A/N – Thanks for the comments! Guess – It's not bad you'd rather have him with his family, but remember I said patience? There is a lot to deal with regarding Jason and his family. * kikimoo - Johnny barely spoke last chapter, so how was he being whiny and needy? If Jason were doting on Liz and trying to get her to rest, knowing she wasn't acting like herself, wanting to have more with her after almost watching her die, I think you'd cheer. *NaxieFan48 – Re: Liz's feelings for Jason. She's drawn to Jason, but wouldn't go there because of Johnny. Lol re: Kylie/Steven.
Chapter 7
Jason was shocked. "What?"
"If you refuse to go there, then you're staying with me."
Johnny walked into the room. Jolene had told him where she was. "What?"
She turned and Jason watched as they communicated silently.
"I don't want to be any trouble."
Johnny looked at him. "Someone want to explain?"
"He can't go back to his apartment and he was not speaking with the Quartermaines before the accident and doesn't want to go to their house. So, I told him he can stay with me."
Johnny didn't say a word, but he swore Jason was smiling with his eyes. "I'll wait for you in the room."
He disappeared and Liz sighed.
"He looks pissed."
"He'll get over it. We don't live together."
"You just offered to move a man you don't know into your apartment."
Liz gnawed on her lip. She knew this was going to push Johnny's buttons. "I'll take care of it."
"Elizabeth, do you really think this is a good idea?"
"I told you that I would help you and I will. This is me helping."
"I don't want to cause any trouble."
She started to say something smart, but squelched it. Johnny wasn't the only one who thought Jason was enjoying this. "I better go talk to him."
Jolene came back in the room. "Ready to roll?"
"Sure."
"Bye."
"I'll come by tomorrow."
"Okay."
She left and Jason slightly smiled. He wanted to get to know Elizabeth more and this would definitely give him that chance.
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Johnny was quiet while Elizabeth was helped back into the bed. Once she was situated, Jolene quickly left.
"Alright, go for it," she said quietly.
"Part of the reason I'm so crazy about you is because you have a big heart, but you don't know Jason and you're going to move him into your home?"
"He saved my life!"
"I know, but he requires special care. You are still healing and you have a ball in less than a week."
"He'll still be in here until after the ball."
"You are barely home as it is. What are you going to do after that?"
"Maybe I can work from home for a while."
"Unbelievable."
"What?"
"You've known him for like a day and you're willing to cut back?" It was something that she hadn't done for their relationship
She understood his implication. "This isn't a contest. I had the construction and the ball. I couldn't cut back."
"You refuse to delegate." She worked herself to exhaustion.
"Johnny…." She wiped some tears away. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm just trying to do what is right."
He sat on the edge of the bed. "Why do I feel like I'm losing you then?"
She started to cry harder and he got up and moved right next to her and held her.
"I'm sorry. Please don't cry."
She just couldn't hold it in any longer and she just lost it and all he could do was rub her back and occasionally whisper how much he cared for her until she calmed down.
He handed her a tissue box and she blew her nose and wiped her face.
"I'm sorry."
"You needed to let it out."
"I just—I laid there under that ruble and I thought we wouldn't make it. When it gave way for the second time, I started to give up hope. Jason was barely hanging on and I swore then that I would help him. It's just something that I need to do." Her nightmares were so vivid. She could smell the rain and metal. The din of the wind as it tore through the wing. She could close her eyes and it all came back as well as the fear and panic.
"I know."
"But you're hurt and I'm not trying to do that."
"I know that too. Maybe I need to help you just as much as you need to help Jason, but I'm not going to make any demands. If you need me to back off, I will."
Her fingers traced his face and then she smoothed down his hair and slowly his lips moved towards her and they kissed. Johnny sensuously took her mouth, making her moan.
"You are so good at that," she whispered.
He closed his eyes. "If you start getting closer to him…."
"Johnny!"
"Promise me that you'll talk to me." He knew her and her capacity to love and fight for people and she had just gone through a trauma with Jason. She was already pushing him away. "You know what? Forget I said that. I don't want you to think I don't trust you. That wasn't fair."
He got up.
"It's not like that with Jason. I wouldn't cheat on you. Please don't go." She understood that he was feeling a bit insecure and part of that was her fault. Normally, wouldn't have said something like that. Her brain was just scattered and she didn't know why she couldn't be more open with him. She just wasn't ready.
"What do you need?" All he was trying to do was be there for her.
