Jason breathed in the fresh air as he took the scenic dock route back towards the hospital. After learning from another nurse that Elizabeth wasn't scheduled to work this evening, he had decided to wait for her at her house. Using his key, Jason let himself into Elizabeth's home and waited. After waking up from a few hours of sleep on her couch, he realized that Elizabeth was nowhere in sight and that his texts and calls were still unanswered. He decided that he would head back to the hospital and either catch her there or wait to visit with Sam again. Visiting hours wouldn't start until 7 a.m., but Jason decided to return and sit in the waiting room. This would help calm his unexplainable need to be close to her, and make sure he could run interference in case Elizabeth came on shift in the morning.

There was so much to process. His head was still swimming with all of the information he had taken in. His life now almost unrecognizable from the life he thought he had when he woke up this morning. There was excitement and anxiety coursing through his system at the same time. There were a number of reasons that he and Sam could not just pick up where their marriage left off. Hell, he wasn't even sure they were still married. But, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wouldn't be able to rest until her place in his life was clear and established. Even more disturbing was the feeling that her rightful place in his life was and would always be as his wife. The thought seemed crazy. They barely knew each other now, and he most certainly was not the same man that had disappeared from her life so many years ago. Still, his gut was telling him that they were always meant to be. They just needed time to sort through life as it currently was, and he was beginning to have no doubt that his rightful place was standing beside Sam as her husband and protecting Danny as his father.

Danny….the thought of the blond-haired toddler brought a smile to his face. Jason stopped at a pier and looked out over the dark water. His resolve to be with Sam only grew when he considered his son. He'd remembered the heartbreak in Sam's eyes as she told Jake about all of the moments Jason would miss in the boy's life. Jason picked up his pace to the hospital. Maybe he would be able to get past the night nurse and rest at Sam's side.

Sam woke up to the feel of a blood pressure cuff, as the nurse checked her vitals. She had no idea what time it was, but the darkness outside her hospital window told her that it was either really late or really early. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus, with the bit of light coming in from the hallway.

"How am I holding up?" She asked groggily. "Think they will let me out of here anytime soon?"

Her eyes focused, just as the nurse responded.

"I don't think so Sam, you have been through quite a bit over the last couple of days." Elizabeth responded.

"You would know just how much, wouldn't you?" Sam quickly snatched her arm away and adjusted herself struggling to sit up.

"You have some nerve coming in here, but I'm glad you did. I don't want you as my nurse. The thing keeping me from beating the hell out of you right now is the fact that I need answers. Once we have this conversation, I don't ever want to see your face again."

"Sam I…." Elizabeth began to back away slowly.

"Don't waste your breath trying to deny anything. I know what you are capable of. I know what a liar you are and how manipulative you can be. You will stay here, answer my questions and then you will get the hell out of my life and Jason's."

If looks alone could kill, Elizabeth would have been dead and buried. Sam grabbed the bar on her bed to steady herself as she sat up further. She was barely keeping her anger in check.

"Start talking. And if I even think that you are trying to feed me another lie, I swear it will be the last one you ever tell."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably then a look of defeat came over her face. "I never meant to hurt anyone, Sam. I really did see a way for us to all be happy…. I first found out at the Nurse's Ball. When I walked out on that stage I had every intention of telling everyone." Elizabeth nervously began to pace back and forth. "Then I saw you and Patrick with Emma….you looked so happy. An after everything Patrick and Emma had been through with Robin I didn't..."

"Don't you dare!" Sam interrupted coldly. "Don't you dare act like what you did was about anyone but you, you selfish witch." Sam gripped the railing of her bed tightly. Her heart rate monitor beeping quicker by the second.

"Were you ever going to tell the truth, or were you planning to lie your way into the grave? You say you love Jason, could you lie to his face everyday? You're a mother, you know what it is like for your son to grow up without a father. How could you do that to Jason's child?"

"Jason was with the child that needed him the most!" Elizabeth yelled. Her meek and innocent facade quickly fading.

"Danny was fine. He didn't know Jason. He didn't need Jason. He had Patrick. Jake needed him. That boy has been through so much and he deserves to have something...someone good in his life."

Sam swung her tired legs over the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the cold floor.

"What are you doing? Sam, you shouldn't get out of bed." Elizabeth began to back away toward the door.

"No, I need to look you in your eyes when I say this. So you have no doubt that I mean it."

"You were right about one thing, Elizabeth. Jake does need someone good in his life. All your boys do and that person sure as hell isn't you. You are so delusional that you have actually convinced yourself that your lies are about more than you trying to claim a man that you could not have in your life any other way. I would almost feel sorry for you if I didn't want to beat the hell out of you." Sam began to walk closer and closer to the woman dragging the I.V. pole behind her and causing the woman to turn and inch back towards the bed. Sam followed, and with her back to the door finally stopped.

