This is short, I promise. After that I will be updating Falling Home again. Please vote for the next fic at I should write at my site, which you can find the link to in my profile.
Part I
She had watched him enter the church and the pain that she saw etched on his face broke her heart all over again for him. She watched him now from her seat at the back of the church, his back to her.
Losing a child was the most agonizing experience one went through and he was unfortunate to be experiencing it not once but twice in his life time. She wished she could help him. The tense set of his shoulders and the dip of his head was enough to tell her, that every moment he sat listening among those that had gathered to say goodbye to the child he had called his daughter, was painful for him. All she wanted to do was comfort him.
Witnessing his last and only goodbye to his daughter, his tender kiss to the lifeless child he held had been heartrending to watch. His silhouette from that day remained in her mind to this day. When he had stepped out into the hallway afterwards, the anguish she saw in his electrifying blue eyes and on his face was more than she ever thought possible for her to see. The tears had come rushing to her eyes at what she had observed that day. They had all suffered that day as new and old wounds were torn open.
Fresh tears made their way to her eyes when she remembered the lost look in his eyes when he met hers that day. The tears fell freely down his face as he clung to Sonny as they both sobbed for their loss. It was one of the rare times that she had seen him release his emotions and they were powerful. But, he was back to his routine of hiding his feelings later when she saw him; he held back his feelings on the situation even though the grief remained. Her eyes lowered to her lap and she let the tears fall. Tears for him and his child.
Quickly using both hands she wiped away her tears and rose with the others. She turned to find Steven looking down at her, concerned. Giving her brother a weak, reassuring smile she began her search for him with her eyes.
She found him standing at his pew, his body turned to the side. His head was bowed, broad shoulders lowered in defeat. She watched him take in a deep breath and clench his fists. Tears gathered in her eyes as she watched from a far as he dealt with his grief.
Taking one small step towards him, she stopped immediately when a gentle hand tightened on her arm.
"Elizabeth, I think we should get going," Steven murmured into her ear. She nodded her head, her eyes glistening with tears, and began walking with her brother to the door.
Once at the grand church doors, she took one last look over her shoulder and saw him look up towards the beautifully ornamented ceiling and take in another deep breath. At her last glimpse of him she made a promise. If he came to her she wouldn't turn him away.
It was happening all over again. He had lost a child once when he returned Michael back to Carly and AJ. Then, he watched the boy he had called his son be raised by his best friend. Even though he was no longer known as Michael's father, he was never far from the child and was still part of his life. Learning of the loss of his second child had been heartbreaking, but he hadn't known about the pain and the pain was less agonizing. This time it was different. This time he had let himself believe that he would finally have a child to call his own. The baby may not have been his by blood but, she would have been by name. A child to love and watch grow up in his home. Sadly, he was mistaken. He wasn't meant to have a child by blood or otherwise.
A gaping hole that had gradually healed over the years was now ripped open in his heart again. The wound now more raw and everlasting.
He had learned his lesson and never again would he repeat his mistake. Never again would he stop doubting the future and live. He had let himself think for that one second that for once life would be fair to him, but as he had learned and pushed away, he wasn't meant to have an ordinary life that consisted with joy. He been responsible for ending countless lives as an enforcer and this was the price he paid for it. The pain that he was enduring was his punishment from God for his crimes. He wasn't destined to have a child. He needed to accept it and move on with his life.
A father's responsibility was to keep his child safe and he had failed. Everyone had depended on him to make sure that Sam was off her feet the last few weeks of her pregnancy. That no stress was placed on her for the well being of herself and the baby. A simple task and he failed it. He had let her get caught in the battle between Sonny and Alexis over Kristina. He had let her stroll around on her own in the hospital, leaving her vulnerable to be cornered by Alexis. Those few minutes in the chapel had decided the fate of not just Kristina's, but of Sam and her child's and his. He had let down Sam and her child.
Tears streamed down his face as he sat immobile against the wall of the nursery, staring at the soft pink décor of the room. He had helped put it together. A bookshelf was located off to the side that he had already stacked with travel books to read to her as well as lined with all sorts of toys. The rocking chair swayed in its spot. He could see the shadow of the crib mobile on the pink carpet before him. The most dominating furniture in the room was pushed in front of the window for sunlight to shine down on.
