* * *
My father was a doctor, so I knew a few things about healing wounds. I
convinced Jason to stay home until he got better but he was a very stubborn
patient. But eventually, I got him to consider what would happen if the
bullet wound did not heal correctly or if he got an infection, and he let
me take care of him.
Helping him made me forget about my own situation for a while. It was a blessing in disguise, for the both of us.
During the time we were alone and he couldn't do much without caution, we learned a lot about eachother. I learned more about his accident and the situation he had with his family. I told him about my parents ignoring me and showering my sister with love and affection. And I also told him about my brother, Steven, which was the sole reason I survived in my parent's home.
Sonny came over once to visit. Jason was all ready to apologize for me, but I apologized by myself. He forgave me and I felt comfortable being in the room with him, as long as Jason was there of course.
Jason and Sonny needed to talk alone so I left the room. I swear the walls of the penthouse are so paper thin that I could hear every word. I tried not to be nosey but it was hard not to listen when Sonny started questioning Jason about me.
"Where did you meet this girl?"
Jason was never one to lie. He told me how he never liked to be untruthful, so if he couldn't say something then he would just remain quiet. But I knew because of Jason's situation with Sonny, that he would feel obligated to give him some answer.
"At Kelly's." He answered, truthfully.
"How do you know that you can trust her?" Sonny asked, which helped me understand what Jason had described as his 'suspicious nature'.
"I just know that I can."
"You just know? Aren't you a little suspicious that she shot you in your own penthouse? You cannot have someone that close."
"It was an accident. She didn't mean it."
"Accident? Then who was she trying to take aim at with your gun?"
"Sonny, it's not like that."
"Then tell me, Jase, why this girl? Does this have to do with Robin?"
"No."
"Johnny says this girl has been here a while."
"This isn't business."
"Fine. But just remember what Robin did. I saw what that did to you."
"I'm done with Robin. Just let this go."
"Fine."
Sonny left and Jason came in to get me.
"I'm sorry but I heard . . ." I started, not wanting him to reconsider trusting me.
"You heard it all?"
"Yes. Thank you for sticking up for me. You've done so much . . ." I started, getting really emotional.
Despite his current healing bullet wound, he surrounded me in a gentle hug. I knew then I didn't have to say anything because he already knew.
*** After Jason healed, he started to work during the night again. He made every effort to get home in case I woke up. But sometimes it was difficult even if he made his best effort.
I woke up by myself and knew he was not home. I did not get scared, I would not let myself. I went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. It had become such a ritual that I could do it with my eyes closed. But I tried not to close my eyes when I was awake because I didn't like what I saw when they were closed.
I was pouring orange juice into two glasses when I heard a knock at the door. I went to the door and opened it slowly. Johnny stood there and did not get any closer.
"Ms. Webber?"
"Yes?" I asked, uneasily.
I tried to keep thinking that I could trust him because Jason did but it was still difficult.
"Mr. Morgan's sister is here. She needs to speak with him urgently. Could she wait inside with you?"
Sister? I remembered him mentioning her.
"Sure." I said, curious.
A young tall brunette stepped forward and I recognized her instantly. It was the girl from Kelly's the first night I met Jason. It felt like years ago. I suddenly felt so stupid for believing that she was his girlfriend.
The girl stepped in and Johnny shut the door.
"I'm Emily, Jason's sister." She said, holding out her hand.
My eyes instantly went to her clothing: A halter-top and knee-length skirt. I looked at my own baggy pants and tee shirt, feeling a little self- conscious.
"I'm Elizabeth." I said, not knowing how to explain my connection to Jason.
"Uh, do you want something to eat or drink? I just made breakfast." I offered.
"No thanks." She said, walking to the couch and sitting down.
I went back into the kitchen and brought out the breakfast I had cooked for Jason and myself. I did not want to start eating without him so I sat down in the chair next to the couch.
"Do you go to school?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation to break the silence.
