Part Seventeen

            Taggert had immediately put out and APB on AJ Quartermaine.  Gia had recounted how she was supposed to meet Jason at the club.  She had walked upstairs to find him lying on the floor and AJ standing over him.  He had a gun in his hand and she managed to talk him into giving it to her.  Then he got scared and pushed her.  That was how she hit her head.  

            "He had a wild look in his eyes." Gia went on.  Her brother and Carly were her audience now.  Sonny had disappeared as soon as she had said AJ's name.  "I think he was in shock.  He didn't really think before he shot him.  Either that or he is truly insane."

            "Why did you risk your life like that?" Marcus asked his sister.  "He could have shot you."

            "He knew I was there, Marcus.  He could have shot me in the back if I ran.  Plus, I had to help Jason." She couldn't get the image of Jason lying in a pool of blood out of her head.  He looked so pale… "How's Jason?" She asked again.

            "He's holding his own." Carly told her.  "If there aren't any complications in the next few days then he should be okay.  He'll have to let himself heal…that's the biggest problem."

            "I'll make sure of it." Gia told her.  "I'll make sure he gets better."

            "Gia, I don't want you anywhere near Jason." Marcus said.  "You almost died because of him."

            "Would you get it through your head?" Gia cried, causing her own head to pound.  She winced and then continued.  "AJ Quartermaine shot him.  He is not in the mob.  I am not in danger when I am with Jason.  And I am going to be with Jason.  In fact, the reason why we were at Club 101 was to get the rest of my stuff."

            Marcus sighed.  Gia was determined and he knew that once she had made up her mind nothing was going to change it.  He knew that now wasn't the time to talk to Gia about her growing relationship with Jason Morgan.  He stood up and kissed her forehead.  "Just get some rest." He was going to find AJ Quartermaine and make sure he paid.

            "Okay." She watched her brother go and sighed in relief.  "I wish he would get off my back."

            Carly sat down in the chair.  "He's your brother and he cares about you.  I think that it's kinda sweet…but I can see the annoying part of it too."

            "Did you see Jason?" Gia asked.

            Carly nodded.  "There were a lot of machines there and he looked so small compared to them all.  But I know Jason.  And I know that he is fighting with all he's got to get better.  Now that he's got you he has got something extra special to fight for."

            "Will you do me a favor?" Gia asked.

            "Anything, honey." Carly told her.

            "Will you sit with him?  I want to be there but Amy said I have to stay in bed.  But I would feel better knowing that there was someone with him.  Can you do that?"

            "Sure." Carly stood up.  "I'll come see you later on to make sure that you are doing alright.  Now get some rest."

            "You sound like Marcus." Gia commented.

            "Don't go there."  Carly joked, squeezing Gia's hand and exiting the room.  She wrapped her arms around herself as she prepared to see Jason again.  She wished Sonny was there to be with her but she knew that he was giving orders for AJ to be found.  She hadn't lied to Gia when she said that Jason would fight with everything he had.  She just hated the waiting.  When she got back to the ICU, she saw that Alan and Monica were still standing there looking in at Jason.  She knew that they loved Jason very much even if he wasn't the Jason they knew.  She wondered if they knew about AJ yet. Carly watched them closely.  She could tell by their body actions that they were still in the dark.   Carly felt a little sorry for them…they were          about to find out that their one son was in serious condition because their other son had finally snapped.

            She approached them both quietly, and came to stand by them to look in the window at Jason.  "How is he?"

            Alan looked down at Carly.  He knew that she had caused his family a lot of pain but she also had changed to someone that he thought he could stand.  And he knew that Jason loved her.  "He is the same.  It's not good news but it's not bad news either. At least he hasn't taken a turn for the worse.  Were you downstairs with Gia?"

            She nodded.  "She woke up."

            Alan sighed with relief.  He would have to make a quick visit later on.  He had treated her and therefore was her doctor on the case.  "Did she say who did this to them?"

            Carly bit her lip.  She didn't want to be the one to tell them this.  It sounded wrong coming from her.  "She did, Alan.  I think you should talk to the police." She looked away avoiding the eyes of AJ's parents.

            "Carly, if you know something please tell us." Monica spoke up.  "I want to know who did this to Jason."

            "I hate to tell you this…" Carly took a deep breath.  "It was AJ."

            "AJ!" Monica gasped falling against her husband.  "Why would AJ do this?"

