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Chapter 40

For dinner that evening Sonny closed his restaurant for a private party. Jason and Elizabeth arrived at six and she found herself amazed at how many people had shown up. Lots of the guards who worked for her fiancée were there as well a lot of the staff of the hospital. It seemed bizarre that all these people were here to celebrate her birthday.

She was doing her level best to not look over at the gift table. The sheer number of brightly wrapped boxes made her somewhat uncomfortable. She'd asked Jason if the guards had to buy her something and he assured her they did not. A lot of the guys just really liked Elizabeth. They found her to be down to earth and sweet. More than a few found her to be hot.

Elizabeth didn't really make that big of a deal out of her birthday because growing up her family hadn't. The girls at the hospital usually arranged for a cake to be in the break room and of course Emily always got her a gift. Really that was about the extent of the celebration. Even when she had been married to Ric and Lucky they didn't make that much of a fuss. So this was a bit mind-boggling.

"You doing okay?" Jason asked coming over with a glass of juice for her.

"I'm fine." She assured him smiling. "It's just I've never really had a birthday party before."

"Sonny is pretty big on birthdays. He gives the guys a paid day off when theirs roll around." Jason said shrugging his shoulders. As far as he was concerned it was just another day on the calendar. Although he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the extra special attention Elizabeth had lavished on him.

"He didn't make a fuss over yours." She pointed out. That had celebrated quietly at home because that was what he wanted to do.

"I threatened to shoot him." Jason told her with an unrepentant grin on his face. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, warden I have." Sonny had shoved a plate in her hand as soon as she took off her coat.

"Happy Birthday!" Emily came over and gave Elizabeth a giant hug before turning to give one to her brother. "Sorry I'm late, I had a surgery." She knew Elizabeth would understand.

"Anything good?" Elizabeth had days where she really missed working.

"Yeah, an Astrocytoma." Emily said getting excited just thinking about it. "I had to beg Matt to let me scrub in. I've never seen one up close before so I didn't want to waste the opportunity." Jason moved off to talk with one of the guards.

"Okay, enough small talk. Where is he?" Elizabeth scanned the room looking for a dark haired man who was unfamiliar.

"He's at work." Emily told her friend. "If he can get free he will swing by. He is a yes for the wedding by the way." Emily was anxious for her friend to meet Dante. She wanted her honest opinion. "So what marvelous things did my brother get you, aside from the earrings?"

"This." Elizabeth pulled out her phone and showed Emily a few pictures of her car.

"When are we taking it out?" The young doctor asked.

"As soon as Johnny clears me." Elizabeth said grinning.

"After you have the baby?" Emily translated raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty much." The guys had already gone into hyper protection overdrive. They had already started insisting on driving her around instead of following her car in theirs. Pretty soon she expected them to want to carry her from the house to the car. The two women laughed.

"Skye will be home next week. Would you like to get together with us for lunch?" Emily asked her friend.

"That sounds good. How is she?" Elizabeth liked Jason's half-sister.

"She's doing okay. I think she's a bit lonely." Emily knew that Skye hadn't been in a relationship since Luke Spencer broke her heart.

"Bring her to the wedding. I'll make sure her name is on the guest list." Elizabeth told her maid of honor.

"I think she'd like that, especially since the rest of the family is going to be there. I'll call her and check but I don't think it will be a problem." Emily said as an evil grin came onto her face. "We just have to make sure and keep her away from Carly."

"Her, Robin, Leyla and Kate. No problem. I should probably warn Max." Elizabeth just shook her head in wonder. Carly had not been lying when she said she didn't get along with most people. Pretty soon they have to put the blonde and her husband in a separate building.

Emily looked around the room, just to see who was here, and an entirely different type of smile bloomed on her face. "Look." She pointed to the door.

"Wow." Elizabeth also smiled. A very handsome man was looking around the room clearly searching for someone. When he spotted Emily he smiled wide and walked over. The fact that he was completely oblivious to the fact that several women were checking him out scored him some points.

"Hey. You look beautiful." He told Emily as he walked up.

"Thanks." Emily had indeed picked out the bright red top to get his attention. She did have to fight the urge to fuss with her hair. "This is Elizabeth."

"It's nice to finally meet you. Emily has spoken of you often." He said extending his hand. His free hand because the other hand was on Emily's hip keeping her close to him. It was a not so subtle warning to the other men in the room to stay away.

"Hello Dante." Elizabeth accepted the handshake. "Emily I think Kelly is trying to get your attention." This had been pre-arranged. Elizabeth wanted a few minutes alone with Dante.

"Excuse me." Emily walked away giving her best friend a 'behave' look.

Dante turned to follow and Elizabeth stepped in front of him. "I like what I've heard about you and am looking forward to getting to know you better. I know that Jason respects you and that makes me like you even more. Still I want to be crystal clear about something. If you hurt her what I do to you will make you wish that Jason had opted to handle things." She warned him.

