Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and show of support! I honestly didn't expect this, so it really means a lot.

I have this story plotted out to be about 13 chapters, so there's that.

Anyway, no more delays. Here's the next part!

1

Monday, August 31, 2020
General Hospital 10th Floor Nurses' Station

The kiss is normal - a balance of acceptance, gratitude, and a pinch of love to tie it all together. Her kisses she shared with her husband have always felt the same, albeit with more passion on the nights they fall into bed together. It's a familiarity she's grown used to, one that is safe. One that she has long since accepted.

The zing of sensation that zips down her spine and raises goosebumps across her skin in awareness is familiar too in a far different way.

Breaking her kiss with Franco, Elizabeth slides her gaze over his shoulder, knowing before their eyes even connect who's stare she'll see. Jason looks at her blankly, and she's, once again as she has for the past four days, brought back to their moment on the rooftop.

The once warm and comforting embrace of Franco teeters on the edge of stifling. She does her best not to flinch at the peck on her cheek that reeks of possession when his gaze finds where her attention has drifted off to.

"I'll see you at home," he adds in boyish glee with a grin to match.

She nods, eyes finally shifting to unremarkable brown orbs with an agreeing smile. "See you." She slides her arms from around his neck, turning to walk into the nurse's station all the while watching his departure from the corner of her eye. His path takes him past Jason, who may as well have become a stone sentinel for all the life he's exhibited since the moment their eyes locked.

Only when Franco has disappeared around the corner does a fraction of his rigidness seem to fade. Elizabeth drops her gaze to a teal chart she picks up, not wanting to watch his approach. No, the ever growing buzz across her skin is more than enough to alert her to his arrival at the station.

"Hey Elizabeth..."

Her heart jolts at the unique infliction of her name only he's ever used, sending her handwriting from a smooth flow to a shaky legible which she cuts off before it gets any worse. Inhaling, she chances a glance up into his eyes through her lashes and winces inside. Despite his warm address, his eyes are guarded, no doubt because of the visual reminder of her relationship with Franco. She looks back down at the words on the page before her that may as well be gibberish for all the sense it's making right now.

"Hey Jason, is there anything I can do for you?" The words taste like plastic on her tongue with how formal she sounds as if she's speaking to a stranger and not the man she's known inside and out for nearly half her life. The inherent wrongness of the situation has her gingerly placing her chart and pen down in hopes of steadying her hands as she awaits his answer.

"It's a... It's about Franco."

That snaps her head up. There's venom suddenly flowing in her veins she recognizes as the knee jerk reaction to defend her husband. Distantly, she wonders when one man became more important than every other relationship in her life. Though that's swallowed within the caustic storm fueling her emotions and her every word. "What about him Jason? I thought we agreed to disagree on this?"

His nostrils flare and his jaw tightens, but he keeps an even tone. "We have, but Elizabeth, I don't think—"

"Cameron loves him. Aiden loves him. Jake loves him." It's a low deliberate blow and he flinches back, his eyes becoming glacial. A tiny voice in the back of her mind tries to get her to see how much like an insane shrew she sounds towards the man that's never judged her, always listened, and has only ever wanted her to be happy. Instead, she continues to lash out. "Franco is the only stable and reliable father they've had. What more could you possibly say to try and take that from them?"

He stares at her for a long silent moment, then shakes his head casting his gaze away from her. He takes a step back. "Sam was right. I shouldn't have come here," he mutters.

He's retreating. Don't say another word. Shut up! "Right... Sam who's risking two years in prison away from her kids all because you can't stay away from her," she scoffs, a viscous smirk curling her lips. "I see where your properties lie."

His eyes flash to hers, and, for the briefest moment before their walled off behind impenetrable ice, she catches the forefront of his emotions.

Devastation.

"I'll take care of this myself." His tone clipped, Jason storms towards the elevators.

The button is pressed. The ding sounds. He slides into the silver walls, all while she watches with a swollen throat. Her chest aches something fierce and she seeks his gaze with desperation through the closing doors, but he refuses her by keeping his head down. The doors seal off and Elizabeth finds she can barely breathe. Her ears roar with her frantic heartbeat. What have I done? Why do I keep doing this?

