A/N – Thanks for the comments, follows, and favorites! What a nice welcome! There is a lot going on in this fic. You'll get more of Jason's back-story this chapter. The first half or so of the fic is more Liz drama and then the second, Jason gets his turn. It's fun using characters in different ways. I hope you like it.
Chapter 2
Cody had been in the military and was used to dangerous situations.
"We might have to take that chance. There's barely a space large enough for the dog to get through." The ceiling had collapsed in several places. It wasn't a flat pancake. The wind had been so strong that it twisted the metal frame. "If we clear some debris from above, we could use the crane or a fire ladder to propel down to them. Is it safe for a helicopter to fly in?"
"The winds are starting to slow. By the time we can clear some of it out, we might be okay."
A fire chief cleared his throat. "I think that might be the only way. We have some rescue specialists on route. They should be here any minute." The sky had been really dark, making it seem like nighttime, but the clouds were starting to clear which would help them tremendously.
"We just need a small window where we can get a basket down, get them in it, and then hoist them out," Francis said.
The dog laid down, not wanting to leave them. Elizabeth heard it whimper and it gave her hope.
"I'm Ken. I have a mic on the dog," the officer said.
The chief raised a bullhorn. "Elizabeth, the dog has a mic on its collar. I need you to talk loudly and say what your injuries are."
Elizabeth sucked in a little air. Luckily, even though they were in a small pocket, due to the wind, they were getting enough oxygen. "Jason is on top of me. His back hurts badly and I think he has a concussion. He doesn't remember who he is and he's going in and out of consciousness. I can't move, so I'm not sure if anything is seriously wrong. I'm banged up and sore."
They listened attentively.
"Hang in there Elizabeth. We're trying to figure out the best way to get you out. Just hold on."
The men walked down the hallway, heading to a makeshift command center. Milo and Nathan stayed behind just in case there was an emergency.
Jeff watched them approach and hurried towards them. "Is she alive?"
"Yes."
"And Jason?" Monica asked.
"He's hurt badly. His back is injured and he has a concussion. Dr. Quartermaine, he doesn't remember who he is," Francis said.
Monica's eyes closed as she processed the enormity of the situation. Jason was an enigma to the family. They didn't even know he existed until Susan Moore came to town with him in tow when he was in high school. A DNA test was done and proved positive that Alan was the father. Jason wanted nothing to do with them and thought they were rich snobs. It had killed Alan to know that Edward's machinations had resulted in him missing so much time with his son. He was currently performing a surgery. A lot of people were injured due to being in the storm's path. The hospital was lucky that it had avoided more damage.
Susan had died of cancer shortly after Jason graduated. It was the reason she had brought him to town. The family had tried to reach out to him again, but Jason was hard headed and wouldn't budge. To him, it was Alan's attitude towards his mother that had set everything that happened in motion. The Quartermaines, namely Edward, had dumped money on her to make her go away, not believing her that she was pregnant. To Edward, she was a con and after trying to blackmail the family, he just thought it was better for her to be gone. Susan had struggled for years to make ends meet. The money didn't last that long. It wasn't enough to live off of forever.
Emily and Lila were the only people that Jason would even talk to. It had taken a while, but the women had finally gotten through to him and gained his trust. He wouldn't accept help from them, but he did take some advice from time to time. The man was raw and edgy on a good day. He was very introverted, but Lila could see that he had a good heart. While he might be abrupt with people, he was always very gentle with her. She loved him. Susan had given Jason Lila's maiden name because she had refused to call him Quartermaine. The matriarch was the only one that had tried to be nice to Susan before she disappeared.
Monica wiped a tear away and Jeff momentarily put his arm around her.
"We won't be able to ascertain Elizabeth's injuries until we get them out, but she is the one communicating with us."
"How long do you think it will take to get to them?" Jeff asked.
"It might be several hours. The equipment is already here and we have men who know how to operate it. Unfortunately, the other construction company has the keys. We're trying to locate them," Mac explained.
"Who?" Monica asked.
"It's owned by Sonny Corinthos. Ric Lansing was the foreman."
Carly Benson looked up from the chart she was holding. "I can call him if you want."
They all turned around.
"I've been dating Sonny for a few months."
"Make the call," Francis said. Ric was a dick, plain and simple. Sonny could go either way. The man owned a very successful construction company. His mistake was letting his brother push his way into a position of authority. Ric just didn't have the background and he wouldn't listen.
Carly pulled out her cell phone.
