Chapter 8

"You know, I always knew you were a desperate and despicable excuse for a woman, but this is sad, even for you!"

Oh, God, Elizabeth moaned to herself. The last person she wanted to see today was the insufferable woman. "Carly, please, I don't have time for this." Elizabeth turned her back on the blond amazon and tried to concentrate on the files in front of her, silently praying that Carly Corinthos would just turn around and leave. She should have known better.

"You're unbelievable," Carly moved purposely to the other side of the station to force the nurse to look at her. "I cannot believe that after all these years and after all the times he's kicked your sorry butt to the curb that you're still this mesmerized by Jason's dick! How many times does he need to not choose you before you get it, Elizabeth?"

"Carly, please, this is my work - please keep your voice down." Elizabeth's tone was hushed.

"I don't give a damn where we are!" Carly's anger was raw as she yelled at the pathetic woman, garnering the attention of everyone in earshot, including the two other Nurses near the desk and the Orderly helping a patient into a wheelchair near the sitting area. "You are a miserable excuse for a human being who kidnapped an amnesiac Jason and raped him for seven months, right under his wife's nose! You're despicable!" the disgust was animated by the upturn of her lips as she glared at the woman, and it was taking all of her strength not to reach across the desk to pull her over by her hair.

Elizabeth could not contain her shock at the hateful words, "I did not rape Jason! How could you say that to me, of all people? I love him…don't you dare make it sound as if what we share is dirty or wrong."

Nostrils flaring, Carly leaned in closer to the station, "spoken like a true rapist, and you, of all people, should have known better. Had you been a man taking advantage of a woman the way you did Jason, you would've indeed been branded a rapist."

Elizabeth tried to get away from the fuming woman and the gawking stares by walking down the hallway towards the Art Therapy room, but Carly would not let her go so easily, yelling at her retreating back as she followed angrily. "I'll tell you what you share with Jason, Elizabeth. You share a little boy from a one night stand that was borne out of his pain of seeing the love of his life in somebody else's arms, knowing he pushed her there. You share his gratitude for you saving his life when he got shot a thousand years ago, and for being his friend when he was Jake Doe with no memory and no idea that he had a lot more than just you…that's all you share you little nitwit." Carly grabbed the nurse by the arm and swung her around to face her, squeezing hard. "Jason is in love with Sam, always was and always will be and you damn well know it, and that's why you didn't tell anyone when you found out who Jake Doe was, isn't it, sweetie? Because you knew that he would never in a million years turn his back on his family for you."

Carly wanted to rip her to shreds, tear her limb from limb. Her best friend in this entire, sorry world, the one person who had always had her back through any and everything and had protected her and her family from it all, the friend that they had all mourned and cursed the universe for taking from their lives, had miraculously come back from the dead, had found his way home and been living among them for an entire year, and this miserable excuse for a woman had kept that wonderful, life-changing news to her selfish self. "You love him…well it's too bad he doesn't love you. What else do you need him to do to show you where his heart lies? What, huh, get a skywriter, send a singing telegram? Tell me, Elizabeth, how much more clearer did marrying Sam and not you, need to be for you to get it?"

"Carly, you don't know anything about who Jason is now." She rubbed her arm where Carly had gripped her in a vice. "He doesn't want anything to do with you or Sonny or anyone from that life. He wants to be with me and my boys. Why can't you all just leave us alone?"

Carly's mouth fell open in shock as she gaped at the clueless woman, "WAKE UP ELIZABETH! Jason wants to be with his family. He's been trying everything to get back with Sam and they would be together right now if you hadn't tried to keep them apart with your pitiful games. But it doesn't matter what you do, does it? They always end up together, no matter what you try to do to them or how many times you try to get in between them. Not when you got pregnant and tried to trap him, not when you lied to him about his wife's fidelity, and certainly not now when he came back from the dead to be with her." Carly shook her head and slapped her clutch against her peacoated leg as she sneered at her, "don't you get it yet? Jason will never want you over his soulmate." She flashed her blond hair jeeringly, "but you know that already, don't you, Elizabeth? That's why you kept quiet! That's why you kept Jason from his wife, from his son, from his entire damn family, including me and my sons, you pathetic little bitch!"