"Yeah. I'm a senior this year. You?"
"I've already graduated." I answered.
"Oh. Which school did you go to?"
"I went to Mount Pleasant. It's not around here. I moved here to live with my grandmother after graduation."
"Oh. Who's your grandmother? I've lived here most of my life so I might know her."
"Audrey Hardy." I answered, hesitantly.
"You're Sarah's younger sister?" She asked.
"Yes."
"She's going out with my friend Nikolas."
"Oh. I'm surprised she's not with Lucky." I said, a little sarcastic.
"Lucky? You know Lucky Spencer? He is one of my best friends!"
"Kinda. We almost went on a date once." I said, cringing at the memory of what happened instead.
"Why didn't you?" She asked, just as Jason opened the door.
I almost jumped out of my seat. I was so glad that he was home so his sister could not ask any more details about Valentine's Day.
"Elizabeth, you okay?" He asked, noticing my quick jump.
"I'm fine." I said, heading towards the table.
I could feel his eyes follow me as if he knew something was wrong.
His sister jumped up and hugged him. I watched them together and felt a twinge of pain knowing that I couldn't be that comfortable with anyone.
"Jason! It's been a while." She said, separating from him.
"Why are you here?"
"Grandfather wants to send me to some school in Maine to get me away from the 'bad influence' of Lucky and Nikolas. He says they are 'beneath me'."
He sat down on the couch with her and I just concentrated on my food. I did not want to hear about Lucky and the possibility of my sister coming up in the conversation.
"I'm just going to eat this in the kitchen." I announced, and left the room so they could be alone.
But I could still here in the kitchen, despite my attempts to block it out.
"So Jason, you've got company this early in the morning . . ." Emily started.
"That is none of your business."
"I'm sorry. Your business is your business. But I'm surprised . . . after Robin and everything that you could move on so quickly."
"Robin is in my past. And it's not like that with Elizabeth. We are just friends."
"Friends that live together?"
"It's a long story, Em. One that is none of your business."
"Sure. Fine. Whatever."
He was silent.
"Hey, Jase, you're busy a lot, right?"
"Yeah, but what . . ."
"Does she just stay here when you work?"
"Em, leave it alone."
"She does! I have an idea!" She said.
Before I knew it she was in the kitchen.
"Would you like to go shopping?" She asked as Jason came in.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Em." Jason chimed in.
"What do you know? You're a guy." She said, jokingly.
I had to say that his sister intrigued me. She seemed the total opposite of Jason. They way he acted around her was different then he acted around everyone else. He knows everything about me and I hardly know anything about him. And I eventually need to join the rest of the population because I cannot spend the rest of my life in Jason's penthouse.
"Okay." I said, surprising Jason and Emily.
"You don't have to." He said instantly.
"It's okay, Jason. I'll be fine. I need to do this." I said, trying to reassure him.
"Overprotective much, Jase? I thought that was only with me!" She chimed in.
"Fine, go." He said hesitantly, "But be careful. And if you need anything, just call."
Without saying anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He forked over the entire contents.
"Jason . . . I cannot accept this." I said, never having seen that much money.
"There is no use in arguing." Emily said, pushing the money back towards me, "He'll just give you his speech about how he doesn't need it and he has too much and you'll eventually agree to make him happy. So, just skip all that so we can get a move on!"
I looked up at him and his blue eyes assured me that it was the truth. I still hesitantly took all the money, feeling as if I was a bank robber just having it in my possession. As we left I turned to give him a thankful glance and he smiled in a way I had never seen him smile before.
* * * Emily and I instantly hit it off. She was like the sister Sarah had never been. She told me a lot about Jason that I did not know. She told me about Robin and how she betrayed Jason by telling his brother Michael's paternity. I had heard it before from Jason but not to the extent that Emily was filling me in. I think it was more of a warning for me not to do the same then just friendly conversation. But it wasn't like that between us, so I had nothing to worry about.
