Back Chapters: At Beautiful Memoirs or at my site: http://rambles.proboards.com/
Note: So sorry I've been so bad at updating this one. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 23
As amazing as the night before had been, today was shaping up to be the opposite.
Elizabeth had stayed through the majority of the ground breaking. She watched Nikolas Cassadine and the Chief of Staff, Sean Donnelly, give eloquent speeches. Nikolas spoke of the physical design and grandeur of the expansion, and Dr. Donnelly spoke of the diverse benefits that would be possible with the new wing. The addition would nearly double the size of the existing hospital, and provide much needed services that were previously unavailable locally. They both made a point of thanking Jason and his family for the donation that was making it all possible, and specifically Jason for taking on the added burden of overseeing the project.
When it was Jason’s turn to speak, he said nothing of the money or time he was providing. He spoke only of St. Anthony’s and its dedicated staff. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who worked within the hospital, from the cafeteria workers to the surgeons. He praised their dedication and talent, and said that without them he never would have survived – this second chance at life he was given was entirely their doing and he would be eternally grateful. The point of his speech had obviously been to put the spotlight on who he believed truly deserved the praise and attention. It made Elizabeth fall even more for the man.
During the short moments he had spoken, the photographers in the media section snapped away in a near-rabid frenzy. This wouldn’t just be in local papers; anything Morgan-related would reach newsstands in the United States as well. It was difficult for Elizabeth to reconcile that side of Jason’s life because here in Ireland, he seemed so different. He didn’t attend political fundraisers or celebrity birthday parties. He didn’t mediate billion dollar business deals or get interviewed on CNN, and he certainly wasn’t seen out at dinner with socialites. On one hand, all of that should seem suffocatingly intimidating for Elizabeth to even think about, but on the other hand it just… wasn’t. The Jason Morgan she’d seen a few articles and Google searches on – thanks to Maggie – was someone else entirely. He was simply Jason with her.
Still, when the ceremony was over, Elizabeth didn’t immediately go to Jason. There were too many photographers there and she didn’t want to give the “journalists” any fodder for gossip columns. Not that she would have had the chance to anyway; it seemed that everyone wanted to shake his hand and bend his ear for a moment. At first it had been slightly irritating since she really wanted to talk to him, but as she watched him politely listen to people, he kept sneaking glances her way. When their eyes would meet it was as if he was asking her to hang on a second, he was trying to get to her. Each time he did, the light in his eye was accompanied by a knowing smile on his face. It was as if he were silently acknowledging his enjoyment of their date the night before. That look turned her insides to melted caramel and she was helpless not to return his smile.
Then her phone rang.
Elizabeth had Cameron to think about. If his school needed her for any reason, she always wanted to be available, which meant her phone was always on. It hadn’t been his school though; it had been her neighbor Joan. She’d let herself into Elizabeth’s house to bring back some of Cam’s things from the night before and heard the distinct sound of water running. When she opened the basement door the sound got louder and she had discovered the source. The floor was covered in about six inches of water and counting. One of Elizabeth’s pipes was dumping water into the room.
Elizabeth left the building site in a flash and hurried home to meet Joan. Thankfully the main valve that controlled the water coming into the house was easily accessible from the stairs. Joan had already shut it off, keeping any more water from gathering. Unfortunately that didn’t magically make the standing water disappear. The two women had stood side by side on the stairs, both having the presence of mind not to step into the water since it may be a conduit for electricity.
For about one minute Elizabeth felt sorry for herself, but that was all she could spare. She had to get to work because she had a 6-person tour leaving in twenty minutes. Joan offered to help since she didn’t have anywhere to be until she had to pick the kids up from school. She’d start by calling the fire department to see if they’d help pump the water out; after all, her husband Mike was a volunteer for them so maybe she could call in a favor. Elizabeth tightly hugged her friend in appreciation and made her promise to call if the fire department said no; she’d come home and figure it out. This was not Joan’s responsibility; Elizabeth would take care of it.
That had been four hours ago, and now Elizabeth was pulling back into her driveway and a sight she hadn’t expected. There before her Michael McCourt and Jason were lifting a giant fan from the back of Mike’s truck. Hearing her car, Jason lifted his head in acknowledgement as his hands were occupied. He and Mike walked in unison, carrying the fan into her house.
