Elizabeth swirled the white wine in her glass as she waited for Melanie to return to the table. Her friend had gone to call the hospital to check on a patient leaving Elizabeth alone with her thoughts – something that she had been trying to avoid for days now. It seemed as though any moment not filled with some sort of activity left time for her mind to wander its way back to her encounter with Jason Morgan in the Ryan garage. The way it played over and over again in her head a person would have thought it had been some great romantic rendezvous when in actuality it had been anything but. Nonetheless she still wasn't able to stop herself from continually dwelling on it.

Elizabeth picked up the menu and began to study it again looking for a reason to vanquish Jason Morgan's handsome face from her mind's eye. However it wasn't working all that well. No matter how hard she tried he continued to be the backdrop for all of her thoughts and that more than unnerved her. All she wanted was her nice normal ordered life back and the ideas she was pondering about Jason weren't the way to do that. "Ugh," she let out a frustrated groan.

"What's the matter?" Melanie asked slipping into her chair across the table.

"Nothing," Elizabeth lied.

"Nothing huh?" the red head said more than a little skeptical.

"So you want to order an appetizer first?" Elizabeth questioned placing the menu between them. Her intention for this girl's night out was to talk about her friend's love life not her own.

"If I wasn't so hungry," Melanie began, "I'd call you on your nice attempt at dodging me," she laughed. "An appetizer sounds great."

For the next several minutes the pair perused the selections finally choosing a variety platter that would suit them both. "How's your patient doing?" Elizabeth asked as the waiter filled her wine glass again.

"Much better. Tomorrow she should be moved out of ICU."

"That's great news."

"So are we going to talk about why you really called this girl's night out?" Melanie questioned glancing all knowingly at her friend over the rim of her own wineglass. She was more than happy to hang out with her best friend yet something behind Elizabeth's eyes told Melanie that there was more to it than just some Friday night fun.

"Nothing."

"There you go with that 'nothing' again. You don't really expect me to believe that do you?" Melanie pressed. "What's really going on with you, Liz?"

Elizabeth shifted uneasy in her seat despising the way Melanie King could read her like an open book. "I could ask you the same thing," she said trying to turn the tables on her friend.

"Me?"

"Yes you. In the last weeks how many double shifts have you taken at the hospital? What's up with that? Who are you hiding from?" Elizabeth remarked as a plate of food was placed in front of them.

"I'm not hiding from anyone," she answered almost incredulously. "I'm just helping out when and where I can."

Elizabeth cocked her brow and shot her friend of look of disbelief. "And you expect me to believe that?" she countered.

"What's not to believe? You live for your job. Why can't I do the same?" Even to Melanie she knew how unbelievable those words sounded coming from her. It wasn't that she wasn't a hell of a nurse or that she didn't take her job seriously but lately she had been spending more than her fair share of time behind the nurse's station desk on the fourth floor. It was easier for her that way – easier than running into her father as he fumbled his way around his daughter.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Elizabeth reached out and touched her best friend's arm when she saw her eyes grow glassy.

"Nothing, life just sucks sometimes," Melanie admitted with a smile.

"I think I have a way to help with that."

"Oh do you now?" Melanie didn't even have to think twice about where Elizabeth was about to go with their conversation. She knew it was on the fast track to her love life and Leo Jorgenson.

"Yes I do!" Elizabeth smiled like a Cheshire cat knowing full well that Melanie knew exactly what she was up to but didn't care in the least. "And his name is…"

"Let me guess," Melanie stopped her. "Leo?"

"BINGO!" Elizabeth placed her finger on her nose as she said it.

"Oh Liz, can we please not go there?"

"Why not? Leo's a great guy and you can't tell me you haven't at least thought about what it would be like to date him." The attraction between her two best friends wasn't entirely lost on Elizabeth even though she hadn't been successful in getting either of them to admit it.

"It doesn't matter what I have or haven't thought about…"

"So see you have thought about Leo," Elizabeth interrupted her. "Why can't you just go out on one date with him?"

"How about cause he's never asked me and another reason being you know how my love life works – well it doesn't," she huffed popping a piece of fried cheese in her mouth.

