Chapter Three
The wound on her stomach was not that bad, it had already clotted, but the fear that it could have been much deeper, weighed heavily on her mind. She looked at Ric as if he was a new species just discovered on earth, she could not fathom why he would do this to her, after claiming to love her on so many occasions.
"Ric, please, stop and think about this, this is insane!" Liz exclaimed, trying to sound braver than she felt at the moment.
At the mere mention of his mental health or lack there of, he lost it, he jabbed the gun into her abdomen, eliciting a panicked scream from deep within her.
"Shut up, you will not say another word or you and Jason's brat will both regret it."
The knowledge he had of this baby's paternity rocking her more than she wished to show. However, her shock still registered enough to give Ric the cold satisfaction, of knowing one of her most intimate secrets. Knowing she had no other choice, she bit back her obvious disdain.
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Jason could faintly hear the sirens of the police cars, he knew they were not far off, but the waiting was slowly driving him insane. Not two minutes later, two squad cars pulled up, the men inside stepping out of the vehicle, their guns held at the ready. Just because this man had supposedly phoned in the call, did not mean they had to trust that he was not the shooter.
Jason's gun was concealed beneath his leather jacket; at least he did not have to worry about being frisked, for that would be a breach of his constitutional rights. The weight of the guns pointing at him was making him a little jumpy, he understood why they had reacted this way, but really, his nerves were shot and who could blame him, tonight was unlike any night heretofore.
And while yes, Liz had been kidnapped before, she had not been pregnant then, so that upped that stakes. It was worse for him, because it was his child, so he had twice as much to lose.
"Excuse me, stay where you are and raise your hands, sir!" The older cop shouted.
"Are you the one who called this in?" The younger cop asked.
"Yeah, it was me. I was over on the pier when I heard the shot, when I got here, this is all I found." Jason said, not bothering to divulge the information that he also found Liz's bracelet.
The cops questioned Jason extensively, especially when they discovered who he was. The downside to being considered part of the mob, you were always a suspect. Jason was beginning to feel antsy; he just wanted to get out of here and to the warehouse.
More cops showed up, the forensic teams did there thing, but with no evidence and no witnesses it was hard to find much. After an hour of extensive questioning, Jason was finally allowed to leave, the line of questioning was ridiculous, what he knew or was willing to divulge needed only a moment to be told, but these men, treated him like he was responsible for all evil actions that befell Port Charles.
Finally free, he quickly made his way to the warehouse, as an internal clock counted the minutes since he had last seen Liz and had known she was safe.
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The Vehicle came to a slow stop, they had not been driving long, they had to be in Port Charles still, but something seemed oddly familiar about the drive. With a grunt, Ric directed Elizabeth out of the vehicle, up the stairs, and into the house.
The house they had shared together and had mourned the loss of their child. Minute by minute Liz's hope of being rescued evaporated a little more, she knew where he intended to place her, the exact same place that he had stowed Carly all those years back. He pushed a button and the secret door slid open.
"Ric, please, don't do this, you know they will think to look here, especially if they believe you had anything to do with this." Liz said, clearly hoping that some part of him would remember that they had been in love.
With a less than gentle shove, Liz was propelled into the cold room. It had changed some since she was last in the room, but it was still mostly the same.
"Don't you worry about that; I have everything taken care of. No one is going to find you here." With that, the doors closed, sealing her into her cage.
Once alone, she collapsed onto the cot, tears of fear, anger, and disgust tracing invisible lines down her porcelain skin. Ric had successfully done now, what he was unable to do for years, he had completely wiped himself from her heart, for all she cared now, Jason could kill him, and she would feel nothing, he had been given to many chances, his acts now rested squarely on his head.
"Please Jason, if ever you loved me, follow your heart, follow it to me and our baby, for I fear Ric has completely lost his mind." Liz prayed to herself, knowing that if anyone would be able to hear her plea, it would be Jason, some how, some way, he always knew when she needed him.
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Having just arrived at the warehouse, Jason looked around, looked, but saw nothing. He never saw the worried faces looking back at him; it was all just a haze.
When Sonny placed his hand upon his shoulder, Jason almost shot him, for with his catlike reflexes, he had grabbed for his gun and it took but a mere moment for the gun to be cocked and aimed at his best friend, adrenaline pumped through his veins, winding him tighter and tighter as each moment passed . However, in the split second that it took to happen, something else happened as well. Something inside seemed to open and it was as if he could hear Elizabeth's voice, almost as if she was standing there beside him.
His fear was a living thing, in his line of work, fear was frowned upon, the luxury or fear did not help but hinder his work, but for once, the enforce in him was banished and his fatherly instincts were at the forefront of his persona.
"Please Jason, follow your heart, and come for us!" He heard, as if a door had been opened as he heard Liz's plea.
