Switching Places
Chapter 62
Jason hesitated then knocked on the door. "Jason, thank you for coming."
"How is Elizabeth, this morning?"
"She is working today. Dr. Baldwin, do you have any idea why I am here?"
"Let's go in and see Lee." She said leading him to the study. "Pardon the dust, since we moved to Arizona, we don't stay here very often. Lee, Jason is here." Turning she showed him into the large room.
Lee walked over to the rows of filing cabinets and pulled out some tapes. Setting them on his desk, he returned for a large file and a cassette recorder that looked like it was from the early eighties. "When I gave you the files about your trust, I held something back."
"At the time, I was aware how you felt in regards to your past, so I was afraid you would throw these away without listening to them." Sitting back down, he looked at Jason. "Your mother was married to Scott. What you don't know, is that Scott and Heather's scheme to steal your trust fund had been found it."
She was drinking heavily, encouraged by my son and the man who killed her. When Robert Scorpio investigated the murder of Crane Tolliver, he found some items that were considered evidence. After your mother's death; Scott had already fled charges of embezzlement. So Bert Ramsey gave them to me."
"Among them were some tapes. I had intended to give them to you long before this, but time got away from me. There also some papers, you should read." He said handing the bundle to him. "This is a tape player, I know that they aren't very common anymore, so I tracked down one of mine."
Jason took the items, thanking him; he left the Baldwins not sure what he felt but needing to see his wife.
That evening Jason pulled Elizabeth closer, leaning down to kiss her. Then slipped out of bed. Once at the desk, he took out the tapes and started listening. By the end, he felt unsettled and more than a little upset. Susan had not blamed others for the past, but did admit that she had been ambitious, determined to marry a rich man.
Hearing that AJ had been thought to be Rick Webber's son for a long time, he knew that his parents had screwed things up royally. Susan with wanting a rich husband instead of just a loving one, Alan in cheating. Not that it would have been the first or last time for that. Monica for lying to keep Rick Webber close. All had created this mess, but he was the one who paid.
He had very few memories of the Quartermaine's. Most were like faded dreams, but they had shown him plenty of photos and told him lots of memories. However thanks to the bitterness of the past, his was incomplete. There were so many questions, things that before now he had taken for granted. Now he wanted to find out answers, before his own child came into this world.
Today was the first clear day in a while and Elizabeth was sure that every single parent in Port Charles had bought their kids these Razors. And that every single kid did not have a helmet to go with them as she sewed up her third head wound of the morning.
"If you're not a doctor what are you?" Asked the mother of the latest spoiled little darling.
"I am a nurse. Now I need to concentrate, so please let me take care of his wound.
"I want a doctor, Gary is an actor, he was in that commercial for Bubble Boy Bubble Gum, did you happen to see it?"
""Mrs. Garrison, if you want to wait for a doctor that is your choice, but you have to understand we are very busy in the ER today. You will have a bit of a wait."
"Well you are here, why can't one of them be here as quick. I mean we have insurance, so it's not like we are poor and have to wait. My husband is an executive with ELQ. They practically own this place."
Elizabeth counted to ten, then smiled at the woman. "Priority is given to life threatening injuries."
"If you mess up, it will ruin his career and Gary wants to win an OSCAR by the time he is eighteen. I was once an actress you know I was in a Dirty Harry Movie while living in San Francisco." She preened in front of the glass window looking at her reflection.
Elizabeth just smiled at the woman and went to locate Dr. Quartermaine. Alan listened and then told her to tell the woman she would have to wait in the waiting area. Hearing that, she insisted that she would wait where she was.
Alan walked into the room, and said "Clear the room, a trauma coming in. Nurse Morgan; deal with your patient elsewhere."
"I guess you will have to do." She told Elizabeth who lead them to a curtain, then rolled her eyes when the woman insisted she had better not get charged for a room if they were sticking them behind the flimsy curtain.
Saying good riddance, Elizabeth put the chart in its spot and walked away. "Bobbie, are all parents insane? Or just rich ones?"
"From what I have seen, they either don't care or live vicariously through their children. We do get some normal people but you have to understand that it is the rare parent who doesn't have expectations for their children. I mean even Luke, has expectations for Lucky." She said. "That is part of his problem, he compares himself to Luke and finds himself lacking."
"I hope to god I don't do that to my children."
"Oh sweetie, I think that because of your childhood and Jason's lack of memories, your kids will be the lucky ones. Besides expectations aren't a bad thing, it's just when you want them to do one thing and one thing only that there is a problem."