The books would never be chewed on. The toys would never be played with. The rocking chair would never be sat in. A lullaby from the crib mobile would never drift through the penthouse. And the crib would never be slept in. A child's cries or laughs would never be heard in the room for she was no longer a dream that would be reality.
Sam had Sonny to get through the ordeal and in the end the two biological parents of the child would be able to move on with their lives. He on the other hand, was the surrogate father that was just a lone figure in the background. He would continue breathing, but drown in his misery as well before he could ever forget her.
Elizabeth had taken the late night shift to be able to make it to the funeral for the baby. So far the night wasn't very productive. There were a few patients here and there that she had checked up on, but other than that she had spent most of her shift wandering around the hospital looking for anything to pass the time.
Cameron was with Emily and Nikolas for the night. She had really felt awful for calling them at the last moment in the morning, but she didn't have a back up babysitter lined up. Audrey was away in Colorado. Steven was clocked in for a double shift. Lucky was…well she wasn't ready to leave her son alone with him yet. They had rebuilt their friendship over the last few weeks and there was subtle flirting on his part that made her uncomfortable at times. If she wasn't at ease around him then she knew her son wouldn't be either. That only left her the option of calling the lovebirds to baby-sit, what else were godparents for.
The young nurse rounded the corner towards the maternity ward. She stopped to look at a few charts, picked one up, and continued on her way down the hallway. Elizabeth kept her eyes trained on the chart that she held and walked further into the maternity ward. Abruptly, she halted when she reached the threshold of the nursery. And there he was.
Jason Morgan stood less than three feet away from her staring intently through the nursery glass. His azure blue eyes were fixed on the newborn children that awaited their release from the room to visit their loved ones. The expression she saw on his face was pure torture.
Thoughts of leaving him be ran through Elizabeth's mind, but his appearance beckoned her to stay. She placed the chart in her hand, soundlessly in a slot and took small hesitant steps towards him, stopping close, but with a decent amount of distance between them to give him space.
"Jason," she said quietly.
He tore his sky blue eyes away from the slumbering infants to lock gazes with her. Elizabeth's breath hitched at what she saw in the blue depths that she stared into. She saw a flash anger, pain, confusion, and most of all guilt. All swirled up together, but as quickly as she spotted the emotions they disappeared. The tormented eyes quickly turned hard and guarded.
"Hey," he murmured, returning his gaze to the young children.
A long silence followed and Elizabeth took that opportunity to observe him up close. There were light bags under his eyes. His eyes were sunken in their eye sockets. The start of a five o'clock shadow was now visible. The corners of his mouth were drawn downward. His skin was all creased and the soft glow was missing from his usually smooth tanned skin. He was still clad in all black, from the suit to the dress shirt that he had worn for the funeral sans his black tie. His shoulders were stiff, hands shoved into the pockets of his dress pants. The one thing that was the most distinct about his appearance was that he looked thinner.
His state of appearance pushed her to ask, "Jason have you eaten?"
Jason shook his head, his eyes never budging from the nursery. "I don't need much food."
"I know that, but you need to eat something," she pleaded with him. "Did you at least get some sleep?"
He shook his head again.
"Jason," she sighed. "You need some sleep and a healthy meal."
He said nothing.
From what she knew about Jason he rarely ate a healthy breakfast and lived mainly on black coffee, beer, and once in a while a good meal. As for sleep, he didn't know anything called that. He could stay awake half the night and still be alert the next morning. He needed something in his stomach and a good nights rest to be able to function and it wouldn't do anyone any good if he were to get sick.
The sound of bubbling laughter drew both of their attention to the other end of the hallway. A young couple was barely visible as they walked towards them. When they reached closer, why they were laughing became apparent. The young husband pushed an empty isolettes in front of him while his wife carried a bundled up child in a pink blanket. The new father looked exhausted, but despite that tiredness he was full of life. The wife wore a wide smile as she gazed down at their newborn daughter. They were the picture perfect family.
Elizabeth tore her gaze away from the new family to fix it on the silent man that stood before her.
His once stoic face was now full of emotions. His previously steeled cerulean eyes were now full of yearning. Yearning to be the parent that held his child.
Watching the emotions emerge on Jason's face, Elizabeth took in a shaky breath and hugged her body tightly. There were a number of things that could break someone's heart and seeing the newborn and her family was only scattering Jason's already fractured heart.
A veteran nurse met the couple at the nursery door and took the newborn. The new parents kissed their child goodbye and watched her through the window for a short time before leaving. Their arms around each other's waist and their heads touching. The picture of marital bliss.
