And I figured that I may as well keep them together if I do post them. :-P They'll all have different characters, I'd warn you in the summary, which characters they are since umm yea you guys proved you don't like Robin after my last chapter of 'To Come Back.' :-(
Now onto the story…
The Path to…
(Reanimation)
He had a vague memory of what happened and a very real throbbing of his entire body, especially his head.
It had been a rough week aside from his aching body, granted he'd been acquitted of murder, but his one time loving and supportive fiancé had set up an 'attack' on Elizabeth and their son to get back into his good graces and at the same time get them out of his life.
He hadn't been able to kick her out though, to cut her out of his life because he remembered…He remembered how happy they had been, had almost been, so many times. Remembered he had been the one who had started them down this painful course they had taken. She had been the one shot and he had been the one to throw her away and that had been what had started this path their relationship had taken. He was finally starting to learn, he was trying to learn, how to forgive, how to move past or at least he was trying to try.
Robin, Carly, Elizabeth, Courtney…Problems that other people worked out, he hadn't. Brenda had once told him he deserved to be happy and maybe he was finally realizing it wasn't that easy, he had to work at it, he had to be willing to be unhappy, to be hurt…
Sam was pushing it however.
Brenda…Brenda. She had been as unexpected as the acquittal, as unexpected as Sam scheming to keep Elizabeth and Jake out of his life.
-x-x-X-x-x
He'd caught his foot on one of her many bags as he walked in the door, she'd looked up with innocent eyes from his couch as she had her laptop on her lap, but made no move to her things. 'Hey Jase,' had been her casual remark.
He'd stared with dumbfounded eyes.
'Okay I couldn't find any-' Sam said walking in from the kitchen with a bag of chips and a box of crackers, 'Oh hey Jason,' she smiled as she noticed him, 'I didn't expect you back so soon.'
'Why are you here?' he bluntly asked, ignoring Sam's greeting, focusing back on Brenda.
'AJ, true asshole,' Brenda casually nodded, 'we're still married.'
-x-x-X-x-x-
He definitely hadn't been expecting that one, but at least she hadn't been planning on staying with him and Sam, despite Sam's best efforts to entice her to, which he was assuming another attempt at getting back in his good graces. No, Brenda had just wanted to talk to him first before going to the Quartermaine's knowing that if she walked in there it would be hours before she would be able to leave and as she'd not so politely put it, 'No way in fucking hell am I staying at Jax and Carly's hotel,' which seemed to have endeared her to Sam.
Less than two days later they'd been leaving the courthouse, after going themselves to make sure the papers got filed this time around… He remembered the bullets, remembering going to block Brenda, then there had been a flash of pain in his arm and he was going down, after that there was just black.
"Jason?" Robin's voice, youthful and sweet, when he didn't think about it so much, when he didn't think about the life she had cost him. "Come on Jason open your eyes again."
He had opened his eyes?
"Yea come on Jase, flash those baby blues," Brenda's teasing voice, tinged with worry.
"Jason, I fully understand why you're feigning sleep," Carly's sarcastic tone.
"Jason please wake up," Sam's husky beg as he felt a slight pressure on his foot from being clutched.
"Maybe you guys should go down to the-" Elizabeth's suggestion died off quickly, he could imagine them all shooting her dirty looks, it made him smirk despite himself.
"Ha, I told you, he's faking," he heard Carly's voice come closer.
A quick tap to his shoulder had his eyes open quickly as the pain radiated out and a fast, "Brenda!" shot out of Robin's mouth as she realized her best friend had just hit her patient in his wounded arm.
"You wanted his eyes open," she innocently drawled.
"Oh thank god Jason," he saw blonde shoot into his line of sight knocking out a dark haired brunette, that he assumed was Robin, but their features blurry. He looked around; the image at the end of the bed, just as the image next to the opposite side of the bed both looked identical to the one Carly had knocked out of his view. He knew which arm hurt though, so he knew for sure which one Brenda was.
"Everything's blurry," his hoarse voice creaked out.
"There was some swelling-" his doctor began.
"Do you/I'll get you/You need some" all lapped on top of each other and he saw three images dart in one direction.
He heard Robin chuckle and was sure at least Carly and Sam were glaring, he wasn't sure about Elizabeth.
"Let's hand the water to his wife, before you all drown him in your attempts to get to him first," Brenda ordered.
"I'm his-" he heard Carly begin.
"Guys," he once more hoarsely ordered.
"Give it to me, I'm the doctor and the neutral party," Robin reacted in resignation, obviously weary of whatever fighting had been going on while he was unconscious.
