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Chapter 13

It was almost one in the afternoon when Jason pulled back into the garage of his home. He had told himself that he wasn't going to come back until five. By then he would have complete control over his temper. By then he would be able to resist the urge to start yelling as soon as he walked through the door. But staying at the office wasn't working either. Because Francis was there and the urge to throttle him got stronger by the minute. So he came home to ask his wife just what the hell she had been thinking.

After a few minutes of sitting in the garage Jason got out of the car and walked into the house. He could hear Edward and Cameron talking in the kitchen. Jake was more than likely napping in his room. When he stepped into the doorway Elizabeth's eyes locked onto his before she turned to fuss with her baking.

"Daddy!" Cameron hopped out of his chair and walked over to his dad. "Want a bite?"

"Okay." Jason sampled the reindeer shaped treat. Shortbread his favorite.

"You're home early." Edward observed.

"I need to talk to Elizabeth." Jason said looking at his wife's back. She hadn't turned back around yet. "Buddy, have you shown Pop-pop your trains yet?" He didn't want to argue in front of Cameron.

"No." Cameron answered squirming to get down. "Come on Pop-pop. Come see my trains in the den." That was where the wooden rail train table was located.

"I'd love to see your trains." Edward could tell that Jason was angry. "Is that alright with you Elizabeth?"

"It's fine." Elizabeth said giving Edward a small smile. She was in trouble, and she knew it.

"Alright." Edward gave his grandson a look letting him know he would be down the hall before leaving.

Jason just scowled at Edward. He was angry at Elizabeth, but he wasn't going to hurt her. When they were alone, Jason crossed his arms over his chest and just looked at his wife. "Don't do this again."

"Jason." Elizabeth started to explain.

"No. Elizabeth." He said shaking his head. She had said that she wasn't going to just roll over and let him have his way, and yes that had led to more than one argument. He was arrogant, and could be a bit domineering, he admitted that. Most of the time when they butted heads, he was at fault. Not this time. "You were wrong."

Elizabeth wiped her hands and took off her apron. "Your mother didn't want to spend her vacation being watched." Monica had asked if Elizabeth could do anything to help her.

"The dinner was one thing, and this morning keeping me here I will let slide, but you cannot call off her guards. She's my mother Elizabeth. You placed her in danger." Jason was trying not to glare at his wife.

"Howie won't hurt her." Elizabeth countered.

"I know that." Jason told her. "Someone else might. Do you think that no one in my business has noticed that I've reconciled with my family. That makes them a way to get to me. It leaves them vulnerable. Howie and my mother are not staying on the resort which means they need guards. I had no idea where on the island she was for two hours. Do you have idea what could have been done to her in that time?"

Elizabeth didn't say anything. Monica just wanted Jason's guards gone and it was in Liz's power to make that happen. "She's staying in Jax's cabin."

"I know that now." Jason said dropping his arms. "I almost strangled Francis when he told me what you had asked him to do."

The fact that Jason was so angry meant Francis hadn't told Jason everything. "She has guards."

"I am aware of that too." Jason closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Then why are you so angry?" Elizabeth asked confused. "Johnny's guys are as good as yours." She also had an IOU from O'Brien. She wasn't going to leave Monica unprotected.

"You don't interfere in business." Jason said in a hard tone. He did not want to have this conversation again. He was surprised he was having it now. This is not something he expected her, or his mother, to do. "My mother's safety falls in that category. Don't do this again. I will be telling that to Monica as well when she returns home."

"Okay. You're right. I'm sorry." Elizabeth said nodding. She had overstepped by intereferring with the security arrangements. She knew it when she called to pull Jason's guys. Honestly since Monica still had guards she didn't see this as being that bad, clearly her husband disagreed. "Are you home for the rest of the day?"

"Yes." Jason told her. There was no point in going back to the office.

Elizabeth reached for her phone. "Can you come to the house please? I have to go out. Thank you."

"Where are you going?" Jason wanted to know. Elizabeth didn't normally back down so quickly when they argued.

"I have to deliver the cookies." Elizabeth said gathering up the small white bakery boxes that were on the counter and putting them in a bigger box for transport. "Since you are here it's a good time to go out." She couldn't stay in the house with him looking at her like that. She had messed up, and now she was running away.

"Do you want help?" Jason asked getting that she was upset. "I can go with you."