Dante's eyes widened a bit in shock. He had already been warned by Jason to be good to his sister. Honestly he hadn't expected the small woman in front of him to draw such a hard-line at their initial meeting. "I have no intentions of hurting Emily." He assured Elizabeth.

"You can do better than that." Elizabeth crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a glare that would have made Jason proud.

"I won't hurt her." Dante gave his word. One he intended to keep.

"Good." Elizabeth heard someone come up behind her and turning saw Cody.

"Everything okay?" Cody had been sent over by Jason to rescue Dante.

"We are just making sure that we understand one another." Elizabeth told the guard. Turning back to Dante she asked. "We do, right?"

"Yes, we do." Dante had to admit that he was impressed. Elizabeth was all about protecting her friend. You had to respect that.

"Enjoy the party and I'll see you next week at the wedding." Elizabeth moved off to greet some of her other guests.

"Did I pass?" Dante asked Cody. They'd known each other for a few years now.

"You haven't even been tested yet. Don't piss her off. She's small but frightening." Cody told his friend thinking of Nicholas Cassadine. The Greek was having all kinds of trouble these days. The entire federal alphabet was looking at him. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the members of the crew you don't know yet."

As was his normal practice Jason stood in the back of the room and monitored the crowd. In particular he watched his soon to be wife. One more week he told himself. He grinned as she stared down Falconeri. Elizabeth rarely defended herself, but she fought hard for those she loved. Like him.

He scanned the room noticing that Monica and Alan had joined the party. With everyone that was here it became glaringly obvious who wasn't present.

Audrey Hardy had not bothered to speak to her granddaughter since that morning at the Towers. Elizabeth had gone to the hospital to talk about what Cameron had told them and the older woman simply walked away. Despite not saying anything Jason knew that Elizabeth was hurt that Audrey had chosen Lucky over her. All her life Elizabeth had been made to feel unworthy of the Webber name and this was just another example of that. She had told him that this wasn't about re-establishing a relationship. The older woman would never be allowed around Cameron again. With Audrey being older Elizabeth didn't want her grandmother to pass away with things left unsaid. He couldn't stand the woman but he did understand the need for closure.

"Have any of the Webbers or Hardys at least called her?" Sonny asked as he walked up to stand beside Jason. He too noticed the obvious absence.

"No." Jason's jaw ticked the only outward sign of his anger. Johnny told him her phone rang several times during the driving lesson but not one call had been from her family members."That's just wrong." The mob boss said shaking his head. Sonny knew he wasn't the greatest father but his kids knew without a doubt that they were loved. "Is she gonna be alright?"

"Right up until the minute she puts Cam to sleep." He already knew that she'd end up crying herself to sleep. Not from the baby hormones but from the hurt. Elizabeth was so strong when she had to be that so many people forgot how soft her heart really was. He knew. He'd be the one holding her while she cried. It just didn't seem like enough.

"Audrey's been visiting Lucky." Sonny told Jason not sure if he knew. The enforcer just nodded his head to indicate that he indeed knew.

"Hey." Johnny walked over to where his bosses were talking. "I need to head out. My guy has some information on Elizabeth. I told him to meet me in about half an hour. Hopefully we can get this all cleared up tonight. Do you want me to call you later?"

"Come by the house tomorrow. No one should hear it before her." Jason tilted his head at Elizabeth who was laughing with Kelly and Nadine.

"What time?" Johnny asked his boss.

"Why don't we do it at my place? Since I'm hosting brunch I'll be up early. Come over around nine. Cam and Morgan can play while we talk." Sonny suggested to Jason. "If you guys need some privacy after you can just take her up to the room I keep for you."

"Okay, I'll tell Francis to meet us there." Jason moved off to do so. After he was done he would join Elizabeth who was now talking with Robin and Patrick. He'd been away from her too long tonight. He just wanted to be close and to remind her that she was loved.

It was early in the morning and Jason was wide awake. Insomnia wasn't the root of his sleeplessness. No, that would be anger so strong it was bordering on rage. Elizabeth had given Cam his bath and after the little boy was in bed she had walked into the master suite, right over to where he was waiting and started sobbing. Deep, heart breaking sobs. She had asked him why her family didn't love her and he simply had no answer to give her.

Now he couldn't sleep because his heart hurt for her. He wanted to teach the Webbers a lesson, Audrey too. He wanted to hurt them the way they constantly hurt Elizabeth. But his girl wouldn't want that. Tomorrow they would learn if what Alcazar told them was true. He found himself hoping it was. Not that he trusted Lorenzo, but at least the man seemed genuinely interested in getting to know Elizabeth. She had suffered enough at the hands of those who were supposed to love her. It was past time to cut them loose.

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