Ch. 3

Elizabeth, Jason and Steven rode the elevator to the sixth floor of General Hospital. Elizabeth looked nervously at both Jason and her brother. Part of her knew that this is what she needed to do, but the other part wanted to melt into the floor and just disappear. Feeling a slight squeeze to her right hand, she turned and looked into Jason's concerned blue eyes. They silently asked the question, "Are you ok." Biting her lower lip, she mustered up a tentative smile and nodded. Lacing his fingers with hers, he gave her hand a squeeze and brought it up to his lips for a kiss.

The elevator came to a stop and the three passengers got off. Steven looked at Elizabeth and Jason. "I'm going to sign in and have a nurse set up an exam room. I called Mac Scorpio on my way over and he's sending a police officer right over. I didn't tell him that it was you and that it was Lucky we're filing a report against."

Grateful for her brother's compassion and smart thinking, Elizabeth let go of Jason to hug him. "I'm so glad you came back to Port Charles," she whispered to him.

Kissing the top of her head, Steven replied, "Me, too." Letting go of Elizabeth, he walked away.

Jason turned toward Elizabeth. "Will you be ok here while I go call Sonny to let him know I'm unavailable for the next few days? I want to be there with you and the kids and get us settled in somewhere."

Looking around and seeing that the hospital was empty, she nodded at Jason. "Just hurry back, ok," she told him.

Kissing her, he walked away from the waiting area where he could use his cell phone and not interfere with the hospitals machines.

Elizabeth went to go sit down in a chair when a voice full of hatred stopped her.

"Well, if it isn't the towns biggest whore."

Elizabeth turned around and looked into the eyes of a livid Lesley Lu Spencer.

"You are a lying, two-timing SLUT," screamed Lulu. "My brother's whole life was you. He took you and your two sons into his life, made plans to spend the rest of his life with you and you lie straight to his face and sleep with his brother. HIS BROTHER!! What kind of low-life bitch are you?! I can't believe you'd even show your face around here," Lulu spat at her.

Elizabeth was frozen in her spot. She didn't know what to do. Everyone she worked with was watching at Lulu gave her the verbal bashing she had once thought she deserved. But, now she knew better. Knowing that she had Jason's support, she shook herself out of her daze.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Lulu," Elizabeth said softly.

Lulu's head snapped up when she heard the strenght in Elizabeth's voice, not the guilty-pitiful one she expected to hear. Jason, who had been coming back to where he left Elizabeth, was about to step in to help Elizabeth, when he realized she didn't need him. Standing off to the side, he let Elizabeth stand up for herself.

Moving toward Lulu, Elizabeth continued. "You of all people have no business judging people. Let's not even start with the fact that this is an inappropriate place to have this conversation. These doctors and nurses are trying to save lives and they do not need to be distracted from a babbling bitch. Secondly, you want to judge me? You, who destroyed the life that Dillon and Georgie had, YOU, who LIED to a man and told him that his wife was cheating on him just so that he would sleep with you. Then, you get pregnant and have an abortion and ruin both Dillon and Georgie's lives. You, who comes from a family who lies and cheats and swindles people just so that they come out on top. You want to judge me, go right ahead. Maybe I made a serious error in judgment. But the worst judgment call I've made, is staying with a man who beats the crap out of me for fun."

Bright red with anger and embarrassment, Lulu laughed in Elizabeth's face. "What I've done in the past is the past. It doesn't matter now. And who the hell is going to believe that my brother is beating the crap out of you. We've never seen a single bruise on your "precious" body. I can't believe you'd even sink this low to make up a lie about Lucky to save your worthless face."

Eyes full of self-confidence, Elizabeth looked at Lulu. "Proof? You want Proof? I'll give you proof that your precious Lucky is a wife beater."

Throwing her purse and coat on the floor, Elizabeth grabbed the hem of her shirt and ripped it off. Many of the doctors and nurses who had been watching gasped in shock. Elizabeth's front and back were covered in welts, bruises, cuts and a few cigarette burns. Patrick and Robin had been listening from the nurse's station and Robin started to cry when she saw Elizabeth's body. Patrick clenched his fists in anger and looked up to see Jason Morgan watching Elizabeth. You could see the pride in his eyes for what Elizabeth was doing, but he could also see the pain that the enforcer was feeling.

Jason had never felt prouder of Elizabeth. Walking over to her, he shrugged out of his leather jacket and put it around Elizabeth. Giving a shocked Lulu a dangerous look, he led Elizabeth away. Patrick and Robin rushed over to direct Jason where to take Elizabeth. The other doctors and nurses went back to their business, leaving a shocked Lulu standing in the same spot, not knowing what to think or say.

Elizabeth was ushered into an exam room by Robin. Jason gave her a quick kiss before Patrick took Jason to wait for the police officer in his office.

Robin helped Elizabeth get into a gown. Gently hugging her friend, Robin whispered, "Why didn't you tell me? Patrick and I would have helped you."