"No. You can stay with the boys." What she needed was to get out of the house, and away from Jason, before she started crying. That wasn't going to help the situation. She had very much deserved the dressing down she just got, now she wanted to go lick her wounds. She picked up the box and walked out to the main hall. "I'll be back in a few hours." Elizabeth said quietly as she put on her coat. She got to the front door before stopping. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jason told her watching as she walked out of the house.

Elizabeth came back three hours after she left. Jason was in his office. The security system beeping let him know his wife had returned. Milo had called to tell him that after delivering the cookies Elizabeth had gone to the park. She had made the guard promise to sit a few benches down and not come any closer before sitting down herself and crying. Milo was pissed at Jason, something he knew his boss would hear in his voice.

Everything he said earlier still stood. She was not permitted to interfere in business operations for any reason. He loved that she felt so protective of Monica. He knew that was why she did what she did. His mother was wrong to have even asked. He had to grin at how Elizabeth had gone about putting her plan in motion. She had backed Johnny and Francis into a corner. No one welshed on a marker, especially not mob bosses.

He waited to see if she would come back to tell him she was home. That was her normal thing to do whenever she went out and he was here. Not that he required her to do so. But she always came back and he took the opportunity to kiss on her. When ten minutes passed without her sticking her head in the door he got up and went to find her. "Let's go find mommy." He said picking up Jake who was playing by his desk." They walked into the kitchen. "Hi."

"Hi." Elizabeth smiled at her husband and their youngest son. "I was about to start dinner." She said reaching for her apron. Fighting with Jason always left her feeling off balance.

"Want some help?" Jason offered.

"No, I've got it." Elizabeth got down the pans she needed. "Are they still in the den?"

"The only person who loves trains more than Cameron is Edward." Jason told her. "What are you making?"

"Seafood risotto. It's one of grandfather's favorite dishes. I made poor Milo go to the supermarket with me to get the ingredients." Elizabeth was still feeling guilty for making Jason worry about his mother. "Did you want a snack before dinner?"

"I'm fine." He promised. Jake reached for his mother and she took him.

"Were you good for daddy?" She asked kissing Jake.

"Daddy." The little boy requested holding his arms out to Jason. Jake could do this for hours.

Jason took his son back and before she could move away he pulled Elizabeth close putting his arms around them both. Jake sighed happy to have his two favorite people so close. Shifting the small child Jason was able to lean forward and place his lips on his wife's. "Let it go." He said softly. Johnny's guys had called their boss to say all was good, and Johnny passed that message along.

"Okay." She responded before moving back to the stove.

"We'll leave you to it." Jason told her knowing that she wasn't going to relax any time soon. "Let me know if you change your mind about the help."

Elizabeth nodded before getting out the chicken stock.

"Cameron, Edward dinner is ready." Elizabeth called down the hall. As she watched Cameron appeared in the hallway grinning, with his Pop-pop behind him. An afternoon of having his great-grandfather to himself clearly made him happy.

"We had fun with the trains." Cameron said coming up the corridor.

"Did you have fun too?" Elizabeth asked Edward.

"I did." Edward had enjoyed listening to Cameron tell him stories involving his colorful trains. "How are you feeling?" He could tell she had been crying. He had no idea what the argument was about, but she was still feeling it. Edward thought back to some of his arguments with Lila. They had some real whoppers. After he always felt a measure of guilt, because it was usually his fault they fought.

"I'm fine." Elizabeth promised. Which wasn't true, she still hadn't leveled out. "Cam, go get daddy and Jake please. They are in daddy's office."

"Kay." The little boy ran back down the hall to fulfill his assignment.

"It smells wonderful in here." Edward linked his arm with Elizabeth's. "Did you know that my Lila was a wonderful cook?"

"I didn't know that." Elizabeth told the older man. "Go wash up, we are eating in the kitchen."

"Yes ma'am." Edward grinned leaving to do as instructed.

They were sitting at the table, with Edward complimenting Elizabeth on dinner, when her stomach turned. One minute she was fine and the next her stomach was in full on revolt. "I have to…" Was as far as she got before jumping up and running down the hall.

It was the slamming of the bathroom door that got Jason moving. "Elizabeth." He could hear her emptying her stomach, but because she locked the door he couldn't get to her. "Son of a bitch." Jason muttered. He could have sworn that he disabled all the locks on every door but the ones in their bedroom. A few weeks after moving in Cameron had locked himself in the hall bathroom upstairs. "Elizabeth." Now he was greeted with silence. "Open the door." He told her.