"Slow, short sips," she instructed as she put the straw between his lips. "That's enough for now," she declared before he was ready to give up the soothing liquid, "you can have more in a few minutes."
"My sight?" he questioned to the still blurry figure.
"You slammed your head into the granite stairs," Brenda explained.
"Are you okay?" he questioned.
"Aside from your blood ruining a brand new outfit?" he saw the figure's head bob. "I'm good and still your wife, which means I can rack up a few nice bills before you get out of the hospital."
He chuckled slightly before grimacing at the movement.
"There was some intracranial swelling, which we tried to relieve with an experimental drug, but when it got worse we had to do it the old fashioned way."
"So my sight?"
"Hopefully it should return in a few hours, your CAT scan looked promising."
He groaned.
"So you remember what happened," Robin concluded, "I'm assuming that means you remember your name?"
"Jason Morgan."
"The date?"
"Tuesday, August 28th 2007."
"Actually it's the twenty-ninth now. But that's very good. Do you know who's in the room with you?"
"You," he answered.
"Who am I?"
"Robin."
"Very good. Who else?"
He looked at the blurry visions, remembering their voices, "Carly, Sam, Elizabeth and Brenda," he went to nod his head at her, the only one on his bad side, but once more flinched.
"Very-"
"I figured I should," a new voice suddenly came into the mix and Jason's head quickly turned straight towards it.
"I should have figured his hard head would be fine," the old man gruffly responded to the blue eyes now looking dead ahead that had been closed for nearly thirty one hours.
"And who's that?" Robin's light-hearted voice asked.
"Gran-" he paused suddenly and his face fell into a fast frown.
"Jason?" All women quickly leapt to ask.
His head shook slightly. No that wasn't right.
"Just how hard did you hit your head that you're calling Edward, Grandfather?" He listened to Brenda teasingly ask.
His eyes closed and suddenly he saw blue and red, an anchor, a boat…
"Jason," Robin's voice asked, tinged with worry.
"Something's not right," was all he could say. So very not right.
"I need you to tell me something more than that Jason, does something hurt?"
He shook his head. "No, I…"
"What's wrong with him?" Edward quickly asked walking further into the room.
"I don't know," Robin tried to stay in control, "Jason tell me what you're feeling."
"I-" his head shook and he ignored the ache.
"Tell me whatever it is," Robin ordered.
He searched his mind for it, the blue and red, no blue, red and white, anchor, wheel, boat, a boy… "It's blue with red and white, there are anchors, wheels, boats."
"What? Robin, you swore to us that drug would-" the fury in Edward's voice suddenly emerged.
'I've got the top bunk.'
"I've got the top bunk," he repeated.
"Oh dear lord," Edward proclaimed with fear, as if having a mobster for a grandson weren't bad enough, a child-like grandson for the rest of his life…
"Long Island," Tracy's raspy voice suddenly interjected into the room, Jason hadn't even noticed her trailing behind Edward.
"What?" Edward asked with a shake of his head.
"The boys' rooms in Long Island. They had a nautical theme. Blue walls with a white border with-"
"Jason's never been to-" Edward's voice quickly died off and his glare towards his daughter, which had him wondering if they had gotten her out of the hospital too soon, quickly dissipated and he turned back in shock to his grandson.
"Jason?" he felt Brenda's hand slide into his own.
'No no Jase, I don't want to go into the water. I just spent an hour blow-drying my hair.' There was a pool before him; he was heading towards it, legs and a shapely jean clad butt, resting on his shoulder.
'An hour well, I mean that does change things doesn't it Jase?' a familiar voice added.
He spun and saw AJ standing there in a pair of long swim trunks having recently been in the water, 'We should put her down,' he heard his own voice.
'Guys seriously, I'm not kidding. I just spent two hours getting ready to meet Sonny.'
'Sonny?' he saw AJ's eyes widen as he repeated the word.
'Crap,' Brenda muttered against him.
'The wet look's much hotter, don't you agree Jason?'
'Knowing Sonny, he'd probably prefer the underage look,' his own voice again.
'Probably should wash off all that makeup then,' AJ nodded.
'Jason,' he heard ordered as he spun on one foot and teeth sunk into his back just as his feet reached the edge and started to lift…
"Brenda," his hand tightly clasped hers, as his eyes squeezed shut tightly trying to block it out.
"It's okay Jase," she promised as she leaned in close before looking up to desperately search Robin's face, praying to god she wasn't lying.
