'Jake, did I kill my father?'
Those words bounced around in Jake's brain like a silver ball dancing around a pinball machine. Each word banging off the other until Jake had to physically shake his head to make them stop. "What?" he said finally his voice barely above a whisper.
"Did I kill my father?" Jason asked again.
Once more Jake found himself speechless unable to fathom the mere thought of what Jason was asking him. It didn't make any sense to him – not in the least. It was the most far fetched question he had ever been asked.
"Well?" Jason pressed. Elizabeth reached out and took hold of Jason's arm trying to get his attention. She was certain by the look on Jake's face that he was still attempting to process it all. Immediately he looked down at her and while he understood her actions he wasn't able to comply with her silent request. "Apparently I have my answer," he said reading Jake's silence as conformation of what he already knew.
"What are you talking about boy?" Jake questioned reaching for Jason's arm as he attempted to head toward the door. "Why on earth would you ask me such a question?"
"Because I need to know. I need to know if you've been lying to me all these years."
"Lying to you?" Jake parroted.
"Yes! Was I responsible for my dad's accident?"
Again Jake's mouth fell open completely stunned that Jason would even think he had something to do with what happened to his father all those years before. "NO! No of course you weren't!"
"This says otherwise," Jason announced as Elizabeth produced the folder Jason had taken from Jake's office weeks ago from her oversized bag. "Here!" Jason shoved it in Jake's hand. "Deny it now," he said harshly.
Alison stood wide eyed as the exchange before her continued. She felt as if her feet had grown roots and she was unable to move mesmerized by Jason's questions. She too was trying desperately to grasp what Jason was asking. He thought he had killed his father. That he was responsible for the accident that had taken Erik from them all too soon. Alison felt her breathing quicken and her body begin to tremble at the very thought.
"Maybe we should leave Jason and Jake alone to talk in private?" Elizabeth suggested the gentle touch of her hand on Alison's arm startled the older woman. Elizabeth knew the last thing they needed, especially Jason, was an audience when they discussed this. "I think I'd like that iced tea now," she said referring to Alison's earlier offer of something to drink.
As Elizabeth followed Alison toward the kitchen she looked back over her shoulder at Jason and Jake. The two men were locked in an intense stare almost as if neither one knew what to say next. Silently she prayed that this would bring closure for Jason.
Alison opened the refrigerator and removed that large glass pitcher filled with iced tea as Elizabeth took a seat at the center island. She gritted her teeth as she smiled at the young woman all the while angered that some stranger – a stranger who thought she knew the men in Alison's life better than she did told her what to do. "Would you like lemon?" she asked trying to keep the distain she felt for Elizabeth Ryan out of her voice.
"Yes, thank you," Elizabeth answered looking at her perfectly manicured nails.
Quickly turning around Alison again opened the black refrigerator door and reached inside pulling out the large yellow fruit. Without lifting her eyes to look in Elizabeth's direction she made quick work of slicing the lemon and putting it on a platter. "Here we are," she commented finally placing two tall frosty glasses before them both.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said again suddenly feeling even more uncomfortable something she hadn't thought possible. The pair of women sat in silence across from one another both wondering what was happening in the other room. They weren't able to hear much more than the muffled voices of Jason and Jake.
"Well?" Jason prodded again.
"Well what?" Jake countered still not sure what he was even supposed to say.
"Did I kill my dad?"
"Would you stop saying that for god sakes! No!"
"That's not what this says," Jason said waving the thick manila folder in Jake's face.
"Give me that!" Jake grabbed for the file flailing before his eyes.
"Just tell me the truth," Jason announced as Jake sat down on the sofa with the folder open on his lap.
"I've always been truthful with you Jason," Jake stated as he now got a good look at what Jason was talking about. It was the file that held all of the materials surrounding Erik's accident and the investigation into it. The years had yellowed many of the pages inside but for Jake the black print on the sheets however were still incredibly vivid.
"Apparently not," the young man countered.