Once she parked and got out of her car, Joan appeared at her side as if by magic. She was a little winded, having all but sprinted there from her own house.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t get a chance to call. Hell, that’s just a blatant lie, I just didn’t want to because you’d get all worked up over nothing.” Joan laughed at her words, finding herself amusing before taking another breath and continuing. “Anyway, as soon as you left I called Mike and asked him to call the fire department for you, so he did. They were happy to come but unfortunately they couldn’t stay long. They weren’t here even ten minutes before they got called to a fire. So then I called Mike back, and he said he’d come over and handle it himself.”
Elizabeth raised a brow as if to say that explained Mike’s presence, but how did Jason get here?
With another chuckle at her friend’s expression, Joan finished, “Mike was still at the hospital construction site since today wasn’t just for the ceremony. As soon as the crowd cleared out, the big dig started. He happened to be talking to Jason when I called, so…”
Elizabeth leaned in, clearly irritated, “So…? What Joan, finish!”
“Well, Mike told him what was going on and said he’d have to leave for a bit to come pump out your basement. Apparently the only reason Jason was still at the site was out of interest, not necessity; men never outgrow their fascination with construction equipment.” She wiggled her brows, “He weighed his priorities and decided that helping you was more important than watching the big shiny machines go boom boom, so he came to lend a hand.”
Joan looked like the cat that swallowed the canary, she found this whole thing humorous and strangely exciting; she was also reveling in being the one to deliver the news again – just like the night Jason worked her shift. Elizabeth couldn’t help it, a small smile started to bloom on her face before she bit it back. He’d come to help her, he was gorgeous and sweet. She knew she was completely ridiculous smiling at a time like this. After all, she had a serious plumbing problem that would probably cost her a fortune to fix, and all she could think about was Jason coming to help her.
Seeing Elizabeth’s sad attempt to squelch her smile, Joan playfully smacked her arm and then leaned in to rapidly whisper like a teenage girl with more gossip, “And he brought other tools and fixed your kitchen door too. He said something about noticing it was sticking.”
Quickly checking over her shoulder that the men weren’t back out yet, Joan excitedly rocked back and forth on her feet as the last part of her story came out in a squeal. Her words carried the same kind of enthusiasm she would have shown if she’d won the lottery, “He even put a slide lock on top for extra security and so Cameron can’t wander out of the house!”
The two began to giggle conspiratorially, getting way too excited over a man putting a lock on her door but not really caring that they were. They snapped to attention when the men returned.
Pretending they weren’t just acting like giddy little girls, Joan loudly finished oh so matter-of-factly, “So, the guys got it all pumped out and they’re putting the fans in now. Cam’s at my house with my brood, they’re having snacks.”
Responding in the same perfunctory tone, Elizabeth said, “Thank you for filling me in, Joan.” She then turned her attention to Michael and Jason who had joined them, “You two are my saviors today, thank you so much.”
Elizabeth chose to ignore Michael’s obvious knowledge of their farce, he knew she and his wife had just been up to something and he was laughing at them. He thankfully didn’t call them out on it because he knew it must have to do with Jason. Instead he delivered more unexpected news, “Don’t thank us yet. Your basement might be almost dry, but we needed a little more muscle for the job and someone else volunteered to help.”
As if on cue, Zander Cassadine appeared in the doorway of her house. Raising an arm, he waved. His customary lecherous grin bloomed; the one he mistakenly thought made him look appealing. “Hello, beautiful.” He winked at her as he tilted his head to the side and looked her up and down. As usual, he was scratching his stomach, one of his favorite pastimes; and was that another gold chain on his neck?
Elizabeth inwardly groaned even as she waved back. She loved the pitifully harmless guy, just not the way he wanted her to. Having him here with Jason, even for a few minutes would be awkward. But since it would be more than a few minutes – she needed to at least feed everyone who helped her today – this could get really weird.
Looking at Jason, she saw amused sympathy in his features. It seemed he knew the predicament she was in, but he couldn’t help but find humor in it. She glared at him. He winked at her. She laughed.
“Well, why doesn’t everyone come inside? I’ll call Maggie and order us some dinner.”
One by one they trickled into her house until only Jason and she were left; she motioned for him to go in before her. He shook his head and raised his arm for her to. Just as she reached his side his hand snaked quickly around the back of her neck and he gently massaged the muscles there.
Whispering in her ear he said, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
She shivered at the feel of his breath tickling her ear and the gentle pressure of his lips as they grazed her head. Before they crossed the threshold to join the others, he let her go and stepped away, no doubt to unnecessarily spare Zander’s feelings – which was both annoying and incredibly endearing.