All the while Jason stared at the young couple. He never once blinked, letting the images torment him. He stared after the pair long after they had disappeared to their room. Slowly, he pivoted back to face the nursery observation window to watch the infants once again. He paid little attention to Elizabeth.
She stayed in her place and paid no attention to the rest of the world, but her sole concentration on him.
The long pregnant silence that had fallen between them was broken by Jason, startling Elizabeth.
"They look so innocent," he whispered his eyes still fixed on the room full of infants.
A lump formed in the back of Elizabeth's throat at his words.
"They're so innocent yet they're the ones that get harmed easily. It shouldn't be like that. He shouldn't let that happen." His ice blue eyes grew softer with every word. "They never do anything wrong yet they're the ones that are most vulnerable to get hurt. He should protect them more than he protects the rest of us."
Her eyes began to sting.
"We're supposed to protect them. They're a gift, but in the end I always fail them. I-I…I always have to say goodbye."
Her eyes pooled with tears. "Jason."
"It's always me." All his sorrow and pain reflected in his breath taking blue eyes.
Elizabeth reached for him, but let her hand drop at his next words.
"I'm never meant to have a child."
She gasped.
"I'm meant to just say goodbye to them."
The petite brunette reached for his arm and this time didn't hesitate. She took hold of his arm and pulled him away from the observation window to face her. He faced her without any struggle, but didn't meet her eyes.
Elizabeth fisted her hands in the front of his black shirt and shook him until his eyes locked with hers. "You listen to me," she said, searching his eyes. "You are meant to have children of your own and you'll make a great father." Every word dripping with conviction. "Never doubt that for a second."
She saw it in his dimmed eyes—disbelief. Disbelief that he would ever be a father.
Before Elizabeth could utter another word they were interrupted.
"Jason. Elizabeth," Alan said from behind the pair.
Elizabeth released her grip on Jason's shirt and turned to face the Chief of Staff. She had her back to Jason, but she didn't move more than an inch away from him. She felt Jason stiffen behind her at the site of his father.
Things had never been easy for Jason with the Quartermaines since his accident. Elizabeth had witnessed more than a few incidents where his family had stung him. She wouldn't let them upset Jason when he was most exposed to be harmed by their comments.
Alan noticed the fire in the young nurse's eyes and gave her a small smile to reassure her he meant no harm. "I thought it was you two."
Neither of them responded.
"Elizabeth what are you still doing here?" Alan asked, genuinely stumped at her appearance.
The brunette folded her arms and raised her chin a notch. "I switched with Amy for the evening shift so that I could attend the service this morning."
A small smile found its way to Alan's face at her explanation. He was aware that Jason and Elizabeth at one point meant something to each other until they had a falling out. Courtney and Ric hadn't helped their relationship either, but from the looks of it they were friends again. The veteran doctor was glad that Elizabeth was there for Jason. His son needed someone whether Jason wanted to admit it or not and Elizabeth was the right person to help him heal. She was compassionate, loving, and had dealt with the ordeal of losing a child.
The doctor's observant brown eyes traveled to his son and took in his youngest son's appearance. Jason looked tired and the sadness in his eyes was agonizing.
Alan then shifted his attention to Elizabeth. The determination that Alan saw in her eyes to protect Jason reassured him that his son was in the right hands.
"Elizabeth why don't you take the rest of your night off?"
Elizabeth's blue orbs widened in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure," Alan, said to put her at ease. "Don't worry about it. It's a slow night and we don't need the extra help." His gaze flickered to Jason for a moment. "Go and get something to eat and enjoy the rest of the evening. See if you can Jason to eat as well," he added.
Elizabeth flashed the older man a wobbly smile when she realized what he was trying to do. "I will. Thank you Dr. Quartermaine." She turned back around to face Jason. He had remained silent through out the whole exchange. His eyes were fixed on the floor, his fists clenched at his side.
Elizabeth gently touched his arm. At the touch he looked up to meet her gaze. She grinned. "Come on let's get out of here."
The enforcer moved as if in a trance when the brunette stepped behind him and gave him a little push to begin walking.
Elizabeth trailed a few steps behind Jason. "Please take care of him," Alan murmured into her ear when she passed him.
She looked at Jason's back as he walked down the hallway leaving the nursery behind him. "I will," she mumbled.
