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A sharp voice stopped Carly dead in her tracks.
“Hey, where were you coming from up there?”
It was the woman behind the bar. She was eyeing Carly suspiciously
as
she wiped down the counter with a wet rag.
Carly narrowed her eyes and glared at the woman. “And you are…?”
she
asked haughtily, turning back toward the bar.
“Jake,” the woman said, pointing to the neon sign above the bar that
said Jake’s on it.
Carly laughed at this, dropping her purse on the counter and leaning
against it. “You’re Jake?” she asked, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
Jake was not amused. “Where were you coming from?” she repeated,
tapping her fingernail impatiently on the counter top.
Carly lowered her eyes, wondering if Jake felt a little possession for
a
certain tenant of hers…a certain tenant Carly had gone to bed with
the
night before. Carly eyed her carefully, sizing her up in case
she ended
up being competition. She was a good looking woman, a little
rough
around the edges, but, what real woman wasn’t? Carly rationalized,
frowning.
When Carly didn’t answer for a long time, Jake sighed, not hiding her
impatience. “I ask because I need to make sure you’re not working
my
joint. There’s two women tenants up there, then Morgan, then
some horny
old guy who I figured you may be visiting.”
Carly made a face and snorted in disgust. “Are you kidding me?”
When
Jake didn’t begin laughing, Carly realized she was serious. She
rolled
her eyes, but decided not to make a big deal of it. “No, I wasn’t
seeing some horny old guy up there…unless you call Jason Morgan some
horny old guy,” she giggled, putting a hand to her mouth.
Jake smiled too. Her curiosity was definitely piqued. “You’re
a friend
of Morgan's?” she asked, her interest not going unnoticed by Carly.
“You could say that,” she said coyly, smiling slightly to add intrigue
to the equation.
Jake smiled apologetically, turning her attention back to the bar.
“I’m
sorry if I sound surprised, but Morgan is known around here as…well…hard
to get. He never goes out with women, so I’m suspicious if someone
is
coming down form his place obviously in the same outfit they were in
the
night before. Between you and me,” Jake said, lowering her voice
and
leaning over the bar toward Carly. “He must have been burned
pretty bad
by some heartless bitch. At least that’s what the girls around
here
say.”
Carly nodded, stifling a giggle.
Jake held out her hand for Carly to shake. “But hell, any friend
of
Morgan’s is a friend of mine. What’s your name?”
Carly shook Jake’s hand, smiling broadly now. “I’m Carly…” she
said,
picking up her purse and heading for the door. “But you can call
me the
heartless bitch.”
She laughed good naturedly as she left, leaving Jake staring after her
in amazement.
*~*~*
Jason was nervous as he approached his door later that afternoon.
He
knew it was because he didn’t want to come home and find Carly gone
again. It had been plaguing his mind all day. He’d even
tried to call
his own number a couple of times and couldn’t help but worry every
time
he got his machine.
Jason’s heart leapt into his throat when he saw a white piece of paper
taped to the door. This was it, a note saying she was sorry but
she had
to move on…that she couldn’t stay in Port Charles for this reason or
that reason. Jason tried not to get angry before he even read
the note,
but he tore it off the door with such force, he knew it was a lost
cause.
Jase,
Meet me at 1345 East Riverside. Apartment 301. Can’t wait
to see you.
XOXOX,
Carly
Jason heaved a sigh of relief. Without even going into his room,
he
turned on his heal and headed for East Riverside Drive.
*~*~*
Carly lit the last candle and looked around the room, clapping her hands
together and squealing in delight. She’d been lucky to find this
apartment ready and available. Her hefty deposit hadn’t hurt,
but it
was worth it. The place was small, but perfect. She placed
the pizza
box on the coffee table and the six pack of beer she’d picked up in
the
fridge. It was the exact meal she and Jason had the first night
they’d
made love.
She practically jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang.
She
looked at herself one more time in the full-length mirror, to make
sure
everything was perfect. She wore a long slinky lavender dress
that
clung to her body, showing off every hard earned curve Carly had.
Her
hair was pinned up, loose strands flowing around her ears and neck,
in
an elegant yet sexy style. She rubbed an invisible smudge of
lipstick
from her lower lip and turned toward the door.
Jason was pounding on it now, yelling out her name in the hall.
Carly
made a face, flinging open the door. “I’m right here,” she announced,
slightly aggravated.
