The sadness that hung in Elizabeth's voice when she told him that she couldn't make it to that afternoon's feature rang in Jason's ears. This was the third race in a row she had had to miss because of some emergency at the hospital. Jason knew what an important role Elizabeth played at the hospital as he had seen it firsthand when Jake had been there but it still stung to hear that she would be missing from the stands once again.

He was slated to win pole position once more and he wanted her to be there to share in his enthusiasm. He had hoped that he had covered his own disappointment telling her that they would celebrate later that evening for sure, yet somehow that thought hadn't satisfied either of them.

Jason tossed his phone onto the nearest bench in the area assigned to the Ryan Racing Team in one of the many garages at Rockingham Speedway and went about his typical before race inspection of his car. The last qualifying race had just began and Jason knew it wouldn't be long before the drivers meeting for the feature would be called. He wanted to be sure that everything was in order. He wondered where Tom had wandered off to. He could have definitely used another set of eyes just to give everything the once over, but it was like he disappeared in a puff of smoke the second Jason had taken Elizabeth's call.

Tom circled the garage for the fourth time Jason's sweet hello to Elizabeth bouncing around in his brain like a pinball. The last thing he wanted to do was stand there and listen to the one-sided conversation filled with words like 'baby', 'honey' and certainly not 'I love you'. Just the thought of it now made Tom want to hurl. The only good thing was for whatever reason Elizabeth had been absent from the last several races so at least he hadn't been subjected to their constant public displays of affection. Yet if Tom had been truly honest with himself there was a part of him that actually missed seeing her, how messed up was that he thought to himself.

Tom gave his head a shake as if somehow that would bring him back to his senses and began thinking about his unholy alliance with Billy Weston. How had he let himself get sucked into any of this? What he wouldn't have done to have gone back to the time before Jake's heart attack. It was just the three of them in the garage working, laughing without all the distractions that Ryan Racing had brought into his and Jason's life.

He knew he couldn't avoid going back inside the garage forever. He was still Jason's mechanic and the feature was only forty-five minutes from starting. Tom was sure he knew exactly where he would find Jason either under the hood or chassis going over everything with a fine tooth comb the way Jake had taught him to do. Sometimes he had to wonder if Jason really did need him at all. Other than being in the pit during the race Tom didn't do a lot he thought truthfully, Jason was quite hands on when it came to his car. He wondered if that all stemmed from his dad's accident all those years ago.

"So, are we good?" Billy Weston's voice startled Tom.

"What?" he asked bringing his focus to the man in the black fire suit standing before him.

"We good?" Billy asked again.

"Sure."

Billy cocked his brow giving Tom a quizzical look. "Really?"

"I said I was in, didn't I?" Tom announced yet Billy heard the hesitation in the other man's voice. The last thing he wanted or needed for that matter was Tom Boudean having a crisis of conscious. "I better get back inside." Tom made a hasty exit leaving Billy with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Where you'd go?" Jason asked when Tom suddenly reappeared as quickly as he had disappeared.

"I had something to take care of," he answered vaguely wanting to add 'what's the hell he doing here?' when Tom saw Leo Jorgenson roll out from under the chassis wiping his hands on the oil stained rag.

"You were right it's definitely leaking. But there should be enough time to change the fitting."

"What fitting?" Tom questioned.

"The last thing you need out on the track is the rear end locking up on you," Leo said completely ignoring Tom's presence and inquiry.

"I just went over all grease fitting in the rear axles," Tom countered. "Let me look." Leo absently kicked the creeper in Tom's direction without really acknowledging him.

"It's a quick fix. We can have it changed out and greased up before they call the driver's meeting. Why take the chance?" Leo asked.

"It wasn't leaking earlier," Tom said emerging from beneath Jason's brilliant blue machine.

"Well it is now," Leo said matter of fact.

"You must have messed with it!" Tom accused.

"You're kidding, right?" Leo spat incredulously.

"Well it wasn't leaking before you looked at it!" Tom stressed.

Suddenly Jason missed Elizabeth even more than he thought he could. What he wouldn't have given at that moment to have her calming force not to mention the fact that she would have crawled under the car herself and fixed the issue while the men around her continued arguing.

"Enough already!" Jason's booming voice stifled the warring opinions waging on in front of him. "I found it!" Jason turned and gave Tom a piercing stare. He couldn't believe that Tom had even suggested that Leo would have tampered with his car. The thought was absolutely ridiculous.

"We're wasting time," Leo pushed. "The race is going to start soon."

"Don't you have your own car to work on?" Tom shot back.

Before Leo could answer Jason spoke up, "Tom's right. I don't want you neglecting your own car for the sake of mine. We'll handle changing the fitting," Jason motioned to himself and Tom.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Liz would have my ass if something happens to you out there because you were too busy helping me." Jason grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry I can take her," Leo laughed.

"Oh, you think?" Jason eyed him wearily. "She'd give you a run for your money I'd bet."

Leo's only response was to shrug his shoulders. "You sure?" he motioned toward the rear end of Jason's car.

