This can't be happening... he thought as he looked across at the woman who had betrayed him. "I have to go to my wife. She could be fighting for her life and she will never know that I was with her. She could never see me hold our son." He would deal with her but right now the very sight of Elizabeth made him sick. His priority was Sam. He had to get to her. He had to make sure she would be ok.
"Please don't go! Jake wait!" she reached for his arm as he quickly moved past her towards the door. He forcefully yanked his arm away as he faced her.
"But that's not my name, is it? I may not have Jason's memories, but it doesn't change the fact that it's who I am."
She looked down as the tears continued to stream down her face. "Jason, please…" She said quietly.
"There is nothing for me here. I don't know what my future holds. I may not ever remember Sam or myself enough to be the Jason that she loved and lost. I do know for damn sure that my future does not include you." He spoke with quiet controlled anger before continuing out the front door. Once outside, he leaned against a pole on the porch. His head was swimming. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to run and tell Sam the truth, but he still had no real memories of their lives together. Only that dreams that now made much more sense.
One Day Earlier
"Fine," Hayden shifted her gaze from Jake to Sam. "If you don't want to hear what I have to say, I'm sure Sam will. This is as much about you as it is about Jake."
A look of bewilderment settled across her face as butterflies settled into her gut. Something bad was about to happen. Years of being a con turned P.I. had told her to trust her gut, and something was definitely wrong here. She had a buried sense of why this news about Jake would matter to her, but it was deep in her sub-conscious somewhere waiting to be uncovered.
Jake's body tensed, " You need to back off."
"Hold on, I….." she stopped speaking as she felt Jake's arm go across her body and gently push her back as he took a step towards Hayden.
"Don't talk to her. It was ok when you were just a stranger doing your job. I didn't like being your mark but I could handle it. But when you bring her into this, you're going to have a problem with me…..And you definitely don't want a problem with me." His tone was even, calm and menacing. He couldn't fully explain his instrict to protect Sam, but it had always been there. It was the really he couldn't kill her when Helena was in control of his mind. The instinct had only grown since the surgery, and right now everything inside him was yelling for him to be on guard and protect Sam from whatever was about to happen.
The shots rang out quickly but next few moments played out in slow motion. He immediately turned towards Sam and caught her as she fell into his arm. He took her to the ground and covered her with his body as he yelled for Hayden to get down. The shots stopped and with his body still covering Sam's he looked back at Hayden.
"Stay down. Are you ok." She looked up at him dazed and didn't respond. She seemed fine but he needed to hear it from her. "Are you OK?" he said forcefully.
"I…I think so." Hayden responded as she slow sat up.
"Stay down!" he yelled as it occurred to him that he might be crushing Sam's petit frame.
"Sam," he outstretched his arms so that his upper body formed a tent over her. "Sam, are you okay?" He said gently. She lay on her side facing away from him. Her shoulder and saw that her eyes were closed.
"Sam?" He gently rolled her on her back and immediately notice the bullet wound that was almost at the exact center of her abdomen"
He experienced a brief moment of deja-vu as an image of Sam's limp body in a white dress flashed into his mind. He shook it off. This was not the time for another one of his day dreams.
"No….No…..NO!" he gently moved her body and cradled her head in his lap. "Sam, don't do this. I need you to wake up sweetheart." He turned his head to look at Hayden. She was now sitting upright, blankly staring in his direction.
"Hayden." She just stared, "HAYDEN!" he yelled and her eyes snapped to focus on his. I need you to crawl over to the counter and call the police. Stay low! I think they are done shooting but just in case I don't want you to make yourself a target."
She nodded her head slowly but didn't move. Shock was setting in and he needed her to snap out of it. "Hayden, I need you to move." He said softly but firm tone. She slowly began to slide her way across the floor and he turned his attention back to Sam. He leaned his face over hers as he saw her eyes flutter.
"Sam?" he put his hands on either side of her face so that the were looking directly at each other.
"Jason?" She said weakly as a slight smile came to her face. "Jason, I knew you would come back to me"
His heart ached a little as he listned to her words. "Sam, its me Jake. You've been shot but I've got you. Help is on the way."
"Jason, you have to go see Danny. He's your son. I have proof, I never got to….." Her eyes drifted closed again.
"Sam. Sam, I need you to stay with me sweetheart." Her eyes drifted closed again.
