Sam's sisters and best friend rushed through the door at her outburst. Not wanting to overload her with too much too fast, they'd been waiting impatiently for Jason to let them know when it was okay to see her…until her yell brought them scrambling to her side.

Sam's initial shock went through the roof when they blasted in the door, mostly from seeing her little sister! The beautiful, elegant grown up in front of her was undoubtedly her baby sister, but there was nothing baby about her anymore…not at all the little girl she was expecting.

"Molly?" Sam's eyes grew wide even as they grew moist, her shock rendering her almost speechless as she stared at her sister who had grown another two feet without her looking.

Sobbing, Molly threw herself on the bed and on her big sis, taking care to avoid her bandaged arm and injured leg.

"Sam, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Are you okay?"

"This is unreal."

Sam shut her eyes tight and waited anxiously for the waking moment that never came, telling herself she had to be stuck inside a dream. But once they opened again she couldn't deny that this was no dream. She had a brand new reality that was unfolding whether she believed it or not.

"My gosh, Molls - you're all grown up!"

Laughing through her tears, Molly smiled in her sister's arms. "I've always been taller than you anyway."

They chuckled tearfully together, then Sam remembered the other presence in the room. Grabbing onto Kristina she asked, "Who is that?" pointing straight at Jason.

The knowing looks passing between them seemed to scream the confirmation she was dreading as all eyes turned to look at him, each other, and then back at her.

Maxie gave her the side eye when she asked, "Who…who do you think he is?"

"Maxie!"

"What? You sound like you already have an idea who? What's he been telling you anyway?"

"That we're married and he's…he's…" she couldn't bring herself to even say it out loud.

"You know who I am, Sam." Blue eyes bored through her when he emphasized, "You know who I am!"

Molly looked at her sister wistfully. "Listen to your soul, Sam. Hasn't it just been calling out to his since the minute your eyes met across the room? Isn't the connection unlike anything else you've ever felt?"

"I'm feeling like this is some unreal shit that I can't even wrap my mind around!" She pushed Molly out the way of her view of him. "What happened to you?" she asked him curiously.

"Port Charles' feared Enforcer went up against two tons of metal…metal won!" Maxie shook her leg in conjunction with her head. "Personally, I think it's an improvement - the man finally has a personality!"

"No fair, Maxie! Jason has always been a complex and multi-layered man…just ask his soulmate…right, Sam?" Molly's face turned red in the very next instant, "Oh, my gosh - I'm so sorry, Sam! I don't know what I was thinking - of course you don't remember that!"

"You know what I'm thinking? We should give these two some space. They have a lot to cover and we're just muddling things more." Kristina tried to be the voice of reason as she attempted to usher them towards the door.

"I don't want you to leave."

"And, I'm not ready to leave - I need to know you're okay!" Maxie flashed Kristina off and went back to Sam's bedside.

"I'm fine, Maxie. It's going to take more than some careless creep in a runaway car to take me out."

The blinding flash of a little blonde devil, running through a park with her 'husband' giving chase flashed rapidly through her mind. It was the quickest snapshot of the playful, happy little boy in the pictures, his joy at outrunning Jason erupting into laughter as he evaded capture.

As the image snapped away, Sam gave Maxie what she thought was a bright, soothing smile, but given the giant sob that escaped her friend right before she threw herself on her neck, she realized she hadn't quite pulled it off. Before she knew it her sisters had joined in on the cryfest, passing a box of tissue between them almost comically. Mentioning the accident that could've claimed her life was not a punchline to this bunch…noted, Sam thought.

The four spent what felt like hours hugging and crying as the girls filled Sam in on everything from her little boy, to what she liked to eat. They told her about her love for her career and her support for her family. They filled her in on their own lives and the important part she played in each one, and by the time they were done she was so tired that she was dozing off before they noticed she'd sunk deeper and deeper into the pillows, her hand resting protectively on her stomach.

Jason had moved to the corner of the room where he watched her the whole time, throwing furtive glances his way every now and then as though trying to wrap her mind around him. He knew in his heart that he should give her space and let her gradually come to him, but he couldn't leave her. He'd never leave her again. He desperately wanted his girl back.

"Psst."

All eyes turned to the quick sound from his lips and he bobbed his head towards the door. "Let her sleep," he mouthed.

Turning back to see that Sam had dozed off without them noticing, the young ladies got up quietly and pecked her cheek and head before tiptoeing from the room with a wave to Jason.

