-Last Episode -
AJ and Elizabeth struggled apart...
Step 50
-Nowhere-
Elizabeth got out of the car and slowly looked around at the scenery... or lack of scenery. "Is something wrong with the car?"
Jason walked past her and up to the railing. "Nope."
She followed him to the railing and looked over the edge, following his lead. "Wow."
The corner's of his mouth tipped up. "Yeah..."
She peered down at the world... the harbor... the ocean as it stretched out toward the horizon. "Kind of puts things in perspective."
"Hmm?" Jason waited for her to continue.
"Seeing everything that seems so big on a daily basis... look like it could all fit in my purse... that's kind of freaky... and a little," she sighed, leaning on Jason's shoulder, "I don't know... relaxing."
His chuckle rumbled through them both. "I just like to come out here and listen to the quiet."
She sagged a bit, hanging her head. "And here I am talking... like you want to hear me ramble on and talk like I have something important to say and-" she looked at him and saw the snap of humor in his blue eyes and laughed. "Okay. I'll stop now."
Jason raised an eyebrow at her.
"I promise!"
When he laughed she clapped a hand over her mouth and mumbled, "sorry."
The rock walls around them echoed with Jason's laughter.
-General Hospital Emergency-
AJ felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. "Huh?"
"AJ?" Alan Quartermaine, Sr. was leaning down to whisper. "Do you have a minute?"
"Minute? Sure." AJ scrubbed one hand over his face while the other pushed through his hair. He cringed when he felt his hair catch against his fingers. "What's up?"
Alan tilted his head toward the door. "Outside."
AJ got up from his chair, pushing at the pain in his lower back with his fist. He followed his father outside and leaned up against the wall.
Alan gave his son an encouraging smile. "You look tired, AJ."
"Yeah," AJ leaned his head back against the wall as well and sighed at the thud of the impact, "I'm tired."
Lifting the folder in his hand, Alan opened the cover. "We've gone through the results again and again and none of us can understand what's going on with Carly, son... and we're not sure if the problem is with her or..." Alan sighed, "the baby."
"Then how do we find out?" AJ shook his head and stared up at the fluorescent bulbs over his head.
"We keep Carly comfortable and monitor her and the child and see what develops."
AJ looked down and met his father's eyes. "Just wait and see?"
"Sometimes," Alan put a hand on AJ's shoulder, "sometimes that's all we can do, son."
AJ blew out a frustrated breath as he looked up into his father's eyes. "You know," he swallowed, "as soon as I found out about the baby... that Carly and I had... created a child when I was stupid enough to get drunk... I wanted nothing more than to make it all go away.
"I wanted to be... be free... I wanted..." the thoughts crippled him... his heart twisting painfully in his chest, "I wanted-"
Alan pulled his son into his arms and embraced him while he cried.
-Nowhere-
Elizabeth sat on the picnic bench her feet far apart, her knees pressed together, her face lifted up to the sky. "When I was a little girl, I used to wonder what it would be like to be a bird... to fly away into the clouds and find someplace... new... someplace where people didn't know who I was... where I came from."
"Is that what you want?" Jason crossed over to her and sat down on the bench a few feet away. "Do you want to fly away?"
She opened her mouth and then closed it, thinking... wondering. "I..." she looked at him with a wide honesty in her eyes, "I love AJ... with all my heart, Jason."
His smile was slight. "I know that..." his smile grew, "I'd have to be blind not to notice that-"
"I don't deserve him."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "If you asked him... he'd say he didn't deserve you." He saw her surprised look and shrugged. "He would."
Elizabeth waved him off and shifted on the bench. "You wouldn't say that if you knew the thoughts that have been running around in my head."
"Running?" He gave her an odd look. "That's one of those phrases I should understand, but-"
"I'm not a good person, Jason... I'm not." She looked away from him, dashing tears from her cheeks as she struggled to explain what she couldn't explain to herself. "If you knew what's been in my head... you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me."
Jason let go of a breath and shrugged. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that."
-General Hospital Private Room-
Carly woke as they reset the brakes on her hospital bed. She tried to sit up but the orderly at her side put his hand on her shoulder to settle her back against the bed. "What's... what's going on?"
