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Chapter 20
Jason was leaning against the headboard of the bed with Elizabeth between his legs. She had woken up screaming and crying not even five minutes ago. She was still shaking from the nightmare. Honestly he was shaking too because she had scared him badly. Hopefully he would go the rest of his life and never hear her make a sound like that again. The scream had been a sound of pure and raw terror. Even though they hadn't talked yet he already knew that tonight's nightmare hadn't been about Logan.
"Do we have anything for nausea?" Elizabeth wanted to know. Her voice was shaking like the rest of her. Her stomach was rolling. She was really hoping that she wasn't going to throw up. However she was definitely very queasy. And sad. Tonight's nightmare had been about that night when as a teenager she had been brutally assaulted.
"I have no idea. Let me go check the first aid kits." Jason replied as he ran his hand up and down her arm. She was covered in goosebumps and her skin was cold. "Will you be okay by yourself while I do that?"
"I'll be okay." Liz assured him as she scooted forward so he could go look. It wasn't a lie, she would be okay. Sleeping again tonight might not happen though. From time to time she did dream about that night. Her therapist told her it wouldn't ever go away completely, and truer words had never been spoken. It wasn't just the nightmares that lingered, from time to time encounters with strange men left her shaken.
It wasn't surprising that the memories surfaced given what she had been through recently. It wasn't even surprising that some time would pass after the kidnapping before they did. These memories were not something her subconscious would let surface easily. Unfortunately it was also going to take her a day or so to shake the feelings they stirred up. Jason had helped her when she felt this way in the past, so she would let him help her now.
"Nothing." Jason came back into the bedroom and reached for his phone. He could perform surgery with the contents of each of the first aid kits in the house, but he didn't have anything to help his girlfriend's stomach.
"Don't wake anyone up." Liz would feel bad about that. "I can try some dry toast."
"I'm not going to sit here and let you suffer." Jason put his phone down and went to the closet to get a light blanket. He wrapped it around her shoulders to keep her warm. He picked the phone up again and called the resort. "I need a runner sent out to the compound with medicine to combat nausea." He ended the call. "About fifteen minutes." He said before dialing another number.
"What's wrong?" Johnny said in lieu of a greeting. He went from sleep to wide awake as his phone rang. He looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was two a.m. which meant Jason shouldn't be calling.
"Elizabeth is not feeling well. A runner is going to be coming out to the compound in about fifteen minutes." Jason told his friend. The guards at the gate would call before admitting anyone. However when the runner drove past were his friends were staying they would wake up.
"How bad?" Johnny wanted to know throwing back the blankets and sitting up.
"We shouldn't need to go out to the doctor." Jason told Johnny. "If that changes I'll call you back."
"Are the plans for today still on?" Johnny wanted to know.
"No clue. I'll let you know later." Jason would take his cues from his girlfriend. She might want to stay in and rest. If she still wanted to go out then that's what they would do.
"If she needs anything else give a holler." Johnny might nap again before the sun rose, but he was done sleeping for the night.
"Will do. Thanks." Jason said before hanging up. "Stomach still upset?"
"Yeah." Liz leaned her head back and took some deep breaths. She imagined this was what it felt like to be seasick. If so she didn't blame Sonny for not going out on his yacht. "Want to go into the living room and watch some television?" That would put them by the door when the runner knocked.
"Sure." Jason handed her his phone before scooping her up into his arms. Once she was on the couch he went back for blankets and pillows. When he returned he saw that Elizabeth was already scanning the channels for something to watch. "Anything good?"
"Nope. Even in paradise there is nothing good on at this time of the morning." Liz gave him a wan smile. She just wanted something to take her mind off of her dream. Flipping through the guide she picked the science channel. "Also like back home this network is a life saver. There is a program on about black holes."
Jason put pillows behind Elizabeth before covering her with the blanket. Then he went into the kitchen and got them both glasses of water. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really." Liz said in a quiet voice. "I want the memories permanently scrubbed clean from my brain. Or a time machine to go back and stop it from happening in the first place. Neither one of them is possible though."
He sat on the couch next to her hip. He linked their fingers before speaking again. "Does it help knowing that he's gone?"
Liz nodded taking another deep breath to try and calm her stomach. "Thank you for that. You never said anything, but I know you are the reason that I don't have to worry about him anymore." She hadn't planned on telling Jason, or any of the guys, about what happened to her before they met. It didn't define her as a person, and at that point they were just friends so they didn't need to know. She would have told him before they moved from friends to something more if that had still be the case. But it wasn't. The guys found out when she had to go to Pentonville to testify in a parole hearing.