His eyes began to water. He couldn't explain the emotions that were churning inside of him. There was rage for towards whoever had done this. He knew the bullet was meant for him, but an innocent woman was hit instead. Then there was another emotion that he couldn't quite placed, but it was compelling him to not leave Sam's side. She had to be ok, even if he just stayed with her and willed it so.
"An ambulance is on the way." Hayden's timid voice spoke from behind. He turned and looked at her and more rage came up. He may not have liked her, but she didn't deserve to be shot at.
"Just sit tight until they get here. You need to get checked out too. I think you are going into shock."
"Is she okay?" She took shakey steps towards Sam.
"She will be." He said coldly. "I need you to come sit with her"
Hayden shook her head and started to back away.
"Hayden," Jake said firmly. "I need you to hold her head.
She slowly made her way down next to him, and Jake gently moved Sam's lap from his head to hers. Once he had them settled he rose to his feet.
"Where are you going" Hayden asked with shake breath.
"I'll be right outside." He cautiously made his way towards the door. Whoever did this was probably long gone by now but he had to try.
He made his way out the door and started to look around. He quickly noticed a bullet knick in the side of the building and began to look for any clues of what direction it came from. His eyes were drawn to a shell casing on the ground as he heard the sirens approaching. He picked it up and took a glance at it before placing it in his pocket and heading back in to Sam and Hayden. They were exactly where he left them. And Hayden swayed back and forth.
"How is she doing?" He lowered his body next to Hayden and transferred Sam's head back to his lap.
Hayden scooted back. "She has been in and out." She replied with her voice shaking. "She just kept calling out for Jason." She didn't stop moving until her back hit a wall.
"was there anyone out there?" she drew her knees up to her chest and began to sway again.
"No, they were long gone. But whoever it was will probably be back. They came here to kill me and didn't succeed. They will want to finish the job.
"I don't think they were here for you." She said softly.
"I'm pretty sure it was somebody Sonny sent in retaliation."
"Or it could have been someone that Nikolas sent for me."
"Nikolas Cassidine? Why would Nikolas Cassidine send someone to kill you at Julian Jerome's garage"
This was clearly the shock talking, and he was relieved to hear the sirens getting closer.
"He wanted to stop me from telling you what I know."
"That doesn't make any sense Hayden. Why wouldn't Nikolas want me to know who I am? How does he even know that you know?"
"Because he and Elizabeth told me….well I overheard them. And he didn't want you to know that they know….that…."
Jake's head was swimming. None of this made any sense, but she seemed convinced
"No, Elizabeth would tell me if she knew who I was." He shook his head in disbelief but tried to hold Sam steady.
"She would if she didn't want to you go back to your wife, Sam Morgan. She wouldn't if she didn't want anyone to know that you are Jason Morgan."
"what? No!" Jake could feel the tears in his eyes but none fell. This couldn't be true, it was just another con. He looked down at Sam's face and felt the familiarity. He looked down at her bleeding abdomen and felt a new level of terror.
His body went numb as the EMTs and Police officers entered the garage and started to take over the space. An EMT leaned down to Sam and immediately checked her pulse.
She…she has…a gun shot wound to the abdomen. No exit wound." He stuttered. "She had been in and out of consciousness."
The other EMT rapidly moved around him to take Sam's head and put on a neck brace.
"We have it from here, sir. Is another ambulance outside. You should go get yourself checked out and talk to the police."
"I'm fine. They need to check on her." He said softly and pointed towards Hayden. Disbelief coming through in his voice. He stood but didn't move to far from Sam.
"Sir, you really should let us work."
"I'm not leaving her!" He said forcefully.
"Are you family? If you're not family then"
"No…. I mean yes." Jake responded. Not quite believing the words coming out of his mouth. "Her name is Sam Morgan. I'm her husband, Jason Morgan."
They gently placed Sam on the stretcher and the EMT nodded, ignoring Jake's hesitation. They began to wheel her towards the door. "Come with us, Mr. Morgan. We are taking your wife to General Hospital."
Jake briefly glanced back at Hayden who was now being attended to by the other EMTs. He then caught up with the stretcher and followed Sam into the Ambulance. He had no proof that what Hayden had said was the truth, but something in him knew that it was. He didn't want to believe that Elizabeth was a part of this secret, but something deep inside of him knew that was true as well. Regardless of any of that, there was no way that he was going to let Sam go through this without him. He didn't remember a life with her, but there was something in him that was drawn to her right now.