Jax stood outside Carly's room watching Bobbie hold her daughters' hand. Carly appeared so lifeless; a shell of the person he loved. Somehow he took all the fire and passion that consumed her and put her in a permanent rest. He could not help but think about the prior year when Carly was told that Michaels' case was hopeless. He watched as she refused to listen to anyone who didn't believe in her boy. Jax listened to doctors and then brought in specialists who confirmed the results. He swore Carly was in denial. Even Sonny and Jason looked worried for her as she grasped to the idea that Michael was going to be okay. Maybe that is what he needed to do now, grasp on to the idea that Carly was going to be okay and hold on for dear life. He loved her, and even if she woke up wanting nothing to do with him, at least it would mean that she was awake. As Jax noticed Sonny and Michael approaching, he walked away. He was not in the mood for another showdown with Sonny.

***********

"What is that about?" Michael asked his father.

"I'm not sure." Sonny lied. Sonny did not want Michael knowing about the argument Jax had with Carly before she collapsed. The last thing Michael needed now was to know it was about the person responsible for shooting him. Sonny had enough guilt; he did not need his son sharing it.

"Dad, I don't know if I can do this." He admitted. "I don't know what to do, or what to say."

"You don't need to do or say anything. It may just help her to know you're there."

"Will she?" Michael asked. "I'm not sure if I did. I mean, I remember hearing some stuff, but not everything."

Truthfully, he hoped that it would be good for Michael. Michael had been carrying around a lot of hurt and resentment for awhile. Whatever Lucky said the night before seemed to help a lot, and today Kristina was able to get him to open up and bond with his baby sister. Michael knocked on the window, and waiting for Grandma Bobbie to invite him in. She gave up her seat to let Michael be close to his mom. Bobbie motioned him to hold her hand.

"Hi mom," he started. "I'm not really sure if you can hear me, but I wanted you to know that I'm here. I met Britni today, and she is the most beautiful baby in the world. I'm not saying that out of personal bias. Morgan is doing okay, he misses you. He understands some of this, probably because he had to deal with it when I was hurt." Michael stopped, and looked over at his grandma who urged him to keep going. "Mom, I love you. I miss you. I know that I have been pushing away since I woke up, but that's just because I'm a stupid teenager that doesn't want to admit that he still needs his mom. Please mom, I need you."

Sonny walked over to comfort his son. "We can go home now."

***********

After the test results had been revealed the family dispersed. Lulu sat in the room by herself playing every memory she had of her cousin in her mind. The advice, teasing, fighting, bonding, they shared it all, but there was still so much Lulu needed from her.

Matt Hunter noticed her in the window and entered the room. "Do you need a friend?"

"I can't promise you that I'll make the best company."

"That's okay." He said, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They sat on the couch; he let her stare off into space as he brushed away the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

**********

"What would you like to discuss?" Monica asked Jason. She led him into her office as he appeared to want the privacy.

He wasn't quite sure how to best phrase the question. "How would I know if there have been any side effects from past brain trauma?" He asked.

"Typically headaches, dizziness, maybe some nausea, or black-outs, is this something you should be asking Patrick about?" She asked in concern.

"No, I don't think so." He answered. "What about hallucinations?"

"What kind of hallucinations?"

"Very, very vivid hallucinations."

"When did they start?" She questioned.

"Yesterday. I was in the ambulance with Carly and she spoke to me. She told me to save the baby, and then I turned my attention away for a moment and when I looked back she was still unconscious. I swore it was real, until I saw the look the EMT gave me."

"Have there been any since then?"

"Last night I had a dream that she was with me at Jake's. It reminded me of the way we acted when we met but it didn't feel like a memory. Before I woke up she vanished, and I can't describe how cold I felt."

"I'm guessing there's more?"

"Yeah. This morning she took a shower with me." He confessed.

"Oh, vivid." She repeated. Jason nodded. "Nikolas mentioned having hallucinations of Emily when he was dealing with his tumor. He also experienced black-outs though."

"You think I'm crazy." He surmised.

"No, honestly, if you're asking me as a doctor I do think there's something chemical going on due to grief."

Jason nodded; he still heard 'honestly, I think you're crazy.'

"As your mother, and someone that knows you and Carly very well. I think there is a connection that you two are sharing beyond consciousness. It may explain the increased activity of Carly's limbic system; she's reaching out to you Jase."

Jason shook his head and snickered.

"What?" Monica asked.

"That just sounds very soap opera-esque." He teased.

"Would you rather I told you that you were crazy?"