"Sonny?"
"Carly? Hey. Are you okay? I just heard about the hospital."
"I'm fine. Listen, the wing your guys quit working on collapsed."
"Shit. Was it due to the storm?" He had no idea that Ric had walked off. "Is Ric there?" He was aware of the tight deadline.
She pulled the phone away from her face. "He doesn't know that Ric isn't working on the wing anymore."
Francis grabbed her phone. "Sonny, this is Francis Corelli."
Sonny was surprised. "What are you doing there? Are you trying to steal the job from us?" Their rivalry had been bitter at times.
"For your information, your brother pulled his men and we were hired to finish his shoddy work. The beams at the end of the wing weren't put in correctly, compromising the stability of the structure. So, you are partially responsible for it collapsing."
Sonny rubbed the back of his neck. He was really hoping that his lawyers could get him out of this. "Was there anyone hurt?"
Francis was surprised that he even bothered to ask. "Elizabeth Webber and Jason Morgan are trapped in the rubble. We need to use the big equipment to get them out and we don't have keys."
Ric entered the office and Sonny glared at him.
"Ric is here. I'll bring them over personally."
"Hurry."
Sonny ended the call. "Do you have any idea how much damage you have done?"
"What?"
"You walked off the job at the hospital. It turns out, the beams weren't put in properly and caused it to be unstable and it collapsed. We could lose everything."
Ric swallowed hard. "They can't prove it wasn't the storm. From what I heard, a tornado hit them."
"Well, considering the rest of the hospital is standing and that area is the only part of the building that collapsed, I would say we're screwed. Where are the keys to the equipment that is still onsite?"
"In my office."
"I need them now."
Sonny followed him and then he headed to the hospital.
IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI
Jason started to stir.
"Keep still," she said before groaning. Unfortunately, she was wide-awake and every little movement was taking a toll on her physically.
"Sorry."
"They are working on getting to us. There is a dog close by. I can hear it every once in a while and it has a mic so they can hear us."
"Okay. Were we friends?"
"No. I just met you recently. I think I may have seen you around town a couple of times. You were a part of a construction team and had discovered that the men I hired previously had left the wing compromised. It's probably why it collapsed."
His head was turned away from her, so he couldn't see her. It was dark where they were anyway. Occasionally, she would see a flicker of light from the flashlight on the dog.
"Are you a doctor?"
"No. I run a children's heart foundation. This wing was for them."
"I'm sorry."
She felt her eyes well up with tears. "Not your fault." The kids… She was so disappointed that they weren't going to make the deadline. All the hard work and long hours, and it was now all rubble. It would probably take months to clear the site and then re-erect it. Her chest shuddered as she tried to stop the flow of tears. Maybe she'd still hold the charity ball. It was probably too late to cancel it.
"Are you crying?"
"I—yes."
"Am I hurting you?"
"No. It's just I had put in a lot of time and effort to get this done and now…"
"I get it."
She tried to change the subject. "Do you remember anything?"
"I don't think so.
Liz felt so guilty. Jason's life could be changed forever. He had saved her and had gotten hurt and now, she needed to help him.
"I want you to know that whatever care you need I'll take care of it."
"You have it like that?"
"Yes." Money really wasn't an issue.
For some reason, anger was surging through him that he couldn't comprehend. He clenched his jaw. The intensity had surprised him and he wondered what kind of person he was. "What do you know about me?"
"All Francis said is that you weren't much of a talker. You seemed very intense, but you were nice to me when you tried to explain the structural issues."
"What about your family?"
"My family works at the hospital. My dad is chief of staff and my mother is a doctor who works in pediatrics. My sister Sarah was just hired here as a resident and is in her last year. My brother is an ER doctor.
"And you didn't want to be one?"
"No. It's really not my thing. I like running the charity and I am also an artist. Maybe I should say was."
"Why did you stop?"
"I don't have a lot of free time. When I do, I try to spend it with my boyfriend."
He wondered if he had a girlfriend. It was strange what he instinctively knew considering the rest was a blank. "What do I look like?"
She was silent for a moment. "Um, you're tall and very good looking and are probably in good shape. You have brownish hair and very blue eyes."
"And you?"
"I—um—my boyfriend says that I'm pretty."
"You don't think so?"
"It's not something I dwell on. I don't think I'm all that, but I'm not unattractive. I have brownish hair and dark blue eyes and I'm petite."
