Events leading up to Elizabeth choosing to protect the man she's loved for decades so she won't have to testify against him.
Not today, not tomorrow, but soon Elizabeth will say, "I can't testify because…."
Elizabeth shivers as Ric walks her back to the hospital after seeing Alexis on the bridge. She tosses her half-eaten cone. Ric notices, and he offers his jacket. Elizabeth thanks him and remains silent as he talks about Alexis throwing a gun off the bridge. "Come on', Elizabeth. We both know what we saw. Come with me to the PCPD to make a statement."
"Ric, if you want to make a statement, do it without me. I'm not sure what I saw." Elizabeth thinks, "Why in the hell did I agree to a stroll with my ex from hell? He says ice cream, and I cave? What is wrong with me?" She grabs her belongings from Hub.
"Elizabeth, you know my words don't carry much weight in this town. Please, back me up."
Elizabeth hands back the jacket, "How do you think Molly will feel if she finds out you reported on her mother? Whatever game you are playing, I want no part in." Elizabeth heads toward the stairs to the parking garage. A figure hides as she nears.
"As an officer of the court, I have to report this. I'll pick you up on your break tomorrow."
She laughs, "Officer of the court? What's the statute of limitations on your crimes, Ric? Do I have time to report those?"
"Elizabeth, you have been the one good thing in my life. I don't want to screw it up this time, but if Alexis is innocent, no harm, no foul."
"Say that to Molly. Don't follow me." Elizabeth quickly takes the stairs to the staff parking. She exits the stairs, and her pulse quickens at the tall frame near her car. Her breath relaxes as she whispers, "Jason?" He steps into the light. "How long have you been waiting?"
"Long enough to hear you give Lansing the brush off. Are you headed home?"
"Unless you have a more tempting offer." She places her belongings in her car.
"I've got my bike, for old time's sake?"
She smiles, "Sure." He hands her his helmet, and she straddles the frame behind him. Jason takes the cliff roads and stops before the broken bridge to nowhere. The stone statues still stand. Elizabeth removes her helmet, "I come out here once or twice a year and sketch. This is just what I needed." He follows her closely as she walks past the figures.
"How is everyone?"
"Jake is off with friends before he leaves for Spain next month, and Aiden is with my Gram."
"How is Audrey?"
"She doesn't get out much anymore and likes his baked goods. She's going to be 95 soon. Aiden is secretly testing treats for her birthday. Jake wants to hold it early before he leaves, and Cameron wants to come home and surprise her. Did you get caught in the rain? You look disheveled."
"Uh, no. I was out driving and found a hit-and-run victim, called it in, and had a run-in with Ava Jerome. We had to make a statement to Anna, and I thought I would get my bike for the rest of the night. I wanted to check on the John Doe." Jason removes his jacket and gives it to Elizabeth to wear.
"Uh, no, do I want to know?"
"Another story for another time? What did Ric want?"
"Through all his scheming, some charm shines through. He tried surprising me with flowers, then offered an ice cream cone break."
"Ice cream won through?"
"Yeah, foolish me. On our way back, we saw Alexis at the overlook. She tossed over what looked like a big-ass-gun over the side."
"And Ric wants you to report her?"
"Bingo! He's not back five minutes and is already trying to worm his way back to being the hero to Molly. If it means taking down Alexis or her other daughters, Ric doesn't care."
Moments pass, and Jason stands behind Elizabeth, and she relaxes into his arms. "I should get you back."
Elizabeth sighs, "Yeah. Jake and Aiden are probably home now. If you want to see Jake, come back with me. You never know how much time you'll have before he leaves."
"Thanks, "I'd like that."
Chapter 2
Sonny calls Jason in a panic. Jason arrives, and Sonny, Carly, and Diane are arguing. Carly storms off; Diane says, "Carly, consider your options." She chuckles and looks back and forth between her two best-paying clients. "Unless you have more to tell me, I have some shoe shopping to complete." She grabs her bag and waves them off.
Sonny says, "I'm missing a gun. Someone stole one of my guns, and Cates is dead."
"I know. Anna told us last night." Jason fills Sonny in on the events of the last 12 hours and the news Ava recanted the statement Cates forced her to give. "Who else has access to your guns and would know the combination? Would Kristina?"
"Why?"
"I think I know what happened to your missing gun," Jason explains what Elizabeth said last night. "If Kristina had taken your gun, hoping to make Jagger or Ava pay, and Alexis had found the gun and taken it, she would have wanted to protect Kristina. She didn't expect to be caught by Ric, of all people. After visiting with Jake and Adien, I returned to the bridge and tried to find your gun but couldn't locate it."
"What is Elizabeth going to do?"
"I don't know what she can do. She could lie, but if they find the gun, they could accuse her of trying to cover something up. Besides, that's not the gun that killed Cates."
"I know, this one is." Sonny produces the gun he shot Jagger with and hands Jason the casings. "Get rid of this." Jason takes it from Sonny and places it under his jacket in his jeans. Jason exits from the side while Anna and her officers ride the elevator with a search warrant.
Ric opens his safe in his room at the MC. He checks the contents with a handkerchief. Smiling, he lays the nine-millimeter gun on the bedspread. He removes the bullets and places them in a plastic bag. He wraps the cloth around the gun and returns it to the safe. "You stay here until I'm ready to use you." He shuts the door and whistles,
Ric waits for Elizabeth at the fifth-floor Hub. "Elizabeth, will you come with me to make a statement about what we saw last night?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
After signing her statement, Elizabeth thanks Chase while Ric stays behind, looking for a missing pen.
Elizabeth returns to GH and checks on the John Doe brought in from the hit and run. She enters the vitals on his chart and returns to the front desk. Jason is waiting for her. "Elizabeth, any word on John Doe?"
"No, his vitals are stable. They took his prints, and Jordan is calling in a favor. Why are you interested?"
"Maybe I need an excuse to see you. Last night was nice, not just the ride but also later, with Jake and Aiden."
"I had fun, too."