But our shopping and chatting ended when we ran into Sarah and Nikolas.
"Em, you going to introduce us?" The guy, whom I knew instantly from Emily's description, as Nikolas, asked.
"That's Lizzie." Sarah said with a disapproving tone.
He moved closer and held out his hand.
"I'm Nikolas Cassidine. I've heard a lot about you."
I attempted to shake his hand but the moment our skin touched I flinched away.
"You'll have to excuse my sister, she's rather rude." She said, nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry." I said, wanting to apologize.
He looked at me oddly and then at Sarah for some sort of explanation.
"Lizzie, you're normally all over guys, why the sudden change? Don't tell me you've changed."
I do not know what provoked me to do what I did next, but to this day I am happy that I did it. I stood up to my sister.
"Sarah you have no idea what is going on in my life. You never have. That's because you've never cared. So you can stop the pretending to be the 'perfect sister' and just act like the bitch you truly are."
Emily at the time had a crush on Nikolas so she agreed with me there. She followed me as I stormed off into a random store.
"Wow." Was all she had to say.
* * * When I got back to the Penthouse, Jason was waiting. I was met with his worried eyes.
"I'm okay." I said, calming him down.
"I heard from Em that you had a run-in with your sister."
"I did. I don't want to talk about it." I said, walking up the stairs to his guest room.
I shut the door and dropped my bags in the corner of my room. I sat on the edge of the bed and just started crying. Part of me did not want him to come up and rescue me; I need to learn to do that on my own. But when he did come up, I did not stop him from taking me in his arms and making my pain go away for a brief fleeting moment.
"When you told me about your accident you mentioned how it caused a 'rift' in your family. Well, I never had an accident; I was just never good enough. Sarah has always been perfect. She had straight-As. She wants to be a doctor and she's just so perfect. My parents did not want anything less and when I didn't measure up they just stopped caring. I battled for their affection but I always fell short in their eyes. My brother use to be the one that stood up for me but he went away to school. With no support system, I went to search for affection in the wrong places. I became very promiscuous and that is why my parents sent me here. Not to straighten me out, just so they wouldn't have to deal with me or listen about the whole town discuss their daughter. And when I ran into Sarah today she just shoved it all in my face. But that's not who I am. It's not."
"Elizabeth, do not look at yourself through other peoples eyes or try to live up to their expectations. Live for yourself."
"How can I? I can barely go to the mall without checking every corner and turning to check behind my back. Every time a man came near me I just wanted to scream and run away. It just feels like I've been running since that night and I'm never going to slow down. Eventually I'm going to run out of breath."
"But you didn't run. You survived. And each day it will become easier."
"The other day, something reminded me of my first boyfriend, Jake. And when I thought about him, I wasn't frightened or scared, I was calm. We shared happy memories, like our first kiss, and I still cherish those memories. The thought of being coveted and loved is something I still crave. But every time I'm even in the same room with a man I want to run away. That night, HE stole something from me that I will never get back. And HE will never be brought to justice because I didn't look to see who it was."
"Someday he will be brought to justice. And someday you will not feel the way you do now. You will fall in love and find someone that will make you happy for the rest of your life."
"But that's it, I don't feel scared when I'm with you. Or afraid that someone will be lurking in the shadows. I feel safe. You do that for me."
"Elizabeth . . ."
"Can I ask you something? If you don't want to, that's fine."
"What?"
"Could you kiss me? You know, just to see. You are the only one I'm comfortable with and . . ." I started to mutter, my nerves starting to get the best of me.
"Is that what you want?" He asked, soothingly.
That's when I noticed how close we were to eachother on the bed. His one arm still draped around me.
"Yes." I said.
I watched him as he slowly closed his eyes and began to lean in. His hand came up slowly and cupped my cheek. My heart started to race and my chest began to pound. My eyes focused on his lips coming ever closer and the moment before they touched, I jumped out of his embrace. I went to the corner of the room, farthest away from him.
