Elizabeth checked the time once more as she rearranged the stacks of papers on her desk. It wouldn't be long before Jake Russell was to be discharged that afternoon. She wrestled with her need to check on him – to see Jason Morgan again and what she now knew about him. She still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he was a NASCAR driver. But what plagued her even more was that she couldn't get that handsome blonde driver out of her head.

She let out a heavy sigh that caused the tuft of hair that hung in her eyes to lift upward. How had she gotten herself into this situation? How had she allowed herself to have her thoughts consumed with another driver? Hadn't once been enough in her life time? Elizabeth didn't want to think about Billy yet she found herself doing just that. The image of him popped into her head as it did more times than she wished it would. She had done her best in the beginning to resist him. She had never been one to go out with any of her father's drivers. The closest she had ever come before Billy was one movie date with Leo when they both decided being best friends was far easier than being boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet Billy had been relentless in his pursuit of her – to the point where she had gone out with him just to shut him up. Elizabeth never once expected to fall in love with him yet she had. That had been her greatest downfall. She had allowed him into her inner sanctum and what had she gotten for her efforts – a broken heart.

She squared her shoulders and righted herself in her high backed leather chair. She wasn't about to let any of that happen to her again. No matter how different Jason Morgan appeared to be for her a driver was a driver was a driver. And the last thing she needed was to go down that road again. She picked up the folder from her desk that had all of the relative information for Jake Russell's transfer to the facility in Texas and stood up to exit her office determined that if Jason Morgan happened to be there she would treat him with professionalism and nothing more.

Jake stood silent as Alison flitted around him preparing for his departure and all he could think about was Jason. The older man hated the way they had left things yesterday. It wasn't like Jason to bolt in the middle of an argument – in fact it was rare for them to fight at all. Yet Jake knew that Ali's presence caused enough tension but then he had to go and suggest that Jason join Ryan Racing that only made matters worse. Jake let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alison asked looking up from her task of filling Jake's over night bag.

"I'm fine," Jake lied knowing full well that there was no way he could discuss what was on his mind with Alison.

"Do we need to swing by your place to pick up more of your things?" she questioned almost hoping that he would say yes. There was a large part of her that needed to see her son and she expected Jason to be there.

"Nah. I should have everything that I need," Jake laughed looking at the pile of bags sitting on the neatly made hospital bed.

"Mr. Russell," Elizabeth said as she knocked softly on the door before entering.

"Elizabeth," Jake smiled. "Come in please." He stared at Pat's daughter still taken a back by what a beautiful woman she had grown into. He wondered if his friend knew how lucky he was. Something told Jake he didn't.

Elizabeth did as he instructed closing the door behind her. Instantly she felt a pang of disappointment when she noticed that Jason was no where to be found. Mentally she scolded herself that her resolve to put him out of her mind had lasted only a minute if that. "I have a few papers for you to review before you are discharged," she said bringing forth the folder from her hand.

"Everything for his discharge is in order right?" Alison immediately jumped into the conversation.

"Yes." Elizabeth looked at her strangely unable to forget the strained conversation she had happened upon days ago. "It's just some routine forms required by the hospital. And there's a release form that needs your signature so that we can release your medical records to the rehab center in Texas."

Alison smiled at those words. The idea of her and Jake going back to Texas pleased her – now if she could have just gotten Jason to agree all would have been perfect.

Jake opened the folder with Alison peering over his shoulder. He was accustomed to reading Jason's racing contracts so the legal mumbo jumbo he found on those forms was simple for him to understand. "Looks like everything is in order," he said putting pen to paper.

"Are you sure?" Alison questioned.

He gave her a sideways glance suddenly feeling like he had a mother rather than a just a concerned friend. "Yep," he said signing his name before she could say any more.

"Well then it looks like you are good to go. If you wouldn't mind I would like to keep in touch with the rehab center to just check in with them about your progress," Elizabeth stated with no clue why she had said that. Following a patient wasn't at all part of her job description but for one reason or another she couldn't stop herself.

"Is that really necessary?" Alison inquired with noticeable irritation in her voice. She was hoping that with Jake in Texas Jason would finally come to his senses and join them. The last thing she wanted was someone in the state of North Carolina with intimate knowledge of Jake's progress that could relay that information to Jason.

