FF 119: Dancing is the vertical expression of a horizontal desire.

Safe Haven – prt 4

"Jason-"

"Elizabeth, I-"

"Oh, good, she lives." Trey's dry voice had Jason wanting to put his fist through a wall, and the enforcer whirled around from Elizabeth's bedside to see the middle-aged doctor stroll calmly into the room, his small briefcase in hand. "You were scaring a lot of people there, kid."

Elizabeth's mouth fell open to form an "o" of surprise and confusion as the dark haired doctor made his way to her side. "Who-"

Jason didn't offer anything in the way of an answer except a low growl, and Trey didn't even look up as he pulled his stethoscope and thermometer out of his leather bag. "Trevor Scotts," he replied amicably, adjusting the stethoscope in his ears. "But I go by Trey. Breathe."

She did as she was told, her eyes blinking as they adjusted to the bright, sunlit room. "What-"

"I'm Sonny's doctor, and I'm stationed on the island to look after you," he interrupted, anticipating her question and moving the stethoscope to a different spot on her chest. "Breathe. You got here a couple hours ago and were unconscious upon arrival. Again – deeper this time. Good. Your fever had spiked on the boat and you were administered a mild sedative to keep you calm. Breathe. Keep breathing til I say stop. You came to a little while ago but then passed out, and I've been waiting for you to wake up. OK, that's good, stop."

He let his stethoscope hang around his neck and reached for the thermometer, sticking it in Elizabeth's mouth and ignoring her surprised "Gloomp." Jason glared at him as he checked his watch and muttered to himself. "Congestion doesn't seem to be a problem anymore – it's cleared up nicely. A little warm, but nothing to be worried about. Effects of the toxin seem to be wearing off, but we'll need to make sure you get plenty of liquids – to flush it out. OK, take it out, lemme see."

Elizabeth sat quietly, watching the doctor carefully as he studied the mercury. "Well?"

Trey looked up, surprised at the sound of her voice. "Just like I said – a little warm but nothing to be worried about. So, kid – how're you feeling?"

"Okay," she replied slowly, shifting in the bed. "And I go by Elizabeth, not kid."

The doctor did his best to contain a smirk, dipping his head once in acknowledgment. "All right, Elizabeth. You hungry?"

She nodded shyly, nibbling on the corner of her bottom lip. "Kinda. But I, uh…I could kinda use a hot shower."

Trey, ever the mischievous and insubordinate one, dared a cheeky glance at Jason that went completely unnoticed by his young patient. "Sure, can you walk okay, you think?"

Jason watched anxiously as Elizabeth nodded. "I think so."

Trey tossed his bag onto a nearby chaise lounge chair and stood up, careful as always not to jostle her. Elizabeth's sapphire eyes timidly met his green ones as he held out a hand to her. "Come on – test your legs out."

She took his hand, missing the way Jason's eyes narrowed, and slowly scooted to the edge of the bed. Trey helped her push the sheets out of the way and Elizabeth suddenly hoped that she was modestly dressed; if she were to stand up in front of Jason wearing nothing but her tank and panties, she'd just die. Thankfully, someone – she didn't want to know who – had changed her into the white tank top she already wore and a pair of baby pink pajama bottoms. Her bare feet hit the warm hardwood, and Trey offered her his other hand.

"Dizzy? Any dizziness? You gotta tell me these things, kid."

"Elizabeth, here-" Jason was at her side in a flash, his hands outstretched in an attempt to help her up.

"I-I'm fine," she assured both of them, trying to be a little more convincing. "Really – I just feel a little weak."

"Yeah, poison tends to do that to a gal," Trey remarked humorlessly. "Come on, up you go."

He pulled her to her feet and Elizabeth wobbled slightly, blushing when Jason's hand immediately found the small of her back. "How's that? Can you stand?"

She tested her weight and found she could indeed. "Oh, yeah, I can stand."

"Try walking." The doctor drew back, amused to find that Jason would not. Elizabeth tested her steps and walked toward the nearby bathroom without any problem, but still, his boss stayed vigilantly at her side. And Trey found it all rather endearing…and quite disturbing. "Good, good. Any headaches? Dizzy yet?"

