A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm so glad you are liking the action. Here is some more.

Chapter 13

Audrey and Elizabeth are listening as they drive to Mercy and Liz almost has to pull over when she heard the reporter voice that he isn't sure they could have survived it.

"They are going to be okay. I won't accept any other outcome," Audrey said.

Liz gripped the wheel and then slammed on her brakes when a woman ran in front of them with her hands up.

"Stop! Please help me. My son is trapped."

She put the car in park and followed the woman towards a store front. The windows are broken out and there is debris on the ground everywhere. "Where is he?"

"Inside."

Liz swallows hard and climbs through the window and is stunned. There are clothes everywhere and the store is in complete shambles. "Where is he?"

She led the way towards the back. The clerk had run when it first started shaking and she hadn't seen her since. "When it happened, he panicked and ran into the office and shut the door and I can't get it open."

Outside, Audrey waved down Finn and Dante and they pulled over.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a little boy that is trapped. Liz went in with his mom."

They rushed towards the store and then joined the women inside.

"He's stuck in there because the frame shifted," Liz explained.

"What's his name?"

"Eddie," the woman said tearfully.

"Eddie, are you okay in there?"

"Yeah."

"How old are you?"

"Eight."

"That's old," Dante said. He glanced at Finn. "We may have to knock it down."

"Are you near the door?" Finn asked.

"Yeah."

"Is there room to move to the side?"

"Uh—huh."

They could hear him move and then they fiddled with the door before using their shoulders and body weight to try and ram it open. After several attempts, it finally shifted and they pried it open.

The boy ran past them into his mother's arms. Quickly, everyone went outside and the guys looked them over to make sure they didn't have any injuries.

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For several moments, there is dead silence. The crowd is too stunned to move and Jason is scared they had lost Zander.

"We're not going back the way we came. It's not an option," Johnny said after breathing a sigh of relief. Too much debris is covering the crawl space.

Zander whimpers.

"You still with me?" Jason asked.

"It hurts so bad. I—I'm going to pass out."

Jason moves to the crevice and enlarges it and then pokes his head through the hole. "Ronnie!"

"I'm here." He slightly turned to look at the men on the ground. "They're alive! Get me back over there."

The ladder edges closer. "I can see you." Ronnie is surprised that the building hasn't completely come down.

"How close can you get?"

"A little ways in."

"Move," Johnny said.

Jason ducks back down and Johnny takes the chain saw to make the hole a little bigger and then pulls himself up and manages to lie on the floor above.

"If we can get him up here, we can step on the furniture behind me and ease our way across. I'm going to move forward and back and test it."

"Be careful."

Johnny let's go of the wall and then scales to his left and back. "It's doable even with the extra weight. The furniture is wedged in there, so we can step on it."

"Alright, get down here and we'll figure it out. Ronnie, you're going to have get out of the basket."

Ronnie carefully eases his way out and makes his way to the opening where he peers down into the hole as Johnny lands. "I'm right here. Just let me know what you want me to do."

Jason nods and turns to Johnny. "He's passed out. I want to try to lift the ceiling up and you pull him out."

"There's a lot of crap sitting on top of him."

Ronnie assesses the situation and starts to clear some of the debris and yells before tossing it outside. It had helped seeing their position and soon, he clears enough out of the way so Jason can shift the fractured ceiling. Lucky for them, it's also cracked a short distance away, so it will be easier to lift the damaged section.

"What are we doing once we lift it?" Johnny asked.

"We could shore it up with some of the wood lying around," Francis said.

Jason moved towards the crack. "Ronnie, can you come down?" There will barely be enough room for all of them, but they can make it work.

Soon he is kneeling next to them.

"Alright, the three of us are going to lift and Ronnie is going to shove that piece of wood under it. Hopefully, it will hold long enough for us to move him onto the back board."

Francis got it ready. The EMT had also hooked a neck brace on it.

The men used all their strength they had to push that ceiling up and Ronnie deftly put the wood into position. They worked quickly to put on the neck brace and carefully moved him onto the board and secured him.