Elizabeth fired back hotly, "oh, please, as if you and everyone else in this town haven't done much, much worse. Get off my back ,Carly, this is none of your business." She tried walking away again, but Carly wasn't done.

"HEY! Don't you dare walk away from me," she shouted as she spun her around again, this time adding a shove to the forceful turn, sending Elizabeth staggering back a couple steps as she was made to face her as Carly continued, "I don't give a damn about everyone else in this town, you made a grave mistake when you chose my best friend to target, when you chose my best friend's family to deceive." She was using her clutch to shove at the woman's chest with gusto.

Elizabeth was getting a little afraid. Not only was she being publicly humiliated in her place of employment, the other medical personnel scattered on the floor pretending not to be listening to every word, but Carly Corinthos was known for her temper and brash behavior, and Elizabeth was still sore from the last ass whopping she got from Jason's main cheerleader. Carly was getting physical and that was going to end only one way. "Carly, please, you've said your piece, just leave me alone and go about your business before you get me fired."

"You should have thought about that before you kidnapped a helpless man so you could lure him into your bed. I don't know what my weak little cousin ever saw in you, but you've been nothing but a plaque upon Jason since the day you met. I warned him a million times not to trust you, but we all know how big Jason's heart is, and he can never walk away from a bruised little creature who needs him. Except, you're no victim, are you honey? No, you lie and manipulate with the best of us, you're the vicious little snake who set your sights on Jason ages ago and will stop at nothing until you get your way. Who cares if he doesn't feel the same way, who cares who you leave in your dust while you chase after a married man?"

"Are you finished? I don't have to justify what Jason and I have to a whore like you who's slept with every man in this town and who's lied, cheated, and conned her way into everything that you have. You and that tramp that Jason was married to have that in common, so I'm not surprised you'd be siding with her. Who the hell are you to talk to me about Jason and our love?"

"Who I am is his best friend and the person who knows his heart a whole of a lot better than you, who knows that you're not the one he wants to spend his life with, you're not the one he can't live without, and you're certainly not the one he's begging to take him back." Carly smiled smugly, "as we speak, Jason is crawling on his hands and knees to Sam begging for another chance, pleading with her to forgive the colossal mistake he made by letting you talk him into marrying you. How does it feel, Elizabeth? To know that the only time you could get Jason to walk down the isle was when he couldn't remember a damn thing about his life? How does it feel to know the only way you ever stood a chance with him was to keep him in seclusion and brainwash him into believing that he loved you…and hell, even then he still left you and has gone chasing after Sam."

"Shut up Carly. Jason will never go back to that whore. He loves me and it's just a matter of time before he remembers that and comes home to our son."

"HAH! Your poor defenseless children are the ones who lose the most at your hands. You set them up to count on a man who you knew was not going to stay. What kind of a mother are you?"

"A hell of a better one than you'll ever be! Don't act like you don't hate me just because I gave Jason a son and you never did share that bond with him."

"Any woman could give Jason a son you stupid bitch, but you and I both know that only one has ever given him everything he needs, including a son, and she's the only mother he's ever wanted for his children. A broken condom and a bottle of tequila is what's tied you to Jason all this time and you fucking know it!"

Elizabeth's hand shot out and connected to Carly's jaw before she remembered to be afraid, but in a split second she was reminded when the blond railed back and fired up the side of her face with a painful blow that sent her falling backwards. As if the cue that she'd been waiting on, the slap seemed to give Carly the opening she needed to grab the nurse by the hair and push her up against the near wall, slapping her again and again with her clutch until Elizabeth's hands came up in defense to cover her head. Carly stopped hitting her then and huffed, "the only reason I don't wipe this floor with your bony ass is because of the kidney that we all thought my daughter got from your son. In gratitude I tried to let old grudges die and coexist in peace with you, but you better steer clear of me Elizabeth, because the next time I'll forget that I ever owed you a fucking thing."

"Leave, Carly, leave right now before I call security."