The fact that they were thinking of letting that monster out was mindboggling. He wasn't supposed to be eligible for parole. The judge said he had to serve the entire fifteen years. Liz had no idea what had changed that her attacker was getting a review by the parole board, but she was going to find out. Mainly so it didn't happen again. She had instantly agreed to the D.A.'s request to speak to the panel. In fact Dara Jensen, who had tried the case, had gone up with Elizabeth for support. So did Emily. What Liz didn't know was the Corinthos/Morgan organization monitored those hearings so that they would know who might be getting out.
The name Tom Baker didn't even register as a threat for them. Until their source at the prison reported that Jason's sister had come up with someone who had testified. It was mentioned that the D.A. was at the hearing too. So a call was placed to their informant downtown who told them which inmate Dara wanted to stay behind bars. What their informant couldn't tell them was who Emily went to support because the file didn't contain a name. Just a number, which indicated a sexual assault. That meant another call to the prison and request that their informant send them a copy of the visitor's log for the hearing in question. Elizabeth's name was right above Emily's.
Jason had been the one to go to her apartment. The guys figured if she would talk to anyone it would be him. They were of course correct. During their brief conversation Elizabeth had confirmed what they suspected. Then she did her best to avoid every one of the guys for the next month out of embarrassment. Even though she knew that what happened wasn't her fault, it would have killed her if the guys thought otherwise. In the past people she thought were her friends had judged her, and it hurt more than she had words to say.
Jason gave her some space in the beginning. It couldn't be an easy thing to talk about, and he didn't want her to feel like they were hovering. Then one day, after it became clear she was hiding, she came out of her studio and he was leaning against his car. They went for a drive to nowhere and talked for almost three hours. It was the first, and last, time they ever went there in a car.
After that day they never talked about it again. He also told the crew to not to ever bring it up. Six months later Baker, who had been denied parole for good behavior, was shanked while working in the prison kitchen. When they cleaned his cell they found a stash of pictures of Elizabeth cut from local newspapers proving he still had his sick obsession. Jason made sure that the deviant knew who had ordered his death, and why, before Baker died. It didn't take away what happened, but it made all the guys feel better.
"You're welcome." Jason wasn't going to lie about him being behind the death. He didn't have to. "I knew you weren't going to ask."
"After we talked I thought about it more times than I could count. I wanted it so bad. I just couldn't make myself say the words." She could admit that. "I think if he had actually gotten out after the parole hearing, it would have been a different story." If he had been set free it would have only been a matter of time before he came after her again, or possibly hurt someone else. Liz couldn't have sat by and let him steal someone else's childhood. "Knowing he was behind bars, and being treated poorly was enough." Prisoners who hurt women and children were at the bottom of the social order. Baker had actually shown up to the hearing with a black eye. "I would be lying though if I said I wasn't aware that he only had four years left to serve." She took a deep breath and looked out the window. "Can we let this go for now?" She needed a little space.
"Yeah." He leaned forward and kissed her as a knock sounded. "That's the runner." Jason got up and opened the door. "Thanks." He said taking the large cloth sack and looking inside.
"No problem." Johnny wasn't going to let a stranger come to the door. Even if it was one of their guys. "I added some ginger ale and crackers to the order. My mother swears by them for an upset stomach." Johnny and Max had stocked part of the bar for their stay so he grabbed the soda from there. The crackers he called for. "I also went over to Sonny's and grabbed some movies." He handed over the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"Thanks." Jason repeated. "She likes those movies."
"Try to get her to stay in." Johnny suggested. He knew about the nightmares that Liz had been suffering through. "The storm that they said might happen looks like a definite now. It'll be a good day to rest."
"You're just full service aren't you?" Jason was grateful for his friends.
"I'm practicing to be a good boyfriend. Lord knows you are not a very good role model." Johnny said chiding his friend some. Jason looked worried. "If you need anything call. Including meals."
"Go back and get some sleep." Jason said while nodding.
Johnny shrugged as if to say he was up now. "Later."
"Yeah." Jason closed the door and went to take care of Elizabeth.
He didn't send for any meals, he did send for ingredients. The timing on the delivery was perfect because Elizabeth had just fallen asleep. All her favorites were represented including chocolate. With her situated on the couch under the blankets and with a mound of pillows Jason went into the kitchen to set about turning those ingredients into more of her favorite things.
