shopping with you?" Jason was worried about her.

"No." Elizabeth said laughing at the look on his face. "I'm getting something for tonight and you can't see it."

Jason had to take a deep breath to keep his body in check. "I'm pretty low maintenance." He didn't need special outfits.

"I'm not." Elizabeth gave him a sultry smile. "I'll see you later." She winked as she waved Kyle down the hall. "Go up and get Cameron, and I'll see you when I'm done."

"I'm supposed to focus on other things now?" Jason said looking at his devious wife.

"Yup." She laughed feeling lighter. "I won't be too long." She said as her guard joined her. "Come on Kyle I need to shop." She gave Jason a quick kiss before leaving to find something to take his breath away.

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