"That won't be necessary." The voice of Dr. Monica Quartermaine caused both women to look over and find her standing only feet away from their spectacle, her hands shoved into her white labcoat as she eyed them with an unreadable expression on her authoritative face. "Nurse Webber, this is a hospital and if you can't keep your disruptive, intrusive lifestyle outside of these walls and away from my patients, I will be forced to ask you to leave."

"Dr. Quartermaine, I-I was just getting back to my charts." She hurried over to the desk but Monica had more to add.

She stepped up behind the desk and addressed the nurse again, "I had a very interesting conversation with my son a couple days ago. He informed me that my daughter-in-law had been arrested for assaulting you."

Elizabeth couldn't help mumbling to herself, "I'm your daughter-in-law." Then it dawned on her where the conversation was leading. She tried to head her off meekly, "Dr. Q…"

Monica didn't let her finish. "Imagine my surprise when he told me why!"

Elizabeth had hoped to have time to plan what to say to Jason's mom when the subject came up but she didn't have anything yet. Carly couldn't resist the opportunity to take another stab at open wounds. "Go ahead, Elizabeth. Explain to Jason's mother how you kept the knowledge that her son was alive to yourself for solely selfless reasons…I'm sure she can't wait."

Monica looked from Carly to the nurse, asking mockingly, "was that it, Elizabeth? You were just being selfless and considerate when you didn't think I needed to know that my son was alive? It was out of the goodness of your icy heart that you kept something so monumentally important, something that would've lifted the grief from my heart and given me time with my only living child? You did this contemptible thing because you were being thoughtful, is that what you were doing?"

Elizabeth was cringing from the doctor's frosty glare, shrinking in her spot at her cutting words. She tried desperately to explain, "Dr. Quartermaine, I know what I did was wrong and I didn't mean to keep it from you, but you have to admit that you didn't want Jason going back into the mob anymore than I did. What I did kept him out of arms way, he was safe and happy with me and my boys and I know you've always wanted that for him." She tried to plead to the softer side of the doctor, "there was a time when you even thought he made a beautiful family with us, remember that? Remember when you wanted us to be a family with our son?"

"Your son? The son that you kept a secret from me and the rest of the Quartermaines until we thought he was dead, that son?" Hearing about Jake seemed to anger the distinguished doc even more. "You got your son back, after years of believing that he had died, you got to experience the magnificent joy and wonderment of getting him back, so how were you able to look at your sweet little boy and deny me my own? How could you, a mother who got the blessing and the unbelievable gift of getting your son back from the dead, who got to experience the sensational feeling and the pure enormity of such a wondrous gift, how were you able to look me, another mother, in the eye everyday, and deny me the same? How do you live with such an unforgivable, reprehensible act and say you did it for love?"

Monica was in tears as she tried to make sense of the nurse's cruel and thoughtless actions. "I thought my son was dead, Elizabeth. I thought I had outlived all of my children, my husband was gone, so many of my entire family were gone! What gave you the right to keep my child as your dirty little secret?" She couldn't stop them so she brushed angrily at her cheek, annoyed that the tears kept coming. "My son loved and respected you as a friend for so many years, as did I, as did my family. For God's sakes, Elizabeth, you were his baby sister's very best friend! My Emily trusted you, loved you like a sister…how could you use her brother in such a deplorable fashion?"

Elizabeth couldn't believe how badly everything had gotten screwed up. "Please, Dr. Quartermaine, I didn't mean for this to happen this way, I just wanted Jason and I to finally have our time. He was free and clear and he had no ties to Sonny anymore, remember Sonny - you hate him for what he's done to Jason. I kept him away from all of that and he was happy with me. We were finally happy."

Carly had kept quiet up to that point, respectfully giving Monica her say to the vile woman. "You really are crazier than a loon…do you hear yourself?"

Monica took a deep breath before she addressed Elizabeth again. "Nurse Webber, if it was up to me I would toss you out on your head right this second, but as Chief of Staff at this hospital it is my duty to keep it free from frivolous lawsuits and liabilities, but you can bet your ass that you will feel my presence within these walls. There are so many bedpans in your near future that you'll soon want to drown yourself in one of them."