AJ stepped up beside the bed and gave Carly a weak smile. "They've moved you to a private room and they're going to keep you here until we know more about what's going on." He tried to calm her fears. "We really need to make sure we have a complete medical history on you, Carly. Everything you can tell us would be helpful."
She shook her head, turning slightly away from AJ, she stared out the window at the dark night sky. "I don't really know my birth mother."
AJ sat down on a chair nearby, his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry, Carly... I didn't realize that you were adopted."
She shrugged. "You never asked."
It was true enough. AJ had never asked. He'd always seen Carly as that annoying girl with his brother. He hadn't thought about it really... he hadn't thought about her. "Well," he gave her another smile, "I'm asking now."
Carly laid her head back on the pillow sighed. "Okay... go ahead and get the nurse and I'll tell them everything I know."
AJ got up from the chair and headed and out into the hallway to get a nurse, needing to take a breath or two before going back in the room.
As soon as AJ left, Carly moaned and rubbed her hand over her belly. "You know... I couldn't have planned this any better if I tried. Now if you'll just give me a rest tonight..."
-Nowhere-
Jason listened as Elizabeth told him the uncharitable things she'd been thinking... just stopping short of voicing the darkest of her thoughts. She couldn't seem to look him in the eyes.
Reaching over, he took her hand. "Hey... hey... look at me."
Elizabeth barely reacted to his voice, her cheeks were red with shame. But slowly, with the gentle pressure of his hand squeezing hers she looked up. "Don't hate me, Jason... please, I-"
"How could I hate you?" Jason sighed and shook his head. "You've done nothing but be there for AJ, be a friend to Emily... a friend to me." Jason gave her a slight smile. "And I don't have many friends, Elizabeth... but when I make one... I keep them.
"It can't be easy for you. You love AJ. And Carly," he ground his back teeth together, "Carly's pregnant with his child."
Tears sprang into her eyes and tried to blink them away. "Yes... she's going to have his baby."
"But you," Jason nodded, his eyes dark with meaning, "have his heart."
Jason's phone rang and he took it out of his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and showed it to her.
AJ
Jason answered the phone. "Hey."
-General Hospital -
Jason parked the car in the lot and barely had time to put it in park before Elizabeth was out of the car and running for the door to the Emergency doors. She was nearly to the desk when Monica Quartermaine stepped up in front of her and gave her a smile. "AJ said you were on your way."
The doors slid open again and Jason walked in, taking Monica by surprise. "Hello, Monica."
"He-Hello, Jason." She quickly turned her attention back to Elizabeth. Leaning down she whispered something into her ear. Elizabeth smiled up at Monica and nodded.
"Thanks."
-General Hospital Chapel-
Elizabeth pushed the door open and blinked to adjust her eyes to the low light of the chapel. Wall sconces were dimmed along the walls and while a soft light illuminated the cross at the front of the chapel, the flickering lights of the candles gave the room a warm appearance. She let the door close behind her softly and moved into the center aisle. Kneeling down at the altar, AJ didn't seem to hear her walk toward him.
Instead of speaking, she got down on her knees beside him, her hands folding together as she took in a steadying breath.
He looked over at her and gave her a weak smile. "Hey."
"Hey." She swallowed hard and tried to smile back. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner..."
"It's ... it's no problem," he sighed, "I've been pretty busy up until now... but Carly's sleeping... they had to sedate her when the pain started to get worse."
Elizabeth reached a hand over and took his hand in hers. "What's wrong, AJ?"
He open his mouth... and closed it again... and then opened it... but no sound came out.
"Is it.. is it..." she gripped his hand tightly, "is the baby okay?"
He started to quake, the outline of his body fairly vibrating in the low light of the room. "They don't know..."
Elizabeth gasped and turned, wrapping her arms around AJ's neck. "Oh my God, AJ..." She pulled him tight against her and felt his breath on her cheek... and then her neck. A moment later she could feel his tears, hot and wet, against her skin. She felt his arms wrap tightly around her middle and squeeze. She whispered to him... soft nonsense words... and quiet prayers... holding him as he cried. "Oh my God, AJ... I'm so sorry..."
He pulled her tight against his body and felt his entire world focus on the young woman in his arms. He clung to her and took comfort in her love.
Neither of them noticed Jason and Alan standing in the doorway... standing sentinel behind them.
-Next Episode-
As Carly's condition improves... the same can't be said for AJ and Elizabeth.