Elizabeth Webber's apartment was a quaint little place. It was small and intimate with everything a young mother and her child needed. It was a one bedroom with enough space for Elizabeth to live comfortably with her son. There weren't more than the few pieces of furniture that they needed. A coffee table, sofa, side tables with lamps, and a small roundtable with two chairs occupied the living room. The decorations were simple with flowers here and there, paintings hung on the walls, and photo frames were situated in various places. Overall the apartment was warm and cozy; reflecting everything Elizabeth was as a person.
The door remained open for him to walk through, but Jason remained at the threshold, staring in. The last time he was in Elizabeth's home she had practically thrown him out. Then again she was married to a psycho that was holding his best friend hostage and he was constantly making her husband look like a bad person, which he was. It was understandable why they were the way they were back then. Things were different between them, had been ever since their run in at the hospital Chapel after they had both faced the fear of losing Emily. They didn't have the friendship they had once had, but they were friends again and that was the only thing that mattered now. His friend was being kind by welcoming him into her home and he would accept that invitation.
The enforcer took one step into the apartment and instantaneously took a step back. The smell of baby powder was enough to force him out the door again. A child lived here. A child he didn't know. A child that he could never have of his own.
Jason took in a deep breathe and reminded himself that Elizabeth's son wasn't home and he wouldn't have to see the boy. He stepped into the apartment and closed his eyes willing himself to forget that the pain that seeped into him as the fresh smell of baby powder and ointment that invaded his senses. Gradually, the smell blended in with the aroma that trickled into the living room from the kitchen. Jason concentrated on the smell that filled the room and opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.
This was Elizabeth's home he reminded himself; he was invited in. Jason turned back around and shut his door. The uneasy feeling that had crept into him bit by bit began to fade away as he took a closer look around. Everything around him was Elizabeth. The colors and the old, but yet still modern furniture was her.
As Jason stood in the middle of the living room examining the shapes and the colors of the throw rug Elizabeth came bursting through the swinging doors of her kitchen. Jason looked up at the sudden slam of the doors against the wall.
For the first time since Jason had run into Elizabeth he took notice of how she looked. She was still dressed in her pink scrubs from the hospital. The hair that had once been curly and untamable was now smooth and pulled back in a ponytail, leaving small wisps of hair framing her face. Her unusually paled skin was flushed from flying into her apartment and heading straight for the kitchen. Jason wasn't sure what she had done in there, but it had left her skin stained a deep red. Despite, her work as a nurse and being a single mother she was full of energy and was bursting of it at the moment.
"I'm going to go change," Elizabeth said hurriedly, her hands flying at her side as she gestured to a door Jason assumed lead to the only bedroom. "And then I'll finish cooking dinner."
He nodded his head that he understood.
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder, disappearing into the room, the door shutting behind her.
Jason remained where he was, dominating his surroundings. Before Jason even had the chance to move a muscle Elizabeth came flying back in the room looking more relaxed in a pair of soft blue jeans and a graphic tee. She flashed him a smirk and went rushing back into the small kitchen.
The tall enforcer's eyes roamed around, trying to find something to occupy himself with. He had no luck with that. He could hear Elizabeth moving around in the kitchen. Pots clanked and cabinets slammed shut.
With in a few minutes Elizabeth came back into the living room carrying dishes and utensils in her arms. She dumped them on the table and ran back into the kitchen to only return a second later with napkins in their rings. One by one Elizabeth placed all the dinnerware in their place. After she was done a lovely table for two sitting across from each other was set with the flowers. Jason noticed that the red roses in the middle of the table stood out among the white ceramic china set.
Jason opened his mouth to only shut it close again when the brunette went back into the kitchen.
"Take off your jacket and sit down," her voice traveled to Jason.
He shrugged, sighing heavily before pulling the stiff suit jacket off. Draping the jacket over the back of one of the wooden chairs and finally since Jason entered Elizabeth's apartment for the first time ceased moving to sit down.
Within moments Elizabeth returned to the living room, balancing two serving dishes and a jug in her arms. Jason automatically rose to take the dishes and placed them down on the table for her. He waited a few seconds until she took a seat to sit down himself.
Elizabeth situated herself in her seat and began filling their plates with the meal she had prepared.