Carly's scoff was loud and pronounced. "Couldn't happen to a more deserving gal."

Monica continued, "In addition, I have reason to be concerned with your sanity right now, so you will immediately report to Dr. Collins for an evaluation to determine your competence to treat the patients in this hospital. Consider yourself suspended and relieved of your duties until such time that he validates your competence and clears you for active duty."

"What? You can't do that - I have a family to care for."

"I can and I just did." Monica's voice said there was no room for arguing or disobedience. "Your family is one of the reasons that this should be a priority. You should really concern yourself with giving those boys a healthy, sane mother, and right now, I can assure you that's not what they're getting. Now, Jake is my grandson, and your other boys didn't do anything to deserve this hell you've brought to their lives, so whatever they need while you're cleaning up your mess of a life, I will take care of." With that Monica turned and left the floor, nodding to Carly as she passed.

Carly didn't feel an ounce of pity for the man-thief. "Serves you right you pitiful excuse for a woman. I'd say you got off pretty damn easy, if I was Monica, I'd kick your ass, then I'd sure as hell fire you!"

Elizabeth refused to get drawn into another brawl with Carly, this day was turning out so very badly. It was as though she'd been living in a nightmare lately, where absolutely nothing was going right and she couldn't stop it, she couldn't stop any of it. She made her way to Kevin Collins' office to schedule her appointment with his assistant, not wanting to give Monica any ammunition to fire her as she needed her job. Maybe a few days off would do her good, at least she could get away from the knowing stares and the rumor mill that was circulating the hospital. She needed to regroup and talking to Dr. Collins might help her do it. As she turned the corner she saw Jason disappear into the inner office with Dr. Collins and not only was she surprised to see him at the hospital, but she was flabbergasted to find him going into a shrink's office. Jason Morgan would never talk to a therapist, what was going on? She approached the receptionist and desperately wanted to ask, but she had to be nonchalant about it.

"Hi Dawn. Can you tell me what openings Dr. Collins has for this week?"

"Sure, Elizabeth," the receptionist turned to her screen to view the doctor's schedule. "You have somebody you need to put down to see the doc?"

Elizabeth got a little red but she knew that the rumor was circulating by now as Monica was not the least bit discreet with her earlier announcement. "No, it's for me. I need to see him about something important." At least she could act professional, Elizabeth thought, as she eyed the receptionist who only nodded her head and continued to give her the opening slot for the next day. After booking herself for eleven the next morning, she struck up a conversation about the woman's children getting so big, pointing harmlessly to the photo on her desk. Five minutes of ensuing chitchat and she'd found her opening, "so, I just saw Jason go in with Kevin, I thought he said his appointment was later?" How would the woman know her husband wasn't confiding in her?

"No, Mr. Morgan has a standing appointment at the same time twice per week, it hasn't changed."

Twice per week? How long had this been going on? Why was Jason seeing a therapist and she knew nothing about it?

Just then, the receptionist from OB came over to them and after eyeing Elizabeth with pity she addressed the other woman, "Dawn, you ready?"

"Not yet, Cindy. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes."

"Oh, come on, how often do we get to see a flash proposal up close and personal? It starts in exactly three minutes!"

It was clear they were both very excited about the upcoming show. Dawn quickly explained to Elizabeth that their friend and coworker was getting proposed to and her future fiancee had asked them to gather down in the loading dock for the surprise. She really didn't want to miss it.

Elizabeth had never missed an opening in her life. "It's a big day for your friend, you have to be there. Go, I'll cover the desk for a few minutes for you, I'd be happy to." She put on her sweet, angelic smile that had never failed to get her what she wanted, not until lately anyway. When the receptionist hesitated she continued to prod her, "you'll hate yourself if you miss it, and it'll only be a few minutes. I think I can manage the phones for a few minutes."

Dawn was convinced. "Okay, thank you, Elizabeth, it's really nice of you."

