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Chapter 31

Elizabeth was dressed in her pretty party outfit of dark green taffeta overlaid with black lace and sitting on the couch waiting for the boys to come down. In two days they would go see Joyce, who would hopefully say that it was okay to move around again. Tonight she was getting a chance to leave the house as they were going to the mansion to ring in the New Year.

This was not a holiday Elizabeth spent a great deal of time celebrating. Most years she was in bed long before midnight. The year she divorced Lucky she and Jason had spent a quiet evening on her sofa and he had kissed her at midnight. They almost didn't stop there. Last year they hadn't stopped at kissing, and she had hoped that this year would be the same. Last night Jason had promised her a rain check. She planned on cashing it at the first available opportunity.

Cameron came down first. "Look mommy."

"Don't you look handsome?" Elizabeth made a fuss over her eldest child. He was in khakis, a button down shirt, and a bow tie. Lately he had taken to watching Bill Nye and Cameron really liked the scientist's ties, so they had gotten him some.

"Are the dogs going to be okay? It's cold outside." Cameron asked worried about his furry friends.

Yesterday a crew had come out and fenced off a large area behind the house. From the mud room you could get direct access to the doggie area that had been created. While they were doing that another company was out to install an electric fence. This was so the dogs would have run of the property. While the dogs were well trained, Edward had confessed that they were trained before being brought to the house, no one wanted them running away.

"The dogs will only be out while we are gone, as soon as we get back they will come in the house. Also do you remember what was delivered yesterday afternoon?" Elizabeth asked smoothing out Cameron's curls.

"The dog house." He told her.

"That's right." Elizabeth confirmed. Johnny had gifted this to the Morgans saying he knew someone was going to buy Cameron a dog. The thing was huge. The boys could fit inside it with the dogs. It also came with a solar powered heating and cooling system, which she found to be amazing. Johnny figured that the dogs would need to be outside at some point during the winter so they may as well be warm. For the summer the air would keep them from overheating. Last night Jason had looked into how to provide them with fresh water via a fountain. Dog sitting would be breeze for whoever they asked.

"I like sleeping with Dusty. She is warm." Cameron told his mom. "When can Jake sleep with Millie?" He felt bad for the other dog.

"Millie sleeps in Jake's room." Elizabeth pointed out. "In the special bed we got for her. When Jake gets a big boy bed she will most likely sleep there."

"Okay, we are all set." Jason came in carrying Jake. The youngest Morgan son was in footed pajamas. It was already close to his bedtime and there was no point in dressing him up and then having to change him. Jason was in dark blue dress pants, and a light blue button down shirt.

"You look so handsome." She loved him in that shirt. Elizabeth almost pouted over the fact that he looked so good, and she couldn't have him.

He saw her eyes darken and smirked. Turnabout was fair play. She looked beautiful in her green dress, and he wanted her. Hopefully in two days he would have her. "You look beautiful. I like your earrings." Teardrop green jewels which were probably emeralds.

"They were Lila's. Because she was also petite her drop earrings are not too big for me. I thought Edward might like to see them." Elizabeth explained.

"I remember her wearing them once. To the first Nurse's Ball." Jason smiled at the memory. The house phone rang and Jason cleared their visitor up.

"Who is coming?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Johnny." Jason said walking out to open the door. "Cam." He called back and the little boy came running. Jason came back to the living room.

"Where are the boys?" Elizabeth asked as he picked her up.

"Johnny is putting them in the car. Extra hands were needed. I didn't want to leave the boys in the car alone while I was getting you." Jason explained.

"The first batch of nanny candidates are coming out on the second." Elizabeth was hoping they didn't have to do many interviews. "You'll be nice right?"

"I promised to be fair." Jason said walking into the garage. Johnny was leaning against the car chatting with the boys. Fair, but tough. He wanted to know that whoever he left his kids with was trustworthy. The boys would still have guards, and they would be watching closely as well.

"Hi Johnny. Is Maya going to be there tonight?" Elizabeth asked as Jason put her in the car.

