Chapter 25
Elizabeth stood in front of Sonny's door, feeling uncertain about what she was about to do. Unable to concentrate at work, she had arranged with Chloe to finish up some sketches at home. She had stopped on the way to pick up something for Carly. She knocked and waited.
Sonny opened the door and said quietly, "Hello, Elizabeth."
She could see the lines of strain and fatigue in his face. "I don't want to intrude. I just wanted to drop something off for Carly. I remembered what she said the other night about craving chocolate so I picked up some mocha fudge ice cream on my way home. It's not much, but I wanted to help somehow and... " She shrugged and held out the bag she was holding.
Sonny smiled. "Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
From inside the penthouse, Carly's voice could be heard. "Who is it, Sonny?"
He turned and answered, "It's Elizabeth. She brought you something." He motioned for Elizabeth to come in.
Carly looked up from where she was sitting on the sofa. Michael was leaning against her reading a book.
"I didn't want to bother you," Elizabeth said. "It's just some ice cream that I thought might help with your chocolate cravings." The dark circles under Carly's eyes showed the toll that this mess was having on her.
Smiling slightly, Carly responded, "Thanks, Elizabeth. It was very thoughtful of you. Why don't you stay and have some with us. Sonny said Jason should be here soon."
"I'd like that." She handed the ice cream to Sonny who took it to the kitchen to dish out. "Hi, Michael. What are you reading?" she asked as she sat down.
"It's a book about Africa," he replied, holding it up for her to see. "Jason gave it to me for my birthday. Some day, I'm going to visit there."
Carly reached out and ruffled his hair. "Yes, you will, little man. For now, I want you to go wash your hands before you have your ice cream." She hugged him to her tightly before setting him on his feet. He scampered away.
"Are you OK, Carly?" Elizabeth asked. "This must be very difficult for you."
"Yeah, it is pretty hard right now. Sonny and I chose this life, but Michael, he's an innocent. What kind of person threatens an innocent child?" Carly's voice quivered in fear and anger.
"I can't even imagine what you're going through," Elizabeth sympathized. "I know that it doesn't help much, but Sonny and Jason would both give their lives before they'd let anything happen to Michael."
"I know," Carly responded softly.
"Come and have your ice cream, ladies," Sonny called from the table just as the door opened and Jason entered.
He was surprised to see Elizabeth there. "Hey," he said. "I thought you'd be at work."
As she sat down at the table, she answered, "I couldn't concentrate so I brought some work home with me."
Carly added, "Hi Jase. She also brought some ice cream for my chocolate fix. Do you want some?"
He smiled at them. "No, thanks. I need to talk to Sonny." He motioned for his friend to join him on the other side of the room.
Michael returned at that moment and ran to Jason. "Hey, Jason. Do you want to have some ice cream with us?" he asked eagerly.
Jason crouched down and replied, "Not right now, buddy. Maybe later, OK?" He reached out and gave him a quick hug, and then Michael skipped over to the table.
Standing, Jason spoke quietly to Sonny. "Danny and I went over Cranton's room from top to bottom. There wasn't much there, but we did find something in the garbage." He reached into his jacket and removed a crumpled paper. He handed it to Sonny and continued, "It's a racing form from the track close to the hotel. It's dated two days ago."
"So we were close - and his addiction to racing might actually lead us to him. I have men at every track within a hundred mile radius and we'll widen it if we don't find him in the next few days."
Jason could feel the tension emanating from his friend. "What was it you wanted to show me? You said something arrived that I should see."
Sonny went to his desk and extracted an envelope. He handed it to Jason saying, "Carly hasn't seen these. She's worried enough as it is."
Opening the envelope, Jason pulled out some photographs. They were of Michael playing in the park with Leticia. He swore and his jaw clenched in anger. An attached note read - Stay out of my business or next time I won't use a camera. "That son of a ..." Jason blew out a frustrated breath. "What do we do next?"
"I don't like to do it," Sonny said sadly. "But I'm going to keep Carly from knowing about the photographs. She's under so much stress already. It can't be good for the baby. I'm going to stay close to her and Michael until we get this sick bastard. That leaves a lot on your shoulders, Jason. I'm sorry."
"It's OK, Sonny," Jason reassured him. "You need to be here with Carly and Michael." He looked over at the table where three of the most important people in his life sat eating ice cream, talking, and laughing. "I'm going to get this guy, Sonny." Determination to protect those he loved was strong in his voice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jason walked Elizabeth across the hall and into the penthouse. Once inside, he pulled her to him and held her close. She returned his embrace, understanding his need for reassurance.
"I have to go back out, Elizabeth," he said reluctantly. "We got close to finding him today, and I have to stay on top of it."
She pulled back and responded, "I understand, Jason. The sooner you catch this creep, the sooner we can all get our lives back."
He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah. That sounds good to me." He paused, looking deeply into her eyes. "After this is all over, let's take a trip somewhere. We can go anywhere you want."
Smiling widely, Elizabeth replied, "You know where I want to go, Jason Morgan. You don't even have to ask."
Returning her smile with interest, he said, "Yeah. I do know where you'd like to go and that's where I want to take you. Just let me get this mess cleaned up first."
"I'm going to hold you to that." She reached up and kissed him quickly. Releasing him, she stepped back and said, "You'd better go follow your leads, and I had better get busy on my sketches."
