Jason had been sitting on the little black stool beside Elizabeth's bed for the past two hours. He watched her as both of her hands, which were resting on her stomach, played with his large fingers. She hadn't moved since he had laid her back down in the bed, she hadn't said a word after her sobs had quieted. She was just there, in the room, like him.

He knew that Lily was probably worrying, Sly Eckert was most likely pacing the halls and he hoped that Sonny was in bed at home waiting for an update. Being the right hand man, being the person who always took care of everyone else but himself, Jason also knew that he should excuse himself and deal with those who awaited him. He just couldn't tear himself away. It was time to take care of himself.

He was doing that by taking care of Elizabeth.

She was giving him a small smile, one that she forced upon her lips before she shifted in the bed and moved closer to him, her eyes closed and her hand was taking a firmer grip on his. He wished that he knew what was going through her head, he wished that he could take all her pain on himself; he could carry it easily, like he did everything else.

She would hate that though. Elizabeth would want to share the burden, just like she told him earlier. She was the one that got everyone into this mess; she should be the one getting everyone out. She took the bullet for him because she brought the bullet to Port Charles and because she loved him, because she was just as crazy about him as he was about her.

If only that fake birth certificate were real.

He started to pull away, to get up from the chair and withdrawal his hand but her grip tightened and he looked down at her, her eyes fluttering open again, the dark blue orbs echoing the pain that he felt.

He sat back down again.

"I'm sorry I lost your baby," she whispered, "Please don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly, "You didn't lose my baby Elizabeth," he reached over with his free hand and pressed it against her cool cheek, "It was our baby and the only person responsible for that is six feet under."

"I brought him here," Elizabeth said, "It all reverts back to me."

Jason sighed as he moved his hand from her face and ran it over his own tired one, "Elizabeth, you can't blame yourself for this. If you do, it's just as much my fault as your own."

"How is that?" she snapped as she released his other hand.

"I was the one that walked away from you," he said, "I knew the position that you were in and I didn't give a damn. I was more concerned about my life than that of a girl who was in serious…"

"It wasn't your fault that I was practically sold to the mob Jason, it wasn't your fault that I was forced to strip, it wasn't your fault that I was married at the age of sixteen," she bit out, pulling further and further away from him, "It wasn't your fault that I lied to you, it wasn't your fault that men came busting into this town, guns firing, and it certainly wasn't your fault that I miscarried your baby."

"Elizabeth you were shot."

"By my husband."

"Elizabeth, I just want to…" Jason licked his lips and stood up from the chair, his hands curling into fists. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her hard until she stopped talking all this nonsense. He didn't blame her, not anymore, not when he saw her dying at his feet but she blamed herself. He shouldn't be surprised; for the past week all he had been telling her was that it was her fault. It was going to take sometime before she really believed that she was just an innocent victim in a man's sick world.

"I'm inadequate."

Jason turned back to her, to the pale body lying in the bed. She looked so sad, so miserable, so desperate, wanting to cling on to something that she could believe in. When she looked up at him with tears in her eyes he went to her side again, taking her two frail hands into his large one.

He would let her know that she could always cling to him.

"I'm an inadequate daughter, I'm an inadequate girlfriend, I'm an inadequate mother…"

"Elizabeth," he whispered leaning down towards her, "You are not inadequate and you were definitely not an inadequate girlfriend."

"Because that's all I know how to do Jason," she whispered as he watched the tears roll down her cheeks, "Strip and fuck. What the hell kind of mother would I have been?"

"You would have been a wonderful mother," he said softly, "You are kind, caring, brave, strong, there are so many wonderful things about you, I don't know if I can name them all. There were some nights that I wanted to come home and tear my penthouse apart because I was so frustrated with work or life in general and I'd walk in the door and you'd be there with Kelly's take out or practicing your game of pool so you could try and beat me. You knew something was wrong but you didn't push, you'd just let me relax and then you listened and then you did the little things like massage my temples or pick apart my food and feed it to me before I even realized that I had eaten all of the dinner I refused to touch a half hour before. The way you smile could light up a room and the way you are so determined to figure out those damn accounting books…"

"But Jason that…"

"I'm not done," he barked before he settled down on the stool again, "The way you are with Lily and Sonny's children is amazing. You know that…" he laughed softly, "You didn't know that they called you Aunt 'Lizabeth when you weren't around. Sonny, he didn't want to encourage them, he wasn't sure where…" he licked his lips, "But I did because I knew that this, that us, was something that was going to stick for a while and I wanted them to think of you as an Aunt. You naturally played Barbie's with Adella but then you just as easily played with Morgan and his Matchbox cars. You read to them, you cleaned off their cuts at the park; you stuffed them with ice cream when Sonny wasn't looking and the way you talked to them, like they were adults, the way you held them when they were too tired to walk home. God Elizabeth, I don't know if I could find a better mother than you."

