Chapter 33
The hours crept by slowly for those who awaited news of Jason's surgery. Elizabeth felt like she was wound so tightly she might suddenly unravel and lose control. When Monica finally entered the room, she stood and asked anxiously, "How is he?"
Monica grasped her hands and answered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "The surgery went extremely well. It was delicate, but Dr. Grimaldi was able to remove the bullet and repair the damage without injuring the spinal chord. Now there is some swelling in the spinal area, but that's to be expected with this type of injury. With a little physiotherapy, Jason should make a full recovery."
Everyone in the room gave a collective sigh of relief.
"Can I see him now," Elizabeth asked earnestly, as she wiped happy tears away. She needed to see with her own eyes that Jason was going to be fine and she wanted to be there when he woke up.
Monica nodded. "He should be arriving in recovery very shortly, but he probably won't be waking up for a while."
"That's all right. I just want to see him," Elizabeth said and followed Monica out of the room.
Carly sat and covered her face with her hands. He was going to be fine. She let the emotions she had been holding back spill over and she cried. Sonny sat beside her and held her, understanding her feelings of relief. He stroked her hair gently. "Everything is going to be all right," he whispered.
Wiping her eyes, she laughed unsteadily. "I know. I'm so glad, Sonny. Maybe it's being pregnant, but I feel a little unbalanced right now."
He grinned, showing her his dimples. "So what's so unusual about that?" He kissed her quickly.
She hit him playfully on the arm and responded, "Hey! That's the mother of your child you're speaking to buddy."
"I know," he said softly, reaching out to caress her cheek.
At that moment, Chloe entered the room. "How is Jason doing?" she asked urgently, looking to Sonny and Carly for the answer.
"He's going to be fine," Sonny answered. "He just got out of surgery."
"Thank God," she breathed. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to the person behind her. "Philippe," she whispered in shock. "I was afraid you were dead."
He reached out to steady her and gave her his slow, sexy smile. "Hello, Chloe. Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I heard that you lived here now. You're as beautiful as ever. I missed you."
Chloe blushed. "Are you sure you're French and not Irish. That sounds like a touch of the blarney to me." She sounded a little breathless.
Philippe's look and tone of voice became serious. "Just give me a chance and I'll prove it to you." He kept his eyes locked with hers. He had fallen in love with Chloe Morgan years ago, but had been too foolish to do anything about it. Fate was giving him another chance and he was going to take it.
Chloe was at a loss for words. He sounded like he meant it, but with Philippe sometimes it was hard to tell when he was sincere. "We'll see," she replied quietly. When he smiled, she felt the flutter in her stomach and the weakness in her knees that he could always cause. She had a feeling that she was going to have trouble resisting him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth sat beside Jason's bed in the recovery room. When she had first seen him lying there so still, she had been worried about how pale he looked. Monica had reassured her that it was normal. Now she held his hand and talked softly to him. She reminded him of times they had shared and places they still wanted to go. She stroked his face and told him how much she loved him - how much she needed him in her life. Eventually, she fell asleep with her head resting beside him on the bed.
Jason fought his way through the lingering effects of the anaesthetic. He felt sluggish and disoriented. Looking around, he recognized the trappings of a hospital room. What had happened and why did his body feel like lead? When he stretched out his hand, it touched someone else's. It was Elizabeth. His chest tightened as his memories came rushing back. His Elizabeth had been in the hands of a cold-blooded killer. He remembered Cranton taking aim at her and then nothing else. He reached out and gently touched her silky hair.
Suddenly awake, Elizabeth raised her head and looked at the most precious thing she'd ever seen - Jason's beautiful blue eyes open and looking at her. "Hey," she said with a big smile. "Welcome back."
"Elizabeth," he croaked and then stopped. His throat felt like it was full of cotton. She quickly poured him a glass of water and held it for him to drink. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Thanks. Are you OK? What happened with Cranton?"
She sat on the side of his bed and laced her fingers with his. "Do you remember him telling us that he was going to kill us?" When he nodded, she continued in a voice husky with emotion. "He was about to shoot me and you stepped in between us. You were shot in the back. You saved my life, Jason." Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered her fear for him.
He squeezed her hand. "Hey, it's OK. As long as you're all right, that's all I care about."
Elizabeth leaned in and kissed him gently. "I was really scared for you, Jason, and for myself because I couldn't face losing you. I need you in my life. You know that right? I love you so much."
"I feel the same way, Elizabeth. When I realized that Cranton had taken you, I felt like someone had taken a knife and cut out my heart." He reached up to wipe away some tears from her face. "I don't have a future without you. It would just be one empty day following another. Never leave me." He winced in sudden pain.
Concerned, Elizabeth said, "I should call Monica or a nurse to check on you. I should have done it as soon as you woke up."
Jason gripped her hand a little tighter. "Just wait. I wanted to ask you what they had to do to me." When she hesitated, he said, "Please, Elizabeth. I would rather hear it from you."
She sighed. "Monica said the bullet was lodged near your spine and the surgery was difficult, but you will make a full recovery. There will be some swelling, and I would think pain, for a while, though." Elizabeth cupped his cheek with her free hand. "I am just so grateful that you're alive."
