In spite of how they felt, they both knew that she couldn't leave until she got her health back to normal. Johnny and Francis suggested driving back to Port Charles, but that would be almost a forty hour drive and she'd never be able to make it all the way without getting worse along the way. No. Elizabeth and their baby's health is Jason's top priority. Even if that meant putting up with Lorenzo.
Unfortunately for the three men, they had to leave for a meeting with the five families. Jason had put it off long enough to find Elizabeth and he couldn't put it off any longer without upsetting the five families and starting problems he just didn't have the time for.
Jason wanted nothing more than to stay there with her, but even she pushed him out the door. She knows that Johnny and Francis wouldn't be telling him to go if it wasn't important. Now that he knows where she is, she's okay with letting him go to his meeting. It was a simple gesture of respect, letting the five families accept him as the new mob boss of Port Charles.
Though he knows its illogical and Elizabeth has proved she wanted only him, Jason was still jealous. Lorenzo has been playing Jason's role, taking care of Elizabeth and she lets him, making Jason feel out of place. He knows in his head that its nothing, that they simply forged a friendship in their hardships, but - to hell with it all - he's jealous.
"Emily, I'm fine." Elizabeth reassures her for the hundredth time, having spoken to Emily and Robin almost every hour on the hour for the last two days. "Yes...the baby is fine, too."
"Sue me for being worried." Emily counters. "You scared at least eight years off my life, you know that?"
"I didn't exactly plan my own kidnapping, Emmy." Elizabeth retorts, smiling slightly when Emily gasps. "I'm getting my strength back...slowly, but surely, and then we'll see each other again. I promise."
"Okay...okay." she sighs. "Anyway...Robin's here and..."
"Oh come on...I just talked to Robin half an hour ago." Elizabeth loved them to bits, but this was seriously crazy. "Which, by the way, was right before you called."
"Elizabeth is hanging up now, she'll call you after she has rested." Lorenzo says into the phone, after she hands it to him. "If you care about her as much as you seem to, you'll wait for her call and not call back."
Ending the call, Lorenzo hands it back to her. Sometimes, in his opinion, she was just too nice and that left it up to him to be rude. After Jason and the guards left, the tension seemed to vanish from the safe house, though Lorenzo credits the tension mostly to Jason.
"She means well." Elizabeth points out, moving to sit up on the couch.
"Yeah, they all mean well." Lorenzo shakes his head, setting tray table over her legs before setting the plate of food down on it. "You need your rest. If they meant well, they wouldn't call ever hour on the hour."
"I've been missing for three months...they're just anxious to have be back with them." she tries to explain, feeling the need to defend her friends.
"I get it okay?" Lorenzo assures, setting the glass of orange juice down beside her plate. "You don't think I'm worried about my mother and my baby brother? I am. That doesn't mean I'm going to call them every hour on the hour to put my mind at ease."
"I'm sorry." Elizabeth's voice is soft, gesturing for him to sit beside her, which he eventually does. "You must be really worried about them."
"I know they're safe." Lorenzo concedes. "My brother would have called if they weren't...I just...I worry."
"Its only natural to worry for those you love." she smiles slightly, mad at herself for not noticing how hard this has been for him. "I'm sorry you're not with them now."
"I'm not." Lorenzo says sincerely. "My brother will protect our family while I can't be there...I have no regrets in helping you."
"And I'll always be grateful for that." she replies, not really able to tell him just how much. "You're like my guardian angel."
"You should eat up and then get some rest." Lorenzo rises to his feet. "With the brooding trio gone, you should be able to get a decent night's sleep tonight."
"You know that they..."
"Mean well?" he finishes for her, shaking his head. "Don't they all?"
She watches him retreat back to his usual spot in the kitchen, realizing that he'd never really understand those in her life, probably never having that kind of connection with anyone but his family. She makes a silent promise that, if he'd let her, she'll show him the kind of connection a true friend can give.
Knowing it wouldn't happen in the next hour, she opts to focusing on her lunch, knowing her baby must be hungry by now. Elizabeth didn't think that Emily or Robin would listen to Lorenzo, but she was pleasantly surprised when she got through her meal and an entire movie without them calling back.
She loved them, appreciated their concern over her, but he was right. She needed her rest and reassuring both women took a lot of energy she just couldn't afford to give right now. Allowing him to take her dirty dishes, swearing she will cook him a meal one day, Elizabeth relaxes against the couch and falls into a peaceful slumber.
Lorenzo watches her as she sleeps, his protective instincts still very strong over her. Everything about her made him want to protect her, to make sure she was never harmed, that she lived a long and happy life. It was no surprise to him, though.
His mother had buried a baby girl when he was only five years old. Though he was still young, Lorenzo never forgot how much it hurt to have lost his baby sister. Ever since then, Lorenzo protected the women who entered his life, laying down his life on occasion, but this time was different. Something about her ignited every protective instinct in him.
Shaking his head, Lorenzo proceeds to wash the soiled dishes. Soon enough, she'll be out of his life and he'll return to his family, where he belongs. For now, he'll just accept his need to protect her and allow it to rule his instincts because the time will come that they go their separate ways and that will be that.
"Look at me like that one more time and I will shoot you." Jason snaps at both Johnny and Francis.
"Man, you know that..." Johnny starts to say but stops long enough to duck when Jason throws him the alarm clock.
"Shut up." Jason states. "We're here to have the damn meeting and then I'll be going back to her. I don't want to hear your doubts and your assumptions...you hear me? Just shut up!"
"I was just going to say that its normal to feel threatened by him." Johnny says, using Francis as a shield. "They've been stuck together for almost two months...its understandable that they've grown to be friends."
"Lets go, stupid." Francis shoves Johnny out the door. "The meeting is in half an hour."
"I know!" Jason states, turning his back on them.
"She loves you, Jason." Francis tells him what he already knows. If only Johnny would shut up with trying to make him feel better, doing a fucked up job at it. "Whatever connection she has with Lorenzo...you're the one she wants."
Leaving it at that, Francis closes the door, walking off to do perimeter with Johnny.
"Morgan." he answers his cellphone, not bothering to check who it was.
"Jason...its me." her voice calms him immediately, the love in her voice vibrant. "I miss you, so much!"
"I miss you, too." he says with conviction, cursing Johnny and his big ass mouth. Jason knows he meant well, they always do, but he was close to strangling his friend where he stood. "How're you feeling?"
"A little better." she admits, sitting up on the couch, stretching slightly. "I just took a nap and it did me some good."
"That's good." he sits down on the bed. "I'm just going to handle this and I'll be back with you soon. I promise."
"I know you will." she says softly. "Jason..."
"Yeah?"
"I love you, you know that, right?"
"I love you, too!" he says with conviction, needing to hear her say it more than he ever thought possible. "I'll see you soon, Liz."
"I know." she smiles, closing her eyes as she allows herself to pretend he's near her and not a country away. "Be safe."
"You, too." he replies. "I don't want to...but I have to go."
"Say it one more time before you hang up...please."
"I love you, Elizabeth!" he says, his voice husky, needing to be beside her now more than ever.
"I love you, too!" she says, etching the words he spoke to her memory. "See you soon."
"See you soon."
And, despite what they wanted, they both end the call. Wishing that tomorrow would come already. The meeting would be over and he'd be on his way back to her.
A/N: Thank you for the reviews!
Appreciate them a lot. Can't wait to hear from you about this update.
Take Care,
- ROCkER