Chapter Fifteen

Sonny and Jason pulled into a hotel at a little after five that morning, unknowingly less than thirty miles from where Lorenzo and Ric had the accident. They had spent all day yesterday searching every hotel and motel they came across. Both men were jumpy and their nerves were fraying. Both went their own ways, Sonny went into his room, with every intention of calling his boys, he planned on keeping his promise that he would phone every night, but when he saw the time, he knew he couldn't. not only were the boys sleeping, but so was Carly and Jax and she would not take kindly to being awoken at this ungodly hour.

Jason was sitting on his bed in a towel, having just got out of the shower, he knew he shouldn't, but he picked up the phone, he had to talk to Elizabeth. Before he dialed home, he stretched out on the uncomfortable bed, planning on spending a long time on the phone.

The phone rang twice before it was answered, "Hello, Jason is that you?" Liz asked hopefully.

"Hey baby, how are you?" Jason asked, a weight seemingly lifted just hearing her voice.

"Baby, huh? I'm good, Cameron misses you, he keeps asking me when daddy is going to come home, he likes your stories better than mine." Liz answered, a longing coloring her words. "Kelly took me off restriction, she says I healed amazingly well, she gives you the credit, saying it must have been all your ministrations."

"That's great Liz, I just wish I was there with you. Things haven't gone very well for us, we haven't found much, just a few of the motels they had stayed at, but they have been gone for some time. I believe Sonny is ready to come home, there really isn't a point to searching when we aren't finding any more clues. So hopefully before you go to bed I will be home, ready to take you in my arms." Jason said. "But I should probably let you go, I am sure you were sleeping when I called."

"Actually, your son had me awake about twenty minutes ago, after I had him changed and fed and finally back to sleep, I have been laying here thinking about you, I miss you." Liz replied.

"I miss you too, you know Sonny and I aren't that far from home, at most an hour, maybe I can convince him into heading home, that way I can fall asleep next to you…" Jason said but was interrupted when his cell phone rang. "Hang on a moment, k darlin'."

"Hello?" Jason said.

"Jase, it's me, we need to head back to Port Charles, Ric is dead and Lorenzo doesn't look like he will make it much longer, he was just brought into General Hospital and they rushed him into surgery." Sonny said as he flipped his phone shut. Knowing Jason would meet him at the car in a moment.

Jason ended the call on his cell, picking up the other phone, which had Liz still on the line. "Hey Liz, it looks like we are on our way back, I can't talk right now, can you get Isabella to watch the boys, I will have Johnny stop by and pick you up, we have to get to GH as soon as possible." Jason said quickly, hoping she wouldn't ask any questions.

"Okay Jason, I will, I love you." Liz said as she hung up the phone. Knowing Jason had to get going, for a moment, she wanted to ask what it was about, but knew it had to have something to do with the business, if it was personal, he would have told her.

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Liz hurried downstairs, a little reluctant about waking up Isabella but understanding Jason wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. She knocked on the door, after several moments of not hearing anything, she knocked again. A sleep, "Coming," issued from the other side.

"Elizabeth, is there something I can do for you?" Isabella asked, slightly perplexed at seeing her boss this early in the morning.

"Actually, Yes. I know you don't start for another couple of hours, but I was wondering if you could watch the boys, something has happened, I am not sure what yet, but I need to meet Jason at the hospital." Liz answered.

"Sure I can do that, you go take care of what you need to, the boys will be fine." Isabelle replied.

"Thank you ever so much, here are both baby monitors, that way you can go back to sleep if you like. Alan fell back asleep about thirty minutes or so, so he should be good for quite awhile, as for Cameron, you never know with him, if you wouldn't mind keeping your door open, just in case he gets up early. I don't expect to be back for quite some time, whatever is going on, I am sure today is going to be a very long, long day." Liz said, handing the monitors over to Isabella. "I will see you later, and thank you!"

Liz was heading over to sit on the couch when a soft knock sounded on the front door. Liz hurriedly opened the door admitting Johnny. "Thank you for being so quiet." Liz stated.

Having bodyguards around most of the time really didn't bother Liz so much anymore, since she had gotten to know them better. There were four that alternated off and on, guarding the house or the kids when they were at the park and even Liz.

Max and Milo were so much alike and then in so many ways, so different. Johnny was a big softie, he had a special connection with Cam, it was something that shocked Liz, but she could see how much her son liked him. Then there was Declan, he was more like Jason than he knew, he didn't speak much and when he did say anything, it was only when it was something worth saying. But if you got to know him, you saw he had a heart of gold, he had a fondness of Alan, but he always tried to play it off as being his job, but Liz could see through that façade, but didn't burst his bubble, he was a bodyguard after all, he needed to maintain his image.

