As she sat in the living room, staring at the piles of boxes surrounding her, Elizabeth wasn't sure why she told Sonny's men to go home. I can handle it myself, she'd told them. Oh sure. That's when they brought the rest of the boxes in. She was beginning to think it was a conspiracy.
"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. When did you get so much junk?" How had all of this stuff come from the modest home she'd left behind in Buffalo. There was no way. Or was the penthouse really that much smaller? "Well, I guess the best thing to do is decide what goes into storage. All of this isn't gonna fit."
Sighing, she stood and stretched the muscles in her back. She'd been sitting for what felt like hours, but she knew it hadn't been quite forty-five minutes. It didn't matter. "Well, it's true. Your butt does fall asleep."
Elizabeth caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that Alexis must have forgotten on the wall. As she looked around the penthouse, she found it hard to believe that Jason had once lived there. He'd told her that Carly redecorated, then Hannah redecorated again. The Hannah debacle had taken place just as she and Jason were getting to know each other. She remembered it well. The mob boss and the FBI agent. People still threw that mess in Sonny's face.
Alexis and Jax had taken Isabelle for the afternoon. Elizabeth was relieved. There would have been no way she could unpack her life and watch Isabelle. After the dinner the previous night, Elizabeth was surprised that Sonny hadn't rushed over and made sure she hadn't fallen apart. Or maybe he realized that she didn't fall apart anymore. Other than the few tears she'd cried before she left the house, she hadn't cried in months. Their anniversary had been the last time. But it was her wedding anniversary and her husband wasn't there with her. Was she expected to not cry?
"Quit thinking about it, Morgan," she demanded. Elizabeth went to reach for a box that she knew was entirely too big for her to lift. When it didn't budge, she kicked it. It still didn't move so she kicked it again.
"What'd that poor box do to you?" Sonny asked, propped against the doorframe.
Elizabeth whirled around and put on her best smile. "Sonny! I didn't hear you open the door."
"That's because you were beating up a box. So I ask again, what did the box do to you?"
"It's too big. Your guys left."
Sonny gave her a dimpled smile before he crossed to her and picked up the box effortlessly. "Where do you want this?"
Elizabeth checked the label that simply read 'kitchen' and she realized that it must have been her dishes. No wonder it wouldn't move. "The table would be fine."
"Okay." Sonny left the room with the box and returned a minute later, empty-handed. "My men left or you sent them away?"
She twisted her fingers around the edge of her t-shirt, looked down at the floor. "I sent them away," she mumbled.
"Why did you do that, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth raised her head to find him watching her. It was times like this when she knew he could see straight through her. Not bothering to lie she said, "I just needed some time alone. Alexis took Isabelle for the afternoon. I assumed that you were busy with your own life. I figured I could get everything unpacked by myself. So I sent them away. That's when they brought in the rest of the boxes."
Sonny cocked an eyebrow at her. "The rest of the boxes?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, pointed at the five boxes that were stacked next to the door. It had taken two men to carry each box in, so she knew that there was no way she could lift them by herself. "Those."
"Oh, I see." Sonny shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of the couch. Carefully, he unbuttoned the cuffs of his dress shirt, rolling them a quarter of the way up. Silently, he walked to the five boxes and read that the top box belonged to her studio. Most of the boxes belonged in her studio. Sonny pulled the top box off, then leaned back against its weight. "Christ, what's in this Elizabeth?"
She went to his side, took some of the weight from him. "My paintings. Most of the paintings that I've done since we lived there."
"Where do you want them?"
Elizabeth hadn't considered which room she was going to use for a studio. She hadn't even properly explored each room and had no clue where the best light would come from. Or even if there was light. "I guess the room off the living room. You'll be around later if I decide to move them again?"
Sonny gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I'll be around."
They proceeded to clear out the living room in just an hour. Each box for the studio was moved into the room off the living room. Elizabeth wondered if that wouldn't be the best option for Isa's room. Especially since she was walking now. It would be her preference to not let the little girl have a room anywhere on the second floor at the risk that she might tumble down the stairs.
Elizabeth had only managed to drop one box. Unfortunately, in that box was the china the Quartermaine's had given them as a wedding present. Elizabeth remembered Jason's face when they'd opened it. She tried to explain to them how they would only use the china on special occasions. Jason had then told her that anytime he got to eat dinner with his wife was a special occasion.
Oh well, she'd never liked the pattern anyway. Jason didn't think it was practical. Not a great loss.
After they'd finished, Elizabeth collapsed on the couch and Sonny retreated to the kitchen to make them dinner. Occasionally she heard him gripe about the lack of food in her refrigerator. He kept insisting he should take her to the grocery store right then. And that by tomorrow, he'd have the pantry and refrigerator full. Elizabeth didn't doubt it. Finally, when he came back, she noticed he'd made a light pasta salad. Then he insisted on eating at the table, telling her that only uncivilized people ate on the couch. Elizabeth wondered if he knew that she ate in the living room nearly every night.
Once they were seated, she retreated further into her thoughts. Sonny would make the occasional comment about the weather or told her that she could redecorate the penthouse if she wanted.
