A/N – Thanks for your comments! So glad that you liked the rescue and the plot so far. Lots of drama to come.
Chapter 5
Francis stood outside looking at the mess that used to be the children's wing.
"It will take at least a week to cart away all of the debris," Cody said.
"I know. Honestly, I'm not sure that I trust any of the construction, but I'm willing to assess what we can keep and then go from there."
"After all Elizabeth went through, I would like to get this done for her."
"Me too."
A car pulled up and Sonny got out.
"What's he doing here?" Cody asked.
"He's probably trying to save his ass."
"Are you going to let him help?"
"I don't know. If he's willing to take care of part or all of the cleanup and do it fast, I'm willing to listen. It's the least he could do, but I'll give Liz and her lawyer the final say."
Sonny walked up to them. "I'm going to fire Ric."
Francis didn't bother to answer.
"I didn't know what he was doing and wouldn't have condoned it. I want to at least help clean up this mess. Do you think that is possible?"
"I don't know. It's really up to Elizabeth. I'll talk to her when she wakes up."
"Okay. You know where to reach me. I'll leave the equipment for now."
"I still have the key," Francis said.
"Call me." He walked away and Francis sighed.
"I really hope this doesn't get ugly."
"Me too."
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Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning sunshine," Steve said.
"You look terrible."
"Right back at ya."
"I have an excuse."
Steve smiled. "I was up all night making sure Johnny didn't jump off a ledge and that you were okay."
"Where is he?"
"He had to run into work. He'll be back in an hour."
"Can I borrow your phone?"
"No need to. Yours is right here." He handed it to her.
"Thank God I left it in the office." She texted a note to Johnny telling him to finish what he needs to at work and just come by later. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I don't think he sees it that way."
"I know. Any interesting cases?"
"Yeah. There's a girl that was injured when a tree fell on her car."
"Is she okay?"
"She's awake, but having a hard time coping. She had a huge gash and isn't allowed to move much. We had to sedate her because she was having nightmares. She's nine."
"That's horrible. Maybe I can talk to her."
"We'll get you walking around later and I'll see if I can make it happen."
"Thanks."
Francis walked in.
Steven got up and kissed his sister on the forehead. "Rest. I'm going to go home and take a nap. Love you."
"Love you too."
Francis took his place. "Are you up to talking about the construction?" He figured that she didn't want to talk about how she was feeling, so he didn't ask.
"Sure."
She moved the bed up and scrunched her face when her bruised body screamed at her.
"Sonny wants to take care of the cleanup. He's going to fire Ric. I'm not agreeing to anything without your approval."
Diane waltzed in. "And that is a good thing. Hello, I'm Diane."
Francis stood. "It's nice to me you. I'm Francis."
She slightly smiled and then perused Liz. "You've looked better."
"Ignore it. Do we have a case?"
"Yes. Since several of Francis's men can attest to the shoddy workmanship, and considering the rest of the hospital did not get comparable damage, I would say that the construction could be blamed. Now, the tornado could have struck it more directly, but it appears that the roof was the main damage. You never know how a judge will react, but they would at least have to pay for a good chunk of the rebuilding. Of course, we can sue for pain and suffering as well. I understand Jason doesn't remember anything. That's not good for our case as far as his expert testimony, but it will drive home the fact that his injuries were extensive."
"Actually, he had an inspector come look at it. My men are thorough."
Diane smiled. "That's even better. I'll need you to give me his name."
"Done. Sonny wants to help with the cleanup."
Diane pursed her lips and paced for a minute. "Volunteering would be good for his side, and us turning him down could be seen as petty. Regardless of what he does now, the workmanship still caused the fatigue in the building joints. I believe there was an earthquake in California where the whole first floor of an apartment building collapsed killing most of the occupants. It was later discovered that the failure occurred because of how it was constructed. The builders lost. I'm sure I can find several cases that will serve as legal precedence. Let him pay for the cleanup. It needs to be done swiftly though. I know we're not going to make Liz's original deadline, but it would be nice to have that wing up and running in the next two to three months."
"I agree," Liz said.
"I'll go make the call."
Francis left and Diane sat down.
"What else do you need from me?"
"Jason has insurance, but I'm not sure if it covers everything. I want to make sure that he has the best care. He'll need rehab and possibly a nurse."
