Chapter 22: The End of the Beginning Part 1

Time. Time is a funny thing. Most people go through life wishing time would stand still, for others, they wish they could go back in time and start over. For the rest- they wish time would accelerate so that the future could be right now.

On this night: the citizens of Port Charles wished for more…. just more time.

A few hours earlier.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive in this weather? Jason asked Elizabeth as he helped her into her coat. He had come over to Carly's right after work to find Elizabeth, the boys, Sonny, and Epiphany having a rowdy dinner. After sitting and talking with everyone, while holding Elizabeth's hand firmly in his the whole evening, Jason had felt a calm wash over him. He was with his family and friends, everything else including all the troubles seemed so far away. He knew he and Elizabeth needed to talk, but for now, that could wait.

"It's just pouring hard, we will be okay." Elizabeth let his concern warm her. She sensed he was on edge all evening since he arrived, but hadn't pushed. One thing she was learning in her therapy was not to just make assumptions when it came to Jason's feelings. She tended to do that a lot. She tended to make up her version of what she thought she needed to hear.

"Hey Elizabeth, thanks for coming over the kids had a blast tonight," Carly said as she walked over to the duo with a Tupperware container of the rest of Liz's brownies that she had brought.

"Oh, keep the brownies, the kids can eat them tomorrow." Elizabeth's boys and Josslyn had played all evening outside on the playground set until the rain started to come down. They looked like they were all having fun. She could even see Jake hinting at smiles now and then. Her middle child was still struggling, but hopefully, more sessions with Griffin would help. Right now, he was shaking Sonny's hand goodbye. He looked so much like Jason in that moment. She mused.

"Thanks again for dinner Mister Corinthos," Jake said as he shook the older man's hand.

"Your welcome Jake, anytime- don't forget your coat." Sonny reminded him.

"Come on Cam, Aiden," Jake called out to his brothers who were still playing. Well actually, Aiden and Josslyn were playing, but Cam was quietly observing deep in thought.

He heard his brother and started moving, Jake had an authoritative tone and it was best to not let Jake get frustrated when he was like that. He seemed to turn into a different kid….an angry kid. If playing outside was any indication….

"Alright boys, say goodbye to Jason and Aunt Carly." Elizabeth hugged Carly and started hurrying the boys outside once they had said their goodbyes.

"Please call me when you get home." Jason requested as he walked them out to the car and helped get the boys buckled into the blue minivan.

"Not a problem, shouldn't be more than 20 minutes to get there." Elizabeth hugged him in assurance.

"I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you too." She waved as she started to back out of the driveway.

Jason went inside to grab his jacket, say his goodbyes, and start to go back to his apartment and wait for Elizabeth to call.

The rain was coming down harder and thunder could be heard in the distance. Elizabeth had both hands on the wheel as she navigated the roads back to her house. Cam and Aiden were asleep in the backseat/car seats, but Jake was wide awake staring out the window as they passed the trees. He was thinking about playing tonight with Josslyn. He had fun and it was almost like he forgot all he had been through. For once, he had felt normal. That's what he was thinking when the pain started in his head. Jake shut his eyes tight and tried to stop the voice from coming out.

"You're not normal Jake. You are superior to them. It's time to complete your training. Open your eyes my boy and do what you are told."

No Jake thought he wasn't ready. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want his family to be hurt.
He tried to shut the voice out of his head but the pain was increasing in his head.

"Remember Jake, they don't love you. They abandoned you. "It's time my boy, now open your eyes and complete your training." The sinister voice in his head commanded.

On the command, Jake's eyes opened. He could see his mother struggling to drive in the pouring rain. Slowly, as not to alert her, he unbuckled his booster seat and crept up to Elizabeth's seat.

Elizabeth looked up into the rear-view mirror and gasped, "Jake, what are you doing out of your seat?" She asked but Jake didn't answer. His eyes looked black looking back at her. Elizabeth was so bewildered and surprised, that she took her eyes off the road for a few seconds as she tried calling Jake's name again, but he wasn't answering. It was like he was in a trance.