Sonny watched her draw into herself and had to shake his head. He knew she'd avoided him by going to bed the night before. That morning, she'd begged him off with taking Isabelle to the park, even though it was threatening to rain.
"You wanna talk about it?" he offered.
Elizabeth raised her eyes to him again, smiled a smile that was completely fake and shook her head, feigning innocence. "Talk about what?"
"You said you sent the guys away, sent Isabelle with Alexis because you wanted to be alone. But you didn't send me away. Why?"
Elizabeth looked down at her plate, moved a green spiral around with the fork. She was going to have to talk. "I just–I just needed a few minutes to myself."
"Would this have anything to do with last night? Marie was terrified that she'd offended you."
Taking the out he hadn't intentionally given her, she said, "Marie is such a nice girl. She wanted to know who Jason was, we told her. There was no way she could have known." Elizabeth pushed her plate away and took a drink of her water. "How did you meet her?"
"I was buying a present for you. She was there. Helped me pick it out. Nice try, but you're not changing the subject."
"A present for me?" On her face was the most genuine smile he'd seen since she arrived in Port Charles. "You didn't have to Sonny. When do I get it?"
"When I get ready to give it to you. Maybe never if you continue to lie to me."
"L-lie?"
Sonny drained the last of his wine from the glass, sat it back on the table. He linked his hands and laid them on the table. "Yes. You forget, you can't lie to me. So I want you to talk to me, honey. About last night. How do you feel now we know where Jason is? What happened that morning in Buffalo, Elizabeth? Why were you crying?"
Elizabeth twisted her fingers together again. She knew she was going to have to tell him the truth. The whole truth. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Sonny stood to sit in the chair next to her. He took one of her hands between his and gave her a smile. "Elizabeth, I care about you. I worry about you. It used to be because of Jason, but over the last year you've become a surrogate little sister to me. In fact, I don't think there's anything he could do that would ever convince me that he's good enough for you. But you love him and your little girl loves him. No matter what happens with Jason, I'll always care about you."
Elizabeth nodded her head, pulled her hand from his. "I was standing there, watching you and Johnny walking around the backyard with Isa, holding the picture from our wedding day. It was almost as if I was transported back in time and we were in Paris again."
"You were having memories of the wedding?" he prodded.
"Yeah, I guess I was. I hadn't allowed myself to touch that picture since our anniversary. We know how much I broke down that night. Did I ever tell you that Isa was conceived on our wedding anniversary?"
Sonny shook his head.
"I know. You think how could I possibly know for sure? Our wedding anniversary was the last time he'd touched me. He had too much to drink. He'd started drinking a lot. I was just desperate for him to touch me. We made love that night and it was almost like Jason had come back to me. The next morning, the block of ice returned. It was like nothing happened. I found out I was pregnant the day he told me he was leaving. I couldn't tell him. I needed him to stay for me."
"Oh, Elizabeth." Sonny had suspected she'd never told Jason the truth about the pregnancy. Jason would have never left. "Sweetheart, if you would have told him he'd still be here. He wouldn't have left."
Elizabeth shook her head. "You don't understand, Sonny. I know he would have stayed. What I wouldn't have known was if he was staying because he loved me and wanted to make it work, or because he felt an obligation to stay."
Sonny knew she was right. Jason would have never left and eventually, he would've started to resent Elizabeth. He might have even begun to believe she'd trapped him by getting pregnant. "I understand."
Elizabeth numbly nodded her head and continued. "I kept thinking back to what the priest said in the church. Told us to always have faith in each other. I have to wonder if Jason still believes in me."
"Do you still believe in him?"
"I have to. If I didn't, then what am I holding onto? Sonny, I get out of bed every morning and go through the same routine. I go to Isabelle, hold the picture of Jason and tell her to give her father a kiss. It breaks my heart when she does." Elizabeth paused, looked at Sonny. She knew he didn't know what to say to her. Hell, she didn't know what to say to herself most of the time. "Sonny what am I gonna tell Isa when she gets old enough to understand? When it's her, instead of Marie, asking who Jason is? What do we tell her then?"
"You tell her that her father is a good man. A decent man, who loves her. Loves both of you very much. Elizabeth, you tell Isabelle the truth about Jason. Tell her about Abby, she'll understand. She might be mad, she might feel hate. But you have to tell her the truth. That's what Jason would say. But you don't have to worry about it. Look at me, Elizabeth." After a moment, she raised her eyes to his. "Jason will be home soon. I promise you. He told me that sometimes it hurt to breathe when you weren't there by his side. His love for you will continue forever. It's all encompassing, all knowing, all forgiving. He can't stay away from you anymore than he can will himself to not love you anymore."
Elizabeth laughed. It was short and sarcastic. "Can't stay away from me? In case you haven't noticed Sonny, Jason hasn't been around in two years. I think he's proven that he can and will stay away from me. He would have done it before, had I not left town with him. That January he was ready to leave to keep me safe. I know he had personal issues he had to deal with, but the reason he gave me was to keep me safe. He loves me, Sonny. I know that. But I'm not sure that it's enough to bring him back home."