He didn't move, just continued to lean against the counter with his feet and hands crossed in front of him, watching her sleep. The couple bruises on her face did nothing to mar how breathtakingly beautiful she was, as he watched her chest rise and fall in slumber. Her dark hair spread across the pillow to frame her face along with one hand, while the bandaged arm rested on their baby. Jason's heart ached with how much he loved her, how much he cherished the family and everything they'd built together.

He hated to admit it but the thought of her pushing him away was terrifying to him. What if the doctors were wrong? What if she never remembered them and how unbelievably good they were together? What if she never remembers the last few months, the last few years that they spent making their life and their love stronger and more unbreakable than ever? What if all she remembered was that dark, unforgivable period where he'd lost his natural mind after he lost her unconditional love?

Jason moved closer to the bed, his heart bursting as he watched his heartbeat, his love mounting in bounds for the tiny woman with the biggest heart he'd ever known. Who was he without it? Who was he without her?

He needed to handle this right. He needed to find the right way to spell their life out for her, without overwhelming or scaring her. He needed to find the perfect way to blend her into their story and chip away the mountain of guards she'd erected. And he would. This was his wife, the woman who'd be his rib until the day he died…of course he'd find the way to love her back to loving him!

Easing into the chair by her bed, he leant to her face, hovering close enough to breath her in, her intoxicating scent tantalizing his senses as he closed his eyes and held his face within a breath of hers. After a very long minute, he opened his eyes again and brushed her hair lightly, moving the dark loch away from where it fell above the purple bruise near her temple.

"I love you so much!"

His whisper was almost inaudible, his voice shaking with emotion that carried the weight and depth of everything he felt for her.

Sam had fallen into a light slumber, the sound of her sisters' and her friend's voices lulling her into a state between sleep and wake. She hovered there until she felt herself falling into a deep sleep, which before long she was leaving to the feel of a very light, sweet breeze on her face. She sensed him more than she felt him…he was right upon her, watching her, drinking her in. She heard the soft spoken words of love and felt, more than heard, the sentiment behind them, throwing her farther into a pool of confusion.

She felt the weight of his head as it snuggled on the pillow next to hers ever so lightly, and she heard the exhaled, pent up breath that he'd held for who knows how long and she couldn't understand anything that was happening with them. He hated her. He hated the fact that she breathed the same air as his precious nurse and offspring, so how did they get back to a place where he was proclaiming love? Where they'd procreated…and more than once?

Sam kept her eyes closed, not wanting him to know she'd awaken. She couldn't handle the emotions that were coursing through her, not the underlying warmth that nobody but him had ever, ever evoked…and not the smoldering hate that threatened to erupt in a violent burst everytime he was close enough to smack. It was all extremely confusing - so confusing that she had a hard time deciding which course of action to take.

She needed more information to work with but lord knows she wasn't about to trust anything coming from him…but he was the only one there.

"Who hit you?"

He was startled by her question. He could've sworn she was asleep.

"Jordan Ashford." When she opened her eyes to look at him he added to her unasked question, "New Police Commission."

"What happened to Mac?"

He was lost in her closeness. She wasn't attacking his proximity to her and it was throwing him off.

She didn't wait for him to answer before she asked, "So what was it like, adjusting to a new face?"

He thought for a minute. "Not hard - I had no idea at the time what the old one looked like. Can't miss what you never had."

"Isn't that the truth?" It was barely a whisper. She flipped on her back, away from him and the instant loss of her, scraped his heart then squeezed it, when she continued to turn her back to him.

Easing his head off the pillow, Jason sat back in the chair and continued to watch her. "Do you need anything?"

At first he wasn't sure she'd heard him she was so quiet. Then she spoke softly.

"I need for you to tell me what you're doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the last conversation we had wasn't the least bit friendly." She turned on her back and her eyes had glossed over, but he couldn't mistake the anger behind the unshed tears. "Why would I marry you after what you did to me?"

The lump in his throat appeared out of nowhere. He knew where they were headed, and as much as he dreaded the outcome, he knew that she needed to have her say. But he couldn't stand to see her hurt. "Baby, please don't cry!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" She pushed on her good elbow to pull herself upright in the bed. "How the hell did we go from you not being able to stand the sight of me, to me being your baby?"

Jason looked down at his feet, the memories of that dark period springing to the forefront of his mind in response to her renewed anger. It was one time in his life he wouldn't have missed not being able to remember at all.

"By the strength of this inevitable thing between us."

Sam wiped at the lone tear that trickled down a frazzled cheek. "Inevitable my ass…" she leant forward and lashed at him, "You threatened to kill me!"

