Chapter 1
December 16, 1997
Carly wrapped her coat tighter around her, trying to stay warm from the cold as she pounded on Jason's door. "Jason!" Carly shouted. "Jason!" Finally realizing that Jason wasn't home, Carly slumped against the wall and carefully eased herself onto the ground. She'd be fine sitting for now but it would take her forever to get up. Carly rested her hand over her stomach, "It's okay, it's okay."
Johnny stepped off the elevator and started to head to his penthouse when he noticed Carly sitting on the floor, shivering and crying. "Carly, what's wrong?" Johnny asked, his voice filled with concern for his childhood friend and long ago girlfriend.
"They're trying to take my baby," Carly said. "I can't - " Carly started crying again. "I can't let them."
Briefly wondering if he was going to regret this, Johnny helped Carly off the floor and gave her a hug, "I won't let anyone take your baby," Johnny promised. Regardless of how he felt about Carly now, there was no way he was going to let Tony take her child away.
"Johnny, you can't fix this," Carly said. "It's too complicated and - " Carly paused and sadly smiled. She wouldn't be in this situation if she'd listened to Johnny months earlier. Johnny had told her to give up on this revenge plot against Bobbie and if she'd listened to him, she wouldn't have been with Tony. She wouldn't have gotten in a fight with Tony and slept with AJ in a drunken haze and not know who her baby's father is, but then - she wouldn't be pregnant. "I can't ask you - "
Johnny brushed his lips over Carly's forehead, "Carly, you're not asking me to do anything," Johnny said. "I'm offering. I'm not going to let Tony take your baby from you." Carly started crying again. "Carly, what else is wrong?" He could tell that something else was bothering her. Them, she said them. "Carly, who else is trying to take your baby?"
"AJ," Carly whispered, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. No one knew she slept with AJ, not even Johnny. There was a time in their lives when there weren't any secrets between them, but that time had passed long ago.
This explained why Carly showed up on Jason's doorstep. Johnny said a silent prayer and hugged Carly tighter, "Let's go inside, get you into some dry clothes and we'll figure this out," Johnny said.
Carly wiped her face and laughed, "You're just trying to get me out of my clothes," Carly said.
Johnny looked at Carly and rested his eyes on her stomach, "Yeah, that must be it," Johnny quietly said, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice. He hadn't been romantically involved with Carly in years, but they'd been heading down that path again when she showed up in Port Charles in search of her mother.
"Johnny - " Carly paused. "I'm sorry." This probably would be Johnny's baby if she hadn't been so determined to ruin Bobbie's life.
"I can't do this, Carly."
"Johnny, please. I love you, it's just - "
"I can't standby while you self-destruct."
"She abandoned me! She gave me up and never looked back! And it's not like she never wanted kids! She had two kids! She adopted two kids and threw me out! She never gave me a chance!"
"I know and I'm not excusing that. But, you don't have to do this. You don't have to destroy Bobbie's life."
"She destroyed mine. I'm returning the favor."
"I love you. I always will, but if you're going to destroy Bobbie's life - I can't be with you."
Johnny sighed, "It'll be okay," Johnny promised. "Whatever I have to do to make this right for you, I will."
"I'll have someone pick you up later," Jason said.
"Okay, thanks for dropping me off," Emily said. "Grandfather - " Emily paused. "He doesn't think I should be visiting Nikolas."
"I'm not sure about that either, but he's your friend." He had nothing against Nikolas personally and he did feel bad that someone aiming for him shot Nikolas, but he was Emily's friend. "I - " Jason turned his head when he heard an argument at the other end of the hospital.
"Let me go!" Brenda shouted and struggled to get away from Jax. "Jax let me go!"
Jax held Brenda tighter, "Can I get a nurse over here?" Jax asked. "You're just going to spend some time in the hospital."
"I'm not crazy, let me go," Brenda insisted. She was fighting him as hard as she could but she was no match for his strength.
"Brenda calm down, before - "
"Before what? Before I'm admitted to the psych ward?" Brenda asked. She knew that she'd gotten out of control at the photo shoot, but she definitely wasn't having the mental breakdown that Jax seemed convinced she was having. She was so sick of everyone watching her every move. She knew that Sonny told Jason to have a guard watch her. The guard was discreet, she wasn't even sure who he was, but she could just tell someone was watching her. And Jax, he was worse than Sonny. Jax was watching her every move just waiting to catch her - doing what, she wasn't really sure, but Jax was definitely watching her.