"Daddy has to carry mommy everywhere until the doctor says its okay." Cameron explained to his uncle. "I think the baby is making her tired." He thought that was what babies did when they were inside their mommies. Why else was she sleeping so much?

"Having a baby is a lot of work." Johnny said grinning at Cameron. "Maya will be coming closer to midnight." He was looking forward to seeing her. For the last two days it had been phone calls only. "I'll see you there."

"Thanks." Jason said walking around and getting behind the wheel.

"Is he coming back to the house after the party?" Elizabeth asked her husband.

"Nope. Francis is." Jason told her as he started the minivan.

"You have to try this." Carly said sitting next to Elizabeth. Emily was on her other side.

"What is it?" Elizabeth looked at the chocolate confection Carly had carried over.

"Our pastry chef decided to use tonight as a test run of one of his newest desserts. It's a dark chocolate box, filled with whipped chocolate mousse, and topped with chocolate whipped cream with cocoa powder. He is calling it chocolate indulgence." Carly held up the plate. "I can't wait to get your opinion."

Elizabeth looked at the very pretty sweet, and had no desire to eat it. In fact the thought of sampling it was a bit off putting. She frowned before looking at her sister and then at her best friend. "I think I'd rather have some of the Dulce de leche cake."

"What?" Emily looked at Elizabeth in shock. "You're turning down chocolate?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Carly also asked in concern.

"I feel fine. I just don't want that. I'd rather have some caramel." Elizabeth was also surprised at the words coming out of her mouth. She was known for her love of chocolate. Every year on Mother's Day Emily gave her a big box of truffles that Elizabeth made herself eat slowly.

"That looks divine." Diane came over and joined the trio. Her husband was talking soccer with Jax and Johnny.

"You can have it." Elizabeth took the plate from Carly and offered it to her friend.

"Aren't you going to eat it? I can get another one." Diane pointed to the table were several others were plated.

"Elizabeth is not in the mood for chocolate." Emily told the older woman.

"Really?" Diane wasn't sure what to say to that. "Are you ill?"

Elizabeth giggled. "No. I haven't had a craving for chocolate at all in weeks." Even before she took the pregnancy test she hadn't wanted anything chocolate. "I should have known something was up when I started making blondies instead of brownies." Blondies with caramel topping.

"I'm sure this is just a phase, it will pass." Carly patted her friend's knee.

"Really guys." Elizabeth was still laughing. "Its fine, I'm not upset. I just don't want any chocolate."

"She's having a boy." Carly predicted. "There is no way a girl doesn't eat chocolate."

"We placing bets on gender already?" Matt had wandered over.

"No. The betting doesn't start until week sixteen. You can't get a good read on the gender before then." Emily reminded him. That was standard for the baby pools at the hospital.

"Is the pool for hospital personal only?" Diane wanted to know.

"Yes." Emily answered before Matt could. "But the family will have one as well. That one will start at week twelve."

"There will be plenty of action at the hospital." Matt beamed.

"Why?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"You didn't tell her?" Matt looked at his wife.

"Totally forgot. Robin is pregnant." Emily looked at her sister. "She announced it today." Emily left out that the doctor waited until Sabrina was around to do so. The nurse didn't even blink. Even if it did hurt Emily was glad Sabrina didn't give Robin the satisfaction of a reaction.

"So I'm going to be an uncle again." Matt was happy for Patrick. Despite the tension between them a baby was a blessing. Mostly he was happy for the opportunity to make fun of his brother. The calm neurosurgeon was already starting to show signs of nerves.

"I will have to call and offer congratulations." Elizabeth would do that tomorrow. After she checked on Sabrina. If she got a chance she'd ask Emily later how their friend was.

"When are you getting knocked up?" Carly asked Emily.

"That was so smooth." Diane said laughing.

"Hopefully later this year." Emily said looking at Matt and smiling.

"I look forward to hosting your shower." Elizabeth grinned.

"Who is going to host yours?" Diane loved a good party.