Anguished, pleading eyes shot to her angry face and Sam eased back into the pillows, "Why would I go back to you after you were able to look me in the face and threaten to take my life?"

Once again the silence was deafening as Jason fought desperately to find the words that would explain his atrocity. They'd never discussed that period in their relationship when he'd lost his mind, and he had always been thankful when they'd gotten back together she knew him so well that she'd been okay with just leaving it at rest in the past. Without him putting it into words she'd known how sorry he was, had not wanted to have the talk, but now, it seemed like something she needed afterall.

"Can you go, please?"

"Sam…"

"Just…go!" She shook her head then lowered her eyes and sank down into the bed dismissively, turning to look out the window at nothing in particular. The sky was showing signs of late evening, the easing night softly blending into the light of the closing day. It felt like an omen to her, as the darkness crept into her heart to cover what once was nothing but light for who they were.

"You took me back, because your heart is as big as the love between us!"

The soft words came from the door where Jason stood, the knob in his hand and his back to her as he prepared to give the solitude she requested. He wouldn't leave for very long and he certainly wouldn't go very far, but she needed space and he needed to give Sam anything she needed. He always would.

Sam heard the soft click of the door without turning from the window. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes on the exhalation, turmoil mixing with the pain that had plagued her since the day she first learned the torturous truth of his scorching betrayal. Was she always to feel like this?

A soft knock sounded on the door and as if on cue, smelling the blood in the water and the torture she was immersed in, the mouse entered her room and approached her bed to grab her chart.

Sam had a flash of the woman in a white dress that lasted only an instant, but it was long enough for her to see it in its vivid princess detail. Figured the underhanded snake would advertise herself as pristine royalty - as if! A little bit amused by the image, Sam eyed her hatefully as the woman struck up what she undoubtedly thought was going to be a friendly conversation.

"Hi, Sam. How're you feeling?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

She looked up from the chart and had the audacious nerve to look askance and surprised. "Checking your vitals - it's what I do."

"I don't really care what you think you're doing in my room but I don't want you anywhere near me - get the hell out!"

"Sam, I'm a nurse, and moreover, tonight I'm your nurse. You'll have to deal with it."

Grabbing the lamp next to her, Sam hurled it at her head, missing by just a fraction when she screamed and ducked. "I said get the hell away from me! I wouldn't let you touch me if you were the last nurse on the planet! Get the fuck out of my room and stay out, you conniving bitch!"

She hadn't expected violence. She had been looking forward to rubbing it in all night that she was in charge of her, while hopefully being able to interact with Jason and remind him how caring he knew her to be.

Epiphany and the Resident on duty rushed to the room at the sound of the crash. "What is going on in here!" The Head Nurse glared from the crouching nurse to the angry, raven haired beauty who was seething with anger.

"I don't want that woman anywhere near me! She's a manipulative, stuck up bitch with an angel complex and if she comes in here again I'll scratch her eyes out. You keep her away from me or I swear…"

"Sam?" Monica Quartermaine came through the door, instantly concerned by how very upset her daughter-in-law was. "Sam, please honey, you have to calm down. Remember the baby…" Monica sat on the bed and took Sam's arms to ease her against the pillow. "Take a deep breath - come on, breathe with me here."

"I don't want her near me, Monica. I don't want her anywhere near my baby!"

"She won't come near you again." Monica raised her voice so all present could hear her clearly, "Nurse Johnson will assign you a different nurse immediately - now, you rest okay?"

Sam rubbed her belly and looked at the kind eyes concentrated on her. "Okay." She laid back against the pillows fully and nodded, "Okay…thank you, Monica."

"You don't need to thank me, Sam. You're my daughter and you're carrying my precious grandchild - I will make sure you are comfortable in my hospital and that nothing puts you or this child at risk."

A kind hand reached out and stroked her hair softly. "Congratulations, by the way! I couldn't be happier about the news. Now, close your eyes and get some rest, I'll be here all night, just a page away, alright?"

Nodding again, Sam took note that the mouse had slinked from the room sometime during her talk with Monica, and as she eased her eyes closed and let her mind settle, the picture of a smiling little blonde tyke with sparkling blue eyes filled her heart.

Epiphany neared and checked her vitals, noted the chart at the foot of her bed then followed the doctors from the room, turning the light off before shutting the door softly behind her. Shaking her head she recalled how very feisty Sam had always been. There would always be bad blood between those two but she thought they'd learned to be civil to each other.

