*So, I am going to mess with Michael's birthday a little here. According to the show, it is December 29th, but I am going to make it before Christmas.

*Also, I know that Luke can be a pain, but I have always wished he and Carly were closer. So, I'm going to explore the relationship a bit in the story.

A week later, Jason came home to find Carly decorating the penthouse for Christmas. She was standing beside the tree, with Johnny on the stepladder putting up ornaments at her direction. She had gone all out in the decorations, there were garlands and lights. The tree had to be at least 8 feet tall and was decorated with burgundy and gold ornaments and an angel at the top. On the fireplace, hung three stockings, labeled for Jason, Carly, and the last smaller stocking just said baby on it.

Seeing Jason, Carly's face lit up as she asked him excitedly, "What do you think? I want our first Christmas to be perfect."

He smiled at the joy on her face. "It looks great. You haven't been lifting anything heavy have you?"

She rolled her eyes, and said, "Do you think the guys are going to let me carry anything heavy? They wouldn't even let me carry some of the bags with ornaments in them."

Jason gave Johnny a grateful nod, saying, "Good."

Carly let her exasperation show. To distract her, Johnny said, "Where do you want this ornament, Carly?"

Turning around, she started directing him again. Jason took the time to walk around looking at the changes Carly had made around the penthouse over the last week. She had complained that it was too dark, so she had been ordering things to brighten the place up. One day, he had shown up to find new throw pillows on the couch; another, new paintings on the wall. Today, he found picture frames filled with pictures of their family, one with the ultrasound picture, one with a picture of Carly as a child standing with who he assumed was her mother, one that she had found of him, and even one Carly had somehow found of the two of them. Everyday, it looked more like a home, like their home. Everything she had added seemed to meld her style with his, though until he saw it, he wouldn't have even thought he had a style. But looking around, he could tell she made the effort to make their home appealing to him as well.

He looked over to see Carly almost collapse on the couch. She looked up at him and smiled. "Decorating is exhausting."

Johnny scoffed. "You mean supervising decorating?"

She laughed, smirking at him. "Yes. Exactly."

Jason sat down next to her, so Carly leaned into him, putting her head on his shoulder. Looking down at her in concern, he said, "Maybe you should go take a nap."

"No. You just got home. I want to spend time with you." She gave him a soft smile.

Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head, then rested his head on top of hers. They sat quietly, enjoying the moment and connection for a moment. Finally, Carly asked, "How was your day?"

"Busy. Just getting everything settled."

She ran her hand up and down his arm. "You are doing a great job."

He looked down at her and raised a brow. She shook her head slightly. "Don't worry. No one is telling me anything more than you are doing great, and I know better than to ask. And, anyway, I would know just because I don't think you can do anything without doing it well."

He smiled softly down at her, then rested his head back on top of hers. They sat there in comfortable silence, both tired, until Jason realized Carly had fallen asleep. He watched her sleep for awhile, his fingers lightly tracing the dark circles under her eyes. He would have to make sure the guards encouraged her to rest more. His hand went down and rested on her belly. As if knowing he was there, the baby started kicking. He was always overcome with awe where the baby was concerned. He loved this little life already.

The kicking finally caused Carly to stir. He kissed the top of her head again. He softly said, "I think you should head up to bed. You need your rest."

She stretched, then smiled sleepily up at him. "I guess I drifted off on you."

"It's okay. Come on." He stood up, grabbed her hands and pulled her up off the couch. "I'll wake you up when dinner is ready."

He walked her up the stairs to her room. The more pregnant she had gotten, the more he worried about her. Her even walking up the stairs made him nervous. He stopped at her door, pulling her into a hug. She rested her cheek over his heart, melting at the closeness and intimacy of the moment. When her eyes began to droop again, she pulled back and gave him a smile. "Thank you, Jase."

She then slipped into her room. An hour later, Jason knocked on her door to let her know the food was done. When he didn't get an answer, he knocked again. Growing concerned that she wasn't answering, he opened the door and found Carly lying on the floor with a pool of blood around her. His heart almost stopped at the sight.

Running to her, he yelled, "Carly!"

He lifted her in his arms, yelling down the stairs to Johnny. Johnny rushed in to see Jason carrying her. He immediately got on his phone telling someone to meet them with the car, and ran ahead to get the elevator. He was floored by the look on his boss's face. He didn't ever think he had seen such anguish.

"Boss, she's going to be okay. She's a fighter." He tried to reassure him. "What can I do?"

Jason looked lost for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "Call the doctor and let her know we are on the way. And get guards to the hospital. I don't want Dr. Jones, AJ, or the Quartermaines anywhere near her. The only exceptions are Emily or Lila. Everyone else steers clear. And I do not want Monica or Alan participating in any of her care. And get another guard to watch the door. I want you at the hospital with me."