"Thanks Bobbie, off to deal with the next patient." She said before grabbing a chart and calling out a name "Abrams. Benjamin."
"Thanks Elizabeth, are you my doctor?" He joked as she led him to a room. "I just have really bad heartburn that won't go away. I am sorry to bother you, but Doc is on vacation."
Elizabeth placed her stethoscope on his chest and said "Benny, I don't think this is heartburn."
Going to the phone, she paged Monica who quickly came. As he described his symptoms, the two women knew it was a heart attack. Easing him back, they tried to keep him calm and told him they just wanted to make sure.
"Call Jason and find out if he has any family." She told Elizabeth.
"What is wrong, Dr. Quartermaine, I only have heartburn." He insisted.
"Benny, we think you are having some heart troubles."
Jason arrived to see Elizabeth as he heard his mother call a code blue. Soon a full team was working on the patient, he could see from the hub. "Oh Jason I am glad Elizabeth got a hold of you. Do you know if Benny has any family nearby?"
"Bobbie, is Benny here?"
"Your mother is working on him now."
Ten minutes later, Monica walked out of the room, removing her mask. "Jason, I am sorry. He didn't make it."
Jason leaned up against the hub; he was used to losing people. In the business he was in, it was the norm. However he had always felt his accountant was invincible.
"Jason do you want me to contact Diane and Alexis." Asked Elizabeth coming over to her husband's side after covering Benny.
"I will; I have to reach his brother Bernie as well." Jason hugged Elizabeth, taking the comfort she was offering, but finally left to take care of Benny's arrangements.
Sitting down in his office, Jason called Sonny. "Benny died of a heart attack earlier today."
"Did you get your files out of his office?"
"He doesn't keep them there any longer." Jason told him. "I just wanted to let you know that a service will be held at the Synagogue on Canal Street."
"Benny was Jewish?"
Elizabeth called Carly who agreed to handle the hotel arrangements for Bernie's family. "Is his brother married?"
"No, according to Alexis he is single just like Benny. Did you know they were twins?"
"No, I once heard Benny say something about his younger brother so I assumed that younger meant by more than minutes."
"Benny was born on the 16th and Bernie on the 17th. So he was a day younger."
"How is Jason taking this?"
"I am on my way to find out. Francis took it hard, so I imagine it will effect more than just Jason."
The day before New Years dawned bright and clear as they laid Benjamin Abrams to rest. "Mr. Morgan, I would like to take a few day to get my things together but I will be back after the new year."
"Bernie, take you time. I have been aware of your partnership, but you just lost your brother."
"Sir, there are end of the year reports. I will be in the office on January 3rd. No later." He told Jason as he thanked Elizabeth for coming.
"I liked your brother. I didn't really know him personally, but I liked him."
"Mrs. Morgan, you were a frequent topic of discussion. You didn't spent money like most wives, it drove him crazy. He disliked that you refused to use the money in the account he set up for you." He said with a smile. "He loved your brownies. Benny had a sweet tooth and you certainly kept it busy."
New Years Eve found Jason and Elizabeth at home, dancing in the dark. "Jason, I want to go to bed." She said with a smile.
"Are you tired?" He asked concerned.
"Not really, I don't want to go to sleep; I just want to go to bed. Forget the fireworks, outside. Let's make our own."
Sonny was in his element. The restaurant was busy, his most expensive bottles of champagne had run out a couple of hours ago and he had talked to Brenda.
She was going to be in Toronto and asked him to come up and visit her. Meanwhile he was enjoying the delights of basking in the warmth of success.
Seeing his attorney entering, he went over to greet Jordan and the woman with her. Only for her to drag him into his office and complain about her year-end bonus. Still shaking his head, he returned to the partying revelers.
Walking by Jordan's table a half an hour later, he just shook his head as she was still moaning to Diane how lucky she was to work for someone who understood the need for a good handbag. Sonny, who had been married to Carly and dated Brenda, could not understand what was so special about a purse and who named purses anyhow. A Kelly bag, what was so special about a Kelly bag?
Carly knew it was wrong, but she did it anyhow. Leaning in she kissed the man. Not even sure of his name, she was missing her old reckless self. Besides it was midnight and it didn't mean anything.
When it was time to head out, she almost went with him. But hearing someone with an Australian accent on the television she stopped. While she missed sex, regular constant sex, she was afraid it would ruin any chance of a future with Jax. She had worked so hard to save her sons but she also wanted a chance with the man that even two years into this time line still owned a very large chunk of her heart.