**********

When he left Carly's room, Jax found himself meandering in the direction of the nursery. He was hoping for some father-daughter bonding time.

"Mr. Jax, you are just the person that I was hoping to run in to." Dr. Lee commented.

"What gives me such an honor?" Jax asked.

"Britni." She answered. "She's doing fantastic, and I think she's ready to go home as soon as tomorrow."

"That's wonderful." Jax said, less than enthusiastic. He had always imagined that when he brought his child home from the hospital it would be a Hallmark family moment.

"I know this isn't ideal." Dr. Lee sympathized. "She's showing signs of missing her mother, but her family has done a great job of making her feel loved. I think the best thing for her is to be home."

Jax continued to the nursery. He was thrilled that Britni was doing so well. There were times that she was noticeably fussy, where feedings and changing's were not helping. He wondered if separation from the one constant over the past eight months had played a role. As he approached the nursery he found his daughter in her uncles' arms.

"Hi Lucas."

"Oh, hi." Lucas greeted him. "I was just leaving."

"No rush. I just talked to the doctor. She thinks it's helping her being surrounded by family." Jax explained.

"I'm glad, but really, Lucky and I were going to go grocery shopping. Elizabeth has volunteered to do the Thanksgiving cooking so mom doesn't have to. She requested that we pick up a few things on our way back."

"That's right, Thanksgiving is tomorrow." Jax realized. 'Britni's first thanksgiving,' he thought. At least he had one thing to be thankful for.

Lucas changed the subject, noticing the sting the realization brought. "I heard a rumor that Britni may be coming home soon. That would be nice."

"Tomorrow." Jax clarified. "I wish that it was under different circumstances, with Carly, Morgan, and Michael if he felt comfortable with it. I don't know what I am going home to." Jax had thought at great length how devastated he would be if anything happened to Carly, but he did not let himself imagine the family he would be losing. Without Carly, where would Morgan be living? Would Sonny let him have a relationship with his sister despite the disdain he had for her father?

There was a pause in the conversation as both men took in the gravity of the situation. Lucas wanted to offer encouragement, or give a simple 'everything is going to work out for the best.' He could not believe that. He wanted his sister to be okay just as much as Jax did. It was tearing himself up inside that he may never get the chance to talk to her again. Instead he handed his niece over to her father and said, "If you are looking for a place to spend the holiday, you are more than welcome at the Brownstone."

"Thank you, but I wouldn't want to intrude."

Both Lucas and Jax looked over at the voice coming from the doorway. "You wouldn't be. You're a Spencer now, as is she." Bobbie explained.

Jax was appreciative of the overture, but without his wife he could only imagine that spending that time with her family would be that much more painful for all of them. "Perhaps Britni and I could stop by soon." He said noncommittal.

There was a momentary cease of conversation. Lucas took the opportunity say goodbye to his mother before meeting Lucky in the parking lot.

"Jax, I know Sonny and Jason are giving you a hard time right now."

"They're not wrong." Jax admitted, although he wasn't proud of admitting that he agreed with Sonny.

"Yes, they are. I was talking to Dr. Drake. There were some questions I had following the test results. You didn't cause that blood clot. It had been forming for a while, and Patrick is convinced that she would have had to have been experiencing symptoms for the past couple of weeks."

Jax was stunned by this. He tried thinking back to anything she may have said or done that would have implied that she was off. A couple of weeks ago she had an appointment with Dr. Lee. They did an ultrasound of the baby and everything was perfect. They had set up the appointment for the c-section and Carly was happy. She was calm and even okay with Jax leaving for the weekend. Maybe that was a red flag. When was Carly ever okay with Jax being away and spending time charming other women? Especially over a family holiday? Perhaps it was just her way of hiding the truth from him, which wasn't unlike Carly. She probably thought if she could hang on long enough for the c-section that everything would work out. She could have the baby, and then would start treatment for the blood condition without anybody ever knowing. This news did not change his mind. If anything it had the opposite effect, he should have known.

"I still left." Jax replied. "I should have been there. Instead she was in the house alone and unconscious. What if she wasn't able to dial Jason?"

"Then Michael would have found her and called her an ambulance. You were trying to do what she asked to calm her down, and Carly didn't let you know that she was so close to a stroke."

"I don't understand how you can forgive me." Jax commented. He wasn't sure that he could forgive himself. When he married Carly he swore to protect her. Instead he failed to see that she was in trouble, he failed in keeping his brother from hurting her, and he walked away when she needed someone.