Approaching the Nurse's Station, Epiphany addressed the nurse who'd gone back to updating charts. "I'd stay away from that room until Sam Morgan has checked out. From the looks of things and that lamp on the floor, there's some unresolved anger that she isn't going to be shy about releasing on you. For your safety as well as the patient's, do not enter her room again."

"Epiphany, that's ridiculous and you know it! We can't allow her personal feelings to dictate how we administer care here. I'm a professional and she's just going to have to deal with it."

The Head Nurse lifted her chin sternly, "Do you want to tell that to the Chief Of Staff, who just explicitly told you to stay away from her daughter-in-law?"

"They're not married - he divorced her months ago."

"Personal issues! I just gave you a direct order, one that you heard from the Chief Of Staff herself - disobey that order and the consequences will be on you. I believe you still have rounds?"

Backing down from the no-nonsense glare she knew so well, the mouse grabbed her charts and headed down the hallway. The very idea that they had all allowed themselves to be taken in by the con woman so blindly..what the hell was wrong with everybody else in this town?

"I thought I'd find you up here!"

Monica stepped onto the roof and approached her son standing near the ledge, looking out over the city. He turned to see her and she recognized the pain in his eyes immediately. She knew he wouldn't leave the hospital, even though being near the mother of his children was going against her wishes. He'd never be far from her.

His eyes and the slight lift of his mouth acknowledged her presence but he didn't speak, turning back to look at the bright lights that went on for miles.

Monica walked up next to him and stroked his back soothingly, "She's not herself right now, Son - you know that."

"Yeah, I know."

"So you know you have to give her time to remember. Just like she's done for you."

He nodded in agreement. "Twice. I know that too."

Monica stuck both hands in the pockets of her lab coat and looked out at the view in front of them. "Then what's got your brow so furrowed?"

"I've always known that I don't deserve Sam, don't deserve the family she's given me…but her accident shows me even more how much I've hurt her and how deep that scar runs. I can't see how she ever forgave me."

"Do you believe that she did?" When he looked at her blankly she added, "Forgive you…do you believe in your heart that she has forgiven you?"

"I know she did, but I don't think she fully let go of it. We never talked it out, just decided to put it behind us and move on. Now, it's coming between us again."

"Do you remember when you had the surgery to stop the seizures that were stifling your brain? After you'd been given a clean bill of health, Sam wouldn't let you out of her sight and true to form, you were starting to feel stifled."

Jason nodded as he recalled the conversation in his hospital room. "You reminded me that for months she had been living with the prospect of me dying, she had to fight to convince me to get treatment, watched me go through the torture of Robin's medicine and then live with the terror that I might die. You said that takes a toll on the heart, that she almost lost me so she was going to hold on pretty tight for awhile, and that I should let that be okay."

Monica was nodding too. "I also said Sam was gonna bounce back, that she's made of steel." Monica rubbed her son's arm. "She still is, Jason. She's going to remember, and when she does you will be stronger than ever."

He snickered lightly, "You told me that she needed some special handling." Turning to face his mother, he told her softly, "Thank you…Mom."

Monica smiled at her son, still tickled whenever he called her that, given he didn't use the term often. "Don't give up, Son - she wouldn't give up on you. Allow her to get it all out…let her beat you up for awhile, if that's what it takes, and you let that be okay. She will come back to us."

"I love her more than anything."

"She's the mother of your children, you shared a marriage and a life with her - of course you do!"

"We're still married, actually."

Monica's smile was bright and radiant. "Wh-at? Oh, Jason that's wonderful!" She drew him into a warm hug. "You didn't go through with the divorce?"

When he shook his head against her she sighed, "You're still married and expecting my second grandchild - oh, I'm so happy. So, so happy!"

Jason returned his mother's hug and felt the course of a renewed determination to make his family whole again.

Monica released him, rested her palm to his cheek for a moment, then she turned towards the door to head back down.

His voice stopped her. "I told her that night that I almost gave up, and she's the only reason I wanted to fight. Now, because of her, I have two more reasons to fight harder than I ever have before."

Monica had turned back around to face him.

"I'll never give up fighting for her, Mom."

"Good, Jason! Now, go see your son! Alexis was coming in when I left…we'll stay with Sam and when you come back in the morning she will have had time to think. I'm sure she'll be ready to talk again."

Jason thought about it and knew his mother was right. He needed to go assure his son that his mother was going to be fine. It was important that he made everything okay for Danny while he took care of his wife also, and do everything in his power to put his happy little family back where they belonged...together.