"Can I get someone to sedate her?" Jax asked, ignoring Brenda. He needed to get on the phone to take care of all the footage. There was an important deal coming up and he didn't want any of this to negatively impact the deal before the signatures were in place.
"I'll be back," Jason said and rushed to the other end of the hospital. Brenda was a lot of things and crazy was at the top of the list, but no matter how crazy she was she had a strong grip on reality. "What's going on here?"
"Haven't you done enough?" Jax asked. "Because of you, because of you and Corinthos - you two caused Brenda to have a breakdown."
"I did not have a breakdown," Brenda said.
Jax laughed softly, "When I got there, the room was trashed. Are you telling me you didn't do that?" Jax asked.
"Brenda?" Jason asked.
"I threw some things around the room! I broke a mirror!" Maybe she needed to work on her anger management but she did not need to be admitted to the psych ward. "But I did not have a breakdown!" Brenda exclaimed. She started struggling again when she saw a nurse approaching her with a needle. "Get that away from me! I don't need any drugs!"
"Are you authorized to treat her?" Jason asked. The last thing he wanted to do was get involved with whatever crisis Brenda was facing today, but he couldn't standby and watch while Jax admitted her to the psych ward.
"I am a registered nurse."
"That's not what I asked," Jason said. "I didn't ask if you were qualified to treat her, I asked if you were authorized to treat her." He'd seen the look in Brenda's eyes and her eyes were glazed over, not because she was crazy but because she was scared. Jason wasn't sure what she was scared of. He didn't know if she was scared of being admitted to the psych ward or if she was afraid of Jax.
"Mr. Jacks - "
"Mr. Jacks does not make my medical decisions," Brenda said. "Jason, please. Do something. I know you - " Brenda paused. She really didn't want to remind Jason of the fact that they hated each other. Jason seemed to be the only one in any sort of position to help her and she didn't want to antagonize him before he got the chance. She wasn't sure if bringing up Sonny would help or hurt her plea, but to be on the safe side she decided not to mention Sonny. "Jason, please. Don't let Jax do this."
Before Jason had a chance to say anything, Emily came running through the corridor with Alan behind her, "What's going on here?" Alan asked.
"Mr. Jacks brought in Ms. Barrett - "
"I know who she is, why are you trying to sedate her?" Alan asked.
"Alan, she had a breakdown. She flipped out at a photo shoot," Jax said. "We all know that Brenda is unstable, I'm trying to prevent a problem."
"You can't do this," Jason said.
"Why are you here?" Jax asked. "You don't even like Brenda."
"Jax, let Brenda go," Alan said in a soothing voice. "Just let her go." Jax reluctantly let go of Brenda and she started rubbing her arms where he had been holding her.
"Dr. Quartermaine - "
"I'll handle this," Alan said. He wasn't about to let Jax or anyone else for that matter railroad Brenda into being admitted into the psych ward.
"Alan, I appreciate your concern, really I do, but Brenda really isn't in a position to make medical decisions," Jax said. "If you'd seen the room where the photo shoot was, you'd agree with me. There's footage, I'm sure it's running on the news by now. And if word gets out that the Chief of Staff refused to admit Brenda, because of sentimental reasons and something happens, you'll have a hefty lawsuit to deal with."
"Alan, please," Brenda pleaded as she saw Alan struggling with what to do. She knew that he wanted to release her, but couldn't thanks to Jax's veiled threat. "I'm not crazy. I lost my temper."
"Alan, she's not crazy," Jason said. "You can't keep her here."
"Jason, Brenda - I'm sorry, but Brenda they're going to have to admit you. It's a chance that we can't take," Alan apologetically said.
"I'm not crazy," Brenda choked out in between sobs.
"Brenda, I'm sorry," Alan said. "But Jax is your fiancé and if you're not in the right frame of mind to make your own medical decisions, he can make them for you."
Brenda turned her head towards Jason, silently pleading with him not disagree with what she was about to say, "Jason's my fiancé," Brenda said.