This man was hell on her senses, and she was loving every second of it.
Note: So sorry I've been so bad at updating this one. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 23
As amazing as the night before had been, today was shaping up to be the opposite.
Elizabeth had stayed through the majority of the ground breaking. She watched Nikolas Cassadine and the Chief of Staff, Sean Donnelly, give eloquent speeches. Nikolas spoke of the physical design and grandeur of the expansion, and Dr. Donnelly spoke of the diverse benefits that would be possible with the new wing. The addition would nearly double the size of the existing hospital, and provide much needed services that were previously unavailable locally. They both made a point of thanking Jason and his family for the donation that was making it all possible, and specifically Jason for taking on the added burden of overseeing the project.
When it was Jason’s turn to speak, he said nothing of the money or time he was providing. He spoke only of St. Anthony’s and its dedicated staff. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who worked within the hospital, from the cafeteria workers to the surgeons. He praised their dedication and talent, and said that without them he never would have survived – this second chance at life he was given was entirely their doing and he would be eternally grateful. The point of his speech had obviously been to put the spotlight on who he believed truly deserved the praise and attention. It made Elizabeth fall even more for the man.
During the short moments he had spoken, the photographers in the media section snapped away in a near-rabid frenzy. This wouldn’t just be in local papers; anything Morgan-related would reach newsstands in the United States as well. It was difficult for Elizabeth to reconcile that side of Jason’s life because here in Ireland, he seemed so different. He didn’t attend political fundraisers or celebrity birthday parties. He didn’t mediate billion dollar business deals or get interviewed on CNN, and he certainly wasn’t seen out at dinner with socialites. On one hand, all of that should seem suffocatingly intimidating for Elizabeth to even think about, but on the other hand it just… wasn’t. The Jason Morgan she’d seen a few articles and Google searches on – thanks to Maggie – was someone else entirely. He was simply Jason with her.
Still, when the ceremony was over, Elizabeth didn’t immediately go to Jason. There were too many photographers there and she didn’t want to give the “journalists” any fodder for gossip columns. Not that she would have had the chance to anyway; it seemed that everyone wanted to shake his hand and bend his ear for a moment. At first it had been slightly irritating since she really wanted to talk to him, but as she watched him politely listen to people, he kept sneaking glances her way. When their eyes would meet it was as if he was asking her to hang on a second, he was trying to get to her. Each time he did, the light in his eye was accompanied by a knowing smile on his face. It was as if he were silently acknowledging his enjoyment of their date the night before. That look turned her insides to melted caramel and she was helpless not to return his smile.
Then her phone rang.
Elizabeth had Cameron to think about. If his school needed her for any reason, she always wanted to be available, which meant her phone was always on. It hadn’t been his school though; it had been her neighbor Joan. She’d let herself into Elizabeth’s house to bring back some of Cam’s things from the night before and heard the distinct sound of water running. When she opened the basement door the sound got louder and she had discovered the source. The floor was covered in about six inches of water and counting. One of Elizabeth’s pipes was dumping water into the room.
Elizabeth left the building site in a flash and hurried home to meet Joan. Thankfully the main valve that controlled the water coming into the house was easily accessible from the stairs. Joan had already shut it off, keeping any more water from gathering. Unfortunately that didn’t magically make the standing water disappear. The two women had stood side by side on the stairs, both having the presence of mind not to step into the water since it may be a conduit for electricity.
For about one minute Elizabeth felt sorry for herself, but that was all she could spare. She had to get to work because she had a 6-person tour leaving in twenty minutes. Joan offered to help since she didn’t have anywhere to be until she had to pick the kids up from school. She’d start by calling the fire department to see if they’d help pump the water out; after all, her husband Mike was a volunteer for them so maybe she could call in a favor. Elizabeth tightly hugged her friend in appreciation and made her promise to call if the fire department said no; she’d come home and figure it out. This was not Joan’s responsibility; Elizabeth would take care of it.
That had been four hours ago, and now Elizabeth was pulling back into her driveway and a sight she hadn’t expected. There before her Michael McCourt and Jason were lifting a giant fan from the back of Mike’s truck. Hearing her car, Jason lifted his head in acknowledgement as his hands were occupied. He and Mike walked in unison, carrying the fan into her house.
