...Unconditional...
The sound of his phone ringing pulls Johnny out of the deep slumber that he had only been pulled into moments earlier. Rubbing his face with both hands to fight off the fatigue, he grabs his cellphone, only to find that it wasn't the one ringing.
In that moment, as he stares at the screen, Johnny feels a deep-seated fear bubble up from within as he realizes what that meant. Quickly grabbing his jacket, he pulls out the emergency contact phone, reading the one text that he never wanted to ever receive.
911 Elizabeth
He didn't even bother to call Sonny to find out what happened. He didn't care. Tossing the phone on the bed, Johnny grabs his go bag and starts packing up his things. From where they are, it'll take him little less than a day to get back to the states and that only proved to piss him off even further. He just can't get home fast enough.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Francis questions him after Johnny pounds on his bedroom door, taking a moment to rub his eyes before focusing on his friend. "What happened?"
"Got a 911 on Liz," Johnny says simply. "Plane's waiting. I'll let you know more when I get there."
"Wait, just wait," Francis rubs his face with one hand, chasing away the fatigue enough to focus on his words. "Just let me grab my bag."
"You and I both know that you can't come with me," Johnny reminds him. "It took everything to get this visit off the books. Melody has to make this visit and you can't let her go without you."
"I know that," Francis sighs, torn between his duties as a husband and his duties to Elizabeth. "I just..."
Sitting up in bed, Melody listens as the two talk about the best move for them to make, her heart aching because she knows that she can't go to her daughter just yet. Hearing the pain in her husband's voice, she knows what has to be done.
Like he said, this is her past that she needs to face and maybe it's something that she must do without him. Knowing he'll be with her daughter, Melody finds peace in that, knowing that he'll keep her safe until Melody can reunite with her. With the decision set, Melody grabs his go bag and packs it up, walking up behind him when she's done.
"Go," Melody says, gaining their attention, smiling softly when he steps to the side to look at her. "My daughter needs you both."
"Melody," Francis says but his words fail him when she simply holds out his bag to him.
"I know you want to be here for me and I love you for that," Melody says, pushing the bag into his hands. "But your place is by my daughter's side right now and it'll help me get through this knowing you're there to protect her."
"What about the meeting?" Francis questions. "You can't face him alone."
"I'll have Maximus," Melody assures him. "More than anything I want to get on that plane and rush to my daughter's side, but I can't. Not just yet. So, I need you to be there in my place, my love. Keep her safe until I can get there. Promise me."
"Promise," Francis chokes out before claiming her lips for a long moment. "I love you."
"I love you," Melody whispers before pulling away. "Now go. Time's of the essence."
Watching them rush out of the house, Melody makes a small prayer, praying for their safe travels. She isn't sure if what's happening with her daughter correlates with what they've been doing, but she can't risk it. Knowing the two of them are going to be at her side, protecting her from whatever may come her way, Melody can continue on her search for answers knowing that her daughter will be protected.
"Alone this morning?" Maximus questions her when he comes down to find her alone for the first time since they started on this search.
"They had to return to Port Charles," Melody replies as she pours herself a glass of orange juice. "They received a 911 from their boss about my daughter."
"Dealing with what we're doing?"
"Don't know," Melody admits. "I sent them back to keep her protected just in case."
"Good call," Maximus replies before pulling out his phone. "Come to think of it, this might be a good time for her to meet a part of her family."
"Who are you calling?" Melody questions but receives an index finger as a reply that's meant to silence her for the moment. "Seriously."
"Drop whatever you're doing, I have a new assignment for you and your brother," Maximus says into the phone. "Port Charles. Yeah, exactly, it'll be your only responsibility until further notice. Stay safe."
"You called the boys?" Melody questions him when he ends the call.
"She may not know it, but she's a Giambetti," Maximus says simply. "And we protect our own. Any objections?"
"No," Melody shakes her head. "I just...thank you, brother."
"You don't have to thank me for protecting my family," Maximus says simply with a soft smile. "My methods may not always be bearable..."
"But you get the job done," Melody smiles back. "Still, I get to thank you if I see fit to do so."
"Fair enough," Maximus replies. "Well, we should get ready for the meeting. We only have a small window and we both know getting information out of the man is like trying to get milk out of a rock."
The entire flight back to town was done in absolute frustration on Johnny's part. He was on the brink of tossing the pilot out the door and just flying the plane himself. Of course, Francis reminds him that the plane is flying as fast as it was going to and they just had to wait out the flight, as hard as that may be. When they finally land in Port Charles, neither are surprised at who was waiting for them, the Giambetti brothers.