Sonny propped his elbows on the table, linked his fingers, and propped his chin up on his hands. With his eyes closed, he heard Elizabeth move her chair back and stand. He opened them to find her clearing the table. She didn't say anything else as she retreated into the kitchen. He listened to the running water and he didn't know what to say to her anymore.
How was he supposed to answer her question? What was she going to tell Isabelle when the little girl was old enough to understand that her father wasn't around? Sonny always hoped Jason would be back by then. They knew what country he was in, if he was still there. So maybe they finally had a chance to find him. Deep down, Sonny knew Jason wouldn't return home until he was ready to return. Would that ever happen?
The sound of breaking glass and Elizabeth swearing was what brought him out of his thoughts. Sonny was on his feet and in the kitchen before she finished the curse word. The water was still running and there was a broken wine glass in the drainer. Her hand was under the water and he saw the blood ooze from the cut.
Sonny grabbed a dish towel, wrapped it around her hand. He pushed her to the side and turned off the water. Taking another dish towel, he cleaned the glass out of the sink and dropped it in the trash.
"What happened?" he demanded. Sonny pulled her hand towards him, frowned as the blood continued to ooze from the wound.
"I…I dropped it."
"I see that. Why'd you drop it?"
"I just…" Elizabeth's lip started to quiver. "I just…oh, I don't know Sonny. I just don't know."
As she started to cry, he pulled her to him. His arms held her firm and he murmured things into her hair. He was sure she couldn't hear him, didn't have a clue as to what he was saying. Neither did he.
After a few minutes, she began to calm down. She pulled back, frowned when she realized that she'd cried all over his silk shirt. "I'm sorry. I got snot all over your shirt."
Despite himself, Sonny laughed. "It's okay. I have others. A whole closet full."
Elizabeth looked down at her hand, frowned when she saw the blood stained cloth. "What happened?"
"You cut yourself. You got a first aid kit?"
Elizabeth shook her head.
Sonny sighed and left the kitchen. Elizabeth heard him open the front door and tell Johnny to get the first aid kit from the penthouse. He returned a minute later, white box in hand. "Here ya go. We'll get this cleaned right up."
Sonny frowned when he saw the cut. Concerned that she'd need stitches he uncapped the hydrogen peroxide and poured into the cut. Elizabeth winced as the cool liquid stung and then began to bubble. After the cut was sterilized, Sonny was satisfied that it wasn't too deep. He cleaned the cut again, then wrapped it in a gauze pad.
After he finished Elizabeth turned her hand over, studied the bandage. She frowned when she realized that it was on the heel of her hand. "Do you think it will affect my painting?"
Sonny shook his head. "I don't think so. We'll check it tomorrow. But I don't think it needs stitches. If you want, I'll take you to the doctor, though."
"No, no." Elizabeth wasn't sure if the Quartermaine's knew she was back in town yet. Showing up at the hospital where Alan and Monica worked would definitely tip off her presence. "I'm sure it's fine."
"Okay." Sonny studied her face, frowned. "You wanna tell me what happened?"
"Honestly, I don't remember. I was washing the dishes and then my hand was bleeding. I think I just dropped it."
"Okay, here's what you're gonna do. When Alexis comes back, I'm gonna tell her to bring Isa over to my place. I'm gonna keep her tonight and you're gonna take the rest of the night off. Pop some popcorn, watch a movie. Get some sleep, sweetheart. Take a few hours off, put the world down for a little bit. I promise it'll still be in the morning."
"Sonny, you don't have to do this," she protested. Elizabeth didn't want to admit how much the idea appealed to her.
"No, I don't. But I am. I'd love to spend some time with my goddaughter. I'm sure Johnny and Francis will come over. It'll be very Three Men and a Baby-ish."
Elizabeth laughed. "You've seen that movie? I always figured you as a Godfather kind of guy."
"Brenda loved it. She'd laugh until she cried sometimes. I just think she liked Tom Selleck."
"I see." Elizabeth slowly agreed with his suggestion. "Okay, if you're taking Isa for the rest of the night, then you need to go childproof your entire penthouse right now."
"What are you going to do?" Sonny followed Elizabeth back into the living room, frowned when he realized she didn't have a TV to watch. "I'm going to send one of the guys out to get you a TV."
"You're going to buy me a TV?"
"If you want one."
"What I want," she said, "is to curl up in my bed and sleep for about a week. I want to think about my husband." When he started to protest, she held up her hand. "Nothing too bad. I just, I have some stuff to deal with. You tell me he's coming home to me. I believe you. I have to figure out what's gonna happen when he comes back."
"If you need me, I'll be right across the hall." Sonny turned towards the door, turned back to say something else. Elizabeth was sitting on the couch, her head tilted back, her eyes closed. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought she was asleep. "I'll just let myself out."
Sonny closed and locked the door behind him. Andrew was at his post at the door and Sonny gave him a small smile. Sonny realized that he'd left his jacket lying on the back of the couch in Elizabeth's apartment, he thought about knocking and disturbing her. He shook his head, he could get it later.
Sonny tucked his hands into his pants pocket, looked up at the ceiling. "Where the hell are you Jason?"