Once she parked and got out of her car, Joan appeared at her side as if by magic. She was a little winded, having all but sprinted there from her own house.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t get a chance to call. Hell, that’s just a blatant lie, I just didn’t want to because you’d get all worked up over nothing.” Joan laughed at her words, finding herself amusing before taking another breath and continuing. “Anyway, as soon as you left I called Mike and asked him to call the fire department for you, so he did. They were happy to come but unfortunately they couldn’t stay long. They weren’t here even ten minutes before they got called to a fire. So then I called Mike back, and he said he’d come over and handle it himself.”
Elizabeth raised a brow as if to say that explained Mike’s presence, but how did Jason get here?
With another chuckle at her friend’s expression, Joan finished, “Mike was still at the hospital construction site since today wasn’t just for the ceremony. As soon as the crowd cleared out, the big dig started. He happened to be talking to Jason when I called, so…”
Elizabeth leaned in, clearly irritated, “So…? What Joan, finish!”
“Well, Mike told him what was going on and said he’d have to leave for a bit to come pump out your basement. Apparently the only reason Jason was still at the site was out of interest, not necessity; men never outgrow their fascination with construction equipment.” She wiggled her brows, “He weighed his priorities and decided that helping you was more important than watching the big shiny machines go boom boom, so he came to lend a hand.”
Joan looked like the cat that swallowed the canary, she found this whole thing humorous and strangely exciting; she was also reveling in being the one to deliver the news again – just like the night Jason worked her shift. Elizabeth couldn’t help it, a small smile started to bloom on her face before she bit it back. He’d come to help her, he was gorgeous and sweet. She knew she was completely ridiculous smiling at a time like this. After all, she had a serious plumbing problem that would probably cost her a fortune to fix, and all she could think about was Jason coming to help her.
Seeing Elizabeth’s sad attempt to squelch her smile, Joan playfully smacked her arm and then leaned in to rapidly whisper like a teenage girl with more gossip, “And he brought other tools and fixed your kitchen door too. He said something about noticing it was sticking.”
Quickly checking over her shoulder that the men weren’t back out yet, Joan excitedly rocked back and forth on her feet as the last part of her story came out in a squeal. Her words carried the same kind of enthusiasm she would have shown if she’d won the lottery, “He even put a slide lock on top for extra security and so Cameron can’t wander out of the house!”
The two began to giggle conspiratorially, getting way too excited over a man putting a lock on her door but not really caring that they were. They snapped to attention when the men returned.
Pretending they weren’t just acting like giddy little girls, Joan loudly finished oh so matter-of-factly, “So, the guys got it all pumped out and they’re putting the fans in now. Cam’s at my house with my brood, they’re having snacks.”
Responding in the same perfunctory tone, Elizabeth said, “Thank you for filling me in, Joan.” She then turned her attention to Michael and Jason who had joined them, “You two are my saviors today, thank you so much.”
Elizabeth chose to ignore Michael’s obvious knowledge of their farce, he knew she and his wife had just been up to something and he was laughing at them. He thankfully didn’t call them out on it because he knew it must have to do with Jason. Instead he delivered more unexpected news, “Don’t thank us yet. Your basement might be almost dry, but we needed a little more muscle for the job and someone else volunteered to help.”
As if on cue, Zander Cassadine appeared in the doorway of her house. Raising an arm, he waved. His customary lecherous grin bloomed; the one he mistakenly thought made him look appealing. “Hello, beautiful.” He winked at her as he tilted his head to the side and looked her up and down. As usual, he was scratching his stomach, one of his favorite pastimes; and was that another gold chain on his neck?
Elizabeth inwardly groaned even as she waved back. She loved the pitifully harmless guy, just not the way he wanted her to. Having him here with Jason, even for a few minutes would be awkward. But since it would be more than a few minutes – she needed to at least feed everyone who helped her today – this could get really weird.
Looking at Jason, she saw amused sympathy in his features. It seemed he knew the predicament she was in, but he couldn’t help but find humor in it. She glared at him. He winked at her. She laughed.
“Well, why doesn’t everyone come inside? I’ll call Maggie and order us some dinner.”
One by one they trickled into her house until only Jason and she were left; she motioned for him to go in before her. He shook his head and raised his arm for her to. Just as she reached his side his hand snaked quickly around the back of her neck and he gently massaged the muscles there.
Whispering in her ear he said, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
She shivered at the feel of his breath tickling her ear and the gentle pressure of his lips as they grazed her head. Before they crossed the threshold to join the others, he let her go and stepped away, no doubt to unnecessarily spare Zander’s feelings – which was both annoying and incredibly endearing.
This man was hell on her senses, and she was loving every second of it.


