Part Eighteen
Jason followed Gia down the hallway of General Hospital. He felt excitement growing inside of him. This was the day he had waited for. He was going to get to see his baby…and hear the heartbeat. This was going to make everything seem so very real to him.
"So did you make a New Year's Resolution?" Gia asked as they sat down in the waiting area.
He shook his head. He had rung in the New Year with Gia, Sonny and Carly a few nights ago. "Did you make one?"
She nodded her head. "A few actually. First off, I want to stop snacking on some of the junk food I eat. I get cravings for ice cream way too much."
Jason laughed a little. "I say eat what you want."
"So does the baby." She said. "You know I didn't believe Carly's dill pickle/chocolate ice cream story but the other night I was lying in bed thinking that it wouldn't taste that bad." She cringed at the thought of the two tastes intermingling in her mouth. "Thank God the baby and I compromised on a nice healthy donut. My second resolution is that I don't start complaining about how fat I am getting." She sighed. She had just gotten the 'Princess of Winter' ad from Laura. She noticed that she was gaining a little weight but Laura assured it that it wasn't anything to worry about. No one was going to care. She had just tossed the photo of her in a long white ball gown standing among fake icicles and snow causing Laura to laugh. "And my final resolution is that I always remember to put the baby first."
"Isn't that what you've done so far?" Jason asked.
Before Gia could answer, she and Jason were called into the doctor's office. The sonogram procedure was explained and then they were taken to the room where it would be performed.
Gia scooted up onto the table and laid back. She was excited to see the first images of her baby. She felt a cold gel spread onto her ever expanding belly and shivered. Jason was standing by her side. He waited patiently while the Dr. Meadows searched for the baby.
"There it is." The doctor announced. Both Jason and Gia's eyes flew to the screen where they could make out the faint shape of a head.
"That's my baby!" Gia cried. "My little baby!" She knew that she thought it felt real at other times but now it was cemented. She was having a baby…not just any baby, the baby that appeared on the screen. She watched as Dr. Meadows pointed out things like hands and arms. She then flipped a switch and the sound of heartbeat filled the room.
Jason hadn't said a word since his baby appeared on the screen. Now as he stood there listening to the heartbeat he felt emotions he never experienced before. He felt an overwhelming love for his child build in his heart. He just stood there in awe of the whole situation. He then felt something take his hand and he looked down to see Gia had joined their hands as they continued to listen to the sound.
Gia finally spoke up. "Is it supposed to be that fast?" She asked a little worried.
Dr. Meadows nodded. "Don't worry Gia, everything appears to be normal."
Gia's smile was so wide she swore her face would break. She looked back up at Jason who wore an identical look.
Dr. Meadows handed Gia a towel to clean off her belly. "I'll be right back with a surprise." She announced leaving the two in the room.
Gia tossed the towel aside when she was done and looked over at Jason. "Can you believe that?"
Jason sat down in a nearby chair. "That was incredible."
Gia nodded in agreement. "Our little baby…" She trailed off. "I am so glad that we agreed to do this. I think I'll go to sleep tonight remembering the sound of the baby's heartbeat. I'm glad we decided to wait until the baby's born to find out if we have a son or daughter. I can't think I would want to know before. I know some people want to know so they can paint their nursery pink or blue. I don't want the nursery either color so why do I need to know?" She eyed Jason who was still staring at the machine that had showed him his baby. "What do you want?" She asked Jason. "A son or a daughter?"
"All I want is a healthy baby." Jason announced.
"Are you always like this?" Gia asked.
"Like what?"
"So vague…come on, Jason. You must dream about the baby…I do a lot. In your dreams are you holding a boy or a girl?" She asked.
Jason thought for a moment. She was right. He did dream of the baby. But he never saw whether it was a boy or a girl. It was just his child snuggled tightly in his arms. But he knew that Gia wanted an answer. "It's a girl."
"A girl?" Gia repeated. "I would have thought you would want a son."
"Why?" Jason asked.
"Because isn't that what most men want? A little boy that they can play catch with and go fishing with." She said thinking of all the commercials.
"A girl can play catch too and I don't like fishing." He admitted. "I tried it once and it's actually really boring."
"A girl." She said again. "I would love a daughter…someone that I could pamper. On the other hand, a son would nice too. My little prince…" She put her hand to her belly. "So, what are you?"
Jason just laughed. "Like I said, lets just aim for a healthy baby."
"And like I said, everything is progressing fine." Dr. Meadows said as she reappeared in the room. "Gia is eating properly and avoiding stress."
Gia accepted the envelope that Dr. Meadows held out. "What is it?"
"It's a photo from the sonogram." She said watching the younger woman pull it out. "I figured you two would like a copy."
Gia's eyes lit up as she opened the envelope and peered inside. Sure enough, a black and white photo clearly showing the baby's head was nestled inside. She held it against her and smiled. "Thank you."
Dr. Meadows just smiled back. "I have other appointments. Any last minute questions?"
Both Gia and Jason shook their heads. Gia gathered her things and they left the room. As they were about to leave the hospital they heard a voice calling their names.
Gia turned around first and saw Monica Quartermaine coming towards them. She had talked to Jason's mother once or twice and could tell that the older woman was proud to be a part of the baby's life. "Hi Mrs. Quartermaine."
"Monica." The doctor corrected. "Is everything alright with the baby?" She asked wondering why the two were in the hospital.
"Yes." Jason answered. "Just a routine checkup."
"And look…" Gia got excited as she pulled the photo from the envelope. "We got this." She said carefully passing the photo to Monica.
Monica studied the photo. She smiled, knowing she was looking at her grandchild. "The baby's beautiful." She said. She didn't have to wait for it to be born…she knew already that the baby would be adorable.
