part 26

-Mile Marker 215 -

Jason felt the shudder of movement through the connection of the barrel against his head. Lucky's hands were shaking. He was probably coming down from a high and this wasn't the time to push him, not when Elizabeth was cowering in fear.

"You're scaring her, Lucky."

"No," the policeman argued, "I think she's afraid of you, Jason... just the way it's supposed to be."

Jason couldn't really argue about it. Her eyes were filled with fear, but there was something else wrong. Her face... her eyes... there was something missing in her expression. "Fine... she's afraid of me," he softened his tone, his eyes on Elizabeth, "then let me back away from her so you can put the gun do-"

"Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"

The barrel jabbed at the back of his head and Jason resisted the urge to knock Lucky to the ground. It wasn't safe with Elizabeth in the line of fire.

"Lucky?" Elizabeth's voice barely made a sound. "What are you... Why am I... What's going on?"

Jason felt Lucky's hesitation, heard the shuffle of his feet on the loose gravel beside the road and the mumbled epithets beneath his breath. "Just hold tight, Elizabeth..." he looked at her, hoping to get through the fear. The wide eyes that looked back at him were innocent and confused. "What did they do to you?"

"I said," Lucky pushed the barrel against Jason's head again, "get away from her!"

Jason began to rise slowly, his knees protested the motion even though he knew he had to go slow. Fast wasn't good when you had a jumpy trigger finger and an even jumpier man with a gun to your head. "Okay, Lucky... okay." Jason raised his arms. "I'm backing away."

"That's right," Lucky scoffed at him. "You better do it... or you'll find out what happens when someone messes with-"

Lucky's words ended abruptly and a moment later there was a dull thud.

"Go ahead, Jason," Cody holstered his gun, "take care of Elizabeth." He and Milo bent down to pick Lucky up by his arms. "He's gonna be out for awhile."

Milo nodded. "And he'll have a hell of a headache when he wakes up."

Turning back to the car, Jason moved slowly, his hands held out before him. "Elizabeth?"

She shook her head and whimpered. "Just leave me alone, Jason... please, if I ever meant anything to you, I-"

"Elizabeth... you might not know it right now... but I'm here to help you. I've been worried about you and I'm here to bring you home to Port Charles."

Shaking her head she gasped. "You came after Ric... he's your enemy, Sonny's enemy..." she paused, pressing her fingers against her temples, "it hurts... please."

"I need to get you to a hospital, Elizabeth. The accident... your baby... you might not know it but you need medical care..."

The pain lancing through her body said that he was right and still she looked like she might try to bolt. "Then call an ambulance, Jason..."

She watched in abject fear as he reached into his waistband and pulled out his gun, the grip pointed toward her as he moved closer. "Here... take it."

"No," she argued, "no guns. I don't want it."

"It's not for you," he explained, "I'm taking you to the hospital, Elizabeth, the gun is for you to protect your baby."

Elizabeth watched him and when he was close enough she reached out and took it from him.

"If you think I'm about to hurt you... you use it on me." He pointed at a switch on the gun. "Just take the safety off, point it at me... shoot."

He could see the fear falter in her eyes but her breaths were still fast, shallow, too shallow for his peace of mind.

"I'm going to pick you up and take you to my car." He looked at the crunched in driver's side. "This one's not going anywhere."

Elizabeth nodded and as he reached for her he watched her recoil as far as she could against the seat. Jason slipped one arm behind her and the other under her thighs, lifting her out of the car and up against his chest.

There, in her hands, was the gun he'd given her. "I'll..." she gasped, "do anything to protect this baby."

Jason nodded. "I know... let's get on the road." Moving easily with her body tucked lightly against his chest, Jason crossed back to his SUV and shifted his hand to grasp the door handle, swinging it open. "I'm going to slide you in the seat."

She nodded, her head falling to his shoulder. "Hurry... it hurts."

Jason froze, the pain in her voice almost too much to bear. "Where, Elizabeth? Where does it hurt?"

"It hurts all over."

Sliding her onto the seat he started to step back, his left hand reaching for the seat belt, but as he moved right hand away he felt something slick against his hand. Standing back, Jason held his hand up into the light of the streetlamps. Blood.

Wiping it off on his shirt, Jason buckled her in carefully and dashed for the driver's seat. Before he had the car in gear he hit the button for speed dial on the center console.

