**so happy that i only have a few more chapters planned... please, for my sake... if you don't have something nice or just civil to say... please do NOT tell me about it... I'm writing this... for FUN... or at least I thought so... my muse is suffering for a bit... please forgive the short nature of this chapter

Part 27

Jason pushed the exam room curtain aside and he let it fall behind him. Kelly seemed to be all over Elizabeth, Epiphany on the other side of the table. Both women made quick work of reading her vitals and shouting out orders.

Kelly's voice rose above it all. "Let's get her to the OR!"

The room cleared faster than a heartbeat, orderlies wheeling the stretcher past Jason. He reached out a hand to touch Elizabeth's arm and she pulled it away.

Emily grabbed onto Jason's arm and held him in place. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's sick." Jason felt a hand close around his heart. "Ric did something to her... her mind."

"Jason," Emily leaned against him, "they'll take care of Elizabeth... come, sit down."

He didn't move, his eyes trained on the doors where they'd disappeared.

Spinelli burst through the doors with a confused man in a suit trailing behind him. "Stonecold, look!"

Jason barely moved, lifting his eyes only as high as Spinelli's face. "What is it?"

"Not it, Stonecold... WHO!" Spinelli gestured wildly to the man standing beside him. "This is the renowned doctor, Kevin Collins."

"Well," the soft spoken man shrugged a bit, "I am Kevin Collins, but more specific a psychiatrist." He looked about the room, taking in the sad, worrisome expressions. "I'm beginning to believe what this young man said to me... that there's someone in need of help?"

Spinelli interjected himself again. "As I explained before, it appears that the dastardly DA absconded with the beautiful young nurse Elizabeth who is my master's fair love and took her across state lines, making this a federal case, by the way, and it took my, the Jackal's, most amazing cyber skills to deduce what had happened, in fact, dispelling the idea that the same fair love was not, in fact, dead, but merely stolen away from her family and friends, including her young curly haired progeny, but now my master, Stonecold, also known as Jason Morgan, has wrested her from the evil doers and restored her to our most excellent home town of Port Charles and now you may aid us with rescuing her mind from the clutches of evil as well."

Everyone seemed to let out a breath as Spinelli stopped speaking and Kevin looked over at Jason. "While I believe I understood some of what he said, I think it's better if I talk to Jason."

Jason swung his head toward the closed doors leading to the operating rooms.

Alan cleared his throat. "Son?"

Jason looked up at him, his eyes narrowed over dark circled smudges. "Yeah?"

"Go with Kevin... let Kelly and the others take care of Elizabeth for now... she'll need you later."

Looking at Alan to Monica and then Emily as Nikolas walked up behind her. "Alright." Jason looked at Kevin. "Let's talk."

- General Hospital ER -

Kelly felt fear crawl up her spine and she began to sweat. The young woman on the table before her wasn't just a patient... she was a friend. "What does the fetal monitor tell us?"

Epiphany turned from the table to look at the readout. "Heart rate stable."

"Elizabeth? How are her vitals?"

There was a pause. "Erratic." Epiphany looked at Kelly from over her mask. "Whatever you do you've got to do it fast."

- Corinthos Coffee SUV 2 -

Cody ground a choice word or two from between his closed teeth. "Shut up."

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Lucky cowered in the passenger seat. "Then just get it over with."

"Shut it, Luckless."

"Someone will miss me... they'll come after you!"

Cody swerved the car off onto the shoulder of the road. "Look... I'm taking you back to Port Charles until you come off your withdrawal symptoms... but if you keep talking then I'm going to march you off into the woods and bury your ass where they'll never find you." He narrowed his gaze at the man. "Get it?"

Lucky hugged himself. "Got it."

-General Hospital ER -

Audry entered the sliding doors, Cameron running alongside of her. "Elizabeth? She's really here?"

Emily cried out and ran over to them, hugging Audry and Cameron in turn. Monica moved over to Audry's side. "You must be so confused, Audry... so are we." She smiled at Cameron. "Why doesn't Emily take Cameron to the cafeteria for some ice cream while I try to explain what we know."

With hesitation, Audry nodded and let go of Cameron's hand only when Emily took his other one. She looked at Alan and then back to Monica. "This is all too much to take in."