"Then why," she said slamming her fists on the bed, "If I'm so fucking wonderful Jason why the hell did God take this child for me?"

"I don't…" he closed his eyes and tried to fight back in own tears as hers soaked the pillow beneath her, "I never really thought about God. I don't go to church and I don't worship Him and with the living I make I decided that I never really wanted to answer to anybody higher up but that changed, that changed the moment you were wheeled in here. I could do nothing else but pray that you were safe; Elizabeth and He answered my prayers. Maybe, maybe God realized that it was too much, that you couldn't handle a child right now."

"Jason I would…"

"I know you would give it your all, just like you do everything else, Elizabeth," Jason said softly, "But you never had a chance to enjoy life. You are still so young and the…maybe God is giving you a chance to for once just to be you. You don't have to strip for strangers to earn money, you don't have to be anyone else's husband or girlfriend, you don't…you don't have to be someone's mother you can just be Elizabeth, sweet seventeen year old Elizabeth."

"You sound like your glad that I lost this child," she whispered tearfully.

"No," he choked, "No Elizabeth I've longed for my own child for a very long time but if I had a choice between a child who hadn't even had a chance to develop yet or your life…I'm sorry Elizabeth. I'd have to choose you."

"I'm sorry," a nurse said opening the door behind them, "I need to take Miss Webber down for some more tests."

Jason nodded as he released Elizabeth's hand and stepped away, allowing the orderly's to come in and detach the monitors and bags so that Elizabeth's bed could be wheeled out of the room. He watched her as she settled her hands on her stomach and then looked at him once more when they started to push her out of the room.

"You don't have to wait for me," she said quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Elizabeth."

He watched as the door closed behind her and Jason felt as if the distance between them had grown. He wondered if he would ever be able to reach Elizabeth again and then he was curious as to why he cared. He knew that nothing could ever come of them, the age difference still lingered there but yet, she had carried their child, she had lost their child and she still held his heart as she did the moment she walked into the club looking for a job.

He shook his head in disgust and picked up the stool that he had been sitting on and threw it across the room; loving the sound of the metal crashing against the bathroom door. He pounded his fists at the wall in frustration and didn't bother to turn around when the door opened behind him.

"Lily, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Are you in the mood for me?"

Jason turned to see Sonny in a wheel chair, his hand reaching out to close the hospital door behind him. He approached his mentor, his best friend, concern on his face, fists still tightened.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I came down here to check on Elizabeth," Sonny said, "Under the circumstances I wasn't pressing to see her and I thought that I'd take care of a few other matters."

"Eckert," Jason said. He'd rather focus on the lying bastard than on himself.

Sonny nodded as he wheeled closer to Jason, "I think that he is someone we have to deal with."

"I agree," Jason said folding his arms over his chest, "I'm just not sure if I'm the one that is going to be able to take care of things."

"Why not?" Sonny asked.

"Elizabeth is fond of him," Jason said, "I have no idea why. I don't care if he's the one that brought Alcazar down at the end, Alcazar should have never had the opportunity to fire a bullet in the first place but Sly waited until the last minute."

"He was true to Alcazar," Sonny said, "Granted his loyalties were a little mixed up but he was loyal."

Jason's eyes narrowed, "What are you saying?"

"I think Sly should be taken care of," Sonny said, "But in a different way that you do. I think that Sly would be an asset to us."

Jason stood there for a minute blinking. He wasn't sure if those words had actually come out of Sonny's mouth, "What?"

Sonny flashed his dimples, "I know you weren't expecting that."

"Not when he's been trying to take us down," Jason said, "He's the enemy."

"His boss was the enemy," Sonny said, "Sly was doing as he was told and he was fighting his orders until the end. If he really was aligned with Alcazar, Elizabeth would be dead right now and so would you. I think Sly knew in the end that he was working for the wrong man and decided to rectify the situation."

"He's trying to get back into Elizabeth's good graces," Jason snarled, "I don't trust him."

Sonny grinned again, "I told him you don't trust anyone. That's the best thing about you."

"I trusted Elizabeth."