"How many times does he have to tell you go work on your own damn car?" Tom barked.

"Down boy," Leo said in the direction of where Jason's mechanic stood. "I'll catch up with you at the meeting."

"You bet. What the hell is your problem?" Jason turned to Tom when he was sure Leo was out of earshot. "You seriously were accusing Leo of messing with my car? What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, forget it. Let's get to changing that fitting." Tom wasn't in the mood to listen to his once best friend bestow the virtues of Leo Jorgenson to him for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"I'll take care it," Jason announced still starring at his friend with disbelieving eyes as he headed towards the large red tool box grabbing the needed tools and quickly vanishing beneath the chassis.

Tom clenched his fists tightly at his sides anger seething within. Not only had Jason basically dismissed him but the entire garage had been a witness to it. He felt his muscles grow taut and his jaw tighten. "Have you had enough yet?" Billy Weston called to him as Tom went storming out of the garage all the while laughing to himself thinking that this was like taking candy from a baby.

Leo and Jason stood to the back of the hoard of drivers as the racing officials droned on with the same tired speech that they heard at every race. Jason did however enjoy the fact that the name Weston had not been one of the names announced in the first five starting positions. Jason took great pleasure in watching Weston's ire even though those around him only saw his typical game day face. He knew how pissed his teammate was being relegated to the second row.

As the crowd of drivers began to disperse heading back to their respective areas of the track readying themselves for the start of the race Jason heard a soft purr in his ear and felt a delicate touch trace the curve of his shoulder blade. "Third time at pole position. Impressive."

There was no need for him to turn around to see who was behind him. He knew instantly that Theresa Kennedy was hot on his trail as she had been at the three previous races. She used her relationship, and Jason used that term loosely, with Billy Weston to gain access to any and all areas the Ryan team drivers were and lately her sole focus had been directed at him. "What do you want?" he questioned barely looking back at her.

"I just wanted to say congratulations."

"I'm sure your boyfriend just loves that," Jason scoffed. "Where is Weston, by the way? Shouldn't you be off helping him lick his wounds? Didn't you happen to notice his tenth place starting position?"

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere," she replied off handedly as she quickened her pace hoping to catch up to Jason. The variety of reporters milling around the track wasn't lost on Theresa and she knew that snapping a photo of Jason Morgan, Pat Ryan's golden boy, was high atop their priority list. She wasn't about to miss her own photo op with him if she could help it. In fact, at the last few races she had been quite successful at insinuating herself in a photo or two being sure she put herself as close to Jason as humanly possible.

Theresa would have taken great pleasure in seeing Elizabeth's face when she saw those pictures. She grinned sinisterly imagining the turmoil those had caused and loving every minute of it. Theresa could only bet that Princess Ryan was beside herself wondering what was taking place in her absence. "I guess you better go," she said as the loud speaker overhead called the drivers to their starting positions. "Good luck out there," she cooed touching Jason's arm seductively just as a camera bulb flashed. Satisfied her work was done there, Theresa sauntered off hips swaying in the wind.

Jason felt his skin crawl. Theresa Kennedy was another reason why he so desperately missed Elizabeth at the races. Without her there Theresa was like a leech unwilling to let go. The fact that she had appeared in one too many photos with him in the racing sections of the local newspapers was a little unnerving. Elizabeth had yet to mention them but Jason knew he was being played and he didn't much like it nor the fact that Theresa would do what she could to hurt the woman he loved. He did what he could to erase those thoughts from his mind as he saw the members of his pit crew pushing his car to the pits for the start of the race.

Elizabeth slumped back against the cool black leather of her office chair and let out a heavy sigh. It killed her to miss another race yet the piles of paperwork scattered over her desk and credenza told her this was exactly where she had to be. Her department was down by two staff members so their caseload had been distributed to the remaining patient advocates which meant she not only had her own families to work with but a few she had only met briefly so that made offering them assistance somewhat difficult at times.

Looking down at her to do list which seemed to be getting longer by the minute rather than shorter, she couldn't help glance at her watch. It was nearly time for the feature to start. She longed to be there watching Jason take his starting position at the pole. She was so proud of what he could do in a race car. She hadn't seen another driver with his forte for the sport not even her father in his hay day could do what Jason could do behind the wheel of a race car. She almost laughed thinking how that must have infuriated her father in some way expect for the fact that Jason's wins were serving the Ryan name well. And winning he was, even at the height of Billy's run at Ryan Racing his stats couldn't compare to those of Jason's. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at that thought. She knew all too well what Billy's career meant to him and the lengths he had gone to climb his way to the top only to have Jason knock him off without really even trying. Served him right she thought to herself. "What comes around goes around," she said out loud.

She had to wonder when Theresa Kennedy would get her comeuppance as well. Even though Elizabeth realized now that in her relentless pursuit of Billy Theresa had done her a huge favor yet at the time it hadn't felt like it and she certainly wasn't oblivious to her rival's unyielding desire to insinuate herself in any situation that brought her closer to Jason.