Jason turned his head and kissed her palm. "So am I, because I get to spend that life with you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The hours crept by slowly for those who awaited news of Jason's surgery. Elizabeth felt like she was wound so tightly she might suddenly unravel and lose control. When Monica finally entered the room, she stood and asked anxiously, "How is he?"
Monica grasped her hands and answered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "The surgery went extremely well. It was delicate, but Dr. Grimaldi was able to remove the bullet and repair the damage without injuring the spinal chord. Now there is some swelling in the spinal area, but that's to be expected with this type of injury. With a little physiotherapy, Jason should make a full recovery."
Everyone in the room gave a collective sigh of relief.
"Can I see him now," Elizabeth asked earnestly, as she wiped happy tears away. She needed to see with her own eyes that Jason was going to be fine and she wanted to be there when he woke up.
Monica nodded. "He should be arriving in recovery very shortly, but he probably won't be waking up for a while."
"That's all right. I just want to see him," Elizabeth said and followed Monica out of the room.
Carly sat and covered her face with her hands. He was going to be fine. She let the emotions she had been holding back spill over and she cried. Sonny sat beside her and held her, understanding her feelings of relief. He stroked her hair gently. "Everything is going to be all right," he whispered.
Wiping her eyes, she laughed unsteadily. "I know. I'm so glad, Sonny. Maybe it's being pregnant, but I feel a little unbalanced right now."
He grinned, showing her his dimples. "So what's so unusual about that?" He kissed her quickly.
She hit him playfully on the arm and responded, "Hey! That's the mother of your child you're speaking to buddy."
"I know," he said softly, reaching out to caress her cheek.
At that moment, Chloe entered the room. "How is Jason doing?" she asked urgently, looking to Sonny and Carly for the answer.
"He's going to be fine," Sonny answered. "He just got out of surgery."
"Thank God," she breathed. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to the person behind her. "Philippe," she whispered in shock. "I was afraid you were dead."
He reached out to steady her and gave her his slow, sexy smile. "Hello, Chloe. Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. I heard that you lived here now. You're as beautiful as ever. I missed you."
Chloe blushed. "Are you sure you're French and not Irish. That sounds like a touch of the blarney to me." She sounded a little breathless.
Philippe's look and tone of voice became serious. "Just give me a chance and I'll prove it to you." He kept his eyes locked with hers. He had fallen in love with Chloe Morgan years ago, but had been too foolish to do anything about it. Fate was giving him another chance and he was going to take it.
Chloe was at a loss for words. He sounded like he meant it, but with Philippe sometimes it was hard to tell when he was sincere. "We'll see," she replied quietly. When he smiled, she felt the flutter in her stomach and the weakness in her knees that he could always cause. She had a feeling that she was going to have trouble resisting him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth sat beside Jason's bed in the recovery room. When she had first seen him lying there so still, she had been worried about how pale he looked. Monica had reassured her that it was normal. Now she held his hand and talked softly to him. She reminded him of times they had shared and places they still wanted to go. She stroked his face and told him how much she loved him - how much she needed him in her life. Eventually, she fell asleep with her head resting beside him on the bed.
Jason fought his way through the lingering effects of the anaesthetic. He felt sluggish and disoriented. Looking around, he recognized the trappings of a hospital room. What had happened and why did his body feel like lead? When he stretched out his hand, it touched someone else's. It was Elizabeth. His chest tightened as his memories came rushing back. His Elizabeth had been in the hands of a cold-blooded killer. He remembered Cranton taking aim at her and then nothing else. He reached out and gently touched her silky hair.
Suddenly awake, Elizabeth raised her head and looked at the most precious thing she'd ever seen - Jason's beautiful blue eyes open and looking at her. "Hey," she said with a big smile. "Welcome back."
"Elizabeth," he croaked and then stopped. His throat felt like it was full of cotton. She quickly poured him a glass of water and held it for him to drink. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Thanks. Are you OK? What happened with Cranton?"
She sat on the side of his bed and laced her fingers with his. "Do you remember him telling us that he was going to kill us?" When he nodded, she continued in a voice husky with emotion. "He was about to shoot me and you stepped in between us. You were shot in the back. You saved my life, Jason." Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered her fear for him.
He squeezed her hand. "Hey, it's OK. As long as you're all right, that's all I care about."
Elizabeth leaned in and kissed him gently. "I was really scared for you, Jason, and for myself because I couldn't face losing you. I need you in my life. You know that right? I love you so much."
"I feel the same way, Elizabeth. When I realized that Cranton had taken you, I felt like someone had taken a knife and cut out my heart." He reached up to wipe away some tears from her face. "I don't have a future without you. It would just be one empty day following another. Never leave me." He winced in sudden pain.
Concerned, Elizabeth said, "I should call Monica or a nurse to check on you. I should have done it as soon as you woke up."
Jason gripped her hand a little tighter. "Just wait. I wanted to ask you what they had to do to me." When she hesitated, he said, "Please, Elizabeth. I would rather hear it from you."
She sighed. "Monica said the bullet was lodged near your spine and the surgery was difficult, but you will make a full recovery. There will be some swelling, and I would think pain, for a while, though." Elizabeth cupped his cheek with her free hand. "I am just so grateful that you're alive."
Jason turned his head and kissed her palm. "So am I, because I get to spend that life with you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*