Chapter 18- More Trouble Than She's Worth

The black car pulled over onto the side of the road, near where the SUV had rolled over and was now lying over near the woods.

Armando Sandoval was furious. He couldn't believe the nerve Antonio had to do this to him, betray him like this. Getting out of the vehicle that forced Antonio and Courtney's car off the road, Sandoval slammed the door and marched straight over to the wrecked car.

The car, overall, didn't look like it was totaled. The glass on the windshield was broken and the roof was indented a little bit. Armando thought he could open the door if he tried hard enough. But he had to act fast, he knew that Antonio would have called Morgan by now.

Wrenching open the door that he was closest to, he saw Courtney Morgan. He knew it was a risk to drive their car off the road, but it was one he had to take. He just hoped that her baby made it.

She had a gash on her head, making a trail of blood down her face. Other than that though, she seemed to be okay. It would be easy to get her out of the car because of how she was positioned. Sandoval pulled her arms toward him and picked her up. He looked at the cut on her head, it was still bleeding, but he presumed that she would be okay.

"Take her to the car. When you place her down, call the doctor. Tell him to meet us at the unmarked safe house, he'll know what you're talking about. There will be no need to go into detail," Sandoval told his employee as the man nodded and took the pregnant, wounded woman into his arms and carried her to the car.

"As for you," Sandoval began as he made his way to the other side of the SUV to make sure that Antonio was dead, "You betrayed me. I put my faith in you, after what happened to Lauren. I let you become part of this business because you wanted revenge. Look what you did," Sandoval said as he lifted the man's head up by his hair, seeing the extent of the injuries on his face.

There was blood everywhere, his nose appeared to be broken and he wasn't breathing. Armando decided that he'd leave him here to die.

"I told you not to follow your heart. It always gets in your way," the mobster said as he left Antonio in the banged up SUV and walked through the short grass to his own vehicle. Getting in, he saw his trustworthy employee holding his captive. Nodding to his driver, they left the scene of the accident.

"Courtney Morgan, you may be more trouble than you're worth," Sandoval said.

Driving down the road, Jason was scared to death.

"Jason, calm down," Sonny said, "This Antonio guy seems like a good man. She'll be okay, they both will be."

Jason gripped his hands tighter on the wheel as he heard the word 'both'. If they both weren't okay, there would be hell to pay, and he'd make sure he killed every single person involved in his wife's kidnapping.

"Jason look," Sonny said as he motioned to the side of the road, where a black SUV lay on the side of the road. It looked pretty banged up. Pulling over, Jason bolted out of the car, running full speed toward the damaged vehicle. It looked to him like the car had rolled over, he thanked God that it landed on it's wheels.

Opening up the car door, Jason covered his mouth with his hand. He saw his pregnant wife, her head on her shoulder, with blood gushing down the side of her head. He felt Sonny come up behind him and touch his shoulder.

"They got here before us," Sonny said slowly as he tried to pull Jason away.

"What are you talking about Sonny? She's right here," Jason said as he went to touch his wife, but found that indeed, there was nothing there. She was gone again.

"I'm sorry Jas, I thought we had her for sure this time," Sonny said as Jason turned around to look at his mentor.

"I saw her, she was bleeding," Jason said as he tried to pull himself together.

"It's okay man, we'll find them," Sonny said as he put his arm around his best friend.

"I know we will," Jason said, determined. Then he remembered, Antonio.

Walking swiftly around to the other side of the wrecked car, he saw the man who had tried to save his family's life. Jason, without much effort, pulled the man out of the car.

"Antonio?" Sonny guessed as he followed Jason.

"Yeah, it must be," Jason said as he checked for a pulse. He found one.

"He looks pretty banged up," Sonny said, stating the obvious.

"He's alive, we have to get him to a hospital. Chances are that he knows where Sandoval's taking Courtney," Jason said as he picked up the man. The weight came as a shock to him, he had been so used to picking up Courtney…

Jason laid the man down in the back of the car, quickly moving to the front, and he drove as fast as he could to General Hospital.

Her head ached like it had never done before in her life. It seemed like opening her eyes would be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. So she kept them closed for a little while. But her ears, well, they heard it all.

"Mrs. Morgan will wake up when she's ready," a male voice said.

"The baby?" Sandoval asked, twisting his hands around.

"The baby's fine. Mrs. Morgan suffered no internal injuries. She's very lucky," the doctor said.

"Good, I just, I did what I had to do. I did what was necessary," Sandoval mumbled an excuse off to the doctor, who was looking at him through squinted eyes.

"I'm sure," was his sarcastic remark. The doctor began to pack up his bag and get ready to leave.

"Thank you Dr. Jones," Armando said as he got up to shake the doctor's hand.

"Call me Tony," the doctor said as he looked one more time at Courtney. She was a woman he didn't know very well, but, he knew her husband, her best friend, and her brother. And Tony hated them all, very much.

"Tony, I'll call you if something else happens," the mobster said as he showed Tony the door.

"Alright, you know the number where you can reach me," Dr. Jones said as he stepped outside.

"Yes, thanks again," Sandoval said as he watched Tony Jones get into his car and drive away.

Walking back over to the unconscious woman, he pushed her hair back off her face.

"You and I will be getting to know each other very well," he said.

Courtney let him touch her, only because she didn't want him to know what she had just heard. Tony Jones. The thought of him made her sick. She'd play Sandoval's little game, but she would win.

"How is he?" Jason asked Monica as she came out of the OR room.

"He's stable, but sleeping," Monica replied as she looked up at her destroyed son. She felt for him when he told her that Courtney and their unborn son had been kidnapped. When he said that Antonio tried to bring her home, she knew she'd do whatever she could to save the man.

"So he'll wake up?" Sonny asked as he walked over to stand next to Jason.

"Yes, probably soon too. He suffered a broken nose, a concussion, and lots of cuts and bruises," Monica said as she glanced back toward his room.

"I'll just sit with him until he wakes up," Jason said as he thanked his mother and went into Antonio's room.

Looking at the man, a man he had only spoken to over the phone, he felt a strong surge of sympathy. This man had sacrificed himself to save Courtney and their son. Jason had to wonder why…

"Hey man, you need to wake up so we can find Courtney and the baby," Jason said as he pulled up a chair next to the man's bed.

"Thanks for, you know, being there for her. I'm sure she was scared and felt alone. It really means a lot to me that she had someone who she knew would take care of her," Jason said as he twisted his wedding band around his finger. "Just wake up," Jason pleaded as he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the moment when Antonio woke, and they could go and get Courtney.

That moment couldn't come soon enough.