Sonny's smile slipped from his face and his brown eyes softened, "I know that it's going to take a while before…"

"It's done, it's over with," Jason said, "Whatever was going on between Elizabeth and I in the past is in the past."

"I'd like you to give the same opportunity to Sly," Sonny said quietly, "I think he's lost his way and I would like to help him out."

"You want me to train him." It wasn't a question. "Sonny, I can't stand him."

"I'm not demanding that you do," Sonny said, "I'm asking you to do this for me, for Elizabeth. I think that she also realizes that Sly needs help."

"What about Chicago?"

Sonny sighed, "We're going to make it look like Alcazar was killed for trying to take over the territory. If they find out that Sly did it they will come after him which will bring another war here and I don't want that right now. I trust your instincts Jason, better than my own, and if you think that what I have planned isn't going to work out I'd like for you to tell me. I just…one day I'm going to retire and Lily and myself and the children are going to settle on the island. I don't want them to be a part of this business. I'd rather leave it to you and I'd like you to have someone that you can rely upon."

"You think Eckert's that person."

"I think that he can be."

Jason sighed and moved away from Sonny, walking towards the window in the hospital room, "You saw something in me a long time ago. You trusted me to be able to handle things when no one else thought I could," his turned towards Sonny, "I'll take care of Sly."

Sonny nodded, "Elizabeth will be grateful."

Jason's gaze returned back towards the window, "I don't think Elizabeth will ever be grateful to me again."

"She's almost done with her tests," Lily smiled softly as she handed him a cup of coffee, "I'm going to try and distract Jason long enough for you to be able to see her."

"I don't understand why you and Corinthos are being so nice to me," Sly said, "But I'm not one to bite my nose off just to spite my face so I'm going to say thank you."

"You're welcome," she said sitting down next to him, "I know that you have no intention of leaving here until you speak with Elizabeth but may I ask if you have someplace to stay? Sonny and I have plenty of room and if not there Jason…"

Sly laughed, "I really can't see Morgan and myself as roommates. I'm going to move into one of the rooms above my Aunt's diner. I'm not sure how long I'll be in town so there's no reason for me to rush out and sign a lease elsewhere."

"Sonny told me that he'd like you to come work for him."

"Sonny's the only man in this business who enlightens his wife on his dealings."

"He's a smart man."

Sly laughed quietly, "That he is. I haven't made any kind of decision. That will be made when I'm able to talk to Elizabeth. I'd like to be a part of her life but if she wants me gone…" he shrugged.

"I know that you have family here," she said softly, "I'm sure they'd like you to stick around."

"Family," Sly snorted, "After my parents died I only met two people who welcomed me with open arms, Lorenzo Alcazar and Elizabeth Webber. Alcazar's love was conditional and Elizabeth's love I destroyed. So you see I'd rather stay as far away from my bloodline as possible."

"Thank I think I should fair warn you," Lily said, "If you take a job with Sonny Corinthos you become a part one." She smiled softly as she reached over and squeezed his hand, "Welcome to mi familia."

Elizabeth felt almost guilty for enjoying the moment of peace in her hospital room. She had convinced Jason to go down to the cafeteria to get a black coffee for himself and chocolate milk for her. She needed some space, some time to breath, he was hovering over her wanting to do everything, want to fix something that she wasn't sure was able to be fixed. She just wanted out of this room and out of this hospital but she knew that her stay was going to be at least another weak.

The doctors did relay some other news; she would be able to have children again in the future.

According to Jason it was something she shouldn't even be thinking about. She should be pulling on some hip hugger jeans, grabbing her hip hop CD, bumming someone's car off of them and going shopping at the mall, acting like any normal teen.

But she wasn't a normal teen and she had to get it through his thick skull that she never would be.

She nearly growled when the door to her hospital room was opened, hating that he was that quick in getting the items she requested. She was surprised and sat up too quickly, wincing in pain when she saw her visitor.

"Hello Elizabeth, how are you?" he smiled softly.

"Sonny," she whispered as he wheeled towards her bedside, "How are you? Oh God, I'm so sorry I never meant to…"

He reached out and squeezed her hand, smiling with those dimples that she loved, "It wasn't you, Elizabeth. I never blamed you. I'm glad that you're okay."

She fought back the tears and wished that she could reach out and hug him. This was her true family, not the people who were buried in the ground.

"Elizabeth, if there is anything that Lily and I can do, please…"

"There is," she said quickly as she wiped her wet cheeks.

"Name it."

"I need you to help me run the city of Chicago."