PART 11
- The Elevator -
Lucky continued to pace back and forth in the elevator, checking his watch at maddening intervals. "When are they going to get us out of here!?"
Sitting a few feet away, Jason made a mental list of everything he would have to do when they were released. It was hard to avoid the anxiety rolling off of Lucky. He did wonder how Elizabeth managed to think when he was around.
"Can't you 'do' something?"
Jason looked up at him and saw the widening sweat stains on Lucky's shirt. He was going to get out of hand, quickly. "I can't call out and there's nothing to do until they find us or I can get a signal."
A moment went by... then another... and the vein in Lucky's temple bulged. "You know something, don't you?"
"Lucky, I-"
"You've got her locked up somewhere... or one of your body guards took her, right?" Lucky kicked the wall of the elevator and a distinct crunch was heard, but it didn't stop him. "This is your big chance to really get between us, but let me tell you something, Jason. When this is all over... she's going to be mine and you are going to be in jail!"
"For what?" Jason's control was already under a strain. Not knowing where Elizabeth was... it was weighing on him.
Lucky's brain tripped over the thought and a shudder went through his body. "I'll figure something out!"
"Trumping up charges to get me out of the way will only backfire on you and-"
"I'm going to make it stick this time, Jason. I'm going put you away." Lucky crouched down until he was looking Jason right in his eye. "Or better yet, what if I just killed you now?" He looked at the ski mask on the ground beside Jason. "You're dressed like them. I could say that I shot one of the gunmen... and surprise!" He grinned, a wild look in his eyes. "And no one will ever know!" Lucky reached down for his gun a moment before Jason's hand shot out and delivered a sharp blow to Lucky's jaw.
The lawman was out like a light and Jason laid him carefully down on the ground.
He turned his attention to the silence around them. He was hoping to hear the sounds of a rescue crew.
- Outside the MetroCourt -
Spinelli, having failed to get Mac's attention, turned to Cruz. The detective had been standing by when they put Robin in the ambulance and had eagerly agreed to take over control of the scene to let Mac ride with Robin to the hospital. Mac said he would return to join the search for Maxie once he knew Robin was taken care of, but Cruz waved him off. "I'll be here... don't worry."
"Excuse me..."
Cruz issued a few orders to men as construction equipment began to roll up the street. Luckily there was a new high-rise going up down the street and a couple of well placed calls had the crew pulled in for duty.
"Excuse me... detective?"
Another barrage of questions, this time from the press and Cruz sent them packing and issued orders to keep them away from the site.
"Excuse me!" Spinelli grabbed the detective by the back of his coat and swung him around. "I need to talk to you!"
"Look," Cruz shook his head, "I don't have a lot of time to-"
Spinelli grabbed his coat and pulled him closer, whispering to the detective in low tones.
A moment later, Cruz swept debris from the hood of his car and motioned for Spinelli to set his laptop down. "Show me."
- On the Interstate -
Ric looked back at Elizabeth and tried to meet her eyes. "Don't worry, Elizabeth. I'm taking you someplace safe, someplace where-"
"Please, Ric," her voice begged him with its tone, "just take me to the nearest hospital... Kelly... Dr. Lee," Elizabeth struggled through another painful contraction, "she said I might have preeclampsia... I need help!"
"And you're going to get it... I promise you!" He saw the sign post looming out of the dark. "See? This is our exit!" He flicked on his signal and took the exit to Newport. "I've got a good friend at the hospital, he'll make you feel better... I promise!"
- Inside one of the Corinthos SUVs -
Carly clung to Sonny, the sheer terror of the situation poured tears down her cheeks. Her voice was muffled in his shoulder. "Max?"
Sonny shushed her and grabbed at the phone Ben handed him. Turning it on he dialed. "Emergency procedures! Now!" He listened to the man on the other end and shook his head. "I grabbed Carly and got out of there. Send someone to check if we left anyone behind." He felt Carly stiffen against him, but brushed off the thought.
- Security Control Room Metro Court -
The building shuddered again and Luke, barely conscious, felt the tremor lull him toward sleep. "I hope you got what you wanted, cowboy." He sighed. "I hope you got your sister out too."
His laughter seemed to echo off the walls.
"I hope someone gets me out of here... soon... before..."
Another pump of his heart sent another spurt of blood out of a vein in his thigh. He couldn't see the damage, but his world had gone black.. and he'd never know anything else.
- Hartford Critical Care and Clinic - Newport, RI -
The Emergency Intake bay doors swung open as the car pulled in. Two orderlies rolled a stretcher out and had a tough time lifting the half-conscious woman out of the back seat of the luxury car. Ric hovered nearby and barely acknowledged the man that walked up to his side. He grabbed the sleeve of his doctor's coat. "You take care of her... you hear me?"
They walked behind the stretcher and into the confines of the clinic.
"We're really not equipped to deal with something like this, Mr.-"
"No names," Ric hissed at him, "and you had better make it work. This woman," Ric's breath caught in his throat, "means everything to me."
As they entered an exam room, Elizabeth roused enough to look around at the unfamiliar room and people. "Ric? Where are we?"
He gave the doctor a dark look and moved closer, taking her hand. "Just lay quietly... they'll take care of everything."
She shook her head, tearing her hand from his. "No... no... I have to go to General Hospital... my baby... Dr. Lee... please-"
One of the nurses, looked up from the chart. "Name?"
Elizabeth opened her mouth. "I'm Eli-"
The doctor covered her mouth and nose with an oxygen mask. "I'll give you that information later. For now let's get her contractions under control... let's see if we can stop them before they cause too much of a problem."
Elizabeth's eyes were wide and round as she looked at Ric. Fear... she felt utter... abject... fear.
- General Hospital Emergency Room -
Dr. Kelly Lee searched from room to room of the ER, looking for Elizabeth. When she stumbled into the bay and saw Lulu and Nikolas she stopped short. "Have either of you seen Elizabeth?"
Lulu burst into tears and Nikolas had to speak for them. "She was with us at the Metro Court. We don't know where she is now." He saw the change in the doctor's features. "What's wrong?"
Kelly clamped her mouth shut... she couldn't say anything. Wheeling out of the room she continued looking and nearly bumped into Monica.
"Kelly, my goodness, you look like you're in a rush."
"I need to find out if anyone has brought Elizabeth Webber in," she gasped, "she's not picking up her phone. I know she was at Metro Court during the hostage crisis."
Monica tried to soothe the doctor. "I'm sure she made it out just fine."
"Even if she did," Kelly bit at her bottom lip, considering the ramifications of revealing to much information, "we still need to find her. It's her pregnancy... there's something wrong."