"Thank you." Gia said replacing the photo just as carefully as she had taken it out.
"No, thank you for showing me." Her pager went off. "I got to run. See you both."
"Bye." Jason watching her hurry off.
"I think we've just made her day." Gia said. "I'm glad that you agreed to let some of the Quartermaines be involved."
"Just as long as the old man keeps quiet." Jason said. So far Edward hadn't said much about the baby. But Jason wouldn't put it past the man to have something planned.
"He won't get anywhere near my baby." Gia announced as they left the hospital and walked out into the cold January day.
"Do you want to come back to the penthouse and have something to drink or eat?" Jason asked.
Gia nodded. It was late in the afternoon and she really didn't have anything else planned. They had traveled together in one of Sonny's cars. She crawled into the heated vehicle and leaned back against the seat. "I could really go for a nice bowl of soup." She told him as the driver drove back to Harbor View Towers.
"I think Sonny has some homemade stuff in his freezer." Jason said. "I borrow it."
Gia laughed. "If it wasn't for Sonny I bet you would eat at Kelly's everyday."
"You're probably right." Jason said.
****
"Carly really lucked out, you know." Gia said finishing off the rest of the homemade vegetable soup that Jason had heated up for her. "She got a guy who is well off, loves kids and can cook really well."
Jason laughed. "Do you want anything else?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't eat another bite." She admitted. She looked at her watch. It was early evening now. She really didn't want to go back to her empty house quite yet. Clearing her dishes into the sink, she began to run some water.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"What does it look like?" Gia asked. "Where are your wash clothes?"
"You don't need to do that." Jason said pulling out a cloth from the drawer.
"But I want to." Gia said cleaning what little mess she had made. When she was done she settled down on Jason's couch and reached for her jacket pocket. Pulling out the envelope she stared at the picture of the baby again.
Jason sat down beside and watched her looking at the picture. Her face was a mask of concentration as if she was trying to memorize every detail.
"You want to look?" She asked, handing him the picture.
Jason was as taken by the picture as Gia. He traced the outline of the head with his finger. Gia impulsively laid her head on his shoulder so they could both look at the baby.
"I think that Monica was right." Gia said. "This baby is going to be beautiful."
Jason agreed. How could it not be? He glanced down at Gia's head lying on his shoulder. With her as for a mother…the child would be stunning. He looked back at the photo. Not for one moment did he think it was silly for the two of them to be sitting there staring at the hazy sonogram picture. It seemed natural.
"I want you to keep it here." Gia announced, breaking the silence. She yawned and then watched his reaction.
Jason was surprised. He had watched her clutch the picture so close to her when Dr. Meadows first gave it to her. He watched how carefully she had handled it before giving it to Monica. "I couldn't do that."
"I didn't get you a Christmas present." Gia said. "So belated Merry Christmas."
"I told you that is okay." Jason said trying to hand her the photo. She refused to take it.
"I want you to have it Jason." She said again. "It isn't fair that you don't have anything of the baby here. I'm with the baby all the time." She said her hand resting on her stomach. "I want the baby to be with you to. I guess this way, it can sort of be."
He smiled. "Thank so." He suddenly remembered something. Standing up with the photo in his hand, he crossed the room to his desk. He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out the photo of him and Elizabeth. It no longer hurt him that much to look at their smiling faces. He took the back off and replaced the photo with the one of his child. Glancing once more at the photo of him and Liz, he then crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash. He sat the photo on the coffee table and sat back down on the couch.
"I like it." Gia said, yawning again.
"Tired?" He asked.
She nodded, closing her eyes a little. "I think I'll just lay back and take a quick nap. You don't mind, do you?" She said, still feeling that overwhelming urge not to go home.
"Of course not." He said, watching her fall asleep.
Half an hour later, Jason decided that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Her nap had quickly turned into a deep sleep and Jason remembered reading something about how pregnant mothers needed a lot of sleep. He also decided that the couch was not comfortable enough for her back. Carefully, he scooped her up, watching her face to see if she had stirred any. When she didn't, he carried her up to his bedroom and tucked her under the covers.
Heading back downstairs, Jason scooped up his phone to call Rex to tell him that Gia wouldn't be coming home tonight. He told the bodyguard to make sure the house was shut up properly and then told him to head home.
After he hung up, Jason picked up the sonogram photo again. He wondered what the baby would look like. He already knew that it would have Gia's dark features. He or she would have Gia's dark hair and eyes. The baby would have Gia's wonderful skin tone. He was beginning to hope that it would be a girl. Just so it would take after Gia…
He drifted off to sleep with the photo resting on his chest.
****
Even for a man like Mark, he felt a little sick about the job he was given to do. He understood that his boss wanted Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan to sit up and think but this was a little too much.
He sat in his car and waited for the phone call. He had hired a real professional to do this. His phone rang, causing him to jump. "Yes."
"The light in the living room just turned on, and I can make out a figure through the curtains." The man on the other line said. "Do I fire?"
Mark thought for a moment. He knew defying his boss would be dangerous but on the other hand killing a woman and her child was too much for him. He bit his lip.
"Do I fire?" The man repeated.
"Yes." Mark finally said before hanging up the phone. He started his car and sped off. He wanted to be far away from Port Charles. He wanted to try and push away the guilt he already felt.
At the exact same moment, the hired gun opened fire on Gia's bungalow. Bullets were every way, breaking windows, embedding in walls and furniture. After a few moments, he waited for moment. Seeing none he packed up his gun and left. With no neighbors in the near vicinity, no one would discover the mess until morning…he was sure of it.