"You actually were smart to do this in the hospital. If I wasn't tied up with all these tubes it would take 10 people to pull me off you. You put my family through hell because you knew that even as Jake Doe, the bond Jason has with me was undeniable. Make no mistake, he may not remember me but me and his son were always in his heart. You tried to keep him away, but you failed Elizabeth. Jason is back and he will be in Danny's life and mine. So help me, he will have nothing else to do with you beyond taking care of Jake."

A fire lit in Elizabeth's eyes as she inched towards Sam.

"Who's being selfish now, Sam. Are you just going to act like Patrick and Emma don't exist?"

"You little.." Sam raised her arm to place a slap across Elizabeth's face, but found that she couldn't move it forward.

"What is going on?" Jason said as he quickly stepped in the room and placed a gentle but strong grip on Sam's wrist.

"What the hell are you doing here Elizabeth?" he said forcefully, throwing a glare at the woman

"You shouldn't be out of bed." He said softly as he lowered his head and spoke softly into Sam's ear.

Sam watched as a flash of pain crossed Elizabeth's face. Most likely because of the difference in tone he had used with the two women. The adrenaline rushed out of Sam's body and she began to feel the effects of her injuries. Sensing her need, Jason gently lifted her in his arms, sure to avoid the tubes, and carried her back to the bed as she dragged the I.V. pole.

Elizabeth moved out of the way and slowly inched towards the door.

"I just started my shift and I came to check on Sam, Jason. She got upset and started to get in my face."

Jason dropped the blanket that he was draping over Sam and turned to face the other woman.

"Exactly what were you expecting her to do when you came in here Elizabeth? Did you think that you could smooth things over with her before I told her the whole story? Or were just testing the waters to see what she knew, led by some misguided belief that if you came clean to her I wouldn't be as angry with you?"

"I would never do that. You know me Jason, I…" she began with tears running down her face.

"You know what, Elizabeth? Don't bother. You need to leave Sam's room right now. I'll be sure to tell Epiphany that my wife needs another nurse and you are not allowed anywhere near her."

It was clear by the look on her face that she did not miss the reference to Sam as his wife. "Jason, please just talk to me. Let me explain."

"Go!" Jason yelled, startling both women.

He turned his back on Elizabeth to face Sam. When he heard the door close he leaned in and placed his forehead to hers.

"I'm so sorry. I was trying to find her when I left. I was going to tell her to leave you alone." He whispered. "Are you ok? Do I need to call another nurse or a doctor?"

Sam gently placed her hands on the side of his face and leaned in to him. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for stepping in."

"Didn't want you catching assault charges and aggravating your wound." Jason laughed as he leaned back to look at her face. He could tell that she was tired.

"Yeah, well she was lucky you were here because I would have happily dealt with that pain and those charges."

"You shouldn't have gotten worked up like that."

"Jason," Sam began with a warning tone. " Don't you dare start to defend her. She had no business coming in here." Sam's voice began to raise and Jason quickly grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her palm."

"Calm down. I wasn't going to defend her. I am only concerned about you. Have you forgotten that you just got out of surgery less than 24 hours ago?"

Sam let out a deep breath. " I know. Thank you for caring. I'm sorry for snapping." She stared up into his eyes.

"No need to apologize." Jason quickly pressed another kiss to her forehead. " I'll make sure she doesn't bother you anymore, but you have to promise me that you will relax and recover so that you can get back to our son. Promise?"

"Danny. I miss him already. I know we shouldn't rush things, but I can't wait for you to meet him as his dad." Sam smiled as a yawn came through and she suddenly felt tired.

"Trust me, I can't wait either. We will start to figure it out in the morning. Close your eyes, and get some sleep." Jason said as he tucked the blanket in and started to get out off the bed. Sam reached out and grabbed him with closed eyes.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" she said softly.

Jason couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips.

"I'll be here while you sleep. I'm going to step out and get some coffee, then I'm not going anywhere but that chair right over there." Before he could think differently, He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Mmmm, I've missed you." she sighed as she turned on her side.

A warmth came over Jason as he slowly backed a way and settled into the recliner chair by the window.

Moments later when Jason could hear Sam's slow level breathing and he was sure that she was asleep, he quietly left the room. Jason hadn't lied when he told Sam that he would leave to get coffee then return to her said. He just didn't mention that he would take a slight detour past the nurses station to sort a few things out with Elizabeth before he returned. The conversation was overdue. He needed set boundaries so that he could continue his relationship with Jake and make it clear that anything else between them was done.

Jason slowly walked to the station and saw Elizabeth at a computer with her back to him. "I want to have this conversation once, then I have nothing else to say to you unless it involves my son." Jason said sternly and calmly rested his arms on the station counter."

Elizabeth slowly took her hands off the computer keyboard and turned to face him. "Our son, Jason. I know you probably hate me. But everything I did was out of love. Let's go talk somewhere more private."