"I heard what happened to him. I will talk to Francis and find out about his insurance coverage. Are you sure that you want to get that involved?"
"It's my fault he was there."
"He was just doing his job," Diane said.
"I know, but he was slowed down because I couldn't run fast in heels and he used his body to protect mine. He doesn't remember who he is either. I just—I want to help him."
"I'm worried about you. I know Jason's issues. I handled his mother's will. He had a huge chip on his shoulder."
"He doesn't remember all of that."
"And what happens when he does? What does Johnny think of all of this?"
"I haven't talked to him about it."
"Maybe you should."
Liz closed her eyes. "Why do things always have to be so complicated?"
"Because we'd be bored if they weren't."
Francis walked back in. "He'll start tomorrow. Today, there will be inspectors going through the rubble so they can determine what happened. I'll be there since I moved things around. They'll also determine the structural integrity of the rest of the wing."
"I'll pay you for your time."
"I'm not concerned with that right now. I want to make sure that Sonny is held accountable and that you get your wing rebuilt as soon as possible."
"Thank you Francis. As for the costs, we have a construction account. Diane is removing Sonny today and will put your name on it. You can use that to do what you need to do. Just keep track of your time and any expenses like you normally would."
"I will. Get some rest."
He left and went to Jason's room. Patrick was standing next to the bed.
"It's just going to take some time. For now, you stay here so we can monitor you. By the end of the week, we'll help you get out of the bed."
"Okay."
"I'll check on you later."
He left and Francis moved further into the room.
"Who are you?"
"Francis."
"Elizabeth told me about you."
Francis sat on the chair next to the bed. "I just left her."
"How is she?"
"Tired and dealing with a lot regarding the construction."
"No one is giving her a hard time, right?"
"No. There are a lot of decisions to be made and I overheard her talking. She's worried about you and has it in her head that she's going to take care of you."
"I know. I'm not sure what to do about that."
"For now, let her. I think she needs to do it. What do you know about your family?"
"That I was close to Lila and Emily, but I wasn't talking to anyone else."
"Monica, your step mother, wants to take care of you after you leave here. I told her to wait a few days to talk to you about it. You won't be able to navigate the steps leading to your apartment which is over a bar."
"I'll figure something out."
"They're not bad people, it's just that you chose to not have a relationship with them."
"Was I right about that?"
"You kind of hated rich people."
Jason smirked.
"They argue a lot amongst themselves, but they aren't bad from what I could tell. You didn't really try to get to know them or hear their side of the story. You went by what your mom told you. I'm not saying that is right or wrong because I don't have all the facts."
"I'll think about it. I have a week."
"Jason, what do you remember?"'
"I can remember how to do construction, but other things are a little sketchy."
"The crew is going to miss you. Once you're up to it, you can always come back and boss them around," Francis said.
"I like the sound of that."
"They'll probably come by and see you."
"Okay."
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Sarah listened from the doorway as Liz gave Brooklyn instructions which she feverishly jotted down.
"You were always bossy."
Liz looked up. "Hey."
"Glad to see you're still among the living."
"Yeah."
Brooklyn stood. "Alright, I'll come back when I'm finished the list."
"See you in a year," Sarah said as Brooklyn chuckled.
"Later."
"You're still going to have the ball?"
"I already have deposits and people have made plans."
"True. Are you physically going to be up for it?"
Liz sighed. "I should be. I have a week to get it together."
"That's a lot of stress. I tell you what, if you need me to go run some errands, I can. You can't work Brooklyn into the ground." She plopped into a chair.
"Thank you Sarah. I might just take you up on that."
They stared at each other for a minute.
"I would have missed you."
Liz's head tilted. "Sarah…"
"Seriously. I know we've had our ups and downs, but you're still my sister and I love you."
Liz swallowed hard. They normally were not mushy with each other. "Thank you. I love you too."
"Now that we got all that out of the way, want to hear the latest gossip?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
"Well, Patrick was kissing up to Epiphany and was this close to her mouth." Sarah pinched her fingers closely together. "She finally had enough of his flirting and laid one on him tongue and all."
Liz's mouth dropped open. "No!"
"I will never forget the look on Patrick's face."
"What did he do?"
"He said, "Damn, Piph," and then pretended to shake it off and walked away."
Liz chuckled. "I wish someone had taped it."