"Let the poor girl do her job Ali. You most certainly can call and check on me," Jake smiled broadly. "What's an old man like me to turn down the interests of a pretty young thing?" he chuckled all the while making Elizabeth blush.

The sound of Jake's laughter stopped short when the door swung open and Jason appeared. It was obvious to him that the younger man had gotten little if any sleep the night before. Much like himself Jake thought. "Hi," Jason said quietly without looking at anyone in the room.

Elizabeth felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Jason Morgan. There he stood in a pair of Levis that hugged his lean frame and a white long sleeve tee shirt with a NASCAR emblem across the pocket. She let her eyes fall on that insignia as a visible reminder of exactly who and what he was. She tried to strengthen her resolve but when she glanced at his face – those brilliant blue eyes that behind them held such anguish Elizabeth felt her resolve crumble as a sand castle did when it met the evening tide.

"It's good to see you Jason. I didn't think you would come," Alison said with a dig.

"I wasn't about to let you keep me away," Jason returned bluntly staring his mother down in only the way he could.

"Have you made a decision son?" Jake finally asked the question that hung silently between them.

Jason didn't know how to answer that question. Going to see Tom last night at the garage hadn't done anything but confuse the issue for him. Maybe if he had stayed away from what he loved the most – the track, his car he would have been able to give Jake a resounding no to his question. Yet he hadn't done that and Tom's unexpected excitement about joining Ryan Racing – well that not only floored him but confused him too. It was no secret that Tom felt the same way he did when it came to Billy Weston. They both thought he was an arrogant asshole who deserved to be taken down a peg or two – maybe that's what Tom hoped would be accomplished if Jason became part of that team.

"Well?" Jake pressed.

"No I haven't," Jason sighed as he watched Jake's features fall.

"When are you going to come to your senses boy? When it's too late for it to matter?"

Jake was about to continue when Alison placed her hand gently on his arm as if to silence him. To the outside world it would have looked like she was attempting to protect her son from Jake's impending tirade but that wasn't the case at all. She had done that for her own selfish reasons. She hoped beyond all hope that this was the beginning of the end of her son's racing career. She wanted this event to be the turning point where Jason came to his senses and gave up a life that could get him killed.

Elizabeth stood at the end of the bed watching Jason's expression. She wished she was able to read it more clearly. It was a mixture of anger, apprehension and almost disbelief. "There's no need to worry about Mr. Russell's recovery," she began feeling the need to fill the silence in the room. "The facility he is going to in Texas is the top in this sort of rehab. In a few months he will be as good as new."

"We don't have a few months," Jake said looking Jason squarely in the face.

Jason shook his head unable to do this again. He wasn't up for another heated discussion -- especially not one that his mother felt the need to be a part of. He refused to allow her to throw in her two cents about what he should do with his life. She lost that right years ago as far as he was concerned. Jason looked at Jake and wished he could give him the answer he was looking for yet he couldn't. "Call me when you get settled in Texas," he said before leaving the room staring after him.

Elizabeth felt an incredible urge to run after him. She didn't want to feel it but she did. It was like the night she had found him in the surgical waiting room, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and take away all the pain that he visibly carried with him. And again she found those feelings coursing through her frightening as all hell.

Pat poured himself a cup of coffee as Nathan King entered his office. "You want one?" he asked the other man as he held the pot up in the air.

"Black please," Nathan answered. "Thanks," he said as Pat placed the steaming mug in front of him. "So what was this rush meeting?" He pulled out a few of the Ryan Racing files that Pat had instructed him to bring.

"We're taking on a new driver, temporarily."

"What?" Nathan was more than a little surprised by that remark. "This late in the season?"

"Yes."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea Pat. Finances have been a bit tight lately. I don't know if the budget can withstand adding another driver."

"It can this one," he said with a smile. After talking to Jake he had done some research on Jason Morgan and was quite pleased with what he had been able to find out about the driver. Pat was more than pleased with the potential monies Jason's racing skills could bring to his team.

"Oh really? Who are we talking about adding? It better be someone damn good cause between all the little extras Billy's been demanding and the fact that the fines that we have been putting out for his antics have been dipping into the winners pot a little more than I would like to see."