"I don't need a shower." Elizabeth said and both Emily and Carly snorted.

"I am hosting, as she is my sister." Emily announced.

"And it's being held at the Metro Court." Carly announced.

"I think you and Frannie should have some kids." Elizabeth told the feisty lawyer.

"I'm not good with small people." Diane said making a face. "At least not ones that I can't give back. I am very much looking forward to shopping with Meg and Joss. Teaching them the finer points of couture. I can also do the same for the young gentleman. Good grooming and being well put together is not just an art for the ladies."

"Francis has been looking mighty sharp since you two got together." Matt said to stir up trouble.

"I have polished him some." Diane said with pride. "I'd be happy to help you as well."

"And that's my cue to leave." Matt said walking off.

"He's fine." Diane assured Emily. "I just like the look of terror that comes into his eyes when you mention shopping. Jason is the same way."

All the ladies laughed. "Where is Monica?" Carly noted Maya's arrival and how the intern went right over to Johnny. The other ladies were looking as well.

"Mom snuck away with Howie for a bit." Emily said in a hushed whisper. "I think they are making out in her office. I'm not sure if Jason or AJ have noticed she is gone."

"AJ's noticed." Keesha said joining the ladies in time to hear the last comment. "I had to threaten to ban him from the bedroom if he went after her, or let Jason go after her."

"Good one." Carly said grinning. "Making him pay for Jason's actions. Turn them on each other."

Keesha turned to her sister in-law. "You don't want the mansion?"

"No. I don't." Emily said shrugging.

"What about my house?" Keesha wanted to know. "Do you like that?"

"Your house is lovely." Emily very much enjoyed the view from the back porch. It was a farm style house with a small grove of fruit trees out back. In the warmer months the kids went out and picked them bare.

"I'm going to tell AJ that it's fine if we move into the mansion." Keesha would give him this. "So would you like my house? If you buy it now, you can make any changes you like before moving in. It's a twenty minute drive to the hospital." She had timed it yesterday.

"Let me talk with Matt." Emily would love to live there. "If he says yes, then you have a deal."

"I don't want to move just yet though. Probably in a few months." When the weather was nicer.

"We are in no rush." Emily assured her sister in-law.

"Here comes Maya. We can grill her on whether Johnny is a good kisser or not." Carly said gleefully.

"I'm going to go find where mom went." Jason told his brother.

"It's almost midnight they will be back shortly." AJ said clearly unhappy.

Jason just looked at AJ. "You are okay with the fact that she left with Howie, almost an hour ago?"

"No. But if I leave, or let you leave, my wife will be upset. And I can guarantee yours will be as well. Keesha will make sure of it." AJ explained.

"We have to get control of this situation back." Jason said knowing AJ was right about the ladies reactions.

"To get it back we would have had to have control at some point." AJ said frustrated. "They are blocking us at every turn." AJ had to give it to them, they were dangerous together. "Your wife and mine are enjoying this entirely too much."

"Don't forget our sister. The baby will take up a good amount of mom's time." Jason said plotting. But they had to wait months for that, they needed something now.

"Can you ask her to babysit Jake more often?" AJ was plotting on how to fill up his mother's free time. "I'd ask but we have a nanny." While she worked days, it was in her contract that she had no problem babysitting during the evenings also.

"We are getting a nanny." Jason said thinking. "We need to give her a project. What if we fund an expansion at the hospital?"

"That would work." AJ said grinning. "When they built the new wing for research she was really busy." He hadn't been in Port Charles, but Monica had talked about it. "What does the hospital need?"

"We could use a couple of things, but let me find out which is the most pressing." Jason would like to see the ladies block that one.

"It's almost midnight. I'm going to get my wife." AJ said moving off. They would talk more about this later.

Everyone bundled up and headed out to the terrace. At midnight the couples kissed and there was a lot of hugging and kissing of friends. Then they all looked up as the fireworks display sponsored by ELQ lit the night sky. A new year had begun and everyone was hoping it was filled with happiness.

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