Johnny took his pulse. "He's still with us, but it's weak."

"His body is probably going into shock," Ronnie said before climbing up. "Let's do this."

Johnny joined him and then Jason and Francis hoisted Zander up and Ronnie and Johnny grabbed him and set him down for a moment. Ronnie jumped into the basket while Jason pulled himself up and then helped Johnny lift Zander and they placed the board across the basket opening and then Johnny got on the ladder before yelling for them to move it back slowly. Zander is lodged between them and the men make sure he stays put as the ladder starts to retract.

Mac cursed as he watched the precarious operation. Luckily, they are close to the ground.

Max helps Johnny get Zander to an ambulance and Spinelli grabs some water and hands it to them. He and Max had gotten the other man out, who was trapped several apartments away, and he's in transit to Mercy with serious injuries, but they think he'll make it.

There's a loud noise and some people start to scream as the building starts to shift again.

"Jason!" Johnny yells as he his body jerks towards the structure.

The cameraman swings the camera towards the area the men are in and everyone gasps as the structure starts to collapse and Jason and Francis run for the opening and manage to jump, hitting the ground and rolling before coming to a stop on their stomachs.

The men's gazes lock and then they start to laugh.

"That was some crazy shit," Francis said, making Jason laugh harder.

While the other first responders get their reaction, the rest of the crowd is stunned.

Max, Johnny, and Spinneli rush towards them, snapping everyone out of their shock and drop to the ground next to them.

"Are you okay?" Spinelli asked.

"Yeah. It hurt like a bitch, but I'm good," Jason said.

They help the men sit up and applause breaks out and everyone starts to cheer.

"I'll celebrate when I know he's alright," Jason said solemnly.

Francis pouted. "I loved that chainsaw."

Jason grinned. "I'll buy you a new one. You earned it."

Sonny shook his head. "You guys are going to give me gray hair early."

They laughed as they patted each other on the backs.

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When Elizabeth and Audrey finally see the replay of the rescue, they are stunned. "I don't know whether to kill him or kiss him."

Audrey chuckled. "That jump was pretty hot."

"Grams!"

Epiphany chuckled. "She's absolutely right."

Liz shook her head. "He could have died in there."

"It's a chance he'll take over and over because that is what he loves to do," Audrey said.

"I always worried about the fire, but after seeing that, I realize he's probably going to end up driving me drink."

Sarah grinned from her seat on the couch. "I guess we'll be drunk together."

Monica, who had joined them at Audrey's chuckled. Lila had insisted in making sure everyone was okay.

"Do you think they'll make them do overtime?" Liz asked.

"It's a possibility," Monica said. "From what I understand, they are short handed. There are some trucks driving from the Albany area who weren't hit as hard, but that will take hours."

"A few minutes ago, they said they are flying in some first responders. They'll be able to cover for the guys while they get some rest," Sarah said.

"Monica, I'll want to the cottage. Do you think you could let me in?" Liz asked.

Monica took the key off her set and handed it over. "I know that he'll be happy to see you."

"I rescued some roast beef from the fridge. It's in the cooler. You can take him a sandwich. I'm sure he'll be starving," Audrey said.

Liz and Audrey had already cleared out the den and Piph and Sarah are going to sleep in there on the large couches and Audrey will sleep in the recliner to keep an eye on them.

They made some food for Johnny, who they hoped would stop by to see Sarah.

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Three hours later, the exhausted men took off their gear at their battered firehouse and left several men from New Jersey inside to answer calls. They had just finished knocking down a fire and every muscle in Jason's body ached. The second shift had already taken the engine out, so they'll have two shifts working at once.

He drove home and went inside the cottage and hissed when he sees the mess, but not caring, he checks to see if his water heater is good and then turns on the shower as hot as he can get it and washed by flashlight. The heat soothed his muscles and then he got out, slipped some underwear on and collapsed onto his bed and moaned. It felt so good.

The front door opened and his head jerked up. "Mom?"