"I'll kiss up to IT and see if they can pull it from the tape. I want to make it into a gif."
"Spinelli has had a crush on you for the last six months. I'm sure you will have no problem making that happen."
Sarah smirked. "You'll never guess who I kissed."
Liz thought for a moment. "Leo?"
"Nope."
"Patrick?"
"No."
"Kelly?"
Sarah busted out laughing. "No, you crazy person. I don't swing that way."
Liz grinned. "Hmmmm. Oh my sweet Lord, please tell me it wasn't Stefan." She knew her sister had been lusting him.
"Bullseye."
"How the hell did that happen?" Stefan kept to himself and was very focused on his career.
"Well, we were in the on call room. I had woken him up for a surgery I was going to assist him with. We chatted and then went to the OR and afterwards, we ended up in the locker room."
Liz gave her a look. "Go on."
"I tripped."
"Uh—huh."
She looked offended. "The floor was slippery."
"No comment. Proceed."
"Anyway, he caught me and our mouths were deliciously close, so I took advantage of the situation."
"Did he kiss you back?"
"Yeah. He does have a pulse. Afterwards, he looked a little stunned though."
"I'm sure, since he was practically attacked by a hoover vacuum."
"Don't be a hater because I've got skills. He apologized and I asked him if it was that bad and he said, "No.""
"And since then?"
Sarah grinned. "He's avoiding me like the plague."
"I'm sure that you have something up your sleeves."
"I'm debating. He is a little old for me."
Liz gasped. "Are you ill? Let me feel your head."
"Whatever. I still want him, but I can wait him out. What about you and Jason?"
Liz frowned. "What about us?"
"You had that hunk of a man lying on you for hours." She had seen him at Jake's before, but he didn't bite when she flirted.
"Sarah, you know it wasn't like that."
"Not ready to joke?"
"No. I am really worried about him though."
She stood. "He's right down the hall. I'll be right back."
"Behave."
"Never," she said before walking out.
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Sarah walked into Jason's room. He sighed. Another doctor… "Relax hot stuff, I'm off duty." Condition aside, Jason was one gorgeous man.
"Do I know you?"
"No, but you were awful cozy with my sister."
"And who is that?" Sarah's obvious mischievous side was appealing, but other than that, he wasn't feeling anything.
"Elizabeth."
Sarah smirked at the intense look in his eyes.
"Is she okay?"
"She's hanging in there. I made her laugh so that's a good sign. What about you? I heard you couldn't remember anything."
"Yeah. I'd rather be anywhere but here."
"I totally get it."
"You and your sister don't look alike."
"What makes you say that?"
"She said she had brown hair."
"She's sporting some lighter highlights right now, but yes she does. I think she's pretty in an all-American girl kind of way. God knows that I unfortunately didn't get her skin. Do you like her?"
He ignored the question. "When we were trapped, she said she had a boyfriend."
Sarah sat down. This could be interesting. "She does. His name is Johnny."
"Are they serious?"
"Why should I answer that?"
"Because I asked."
"Are you going to cause trouble?"
"Not at the moment. I'm just curious."
She leaned forward and talked more quietly. "Sort of. I mean, they've been dating for four months. They just work long hours. That doesn't leave a lot of quality time." She liked Johnny, but she wasn't convinced he was the right guy for Elizabeth. In her opinion, if her sister was really into him, she'd make more time to see him.
"Do you have a picture of her?"
Sarah's brow furrowed. "I don't know. Let me check." She whipped her phone out and went through a bunch of pictures before finding one. "Here you go."
Jason took the phone from her and studied the photo. Elizabeth was beautiful and Sarah was right to be jealous of her skin. It was flawless. "Thanks. Can you keep this conversation between us?"
"You want me to lie to my sister?"
"Is that bad? I'm not trying to hurt her."
"I don't know. Don't make me regret this."
Jason was too tired to ask her why she would.
"Can I get you anything?"
"Can you hand me the water?"
She nodded and got him some fresh water and gave him a cup and a straw. "My sister is worried about you, so just humor her okay? I think she needs to know that you're fine."
He handed her back the cup.
"I have to go do rounds. Later gorgeous."
He watched her leave and then Kelly strolled into view. "Hi."
"Hi," Jason said curiously.
A/N - FYI - I'm not putting Patrick and Epiphany together.