"I'm sorry." I said, once he opened his eyes.
"Don't apologize. It just means you're not ready yet."
"I'm not sure I'll ever be."
Helping him made me forget about my own situation for a while. It was a blessing in disguise, for the both of us.
During the time we were alone and he couldn't do much without caution, we learned a lot about eachother. I learned more about his accident and the situation he had with his family. I told him about my parents ignoring me and showering my sister with love and affection. And I also told him about my brother, Steven, which was the sole reason I survived in my parent's home.
Sonny came over once to visit. Jason was all ready to apologize for me, but I apologized by myself. He forgave me and I felt comfortable being in the room with him, as long as Jason was there of course.
Jason and Sonny needed to talk alone so I left the room. I swear the walls of the penthouse are so paper thin that I could hear every word. I tried not to be nosey but it was hard not to listen when Sonny started questioning Jason about me.
"Where did you meet this girl?"
Jason was never one to lie. He told me how he never liked to be untruthful, so if he couldn't say something then he would just remain quiet. But I knew because of Jason's situation with Sonny, that he would feel obligated to give him some answer.
"At Kelly's." He answered, truthfully.
"How do you know that you can trust her?" Sonny asked, which helped me understand what Jason had described as his 'suspicious nature'.
"I just know that I can."
"You just know? Aren't you a little suspicious that she shot you in your own penthouse? You cannot have someone that close."
"It was an accident. She didn't mean it."
"Accident? Then who was she trying to take aim at with your gun?"
"Sonny, it's not like that."
"Then tell me, Jase, why this girl? Does this have to do with Robin?"
"No."
"Johnny says this girl has been here a while."
"This isn't business."
"Fine. But just remember what Robin did. I saw what that did to you."
"I'm done with Robin. Just let this go."
"Fine."
Sonny left and Jason came in to get me.
"I'm sorry but I heard . . ." I started, not wanting him to reconsider trusting me.
"You heard it all?"
"Yes. Thank you for sticking up for me. You've done so much . . ." I started, getting really emotional.
Despite his current healing bullet wound, he surrounded me in a gentle hug. I knew then I didn't have to say anything because he already knew.
*** After Jason healed, he started to work during the night again. He made every effort to get home in case I woke up. But sometimes it was difficult even if he made his best effort.
I woke up by myself and knew he was not home. I did not get scared, I would not let myself. I went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. It had become such a ritual that I could do it with my eyes closed. But I tried not to close my eyes when I was awake because I didn't like what I saw when they were closed.
I was pouring orange juice into two glasses when I heard a knock at the door. I went to the door and opened it slowly. Johnny stood there and did not get any closer.
"Ms. Webber?"
"Yes?" I asked, uneasily.
I tried to keep thinking that I could trust him because Jason did but it was still difficult.
"Mr. Morgan's sister is here. She needs to speak with him urgently. Could she wait inside with you?"
Sister? I remembered him mentioning her.
"Sure." I said, curious.
A young tall brunette stepped forward and I recognized her instantly. It was the girl from Kelly's the first night I met Jason. It felt like years ago. I suddenly felt so stupid for believing that she was his girlfriend.
The girl stepped in and Johnny shut the door.
"I'm Emily, Jason's sister." She said, holding out her hand.
My eyes instantly went to her clothing: A halter-top and knee-length skirt. I looked at my own baggy pants and tee shirt, feeling a little self- conscious.
"I'm Elizabeth." I said, not knowing how to explain my connection to Jason.
"Uh, do you want something to eat or drink? I just made breakfast." I offered.
"No thanks." She said, walking to the couch and sitting down.
I went back into the kitchen and brought out the breakfast I had cooked for Jason and myself. I did not want to start eating without him so I sat down in the chair next to the couch.
"Do you go to school?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation to break the silence.
"Yeah. I'm a senior this year. You?"
"I've already graduated." I answered.
"Oh. Which school did you go to?"