"Nurse Webber, what on earth is going on here?" Head Nurse Epiphany, and one of the few friends she has left, demands as she strides into the station along with a few other nurses on duty.

Elizabeth snatches up two charts and makes a beeline away from the elevators. "It's nothing," is all she can manage past the knot wedged in her throat. It's over, she adds silently.

She makes it around the corner where she pauses long enough to tilt her head towards skyward, willing away her blurred vision with deep shaky breaths. It's for the best. We can't be friends. You know that.

When her anguish is buried deep enough to where she can at least pretend it never existed, she throws herself into her job and away from the shards of her relationship with Jason strewn across the floor.

—

Friday, September 11, 2020
Webber-Baldwin Living Room

"Jacob Martin get your butt down here! Your bus will be here in less than ten minutes!" Elizabeth calls sharply with hands on her hips and eyes trained on the stairs.

"I'm coming mom! I just need to find my homework!" Jake shouts back, and she rolls her eyes skyward.

"I swear that boy has all of my scatterbrained-ness and none of his father's order," she comments under her breath, feeling the ache within her heart give a mournful pang in doing so. It's been over two weeks without a single glimpse of Jason, even with his twice a week visits with their son. Would an apology even help at this point? she wonders. He was about to remind her again of how much her husband is supposedly bad news in spite of how much Franco has changed.

It's the same old song and dance she can no longer participate in. If Jason is determined to avoid her, she'll let him. His promise to keep fighting for her friendship is fiercely ignored.

She kneels beside her youngest who's sitting on the couch. "Are you sure you've got everything, Aiden?" She helps him zip up his backpack, tilting her head to meet his doe brown eyes.

His answering grin shines in his eyes, warming her heart. "Yeah, mom! And don't forget my new friends, Andy and Layla, are coming over for a sleepover."

Her smile stretches into her cheeks. "Of course I won't forget, baby. I can't wait to meet them." She'd been so worried about him with the start of his fourth grade year, it was almost like he'd regressed back to when he was being bullied the year prior. But about a week ago he told her he'd made a new friend, and just this week said friend helped remind him that people will like him for simply being himself.

Aiden springs from his seat, snapping her from her thoughts as he gasps, "I almost forgot the oatmeal raisin cookies!"

"Got'em right here, big guy," Franco states with a grin, coming from the kitchen with the saran wrapped cookies in hand.

She stands to her feet as Aiden rushes to get them. "Thanks! He said he didn't have a favorite, but I thought he might like these 'cause he doesn't look like a sweets person," he explains while placing the cookies in his backpack.

Raising an eyebrow towards Franco, her eyes drift down to her little boy. "Are you talking about Andy...?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. Andy loves sweets."

Franco lowers to his haunches, catching on to her line of thought and asks, "Your first friend then? The one who helped you out? Why don't you invite him over too?"

Again, Aiden shakes his head. "He said it would be a bad idea."

Puzzled now, Elizabeth sweeps her hand through his soft brown curls, making sure he's looking up into her eyes. "Well, what's his name, sweetie? Maybe I can pick you up from school today and assure him that it's no problem at all if he wants to stay over."

Footsteps thunder down the stairs, Jake's frenzied shout stopping Aiden short of answering, "Mom, the bus!"

Both boys dart towards the door, she and Franco on their tails. She squeezes in a quick kiss to both their heads. "I love you. Have fun at school!"

"Love you too! Bye mom! Bye Franco!" they say together before dashing towards the yellow bus.

Once it pulls away from the curb, she turns towards Franco who's lowering his hands from his wave. "What do you think that was about?"

He shrugs one shoulder, then winds an arm around her own, guiding her back inside. "I don't know. But what I do know is that I should probably pick up a little extra tonight, just in case."

Not having any better ideas on the matter herself, she agrees. Grabbing her phone from the coffee table, she slips it into her purse, then turns back to him. "I'm heading off to work now."