There were murmurs and chaos around him, repeated calls of his name as it continued to wash over him in spurts and Brenda whispering his name into his ear as she continued to clutch at his hand, willing him through it.
"What's going on in here?" he heard Epiphany's voice louder than everyone else's.
"We're going to need to sedate him," he heard Robin begin, but then lost her voice as his own mind grew too loud.
"It's going to be okay Jason," he heard whispered into his ear.
He clutched at her tighter; he could still hear them, Carly, Sam, Elizabeth, Gran…Noo…
"Bren," he desperately begged in a moment of true anguish.
Her hand came alongside his cheek and her face pressed nearly into his, "It's okay, it's okay," she was promising until it all mercifully went black again.
-x-x-X-x-x-
He slept through the pow-wow that occurred outside of his room shortly after as Monica, Tracy, Carly and Edward shot questions off at Robin and Patrick as Liz, Sam and Emily were resigned to stay off to the side in shock, with Brenda still clutching his now relaxed hand inside the room, refusing to leave him.
"Don't you dare tell me he didn't remember, he was describing our house and those rooms were redecorated well before his accident."
"No, you want to believe he was describing his old room, we don't know what he was describing," she corrected him.
"He called her, Bren," Edward attacked back with.
"He's scared, he may not have even-"
"Grandfather?" Tracy retorted with.
"His mind is aware of Edward being his grandfather, just because he doesn't call him that on a regular-"
"What the hell does this mean?" Carly suddenly asked.
"I have no idea," Robin truthfully admitted.
"Some-" Carly began.
Patrick cut her off, "We aren't going to have any idea what's going on until Jason's awake again and we can ask him some questions."
"Is it possible?" Monica softly questioned.
"I don't know," Robin truthfully answered with a heavy heart.
"The drugs, the injuries, the surgeries," Emily shook her head, "we're lucky his head isn't a scrambled egg."
"I don't know…that boy's judgment at times," Edward shook his head.
"We're going to have to be patient; I suggest everyone go home, get some rest and Jason should sleep through till morning."
Fury erupted again over the mere mentioning of leaving their beloved Jason.
-x-x-X-x-x-
"Robin," Edward found her almost an hour later in a nearby hallway, checking on another patient.
She looked up with a wary smile.
"I wanted to apologize for earlier," he said in a low voice full of contrition.
"It's okay Edward, you were emotional; we don't know what's going on with Jason..."
"The hack and the two bit quack comments were entirely uncalled for. Alan was so proud of you," his head nodded slowly, "I know you're an excellent doctor and you've always cared about Jason, despite what my grandson may have done to you."
"I de-"
He cut her off, "No," he shook his head, "you are a fine upstanding girl." He smiled, "I'm sorry woman and I just wanted you to know that if you've done this," he nodded again with apprehension. "If you've brought my grandson back to me, Alan's boy," tears started to glisten in his eyes.
Her mouth parted slightly in sympathy and she went to lay a hand on his arm.
He clutched it, but shook his head. "If you've brought him back to me, I promise you, your research will never lack for funding."
"We don't know anything yet Edward," she reminded.
"But we can pray," he nodded, "for the first time in a long time we have hope." His head shook, "Oh god do you hear me," he smiled at her, "promise you won't-"
She cut him off with a smile, "Your secret's safe with me."
-x-x-X-x-x-
He opened his eyes slowly, he had been awake for a few minutes, but hadn't been brave enough to make that move and he was still hoping against hope that he was dreaming.
The room slowly came into focus and he found it was thankfully empty aside from him and Brenda. She was leaning against the window. Her hair in a low knot, not looking at all like Brenda hair, more like a haphazard wash and then forgotten. "Aside from your blood ruining a brand new outfit?"
The outfit was new as well, possibly Robin's, she had been wearing a skirt that last time he had seen her.
"How's the view?" he softly asked, realizing he'd prefer her company than his own thoughts and knowing she'd probably need his reassurance that he was fine.
She turned back and gave him a gentle smile, "Dominique's tree."
"Is that good or bad?" he questioned.
She shrugged, "I don't know." She just looked at him for a moment, "How are you feeling?"
"Numb," he answered.
"Physically or emotionally?" she checked.
He moved his hand for her and gave her a smirk, "That answer your question."
She smirked, "You can still be numb and move things."
He chuckled.
"So is numb a good thing or a bad thing?" She questioned and walked a few steps closer.
"I don't know," he repeated her answer. "Where is everyone?"
She shrugged and gave another smirk, "Being your wife has some perks, I can kick people out as I please."