"No, not at all," she replied, clearly as surprised as he was. "I feel fine. Is it okay if I-"

Trey nodded as she pointed to the bathroom. "Sure, I'll have Paco bring up your bags. In the excitement earlier, we kind of forgot. You go ahead – yell if you need us."

He didn't know whose blushing he found more amusing – Elizabeth or Jason's. Without excusing himself, Trey left the room and exchanged a few words with Paco in the hallway, who immediately went down to get the requested items. Jason waited until he heard water running in the tub before joining the man outside.

"Trey, you son of a bi-"

The doctor's grin was lop-sided. "No need for hysterics, Jason."

"You-"

"-wanted to check up on the patient," he informed him seriously. "I saw her wake up on the monitor and hightailed it up here. Sorry that my medical techniques don't allow for much quality time, Morgan, but them's the breaks."

Jason glowered darkly at him, wondering if there was a way to shut him up without scaring Elizabeth. When the enforcer failed to say anything in reply, Trey's grin and audacity grew.

"Is that Elizabeth calling from the shower?" he asked, cupping his ear and leaning toward the door. Jason immediately strained to hear and scowled when he realized his friend was joking. "Hey, Jason – you wanna go see what she needs?"

"Hey, Trey," he mimicked, his eyes narrowing into lethal slits. "Wanna be unemployed? Or six feet under?"

The doctor laughed and withdrew a few steps, casually leaning against the wooden banister as he continued to size his friend up. "Touchy today, Jason. Could it be the company?"

"Trey-"

"Look, Morgan," the doctor cut him off, "you've been in a real pissy mood ever since you got here. I mean, I can understand that – a pal of yours almost got herself killed and you weren't around to save her. The trusted steed was parked in the garage and the White Knight was sleeping – yeah, I get that you feel guilty. But look around, Jason – she's handled it. She's fine."

"Because she's here," he bit out, turning hard on his heel away from Trey.

But the doctor would not be dissuaded. "You think I'm some miracle worker over here, Jason? What, that I've got my magical elixirs and book of secrets? I'm just a normal doctor, man. I'm doing everything that any other doctor would do – if she was somewhere else with some other medical expert, she'd be fine, too. Just think of that – she's fine. She's just fine. And stop freaking out."

"It's not like-"

"It's not like what?" Trey challenged as Jason dreamed up newer and more inventive ways to make him disappear. "You can't stop, can you? I've seen you when you're around that girl, Morgan. Hell, I've seen you when you're thinking about her – what do you think I'm talking about? You're a man possessed, Jason; you can't leave her side, you can't consider the possibility of her being alone or hurt or scared, all of which are admirable qualities, I might add. I've seen it, Jason – you want to take care of her."

A long silence stretched out between the two men until Jason broke it. "She took care of me once."

"I understand that," Trey answered honestly. "But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about gratitude here, I'm not talking about you feeling like you owe her something for watching out for you in Port Charles when you got hurt."

"Then what the fuck are you talking about?" Jason demanded, pumping his fist in the air with frustration. "Do you even know?"

The corner of Trey's mouth twitched, a peculiar habit he reflected he must have picked up from his old friend standing before him. "Don't ask me to believe she's just your friend, Jason. Don't ask any of us to believe that."

"She's-"

"Way more to you than you want to let on," Trey finished. "You wouldn't have dropped business in Puerto Rico and hopped on the plane to come here if she was just a friend. You wouldn't have gone apeshit downstairs and ruined some damn fine chairs, by the way, if she was just a friend. You wouldn't be so angry with me for interrupting just now if she was just a friend."

Jason closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. The sound of Elizabeth's shower running was the loudest sound in the hallway. Presently, he opened his eyes to find Trey watching him with respectful reservation.

"What do you want from me, Trey?"

The doctor smiled sympathetically at his old friend. Jason Morgan was a bright man – one of the most quick-witted ones he had come across himself – and there hadn't been a situation so far that the younger man hadn't been able to handle. But this – he was a fool if he thought he had a prayer. "I've seen you go through a lot in my day, Jason. I've seen you when you were with Carly, I was around when you lost Michael. I saw you when Robin left. And you know what I realized?"

"That you're way too intrusive?" Jason guessed wryly.