"What's gotten into you son?" Jake asked exasperated at Jason's relentless pursuit of this as he flipped over each page with pain staking diligence. There wasn't any need for him to read a single word since over the years he had had committed all of it memory.
"I don't like being lied to."
"Who lied to you?" Jake huffed. "I've never lied to you Jason. Not in all the years I've known you."
"Yes you have."
"ARGH!" Jake let out a frustrated groan.
"I just want to know why. And if it's true."
"What's true? That you are the cause of Erik's death? HELL NO!"
"Then explain to me why these reports say different?" Jason pressed flipping his hand against the many papers spread out over Jake's lap. "It's all there in black and white. How are you going to deny it?"
"What are you talking about? I don't have to deny anything. You didn't kill your father Jason!" Jake's anger was beginning to get the better of him.
"Yes I did. I was careless and I didn't think and that cost my dad his life!"
Jason's raised voice filtered its way through to the kitchen where Elizabeth and Alison sat in awkward silence. Yet at the sound of her son's declaration she was held spellbound. All her memories – memories that since Jake's arrival she had been so desperately trying to deal with ascended on her like a ton of bricks suddenly crushing her. That day – the day that her whole life changed clicked off frame by frame. She recalled every detail from the breakfast the four of them shared that morning, the way Jake and Jason razzed one another and Erik playing referee. She could see herself in the pits as the team milled around her attending to many of the last minute details before all the cars were due at the pole. Alison touched her lips and remembered how soft Erik's lips felt as he kissed her before climbing behind the wheel of his car. That was the last time she had ever kissed her husband. A chill ran down her spine as the more horrific memories besieged her. Recollections of Erik's car spinning out of control then flying into the air ultimately landing squarely on its roof danced across her mind's eye. But the worst was the one of the doctor shrouded from head to toe in green scrubs coming into the hospital corridor telling her and Jason that they had lost Erik on the operating table.
"Mrs. Morgan?" Elizabeth spoke softly as she saw a look of sheer anguish flash across Jason's mother's eyes. While Elizabeth had very little time for the likes of Alison Morgan especially after her outrageous assumption as to why Jason was in Texas in the first place, she couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion for the woman. She lost her husband and sitting there listening to the rehashing of that horrible event couldn't have been any easier on her than it was on Jason or Jake.
Alison didn't allow herself to look at Elizabeth instead she focused all her thoughts on Jason's words. That somehow he had been the reason that she had been without her husband for so many years. That something he had done had caused his father's car to crash. She felt her body go rigid as those thoughts swirled in her mind. Suddenly she was filled with an unexplainable animosity toward her son. The thought of even looking at Jason at the moment filled her with such rage. Jason had caused Erik's death was all that Alison could think of not even Jake's insistent voice saying otherwise penetrated her thoughts.
"Mrs. Morgan?" Elizabeth said once more. "Are you all right?"
Alison turned and gave the younger woman an incredulous look before bolting from the room leaving Elizabeth alone with her own thoughts and trying like hell to stop herself from entering the living room and into the middle of Jake and Jason's conversation.
"What the hell are you talking about boy? Careless – you not thinking?"
"It's right there in black and white. I was careless. I didn't check the suspension over."
Jake looked at the NASCAR report that Jason was pointing to the one that detailed the cause of the accident – a faulty suspension part. "So what you think this report says you're responsible? Show me please – where on earth does it say through Jason Morgan's careless actions Erik Morgan died? SHOW ME!" Jake held up the report waving in Jason's face. "It doesn't! It doesn't say anything of the sort and it shouldn't since you AREN'T responsible for what happened to Erik's car."
"Yes I am!" Jason retorted angrily hanging on to what he was sure he knew. "Yes I am!"
"Jason – Jason," Jake called at the other man's retreating form. "JASON wait!"
Suddenly Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen in time to see Jason making a bee line toward the door. She shot Jake a sympathetic look who in turn waved her on in her pursuit of Jason. Hurrying she grabbed her bag and beat a path outside.