He lifted an eyebrow.
She gave a sheepish look, "It's at least a really nice dream," she defended and then smiled, "Robin and Patrick are asleep in the on-call room. Elizabeth kept checking in, until she was off duty. Carly hadn't seen Michael and Morgan in over a day. Sonny came by for awhile," she nodded, "that was really uncomfortable," then shook her head. "Alexis used Kristina to bribe Sam into going home with her. Edward isn't as young as he likes to believe, Tracy took him home hours ago. Emily just got your Mom to leave maybe 45 minutes ago."
"Why are you still here?"
She shook her head and started to walk sideways instead of towards him. She stopped and began to speak, not being able to look at him, "I need to apologize to you." She turned to him and he lifted his brow in question. "I'm sorry," she nodded.
"Br-"
She lifted her hand to stop him, "I was a bitch. I was moody and angry and…" Her head shook. "You were suddenly a stranger that didn't like me and it hurt and I hated you." Her head shook, "Because you didn't love me anymore, you didn't even like me."
"It's-"
Her head shook again, "I used you and…" She focused on him, "When you were lying there Jase…"
"Brenda," he compassionately offered seeing her anguish.
"I didn't even," she shook her head. "Even after the plane crash…I was still angry at you," her voice lifted, "I didn't want to be, I didn't mean to be," her head shook.
"It's okay," he promised.
"When you were lying there…" her head shook. "I didn't know if you knew."
"I do," he nodded.
"It hurt," she explained with wide eyes.
"I know," he reassured.
"So I'm sorry," she nodded bluntly and ignored the tears in her eyes.
He smirked.
She frowned and shot him a look, "I should have been the bigger person because let's remember you were an ass and you made it very clear what you thought about me."
He chuckled.
They looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"You…" she nodded, but didn't know how to ask.
"Yea," he nodded back.
"How are you…" her head shook.
"I don't know," he tentatively answered back. "I'm afraid that if I try to even begin to figure that out…"
"And here I am putting my crap on you," she shook her head annoyed with herself, "ask me how many times I promised not to in the past thirty-six hours?" She frowned, "And I'm doing it again."
"It's the thought that counts," he smiled.
She let out a sigh as she studied him. "It's going to be okay," she promised.
His eyebrows once more lifted.
"Take it from someone who spent most of their life running," she nodded and walked closer to him, "being whole, knowing it all, acknowledging it, accepting it, it hurts like hell, but," she nodded again, "it's who you are."
He simply looked up at her.
"I promise," she swore and looked down into the hesitant blue.
"I'm scared," he admitted. "I feel like there's a thin pane of glass between me and it and when it…" He swallowed hard.
She held his hand.
"You look tired," he said noticing the dark smudges beneath her eyes.
She smirked, "Guess that means your vision's back and we're doing the you thing. Not the me thing."
"Can we do that tomorrow?"
She chuckled.
"You should go home, get some rest."
Her head shook, "Not leaving you alone."
"I'll be fine, I'll go back to sleep," he quickly let go of her hand and closed his eyes.
"You've slept through almost two days," she dryly pointed out.
"I can get them to give me something," he pointed out.
"But you won't."
"When was the last time you slept?"
"A few hours this morning," she smirked, "Robin and I shared a bed in the on-call room. I think she's gonna be a little extra popular this week."
He chuckled.
"They were supposed to bring in a cot," she frowned at the door, "my guess is they brought it to your old room."
"I changed rooms?"
"Yea we finally got you a room with a view. We hoped it might make it a little easier to keep you here," she tenderly smiled.
"Thank you," he softly spoke.
"It's what a wife's for," she smiled.
"That and falling asleep where they stand," he said noticing her slight wobble.
She chucked and frowned and shot another look at the door, "I should probably call about the bed. I don't want to fall asleep on you though."
He went to use his injured arm to lift himself up, but quickly stopped. Instead using his right and bending his legs to walk his body over.
"Jason what are you-"
"Hurting myself," he groaned and collapsed back down. "Free spot though," he nodded at the small space he'd created.
She looked warily at him.
"Just be careful of the IV," he pointed out.
"Jason," she hesitantly began.
He just looked up at her with wide eyes, scared eyes.
"I missed you liking me," she tenderly smiled.
"I always liked you," he smiled back, "I just can't stand you at times."
"Nothing new with that," she smiled as she crawled into bed with him.
-x-x-X-x-x-
With bleary eyes she made her way down the hall, reassured that nothing that happened thanks to her empty pager, but nevertheless annoyed with herself for sleeping so long, while Jason was…And Brenda never did well alone with her thoughts for long.