Max and Milo landed in Port Charles earlier that day, having been closer to town than the other two, giving them enough time to sort out the situation. From the looks of things, it's still up in the air as to how the fire was started or why for that matter, and that didn't sit well with either brother.
With the weight of both organizations on this situation, however, they doubt it'll be much longer before the answers are found. Filling the two of them in on what they know, Max drives them to the hospital, dropping them off at the entrance before taking off. With them here, she has no shortage of bodyguards, leaving them free to figure out the cause of the fire.
"Did they say when I can leave?" Elizabeth asks Jason though her body argues against the very idea. "I'm feeling better."
"Right," Jason counters with a raised eyebrow. "Stand up then."
"You think I can't?" Elizabeth challenges, her defiant nature showing as she meets his gaze. "I'll do it."
"I'm waiting," Jason counters, rising from his seat to move a few steps from the bed. "Show me."
"Fine," Elizabeth states, using whatever strength she possessed to push herself into a sitting position. Meeting his gaze, she carefully touches her feet to the ground, but failing to rise to her feet. "Okay, so, maybe I can't do it."
"Give yourself time to heal," Jason replies as he helps her back into bed. "You had a large beam fall on top of you."
"I know," Elizabeth sighs, laying back into the pillows before meeting his eyes. "I just don't like being in this place. It holds nothing but bad memories."
"Yeah," Jason agrees, holding the same feeling for the hospital as she does. "Okay, how about this...I have a doctor on my payroll..."
"Yes," Elizabeth says without hesitation. "Anything to get out of here."
"I didn't even tell you the conditions."
"Take it easy, follow doctor's orders, and don't push my limit," Elizabeth says with a shrug. "I can manage that."
"Okay," Jason smiles softly, shaking his head. "I'll go see your doctor about discharging you."
"Thank you," Elizabeth says with a smile, reaching out one hand to take hold of his, pulling him in for a kiss.
"Rest," Jason says gently, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. "I'll be right back."
Elizabeth knows that he worries for her, given everything that happened, but she just can't stand to be in that hospital any longer than she already has been. Every time she steps foot in that place, memories of losing her grandfather flood her mind, her screams still echoing through the halls. His loss is always abundant in that place and she just wants out.
"I hope we're not interrupting," Johnny voices when Jason pulls open the door to find the two guys on the other side. "You mind?"
"Jason, got a minute?" Francis voices, stepping to the side to gesture for him to walk out.
"Sure," Jason replies before turning to Elizabeth. "Take it easy."
"I will," Elizabeth assures. "Promise."
"Hey," Johnny voices once they're alone, walking over to Elizabeth's bedside. "Miss me?"
"Why? Were you gone?" Elizabeth counters sarcastically before punching his arm. "Of course I missed you, jerk. Nice to know you're still alive."
"I'm sorry," Johnny sighs, lowering himself onto the chair before meeting her eyes. "We never meant to be gone for as long as we were."
"I was worried about you both, you know," Elizabeth says softly. "You guys can't just disappear on me like that."
"I did say I was sorry, didn't I?" Johnny counters. "Because I am."
"You're forgiven."
"Good because there's another topic that needs addressing," Johnny counters. "You and Jason."
"What about it?"
"When, why, how?" Johnny says like it's obvious. "You know, the usual."
"Do you not approve?" Elizabeth counters questioningly. "Because it's kind of your fault that we're together."
"My fault?" Johnny looks at her surprised. "How am I responsible for that?"
"You sent me to Paris with him," Elizabeth points out. "The city of love."
"No, heck no," Johnny shakes his head. "That was all Francis. He made that choice. I suggested having Jason cancel his trip."
"I'm just playing," Elizabeth laughs softly. "It wasn't because of that."
"Then how?"
"I don't know really," Elizabeth admits. "One minute we're friends and the next...it just happened."
"It just happened," Johnny shakes his head. "Right."
"Francis, will you tell him that me being with Jason isn't a big deal?" Elizabeth turns to her brother when he walks into the room. "Because clearly he's not seeing that."
"Of course you'd stray off topic," Francis sighs, shutting the door behind him before walking to the other side of her bed. "You were supposed to be filling her in."
"Excuse me for being concerned about this out of the blue relationship," Johnny counters. "It's not like he just got out of a serious relationship. Oh, wait, he did."
"They're grown adults," Francis points out, though he's not at all sure how his wife is going to take it. "Last time I checked, that meant they could date whoever they please."
"Yeah, well," Johnny squints his eyes to emphasize his point. "He does anything to hurt her and he's a dead man."
"Dully noted," Elizabeth says, gaining both their attention. "Now can someone tell me just what I need to be filled in on?"