"Just you. Will you lie next to me?"
"They might kick me out."
"I don't like to brag, but I kind of have some connections around here."
He slightly smiled as he kicked his shoes off and took off his suit jacket.
She slid over onto her side and he did the same. They stared at each other as Johnny's eyes filled with tears.
"Every time I look at you, I think about what I almost lost. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this. If I could have traded places with you…"
"Don't go there. I think I would have lost my mind if you had been under that rubble. Just hold me. I need you to hold me tight. I'm right here." She really hadn't considered what Johnny must have gone through knowing that she was suffering and not being able to do a damn thing about it.
He pulled her against his chest and that is just what he did.
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Jason watched a doctor walk towards him. "More tests?"
"No. I'm Alan Quartermaine, your father."
"Oh."
"Is it okay if I sit down?"
"I guess."
"I know we weren't close before this, but I never got to tell you my side of the story."
"Does it matter since I don't remember?"
"It matters to me and hopefully, you'll get your memories back eventually."
Jason sighed. "Doesn't sound like there's much worth remembering."
"Why do you think that?"
"I was basically alone. Seems like I mainly worked."
"You had friends and Lila and Emily were there for you."
"Well, I can't go anywhere, so I guess you have my attention."
Alan cleared his throat. "When I met your mother, I was kind of a mess. I wasn't sure what I wanted. Monica and I were fighting. Your mom was a train wreck too and when we collided, it wasn't pretty."
"Go on."
"Well, we fought a lot and she ended up trying to blackmail the family. We broke up and a few months later, she came back and said she was pregnant. We didn't believe her and unbeknownst to me, Edward paid her off to leave."
"What if she had stayed?"
"Honestly, it probably would have gotten really ugly. She left and raised you the best she could. When she found out that she had cancer, she decided to come back to town. She had named you Jason Morgan. We were shocked that she had given you Lila's last name. Maybe we shouldn't have been though. Lila was the only one that really was nice to her."
"So when did she die?"
"It happened around the time you were graduating from high school. You were pretty messed up and wanted nothing to do with us."
"Because of the way you treated my mom?"
"Yes, but Jason, your mom made mistakes too and unfortunately, we reacted badly."
"What exactly do you want from me?"
"A chance to just be able to say hi without you walking the other way."
"I haven't run out of the room yet."
Alan smirked. "Lila would like to come visit you."
"I guess that's fine."
"She's in a wheel chair."
"Why?"
"She hurt her hip. We're getting her rehab and are hoping that she'll be back on her feet soon."
"Maybe we could go together."
"If you said that to her, then she'd be right there with you. Well, I don't want to overstay my welcome. Thank you for listening and if you need anything, tell the nurse to find me."
"Okay."
Alan left and Jason thought about the conversation. He wondered why he never gave them the chance to tell their side of the story. It seemed way more complicated than he was ready to deal with.
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Carly hurried into Jason's room. He watched her start to straighten up and then she helped him drink some water.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. I'm Carly."
"Jason."
"So, what's it like not to remember anything?"
"Weird. Did I know you?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I just moved here several months ago. My mom works here."
"What's the town like?"
"Pretty boring, but I know how to make the most of it." She had met Sonny the second night she was here and after a month, they had been inseparable.
"You seem like a handful." She had a very mischievous smirk.
Carly laughed. "Someone is missing a filter. I like it. I don't have one either"
"What do you know about Monica and Alan?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes I think they both need a dose of Metamucil, but they are alright I guess."
"What's Metamucil?"
"It makes you poop."
He smirked.
"I am going to finish up with you and then go shopping."
"For what?"
"I need a gown for the ball this weekend?"
"Ball?"
"Elizabeth is holding a charity ball for the kids."
"What is she like?"
Carly shrugged. "She's nice I guess. Other people seem to like her."
"But you don't?"
"She is a little uppity. I'd like to see her let her hair down. I kind of think of her as a bit of a Princess, but I don't hate her."
"Interesting."
She stopped fiddling with his blanket. "You like her don't you?"
"I don't really know her."
"Uh huh. You know she has a boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you care?"
Jason slowly smirked, making Carly laugh.
"I like you Jason Morgan. I think we could do a lot of damage together."
"You do realize that I'm really vulnerable right now."
She cracked up. "I tell you what, since you've made such a good impression, I'm willing to help you with the Princess."
"Do you think I need your help?"