Jason grimaced. His head started to throb again and he found himself drifting off, trying to picture what she looked like based on the little bit of information she had thrown at him.
IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI
Kelly nervously bit her nails as Epiphany's brow furrowed.
"Kelly!"
Her head jerked around. "Yeah?"
"Why are you freaking out?"
"Um, no reason."
Epiphany thought for a moment as she put two and two together. "Oh—my—God. Is Jason the one you've been sneaking around with?"
Kelly slowly nodded. "You can't tell anyone. It was just sex, but I'm still worried."
"Jesus, that man is fine as hell." He had come in once with a work injury and Epiphany had tended to it.
Kelly smiled. "Don't I know it? I shudder just thinking about him."
Epiphany mischievously held both hands out like she was trying to measure and was stunned when Kelly moved them wider than she had imagined. "Damn."
"Exactly. I really hope that he's okay."
"Uh huh. I'm sure your vagina does too."
Kelly shook her head and smirked. "You're so bad. Can you page me if you hear anything?"
"I will."
Steven hurried from around the corner after Kelly left and stood next to Epiphany. "Did I just hear what I think I heard?"
She shook her head. It was hard keeping a secret around there. "You better not tell anyone."
"Her secret is safe with me." Blackmail material...
"I know you. You will try to use this to your advantage. Don't make me hurt you."
Steven grinned.
"Have you heard about your sister?"
"No? Did she break a nail?"
Epiphany rolled her eyes. "I'll pretend you didn't say that." She and Elizabeth were good friends.
"Is she in her office? I'll have to catch up with her later. I just got paged again."
"No. Steven, she's trapped in the rubble of the new wing."
"What!"
"Your dad is over there. Liz and Jason Morgan are missing."
He shifted nervously. "Will you keep me updated?" Sometimes, he hated his job. He'd much rather be with his dad looking out for his sister. They were close.
"When I know something, you'll know something."
"Thanks."
He took off and Patrick rounded the corner. "Hey sexy."
"Drake Jr. How did the surgery go?"
"We saved her. She's a mess though and it will take some time before she can walk."
"You did a good job."
Jeff rushed towards them the same time Johnny appeared.
"How is she?"
"We have a dog with a mic holding vigil where they are. She's not sure if she's injured badly or not. Jason is stuck on top of her. He took a big blow by protecting her." Jeff turned to Patrick. "He has a head injury. He doesn't remember who he is and his back could possibly be broken."
"Jesus," Patrick muttered.
"They are going to use some equipment to clear some debris."
"Couldn't that end up hurting them?" Johnny asked.
"I'm sure they'll take every precaution. Francis is very good. I trust him. They need to clear a path so they can extract them and then transport them via helicopter. It's the only way. They'll take them to the roof and I will need doctors and nurses on standby. Jason could have neurological damage, so Patrick don't take any other surgeries that will take longer than an hour starting now."
"Okay."
Johnny felt sick and Epiphany slipped around Jeff and put her arm around him.
"Are you okay?"
He shook his head and they embraced.
"You have to have faith. She's strong and she'll fight."
"She must be so scared."
"Yeah, but she's not alone."
Johnny pulled back. "Thanks Piph. I needed the pep talk."
"Anytime."
Jeff put a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you back there."
Johnny took a deep breath and followed Jeff to the command center.
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Jason groaned in pain.
"Talk to me."
"I just can't feel anything. I want to move so badly."
"You can't."
"I know. I don't want to hurt you or myself."
"Let's talk about something else to take your mind off things."
"What else do you know about me?"
"Very little and what I do know is gossip." She had heard his name before and what people were saying, but she usually tuned it out.
"Should I be scared?"
"I don't think so. Look, something happened between your mom and your dad's family. All I know is that you showed up in high school, they didn't know you existed, and then she died. You don't talk to your dad."
He wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Do you know him?"
"Yes, I do. He's very nice. Your grandmother is one of the nicest people I've ever met and I work with your step-mother too."
"Yet, I don't talk to them."
"I'm not sure if you speak to anyone else. You have a sister Emily. Currently, she's in med school. She's a few years younger than me and very nice. I don't get a lot of time to hang out with her, but I like her.
"Anyone else?"
"You have a brother named AJ. I've never met him. I think Emily said he lives in Paris and runs a division of the family company from there."
"So, I've chosen to be all alone."
She didn't reply, but felt sad for him. "I won't leave you. Will you let me help you?"
He closed his eyes. "I'll think about it." He wasn't sure that he wanted her pity.