Entering the Brownstone, she saw AJ asleep on the sofa with Michael and Morgan curled up along side of him. Swallowing the lump in her throats, she picked up her youngest and carried him to bed. Bringing down a heavy blanket she covered the other two.
"Happy New Year." She heard. Turning she saw AJ awake.
"Happy New Year. See you in the morning."
"Carly is everything okay?" He asked. She looked a little sad.
"Just fine. I was thinking about the past year and realized what had been lost, that's all." She said before heading up the stairs. With a small sigh, she admitted to herself that it would be very easy to go back downstairs and seek the comfort of his arms, but she also knew that she didn't love AJ that way.
"Maturing sucks." She said to herself. AJ had changed just like her, but there was too much hurt in the past, she had too many scars and so did he. Reaching into her drawer she took out the small picture and kissed it goodnight.
The next morning, Carly helped bundle up the boys to go and visit with Lila, there was something she had planned for this year and Edward's gift for Lila was just the start.
Jason looked at the clock and grimaced. Elizabeth was working until two but time seemed to be dragging. Going back to the paperwork on his desk, he growled and walked away. He loathed being in charge, but Sonny was too volatile and there was no one else to turn the business over to that would keep his family safe.
"Jason!" Hearing his former partner slam the door upon entering, he felt the tension getting ready to overwhelm him.
"What can I do for you Sonny?"
"My attorney just gave her two weeks notice, because she is going to work for yours. Would you care to explain why the two women who already work for you aren't enough that you have to steal mine as well?"
Jason just raised his eyebrow and said "What are you talking about?"
"Jordan came into Adella's last night, with Diane. She is joining her law firm. Something about a great bonus and how you are a caring boss who understands women? Just what was so special about these gifts you gave Alexis and Diane that has half the attorney's in town jealous?"
"Half? It was a pair of shoes, a purse and a scarf? Nothing special."
"I tried Dara, now that she is no longer in the city. She refused to work for me. Even she heard about the bonus."
Jason still had no idea what was going on, Elizabeth had ordered the presents and Carly had picked them up. The only thing he had done was deliver them. The only difference between them and what he had arranged for the guys was the over ostentatious wrapping paper.
He still didn't understand why getting what they did excited the women more than a fifty thousand-dollar bonus. Diane had tears in her eyes. "Sonny, I have no idea what is going on. Elizabeth ordered their presents. Unless she still stuck in the bonus check, I have no idea why they are the envy of the legal community."
Mac was getting Kristina dressed wondering why his daughter was practically begging his wife to borrow her purse. "Maxie, I want to have it tomorrow for my meeting with Judge Ratner, it's an important statement for the case."
Looking up, Mac shook his head, how was a purse a statement? "Maxie, why don't you just ask Elizabeth where she found it and buy yourself one?"
"Sure, I will just save up for a year, after working eight-hour shifts at Kelly's without a day off. Spending no money during that time. Then put my name on a list and hope my bag comes in before I graduate college. Buy one of my own, are you crazy?" She asked before leaving.
"What did I do wrong?" He asked as Mr. Whiskers was tossed out of Maxie's room and the door slammed shut.
"Mac, it is a girl thing. I have to get my black dress coat cleaned it will look the best with this scarf. Diane and I have decided to take Elizabeth to lunch this week, so you will be on your own Tuesday. It's the only day she has free and we must thank her for the purses."
Mac carried Kristina off to bed, saying he hoped she didn't grow up to be as insane as the rest of the women in the household. Even Georgie had been uhhing and awwing over the purse and scarf.
Walking to the study, he closed the door and called Robin, hoping Brenda and she could find something similar for Maxie since she liked it so much.
Hanging up the phone a half-hour later, he could not help wondering what sort of insane person spent ten thousand dollars on a purse? Even for someone married to Morgan's obvious wealth, that was a lot for something that could be lost.
Chapter 63
Luke walked into his old club and tossed down his duffle bag exhausted. They had been thrown into a Bolivian prison, when Lucky had been found with drugs on him. His son had claimed they had been planted but over the last two months he had watched as he went through a forced withdrawal.
No sooner had they arrived back into Town than Lucky had left him and headed straight for his apartment at Kelly's and Luke was sure to his drugs. He had hoped that his cowboy had escaped the family curse of wallowing in pain.
All Lucky had done was blame Jason for stealing Elizabeth, that he would have been fine if Jason Morgan had not stolen Elizabeth's love away. Luke reluctantly did so, knowing that it was correct in a way, Elizabeth would have saved his son from himself if she hadn't fallen in love with Morgan.
