Note: We take this moment to mourn the loss of Tamara Braun as our beloved and or hated Carly Corinthos. For those that don't know, it is true, Tamara has decided that she does not wish to continue with the role and has opted to not renew her contract. In other, happier news, I got a Dillon scene. A good one!

Story-

Lounge Area-

"Yes, Jason," Bobbie thought that she wouldn't need to reiterate, especially when it came to Jason Morgan, but she also knew that sometimes the best news was the hardest news to actually accept. "Morgan's fighting off the infection as we speak. They're going to keep him here overnight just in case something comes up, but the doctor was very hopeful that he would make it through the night without any complications."

Maxie was thankful that Morgan was all right, just as thankful as anyone else. Damian's family had become a part of her family much in the same way that Dillon had. Besides, if Maxie's fantasy of staying with Damian for the rest of her life ever came true then Morgan would be her brother-in-law, but that didn't matter. What was really important was the fact that there was a little boy who was going to stay alive and live longer. Nobody wanted anything more than that.

"How are you holding up, Maxie?"

"Better," she smiled. "We're all doing better now that we know he's going to be okay."

Mike agreed wholeheartedly. "Just so you know… Carly didn't mean what she was saying earlier. When she's nervous she lashes out. And nothing makes a parent more nervous than seeing one of their children in pain."

"You're defending Carly?"

"She's my daughter-in-law, Maxie. We might not always see eye to eye, but I care about her and I care about her children. I just don't want you to hold what she said against her, I think she feels bad enough about it. Or she will when she finally gets around to thinking about what was said to both you and your little sister."

"I know that she was worried about Morgan, that she had every reason to be worried about her child, but that doesn't excuse her actions."

"Just drop it, Maxie. Please."

Both Mike and Maxie looked over to see Damian, who was standing a few feet away. Neither had been expecting him to leave Morgan's side so quickly.

Maxie moved away from the nurses' station and went to her boyfriend, hugging him tightly. "I was so worried about you. What you must have been going through while you were in there alone with Morgan. I'm just glad that you're both okay."

"Maxie…"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to let go… you're pressing a little too hard on the area where they stuck the needle in me, it's still pretty tender."

She blushed slightly as she pulled away. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Damian thought about the question. In some ways he was okay, in others he wasn't. But on the whole he was glad that he was with the people who he cared about. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Will you settle for holding hands?" Maxie wondered.

"I'll settle for holding hands."

Mike watched the two. He couldn't help but be amazed at how much they cared about each other. He hadn't even seen the two of them together when Damian first came around. Maxie was involved with that scummy bastard who ended up abusing her and then overdosing. It seemed like Damian was the best thing for Maxie, and Mike didn't think that it was so bad.

Bobbie was also happy that Maxie had gotten herself into a relationship that was worthy of the love that she had in her heart. She couldn't have picked a better person to be with her niece than her step-grandson. "Damian, everyone at the penthouses knows that Morgan made it through all right."

"Good. Thank you, Bobbie. How's Michael?"

"He finally fell asleep, according to Jason," she thought about that poor child. Michael had seen so much, been through things that certainly would have broken her if she were his age.

"Based on the smiles that are on all your faces, I'd assume that there was some good news to be heard?"

Bobbie knew that thick accent. She'd heard about Lois being back in town, but she had yet to actually see Lois since she arrived. It helped ease the mood, which was what they all needed at that time. "Lois!"

"Bobbie, I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your grandson. I can't even begin to imagine what you people are going through, but I can bet that Sonny and Carly are going bonkers right about now."

"They're doing better," Damian clutched Maxie's hand tighter. "How did you find out, Lois?"

"Alan thought that I should know that my best friend's baby boy was in the hospital, so he told me. He didn't say what was going on or how Morgan was, but I knew that Sonny needed all the support that he could get so I came right over."

"He'll be glad that you came," Mike hadn't been around to see the blossoming friendship that Sonny and Lois had when they were children, but he knew all about it. Sonny cared about Lois on a level that was different than anything else. Only the feelings that he had for Courtney were somewhat similar.