Johnny nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

The car ride to the hospital was made in silence. The fear that was gripping Jason overwhelmed almost every other emotion. He used to think he couldn't feel fear. He definitely felt it now. Carly and the baby had to be okay. He did something he had never done before, at least not that he remembered, he prayed. The entire ride to the hospital he pleaded with God to let them be okay.

When they arrived at the hospital, he was out the door before the car had fully stopped. Rushing in, the first person he saw was Bobbie Spencer. "Bobbie! Please, you have to help her. She is bleeding. I found her unconscious on the floor."

It was no secret that Bobbie wasn't a fan of the girl her husband had left her for, but the look on Jason's face made her rush to Carly, checking her over. They put her on a gurney, and pushed her back to the emergency department. Just moments later, Dr. Lee came rushing in. Jason stood back in the corner, not wanting to get in anyone's way, but also not willing to leave her side.

Dr. Lee asked him, "How long has she been like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe an hour. She had gone to take a nap, and when I went to wake her, she was on the ground bleeding."

"Has she been conscious at all?" Bobbie asked.

"Not since I found her, and she would have called for me if she was in trouble."

"Is there any family we can call for medical consent?" Dr. Lee asked. "I know you are the baby's father, but we are going to need someone who can consent to her procedures."

Bobbie looked up in surprise at the announcement that the baby was Jason's, but at his answer she paused in shock.

"I'm her husband. I can give consent."

Dr. Lee raised her eyebrows in surprise, but didn't stop checking Carly over. Finally, she told Jason, "Your wife is hemorrhaging. We need to do a C-section or she will lose too much blood."

Jason said, "Okay. Anything to save her." Then, after a pause, "What about the baby?"

Dr. Lee walked over to him, and in a kind voice said, "I'm not going to lie. This is earlier than I would prefer. His lungs are going to be the main concern. They may not be developed enough for him to breathe on his own. He will probably need to go to the NICU. But, Jason, I have delivered babies earlier than yours that have made it through. At this point, we need to stop the bleeding or they will both die."

Jason nodded. "Okay. Just please, I can't lose them."

Bobbie told Jason, "I will go with them. I will keep you updated about everything."

Looking at the woman he knew to be Carly's mother, he said, "Thank you."

He found himself sitting with several of his men in a surgical waiting room. Amy had come to get him to fill out paperwork, and both Monica and Alan had peeked their head in, then quickly left at his cold stare. After an hour, Luke walked into the waiting room and sat down next to Jason.

"How ya doin', kid?" Luke drawled.

Jason leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. Brokenly, he said, "They have to be okay. She has to be okay. I can't lose her."

"That viper niece of mine has got you but good, doesn't she?" He asked, not unkindly.

Jason turned his head to look at him. Studying the older man's face, he said, "You're worried too."

"Now, don't go spreading those type of rumors." Luke countered, though his heart wasn't in it.

Both men went silent, simply staring at the doors to the surgical rooms. Not long after, Dr. Lee came out of the doors with Bobbie close behind. The entire room was suddenly at attention as they walked over to Jason. Bobbie gave a questioning look to Luke, but decided not to ask.

Standing up, Jason asked, "How is she, doctor?"

"Perhaps we could talk in private, Mr. Morgan."

Shaking his head, he said, "No. Just please tell me. Is something wrong?"

"The surgery is a bit complicated. She has lost a lot of blood and we are having trouble stopping the bleeding. If we can't, I may need you to consent to giving Carly a hysterectomy."

Running his hand over his face, he told her, "Carly would hate that. Do you really think it is necessary? Are there other options?"

"That is the safest alternative. We do have other options. If you would prefer, we can try those, but there is a greater risk of major complications."

Jason looked unsure. Johnny stood up and asked, "How long does he have to decide?"

Dr. Lee answered, "Soon. We are giving her blood transfusions, but at the rate she is losing blood, it is critical."

Jason turned to Bobbie, asking, "What do you think I should do?" Though she didn't know, she was Carly's mother and to his way of thinking, should be included in the process.

Bobbie looked at him surprised. She noticed that all of the guards were watching her intently. Uncomfortably, she gave Dr. Lee an apologetic grimace and said, "Honestly, if Carly wants more children, I think we should try the other options."

Jason nodded, and finally said, "Only as a last resort will I consent. She wants more kids, and I don't want to take that away from her. But, if it comes down to saving her life and a hysterectomy, I want you to save her."

Dr. Lee gave a short nod, and rushed out of the room again.

Forty five minutes later, Bobbie came out.

Jason asked, "What is going on? Is she okay? How is the baby?"

Focusing on Jason, she said with a smile, "The bleeding has stopped. She still isn't completely out of the woods, but Dr. Lee is closing up now. She will be in recovery for awhile before you can go back and see her. The baby is having trouble breathing and is small, so he is on a breathing machine and is in an incubator, but he is fighting. I can take you up to the NICU now, so you can meet him."

He took a deep breath, his emotions getting the better of him. Finally, he asked, "But they are both alive, right?"

She put a comforting hand on his arm. "Yes, they are both alive."