Liz appeared in the doorway. "You really should clean your house every once in a while."

He smirked. "I missed you."

"Ditto, even though I almost had a heart attack watching you jump."

He pushed to a sitting position. "We weren't up that high."

She shook her head. "Audrey made you food."

He grinned and took the bag and she swore he inhaled the food.

"That was so good."

"You look really tired," she said before handing him some water.

"I'm barely hanging on right now."

She kicked off her shoes. "Then let's get you to bed."

He stood and she almost shivered at how hot he looked and then she pulled the comforter back and they lay down.

After turning off the large flashlight, she is pulled towards him and spooned.

"Perfect…"

She smiled. "Sleep, baby…"

"Now, I'll sleep good."

And he did, for nine hours before he finally woke up alone in bed, but could hear her in the kitchen.

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Liz smiled. "Hey sleepyhead."

"Hey. I don't think I've ever slept that long."

"You needed it. I hope you're hungry."

He eyed the eggs and nodded. "I am."

Toast popped up, so she grabbed it and smeared some butter on it. When she finished plating it, she sat beside him.

"This is good. Thanks!"

She studied him for a moment. He still looks tired, but definitely not as bad as before. "Do you have to go in today?"

"Yeah. They are still trying to search for survivors in a few structures. Johnny is going to head there in about two hours to relieve some guys who haven't had a break. I don't think it will be a twenty-four hour shift, but it will probably be about five." Since their firehouse is okay structurally, it will be used as a base so that different crews can sleep and eat there. So, he'll be on call and helping out where he can.

"Well, I have the next two days off, so I'll straighten up a bit around here and then go help Gram."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Please let me."

He slightly smiled. "Okay."

When they finished, they went back into the bedroom and ended up falling asleep until about a half hour before his shift starts.

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There is no rest for the weary. Several cities had experienced a lot of damages including Ontario, Vermont, and New York. Search and rescue teams were headed to Canada and a few cities in New York. The quake had been felt in several states and had sent a wake-up call throughout the region. Port Charles, while hit harder in certain places than others, has electricity to most areas and people had come together to help one another. While there are several red-tagged buildings, which means they are uninhabitable, most people are able to get back into their homes and start the cleanup.

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Liz walked into Mercy to check on Zander wanting to surprise Jason with some news. The structure had been cleared, so they were up and running again.

His father is there and Liz explained who she is and Jason's part in the rescue.

"Your boyfriend is very brave and I don't think I can ever repay him," Cameron said.

"I'm just glad they were able to get to him."

"He has been in surgery and should be out shortly. There are a lot of issues, but I should have an update soon."

"Mind if I wait with you?"

He shook his head. "No, that would great."

Their heads were lowered when they were finally approached by the doctor a half hour later.

"I have an update," he said.

Her head jerked up. "Patrick. What are you doing here?"

Jason had just walked inside and froze, startled by the emotion in her voice, his gaze went from Patrick to her and he had a sinking feeling.

"I couldn't leave without talking to you and knew the hospital would need all the help they can get, so I offered my services. It's so good to see you. I really miss you and I'm sorry you got the wrong idea. I never cheated on you, but I'll get to you in a minute. Mr. Smith, your son is in room 1237. His spleen was ruptured and he broke most of his ribs, causing his lungs to collapse. He has heavy bruising, a fractured right arm, and possibly some nerve damage. Unfortunately, he has a severe concussion as well, which is why I'm here. I specialize in neurological disorders and will be watching him closely."

Epiphany, who is there for a follow up, observed Jason watching them and really hopes he doesn't get the impression that Elizabeth wants Patrick, but she can't quite read him.

"But he's going to make it?"

Patrick nodded. "He's still in critical condition, but it's promising that he'll make a full recover. We just have to get through the next twenty-four hours."

Cameron smiled. "Thank you. Can I see him?"

"Sure, the nurse will take you there."

"Thanks!"

Patrick turned towards Liz.

"Not here," she said.

They went into the hallway and then found an empty room.