Audrey was sitting in the waiting area of the hospital after she got checked out. She wanted to go in to see Noah but Patrick Drake wouldn't let her just yet. "No visitors right now. Noah just got back from hyperbaric. I've got blood gases and neurological studies to evaluate, so it's going to be a few minutes." He walked away and Audrey looked up towards Jason. "I would like to wait." He hesitated. "You know, you should be resting." She looked at him like he was insane. "All right, I'll wheel you around." He started to walk around with her. "I could take you up to your room and come get you as soon as Noah wakes up."
Audrey wasn't listening to what Jason was saying. She was lost in her own thoughts. "Thank you for saving my life. I kept telling myself that you wouldn't give up and I was right." "I'm just sorry it took so long. I'm sorry it happened at all." Audrey put her hand on his so he would stop pushing her. She turned around in the wheelchair and looked up at him. "You don't have to apologize. It's just a part of being your daughter and I wouldn't change that for the world. You know, when I blacked out in the cellar, I felt like I couldn't breathe and I was choking on the gas. I honestly thought that I was going to die. But when I woke up in the fresh air and I saw you, I knew I was safe." "I'm so glad that you're okay." "Me too. Look, Jason, I feel like…" She started to tell him how sorry she was for how she had been acting but Patrick Drake walked up to them.
"You can go in now." Audrey felt her heart speed up. "How is he?" "Well, it's going to take some recovery time, but he's going to be okay if he takes it easy and gets a better group of friends." Patrick looked at Jason before walking away. Audrey looked up towards Jason. "Will you take me in?" He nodded and began wheeling her in. He pushed her up to the side of his bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Noah? Hey." Noah started to stir and turned his head towards the voice. "Hey you. We made it out. Good." Audrey felt tears brimming her eyes. "Yeah, Jason found us." She looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. "I wouldn't have made it without you." Noah shrugged it off. "We helped each other. It was no big deal." "It was a huge deal, Noah! You kept me alive and sane in there! You'll never know what you mean to me." Noah looked at Audrey square in her eyes. "Actually, I think I do. Because you mean the same to me."
Audrey's face lit up at his admission. She got out of her chair and sat on the edge of his bed taking his hand in hers. "Noah, you became a part of me in that cellar. I don't want to be without you anymore. Whether my dad agrees with this or not, I want to be with you. It's you and me." Noah released her hand and traced her cheek with his finger. "You and me." She kissed his hand and noticed his eyes starting to droop. "Well, you need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Noah." She sat back in her chair and called for Jason to come and take her back to her room.
The next day Jason came by to visit Audrey. He walked into her room and was surprised at the amount of flowers she had. She hadn't been in town that long; she didn't really know that many people. She looked up when she heard her door open. "Hey, you." He smiled at her. "Hey yourself. You want some company?" She smiled back at him. "Only if it's you." "You're pretty popular. You got a lot of flowers." Her smiled widened. "Oh, I know, tell me about it. It's like somebody died. I've got some from…" She read the names as she looked at the different cards. "Carly, Courtney and Sonny." Jason was surprised when he heard Courtney's name. She didn't even Audrey. It just showed how amazing and caring she was.
"Yeah, well people were worried. They're glad you're okay. So am I." "I'm better than okay. It just feels so incredible to be home." She tilted her head to the side. "Well, not home, but out of that cellar. This hospital room feels like a suite compared to being locked up for…you know…I'm still not sure how many days I was gone." All of a sudden her sunny disposition changed. She seemed sad. Jason got concerned. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Nothing." She shook her head. Jason looked down at her. "Don't say nothing. Stop doing that with me." She looked up at him innocently. "Doing what?" "Being…you know, bright, cheerful, like I'm not supposed to be able to tell something's wrong." She smiled to herself. She couldn't believe that they had just barely met and he knew her so well.
"You know, I forget that even though we just met you can see right through me." "Tell me." She sighed and gathered her thoughts before she started. "I just…I had really terrible nightmares last night. I was back in that cellar and it was closing in one me. I was screaming for help and you walked in the room but you wouldn't help me. You just stared at me. And then the room closed in on me and I was at my funeral and that's where all these flowers came from. It just seemed so real, you know? I woke up screaming." She laughed it off like the whole thing was stupid but he stopped her. "Okay, first of all, I'm no expert on dreams. I don't understand where they come from much less what they mean, but I do know they're not real. They can't hurt you. And it makes sense that you would dream about what happened because you just got out. Do you…do you want me to get rid of the flowers?"
She shook her head violently. "No, Dad. No that would…that would be rude." He was worried that the flowers would bother her. He wanted her to be comfortable, he didn't want her to grin and bear something that made her nervous. "Being polite is more important than having peace?" "No, but I need to face my fears. I need to be okay again and this is how. And you. Having you around and a part of my life is something I want and need." Jason stared at her in amazement. She was so strong. She reminded him a lot of Courtney. He chastised himself. He needed to stop thinking about Courtney. He was with Sam. He shook those thoughts out of his head and focused on her wanting to be in his life.
"Well, you might not anymore." Audrey looked at him confused. "Why?" Jason looked down at his hands. "Because I'm the reason you almost died. I mean, men you don't even know broke into the "safe" penthouse and kidnapped you to get to me. And I can't guarantee that it won't happen again. I promised I would protect you and I failed." Audrey understood where he was coming from but she just found her father and she wasn't going to lose him again. "I'm going to be honest with you." He chuckled. "I expect that." "There were times in that cellar that I wished I'd never met you. It seemed like such a stupid and pointless reason to die." Jason cut her off. "It is, and that's my point." He sighed. "I'm sorry. Go on." She nodded. "Thank you. The other side to that is that I held on as long as I did because of you. I knew that you wouldn't stop looking for me, that you would keep going until you found me. My faith in you was unshakable and justified."
She never ceased to amaze him. She had handled this all remarkably and she didn't blame him or hate him for anything that happened to her. "When I got to you, you were almost dead and I don't want that to ever happen again." Audrey smiled at him. "Yeah, me neither." They were silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Dad? Thank you for saving me." "Thanks for hanging in there until I could get to you." He walked over and hugged her but a knock on the door interrupted them.
Courtney peeked her head in the door. "Knock, knock." Jason and Audrey both look over at her. Jason's eyes light up when he sees her. "Hi, Jason." "Hi." She smiled at him before turning her attention to Audrey. "Audrey, I know we haven't met yet but I'm really glad you're safe and you're home. And I know that I always liked looking at pretty things after being kidnapped so I thought I would send you some flowers." Audrey smiled at Courtney. She liked her all ready. This is the type of woman that her father should be with. Not that tramp Sam who hadn't even been to the hospital since she'd been checked in.
"Thank you. They are beautiful." She looked over at the flowers and then back at Courtney. "It's really nice to meet you Courtney." Courtney's face lit up. This girl was so sweet. "It's so nice to meet you too." She looked down at her watch and hesitated before she spoke again. "Well, I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to go. Audrey, call me when you get out of here and get settled and we'll grab some lunch." She smiles at Audrey before she looks over at Jason. "I'll see you around, Jase." She turns and walks out and Jason quickly follows. Audrey smiles knowing that her father loves her more than anything. He loves her just as much now and he did when they were married. It was only a matter of time.
Jason got into the hall and called out to Courtney. "Courtney!" She turned around with that smile that lights up her whole face. "Yeah?" He walked up to her. "Thank you for the flowers and for coming to see her. You've been amazing through this whole thing and I can't thank you enough." "Jason, you don't have to thank me. You needed me and I would do anything for you. Don't you know that?" He thought about all the times that she had pulled through for him. "I used too. I'm learning again."