"I'm okay." Elizabeth called from inside the bathroom before throwing up again.

Not willing to wait Jason ran to his office and grabbed a set of lock picks before coming back down the hall.

"Is mommy okay?" Cameron wanted to know. He was trying not to be scared.

"Her stomach isn't feeling all that well." Jason explained working on the lock. When it clicked he opened the door and found his wife leaning against the wall in front of the toilet breathing hard.

"Should I take him back into the kitchen?" Edward wanted to know.

"Yes, please." Jason said walking into the bathroom and kneeling beside Elizabeth. He immediately checked for a fever, but she didn't feel hot. A bit clammy though. He got a damp cloth and wiped her face. "Can I take you upstairs?"

"No." Elizabeth told him before lunging for the toilet again. Done she leaned back. "Okay." Meaning it was safe to move her.

Cameron was standing in the doorway watching his parents. He wasn't used to either of them being sick. So to see his mom like this scared him.

"I called Emily, but she's at the hospital so Matt is coming over." Edward appeared behind his great-grandson.

"Thanks. I'm going to take Elizabeth upstairs. Are you okay with the boys?" Jason was glad his grandfather was here.

"We'll be fine. Right Cameron? You'll help me with Jake?" Edward wanted to give Cameron something to do.

"We'll be okay daddy." Cameron promised.

"Okay." Jason said before taking his wife upstairs.

"Jason?" Matt called from out in the hall.

"She's on the bed." Jason told the doctor. He was very glad to have family members that were doctors.

"Hey sis." Matt sat next to her and immediately checked for a fever.

"I'm not sick." Elizabeth told him. "No fever, no elevated pulse or heartbeat. No tenderness in my lymph nodes." She ran through the symptoms.

"Food poisoning?" Matt inquired. "Some of the offerings in the cafeteria lately have looked suspect."

"I haven't eaten in the cafeteria in the last seventy-two hours. I've been eating from Kelly's, mostly with Em. All the other meals I've eaten have been with the family and the boys would have shown symptoms before I did." Elizabeth ruled that out.

"Okay. What caused this then?" Matt wanted to know.

"I did." Elizabeth said closing her eyes. "I did something I shouldn't have and it made Jason angry at me." She told Matt as the tears gathered in her eyes. "My nerves have been shot all afternoon." She had felt nauseous in the park.

Matt looked over his shoulder at Jason. "Can you step out?"

Without a word Jason walked into the hall.

"He hurt you?" Matt asked when they were alone.

"No." Elizabeth looked at her brother in-law. "I was wrong. I've been a wreck all afternoon."

"What did you do?" Matt wanted to know.

"I helped Monica ditch her guards." Elizabeth told him, knowing he was going to tell Emily.

"When Em and I started dating she told me a story about the one time she ditched her guards. She said she hadn't ever seen the shade of purple Jason turned when they found her again." Matt said laughing. He reached for his bag. "I'm gonna go, but I want you to take this."

Elizabeth looked at the box in his hands. "A pregnancy test. Why do you have that in your bag? Is Emily pregnant?" She asked getting excited.

"No." Matt told her. "When Edward told me your symptoms I stopped off and picked it up. If you came in the ER the first thing we would do is run a pregnancy test, because of your age." It was just standard procedure for women who were in their childbearing years. "I'm going to go, take the test. I'll tell Jason what's going on."

"I don't have any other symptoms." Elizabeth did a self-check. She didn't have any of the symptoms she had when she was pregnant with her boys. "It's just nerves." She told Matt.

"Then you can pay me back for the test when you work your next shift at the hospital." Matt needed to get back to the apartment before the puppy destroyed another pair of slippers. "Take the test." He watched as Liz walked into the bathroom before going out into the hall.

"I don't hit my wife." Jason told his brother in-law.

"I know." Matt grinned, he wanted Jason out of the room when he handed over the test. "She's in the bathroom taking a pregnancy test."

"What!" Jason looked at his bedroom door with wide eyes.

"You were pre-med in college, and had a year of medical school." Matt told Jason. The other version of his brother in-law had been an overachiever who started college early.

The mob boss recalled that this was standard.

"I would suggest you go in, and wait for her to come out of the bathroom with the results." Matt said to get him moving.

"Thanks for coming over." Jason said looking again at his bedroom door.

"I love my job." Matt was whistling as he headed downstairs to tell Edward he owed Emily a pair of slippers.

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