"Yeah and I've got a commission to work on." He gathers her close into the woody aroma like that of a new tin of charcoal pencils surrounding him, his hands encircling her shoulders. "I love you."

Her heart doesn't race, a fact she's learned to be content with. "I love you too," she expresses deeply from the small corner of her heart that belongs to him, turning her face up to accept his kiss.

—

General Hospital Parking Garage

Taking a long sip of the hot chocolate mixed with a shot of coffee, Elizabeth strolls through the silent garage. She assisted three surgeries, was puked on twice, and had to see an older patient pass on. Saying she's exhausted would be an understatement, and her day isn't close to being over. She takes another drink, savoring the fuel.

After checking her phone to be assured Cameron made it to his friend, Trina's, house where he'll be spending the weekend along with Joselyn Jacks, she rounds the column leading to the section she parked and stops short. Standing by a sleek black SUV several cars down from her beaten blue Camry is Jason. Tingles spark along her skin, livening her up more thoroughly than the caffeine in her drink. He looks up from his phone, his eyebrows shooting up, as surprised as she is.

Then he slips his phone into his jean pocket, tucking his hands into them too, his posture going stiff like he wants to move but he doesn't chance it. Six feet of pure muscle and he looks prepared to have his head bitten off by her five foot three petite frame. Her heart clenches and her stomach twists in knots, the feeling of wrongness like ash on her tongue. She had wanted a chance to apologize before. Well, the gods have just handed her a gift she'll gladly take.

Sidling up to him, she offers her best I-mean-no-harm grin. "Hi, Jason."

His returning smile is slight but beautiful nonetheless, and when his shoulders round, his eyes softening around the edges, her constricted chest eases. "Hey, Elizabeth," his tongue caresses her name, unwittingly sending her heart racing before he nods to the nearly forgotten drink in her hand. "Let me guess. Hot chocolate?"

She hums, lips pressing together in a failed attempt to hide her growing smile. "Close. There's coffee in here too. After the day I've had and the evening I'm about to endure, I need this," she confesses before indulging in more chocolaty goodness.

When he raises an eyebrow in question, she further explains, "With Cameron spending the weekend with Trina and Joselyn, and Jake spending the weekend with you, Aiden invited some friends over, so I'm going to be entertaining a house full of children tonight." There's no real angst in her voice with how pleased she is with her son.

His smile broadens and his eyes twinkle under the fluoresces. She steps closer without thought. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm glad to hear Aiden's doing okay."

Nodding her head, she takes a breath of leather and Jason scent for courage and tucks her hair behind her ears. "Listen Jason... about what happened at the hospital—"

The pale blue lights in the garage flicker, then go out. The sudden darkness silences her. She hears the faint pad of footsteps, sees a line of red like a laser pierce the blackness...

She's flying backward to the ground under a heavy weight, her drink splattering somewhere behind her. The wind is knocked out of her when they land with his hand cushioning with her head. But her mind is stuck in idle, unable to process, until she hears a soft zip through the air and the sharp plink of a bullet ricocheting off cement.

That was aimed at me.

Her heart surges upward, her breathing escalating as Jason hauls her up and drags her to the side where his bullet proof truck resides. Footsteps pound against the pavement before he's made it two steps. Hands grab her and yank at the resistance of Jason's hold on her, unlocking her voice in an instant.

"Help! Somebody help us!"

"Damn it, leave her alone! Let her go!" Jason roars as the sound of more people approaching compete against the pounding of her heart in her ears.

Ultimately the sickening thud of metal against flesh wins out.

Jason buckles with a groan, his hold slackening, and she screeches. "JASON!"

I can't see, what's happening? Oh god please.

Snatched away from him, she immediately throws her weight back like he taught her, tilting her captor off balance enough to send them toppling backwards. She rolls and tries to leap back to her feet, but more hands grab her and she begins thrashing and howling Jason's name as tears wet her cheeks. I can't see him. I can't see anything. Oh god, oh god.

She hears his weak call of her name before a hand is pressed over her mouth and the prick of a needle is felt in her arm. She slips into unconsciousness soon after.