The soup was not an issue. He made chicken noodle because according to Sonny that was what you fed to someone who wasn't feeling well. True Elizabeth wasn't sick, but soup in general would lift her spirit and Jason could handle chicken noodle because it was easy. Especially since he wasn't making stock from scratch. His friends would just have to deal, because they were going to give him grief if they found out.
With the ingredients simmering away Jason turned to the next thing he wanted to make. He had pulled up a recipe from the internet when making the grocery list. Gathering all the ingredients was the next part. Looking across the top of the island there were lots of little bowls with everything carefully measured out. The problem came in when it came to time to mix everything together. He also didn't have the proper pan. "Good going Jason." He muttered to himself. Out came the phone again to call for another runner.
It took another thirty minutes but he finally had the proper equipment. Which meant that he could get started. "Back on track." The mob boss said talking to himself. "Oven on." Jason turned it to the proper temperature. "So far so good."
He started with the oil, pouring it into the bowl of the large mixer. The sugar, and vanilla went in next. Then he turned the mixer up, like the recipe said, to high so he could cream everything together. While that was blending he stirred together the rest of the ingredients in big ceramic bowl. "Now to add this to that." He said pointing to the bowl on the counter to the mixer. Grabbing the bowl he poured the dry mixture into the wet part and created a cloud which made him cough and covered him in flour. Stepping back he wiped his face and looked at the recipe again and noticed an asterisk. Looking at the bottom of the page he had printed out he read the smaller print. "Turn the mixer back to low before adding the dry ingredients." He shook his head. "You probably should have put that in bigger print." The kitchen was a mess. He would clean up later, once the treat was in the oven.
Turning the mixer back on, he carefully added the dry ingredients without a disaster this time. He took a taste. "Not bad." It didn't taste as rich as Elizabeth's brownie batter, but it tasted like chocolate so that had to be a good thing. Hopefully that taste would remain after they baked.
He buttered the pan, poured the batter in, and slid it into oven. Then he looked at the kitchen. It was the just the island area that had gotten destroyed so it shouldn't take too long to clean up. He needed to do a good job though otherwise they'd end up with ants. The dishes went into the dishwasher first and then he grabbed to cleaning sponge to get to work.
"Something smells wonderful." Liz was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"I made brownies." Jason pointed to the plate. They didn't look that great but more importantly they tasted good. "Want one."
"Yes please." Liz took the saucer and had a bite. "Well done." You had to smile when eating chocolate.
"These are the first thing I've ever baked." Jason said happy that she liked them. "Probably the last too."
"Baking should appeal to you. It's very precious, there is lots of science involved." Liz took a seat on a barstool. She could also smell soup.
"It's messy." Jason said leaning against the sink.
"Flour cloud?" Liz guessed trying not to laugh. He was dressed differently than when she fell asleep. He nodded and she grinned. "Common novice baker mistake."
"Why don't my brownies taste like yours?" Jason wanted to know.
"Where is your recipe?" Liz wanted to know. There were any number of reasons the brownies tasted differently. However there were some basic ingredients that came into play no matter which recipe that was used to make the chocolate squares. She looked it over. "I add coffee. It deepens the flavor of the cocoa powder."
"I looked at a bunch of recipes and not one of them had coffee as an ingredient." Jason let her know. "Is that some baking secret?"
"No. It just wasn't in the recipe you picked." Liz said laughing. "Your brownies are delicious." She would have lied if necessary, but it wasn't. He had done well. "Chicken noodle soup?" She pointed to the large pot on the stove.
"Enough for lunch and dinner." Jason confirmed for her. "I thought you might like some."
Liz popped the last morsel of brownie into her mouth before jumping down from the stool. She came around to where her guy was standing and gave him a hug. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."
"I only do it because I know I'll be rewarded with kisses." He said with a shameless grin.
"Yes you will." She said going up on her toes and giving him a smooch.
"How come you don't have a stand mixer back home?" Jason wanted to know. He had been over her place countless times and never seen one. Up until now it never occurred to him how odd that was. Elizabeth loved to bake. Not just brownies either.
"I don't have room for one." Liz said shrugging. "Or I didn't. My kitchen is tiny and I don't really have much in the way of storage. A stand mixer is something you put in one spot and leave it there." Her apartment was a small one bedroom. Living on her own she wanted to live somewhere safe so she sacrificed square footage to move to one of the better neighborhoods. From her living room windows she could see the Towers. "Plus if I'm going to be honest I want the one Sonny has."