It was a few seconds too long and the minivan started hydroplaning, it happened so fast, and Elizabeth didn't have time to react before they hydroplaned right off the road and swerved into a tree. The impact of the car hitting the tree from the front sent Jake flying backward as the airbag deployed, pushing Elizabeth back and knocking the wind out of her. The impact caused Cameron and Aiden to wake up. Aiden immediately started screaming and Cameron being ever his mother's son, had only moments to take in his surroundings, noticing Jake unconscious in the back with a cut on his head while blood trickled down his face; before he too unbuckled his seat and crept towards his mom.

"MOM! Mommy, wake up! Jake's hurt! Mom! Cameron kept yelling but his mom just groaned. In a split second, Cameron knew what he needed to do, so he grabbed his mom's cell phone out of the cup holder and pressed the numbers they had him memorize in school. 9.1.1, praying that someone answered.

"911., what's your emergency?" A kind voice came over the line.

"Help, please somebody!" He cried

"Can you tell me who you are and what happened?"

"My name is Cameron Webber, and we were in a car accident. My mom's not waking up! Hurry, please!

"Okay Cameron, help is coming. Do you know where you are?"

"I don't know. somewhere between my house and Uncle Sonny's." Cameron was trying to soothe Aiden and kept looking back at Jake. "Please hurry, my brother is hurt too."

"I am not going anywhere Cameron, I am going to stay on the phone with you until help comes, it should be there any minute."

Cameron could hear the sirens approaching. It felt like forever but was only seconds until,

"Cameron, this is Anna, Emma's grandmother, can you hear me?" Cameron heard a familiar voice outside the car.

"I can hear you!"

"Help is here Cameron, but I need you to step as far back from the door as possible. Can you do that?" Anna was trying to talk to him through the door.

"Yes," He was so relieved that help was there.

"Okay, Cameron you might hear a lot of noises, but we are just trying to get the door open okay so we can get to you and your family alright?"

"Ma'am look, we need to move quickly." One of the firefighters pointed to where the front of the car was starting to smoke.

Cameron heard a lot of scraping noises as he held on to Aiden and then finally the side door of the minivan flew open and people swarmed around him and the car.

"Cameron! Thank goodness, let's get you guys out of here." Anna exclaimed as she held out her hand. Cameron unbuckled Aiden and pushed him towards Emma's grandmother.

"Jake needs help- he pointed towards his brother in the back, but a stretcher was already under Jake as one of the paramedics had gotten the backseat open and Jake was lifted out.

"Jake is being taken care of, we're going to get your mom too. Cam could see other people tending to his mom as she was lifted out too. Okay? Take my hand, Cameron."

Cameron grabbed her hand and she lifted him out. Cameron was quiet as she wrapped him up in a blanket and put him on her lap in the ambulance with Jake and Aiden. Seeing his mom being loaded in another ambulance, his grip on Anna tightened. Help had come, they were going to be okay! He thought as the ambulances sped towards the hospital.

Meanwhile, over at Sonny's, the laughter was flowing until Epiphany's phone rang.

"Hey, Sabrina!"

"Epiphany we need you to come in right away. Elizabeth was just brought in with the boys from a car accident." Sabrina was running from the nurse's station as the hospital was a flurry of activity.

"WHAT? We just saw her!" Epiphany's worried exclamation caused the rest of the group to go silent for a moment before a flood of questions started.

"IS SHE OKAY?"

"WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS?

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Jason's roar came over loud and clear effectively shutting down everyone's voice.

Epiphany put her phone on speaker as she started pulling on her coat.

"Jason it's bad, Sabrina said hearing him. "Elizabeth's car hit a tree, and both her and Jake are unconscious."

Gasps came from Sonny and Carly, but Jason's mind went blank, "What about Cameron and Aiden?" He called out as he grabbed his keys, worry for his family was paramount.

"Cam and Aiden are okay, Cameron was the one who called 9-1-1. I've got to go but you should get here as soon as you can."

"We are on our way" Sonny called out as Epiphany shut her phone.

Devastated, Carly, Sonny, Epiphany, and Jason just stared at each other for a moment before racing (wheeling around the house). Moments later, two cars were seen speeding down the road behind a solitary figure on a motorcycle who raced through the rain to get to his whole world.

To be continued….