He Had No Idea
Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. Carly and Jason belong to ABC and Disney.
Author's Note: I really hated Jason and Carly's confrontation today. Sometimes I don't think that Jason appreciates how much Carly loves him. He seems to have already forgotten just who risked her life and teamed up with Jerry Jacks to get him out of jail.
Jason always said he didn't take Carly for granted. He claimed that he appreciated her love and friendship. He never told her that he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.
He had no idea.
Carly looked at Jason just once more before she left the office, as tears winded their way down her cheeks. If Jason had known that it was the last time he would ever see her with love for him shining in her eyes, he would have stopped her. Tried to explain what he was feeling; explain that he was sorry he snapped at her; tell her that he understood where she was coming from. But he didn't, because he was in pain over keeping the fact that Jake was his son a secret. And he realized that Carly was trying to help him, but once again he didn't appreciate her love and loyalty.
And now he's lost that love and loyalty. Lost her.
He was so caught up in his own personal problems that he didn't protect the people that should have been first on his list. And his compassion for Johnny's situation as a child born into the mob overshadowed his number one priority: to keep Carly and her boys safe.
He failed.
As many times as he had broken promises to Carly (giving up Michael), pushed her away (she should never have gone to Sonny), lied to her ("I've done something you're not going to like" – Sam is really having Sonny's baby), shut her out (keeping Jake a secret for months), Jason had never done anything Carly couldn't find it in herself to forgive him for. She would lie, cheat, kill, and make deals with the enemy (Jerry) to help him, in anyway she could, anyway she thought he needed.
Until now. And it was all his fault.
He knew Michael was acting up, getting in trouble. Caught him with the gun in Sonny's office. Listened to Carly complain about his behavior, about Michael wanting to join the organization when he was older. But, Jason had been distracted. And he had never imagined what could have happened – he was never good at thinking about the future.
It was no excuse.
Michael had gotten in over his head. Bought a gun from some punk kids. Thought he was protecting his mother and little brother. Jason should have talked to him. Realized that as Carly's child he would scheme and plan until he got his way or it blew up in his face.
It blew up in his face. Literally.
And Jason wasn't there to save him.
Michael died at exactly 7:43 p.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2008. And as Michael's heart monitor flat lined for the last time, Carly looked up at Jason for the last time with any feeling in her eyes.
Jason saw the love and affection Carly had for him die along with that little boy.
His nephew by blood; his son in his heart. Jason had been so distracted by Jake, the child that Elizabeth wouldn't let him have, that he had forgotten Michael, the child that he had given up.
And now Carly felt nothing for him. No love. No affection. Not even hatred.
Jason thinks that he could even handle Carly's hatred, because at least that meant that she still had some feelings for him. At least then he could still get a rise out of her. But now…
Nothing. She no longer smiled that smile that lit up the room when she saw him. Her eyes didn't light up when he said "hello". She no longer meddled in his affairs. Didn't push him to claim Jake.
She was even cordial with Elizabeth. And Robin.
Because she didn't care about him.
And it killed Jason to see how much better off her life was without him. He always thought that he saved her, but after Carly cut herself out of his life with fine precision, Jason realized that he was really dragging her down.
She didn't worry about him anymore. She didn't care if he was happy, sad, depressed, or angry. All the grudges that she held against the world for him seemed to disappear.
Carly threw herself into her life with Jax. She grieved for Michael, took care of Morgan, and worked on her relationships with Lulu and her mother. All the energy that she had devoted to him found much better uses in the rest of her life.
And he hated it.
Hated that the special look in her eyes that was always reserved for him she now saved especially for Jax. He caught it one time, walking in on them talking in the lobby of the Metro Court.
Because he hasn't been to her house since Michael died. And she hasn't come by the office.
It seems that whatever obsession she had with Sonny's life disappeared with Michael's life too. She let him do whatever he wished, as long as he kept Morgan safe and spent time with him.
And when Carly became pregnant with Jax's child? He didn't find out until she was four months along.
He wasn't invited to the doctor's appointments. He wasn't shown the sonograms. He didn't get to listen to her debate different names.
Nothing.
And when Carly had the child? He found out that it was a girl from Monica. 7 lbs. 7 oz. Healthy delivery.
She didn't need him to save her that time. She had Jax.
And Jason didn't even see the baby until she was three months old. He wasn't invited to her hospital room. He wasn't invited to the baptism. And he certainly wasn't asked to be godfather.
No, that was Jerry Jax's job.
And Lulu was godmother.
And Elizabeth and Robin attended the ceremony. And Monica. And Sonny.
But not Jason.
Jason was kept as far away from Jessica Jane Jacks as possible. Carly's little blonde-haired blue-eyed angel. The little daughter that she always dreamed about.
Jax gave her the dream that Jason refused to.
And Jax was probably the happiest man alive right now. A beautiful wife, a well-behaving stepson, and his own little angel.
With two more on the way, Jason just found out.
From Sam, Carly's new best friend.
Jason always said he didn't take Carly for granted. He claimed that he appreciated her love and friendship. He never told her that he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.
He had no idea.