            "I really don't know." Carly slipped past them both.  "Just talk to the police okay."  She advised them as she stood in the doorway to Jason's room.  "They can tell you more.  I am really sorry." Carly said and then moved to sit next to Jason's bed.  She looked back and saw Alan holding Monica.  She wished she wasn't the one who told them.  She took Jason's hand.  "Hey there Jase.  It's me again.  Gia wanted me to come and stay with you.  She's really worried about you.  I can tell she cares a lot for you.  I am really happy for you both.  My two friends finding something together.  I also wanted to let you know that she's okay.  She is downstairs waiting for you to wake up.  Please open your eyes soon."  She pleaded and paused.  "I wanted you to know that the police and Sonny are looking for AJ.  They are going to get him for what he did to you."  Carly yawned.  She was exhausted and hungry.  She would sit with him for a while longer and then run to the cafeteria for something to eat.

            ****

            Gia sighed and tried in vain to close her eyes and rest.  Everyone was telling her that.  Marcus, Carly, Amy…but she just couldn't sleep.  Not until she saw Jason.  She needed to see that he was still alive with her own eyes.  The last time she saw him she was sure that he was dead.  The image kept popping up in her head. 

            The door opened and Gia sat up.  Her heart sank when she saw who it was.  "Dr. Quartermaine…" She could tell by his face that he already knew about AJ. She felt so sorry for him.  One son was seriously hurt; the other one was in serious trouble. 

            "How do you feel?"

            "Besides my headache, restless." She told him.

            "I could prescribe something for it." He told her looking at her chart.

            "That's okay." She lowered her voice.  "How's Jason?"

            "I think he should make it." Alan told the frightened girl.  "But I think that is the father in me speaking and not the doctor.  It's hard to separate the line tonight."

            "I'm sorry." She said.

            He knew that she was referring to AJ.  "I am just glad that he didn't hurt you too bad."

            "I hope that they find him…not because I want to see him punished…I also want to see him helped." Gia told him.  "He was my friend once.  I know that he is scared and he needs help."

            Alan nodded.  "I hope they find him too.  I'll check on you in the morning.  Just try to get some rest."

            There was that word again, Gia thought as he left.  She tried again to close her eyes and sleep but again sleep would not come.  She needed to see Jason.  She had decided that she was going to do so.  She threw back the covers and groaned.  She hadn't realized that she was wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns.  She couldn't go walking through the hospital halls like that.  She grabbed her IV pole and wheeled it out to the door.  She looked around and saw that the hall was empty.  She walked the short distance to the cart she saw against the wall.  There were hospital scrubs on one of the shelves.  She grabbed a pair of blue pants and slipped into them.  She ignored the dizziness she was feeling as she walked to the elevator.  Marcus had said Jason was in the ICU and she was pretty sure that was one floor up. 

            Once inside the elevator, Gia leaned against the wall and prepared herself to see Jason.  She knew that Carly wouldn't tell her if he was in bad shape or not.  Would there be lots of tubes coming from him like on those medical shows?  The doors opened and she was relieved to see that Alan or Monica was not around.  She knew that they would take her right back to her bed.  She had to see Jason.  She wheeled the IV pole over to the window and took a breath before looking in.  She felt tears come to her eyes when she saw Jason.  Carly wasn't in the room.  She must have had to go home to be with her children. 

            Gia entered the room and sat down in the chair beside his bed.  She put her hand to her mouth and let the tears flow for a few minutes.  Then she sighed and reached out to touch his face.  For some reason she thought he would feel cold, and was overwhelmed when she touched his warm skin.  "I'm here, Jason.  I don't know if you can hear me or not but I wanted you to know that I am here.  I need you to wake up. I am so scared right now.  I am scared I am going to loose you…but I just found you.  And you promised, remember?  You promised me that you wouldn't let anything or anything hurt me.  Well, if you never wake up then I would be so hurt.  And you promised me!" Gia repeated with more force.  "So you better wake up and keep your promise!"

            ****

            Carly sipped her juice as she threw out the wrapper from her sandwich.  She was still hungry but she figured that anything was better than nothing. She looked at her watch.  It was close to midnight.  She should go back to Jason's room.  Gia didn't want him to be alone.  She also wished that Sonny would call with any kind of news on AJ.  She pressed the button to go back up to ICU but when the elevator doors opened, she didn't get on.  Instead she continued down the hall.  She knew that she was going to come upon the nursery.  She thought the sight of all those children might calm her down a little.  She walked up the nursery and smiled when she saw all the babies resting in the dim light.  She remembered when she and Sonny had stood there looking at Adella resting in her little pink hat. 

            One of the babies stirred and Carly reached out and put her hand on the glass.  What a cute little guy…Carly's eyes grew wide.  Standing there, things were starting to fall into place.  Lately she had been tired and her appetite had increased.  She had blamed it on the stress of being a mother to two children, a wife, a friend and an owner of a successful club.  But she had the exact same symptoms with Adella.  Could it be that she was pregnant again?  She was late but only by a week.  She shook her head and headed away from the nursery. 

            She had to know…