Jason breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her. He didn’t know
what
caused his panic, but he didn’t like it. His mood brightened
however,
as he drunk in her appearance.
“You look…” he murmured, pulling her by the waist to him and kissing
her
softly on the lips. She responded eagerly, her body melting against
his
as they stood in the doorway, losing themselves in each other.
When Jason’s head dipped down to her shoulder and he began pulling on
the thin strap of her dress, Carly opened her eyes, realizing they
were
practically in the hallway of her new apartment building.
“Jase, cut it out,” she breathed, pushing herself away from him and
ushering him inside. Once the door was safely closed, Carly
stayed a
good distance away from him, smoothing out her hair and getting the
beer
out from the fridge.
“Recognize this meal?” she asked proudly, holding up the six pack of
the
same brand of cheap beer Jason had brought to her apartment on their
second “date”…if you could call it that.
Jason grinned, opening the pizza box and peering inside. “You
even got
the same kind,” he said, looking back up at Carly.
Carly beamed, pleased he’d remembered. She grabbed two beers out
of the
carton, one for herself and one for him, and twisted the caps off both.
Handing Jason one, she trailed her finger along the edge of the couch,
then perched herself on it.
Jason was looking around, unsure of what to make of the situation.
“Who
lives here?” he asked, finally settling on the couch. He reached
into
the box for a slice of pizza, and, folding it in half, took a huge
bite.
Carly wrinkled her nose. She hated the way guys ate pizza.
It was
disgusting. Remembering his question, her look of disgust turned
into a
bright smile. “*I* live here, silly,” she said, giggling slightly
and
taking a small sip of her beer. “I rented it today. Tracy
shipped my
stuff out and I needed a place to put it right?”
Jason gestured around at the furniture with the hand that held his beer,
the liquid inside sloshing precariously around. “This is all
yours?” he
asked, his mouth full.
“I don’t remember you being this disgusting,” Carly lamented, trying
not
to let it ruin her mood. She brushed it off with a wave of her
hand.
“Anyway, this place came furnished. It’s a little more expensive,
but
I’ve got some savings now. I can last till I find a job.
Do you like
it?”
Jason nodded, swallowing. He put down his beer and brushed the
crumbs
off his hands. “I do like it, Carly,” he said, gazing at her.
“It’s
nice. And I’m sorry about this,” he said, pointing to the half
eaten
folded piece of pizza. “I was hungry, and I’ve been alone for
so long I
forgot that I have to have manners again.”
Carly laughed at this, and slid down the arm of the couch so she was
next to him. She tilted her face in and kissed his neck, letting
her
lips linger for just a moment. When he grunted and tilted his
head a
little to give her easier access, she smiled and moved her lips to
his
ear. “Thank you for the ring,” she murmured, breathing hot breath
on
his neck. “I love it.”
Jason smiled, turning to face her and catching her face with his hands.
He stared into her eyes for a moment before slowly lowering his lips
to
hers. He loved the feel of her, the taste of her…it was enough
to drive
him into oblivion every time. He parted his lips, deepening the
kiss
and sensed the familiar feeling of her body responding, pressing into
his with intense longing. Leaning forward into her, he pushed
her back
down onto the couch, and let his lips travel from her beautiful mouth
over to her ears.
Carly giggled a bit at the tingling shocks sent up her spine as he
breathed into her ear, nibbling gently on her earlobes and neck.
She
ran her hands down his back, pulling his shirt out from where they
were
tucked into his jeans and slipping her hands inside. She felt
his
muscles rippling in his back and ran her fingernails lightly over them,
feeling goose bumps rise on his skin.
“Carly,” Jason murmured, moving from one side of her face to the other,
pulling both straps down off her shoulders and kissing the bare skin
exposed with his soft moist lips. God he loved being with her
like
this. It had been too long, and now that she was back, it was
all he
could think about. “You are so beautiful.”
Carly smiled, pushing herself gently up so that they both were in a
sitting position. “Come on,” she said quietly, standing up and
holding
out her hand for him to take. “I’ll show you the bedroom.”
Jason smiled and stood up, then frowned when he heard his cell phone
ring from inside his jacket pocket.
Carly frowned too, casting a scowl at the jacket where it hung from
the
back of a chair. It rang insistently. She wanted to scream
at it to
shut up. “Don’t get it,” she pleaded Jason, trying to pull him
into the
bedroom.
Jason hesitated, looking at Carly apologetically. “I have to,”
he said
slowly. “It’s Sonny.”