"I went to Mount Pleasant. It's not around here. I moved here to live with my grandmother after graduation."
"Oh. Who's your grandmother? I've lived here most of my life so I might know her."
"Audrey Hardy." I answered, hesitantly.
"You're Sarah's younger sister?" She asked.
"Yes."
"She's going out with my friend Nikolas."
"Oh. I'm surprised she's not with Lucky." I said, a little sarcastic.
"Lucky? You know Lucky Spencer? He is one of my best friends!"
"Kinda. We almost went on a date once." I said, cringing at the memory of what happened instead.
"Why didn't you?" She asked, just as Jason opened the door.
I almost jumped out of my seat. I was so glad that he was home so his sister could not ask any more details about Valentine's Day.
"Elizabeth, you okay?" He asked, noticing my quick jump.
"I'm fine." I said, heading towards the table.
I could feel his eyes follow me as if he knew something was wrong.
His sister jumped up and hugged him. I watched them together and felt a twinge of pain knowing that I couldn't be that comfortable with anyone.
"Jason! It's been a while." She said, separating from him.
"Why are you here?"
"Grandfather wants to send me to some school in Maine to get me away from the 'bad influence' of Lucky and Nikolas. He says they are 'beneath me'."
He sat down on the couch with her and I just concentrated on my food. I did not want to hear about Lucky and the possibility of my sister coming up in the conversation.
"I'm just going to eat this in the kitchen." I announced, and left the room so they could be alone.
But I could still here in the kitchen, despite my attempts to block it out.
"So Jason, you've got company this early in the morning . . ." Emily started.
"That is none of your business."
"I'm sorry. Your business is your business. But I'm surprised . . . after Robin and everything that you could move on so quickly."
"Robin is in my past. And it's not like that with Elizabeth. We are just friends."
"Friends that live together?"
"It's a long story, Em. One that is none of your business."
"Sure. Fine. Whatever."
He was silent.
"Hey, Jase, you're busy a lot, right?"
"Yeah, but what . . ."
"Does she just stay here when you work?"
"Em, leave it alone."
"She does! I have an idea!" She said.
Before I knew it she was in the kitchen.
"Would you like to go shopping?" She asked as Jason came in.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Em." Jason chimed in.
"What do you know? You're a guy." She said, jokingly.
I had to say that his sister intrigued me. She seemed the total opposite of Jason. They way he acted around her was different then he acted around everyone else. He knows everything about me and I hardly know anything about him. And I eventually need to join the rest of the population because I cannot spend the rest of my life in Jason's penthouse.
"Okay." I said, surprising Jason and Emily.
"You don't have to." He said instantly.
"It's okay, Jason. I'll be fine. I need to do this." I said, trying to reassure him.
"Overprotective much, Jase? I thought that was only with me!" She chimed in.
"Fine, go." He said hesitantly, "But be careful. And if you need anything, just call."
Without saying anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He forked over the entire contents.
"Jason . . . I cannot accept this." I said, never having seen that much money.
"There is no use in arguing." Emily said, pushing the money back towards me, "He'll just give you his speech about how he doesn't need it and he has too much and you'll eventually agree to make him happy. So, just skip all that so we can get a move on!"
I looked up at him and his blue eyes assured me that it was the truth. I still hesitantly took all the money, feeling as if I was a bank robber just having it in my possession. As we left I turned to give him a thankful glance and he smiled in a way I had never seen him smile before.
* * * Emily and I instantly hit it off. She was like the sister Sarah had never been. She told me a lot about Jason that I did not know. She told me about Robin and how she betrayed Jason by telling his brother Michael's paternity. I had heard it before from Jason but not to the extent that Emily was filling me in. I think it was more of a warning for me not to do the same then just friendly conversation. But it wasn't like that between us, so I had nothing to worry about.
But our shopping and chatting ended when we ran into Sarah and Nikolas.
"Em, you going to introduce us?" The guy, whom I knew instantly from Emily's description, as Nikolas, asked.