"You agreed to move in to get access to my counters, didn't you?" Jason teased her. He was also watching her as they talked. She was in a better place than right after her nightmare, but not completely level yet. They had been talking off and on all day. It was helping, but it was also painful.
"Yes." Liz said laughing.
When they got home Jason was going to ask his partner where he got the stand mixer. Knowing Sonny it wasn't your run of the mill model. Jason knew that it was bigger than what got delivered to the cottage this morning, so that meant the machine was probably industrial. Or as close to it as the home cook could get.
"Once we are back home I'll probably drop a good amount of cash on kitchen items. In fact it's more than likely the only room that will get a complete makeover." Liz gave him a look that said she was trying not to laugh at him. Jason only owned a few pans. His dishes were a set of four each of plates, bowls, and silverware. The most prevalent thing in that room of the house were glasses. She was in the same boat, but that had everything to do with her non-existent storage space.
"Will we fight if I give you a credit card?" Jason wanted to know.
"It depends." Liz copied his stance of her arms across her chest.
"On what?" Jason wanted to know.
"The card has to be for personal and home expenses only. I have my own business account." Liz looked over at him. Yes they were moving in together and she knew he was going to make his bank accounts available to her. They wouldn't fight about that. It was pointless. She just wanted a clear separation between her business expenses. Just like his business expenses were something she wouldn't have a say in.
"I can agree to that." Jason nodded his head. "You don't need my help with your brand. Honestly I don't ever see you needing my help."
"But if something were to happen I know that you are there." Liz could give him this, because he really did respect what she had created.
"I'll call and have the accounts set up. I also need to have some parking spaces created for you." Jason wanted her cars waiting when they got back. His penthouse came with six spaces and he only used three. He could have her name put on two of them. "I'm also going to have Diane draw up a new deed. I want your name on the lease to the penthouse. I don't want you to feel like you are living in my home."
"I wouldn't ever feel that way Jason." Elizabeth let him know. She understood that this change was so that she felt like his equal in the relationship. "Thank you."
Even though he was hoping they wouldn't be in the penthouse for that long, for the time they lived there he wanted her secure. "Now is also a good time to paint if you want."
Liz just laughed. "Don't let Johnny get to you. I like the walls the way they are." The paint color was picked by Jason when she did the remodel. Just like he wanted her to feel a sense of ownership with the penthouse, she wanted him to feel like he had a say in how their living space looked. "Anything else we should talk about?" The day in was allowing them to address topics that they probably wouldn't have until they were back home.
"I'd like it if you brought The Wind over from your studio. I would like to have it hanging in our home. Over the fireplace so it can be seen when people first walk in." Jason loved that painting. He had blushed when Elizabeth told him that he had inspired her. It was also the first time he realized that her talent ran beyond fashion. He had no idea she knew how to paint.
"I can do that." Liz would pick up another piece of art for her studio. Not right away though. She expected to be moving her work space to the upper floors of her new building. With three stories she had plenty of space to spread out. She wanted to create a workroom as well as an office from which to run her business. Dedicated space for a desk and computer would be nice. She would also have a place for inventory which would be nice.
"Do you need anything from me?" Jason wanted to know.
"Can you start locking the door behind you?" Liz asked him. "I know the building is secure and most of the time there will be a guard on the door."
"All of the time." Jason interrupted her. "I know that I usually only have one when things are tense. Now that you live there I will have one all the time." There would be no such thing as security that was tight enough. "I will also lock the door." Which was something else he had been lax about. Generally when people came up they could walk right in.
"Thank you." Liz wrapped her arms around her middle and when his arm came around her shoulder she moved closer to him. She was still a little shaky. "Locks make me feel secure." At her former apartment she had a dead bolt as well as a sliding bolt. It was the same way at her studio. She took precautions to not be a victim again, but it had still ended up happening.
He could feel her thoughts drifting into darker areas and he tightened his arm around her. Placing a kiss on the top of her head he silently let her know that he was there. "How about some soup for you and a sandwich for me? Then we can rewind the movie back to where you fell asleep."
"It's the sound of the rain, it's very soothing. The soup is what woke me up, it smells delicious." Liz would let him take care of her.
"Soup is easier to make than brownies." Jason said laughing. "Get under the blankets and I'll bring everything in."
Liz gave him another soft kiss and went back to the couch. After lunch she was hoping they could snuggle up together. Something told her that her boyfriend wouldn't mind at all.
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