Carly frowned, letting go of his hand. “How do you know?” she
asked,
regarding him skeptically.
Jason smiled, retrieving the phone from his pocket. “He’s the
only one
that has the number,” he explained, flipping it open.
Carly listened as Jason talked, her spirit slipping lower and lower
as
the conversation progressed. As far as she could tell, Jason
had to go
somewhere to do something immediately. She hoped it wouldn’t
take long,
and was already harboring a negative feeling about Mr. Sonny Corinthos.
She crumpled up her face into a scowl as Jason hung up and turned to
her.
He frowned when he saw her expression, and knew he didn’t need to tell
her that he had to go. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her close
to him.
Carly groaned. It was so hard to be mad at him. “Okay, okay,”
she
relented, pushing him away. “Go, don’t worry about it.
But promise
you’ll come back when you’re done, okay?”
Jason nodded, putting his jacket on and grimacing a little bit.
“This
is sounding dangerously like a boyfriend/girlfriend thing,” he
commented, smiling slyly at Carly.
Carly blushed, then put her hands on her hips, looking at him defiantly.
“And what exactly do you know about boyfriend/girlfriend things?” she
asked, raising her eyebrows.
Jason picked up his discarded piece of pizza, taking another bite.
“Sonny told me a little about them,” he said, talking through his bite.
“They’re scary.”
Carly laughed, moving to the door and holding it open for him.
She
placed a light kiss on his cheek as he brushed past her into the
hallway. “That they are,” she muttered as she closed the door
behind
him.
*~*~*
Carly was half asleep in front of the television when she heard a knock
on the door. ‘Finally,’ she muttered, peering at the clock on
the VCR.
It was almost midnight. She got up, smoothing her dress.
She realized
she should have changed at least, but she didn’t think it would take
Jason this long to do one simple errand.
Convinced he was detained because the concrete boots took a long time
to
fit to someone’s legs, she decided not to be too harsh on the kid,
and
opened the door with a smile.
Her smile faded when he saw it wasn’t Jason. It was Sonny.
And he
didn’t look very happy. Carly automatically panicked, as she
was known
to do before she knew what exactly was going on.
“Oh my god, what happened?” she said, her mouth dropping open at the
sight of him.
Sonny shook his head, running a hand over his hair. He didn’t
hesitate
in delivering the news. “Jason got shot tonight. He’s at
General
Hospital right now. I found your note in his jacket pocket and
I
thought...maybe you should know.”
Carly felt tears well up in her eyes. A hand flew to her mouth
and she
stared at Sonny, wide eyed. This couldn’t be happening.
This
definitely couldn’t be happening. Things were going too good.
Of
course it could happen. Things were too right. The tears
spilled over
her eyelids and slid down her cheeks.
Carly took a breath, determined not to lose it. She cleared her
throat,
swallowing sobs down. “Can I go with you? To the hospital?”
she asked
meekly.
Sonny nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it. “You
should get a jacket,” he said, pointing at her dress. “It’s cold
outside.”
Carly nodded and turned inside, grabbing a coat out of the hall closet.
She put it on, but it gave her no more warmth. She was numb,
moving as
if on auto pilot. She grabbed her purse and keys from the counter,
and
left with Sonny, headed for GH.
*~*~*
“I recognize the blond from somewhere,” Mike said, taking the chair
next
to Sonny’s in the hospital waiting room.
Sonny nodded, gazing into the open door of Jason’s room in the ICU.
He’d successfully gotten out of surgery an hour ago and was said to
be
lucky that the bullet had barely missed his stomach, and not hit any
other major organs. But he was still in a coma from the shock
of the
wound to his system, and the doctors were hopeful, but not positive,
that he’d come out of it.
Carly was by his bedside, holding his hand, and from what Sonny could
tell, had been talking to him like the doctor said to. She hadn’t
left
his side since he’d gotten out of surgery, and indicated that she didn’t
plan to until he woke up.
“That’s Carly,” Sonny said, glancing at Mike. “Jason met her after
the
car wreck. Remember him telling us about her? She took
off a year ago
but just came back yesterday. He was in love with her, and apparently
the feeling’s mutual.”
Mike nodded, suddenly remembering where he’d seen her from. “I
was
tending bar in the recovery room the night some guy tried to make a
move
on her. Jason turned him into a puddle on the ground. I
didn’t know
him then and Luke apparently didn’t appreciate the scene.”