"That's Lizzie." Sarah said with a disapproving tone.
He moved closer and held out his hand.
"I'm Nikolas Cassidine. I've heard a lot about you."
I attempted to shake his hand but the moment our skin touched I flinched away.
"You'll have to excuse my sister, she's rather rude." She said, nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry." I said, wanting to apologize.
He looked at me oddly and then at Sarah for some sort of explanation.
"Lizzie, you're normally all over guys, why the sudden change? Don't tell me you've changed."
I do not know what provoked me to do what I did next, but to this day I am happy that I did it. I stood up to my sister.
"Sarah you have no idea what is going on in my life. You never have. That's because you've never cared. So you can stop the pretending to be the 'perfect sister' and just act like the bitch you truly are."
Emily at the time had a crush on Nikolas so she agreed with me there. She followed me as I stormed off into a random store.
"Wow." Was all she had to say.
* * * When I got back to the Penthouse, Jason was waiting. I was met with his worried eyes.
"I'm okay." I said, calming him down.
"I heard from Em that you had a run-in with your sister."
"I did. I don't want to talk about it." I said, walking up the stairs to his guest room.
I shut the door and dropped my bags in the corner of my room. I sat on the edge of the bed and just started crying. Part of me did not want him to come up and rescue me; I need to learn to do that on my own. But when he did come up, I did not stop him from taking me in his arms and making my pain go away for a brief fleeting moment.
"When you told me about your accident you mentioned how it caused a 'rift' in your family. Well, I never had an accident; I was just never good enough. Sarah has always been perfect. She had straight-As. She wants to be a doctor and she's just so perfect. My parents did not want anything less and when I didn't measure up they just stopped caring. I battled for their affection but I always fell short in their eyes. My brother use to be the one that stood up for me but he went away to school. With no support system, I went to search for affection in the wrong places. I became very promiscuous and that is why my parents sent me here. Not to straighten me out, just so they wouldn't have to deal with me or listen about the whole town discuss their daughter. And when I ran into Sarah today she just shoved it all in my face. But that's not who I am. It's not."
"Elizabeth, do not look at yourself through other peoples eyes or try to live up to their expectations. Live for yourself."
"How can I? I can barely go to the mall without checking every corner and turning to check behind my back. Every time a man came near me I just wanted to scream and run away. It just feels like I've been running since that night and I'm never going to slow down. Eventually I'm going to run out of breath."
"But you didn't run. You survived. And each day it will become easier."
"The other day, something reminded me of my first boyfriend, Jake. And when I thought about him, I wasn't frightened or scared, I was calm. We shared happy memories, like our first kiss, and I still cherish those memories. The thought of being coveted and loved is something I still crave. But every time I'm even in the same room with a man I want to run away. That night, HE stole something from me that I will never get back. And HE will never be brought to justice because I didn't look to see who it was."
"Someday he will be brought to justice. And someday you will not feel the way you do now. You will fall in love and find someone that will make you happy for the rest of your life."
"But that's it, I don't feel scared when I'm with you. Or afraid that someone will be lurking in the shadows. I feel safe. You do that for me."
"Elizabeth . . ."
"Can I ask you something? If you don't want to, that's fine."
"What?"
"Could you kiss me? You know, just to see. You are the only one I'm comfortable with and . . ." I started to mutter, my nerves starting to get the best of me.
"Is that what you want?" He asked, soothingly.
That's when I noticed how close we were to eachother on the bed. His one arm still draped around me.
"Yes." I said.
I watched him as he slowly closed his eyes and began to lean in. His hand came up slowly and cupped my cheek. My heart started to race and my chest began to pound. My eyes focused on his lips coming ever closer and the moment before they touched, I jumped out of his embrace. I went to the corner of the room, farthest away from him.
"I'm sorry." I said, once he opened his eyes.
"Don't apologize. It just means you're not ready yet."
"I'm not sure I'll ever be."