"Jason Morgan," Pat stated matter a factly.

"Jason Morgan? Are you kidding? The kid that won pole position then pulled out of the race when his crew chief had a heart attack?"

"That's the one." Pat sounded so pleased with himself. Like he had found a diamond in the rough in Jason.

"Billy's going to hit the roof," Nathan stated knowing all too well Billy Weston's volatile nature.

"Maybe he will maybe he won't."

"You know damn well he will. If anything it's going to make him act up all the more. Can we really afford more of his antics on the track? He's costing you a fortune in fines Pat," Nathan said.

Pat knew that his accountant spoke the truth. This season alone Billy had collected his fair share of fines – the Ryan Racing books had the paper trail to prove it. Yet his wins on the tally sheet in Pat's mind out weighed all else. Billy was Pat's ticket to the Winston Cup so he was willing to overlook most things. "I know," he said finally as he took a long gulp from his coffee. "Billy's a little of a maverick," Pat said using Jake's terminology.

"A little?" Nathan said almost mockingly. "That's a bit of an understatement don't you think?"

"Maybe." Pat shrugged his shoulders not really willing to concede what he really knew to be true about his star driver.

"You really think that he's going to be able to handle his biggest competition now being his team mate? Hell Pat you are really asking for trouble here."

"Okay, okay yeah Billy's got a little bit of an attitude," Pat admitted. "And maybe I should have sat on him a while back but hell Nat you've seen him out on track he's a hell of a driver. Not to mention that up until a few months ago I fully expected him to be my son in law. So I was a little lacks when it came to him," Pat said sheepishly.

"So I've noticed," Nathan said waving a thick folder in front of Pat's eyes.

"I'll handle Billy when it comes to Morgan. I'll make him see that having Jason as a teammate rather than his competition is a good thing."

Nathan gave him a skeptical look. "If you say so," he chuckled.

"What I really called you here for was to work out for Morgan's winnings. I agreed that he keeps his own sponsors and his current race schedule but his cut well that's up for grabs." Pat Ryan smiled almost seductively. The allure of the money Jason's driving talents had to offer had him seeing dollar signs the minute he had agreed to what Jake Russell had asked of him.

"You want the standard contract amount? Or did you have something else in mind?" Nathan pulled out his five column note pad and pen ready to begin taking notes.

"Well," Pat leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms against his chest. "Since this is a short term arrangement and the fact that I am doing Jake Russell a big favor I was thinking that perhaps the standard cut isn't the right route to go on this one."

"You want more of a cut I take it?"

"Uh huh."

"How much more?"

"I am thinking sixty/forty in our favor of course."

"You think Morgan is going to go for that?" Again skepticism invaded Nathan King's voice.

"From where I'm standing doesn't appear he has much choice. He's not going to be able to continue without Jake and if he bulks at this option well hell then he's out of the season. It's a win win situation for me. If he doesn't race he's no longer competition for Billy and if he does well then that just puts Ryan Racing one step closer to a Winston cup."

"Got the world by the ball as always huh, Pat?" Nathan chuckled raising his coffee mug in the air for a mock toast.

Jason stood silently as he stared out at the deserted track. He closed his eyes and could almost hear the thunderous sounds of the cars that circled that track – that would be circling there in just a few days – without him. That was a difficult idea for him to swallow. He couldn't recall the last time he hadn't been behind the wheel of his car on race day.

Jason climbed the stands and sat in the bleachers like so many fans did. He wondered what it would be like sitting on this side of the track. It felt completely off to him – almost unnatural. Yet the idea of driving for Pat Ryan seemed even more so. Jason let out a heavy breath hoping that being there would bring him the sense of calm that it normally did. He wanted to clear his head and coming to the track seemed like the perfect way to do it seeing as how this was the one place on earth that he felt completely at ease. Too bad that wasn't the case that evening. If anything all it was doing was complicating things. Being there only made him want to race all the more. He could almost smell the ethyl alcohol used to power the engines, the burning rubber against the hot asphalt and the scent of his own adrenaline. Jason had racing running through his veins. It was his life's blood and not doing it would be like cutting off his right arm. He propped his feet on the bench in front of him and tried to talk himself out of what he was contemplating.