Now it was too late, Elizabeth was with Morgan. Bobbie had told him when he stopped in that she was expecting a child with the cement brick. He also had to admit, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, that it wasn't her place to save Lucky. That duty fell onto his family.
Heading up the stairs, he soon was asleep, wishing it wasn't the middle of January and so cold, but he was in upstate New York.
Carly thanked the detective and read the file on Annie Logan. Wow, talk about suffering, this woman in her adult years had suffered plenty. She had been adopted as a child by Audrey Hardy's sister had grown up in a normal All-American family but her life after coming to Port Charles had been tough.
From a trial for murder where she had been set up. A doctor who committed malpractice and tried to blame her. To suddenly leaving GH after a patient escaped the mental health wing. To dying in childbirth.
She had seen many familiar names, but the one that stuck out was the name of the mental patient. Maria Lansing. Strange how the Lansings had been part of this long before they had ever known. The doctor who had admitted her to the ward was Trevor's brother. .
Picking up her phone she called Alexis.
"Could you meet me at the police station, I need to talk to Mac and you."
Mac saw his wife and Carly sitting in his office when he returned from the morgue. "Why did you want the information on Lansing?"
"There is a connection to Elizabeth, through her mother. She treated Maria Zachara when she was pregnant with Elizabeth. Annie, Elizabeth's mom died not long afterwards, Jeff her father took her west and kept her parentage a secret. Everyone including Elizabeth thinks that Carolyn was her mother."
"Why am I hearing this?" he asked.
"Because we need to access these records. Elizabeth was born in November, but so were my child and Maria's."
"I will ask around, see what I need to access the records, but first let me talk to Monica and Alan; they might have some idea of how to do this." He said before leaving. "I have to go over there anyhow. Someone stole a large amount of percocet this morning."
Mac entered the office, to see Alan going over something with two doctors. "Mac, this is Dr. Thornheart and I believe you know Dr. Meadows."
"We were the last ones in the dispensary. WE had just stocked it; hospital policy requires two doctors as well as the technician when doing so. "
"How much later was the theft?"
"Twenty minutes? Maybe a little less. Dr. Andrews went to get two for a patient, they were empty. He called up asked for a restock and it all snowballed from there."
"What about the cameras?"
"They were disabled Mac. Your men fingerprinted the door, but every doctor and nurse practitioner in the place has access. We do have the tapes from the entrance to the ER, but it could have been accessed from the cafeteria, which is on the same level."
"Emily!"
"Lucky, how are you? I heard what happened. Helena got you stuck in prison, something about drugs." She said hugging her friend.
"I am great, I was hoping to see Nik and you for dinner tonight. I still can't understand why Lulu is living at the Brownstone instead of with Nik."
"It was easier for her with school and spending time with her friends. She will be glad you are back, have you visited with her yet?"
"No, I was hoping to see Elizabeth. Maybe we could all get together for a musketeer dinner." He said hopefully.
"Oh, Lucky I am so glad you have finally accepted that she is with Jason, especially now that she is having a baby. I'm so glad you have moved on." She gushed at his seemingly calm mood about Elizabeth. Before he had left he still had seemed so bitter.
Lucky froze, then said "They are still together, but I thought..."
"Of course they are still together." Emily looked at him and was upset at what she saw. He was still hung up on his childhood sweetheart. So much for their hope he had moved on. According to Luke, he had seemed less focused on Liz, but Nik had doubted it and it seemed he was correct.
"She hasn't seen through his.."
"Don't finish that statement or we will no longer be friends, do you hear me. MY brother and Elizabeth love each other; they are each other's future. You need to go and find some to love that isn't Elizabeth. Do you understand what I am saying Lucas Lorenzo Spencer. DO YOU?" She asked pushing at him until he was backed up against a wall.
"Emily he is going to get her killed, don't you see that?"
"No, what I see is that you seem to think you are the only person who can love Elizabeth, well guess what, my brother adores her, he is the person who sees her first thing every morning and sleeps with her every night. When she dreams of the future, it is Jason she sees growing old with raising THEIR children. Not yours. Grow up Lucky. I am done. I have dismissed a lot, strained the boundaries of my friendship with Liz over you while I was dying for you. NO MORE!"
Chapter 64
Jason didn't like celebrating his birthday but Elizabeth had suggested at least a small party for Lila. Her insistence about it had turned out to be a good thing; he realized when his grandmother had hugged him saying it had made her happy to see him celebrating this year.
When his sister and nephew brought out the birthday cake, and he was told to make a wish, he looked at Elizabeth and wished for their child to be healthy and happy. "Blow out the candles." He heard.