Trey's emerald eyes glittered. "You have a habit of keeping things bottled up inside, Jason. And then you explode, taking out everyone and everything within a ten-mile radius. You can't keep doing that."

Jason said nothing.

"I'm not going to butt into this any more," Trey continued quietly. "What goes on with you and the ki – with Elizabeth is no one's business but yours and hers. But I will tell you one thing, Jason: don't keep everything bottled up inside. She can't read your mind any more than you can read hers. But moreover, there are certain things that she needs to know here, certain things she needs to tell you, I assume, as well. Don't hurt the both of you by keeping yourself locked up. Talk to her, Morgan." He stopped, smirking, and stretched his arms out around them. "You're stuck on a fucking island with her, Morgan. I suggest you make the best of it."

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Trey pushed away from the banister and began to head for the stairway, satisfied with his little speech. Jason watched him go, his piercing blue eyes hard. "You never know when to shut up, Trey."

"They didn't teach us how to in medical school," came the flippant reply.

"And you don't know when to stop poking around, either," Jason called out, his lips curling into a smirk. "Lesser things have put other men in dangerous places."

"You mean in a grave?" Trey didn't even look over his shoulder as he walked regally down the stairs. "You won't do anything to me, Morgan."

"How can you be sure?"

Jason's amused voice brought a grin to the older man's face, and he turned around for the first time, one eyebrow quirked slightly. "I've saved your life on more than one occasion, my friend. You'll always take what I dish out."

"Um…Jason? Trey? Anyone?" Elizabeth peered out of the bathroom, her sapphire eyes searching the part of the room in her sphere of vision. She was unprepared to react when Jason launched himself out of his wooden chair in the corner and right in front of her. "Oh! Jason, I-"

"Do you need something? Is something wrong? Are you dizzy?"

"No, no," she hurried to assure him, dropping her gaze with embarrassment. Great. "I, um, don't have any…clothes."

Jason snapped his mouth shut, staring blankly at her. Sure enough, she was standing almost entirely behind the door, her face pink with embarrassment. A fluffy white towel was wrapped around her petite body, her skin flushed from the hot shower. And for a split second, Jason Morgan had no idea what to do…

"Jason? My bag?" She was pointing to a black bag on the bed and Jason cursed himself quietly.

"Yeah. Here." He stalked over and snatched it up, holding it out to her. She had to open the door wider to accept it, and Jason had the presence of mind this time to look away as she did so. In a flash, the bag was gone and the door was closed in his face.

Jason looked up to see Paco and Trey engaged in quiet conversation outside the door, and both men grinned at him when he scowled. Trey had the good sense to make himself scarce, but his cockiness from before must have been contagious because Paco flashed him a quick thumbs-up before disappearing from view.

Cursing, Jason stormed out of the room and thundered down the stairs, reminding himself to have Max renew the hiring process – he would soon be finding himself short a few nosey bodyguards.

"Hey, there, kid!" Trey was grinning when Elizabeth stepped coyly into the kitchen. "How d'ya feel?"

"Good," she replied honestly, sniffing the fragrant smells wafting toward her. "Much better." Her curious eyes found Jason who was seated at the table with the newspaper. His feet were bare and since it was a hot day, his thin white t-shirt was clinging to his defined upper body. He had stood up as soon as she had entered the room and his intense blue eyes were currently trained on her, ready to spring to action if she needed him to.

She offered him a small smile, warm and genuine, and Jason sucked in a breath as she walked closer. Her hair was still damp from her shower and hung in loose waves around her face. Porcelain skin still slightly flushed and dewy from the water and steam, she obviously hadn't bothered to put on any makeup before coming downstairs. Her feet were bare, just like his, and she was wearing simple white linen capris and a soft blue tank top that brought out her midnight blue eyes. She looked…every bit as beautiful as she always did to him.

"The island is lovely," she felt like informing them softly. "I've never seen any place so beautiful."

"Oh, this little thing?" Paco remarked, swiveling his wrist to indicate their surroundings. "Nothing much – just something we keep lying around." His black eyes twinkled when she smirked, and he motioned her over. "I imagine you are hungry, señorita."

