part 22

-Corinthos Coffee SUV -

Jason pushed the button to answer the call on his speaker phone. "Morgan."

"Oh, I'm so glad you picked up, Stonecold. That clue, delivered to you by the partner of your fair love's ex-spouse was most helpful."

"Spit it out, Spinelli."

"I have an image that I'd like for you to look over." A beep was heard and Jason took his eyes from the road long enough to look at the image. "Do you know them?"

Jason sighed. "Yeah. Two hired guns. Different families use them when they need muscle and not a lot of brains. I've never wanted to use them... too many problems from guys like that. What do you know?"

Spinelli's voice chirped over the speaker. "They're guarding the room of a "Jane Doe" patient who was admitted for symptoms like those that your fair love had been experiencing so I thought-"

"Give me the address... now, Spinelli!"

The hacker mumbled a little about taking away the excitement of a good heroic buildup and then, "sent it through to your GPS. Shall I send the men?"

"Yes, Spinelli... get them on the road. I'm headed there now."

Spinelli crunched through some kind of chip. "Satellite GPS shows that you're a little over two hours away from the Hartford Clinic, Stonecold, I-"

Jason clicked off the phone and stepped on the gas.

- Hartford Critical Care and Clinic - Private Room -

The guards at the door were easily dealt with. With a quick show of force and manic glint in his eye, Craig sent the men running for the exit. The money, it seemed, wasn't good enough compensation for a shot in the middle... or a little lower. They weren't going to stick around for money alone.

Stepping inside the room, Craig was a little disappointed that only the patient was inside. The slender form in the bed bore some resemblance to the vibrant beauty of the woman he'd held hostage in the Metro Court. Tucked in beneath the snow white blankets of bed, Elizabeth Webber lost some of her vibrancy.

He leaned over the railing of her bed and swept his hand over her rounded belly. Viewing her closer he realized he'd made a few mistakes. She hadn't lost her beauty in this clinical setting... no, here in the harsh lights of the clinic her skin shone.

Craig had been impressed with her quick thinking during the Metro Court debacle. Even with the added pressure of gunmen in the room and the inept presence of that woman Carly, Elizabeth had soldiered through Robin Scorpio's surgery. There was something truly interesting about this woman. He stepped back from her bedside with a sigh. It was sad, really, that he was about to shake up her world, yet again.

Right before he reached the door it opened for him, swinging inward.

Craig smiled at the interruption, his hand moving quickly to his gun. He greeted the new addition with a smile and the click of a hammer. "Well, hello..."

- Port Charles Police Department -

Cruz crossed the room headed toward Mac's office and barely noticed Lucky sitting at his desk, but he heard the grunt that came from his friend. Cruz stopped to look at the other man and was shocked at what he saw. Lucky's face was gaunt, dark shadows crawling under his eyes. Even his shirt seemed to hang from his shoulders in an unnatural and unhealthy way.

"Where'd you come from, Cruz?"

"I was working on an angle."

Lucky shoved himself back in his chair. "You gonna share? Or are we going to play 20 questions?"

Cruz was saved when Mac threw open his door. "Cruz? I thought I said I wanted to see you right when you got back."

"I'm coming, Mac." Cruz hoped that Lucky didn't see the relief in his expression as he turned and walked away.

Lucky, on the other hand, knew something was wrong and followed Cruz, staying just out of sight from the door. The conversation inside was most interesting.

Mac's lowered voice was still easy to hear. "You bumped into Jason Morgan?"

"Just outside of Audry Hardy's house. I asked him about whether he'd seen Ric Lansing since the Metro Court..."

"So you think he was involved with something?"

Cruz's laugh was short. "Don't you?"

Mac sighed loudly. "Ric Lansing... Jason Morgan... are they both up to something?"

Lucky moved back to his desk and took out his badge and his gun. He had a feeling that somehow Jason was behind this whole Metro Court disaster and he was going to prove it and then crucify Jason Morgan with the information.

- Hartford Critical Care and Clinic - Private Room -

Ewen opened the door, prepared for another session with Elizabeth, and almost walked right into Craig. "What are you doing here?"

Craig's smile only grew. "I should ask you the same thing, Ewen. I don't recall giving you permission to leave Australia."

Straightening his spine a little, Ewen stared Craig down. "I may owe you... more than I care to admit, but you don't have the right to keep me in Australia against my will."

"Well, we'll have to have a little talk about what I can make you do, but right now... I'm looking for a man named Ric Lansing." Craig's eyes glittered with menace. "He's got the biggest marker to call in... and it's time I called it."

Ewen couldn't believe the reprieve he'd been given and told Craig the truth, hoping to buy some time. "He's in Dr. Scoville's office."

Craig gave him a smile before he left the room. "You... I'll come back and deal with you... later."

-Corinthos Coffee SUV -

Jason answered another call. "Morgan."

"Jason, this is Cody."

Feeling relief flood through his body, Jason almost smiled. "You following the speed limits?"

"Hell no!" Jason could hear other men in the background noise.

Jason nodded even though no one else could see it. "I think I'll be needing your help."

There was a chorus of comments from the other side of the conversation and Cody capped it off with. "We're on the way, Jason... just leave something for us to clean up!"

"If it's Ric," Jason stated, a cold chill icing his veins, "he's mine... you guys can have what's left."

- Hartford Critical Care and Clinic - Private Room

Ewen nudged the door open with the foot piece of the wheelchair and didn't care when he heard the harsh scratch of metal against the door. That was a small small thing compared to his current mission. He'd already thrown the fire alarm on his way back to her room. He knew the staff would be distracted for a few minutes. He stopped the chair at the bed side and lowered the rail that separated him from his sleeping patient.

"Elizabeth, wake up." He reached out a hand and shook her slightly. "Elizabeth," he ground out, "WAKE UP!"

Startled, Elizabeth tried to sit up in bed, but her growing middle didn't allow for an easy movement. She grabbed a hold of his arm as she drew back in fear. "What are you doing?"

"Remember, Elizabeth.. I'm one of your doctors."

"My doctor." Her voice held that dreamy quality that it did when she was recalling information that he'd planted in her mind. While he was happy it was working he needed her to be quick and sharp for this to work. "Yes."

Ewen began to disconnect the leads that were attached to her body, removing the belt that had the baby monitor's information. He knew the alarms would sound but with the whole hospital on alert from the fire alarm he had some time to get things going.

Having freed her of the leads and other equipment, Ewen gently lifted her from the bed and set her in the wheelchair.

"Where are we going?"

"Where are we going... that's a good question, Elizabeth." Ewen turned the wheelchair back toward the door and paused at the entrance. "First we need to get to my car..." He pushed her out into the hall, using the general confusion to remove her from the hospital, "from there... we'll just have to see."