Jason whipped around, momentarily thrown. Not sure if he was imagining it or if he had just in fact, heard Elizabeth's cry for help, Jason looked shakily into all the corners of the warehouse, he tried to reason with himself that it was impossible to be so fully connected to someone, that you could do such a thing, but perhaps fear heightened his senses.
He took a small measure of relief at just having something to hold on to. Not sure if that was the whole sentence or of anything really, he finally looked up at all those waiting for instructions.
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The knowledge of Jason's impending fatherhood had finally sent Ric over the deep end. Jason was getting everything that he wanted, a child with Liz, the possibility of a happy home, her undying love. Just the idea of her being with a man like that turned Ric's stomach.
If it was not for Sonny and Jason, Liz and he would have had that happy home, his child would still be alive. Cameron would not be the product of a one-night-stand; he too would be Ric's son. If Liz had never had dealings with either Sonny or Jason, Liz would never have had any contact with Faith, it was all a large roundabout, and one simple thing caused a chain of events that could never be stopped, or so it seemed.
However, since he had decided to set his plan in motion, his mind had become more muddled; everything rolling around inside his head, migraines plagued him often. Somehow, he had managed to fool everyone into believing he had remained passive, now was the perfect time to strike.
What set him on his course was uncomplicated; it was the simple sight of Jason's hand upon her belly that set Ric on his course. He had decided to take a walk before going back to his office, seeing as how it was unseasonably warm, he decided a walk down to the pier would be just the ticket to setting his mind at ease.
Things with Alexis were getting frustrating, she refused to give him custody, so he took her to court, he had won of course, but now he saw Sonny getting closer and closer once again to her. It seemed it did not matter whom he tried to be with, Sonny had already beaten him to the punch, that or his enforcer.
He had come to a screeching halt when he saw Liz and Jason talking about the baby. He quickly backtracked a little, so as to remain in the shadows. He had suspected that the child was Jason's but had never received concrete proof, so while he was busying ripping his own child with Alexis out of her happy home, he had thought a little less of Liz, but do not be mistaken, a little is all it was. When the baby kicked, Liz questioned Jason hesitatingly if he would like to feel. The intimate portrait they portrayed made Ric's skin crawl.
Slowly being drawn back to the moment, he approached the door, behind which the epitome of his heart was locked. If one could classify what beat beneath his chest as a heart, because everything he had done, pointed to the opposite.
He stood outside the door, which kept Liz locked securely away, while watching and listening to everything she did and said, he stood with his back pressed up against the door, almost as if he hoped he could feel her through it, all the while watching and listening to the TV that broadcasted the camera inside.
Her words were like glass in his mind, heart and soul, every reassuring thing she spoke to her child, carved a deeper wound upon him, ensnaring her ever more tightly, although unknowingly.
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The moment he heard her voice was all it took to completely unhinge him, Jason was panicked, but the sound of her voice resonating within his heart, shook him to his very foundation, it gave him hope that she was still alive, it just is not something that you experienced everyday.
His knees buckled and he spilled unceremoniously to the floor. Tears of grief and fear stole his very breath, making the man of motion incapable of said motion. Grasping on to what little faith he still held that she would be found safe, he slowly regained his composure. He didn't like being so completely unable to control his emotions, for it was not like him at all, no matter what he had always, well almost always maintained his head in a given situation.
The other men present, were unable to process how completely Jason had fallen apart, each man was rattled more than any one of them could have said. For in their experience, Jason was always the one with a level head, even when it was someone he cared about.
Sonny watched, unable to bear the load his friend now must carry, for soon he was going to be a parent, in a bad business, and that alone would cause many sleepless nights. Whether he remained with Sam or decided to try with Elizabeth, Liz was now and forever would be, a part of his life, and as such, would need to be protected at all costs.
Spinelli and Stan sat behind Sonny's desk, both ardently working on his own computer, trying to figure out who had kidnapped Liz and her unborn child. However, it was not an easy task; she was not kidnapped at Jason's house or at the hospital, where video footage could have helped. Whoever had orchestrated this plan, knew when to set in motion his plan, somehow, and where to set it in motion. For where the kidnapping had transpired, there was no video footage to relay any indication of who had perpetrated the crime.
Jason slowly came to his wits, unaccustomed to losing all control, he found it hard to think, the claws of panic dug deeply and refused to withdraw, but being unable to do anything else, he refused to stand by, he was a man of action, and for that, he was now prepared to do just that.
Jason looked down at the bracelet he still held firmly in his hand. Now in the harsh florescent lighting, he could see a small drop of blood. There was no logical reason behind his almost positive assurance that the blood happened when her arm brushed her belly, where she had been cut, but he knew just the same. He also knew that, that was when the bracelet had fallen off.
Panic tried to find new roots, with the knowledge that she was injured, but he clamped down all emotions, there would be time later to feel, right now Liz and his baby needed him.
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