"I am," she nodded, tensing a little when she felt Jason make his way to her side. He remained standing slightly behind her, to her right, and she did her best not to shiver when he got close.

"The lovely Betty just fixed you some chicken soup," Trey informed her grandly, already pulling a bowl from the cabinet. "I'd introduce you to her, but the darn woman's gone and run off somewhere."

Elizabeth laughed and gripped the counter, readying herself to jump up on the sleek black stool. Shockwaves ripped through her when Jason's broad hands spanned her waist and easily lifted her up. Her blush was fierce, and both Trey and Paco made sure she didn't see them smirking.

Trey served her the soup – chicken noodle, of course – along with some instructions: she was to drink plenty of water and liquids and take it easy; she was to inform him of any strange symptoms immediately; she was supposed to stay away from caffeine and she was supposed to rest regularly – no ifs, ands or buts. Elizabeth agreed immediately, not wanting to test the doctor. Jason remained quiet throughout the whole exchange, but Paco made up for it. Elizabeth took an immediate liking to the young Spanish guard with the thick accent and enchanting eyes – she liked how he called her señorita, too.

"Here you are," Trey announced, placing a bowl of soup in front of her with a flourish. "I expect you to finish it, too. Now, if you'll excuse me." Without offering any more in the way of an excuse, he calmly strolled out of the room and into the adjacent library. Paco put away the iced tea and a straightened up the clutter before excusing himself as well, and Jason and Elizabeth were left alone in the kitchen.

"Man, I am starving," Elizabeth declared, slightly unnerved by how he was studying her silently with those piercing blue eyes and dealing with it the only way she knew how – by rambling. "The last thing I think I had to eat was a banana. It was mushy, too. I hate mushy bananas – did you ever notice how the mushier they are, the sweeter they become? I mean, don't get me wrong, I like sweet stuff, but the mushiness I can do without. The good thing though is that at least you can eat them on the run, you know? I haven't really had much time to sit and eat real food for the past week or whatever, so I've adopted the King Kong diet – lots of bananas. This soup looks good. Man, I am starving."

Jason watched her babble, words flying out of her mouth a mile a minute, and was struck by the comforting familiarity of the scene. Just sitting here, with her, with soup, listening to her say random things…this felt right.

"Yeah, you should really eat."

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, bringing her spoon to her mouth. "I haven't had this for the longest – Ow! Mmph! Mmmpth!"

Her spoon clattered to the counter as Elizabeth clamped a hand to her mouth, banging the soles of her feet against the rungs of the black stool and simultaneously scaring the living daylights out of Jason.

"What? What is it? Elizabeth!"

She was grimacing, her free hand fisted, and Jason had to drag her other hand away from her lips. "Mmphth."

"Elizabeth? What happened?"

The brunette beauty in his arms was blushing again, unable to meet his gaze. "I, um, burned my tongue."

He stared at her for a split-second, and that was all it took for Elizabeth to burst into giggles. "Sorry."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, chuckling himself, and shook his head at her. She was still making faces, assessing the damage done to her tongue, and on impulse he reached for her soup. "Here."

She looked up to see him blowing on the soup before extending the spoon to her. Spellbound, she opened her mouth and accepted it, finding it decidedly cooler. His eyes bore into hers, and Elizabeth had to consciously remind herself to breathe when he puckered up once more to cool the spoonful of chicken soup.

Not too far away, tucked just out of view, Paco and Trey were watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. The sight of their old friend feeding Elizabeth was almost too much, as evidenced by Paco's shaking shoulders.

"I cannot believe what you said to him," the Spanish guard got out after he managed to compose himself. "Furthermore, I cannot believe you are still here, standing."

Trey's laughter was low and raspy. "Jason can't touch me – he knows it. John'll never believe this, though."

"I was a bit curious when Jason mentioned chicken soup earlier," Paco admitted, shifting his weight to the other foot. "But looking at them now, I think it must mean something for the two of them."

"Those two crazy kids? You can bet on it." Trey sniffed quietly, his lips curling into a delighted smirk when Elizabeth complained she was full and made Jason finish off the last few spoonfuls. He told Jason that he was wise to his game – the enforcer wanted to take care of the petite brunette. And he hoped that this time, the young woman was free to take care of Jason as well.