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and gave her friend a long hard stare. She hated the fact that Melanie was so down on herself and men for that matter. Elizabeth could agree that she had had a run of bad luck with some of her more recent attempts at finding Mr. Right but in her heart Elizabeth knew that Leo was the one for her. "It doesn't always have to end badly," Elizabeth began. "You just haven't found the right guy, yet."

"I'm pretty sure I've exceeded my quota," Melanie frowned thinking about her last disaster of a relationship. "Face it Liz, I'm just not cut out for romance. I'm damaged goods and no matter how much I try to hide it eventually it shines through." Melanie lifted her glass to her pink colored lips and let the cool liquid slide down her throat as she tried to hide the tears that she was sure her friend could see.

"The hell you are damaged goods!" Elizabeth shot back with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "You're a wonderful caring person Melanie. Any man would be lucky to have you in their life."

"Then explain to me why they all go running for the hills sooner rather than later?" she asked in all seriousness.

Elizabeth let out a deep breath as she tried to find the words to say what she knew she should say yet how was she supposed to tell her best friend that she was her own worst enemy? When it came to love Elizabeth was well aware of Melanie's stance on it all – it scared the hell out of her. "Mel," Elizabeth reached for her friend's hand. "you're too hard on yourself. You set yourself up to fail before you are even out of the gate a lot of the times."

"I do not!"

"Honey, let's be honest here. You make it hard for a person to get close to you."

"Like someone else I know," Melanie shot back saying Elizabeth also did the same thing.

"We aren't talking about me," she said not allowing Melanie to change the subject. "You push people until their breaking point. Then when they bolt it's just another reaffirmation for you of how unworthy you are. Mel, you are worthy sweetie. You are worthy of all the love this world can give you. All you have to do is let yourself be loved."

Melanie looked away from Elizabeth's piercing blue eyes. She hated when he friend was right. And on this account she was dead on. Melanie knew she made it near impossible for a person to live up to her expectations and when they finally tired of trying and left – well Liz was right then she found another reason to feel she would never be loved. It sucked and she knew it but it was a pattern that she had been in since she was six and didn't know how to stop doing it.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth whispered. This wasn't at all how she had wanted their evening to go and the sight of her father and Melanie's dad walking through the door of the restaurant only made matters worse. "Great," she mumbled.

"What?" Melanie asked as she turned her head looking in the same direction as Elizabeth. "You have got to be kidding me right?"

"Apparently not," Elizabeth scowled as she took another long gulp from her wineglass. "How about you say we just have them bring us the bottle? It looks like we might need it," she said as she watched Pat Ryan and Nathan King making their way towards their table.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Melanie agreed.

Pat Ryan was the first to notice his daughter and Melanie King sitting across the room. "Look who's here," he said nudging Nathan who had his eyes focused on his briefcase looking for the files he wanted to go over with Pat. "What do you say we join them?"

Nathan looked at his daughter and the knot in his stomach tightened. The last place he wanted to be was at that table. He and Melanie had learned that avoiding one another served them well and Pat's wanting to join their daughters went against all of that. "I don't know Pat. We really need to go over some figures. I'm a little concerned with the power house you made Jason Morgan out to be. He certainly didn't showcase that in the last race. We might need to rethink a few things. I'd like to do that just you and me."

"You worry too much Nate. Morgan will be fine. He's just getting his bearings is all. Mark my words he's going to do great things for the team. Now let's go join our lovely daughters and enjoy a nice dinner with them."

Nathan felt himself rolling his eyes knowing that there would be no changing Pat's mind and against his better judgment followed behind him.

"May we join you?" Pat asked sitting down before either girl was able to answer. "What a nice surprise to run into you both here. We hardly do this anymore."

For many years when Elizabeth and Melanie were in grade school and junior high the father and daughter pairs had dinner together at least two or three times a week but as the girls grew and became involved in outside activities the dinners lessened until they stopped all together. Neither father wanted to admit it was really due to the fact that they seemed to be at odds with their teenaged daughters to the point that neither wanted to be in the same room with the older men. Pat and Nathan thought burying their heads in the sand to the troubles both had with their children was the better route to go.