Elizabeth hated the sick feeling that had taken up residence in the pit of her stomach over the last few weeks. She hadn't been able to shake the eerie sensation of deja vue she was having and even though she knew Jason was nothing like Billy anxiety still plagued her none the less not to mention having the likes of Theresa Kennedy at the root of her insecurity enraged her even more. She despised admitting that the gash Billy's betrayal left on her heart wasn't as healed as she wanted it to be.

Forcefully she pushed herself away from her desk knowing full well that she wouldn't be getting any work done until she at least caught even just a few laps of the race that afternoon at Rockingham Speedway. Elizabeth had no doubt that she would be able to find the race playing on any one of the dozens of televisions in the various waiting areas throughout the hospital. She'd give herself a few minutes of viewing time and then it would be back to work she promised herself.

"When's your break?" Elizabeth asked startling her redhaired best friend who was reviewing a chart behind the nurse's station on the surgical floor.

Melanie grinned at her friend watching as she did her best not to show her anxiousness. "I'm shocked it took you this long to come find me," she joked. Melanie knew how much Elizabeth loved being at the track and the fact that she had missed so many races lately was wearing on her not to mention the fact that Theresa Kennedy had strategically manipulated far too many photo opportunities to her advantage being at the right place at just the right time to get herself in enough photos with Jason to make Melanie want to slap that smirk right of the brunette's face.

"Very funny," Elizabeth quipped. "And don't tell me that you aren't interested in seeing how Leo's doing today." Elizabeth watched as Melanie's face turned the same crimson color as her hair. She was well aware that things between her male and female best friends had slowed considerably each one of them doing what they could do to avoid the other yet whenever one of their names was brought up in passing conversation it was easy the effect it had on them. Elizabeth just wished the two of them would get out of their own way already and admit what the rest of the world already saw.

"Let's go," Melanie said stepping out from behind the nurse's station but refused to acknowledge her friend's remark.

The surgical waiting room was quiet only a few people were perched in the chairs lining the outside walls but as Elizabeth expected the large fifty inch flat screen television was tuned to the local NASCAR affiliate. The two women took seats directly across from the screen and noticed that the race was running under yellow caution flag. The announcer's monologue described some sort of debris on the track from an earlier accident. It was the word accident that had both of them moving to the edges of their seats.

Elizabeth scanned the cars circling the television screen in a vain attempt to somehow find Jason's bright blue metallic machine as she would have done if she had been sitting in the stands and Melanie's reaction was to reach for her friend's hand with her own shaky one. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to the fear she felt every time she thought about what could happen to Leo out on the track. As much as her heart wanted to run with the feelings she had for Leo, she didn't know if she could take the risk of falling for someone whose job was to travel in excess of 175mph on a daily basis.

Finally the commentator broadcast the name of the race team whose driver was out of the race due to the accident and both women let out a heavy sigh of relief. While still under the caution the station cut to an earlier interview and suddenly Elizabeth saw The Ryan Racing Logo and her father appeared on the large screen before her. Of course he was being questioned about how his team was doing in the race for the Winston Cup and what a stroke of luck it had been to get Jason Morgan midseason. Elizabeth smiled when Jason's name was mentioned but as quickly as the smile appeared it faded when the camera panned the Ryan Team area of the garage her eyes were immediately drawn to Theresa Kennedy leaning against the rear end of Jason's car. Melanie saw it too and felt her friend immediately tense beside her.

"You know Theresa. She's forever looking for the fifteen minutes of fame." Melanie tried to make light of it. But when the next frame showed Jason walking around the car and Theresa reach out and touch his shoulder she knew that there wasn't much she could say to lighten the mood even if she was sure to the rest of the world that touch hadn't even registered. It did to Elizabeth though and Melanie knew it. "You okay?"

"I have to get back to work," Elizabeth said hastily.

"Liz, don't…"

"Don't what?"

Melanie saw the set of her friend's jaw and she knew Elizabeth was doing her best not let the tears escape her passed her thick lashes. "Don't let her get to you. Besides like I said you know Theresa no matter where that camera would have been she would have found a way to be in its sights."

Elizabeth knew that part of what Melanie said was true. Theresa was always the first person to find her way to whatever driver was in the spotlight but the fact that that driver was now Jason rubbed her nerves raw. "Really, I need to get back to work," she announced without giving credence to Melanie's remarks.

"Elizabeth, wait," Melanie called to her as she exited the room with great haste.

The heavy wooden door to her office closed with a loud thud as Elizabeth pressed her back against it forcing back the tears. The last thing she wanted to do was let Theresa get the better of her again and she desperately wanted to trust Jason enough to know that she didn't have to be at every race to be sure he wasn't consorting with the likes of Theresa Kennedy yet seeing her strut around his car and knowing that the entire racing world saw it too had her feeling she was being played once more. "Damn it!" she growled

Melanie picked up her cell phone scrolling through her contacts stopping on Leo's number. Yes she knew he wouldn't be answering it but she needed to do something about what had just happened and he was the only person who she knew could help. "Hey, when you get this call me. We have a problem."