Doing as requested, he soon separated his wife from the other three and dragged her off to the kitchen. "Happy Birthday." She said.
"What is the big deal with turning 30?" He asked.
"It's not really, but I just wanted to make your grandmother happy. I also wanted to make it easier for you."
"Is that why there are so few people that are here."
"No, that is because I have my own plans on how to spend the rest of your birthday." She said. "Now lets go open those presents so that Reginald can take your grandmother home and I can toss out Emily."
After receiving the photo album from his grandmother, the book from Michael and a pair of motorcycle gloves from Emily, they slowly escorted their guests to the elevator. "Jason, I am so glad you enjoyed yourself my dear, but I am sure that you and Elizabeth have plans this evening."
Blushing slightly, Elizabeth thought of her own present for Jason. Once the doors had glided together, she dragged him back to their penthouse and suggested he sit down. "I will be right back." She said gleefully.
Rushing up the stairs to change, she was almost finished when she realized she had forgotten the stockings. Rolling them on, she realized she was falling out of the top and laughed. It was nice to have larger breasts, but sometimes it was a nuisance like right then. After putting everything back where it belonged, she grabbed the jacket she had brought up with her and walked down the stairs suggesting they head over to Adella's.
Jason took one look at the long legs exposed by what had to be a very short skirt and said "Better yet, lets stay home. We can eat dinner right here."
"Come and convince me." She said with a slight smile, trying not to show that he had played right into her plans.
Walking over, Jason tugged on the tied belt and pulled her closer. Leaning down he wrapped one hand into her hair and distracted her with a kiss while the other undid the belt.
As he deliberately teased her with soft kisses alternating with mind drugging assaults on her lips, she almost forgot the plan. Jason realized she was starting to become aware so he increased the pressure, while sliding his tongue between her lips and then retreating quickly. When she reached up to wrap her hands around his neck and pull him even closer, he knew he had her.
Letting go of her neck and hair, he brought the second hand down to help with the oversized buttons on the overcoat and reached in to wrap them around her waist. Stopping when he felt bare skin. Abruptly pulling back, he slid his arms up her body and to her shoulders pushing the dark coat back so that it was hanging off of her elbows.
"Wow, I guess you had similar plans in mind." He said before removing the coat completely. Staring as she stood there in some very small scraps of lace and silk he found himself kneeling and running his hand up her thighs and back down to her knees.
"Jason, let's go back upstairs." She said. Picking up his wife, he was careful to make sure that the high heels stayed on. Reaching their bedroom, he let her down and said "So is this my birthday present?"
"The lingerie, no, what is underneath, yes." Pushing him down on the bed, she straddled him then said "Happy birthday."
Two hours later, Jason finally got feeling back in his knees, as he eased off his wife and onto the side of the bed. "I think I could die a happy man."
"I gather you like the outfit?" She giggled. Handing him a water that she had stocked earlier for that purpose, she said "I have one more thing to give you."
"Really, because I can't think of anything else I could possible need." He said then was puzzled at the flat object she handed to him.
"Do you remember our discussion of schematics and how you can read them and blue prints?"
"Yes, why?"
"This is similar to that sculpture hidden at the back of the closet." Jason thought back to the day she had almost burnt down the penthouse after getting distracted by a present she had given him. A sculpture labeled the lovers. It had been of the two of them, curled up next to each other after making love.
"How?" He asked, then opening the box saw the two dimensional pictures, on white drawing paper. They were each labeled with a description, but he didn't need the writing underneath to know what he was looking at. "Elizabeth, when did you have time to draw theses?"
"I have been working on them here and there. I just thought about what you said the day I showed you the sculpture and the changes I had made to it." she said with a blush. "Then after seeing that book this summer and it's meaning. I couldn't help myself."
"It's great but we are going to have to find someplace to keep this that no one ever can find."
"I know, I mean this could be a problem in that regard, but I could not help recalling the inscription on the other book, and I wanted you to know that I agree with what the Countess wrote in hers."
"Loving is an expression of the feelings in my heart. Loving is my brain showing without thought what is inside. Loving is the output of heat you cause in my body flowing gently into yours.. Loving is joining of my soul with yours." he quoted. "Loving is saying I love you, knowing that you love me with all of you, not just your heart, not just your brain, not just the body, but the adding of the soul to complete the never-ending circle that will eventually lead to a new soul. A son or a daughter who is an expression of our loving."
Taking his hand, Elizabeth placed it on her slightly rounded stomach and said, "I love you."
"I love you too, and I love the child you are carrying. I will always love you." he said kissing her softly.