Lerdo123
Endless Love Admin
Graphic Design Goddess!
Posts: 20
(1/27/04 11:53 am)
Reply
|
Here Without You 1/1 (Ficlet) [Liason]
I measure the time by the steady blip of her heart monitor. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting beside the hospital bed, just watching her sleep. It’s not a natural sleep; she was unconscious when I found her at their house, and she hasn’t woken up yet. I know her dreams aren’t peaceful because every so often her brow furrows, and she shifts a little. Her fingers clench and unclench the thin, coarse cotton of the hospital sheet.
The doctors say she lost a lot of blood during the birth. There was no baby there when I found her, just Elizabeth and sheets saturated crimson. I know Jason Quartermaine was studying to be a doctor, but I was nearly sick when I saw all that blood.
She’s so very pale, and it scares me. Because I can’t accept that she might not come back to me this time. Even after all the harsh words and misunderstandings, I always thought there would be a chance for us someday, when old grudges and hurts had crumbled into dust or at least yellowed with age.
After she walked out on me, I forced myself to go on without her. It was hard, but ultimately I could do it because even though she wasn’t with me, I knew she was out there, in the world, living.
When someone saves your life, when they find you in the snow and they drag you up and make you walk and bring you help when you told them not to, then make you drink gallons of soup, and when they lie to everyone they know, that's more than friends. In my heart, we’ll always be more than friends. I just need her to wake up so I can tell her that.
At the same time, I dread her waking up. Her baby is gone, and I don’t know how to tell her that. So is her husband, and there’s a voice in my head shouting that he did this to her. There was no 911 call placed from their number. Ric must have taken the baby, Elizabeth’s baby, and just left her there to bleed to death. But why?
There are men looking for him and the baby. I should be out there too, so that when she wakes up, her child can be the first thing she sees. We haven’t really talked much lately, but I know from Emily just how much Elizabeth wants a child. She lost the first one, and I know it will kill her if she loses this one.
But I can’t leave her here like this. I try to go, but my legs won’t move. My eyes feel sore and gritty, and Audrey and Emily keep telling me to go home and get some rest.
I can’t. I won’t.
Elizabeth isn’t resting, and until she rests, there will be no rest for me.
The fine blue map of her veins is visible through the thin skin of her hands. I trace the lines with my fingers and will her to open her beautiful blue eyes. A quick glance at her face shows me she hasn’t heard me yet. Her pulse is weak but steady under my fingers, and I can’t help but acknowledge what a fragile thing life is.
I’ve taken several lives—some with my bare hands, some with a gun. I did it because I had to; that’s part of Jason Morgan’s life. Jason Quartermaine, a man whose life I want no part of, wanted to save lives. Right now, I want nothing more than to be Jason Quartermaine and bring her back to life.
Jason Quartermaine couldn’t take a life, though, and that’s one thing I’m good at. When we find Ric, I will kill him. I swore it on Elizabeth’s blood when I found her. It’s a promise I intend to keep. Nothing Carly, Sonny, Courtney, or anyone else says can stop me.
Thoughts like that won’t bring her back to me, though. She took care of me, a long, long time ago. I remember how she used to sing as she painted. The memory of her singing to me that one time makes me smile. What was it she sang?
Oh yeah. “O come, all ye faithful joyous and triumphant…” I can’t carry a tune to save my life, but in this case it's for a good cause.
Because as I’m “singing,” her eyes flutter open.
“Jason,” she says, her voice a whisper, “please stop that. You’ll wake the dead.”
I laugh, long and loud and hard, like I haven’t laughed in…I don’t know how long. She joins me, and her laughter lightens my heart just a bit.
She wipes the tears from her cheeks, and I know the exact moment she remembers. Her eyes flash to mine, and she tries to sit up.
“Don’t. You need to lie down.”
She obeys, but her hands move down to her stomach, and she winces. “Jason, my baby. Oh my god, Jason, Ric took our baby.”
“Shh… I know. We have men looking for him and your baby right now.” I try to wipe away the tears spilling from her eyes, but they’re falling faster and faster. “I promise we’ll find him. I promise.”
“No, Jason. You don’t understand. It’s your baby. Our baby. I let him think it was Zander’s because I didn’t think he could take it if he knew it was yours.” Her hands are clutching mine, her nails digging into my skin. “I’m sorry, Jason. I’m so sorry. I…I finally told him the truth because I didn’t want to lie anymore. Seeing how he dealt with it thinking it was Zander’s baby, I thought he’d really changed.”
There’s a roaring in my ears, and I can barely hear her.
“My water broke, and that’s when I told him the truth. I didn’t want to start our lives as parents living a lie.” Her voice breaks. “Jason, you have to find him. I don’t know what he’ll do to her.”
Her. That one word finally penetrates the confusion spinning in my head. “We…We have a daughter?”
She nods, sobbing now. Our eyes meet, and I can see the terror and remorse in hers.
“Jason, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. When I decided to tell Ric, I knew I had to tell you. I was going to tell you once she was born.”
I don’t know what to say to her. She’s nearly hysterical. “Elizabeth, shh, I believe you. I understand.” And I do, sort of. But I’m angry too.
My words seem to calm her somewhat, but her voice is low and urgent when she speaks again. “Jason, please. Go. I’ll be fine. You have to find our daughter.”
Ric Lansing has my daughter. The thought sends a jolt of sheer terror down my spine. When I press a soft kiss to Elizabeth’s cheek, she starts crying again.
My legs are shaky when I stand, but I know I have to go. Our daughter needs me.
Fics:
|
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies 