Jason looked at his now full plate and tried to remember the last time that he had a home cooked meal or even a real meal in general. It was simple dish of chicken tenders. The pieces of chicken were covered in margarine with green beans and mashed taters on the side. It smelled delicious, but Jason hesitated with his fork suspended in midair. It smelled and looked delicious, but that didn't mean that it tasted as good. He snuck a quick glance at Elizabeth and found her watching him with an amused smile.
"It's not poison, you can eat it."
His eyes widened at the statement. "I didn't say anything."
Pouring ice tea into their glasses she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "I know, but you've got a look on your face that says that you're scared to taste it."
Jason looked away causing Elizabeth to start laughing.
"Its oven baked chicken tenders. I got the recipe off the back of the bisquick box. I can just mix it up, throw it into the fridge before work and can come home and pull it out right away to make dinner." As Elizabeth rambled the preparations for the meal, she began moving her hands around nervously. "It's pretty easy. You just dredge the chicken in an egg white mixture, then in the bisquick mixture, and when it's in the pan just sprinkle them with margarine and you're done in eleven minutes."
A start of a blush made its way to Elizabeth's face when she ceased her rambling. "I just rambled, didn't I?"
Jason nodded his head yes.
Her blush deepened in hue. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous."
The enforcer's sandy brown eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Why?"
"Well…it's been a long time since we last spoke…" Elizabeth trailed off. Jason understood what she meant by the statement. They're friendship was still fragile.
"I know." Clearing his throat, Jason took a bite of his meal. "This is good. Where did you learn to cook?"
Elizabeth accepted the change of subject. "Well right after I got pregnant I realized that I couldn't continue eating fast food all the time. I needed to start eating healthy. So I took some cook books out of the library near the place I stayed in, in Napa. Cameron, my son, enjoys it and I feel safe knowing what it's in his food not—" Elizabeth groaned, covering her face. "Ugh, I am such an idiot. You just lost your daughter and here I am talking about Cameron. I am so insensitive."
The calmness that Jason had felt sitting with Elizabeth for dinner disappeared and a mask of stone feel over his face. Clearing his throat, his eyes downcast he began shifting around the food on his plate.
Noticing his behavior Elizabeth's eyes grew soft and understanding. "Jason you do need to talk about it."
He said nothing.
"Sometimes talking helps." She covered his cold hand with her warm smaller one.
He grew still at the contact.
"Losing a child is like living a nightmare and it hurts. It does more than anything, but you don't have to go through it alone."
His head dipped.
"There are things everywhere that remind you of your child and getting rid of them may help, but the memories stay behind." Elizabeth's glistened. "And all you want to do is blame yourself. Blame yourself for not being able to—"
Jason jerked his hand from under her and in a flash jumped out of his seat. His eyes still on the floor, he murmured, "I have to go," his voice low and hoarse. And within a second strode out of the door leaving a misty eyed Elizabeth in his wake.
Elizabeth watched one drop of rain after another hit the window of her bedroom. Emily had called minutes ago to tell her Cameron had fallen asleep. Her best friend had offered to keep him for the night and Elizabeth had gladly accepted. She didn't want to have Cameron woken up to come home; he would just be in a cranky mood then.
It was past eight, over an hour since Jason had walked out her door after her little blunder. It wasn't a little blunder it was a colossal one that she was idiotic to make. She knew what it felt like waking up and knowing that your child was gone. That knowledge and knowing that Jason was a private person should have been enough to keep her from prying for his feelings. But, she had pushed and now he was gone.
Jason was out there in the rain, alone and in pain. There was nothing Elizabeth could do to help him; she didn't know where he was. If she was lucky to see Jason again the first thing she would do is apologize and be more of a friend, giving him the space and time that he needed.
Closing her eyes, Elizabeth leaned her cheek against the cool window and listened to the soft thuds of the plunging rain.
A soft brisk knock at the door brought her out of her reverie.
Begrudgingly, Elizabeth opened her eyes and pulled away from the window, sighing deeply. The knocking didn't continue, but Elizabeth still went to answer the door.
Unhurriedly, she made her way to the door bare foot in a pajama set. Elizabeth pulled the door open expecting Emily or Nikolas with Cameron after failing to console the child after he suddenly woke up, but it wasn't them. Instead Elizabeth raised her eyes to look her gaze with tormented cerulean eyes.
