Part 13 - Never a Lucky Number...
- The Elevator -
There was a shudder of movement that rolled through the elevator car and Jason's cell phone beeped loudly. Pressing the answer button he held it up to his ear. "Spinelli? Good... are you-" A loud crunching sound drowned his own words and he barely heard Spinelli's reassurance that...
"We're getting you both out of there."
He didn't ask how Spinelli knew he was in the elevator with someone else... he didn't care. "Tell me about Elizabeth, Spinelli... where is she?"
There was a horrifying pause in the silence of the elevator. It even seemed as though the emergency crews were waiting for an answer. "We don't know, Stonecold." He hurried on. "But I've got a fix on her cell phone. She's near the rear of the building."
"Have you called her?" He didn't wait for an answer from Spinelli. Jason hung up on the boy and dialed Elizabeth's phone himself. He listened as it rang several times and went to voicemail.
Terror chilled every cell in his body. She was in the rear of the building but not answering.
He called Spinelli back. "Dammit, Spinelli... forget us... get to her first!"
Again. another sad pause. "I'm sorry, Stonecold, we can't." He gulped in air. "I've spoken with the structural engineer with the rescue crew... to get to her... we have to go through your area first."
Jason stared at the unconscious man on the floor and one more time cursed him for getting in the way. "Then hurry, Spinelli... something's wrong."
- Hartford Critical Care and Clinic - Newport, RI -
Dr. Scoville wiped at his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes. He pressed his hand to her belly an felt the tight twist of muscles as her body went through another contraction. "Please... please stop."
He owed Ric Lansing his freedom... but this... this wasn't just some embezzlement scheme... there was a woman's life at stake... and her baby.
Another shift of muscle under his hand and she cried out behind her mask. "Jason!"
Something deep inside him twisted. Whatever DA Lansing said, this woman... was calling out for someone else... this was very very wrong.
- General Hospital -
Monica grabbed Kelly's arm and pulled her into an empty room. "What is going on?"
Kelly was near tears... and for the bubbly OB that was saying something. "I can't tell you, Monica... I just can't."
"Well," Monica was used to wheedling things out of people, "you've already told me it's about Elizabeth and her baby... maybe I can help... if you let me know what's going on."
Kelly seemed to consider the reasoning for a moment and then shook her head. "I... I can't... there's no one but Elizabeth that can..." A sudden thought brightened her expression. "Maybe she... I just hope she told..." Kelly grabbed Monica and stuck her hand into the front pocket of her lab coat and fished out Monica's phone. "I need to borrow this... I'll get it back to you... thanks... bye." She pushed Monica out the door and locked it.
Monica, sure she was missing something important, leaned against the door, her ear pressed tightly to the crack. What she heard confused her more than anything else.
"Come on, Jason... pick up!"
- Metro Court Rescue Team Hub -
Mac ran up and listened as Cruz rattled off the current status of the rescue and the people inside the hotel. He looked at Spinelli, standing beside Cruz and barked at him. "Well? Have you found her?"
Spinelli swallowed and nodded. "I've set up a program to track cell phones and locations. The structural engineer has plotted out a path to get everyone out in each section of the hotel.. starting with the lobby."
Mac looked over the screen. "Where is she?"
Pointing to the big void in the center of the screen, where one yellow light blinked ever so slowly. "She's in the vault."
- Metro Court Vault -
Maxie tried to wiggle her way closer to the wall as the gunman woke from his light slumber. "Please," she whispered, "please..."
He gave her a wolfish smile. "Now that's just disappointing," he drawled. "I thought you were the Commissioner's niece... don't tell me you're going to be a baby and start blubbering again." He took out his gun and pointed it at her. "If you're going to be a child about it... why don't you crawl over here and be the good little girl and maybe I won't put a bullet between your eyes."
"I hate you..." she ground the words out as she slowly crept toward him.
"I don't care..." he taunted right back as he reached for his belt.
- Metro Court Rescue Crew -
One of the men in the bright yellow safety vests stood up on a pylon and waves his arms over his head. His excited words could only be heard when Mac and Cruz ran forward, followed by Spinelli.
Mac called up to him. "What is it?"
"We're bringing some people out!"
The first person to be pulled clear of the rubble was Lucky Spenser. His unconscious body was laid on a stretcher and carried out.
Mac called a halt to the stretcher's progress when it was near him. He gave him a once over. "What's wrong with him?"
"He was hysterical," the answer came from Jason Morgan who emerged from the site just a few seconds later under his own power. Turning to Spinelli and Cruz he pressed on. "Where is she?"
Spinelli turned his laptop around to show Jason the screen, but the ground beneath them shifted suddenly and rescue workers ran for the hastily erected fence. Jason refused to move, even when ordered to by Mac and yet it was the two of them that stood there in abject horror as the Metro Court, weakened by the explosions began to sink into the ground.
- The Metro Court Vault -
Maxie looked up at the ceiling and the widening crack visible above them. It was all too clear what was happening as the floor beneath them began to buckle.
A moment later she had her earlier wish... except... the ceiling caved in and killed them both.
- Metro Court -
Jason leaned forward, ready to launch himself straight into the building but Mac had a fistful of Jason's tshirt and nearly choked the enforcer as he tried to stop him from getting himself killed.
The pain across his throat didn't stop Jason Morgan from screaming, "Elizabeth!"
In his next heartbeat, Jason and Mac were thrown back, blown right off their feet by the shock wave of the collapsing building.