Giving a wobbly smile, Elizabeth shrugged. "I guess for every reason we've ever heard from a domestic abuse victim. I was ashamed, I was embarrassed, and I felt guilty. I thought I could keep lying about it. But I've never been able to lie to Jason. He says it's because he knows me better than I know myself. Which is probably true." Looking into Robin's face, she knew what else she needed to tell Robin. "Um, I'm going to tell you another secret and you have to swear not to be angry."

"If it's about you having slept with Nicholas, I already know," Robin said softly.

Shaking her head no, Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Jake isn't Lucky's. Jason is Jake's father."

Her head snapping up, Robin looked at Elizabeth and smiled. "Are you serious? How? Does Lucky know?"

"The night of the blackout, I had caught Lucky in bed with Maxie again and Jason had caught Sam and Ric having sex. I wound up at Jason's penthouse. He's the one person I can always count on. Anyway, we both started drinking to forget our pain. Then he cupped my face with his hand and we looked at each other. All of the love and passion we've always felt for each other exploded. One thing led to another and we made love. But it wasn't because we were drunk. When the alcohol wore off, we still felt the way we felt and continued to show each other through the night. Then, I tried to work things out with Lucky and he tried to work things out with Sam. We found out the Enduro condoms were faulty and I wound up pregnant. I didn't tell Jason until the Metro Court exploded and we thought we were going to die. Jason agreed to let Lucky think he was the father so he wouldn't relapse. Jason almost came forward when Jake was born but when I woke up, he agreed his life was too dangerous. The love Jason and I shared wouldn't go away. We kept meeting in secret and I'd bring him Jake or pictures. Then, Jason and I decided that we didn't care about how dangerous things were. We were going to tell the truth and become a family. Then, Michael was shot. Jason pushed me away for good. We thought we could be happy apart. But, apparently, neither of us has been. Lucky's been drinking since we got back together. He lied to all of us. And from the minute I agreed to work things out again, he beats me almost every day. Jason saw the proof today after Lucky found out about what Nicholas and I had done."

Hugging her friend, Robin tried to hold back her tears. "I'm so sorry Elizabeth. I wish I could help. How did Nicholas not see?"

Shrugging, Elizabeth told the truth. "He knew. All he cared about was filling the void Emily left in him. I was that void. Half the time, it was Emily he was having sex with, not me. He believed the stories I made up about the bruises but deep down he knew and he just didn't care."

Hugging Elizabeth once more, both girls jumped at the knock on the door. Hurrying to open it, Robin saw Jason, Patrick and Detective Cruz on the other side. Motioning them all in, Robin shut the door.

Cruz looked at Elizabeth is shock. "What's going on, Elizabeth?"

Jason moved to stand next to Elizabeth, giving her the silent support she needed.

"I need to file assault charges against Lucky. He beats me and has been for months. I want to file charges and have a restraining order put out on him."

Cruz shook himself out of his shock. He had known that something was up with his ex-partner lately but he couldn't put his finger on it. Know he knew.

Taking out his notepad, Cruz proceeded to take Elizabeth's statement. He had Robin take pictures of Elizabeth's bruises and cuts and burns. He called Mac at the station and filed him in. His boss was furious and informed him that he would take care of the restraining order himself. Mac still hadn't forgiven Lucky for what he had done to Maxie and the resentment grew when he found out what he had been doing to Elizabeth.

Cruz let Elizabeth and Jason know they'd be in touch and left the two alone in the room. As much as Cruz hated the mob, he'd be the first to admit that Jason Morgan and Elizabeth were destined to be together.

Elizabeth looked at Jason. "Can we get the boys and go home," she asked.

Gathering Elizabeth into his arms, he nodded. "I can't think of anything I'd like to do more."

Elizabeth got dressed and the two headed for the daycare center. Steven had had her Grams drop the boys off. She knew that Steven told Grams what had been going on and she was ok with that. She didn't think she could stand to see the disappointment in her grandmother's eyes again.

Holding Jason's hand, the two headed for the elevator to get their sons and go home.

Back at the police station, Mac Scorpio stormed out of his office and bellowed, "SPENCER, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE."

Lucky Spencer jumped out of his seat when he heard Mac screaming at him. Shaking off the fuzziness that the alcohol in his coffee had left, he stood up and weaved into Mac's office.

"What, Mac?"

Mac looked at the sorry excuse for a man standing in front of him. "What, Mac you ask? I'll tell you what? Give me your badge and gun you sorry excuse for a human being. You're fired. Not only are you a bastard who gets joy in beating the crap out of a woman, you're also on the job drunk. It is my privilege to inform you that you are fired and that Elizabeth has filed a restraining order for you. You are not to go within 2 feet of her, Cameron, Jake or Jason Morgan. You cannot frequent anyplace that they frequent. If you disobey these orders, you will be arrested and go to jail. But that will probably happen anyway, since Elizabeth has filed charges against you. Now, you sorry excuse for a man, get the hell out of my office."

Throwing his badge and gun angrily on Mac's desk, Lucky stormed out of the office and past the curious faces of everyone in the station. As he stormed out the door, all he could think about was that Elizabeth was going to pay for exposing him.