"Stonecold, have you-"

"Spinelli, call General Hospital and tell them to expect us."

The usual affable ring of Spinelli's voice was dampened quite a bit. "What's wrong? Is it something with your fair-"

"She's bleeding, Spinelli... call Dr. Lee and have her ready."

"Doctor Lee?" Elizabeth lifted her head, her eyes dazed with pain. "That's not my doctor. My doctor is... my... doctor... is..." Elizabeth drifted a bit. "I don't remember the name of my doctor..."

"What is she saying?" Spinelli's tone had sharpened and Jason could almost visualize the young man sitting on the very edge of his seat. "Of course Doctor Lee is her-"

"Elizabeth thinks I was sent to kill her."

"Most unusual, Stonecold," Spinelli mused, "most unusual."

Elizabeth looked up at Jason, an odd confusion twisting her features. She blinked at him... turned her head from one angle to another... punctuating her curious looks with soft gasps and moans. Her head, she squeezed her eyes shut, was pounding with pain to match the ones crawling across her middle.

"You look... different."

Jason nodded at her as he continued to talk to Spinelli. "Call Emily... call Monica... call anyone you think can help."

"Emily." Elizabeth struggled to clear her thoughts. "Yes, call Emily." She smoothed her hands over her belly. "You look... older, Jason... older than you should."

"Did she say older?" Spinelli's voice seemed to echo in the SUV.

Jason looked over at Elizabeth, her hand loosely gripped on the pistol in her lap. "Yeah... that's what she said."

"Elizabeth?"

She looked up at Jason, before her eyes turned back to the console of the SUV. "Yes?"

"Elizabeth this is Damien Spinelli, Stonecold's faithful Jedi padawan."

"Who?" She hissed in pain and looked up at Jason. "Who is that?"

Jason gripped the wheel tightly and willed the car to move faster.

"I'm a good friend to Jason, Elizabeth and I have one question for you. What year is it?"

Growling at the dashboard, Jason nearly lost his patience. "Spinelli, stop it."

"I am most assuredly serious, Stonecold." He cleared his throat. "Elizabeth, what year is it?"

Struggling against the pain she was almost determined not to answer the silly question. "You know what year it is... everyone does."

"No," Spinelli explained slowly, "I don't think we do."

Another pain shot through her middle and Elizabeth answered the question on a gasp. "2003... it's 2003! Please... I need help."

Spinelli couldn't agree more. "I'll add a psych consult to the request, Stonecold. It seems as though someone has been playing in her mind. We're going to need help with that too."

- General Hospital ER -

Monica Quartermain sat beside Alan as they watched Emily pacing back and forth before the intake doors. Kelly Lee leaned against the wall nearby counting off the procedures they'd have to do the instant Elizabeth came through the doors. Word had spread quickly through the hospital that one of their own, one they had recently mourned, was once again amongst the living.

Listening to Audrey's fearful words on the phone, Monica tried to set the woman at ease. "Audry... as soon as I know anything... anything... I'll call you." She paused. "If you want to bring Cameron to the hospital, he can sleep in the on-call room. Just drive safely, Audry."

When she hung up the call, Monica felt Alan's hand warm against her arm. She leaned into his shoulder and blinked away encroaching tears.

"She'll be alright," Alan squeezed her arm, "they'll all be fine... just you wait and see."

"I- I know..." Monica gasped, her free hand pressed to her heart, "it's just that so much has changed... so much pain... only to have hope returned to us... and now, if something happens to Elizabeth or that baby..."

Alan laced their fingers together. "They'll make it through... they'll be just fine."

Monica felt a terrible fear tremble inside her chest as a black SUV came to a stop just outside the ER doors. Kelly and a bunch of nurses ran outside to meet them.

Alan felt Monica's fingers bite into the flesh of his hand but he didn't mind. The pain helped him to focus his own nerves. There had been a few precious moments with Jason since the Metro Court had fallen into the hands of that madman and he wanted more. He wanted Elizabeth and her baby healthy because for Jason it would make all the difference.

When the doors opened up again and the orderlies pushed the stretcher into the ER, it was Elizabeth's pale body that they were bent over and as they disappeared behind another set of doors, he looked up at Jason.

Alan felt his own heart squeeze dangerously tight as he recognized the stain on Jason's shirt. Blood. He only prayed it wasn't Elizabeth's.