Cameron looked up at his aunt as they walked toward the hallway. "Did Jason bring my mom back? I knew he would!"

- General Hospital OR -

Kelly leaned over for the nurse to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "We have no choice, we have to take the baby now."

Epiphany didn't argue even though her heart was filled with worry and pain. She stood by and watched as Kelly made the incision and when the doctor reached in and delivered the child from his mother's womb it was Epiphany's hands that handed him to the pediatrician. She went with Dr. Kade to assist him, her eyes drawn to the soft blond cap of hair beneath the blood and tears sprang to her eyes.

- General Hospital Consult Room -

Kevin listened carefully to Jason as he explained the situation, sitting across the room in a borrowed set of scrubs. Everything from the first inkling he had that there was trouble at the Metro Court until he found Elizabeth cowering in the passenger seat of a rental car and brought her to GH. Jason finally looked up at Kevin. "Well?"

Perhaps it was just the oddity of the situation, listening to a man who many considered to be cold and heartless pour out in short and succinct phrases an entire saga of worry, frustration, hope and fear that kept Kevin from smiling completely from ear to ear. Instead he managed to keep his expression soft and thoughtful. "I do believe that's the most number of words 'anyone' has heard from you in one sitting since you became Jason Morgan." Kevin nodded as his thoughts continued to process. "I believe your friend is correct. There seems to be some kind of interference with her memories but whether it's natural... some kind of injury like you've experienced," Kevin watched Jason as carefully as the younger man watched him, "or something done deliberately to her."

Jason nodded slowly, absorbing the answers.

"You mentioned Ric Lansing."

His eyes narrowing, Jason nodded again. "He's dead now."

"Now," Kevin swallowed, his thoughts hidden, "but you think he was the one that had Elizabeth?"

"I know he was the one."

Kevin wasn't going to argue with 'that' tone of voice. No one would. "Okay. What's significant about 2003?"

Jason pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Back in 2003... Elizabeth and Ric were together." He couldn't keep the sour tone from his voice. "They were married at some point. Ric was planning against Sonny... getting inside the... business."

"So," Kevin interjected, "if Ric Lansing had her... and if he was the one that 'brought' her to 2003 in her mind... why would he do that? What would that 'get' for him?"

-General Hospital ER -

Cameron looked up at his aunt as they walked toward the hallway. "Did Jason bring my mom back? I knew he would!"

Emily felt her throat close up when she looked into his dark brown eyes. His eyes were Zander, all energy and earnestness, but the hope etched into his smile... the soul that radiated from his little body was all Elizabeth. "She's here, sweetie, but Mommy's..." Emily looked back at the double doors that led to the operating rooms and then back at the young boy. "Mommy's been hurt by someone... she's had an accident and-"

"No." Cameron folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. "No... she's not." He looked up at Aunt. "I asked God to watch over Mommy and the baby. God wouldn't... Jason said... Jason?" Cameron darted around Emily avoiding her hands. "Jason?" Cameron ran for the curtained areas in the ER and darted into one, finding it empty. He spun around and ducked under another curtain to the surprise of an elderly woman being fitted for a cast. She offered him a weak smile but the boy, too young to understand what was going on turned back and ran into the center of the room. "JASON!"

- General Hospital Consult Room -

Jason's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his own name. It took him a moment to realize where it was coming from and who was making all that noise. Leaving Kevin behind, Jason threw open the door and ran down the hallway back to the ER waiting room. He picked up the little boy and lifted him up so he could look into the child's eyes. "Hey, Cam, what's wr-"

"Aunt Emily said you brought my mom back." He watched Jason nod. "You brought her back like I knew you would." Cam sucked in a breath and let it right back out again. "But you brought her back... BROKEN!"

That one word seemed to break them both. Cam lashed out at Jason, his little fists rained down on Jason's shoulders as tears coursed down his cheeks. Jason didn't try to stop him. He didn't try to calm him or give him any excuses. Jason let Cameron's anger rush over him like a river current as he sank to his knees.

- General Hospital OR -

Dr. Kade gave Kelly a thumbs up and mumbled through his mask. "We're good. She's got a healthy boy on her hands... a little early... we'll put him in NICU to monitor him for now and make sure that-"

Instruments sounded their alarm as Epiphany swung around to look at Kelly. "We're losing her."