Death.
A word that was thrown around in Port Charles so many times a day that it just became a word, not something to fear.
Just another word.
Until it all became a reality.
Poison in the water, they were told. Jerry Jacks had pulled a lot of stunts over the years.
But wiping out the entire population of Port Charles, New York? That was overboard, even for someone as psycho as him.
But now it was real.
They were all facing their own imminent deaths.
Sam had passed out at the PCPD when she was helping John and Dante attempt to locate the Dead Man's Hand. She woke up in a wheelchair at GH.
Jason felt lightheaded and sick to his stomach, soon to be forced to go to GH by Elizabeth.
They were placed in the same hospital room.
Sam was in the room first, coughing so hard that it truly startled Jason when an orderly brought him in.
"Hey." Sam whispered when her coughing subsided and the pain in her stomach came back.
"Hey." Jason was quieter than usual as he sat down on his bed, looking over at his estranged wife, who was in fetal position on her bed. "How are you feeling?"
"What does it look like?" She didn't snap at him, but it was more so a joke, like dying was a joke. Jason laughed a little bit. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"HA!"
"Why was that funny?" Jason smiled a little at Sam, knowing exactly why she laughed.
"You always say you're fine, even when you're sick or hurt or…"
"Dying."
"Yup." Sam nodded, unable to say the words herself.
She was dying.
Jason was dying.
Everybody was dying.
"Jason?" Sam sounded more timid than Jason had ever heard her.
"Yeah?" He answered, then coughing once.
"Maybe," she whispered, finding Jason's sad eyes, "Dying might be good for me."
She couldn't have shocked him more.
"Why?" Jason sat up in his bed. He reached out to Sam, who felt Jason's large, strong hand surround her small trembling hand.
"I'll get to be with my babies."
She smiled sadly yet peacefully, and Jason brought her hand to his lips and kissed her gently, and Sam let a few stray tears fall down her pale, sick-looking face.
"Sam."
"Mhm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
And they both fell into a feverish, dream-filled sleep.
Sam placed her son's car seat on the floor at her feet while she dug in her pocket for her penthouse key. The little boy in the carrier was making gurgling noises and playing with a little stuffed elephant. Sam grinned and picked the car seat back up, opening the door and bringing her 3 month old inside.
"Jason, baby?" Sam called. "Are you home?"
Her husband came barreling down the stairs and hugged Sam, kissing her on top of her dark head of hair.
"Hey…" she said, holding the baby out for Jason. "Come on, JJ, go see Daddy."
Jason smiled and took the little boy in his strong arms.
"Hi, bud." Jason rocked him back and forth.
"Hrblurnubl." The small singsong voice of JJ rang out in the air, making Jason laugh. He sat down on the couch, and Sam sat in the armchair.
"So what did you two do today." Jason looked over to his wife, who was lounging comfortably in the chair.
"We ran into Molly and my mom at Kelly's when I went to get lunch. Molly fawned all over JJ, and my mom kept asking me questions… how often he's waking me up, how often he eats…you know, Mom stuff."
Jason grinned.
"Yeah, I know."
"Aaaaaaaaaand," Sam reached behind the chair and pulled out a shopping bag. "Guess what I bought."
Jason shrugged, and Sam pouted.
"Come on," she whined. "Guess."
"Umm… a bib."
"Noooooooooooo." Sam smiled devilishly.
"Tell me."
"Fine." Sam reached into the bag and showed Jason her purchase. "Ta-da!"
She was holding up a tiny blue t-shirt with a motorcycle on it that read "I ride with my Dad." Jason smiled at it and laughed.
"It has a motorcycle on it." He grinned.
"Yeah, it does." Sam's childlike smile appeared on her face as she climbed out of the chair and sat next to Jason and JJ, who had fallen asleep in his father's arms. Jason pressed a kiss against Sam's temple.
"Jase?" She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Hmm?"
"How on Earth did we get so lucky?"
Sam jolted awake, hand still in Jason's. She looked over quickly, and noticed Jason's large chest was still heaving up and down. Sam sighed in relief. Soon, he woke up too, squeezing her hand.
"Sam…" he whispered.
"Hey." She mouthed.
They both laid in silence by themselves until Sam finally opened her mouth to say something.
"Jason?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you have any regrets? We're dying. Might as well get them off our chests." She shrugged. Jason nodded.
"I have one regret."
"What is it?"
"Not being there for you when I should have been."
Sam took a breath and looked into Jason's blue eyes, which were full of guilt and regret.
"Stop feeling guilty, for that… I know where you were coming from. And you know what I regret? Lying to you. Doing that DNA test. Going to see Heather Webber."
Jason squeezed her hand again as she cried.
"I ruined us, Sam."
"We fell apart, and we both played a part in that."
Jason tried to say something, but Sam soon quieted him.
"I have to take some responsibility too, Jason."
Jason shrugged and rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
"Is there anything you wish that you got to do?"
Sam sighed.
"Raise my son."
"I wish that I could have made everything up to you. I wish that I had gotten the chance to love your baby just like everyone told me that I would. I'm sorry for everything."
Sam closed her eyes to blink away any other tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.
"I'm sorry too."
More silence came until Sam opened her mouth again.
"You know, I saw Jerry the other day at the PCPD."
"You did?" Jason asked protectively, tightening his grip on her hand. "Did he try to hurt you?" Sam shook her head.
"He said something about how I should be with you when I die… die in the arms of the one that I love…" She looked hopefully at him. He reached over and they used their remaining strength to climb into Jason's hospital bed together. Jason's arms were wrapped protectively around Sam's small frame and her head buried in his chest.
"I love you." Sam felt the life being drained from her, and she could feel it being drained from Jason as well. He kissed her on her head.
"I love you, Samantha McCall."
And they closed their eyes one last time.
Hey, you guys. Sorry it was so depressing. That was based on some spoilers I read for Thursday's episode. I'm a little rusty, and that was supposed to be pretty serious and to the point. Leave a review. Hope you enjoyed. Please, I ask, don't hate on me. I'm a little rusty, like I said. Hope everybody had a great summer. Thanks for reading :)
-Emma