Theresa Kennedy rounded the corner on her search for Billy Weston. With the race a mere few days away she was certain to find him cowering over his crew chief barking orders. That was his MO. Yet the lone figure sitting alone in the stands caught her attention. It was a dark silhouette against the crimson sky of the setting sun. It was Jason Morgan. She was immediately intrigued at his presence. It was no secret around the track that he wouldn't be racing in the upcoming event and she was more than a little curious what he was doing there alone. She had heard about the health issues surroundings his crew chief and thought she'd make the most of that knowledge.

She sauntered towards where Jason sat. She pursed her lips as she applied a new layer of red gloss and ran her fingers through her loose chocolate locks. She toyed with the hem of the denim mini that hugged her body like a glove and deepened the 'v' of the white tank top that barely covered her torso.

Jason looked up when he heard the tinny clicking a pair of woman's high heels made against the metal bleachers. He saw a scantly clad brunette climbing the stairs. He laced his hands behind his head and watched her curiously as she stopped in front of him.

"Jason Morgan, right?" she asked.

"Uh huh," he answered nonchalantly.

"I'm Theresa, Theresa Kennedy."

"Yeah?" Jason wasn't overly excited about being interrupted.

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I was to hear about what happened to your crew chief. It had to have been horrible watching him fall to the floor." Jason shook his head trying to not let those images over take him again. "I'm sorry." Theresa rested her hand gently on Jason's knee.

Immediately he felt uncomfortable and knew that there was more to this girl than met the eye. "Thanks," he finally mumbled not sure what else he was supposed to say.

For the first time Theresa got a full view of Jason Morgan. The picture she had seen in the newspaper didn't do him nearly enough justice. He was strikingly handsome with blue eyes that ran as deep as the Caribbean Sea. His features looked like a chiseled Greek statute and she felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes traveled the length of his frame. He was deliciously handsome and she more than ready to partake of him.

"Theresa!" Billy's booming voice sliced through the silent night air. His eyes darted between his enemy and the girl he was currently sharing his bed with completely displeased that they were sharing the same space.

"Billy," she said shocked to see him bounding up the stairs taking them two by two.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Neither was sure who he was directing his question at. "Why the hell are you hanging out with him?" Billy pointed in Jason's direction making it clear that was talking to Theresa. "You can't have my lady any more than you can have my place in the points standing!" he huffed now towards Jason reaching for Theresa pulling her against him.

Jason wanted to laugh at him and did feel a smirk easing its way across his lips as he watched Billy puff out his chest like some male bird claiming what belonged to him. As far as Jason was concerned he could have Theresa Kennedy and all the baggage that Jason was well aware that she came with. He had seen the likes of her even back in his amateur days and wanted nothing to do with those girls then and wanted nothing to do with her now.

"Save your breath Weston, I don't want your lady," Jason said as he eyed Theresa from head to toe as if she carried some sort of plague. "She's all yours," he almost laughed as if he harbored some inside joke. "But as for you points standing well now that's mine for the taking," Jason stated confidently striding down the metal bleachers leaving the pair fuming for their own separate reasons.

Elizabeth walked through the darkened pits. She pulled her tattered jean jacket against her body to stave off the night chill that had settled over Charlotte that evening. She hated to admit it but she had been coming to the track more and more often – even if it was in secret. She tried her best to stay away but the strong pull that racing and the track had on her – it rivaled the moon's draw on oceans – brought her back to the place that had always been the center of her world.

She tried not to think about what happened to make her cut racing out of her life. She focused her thoughts on times before Billy Weston had anything to do with her life – with racing. That wasn't easy. Suddenly it was like those two things were so intertwined that she couldn't separate them. And to add to that confusion Jason Morgan's face invaded Elizabeth's thoughts. The haunted look the young man wore that afternoon had a hold on her that she couldn't escape. She wished that she could just forget about him. She wished that he didn't have this unexplainable hold on her. A hold that she couldn't break no matter how much she tried to talk herself out of it.

All of a sudden Elizabeth's steps faltered as she focused her stare toward the other end of the pits. The form heading towards her was familiar. Even in the impending darkness she knew that stature and that alone irritated her. It was Jason Morgan and he was heading right for her.