"Are you ready to go?" Johnny asked, hoping that she wouldn't ask him what was going on.

"Yes, I am. Just let me grab my coat." Liz said as she followed Johnny to the car.

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Skye paced back and forth in the E.R. It had taken the hospital almost an hour to contact her, she was furious that she hadn't been contacted sooner. Her husband needed her and she could do nothing about it. When she had finally made it to the hospital all they would tell her is that he was in critical condition and the likelihood of him surviving the night, didn't look good.

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Jason had just arrived at the hospital with Sonny, when Johnny escorted Liz inside. "Liz!" Jason exclaimed as he took her in his arms. He knew Liz had no feelings left for Ric, especially after all he had done, but she had loved him at one point. "Liz, Ric was killed tonight, in a car accident, it sounds like he died instantaneously. Lorenzo is in critical condition and doesn't look like he will survive either." Jason said, trying to gauge Liz's emotions.

What came out of her mouth, he had not been expecting. "Good, he got what he deserved." Liz said, not a flicker of emotion passing across her face. "That animal would have killed you, me and this baby. I tried to forgive him once, after he kidnapped Carly, it shouldn't have happened, now I know I will never make that mistake again." Liz paused to catch her breath then continued, "As for Lorenzo, I don't know what part he really played in all of this, but whatever that was, was enough for him to deserve what he got as well. Whether he lives or dies, I care not."

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Skye came around the corner just as Liz was commenting on Lorenzo, perhaps it was preordained to happen as it did, but Skye looked at Elizabeth like she was ready to kill her.

"How dare you say that you sanctimonious witch, if it wasn't for Sonny and Jason, none of this would be happening." Skye said as she stepped closer to Elizabeth.

"I am not sanctimonious, what I say is a simple truth, whether it is hard for you to hear or not, Lorenzo was a monster. He kidnapped me and my baby with Ric, held us hostage and when I was able to escape, he held Jason in a crypt for damn near a week. I never did harm to him, yet he took it upon himself to do harm to me, whether it was his plan or not, it still happened, so if that monster doesn't last another minute, I really don't care." Liz said as she stepped back into the sanction of Jason's arms.

Skye took a threatening step towards Liz, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, she contemplated for some time whether hitting the little twit was worth it. In the end, the choice was taken from her hands. She could see that Lorenzo was being wheeled into his private room, after Skye refused to have him in intensive care when he came back from surgery. She quickened her pace and entered the room just after Lorenzo.

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Sonny walked slowly over to Alexis, he hadn't seen her come in, perhaps she had already been here, but he doubted it. She looked emotionally drained, perhaps he had underestimated just how much she had loved Ric.

"Alexis, are you alright?" Sonny asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"I'm fine really, I just never expected this. I wasn't in love with him still, he made it to hard to love him, but now I have to tell my little girl that daddy will not be coming home, how do I do that, she is still to young to understand that." Alexis said, shedding a tear for her daughter, not her father.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call, I try and help you any way I can, who you like Johnny to take you back home, it is obvious you are exhausted" Sonny stated, worry clearly drawn upon his face.

"Sure, that would be wonderful, I just have a few things I need to tie up, can he meet me back here in about twenty minutes?" Alexis asked, rather touched at the mob boss's worry.

"Not a problem, would you like help with anything?" Sonny asked, truly wanting to help.

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Jason and Elizabeth stayed for a while, hoping one way or another that everything ended tonight. When the sun had been in the sky for over six hours and no changes in Lorenzo, the couple left to go home. Sonny stuck around, he wasn't going to leave that man with the possibility of escaping and trying something this foolish again.

"Are you sure you aren't upset or anything about Ric's death, you had loved him at one point in your life." Jason said, clearly worried about the lack of emotion Liz was displaying.

"Ric at one point in my life was the man I loved, but he was a fake, it was all an act when we were together, and perhaps he did love me, but he couldn't get past everything else, so he doomed what we had from the beginning. He holds no illusions for me, his death was exactly what I wanted, and perhaps that is wrong, but he was once again out for revenge." Liz said, honestly surprised she wasn't more angry or upset. But a thought occurred to her, "To grieve or be angry over Ric or Lorenzo, gives them the power to continue hurting me, by indifference I rob them of their power to inflict any more pain."

"Elizabeth, that was down right profound and ever so true." Jason said as he escorted Liz to there room.

"Isabella must have taken the boys to the park, I am sure they are loving it." Liz said as an after thought. Noticing the boys were nowhere around.

"More than likely, what to catch a few moments of sleep while they are gone?" Jason asked, his own fatigue finally catching up to him.

"Sounds wonderful!" Liz said as she kissed Jason goodnight or good morning and closed her eyes.

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