Silently, Elizabeth moved to the side granting him passage to enter. Shutting the door behind her, Elizabeth came to face his broad back. He didn't move just stood motionless in the middle of her living room. His black dress shirt was spotted with rain drops. He had left his jacket behind in his haste to leave before. She didn't understand why he was back, but he was back and that was all that mattered.
A blanket of eerie silence fell over them as she stood with her back to the door and him with his back to her.
"I let myself do something I never thought I would ever do," he spoke breaking the silence, startling Elizabeth. "I let myself dream. I thought of what ifs and about the future. I let myself believe that I would have a daughter that I would never lose."
Breathing in a trembling breath he continued, "It didn't even matter to me that she was Sonny's biological daughter. All that mattered was that I would have a daughter to call my own. My very own little girl." His voice grew hoarser with every word he uttered. "I dreamt of waking up to walk over to her nursery every morning to find her fast asleep. All that I see now whenever I walk into that room is darkness, utter darkness. Something in me breaks every time I walk into that room."
Unexpectedly, he turned around to face her. "Do you know what it feels like to know that you will never see your child, hold her, or hear her say that she loves you? When all you feel is that it's your entire fault that she's gone? Tell me. Tell me how to make it stop."
Her lips parted as his beautiful eyes looked directly into hers, full of unshed tears. They were pleading for an answer, an answer to cease the pain that tore at his heart. Memories of her miscarriage flashed in her mind. "I do know what it feels like. I went through it. It's difficult at first when all you can think about is her. When all you want is to hold her and then it hits you all over again that she's gone. Thinking of ways to change things if you had the chance to."
The young mother moved closer to the grieving father. Her soft, gentle hand seeking his. Twining their hands together she looked at his bowed head. Swallowing thickly, she continued, "Your heart aches, but day by day the pain lessens." The tears she had held back began their descent down her cheeks. "You one day wake up to realize the sun still exists and that there is a tomorrow."
Slowly, he raised his bowed head for their eyes to connect. Tears slid down his cheeks, one by one falling to his black dress shirt. The same pain, anger, confusion, and so many other wretched feelings she had seen in her eyes two years prior stared back at her.
Placing a hand on the back of his neck she pulled him in for a hug. Her chin lay on his shoulder as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She held him as his tears of grief fell freely as hers fell for them and their forever vanished children. She held him long after the tremors in his body faded away. Long after he had no more tears. She just held him.
After a long stretch of time passed, Elizabeth slowly pulled away and looked up at his tear stained face with her very own. His clear cerulean eyes stared into hers. They were clearer now. The pain wasn't gone, but the maze of confusion was no longer there. Using, both hands she brushed away the tears that clung to her face and took a step back.
Giving Jason, a weak smile she said, "Why don't you get comfortable while I get you a pillow?"
He nodded mutely in response.
Jason numbly unbuttoned his black shirt, while kicking off his shoes and socks. He threw it over the arm of the coach. He stood in just his dress pants now. Snapping the button open of his pants he pushed them down, letting them drop to the ground. They joined his shirt over the arm of the sofa. He stood in the middle of Elizabeth's living room in a pair of black boxers.
Collapsing on the beige dominating sofa that was crowded with a variety of colorful throw pillows, Jason Morgan for the first time in what seemed like ages, relaxed. Within moments his eyes drifted shut and sleep consumed his worn out body.
Elizabeth walked into her living room carrying a pillow. A soft smile appeared on her face at the site of Jason out like a light bulb. She placed the pillow she held on the coffee table and moved his clothes to join his jacket draped over the chair. Next, she stuffed his black socks into his recently shined shoes and placed them under the side table. She didn't want him or her clumsy self tripping over them. Her eyes traveled to the slumbering, half naked man on her sofa. After placing the pillow up against the arm of the sofa, she gave his smooth tanned shoulder a little shove getting him to fall out of his sitting position to land on his side. Lifting his legs off the ground was easily accomplished. His long frame fit perfectly on her sofa compared to how he had slept on her old leather one. She pulled all of the throw pillows from behind him and stacked them on the floor.
The yellow afghan that had served as his blanket in the past when he had stayed in her studio once again covered him. She tucked the afghan under his chin and made sure he was completely covered. Elizabeth watched him for a few moments before she kneeled beside him. The sharp angles of his face were soft now. He looked peaceful as he slept with no worries plaguing his tired mind. Leaning down she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and rose to her feet. Jason had gotten through the difficult part of saying goodbye to his daughter and all he had to do now was move on.