FF #164 Prompt: Decadence isn't easy.

Misdirection

"I told you all this tree needed was some paper chains."

Looking towards the door, Jason gave a grateful smile to the nurse that had entered. It had been eight days since his operation. And almost everyday Elizabeth had come in either before, after, or during her shift to visit with him. Normally he wanted the peace and quiet, but he had grown accustomed to her visits and started to look forward to them.

Everyone made sure that they came and visited him every chance they got and he was starting to feel crowded. Even Sam's visits were starting to grave his nerves. He knew that he loved her, but if he had to play one more game of rock-paper-scissors just to pass the time, he was going to pull his hair out.

He had went from Port Charles most feared Mob Enforcer, to an amnesiac with an aneurysm in his brain who was willing to pack his life away and move to Hawaii away from everyone but Sam, and then finally to a bed-ridden patient of General Hospital who had been reduced to playing hand games. He went from killing people for a living to playing Candy Land.

When Elizabeth had first come into his hospital room he was shocked. The last time he could remember seeing her was when he first met Cameron. It shocked him to realize that it was almost a year ago that him and Elizabeth sat down and talked. But ever since his doctor told him he had to stay in the hospital and couldn't go home, he started to grow closer to Elizabeth again.

They might not ever be as close as they once were before, but Jason was beginning to realize that he had missed Elizabeth's friendship. After Sam had come to his room with a Christmas tree telling him that she wanted to cheer up his room with the Christmas spirit, Jason really didn't care. He was never one to celebrate Christmas, but he did it because it made her feel better. He sat on his bed a watched her as she put up gold and silver ornaments making the small tree look elegant.

After she had finished, the only time Jason ever thought about the tree was when she either mentioned it, or his gaze turned to it because it was in the way of a spot on the wall. But during one of her visits, Elizabeth had asked him about the tree, wondering who got it for him. He explained it and looked at her intently as she was lost in thought for a moment before she spoke, breaking his study of her.

She walked over to the tree and told him that although it looked nice, it was missing something. He saw her eyes light up and a smile spread across her face as she figured out what it was missing. Paper chains. Jason couldn't help but let his smile match hers as he thought about the tree that they decorated that Christmas he stayed in her studio.

The next day she came in with two pairs of scissors, two glue sticks, and a pack of construction paper. She didn't work that day, and for some reason Sam had left him alone for several hours, so the two of them sat there for hours creating paper chain links while they either talked or sat in comfortable silence.

After she left that day, Sam had finally stopped by and didn't hide her anger to find out that someone decorated her Christmas tree. When she was about to take the paper chains off, Jason firmly told her that he liked them and they were going to stay. It was his damn tree anyway.

Jason had to agree with Elizabeth, the tree did look better with the chains on it.

"I have some good news." Elizabeth's cheerful voice broke him out of his thoughts. Tearing his gaze away from the tree they decorated together, Jason lifted his eyebrows in question. "You get to go out for a little bit today."

"I get to leave this room?"

"Yes." Her smile lit up his entire room. She was bouncing on her feet, waiting for his excitement to show through when she became nervous that he wasn't as excited as she thought he would be. "Aren't you happy about that? You get to leave this room that I know you hate so much. I know it is not what you are hoping for, but at least you get a break from lying in bed."

As two male nurses came into his room with a wheel chair for him, Jason could feel the walls moving away from him. It wasn't his bike, but at least he would be getting out of the damn bed and he would be able to see something other than the four walls around him.

As the two men helped him out of bed, Elizabeth's heart went out to him. She was so used to Jason being such a strong man, that it hurt to see him need the help of other men just to get out of bed. Swallowing past the lump in her throat and blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill, Elizabeth reminded herself that Jason was getting better. Soon he would return to the strong and independent Jason Morgan that she remembered.

As the two men left the room, Elizabeth could see the embarrassment and shame in Jason's posture. Deciding to not dwell on it, Elizabeth moved behind his wheel chair and unlocked the wheels. "I don't think you will be able to make this thing go as fast as your bike, but you are going to get some freedom today."

Placing his hands on the wheels to chair, Jason tried to hide the smirk that was tempting to play across his lips. "Too bad there's not enough room on here for you."

Throwing her head back and laughing at his attempt at a joke, Elizabeth shoved his hands away from the wheels and started to push his chair out of the room. "So Jason, where do you want to go for your walk?"

Trying not to notice all of the people that were watching him as Elizabeth pushed him along he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slightly as he answered, "Anywhere but here."

Sensing his aggravation Elizabeth nodded even though he couldn't see her and headed towards the elevators. Once they were on board, she pushed the button for the first floor which would lead them outside.

Once they stepped out into the cold afternoon air Elizabeth immediately felt the air run right through her. Rubbing her arms she looked down at Jason and wanted to hit herself. "How could I be so stupid? You are only in that hospital gown and here I am taking you outside, you must be freezing, lets get you back inside-"

Grabbing onto her arm lightly, Jason looked into her eyes and for a moment they were both silent. Closing his eyes for a moment he looked off to the side and then released her arm, "I don't feel the cold that much."

She looked down at him and couldn't believe that she had forgotten. Had it really been that long since she and Jason were good friends? It saddened her to realize that she and Jason had grown so far apart. Nodding her head in a jerky movement, Elizabeth walked behind his chair again and began to push him through the hospital garden.

For most of their walk nothing was said between the two. Both were lost in their own thoughts that nothing needed to be said. It wasn't until Elizabeth finally gained the courage that either of them spoke. "I've missed this."

He turned his head to look at her prompting her to stop pushing his chair. "I've missed you."

He grabbed her hand pulling her to move around from beside his chair to the side of it. He looked down at their joined hands as his thumb caressed her hand and then looked back up at her. Both of their eyes were open pools of blue when he finally spoke on a raspy whisper, "I've missed you too."

A knowing smile was passed between the two. After she squeezed his hand, they both let go and resumed their silent walk.

With a reluctant sigh escaping both of their lips, they headed back towards the entrance of the hospital. Jason didn't want to return back to his room, but he knew that he had to. As the elevator doors opened allowing another person to enter their car, Jason's hand grabbed a hold of the door not allowing it to close. His forehead was scrunched as he looked on with confusion behind his eyes. He looked on as the woman he recognized scurried past the nurse's desk and ran through a hallway.

Elizabeth couldn't hide her confusion as well as she looked at Jason wondering why he stopped the elevator from departing. "Jason-"

"Let's get off here."

"What? I don't-"

Looking up at her, Jason let his eyes show his determination.

As she stared into his eyes she knew that there was a reason for him wanting to get off at that stop, "Ok."

He told her which direction to go, and Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder why they were heading where they were. When Jason placed his hands on the wheels to make them go faster, Elizabeth let go and had to run behind him to keep up with his speed.

Finally he came to a stop. When she went to ask him a question, he held his finger to his lips silencing her words as he tilted his head to the side to listen to whatever was going on in the abandoned room they were standing in front of.

Hearing a loud crash come from the room, Elizabeth quickly opened it to see what was going on. As she threw the door open, she stood there as Jason sat there and the two of them looked on with shock as Sam McCall tried to put her shirt back on as Dr. Drake began to button his pants.