Elizabeth fanned her off, shooing them towards the exit, "don't mention it. You'd do it for me, Dawn - it's really no big deal." She watched them leave before she looked over towards the door that Jason had disappeared into, then sat at the desk and reached for the intercom to the inner office. Who would it hurt if she listened for a little while?

"…so these memories, have they been coming a lot at once, or only sporadically?" Dr. Collins was asking.

Jason's answer was surprising, "at first they were only vague images that didn't last but a couple seconds, but lately they've been lasting a lot longer and are a lot more frequent. They hit out of nowhere and now they're accompanied by the most intense feelings I've ever had in my life. They're even manifesting in my dreams, most of the time I'd forget the dream as soon as I woke up, but not lately. Everything is so vivid now, it's like I'm transported right back into the middle of it happening."

Elizabeth was surprised - Jason was remembering everything? Then he was talking again.

"Most of them are about my wife and the way I feel about her in these dreams and these memories, I can't believe I ever forgot her. She was the most important person in my life and I can't believe I made such a huge mistake by leaving her. I just want to fix this, but I don't know how."

Elizabeth couldn't contain the smile that broke out on her face and in her heart. Jason was remembering her, he was dreaming about her and he wanted her back! Oh, this horrible day was looking up, finally.

"Well, the first thing you need to do is forgive yourself - you are in no way to blame for losing your memory, and I'm sure she feels the same way. I don't believe for one second that she would blame that on you. Secondly, you have to give her time to come to the same conclusions as you, that you want your marriage back. You can't rush her, as hard as it's going to be, you owe her the courtesy of working through her own emotions and making her own choices. Be patient, it will happen."

Jason didn't need to wait for anything, Elizabeth thought. She had already forgiven him and was ready to have their life back. All he had to do was come home.

"I know. I just love her so much, I don't ever want to lose her. We wasted so much time already, time that we should be spending getting to know each other again, raising our son. I hurt her, and I'm just worried that she'll move on without me. I mean, I couldn't blame her if she did, but I feel like I would die without her."

Elizabeth covered her heart with her hand, oh wow, Jason truly loved her completely.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Elizabeth was so startled by the receptionist coming back that she fumbled clumsily, hastily trying to disconnect the intercom, knocking over the photos next to it.

"I, huh, I was just…" she tried to place the photos back in their upright position, at the same time rising from the chair and looking from Dawn back over to what she was doing. Shit, she broke a frame! "I was just making sure Dr. Collins wasn't about to come out here to find that you'd left. I wasn't really listening to anything."

Dawn's look said bitch, please! She moved around the desk forcing Elizabeth to exit awkwardly. "Elizabeth, you know you cannot listen in on a private session, you damn well know better than that, and the only reason I won't report this is because I need my job. I can't afford to play with people's lives like some people we know."

Elizabeth wasn't so much as shamefaced. "I see the rumor mill is in full force again. Well, you're right, Dawn, keeping your mouth shut might just be better for you." She turned and stormed away from the area, leaving in a haughty huff, not giving a rat's ass what Dawn or anybody else thought in that moment. What she had just heard in that session made her day, damn it made her year. Finally, she was about to get her life back and everybody and everything else could just kiss her ass.

She walked back onto her floor, practically sailing on cloud nine. "Elizabeth Webber?" A messenger wanted to know. "Yes?" He held out a notepad for her signature, then after she signed, handed her a large manilla envelop, nodded her way and left. Elizabeth frowned as she opened it to see its contents. Who would be sending her a package?

Her heart fell to the floor when she saw that it was from Diane Miller's office. She took out the crisp sheets of paper gingerly, praying somehow for good news, only to turn ghost white when she saw the word "Annulled." She dropped the papers to the desk, devastated and confused. Jason had had their marriage annulled? Why would he do this? He was still in love with her, he wanted their marriage…she'd just heard him say so himself! But as she replayed the overheard conversation in her mind she thought back to the night he had outed her, the cruel way in which he had tricked her into thinking he was going to make love, saying things like how she was everything he ever wanted, things that had turned out to be obvious lies to disarm her, and she came to the earth shattering realization that she had been horribly, horribly mistaken. She was not the "wife" in question at all!