Approaching her, Jason pulled her back into his arms and kissed her once more - very thoroughly. He walked to the door, turned, and said, "I'll see you tonight." He closed the door after him, leaving a breathless Elizabeth behind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth stood in front of Sonny's door, feeling uncertain about what she was about to do. Unable to concentrate at work, she had arranged with Chloe to finish up some sketches at home. She had stopped on the way to pick up something for Carly. She knocked and waited.
Sonny opened the door and said quietly, "Hello, Elizabeth."
She could see the lines of strain and fatigue in his face. "I don't want to intrude. I just wanted to drop something off for Carly. I remembered what she said the other night about craving chocolate so I picked up some mocha fudge ice cream on my way home. It's not much, but I wanted to help somehow and... " She shrugged and held out the bag she was holding.
Sonny smiled. "Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
From inside the penthouse, Carly's voice could be heard. "Who is it, Sonny?"
He turned and answered, "It's Elizabeth. She brought you something." He motioned for Elizabeth to come in.
Carly looked up from where she was sitting on the sofa. Michael was leaning against her reading a book.
"I didn't want to bother you," Elizabeth said. "It's just some ice cream that I thought might help with your chocolate cravings." The dark circles under Carly's eyes showed the toll that this mess was having on her.
Smiling slightly, Carly responded, "Thanks, Elizabeth. It was very thoughtful of you. Why don't you stay and have some with us. Sonny said Jason should be here soon."
"I'd like that." She handed the ice cream to Sonny who took it to the kitchen to dish out. "Hi, Michael. What are you reading?" she asked as she sat down.
"It's a book about Africa," he replied, holding it up for her to see. "Jason gave it to me for my birthday. Some day, I'm going to visit there."
Carly reached out and ruffled his hair. "Yes, you will, little man. For now, I want you to go wash your hands before you have your ice cream." She hugged him to her tightly before setting him on his feet. He scampered away.
"Are you OK, Carly?" Elizabeth asked. "This must be very difficult for you."
"Yeah, it is pretty hard right now. Sonny and I chose this life, but Michael, he's an innocent. What kind of person threatens an innocent child?" Carly's voice quivered in fear and anger.
"I can't even imagine what you're going through," Elizabeth sympathized. "I know that it doesn't help much, but Sonny and Jason would both give their lives before they'd let anything happen to Michael."
"I know," Carly responded softly.
"Come and have your ice cream, ladies," Sonny called from the table just as the door opened and Jason entered.
He was surprised to see Elizabeth there. "Hey," he said. "I thought you'd be at work."
As she sat down at the table, she answered, "I couldn't concentrate so I brought some work home with me."
Carly added, "Hi Jase. She also brought some ice cream for my chocolate fix. Do you want some?"
He smiled at them. "No, thanks. I need to talk to Sonny." He motioned for his friend to join him on the other side of the room.
Michael returned at that moment and ran to Jason. "Hey, Jason. Do you want to have some ice cream with us?" he asked eagerly.
Jason crouched down and replied, "Not right now, buddy. Maybe later, OK?" He reached out and gave him a quick hug, and then Michael skipped over to the table.
Standing, Jason spoke quietly to Sonny. "Danny and I went over Cranton's room from top to bottom. There wasn't much there, but we did find something in the garbage." He reached into his jacket and removed a crumpled paper. He handed it to Sonny and continued, "It's a racing form from the track close to the hotel. It's dated two days ago."
"So we were close - and his addiction to racing might actually lead us to him. I have men at every track within a hundred mile radius and we'll widen it if we don't find him in the next few days."
Jason could feel the tension emanating from his friend. "What was it you wanted to show me? You said something arrived that I should see."
Sonny went to his desk and extracted an envelope. He handed it to Jason saying, "Carly hasn't seen these. She's worried enough as it is."
Opening the envelope, Jason pulled out some photographs. They were of Michael playing in the park with Leticia. He swore and his jaw clenched in anger. An attached note read - Stay out of my business or next time I won't use a camera. "That son of a ..." Jason blew out a frustrated breath. "What do we do next?"
"I don't like to do it," Sonny said sadly. "But I'm going to keep Carly from knowing about the photographs. She's under so much stress already. It can't be good for the baby. I'm going to stay close to her and Michael until we get this sick bastard. That leaves a lot on your shoulders, Jason. I'm sorry."
"It's OK, Sonny," Jason reassured him. "You need to be here with Carly and Michael." He looked over at the table where three of the most important people in his life sat eating ice cream, talking, and laughing. "I'm going to get this guy, Sonny." Determination to protect those he loved was strong in his voice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jason walked Elizabeth across the hall and into the penthouse. Once inside, he pulled her to him and held her close. She returned his embrace, understanding his need for reassurance.
"I have to go back out, Elizabeth," he said reluctantly. "We got close to finding him today, and I have to stay on top of it."
She pulled back and responded, "I understand, Jason. The sooner you catch this creep, the sooner we can all get our lives back."
He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah. That sounds good to me." He paused, looking deeply into her eyes. "After this is all over, let's take a trip somewhere. We can go anywhere you want."
Smiling widely, Elizabeth replied, "You know where I want to go, Jason Morgan. You don't even have to ask."
Returning her smile with interest, he said, "Yeah. I do know where you'd like to go and that's where I want to take you. Just let me get this mess cleaned up first."
"I'm going to hold you to that." She reached up and kissed him quickly. Releasing him, she stepped back and said, "You'd better go follow your leads, and I had better get busy on my sketches."
Approaching her, Jason pulled her back into his arms and kissed her once more - very thoroughly. He walked to the door, turned, and said, "I'll see you tonight." He closed the door after him, leaving a breathless Elizabeth behind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*