A/N: I really tried not to make any new stories because I have been working on my chapter stories, but I had this nagging idea in my head, so here you go. Enjoy!
"What did you just say?"
Sam Morgan's entire body tensed. Even her unborn child, who had been kicking up a storm all morning, was now still.
This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. She stared at her husband, her breathing coming more shallowly. She swallowed hard when Jason's eyes met her own.
"Jason—"
"Just stop it, Sam!" Carly interrupted.
The pregnant woman turned a torturous gaze on the blonde, who'd infiltrated Jason's hospital room. She ruined everything.
"Jason doesn't want to hear any more of your excuses. You can't explain away not telling him that one of his closest friends is dead."
"Stop it!" Jason's voice boomed through the room. Both women looked at the blue-eyed man they both loved.
"Robin's dead? H-how?"
"The lab explosion that happened before your surgery..." Sam answered timidly.
"You told me she was okay. You lied to me."
"I know, Jason, and I am so sorry."
"How could do that to me? You know how much she means to me."
Sam saw a familiar look in his eyes. It reminded her of when she confessed to sleeping with Ric all those years ago. It was a look of utter betrayal.
"Go ahead, Sam. Tell him how you justified lying to him about something like this," Carly insisted.
Sam didn't think it was possible to hate someone as much as she hated Carly in this moment.
"I don't think you need to be here anymore, Carly," Sam said through angry tears. "You did what you came here to do. You can go now."
"I came here to help my friend when he needs someone, since you clearly can't be that person."
Speechless, Sam turned to Jason for support, but was met with an icy stare.
"No, she can stay."
Sam could imagine the smug look across Carly's face.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Jason, I swear, I wouldn't keep something like this from you unless I had to. I do know how much you loved Robin. Which is why I couldn't tell you."
"That still doesn't make sense. You, you didn't think I could handle it, so you kept it to yourself and made sure no one else told me either?"
"I know you couldn't handle it, Jason!"
"You had no right to decide what I could and couldn't take."
"The hell I didn't! I am your wife. Any stress could have triggered another seizure and I didn't want to lose you."
"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me after I woke up. It's been a week, Sam. A week. You had plenty of chances to tell me!"
Sam jumped a bit when he unexpectedly raised his voice at her, and her hand instinctively went to her belly.
"I didn't tell you because you just had the surgery, and no one knows if it's a success or not. It was agreed that until you were in the clear, you wouldn't be told about Robin's death."
"'Agreed'? Who else agreed what was best for me?"
Sam thought for a few seconds. There was no need to bring Monica or Spinelli into this.
"The doctors Jason. Patrick knew that it might kill you. Especially if you knew..."
Sam stopped herself too late. She didn't want Jason to know that Patrick blamed him for his wife's death or why. There still wasn't any clean bill of health given.
"Especially if I knew what?"
Sam sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It doesn't matter," she said quietly.
"No, it does matter. You've already lied to me enough."
Stung by her husband's words, she took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Jason the whole story.
"I had to beg Patrick to do your surgery. He changed his mind at the last minute."
"Of course he wouldn't have wanted to perform surgery right after his wife died."
"It's not just that, Jason. Robin, she was trapped in the lab because...she was in there because she went back to get the medicine she was working on for you."
Jason's crystal eyes softened a bit in understanding. "It was my fault. And Patrick didn't want to do life-saving surgery on the man that took his wife from him."
"Jason, it wasn't your fault," Carly said reassuringly. "It was a freak accident. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Because of me," he stated.
"That's not true," Carly argued.
Sam just shook her head in dissent, too emotional to speak anymore.
"You should go," he said after a weighty silence.
No one moved, unsure of who he was addressing.
"Both of you."
The women looked at each other. Sam could see the defiant look on her rival's face. She wasn't going to do anything she didn't want to. Sam sighed, not willing to fight either of them any further. She nodded her head toward the ceiling while biting her lower lip, trying to fight the tears. She slowly turned on her heel and headed to the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, and turned back around.
This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Sam looked at her husband, wiping the tears from her face. She stood up a little straighter, waiting for him to make eye contact with her.
When he finally did, she had to fight the tears again.
"I know that you must feel like I betrayed you, but please try to understand why I did what I did. I love you. I don't thing I can ever show you how much I love you. You will always have my heart. And I didn't want to lose that. I was only trying to protect you—and don't you dare try to tell that that wasn't my job, because I know that you would do the same for me. So you can be mad at me today. You can resent me for this for the rest of your life. I don't care, as long as you're alive. Because I don't remember having a life without you, and I won't let our child come into this world without at least having the chance to know you. Just know that I love you, and when you're ready, I'll be here for you. Always."
Sam swiped at a stray tear and continued her exit, not giving Jason the chance to respond. She may have mustered up some courage to give her little speech, but she didn't know if she would have the strength to take it if he said anything but "I love you."
Her baby nudged her as she made her way out of the building. Despite her tears, she was able to smile. Things would get better. They had to. It may not be very soon, but it would happen.