She had just finished a giant yawn and she gently pushed open his door.
Large, blue eyes greeted her staring straight ahead, apprehensive, scared and defensive all at one. Then there right below those eyes was puff of brown hair and Brenda's head rested on his shoulder, her body sideways to fit in alongside him and a hand resting on his chest. Jason's un-injured arm rested alongside her, softly cradling.
Robin let out a short smile and nodded at him, she saw a trace amount of relief flood his eyes before he let them close again.
She swallowed hard as she pulled the door shut without waking her best friend. She turned to leave and was confronted with a slowly moving Patrick walking the halls.
"I woke up and you weren't there," he ended with a yawn.
"Sorry," she apologized, "why don't you get your keys we can go home."
"You talk to Jason?" Patrick looked startled, he hadn't thought she'd left the room that long ago, he'd woken up to the sound of the door closing and her spot was still warm.
"No," she shook her head.
"I thought you said you weren't leaving until you got any answers."
"Look in the window," she said referring to the small window that was on the door, a benefit not all the rooms had.
"Oh man, Epiphany's going to let them have it," Patrick shook his head, "she does not take kindly to sharing beds, brain injury or not."
Robin shook her head and let her boyfriend trail after her.
"So what does this mean?" he asked as she was pulling her stuff out of her locker as he realized she wasn't going to tell him, despite the fact that Jason was both of their's patient.
"It means he's Jason," she shook her head and tossed her bag over her shoulder.
"Jason Morgan because he's sleeping with his wife?" Patrick pestered.
Paused and lifted her head in an, 'You've got to be kidding me' look.
"It was a good hypothesis," he vigorously defended.
"He looked scared," she said simply.
"I wonder why," he shook his head.
"No Jason doesn't…" her head shook, "Not for himself."
"So he remembers because he looks scared?" his eyes rolled and he wondered where exactly Dr. Scorpio was.
"No he's not just Jason Morgan because Brenda isn't suffering from hypothermia or having a complete mental breakdown and that's the only way you'd normally witness, what we just witnessed."
"Maybe its just jealousy," he teased trailing beside her, "your ex with his wife, your best friend," he chuckled.
Her eyes once more lifted up to view him in exasperation and sighed, never bothering to answer him.
"What are you doing?" he asked as she pulled out her phone once they reached Jason's room.
"I promised Emily I'd let her know, hopefully she won't call her mom for a few hours and let Jason rest."
"So you're going to," he said frowning as she hit the camera button on her phone.
"Shh," she ordered and opened the door and snapped the picture without Jason awaking.
"Women are crazy," he muttered as they walked towards the elevator a few moments later.
And then there is was, a simple picture of an ordinary act. A wife and husband asleep in bed together.
Yet in the middle of the night it awoke a woman, who awoke a man with a violent shove as she began to sob, leaving him to study the picture over her shoulder before stealing it away from her, at the same time he tried to comfort her.
"When did Robin become a voyeur?" was all he could think to ask in confusion and frowned at his beloved sobbing. He supposed she really had wanted Elizabeth with her brother and not his…It would be a few minutes before he realized they were tears of joy and not sorrow.
Thanks for reading! I hope it wasn't confusing or annoying or anything like that. :-P Comments?
AN: Now in case you're interested in the path of this story (as in other one shots)...Some possible one shots that have been running around my mind so they may decide to make an appearance.
The Path to…
(Truth-Jason and Sam) on the verge of their breakup, Sam calls Jason out on his past relationships and his current ones.
(Redemption-AJ and Courtney) brainwashed and held captive by our favorite blonde villainess, this pair makes their escape back to Port Charles.
(Forgiveness-Jason and Robin) how to forgive the hurt and not pretend as if it never happened.
(Discovery- AJ and Brenda) placed last summer so Alan is still alive or now if I decide to keep him dead, but I think people prefer Alan still around. Very similar to 'To Come Back' only this time AJ isn't dragged back willingly.
And I think I may have to write a Jason and Carly fic one of these days. LW and SB really work well together, I totally didn't feel that with the last two Carly's. I may get over my fear of the readers who canonize Carly and bash everyone else. Of course with a massive disclaimer at the top, warning them that they aren't allowed to do that. :-P (and yup that had led me to a massive break in GH writing, awhile back).
And no these wouldn't delay my other stories, I always try writing my other stuff first before I do anything else. Sometimes it just doesn't like coming.
:-P