"I'm not sure yet. You kind of have trouble written all over you and don't get me wrong. I don't mind that at all. I invented trouble, but if you go down that road, you could either get the girl or lose her. And trust me, it can go really bad, really fast. I think you should sit back and play it cool at first, maybe step almost up to the line so she thinks you might want her and then pull back. In order to get the fish to bite the line, you have to use some bait."
"Bait?"
"You're the bait. She needs to doubt her relationship with Johnny and you need to be there for her when it implodes."
Jason smiled. "You think you've got this all figured out."
"I've been there and done that. You need to get the muffin sprung on you."
"She wants me to come stay with her so she can take care of me."
She grinned. "Perfect. Her boyfriend won't like it."
"She could resent me."
"That's the risk you take."
Andrea walked into the room. "Carly."
"Hi Dr. Webber. He's all yours." She turned to Jason and winked and then left.
Andrea approached the bed. "Word to the wise, be careful taking any advice from her. She's a walking train wreck."
"And you are?"
"I'm Andrea Webber, Elizabeth's mother."
"Hi." He tried to connect the dots, comparing their looks. They were both beautiful in different ways.
"Hello. I just wanted to thank you for saving my daughter's life."
"I don't really remember much."
"Well, it's because of you that we got her back. How are you feeling?"
"Restless."
"Are you remembering anything?"
"No."
Andrea pulled up a chair. "That must be tough."
He shrugged.
"My daughter has a big heart and right now, she's very focused on you."
"Does that bother you?"
"Maybe a little. She has a lot on her plate."
"So you came in here to ask me to stay away from her?"
"Actually, it's quite the opposite. I know my daughter and she is very determined. She feels responsible for your injury, so do you think you can let her?"
"You do realize that she wants me to live with her temporarily, right?"
Andrea sighed and clasped her hands together. "Yes." It wasn't ideal, but Andrea knew her daughter well and Elizabeth was having a harder time then she was letting on.
To Jason, Andrea was coming off as a bit controlling and he wondered how deep that really went. "Elizabeth and I will work it out."
Her pager went off. "Well, it was nice to meet you Jason. Hopefully, you'll join us for dinner one night when you're feeling up to it."
"Bye."
She left and Jason was a bit perplexed. It just seemed like there were a lot of people in Liz's business and he wondered if he wanted to be yet another person that wanted to manipulate her.
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The next morning, Lila was wheeled into Elizabeth's room.
"Lila. What a nice surprise."
"How are you my dear?"
"I'm getting out of here in a few hours."
Lila chuckled. "I know you can't wait."
"You've got that right."
"I was on my way to see Jason and wanted to make sure that you are healing."
"It was rough, but you can't hold me down for long. I'm more worried about Jason."
"Me too. I'm just hoping that he will let me in again."
It had taken quite a long time to gain Jason's trust. Having Susan give him Lila's last name had helped. Apparently, Susan wanted him to be linked to the family in some way without giving him the Quartermaine name. In Jason's mind, she was nice to his mother, so he eventually gave her a chance.
"Tell me about him," Liz said softly.
"Well, he is pretty quiet, but that doesn't mean he's not listening. In fact, Jason is probably one of the best listeners I have ever met. He has been through a lot with his mother. Life hasn't been easy for him. They struggled. I know there are things that happened that he hasn't shared. Finding out you have a rich father didn't really help because Jason wanted nothing to do with us at first. He's very head strong which is a family trait."
"I am too."
Lila slightly smiled. She really liked Elizabeth. "Jason carries a lot of hurt and pain."
"So he's twisty?"
"That's an interesting way to put it. Yes. Once you get through his layers, he is a beautiful soul. Most people just don't get to see that. Are you thinking of befriending him?"
"I asked him to stay with me when he gets out of the hospital so I can help with his medical needs."
"You know you weren't responsible, right?"
"Yes, but he would have had a chance to escape if I hadn't of slowed him down."
"Elizabeth, Jason can be very moody. Are you prepared to deal with that?"
She shrugged. "I can handle it."
"Well, I think he'll be in good hands. Now, how can I help you with the charity ball? I'm here to offer my staff to you."
Liz smiled. "Really?"
"Yes. They can work with Brooklyn."
"Thank you so much. I feel like I'm running her ragged."
"Well then, it's settled. I will put them in contact. You need your rest, so please delegate." Lila had her number.
"I'll try."
"You take care and call me if you need anything."
"I will."