"I didn't come alone, Brookie insisted that she come along for some reason. She's downstairs at the gift shop looking for something to give Morgan."

"That's very kind of her," Damian remarked, not ignoring the sound that came out of Maxie's mouth. He knew that the two of them weren't the best of friends, or even friends at all.

"So what happened?" Lois inquired. "I mean I don't think you would all be here standing around doing nothing if things weren't okay…"

"Morgan needed my blood to help his immune system start running again, it took a few hours, but it worked."

"I need another favor from you, Damian…"

The crowd, now larger, heard Sonny's voice. They all looked at his face, making sure that it didn't give the slightest hint that something had gone wrong, that Morgan had relapsed into another sickness, one that couldn't be cured. Sonny didn't look like there was anything wrong, but Sonny was an expert at making the blank face, so it was up in the air.

"What is it, dad?" Damian asked. "And why are you here? I thought you'd be with Morgan for the rest of the night."

"I can't be with him right now," Sonny noted. "I've still got this cough, and I had to make sure that my visit with him was short so I didn't get him sick with something else while he finally got some fresh antibodies in his system. But I don't want to leave the hospital. Carly's going to stay with him for a little while longer. Bobbie… she's asking for you."

"Did she say what she needed?"

Sonny shook his head, "Just told me to tell you that she wanted to see you right away."

"Sonny…" Lois walked over and clutched his hand, "I came right when I heard. I'm so glad that Morgan's okay. I was praying the whole time we were driving from the Quartermaine Mansion."

"I'm glad you're here, Lois."

"Dad?" Damian didn't mind seeing the display that happened between his father and Lois, but Sonny said he needed something from him, and Damian still didn't know what.

"Oh, right," Sonny looked at the boy. "I need you to go home."

"What? Why?"

"Because one of us needs to be there with Michael right now, and you need to get some rest. I know how much of a drain giving all that blood to Morgan must have been."

"I'm fine…"

Sonny didn't want to hear the protests, "I almost lost one son today, I'm not going to let myself worry about another. Please, do this for me."

Damian knew that Sonny was just looking out for him, and he did appreciate the gesture that was being made. Sonny wasn't throwing him to the side, thinking that he was useless, Sonny was just trying to do something that he felt was the right thing. Who was Damian to argue? "Okay… but if you need me to come back…"

"I'll call. Do me a favor and answer your phone this time."

"Believe me, after today I'm never going to let the phone ring again…"

Maxie still felt guilty about her part in the ordeal, but knew that it was not the time to discuss such a thing. Instead, she merely kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, "I'll check up on you in a few hours, make sure you're doing okay. Remember, drink plenty of fluids and if you take a shower or a bath don't stay in too long."

"It's so cute that you're looking out for me," he brushed away some of her hair with his index finger. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

As Damian walked away, Sonny grabbed his arm. "I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

Damian embraced his father for a moment, "Morgan's my brother, dad. You don't need to pay me for caring about a member of my family." He let go and gave a shallow wave to the people around him before walking into the nearest open elevator.

Children's Wing-

Carly was still crying. Tears of joy, tears of pain. Somehow they managed to mix together. She was happy that her boy was alive, yet saddened that it had gotten to the point that it did. Her mind was going to explode from everything that it was going through. People weren't meant to go through so much pain. She knew that. Yet somehow it always seemed to be that she was the one who went through the motions and ended up surviving.

Bobbie walked in and saw her grandson in the sterile protection box that he was placed in. "Thankfully, he's too young to remember any of this."

"But we'll remember…"

"All we have to do is keep on telling ourselves that he made it out alive, Carly. We can't do anything more than that. Nor should we. Things like this happen all the time, we need to focus on the good things that happened, not the bad."

"I know, mom."

Bobbie sat down in the chair that was next to Carly, "You said that you needed me for something?"

"I need to know something… I thought I didn't need to know, but today showed me that I really can't go without at least having some idea of it."

Bobbie wondered what Carly meant. Her daughter's mind was foreign to her, something that was impossible to predict. "Carly… just ask me…"

Wiping away the tears in her eyes, Carly's gaze wandered from Morgan over to her mother, "I need to know who my father is."