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," Elizabeth said under her breath.

"What was that dear?" Pat's voice dripped with sweetness.

"Nothing," she responded as Melanie kicked her under the table.

"How's things at the hospital, Mel?" Nathan asked his daughter.

"Fine," her response was short.

"You've been working a lot of hours I've noticed," he said.

"That's a shock," she quipped. It was now Elizabeth's turn to kick her under the table. "We have been short handed," she quickly added.

"Really?" Pat chimed in. "Is there that problem in your department as well Elizabeth?" he asked.

"Not so much," she answered. "However my job is far less trying than Melanie's. Nurses get burnt out a lot faster than people like me."

The four of them drifted off into a strained silence that was finally broken by the waiter asking them if they were ready to order. They were all thankful for the mindless distraction of picking their entrée from the menu.

"I saw you at the garage the other day," Pat turned to Elizabeth as he putting his beer bottle on the table.

"Uh-huh."

"I was a little surprised to see you there. You've made a point to stay away for months now."

Melanie watched and waited for her friend's response. She could tell by the way Elizabeth was gripping the stem of her glass that she was doing everything in her power to hold it together. 'Damn how did this go from a girl's night out to this nightmare?' she thought.

"I was looking for Leo," Elizabeth stated plainly.

Pat knew he was treading on thin ice but there was a part of him that wouldn't let all the questions that he needed answers to when it came to Jason Morgan and his daughter go. "Did you find him?"

"No."

"Benny said you were talking to Jason Morgan. Is that true?" Pat figured a little white lie wouldn't hurt in this instance if it got him to the point he was looking for.

"What's it matter who I was talking to?" Elizabeth felt her ire beginning to grow.

'Jason Morgan' Melanie thought to herself – now things were starting to become a little clearer in her mind as to what was going on in her friend's head. She made a mental note to be sure to ask Liz about that at a later date. Melanie remembered how handsome Mr. Morgan was from Jake Russell's stay at the hospital. And even though Jason was a racer and Melanie wasn't sure her friend going down that road again was the right thing all she still wanted for Elizabeth was for her to be happy.

"It doesn't matter. I was just curious that's all."

"Since when have you ever been curious about my life? You only seem to notice me when god forbid I'm doing something you don't like."

"That's not true, Elizabeth."

"The hell it isn't. You've made ignoring me an art form. You only trot me out when you need to play the doting father."

"Elizabeth, I don't think this is the time or the place to be airing our family's business," Pat said with a stern tone.

"Oh why not daddy," she said her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you afraid what I have to say might tarnish your perfect image? God if the world only knew the real Pat Ryan they would be shocked."

"ELIZABETH!" Pat said through clenched teeth as his eyes scanned the room to see who was enjoying the scene his daughter was successful in creating. "That's enough!"

"Says you!" she retorted. "Sorry to break it to you dad but where I live is a far cry from the world according to Pat Ryan. Thank you so much for ruining my evening! It's so nice to see you didn't disappoint me as usual."

With that said Elizabeth grabbed her purse and left the table before their dinners had even arrived. Melanie followed suit and caught up to her friend pacing wildly in the parking in front of her car. "You okay?" she asked.

"NO! Can you believe him? He's worried about who I'm talking to now. What a joke!"

"We're you talking to Jason Morgan?" Melanie had to ask.

"Yes. But that's not the point."

"I know the point is your dad," she agreed but still cataloged that tiny piece of information for later use. "You want to talk about what's really bothering you?" Melanie sensed that there was much more to this than just Pat Ryan being his usual self.

"Nothing's bothering me. I want a drink and I want to dance. You with me?" Elizabeth asked opening the door of her car.

"Sure – why not? I say blowing off a little steam sounds like just what we need."

Elizabeth pulled her Chevelle into a spot closest to the bar door and turned the ignition off letting the engine grumble to a halt. The driving bass from the band inside filtered its way to her ears and all she wanted to do was get inside and let her body and mind get lost. She wanted to lose all thoughts of her father and Jason Morgan however that would be easier said than done when she saw him, Leo and Tom sitting at the bar.