Sonny let his gaze linger on Mike longer this time. “Really?”
he asked,
not having heard this particular story. “She’s Luke’s…niece I
think.
Jason told me she’s Bobbie’s kid. I think that’s why she left
town.
Bobbie found out, or Luke found out, and she couldn’t handle it.”
Mike stared a little bit harder at Carly now. He could see some
resemblance to Bobbie once it was mentioned, but would never have
guessed it if he hadn’t been told. “Wow,” he breathed.
“I never would
have guessed Bobbie would have some long lost daughter floating around.”
Sonny nodded again, this time putting his head into his hands.
The
guilt that was pervading him was almost too much to handle. He
wanted
to punch someone, something, and had no idea where to unleash that
anger. As nice as Carly seemed, her family history was not the
topic of
Sonny’s choice at the moment.
Mike saw the obvious anguish Sonny was in and put a gentle hand on his
back. “Son, don’t do this. Don’t beat yourself up.
There was no way
for you to know what would happen. And Jason’s gonna be fine…
they said
that…”
Sonny snapped his head up and clenched his hands into fists. “I
know!”
he snapped, unable to sit there any longer. “I know,” he said
again,
this time more quietly, as he got up and paced the length of the waiting
room. “I just wish he’d wake up.”
Mike nodded, his expression both sad and hurt. “He will, son,”
he
murmured, hoping to God he was telling the truth. “He will.”
*~*~*
Carly watched her tears as they fell onto her hand that was intertwined
with Jason's. They disappeared into the cracks in-between their
fingers, slipping away, just like all the happiness Carly had in her.
She let her gaze drift up to Jason's peaceful face. His eyelashes
brushed gently against his cheeks, keeping him closed away from the
world. Safe, Carly thought. Alone. His lips were
curved into a small
pout, and Carly leaned over and gently brushed them with hers.
She
watched Jason expectantly, but he didn't respond. No movement
except
the steady rhythm of his chest moving up and down. She put her
other
hand over his heart and felt it beat against her palm. This comforted
her a little, but she began to sob again anyway.
"Oh God, Jase," she moaned softly, rubbing her hand gently over the
thin
cotton of the hospital gown that covered him. "You can't leave
me now,
you just can't. We just found each other again. I need
you. It may
not seem like it, and you probably don't think I do. In fact,
you'd
say, "Carly, you left for a year and got better. How does that
say you
need me?" But I do. I always have. I mean, you've
always been there,
even when you weren't...you were in my heart. And I suppose if
you're
not here anymore," Carly dipped her head, beginning to cry harder.
She
let herself sob for a few moments, then cleared her throat, forcing
herself to calm. "I suppose if you're not here anymore," she
said
again, her voice stronger this time. "I could deal with it, cause
I'd
always have you in my heart. But it doesn't mean I *want* that...I
want
you in my life. In my new house. In my arms. In my
bed..." Carly
blushed a bit saying this, although knowing that if by some miracle
Jason could hear her, she wouldn't care if she were reciting the
Gettysburg Address.
Sonny looked down at the ground from where he was standing in the
doorway. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, and felt bad at hearing
what he
did. He turned to leave, and was startled when Carly called him
back.
"Sonny," Carly said, surprised at the sudden noise she'd heard by the
door. "I didn't know you were there..."
Sonny smiled, still looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't
mean to
eavesdrop, I just was coming in to..." he gestured toward Jason
as his
sentence trailed off.
Carly smiled, the blush deepening on her cheeks. She moved her
hand off
of Jason's chest and settled it on top of her other hand that was
holding his. "I--the doctor said to talk to him--so I was...well,
never
mind."
Sonny went over to stand next to the chair Carly was sitting in.
He put
his hand on her shoulder and gave her a sincere smile. "I know,"
he
whispered. "It's nice that you care so much. Jason doesn't
have too
many friends."
Carly smiled up at Sonny, then stood. She leaned over and placed
a
small kiss on Jason's cheek. "I'll check ya later, Jase," she
whispered, then stood upright, turning to Sonny. “Talk
about...business...or something," she said, laughing a bit.
Sonny chuckled too. He pointed to the waiting room, which was
suddenly
filled. "I wanted to escape the Quartermaine's..." he said, raising
his
eyebrows. "You be careful in there."
Carly made a face, scowling at the influx of people pervading the
outside of Jason's room. She stepped toward the door, casting
a glance
back at Jason and Sonny before she took a deep breath and stepped into
the waiting room.