***WARNING***

This episode contains R material for a fade to black love scene.

At the cabin --

Darkness had soon fallen around the cabin, as they enjoyed each other's company in front of a roaring fire, and two glasses of wine. She had gotten up from the sofa and took the afghan from the rocker in the corner and brought it back to wrap herself in as they watched the crackle of the fire in the stone fireplace. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, a kiss so gentle, so sweet. Her lips parted and invited him in as the kiss became more passionate. It deepened as she left out a moan of pleasure that echoed within him. She straddled his lap, and began to nuzzle his neck, his hands caressing her back, he pulled her to him, her hair falling around his face as their mouths met once more.

His kisses traveled down her neck as he began to unbutton her blouse. She watched him fumble with the buttons in the dim light of the roaring fire. She reached up with her hands and helped him remove the blouse from her, revealing to him a pink lace bra, her rounded breasts overfilled the lacey material that formed around them. He began leaving his kisses on her neck once more and led a trail down between her perfectly round mounds. It had been too long since he had her so close to him, he wanted to taste every inch of her beautiful body.

She got up slowly from his lap, leaving him wanting more, and grabbing the pillows from the chair and placing them on the floor in front of the fireplace along with the blankets that she found in an old cedar chest in the corner. She spread out the blankets and threw the pillows on top, then reached for his hand. He took her hand in his and walked towards her. He took her in his arms, their mouths met once more as they went to their knees, he laying her gently on her back. He stood up and slowly removed the shirt he was wearing, revealing to her the white gauze bandages that only reminded her of what they had left behind.

She was so beautiful in the soft amber glow of the fire that raged on in the fireplace, he knelt down to be with her on the blankets and she invited him to her, opening her legs to him. He laid his hips between her thighs, she could feel him underneath his trousers. He began to rub against her which aroused her as she caressed him, being careful of his healing wounds.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she looked down at the bandages.

"Yeah I'll be fine..." his words drifted off as his lips met hers and she started to remove the pants he was wearing.

A night of lovemaking was apparent as they continued to explore each other with the tenderness and gentleness of touches and caresses. As the fire raged on in the fireplace, the fire within them, burned passionately, as they once again became one.

Fade to black

At the hospital -- Jason's room

As Zander and Emily shared a night of passion, Elizabeth sat by her husband's bedside holding his hand and hoping that he'd be stronger in the morning so the doctors can go in and get the bullet that was lodged close to his spine. She had been sitting with him night after night for the past 3 weeks, hoping that the next day would be the day for the doctors to make him well again. Sonny and Carly both had visited on numerous occasions, both together and separately. Both concerned for her and Jason.

It was now close to 2am and he had been down for a very long sleep, Monica had given him something for the pain he was feeling and it knocked him out. He had been heavily medicated since had been brought in that fateful night that turned their lives upside down. She held much anger about what had happened and blamed only one person for it, and that was Zander.

Jason began to wake up from his long sleep, and he woke her up by caressing the back of her head as it laid on the edge of the bed. She looked up at him and he cracked a smile, even that took some strength for him to do. She quickly went out to the ICU nurse's desk to let them know he was awake. He reached for her as she walked back in the door, followed closely behind by the night duty nurse, Judy. She checked his vitals and wrote down the numbers that she saw on the machines.

"He's stronger, right .. he's getting better." Elizabeth was hopeful that tonight was the night that Jason would be strong enough to sustain the surgery needed to remove the bullet that came from Zander's gun.

"I don't know yet, let me check with the doctor on call." Judy replied as she headed for the door.

"No, I want Drs. Quartermaine to look at him, no on call doctor." Elizabeth wanted only the best for her husband, and Monica and Alan were the best GH had on staff.

"Okay, Mrs. Morgan, I'll give them a call." Judy replied before she left the room and went back to her desk.

Jason squeezed her hand and she turned and looked down at him. His eyes filled with worry and fear about his condition and what was going on around him.

"What's .. going on?" he asked as she sat back down on the swivel chair next to his bed.

"The duty nurse is calling your parents to see if they can come in and check to see if you're strong enough to do the surgery you need." Elizabeth explained as she noticed his lips were dry and he had become very pale.

She reached behind her and took the styrofoam cup filled with ice chips. She took one from the cup and rubbed it across his lips to moisten them. He opened his mouth and the melting chip fell into the opening.

"You weren't suppose to take it." she giggled and he cracked a smile. "Sorry, I'm thirsty." he managed to say as she reached in the cup for another ice chip. "These are all Monica gave me to give to you, sorry." she apologized to him because she couldn't give him water in a cup to drink.

As she rubbed the second ice chip on his lips, he once again opened his mouth and it fell in against his tongue. As the chip melted he swallowed what little water there was left after most of it seeped into his dry mouth.

She didn't know how much time had passed and she was still waiting for Jason's parents to arrive. She began to pace the room back and forth as Jason watched her from his lying down position. He had been in a hospital bed for the last 3 weeks, and he too was getting stir crazy in the enclosed room, machines hooked to him, medication every 2 hours or so, all he wanted to do was to hold his wife in his arms.

Elizabeth heard familiar voices out in the hallway and went to see if Monica and Alan had shown up. As she left the room, she saw Drs. Quartermaine talking with the night duty nurse about Jason's vitals. Elizabeth approached them hoping that Jason could finally have the surgery they had been waiting to do.

"So .. is he strong enough to do the surgery?" Elizabeth asked

"Yeah his vitals look good. We're calling in the surgeon to remove the bullet and we'll prep Jason for surgery." Monica said in a soothing voice, trying to keep Elizabeth from worrying.

As Elizabeth stood outside the room peering through the large plexiglass window, she watched as the duty nurses prep'd her husband for surgery. She folded her hands and said a little prayer as they brought Jason out of his room on the gurney.

She stopped them as they rolled him passed her.

"I'll be right here waiting for you, when you come back." she said as she took his hand in hers and held it tight. He cracked a smile and she kissed him gently. "I love you ...." were her last words to him as the orderlies rolled him down the hall towards the surgical wing.

"He's going to be fine, Elizabeth. Dr. Thomas is the best we have on staff here at the hospital. And I'll be scrubbing as well, so I'll be with him every step of the way." Elizabeth softly smiled and felt somewhat better knowing that Monica would be with Jason during his surgery. "We'll keep you updated as much as we can." Monica added before she walked down the same hallway and through the same double doors towards the surgical wing.

Alan took Elizabeth to the waiting area outside the ICU and sat with her, duration of Jason's surgery.