Walking down the hall to the doctor's office, Jason tries to wrap his head around everything that Francis had told him, unable to believe the kind of reach that Elizabeth has. Looking at her, you would never believe that she was connected to two organizations by blood and a third by choice.
When it comes to being connected in his world, she is as connected as it gets. Guess that explains the Giambetti brothers being in town on family business. Knowing that, Jason starts to look at different angles for the fire at the warehouse. Could this have been a direct threat to Elizabeth?
It made sense on one hand, but also didn't on the other. It just seemed like a poor way to try to kill someone. Unless they weren't trying to kill her. With the presence of an accelerator, it's clear that the fire wasn't an accident, but the method seemed to be amateurish to him. It didn't look like a professional hit.
He knows that it could also be a professional going for an amateur approach to avoid raising suspicion, but that just seems like a stretch to him. Whatever the case may be, having the Giambetti brothers present to track down leads that they otherwise wouldn't have be able to do just might work in their favor.
"So...that's all we've got so far," Johnny says carefully, his eyes on Elizabeth, who has yet to say a single word as they explained what they've been doing. "Can you say something?"
"I'm tired," Elizabeth voices, unable to think of anything else to say in that moment. "I...I'd like to be alone now. Please."
"John," Francis stops him from pushing further, seeing that she could use some time to wrap her head around all the information that they've dropped on her lap. "Let's check in with Sonny."
"Yeah, okay," Johnny says after a long moment. "We'll see you in a bit, okay?"
"Sure," Elizabeth manages a soft smile. "See you later."
"You know I love you, right?" Johnny questions, needing to hear her say it.
"Yeah, I know," she replies wholeheartedly. "I love you, too."
"As long as you know that," Johnny accepts, walking out the door, hoping she can come to terms with everything they've told her.
"Francis?" Elizabeth calls out to him as he's about to walk out the door.
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy that your wife's still alive," Elizabeth says softly. "I know how lost you were without her. I'm glad you don't have to feel that anymore."
"To be honest, I stopped feeling that the moment you chose to be my family," Francis admits with a slight smile. "I love you, kid."
"I love you, too."
Watching him walk out of the room, she lets out a soft sigh once the door shuts behind him, laying back into the pillows as the tears fall down her cheeks. She tried so hard to keep it together while they were there, not wanting them to see her cry, but she couldn't hold it in anymore.
As much as she has always wanted to be adopted, to believe that there had to be a reason why they despised her so much, this truth comes with the realization that her grandfather wasn't really her grandfather. The man that had been her whole family rolled into one wasn't truly her family at all. Did he know? Did he know that she wasn't truly his?
"Liz?" the soft voice of her best friend comes from the door, clearly confused by her tears. "Hey, it's okay."
"It's not," Elizabeth shakes her head, wrapping her arms around Emily when she rushes over to her. "Nothing's okay."
Once she was able to pull herself together, the two friends talk about everything that's happened, Emily listening intently as Elizabeth lays it all out for her. Of all the things for the guys to have been doing while they were away, Emily did not see this coming and clearly Elizabeth didn't either.
"Blood or not, Steve loved you," Emily reminds her. "Whether he knew the truth or not, he was your grandfather, Liz. No one can take that from you. No one."
"Yeah," Elizabeth smiles softly, knowing she's right and refusing to accept otherwise. "Thanks, Em."
"Of course," Emily says as she gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I mean, bright side, you don't share the same DNA with Sarah."
"That would be the bright side," Elizabeth finds herself laughing, realizing that she's right and this truly does free her from the confines of being a Webber. "Just wait till she finds out."
"Oh, can I be the one to tell her?" Emily questions. "Please, I honestly can't wait to see her face when she finds out."
"As tempting as that would be, now's not the time for that," Elizabeth reminds her. "They're still working through things."
"Right," Emily shakes her head. "But when it's all said and done?"
"Sure," Elizabeth laugh softly. "She's all yours."
"Perfect," Emily replies before rising to her feet when Jason comes walking into the room with a nurse. "That's my cue to head out. See you on the outside?"
"Definitely," Elizabeth assures. "Thanks for coming by."
"What are sisters for?" Emily counters. "See you guys later."
It didn't take long for the nurse to go over the guidelines for her discharge, having Elizabeth sign off that she was making the choice to be discharged and accepting any liabilities that may stem from her leaving the hospital. Once alone in the solitude of his SUV, the two talk about everything that the guys have been up to, trying to figure out their next step as they face the truth of her past.
"Whatever comes, I'm in it with you," Jason promises, turning to her as they stop at a red light. "That's a promise."
Author's Note: Thank you all for the kind words, this has definitely been an experience. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this update and I can't wait to hear what you thought. Stay safe and I'll see you all in the next update. Thanks.