Chapter Eleven: Love is in the Air

Carly went downstairs to answer the door when she heard her doorbell. She was wearing a black spaghetti strap dress with black heels. She put her hair up in a french twist and went light on the make-up. When she opened the door Sonny's breath was taken away by the beauty before him.

Sonny: Wow. You are breathtaking.

Carly (Blushing): Thank you.

Sonny: These are for you.

(He handed her a bouquet of a dozen roses.)

Carly: Thank you, they're beautiful.

Sonny: Not as beautiful as you. Are you ready to go?

Carly: Yeah. Let me get my purse.

(They go out to Sonny's waiting Limo. They spent the limo ride in silence as Carly and Sonny just looked at one another. Sonny could see that there was something different in her eyes. Carly wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what to say. When the limo stopped Carly noticed that they were at the airport.)

Carly: The airport?

Sonny: I wanted to take you to my island where we first fell in love.

Carly: Sonny... I don't know. I think this a little too fast. Could we go to dinner and maybe dancing for tonight?

(Sonny was a little disappointed but hid it well.)

Sonny: No problem. Johnny could you turn us around and take us to No Name?

Johnny: Right away.

(Johnny turned around and started to head to No Name. Sonny noticed that Carly was very quiet and just stared out the window. He didn't say anything until a tear ran down her cheek.)

Sonny: Did something happen today?

Carly: I guess I can't hide it. I remembered some things today.

Sonny: What did you remember?

Carly: I remembered when we first met, when I helped you through your breakdown, the night we made love. How you rescued me from the Quartermaines and I...remembered...losing our baby. The last thing I remember is you telling me our baby was dead.

Sonny: Why didn't you tell me?

Carly: I thought I could handle it. We have grieved the loss of our child before and I didn't want you to have to go through that with me again. I just feel like I am living it all over again. It's so hard.

(Carly started to cry again and Sonny held her close. He hated that she was alone and had to deal with this again but at least he was here to help through it.)

Sonny: Why don't we go back to your house and I'll cook us dinner. Then we can talk.

Carly: I'd like that.

(Once again Sonny told Johnny to turn around. They went back to Carly's. Sonny asked Johnny to stop at the store so he could pick up what they needed. At the house he cooked fish with steamed potatoes and a green salad. As they were eating Sonny's curiosity got the best of him.)

Sonny: How did you remember?

Carly: Laura got in touch with an old friend who helped Lucky after Helena brainwashed him again. He had been experimenting with a drug to help people with amnesia. His name is Dr. Troy McIver. Today was our first session but as you can see I remembered a lot.

Sonny: Are you going to continue working with him?

Carly: Yes, I want to remember everything.

Sonny: I hope you do. How's Michael?

Carly: He's ok. He would like to see his uncle Sonny.

Sonny: I miss him too. Would it be ok if I took him to the park tomorrow?

Carly: He would love that and it's good for me too. I want to go check on the club and get back to work.

Sonny: Are you sure you're up to it?

Carly: I haven't been there in weeks. I need to get back.

(They finish eating and Carly turns on the stereo. "I'll stand by you" is playing on the radio and they begin to dance. Carly puts her head on Sonny's shoulder and closes her eyes, As soon as she does another memory surfaces.)

Memory: Sonny Shot

Doctor: Clear.

Nurse: We've got a sinus rhythm. And I've got a pulse.

Doctor: What's his BP?

Nurse: 70/38.

Doctor: Start him on a lidocaine drip. If his systolic's below 80, put him on a dopamine drip.

Nurse: His saturation's up 88.

Carly: Thank you, God.

Doctor: Get a portable chest x-ray up here.

Carly sighs

Carly: Thank you, God.

Doctor: Your husband's in stable condition. We're monitoring him closely, but you can sit with him.

Carly: Thank you. I told you he'd live, didn't I?

Doctor: Yes, you did.

Carly: They just don't know you like I do. You understand what it's like to be left? How angry it makes you and sad and empty? How long it takes to ever care about anyone or anything ever again? You wouldn't do that to me.

Carly sighs

Carly: Look, I know this is probably too much to ask considering how you almost died a minute ago, but now would be a really good time for you to wake up. You know, I'm holding on to faith here, but I got to tell you, I'm getting tired because I don't do real well with all these lights and machines and stuff. Probably, to be honest, I would have made a really bad nurse, which is not so shocking considering I didn't do very well at the Quartermaines', and I always thought that I'd make a fabulous rich person. But then I didn't ever really think that I'd be married to a guy who hated my guts and find out he's the only man I'll ever love. Not that made-up love that I felt for Tony or the kind of love I feel for Jason because I do love Jason, you know, but I love him like a friend. It's not the way that I love you, Sonny. I mean, I -when your heart stopped, my heart stopped. And that stupid doctor tried to say that you were dead. What's the matter with them? They don't - they don't know you. You're a survivor, you know? Ok, and You remember when we were on the island that day and you called me Caroline, which I really - I usually don't like for people to use my real name because - it's sort of the same way how you don't like people to call you Michael, which is probably because Michael was a scared little boy. Just like Caroline was this white trailer trash girl on the outside looking in on everything. Whereas, Sonny is this super cool mobster, and Carly's like - I don't know what Carly was even supposed to be now, but I know who she is. She's
just the woman that loves you so much. Always. That's a promise. That much I can I can - I can promise.

Carly: You know what? It's about time you woke up.

Carly: I should probably call a nurse, huh? Don't want to look away. Don't want you to go back to sleep again, Sonny ok? Can you hear? You can hear me, right? We're in the hospital. You probably feel pretty bad right now. That's - that's understandable. You got hurt really bad. But you're going to be fine.

Sonny: Shh.

Carly: I'm sorry. Do you want to say something? Baby?

Sonny: I came back for you.

Carly: Thank you.

(Sonny could feel tears on his shirt. He moved back and Sonny saw the tears streaming down Carly's face.)

Sonny: Carly? Are you ok?

Carly: You came back for me.

Sonny: You remember?

Carly: I remember I love you.

(Carly kisses him and he kisses back. He can feel the love and passion in her kiss and he knows that she remembers.)

Sonny: What did you remember?

Carly: You were in the ICU, Sorel's men shot you. (Carly puts her hand where the scars are on his chest.) Your heart stopped and the nurse wanted to call it but I wouldn't let her. Your heart started to beat again and I begged you to wake up. You opened your eyes and told me you came back for me and that you loved me.

(A tear escaped Sonny's eye and Carly wiped it away. They kissed again. As the passion begins to heat up they make there way to the couch. When they lie down. More memories come streaming back to Carly.)

Memory: 2nd Wedding

Sonny: Bless me, father, for I have sinned. I -- I hurt Carly deliberately. I -- I was cruel. I made her cry. But she sees right through me, father. She still wants me. She doesn't want to leave. I don't know how that happened. I thought spending my life alone was the price I had to pay for the way I live and the things that I do, but I guess you thought different. You exploded Carly into my life. Nothing is like before. The dark places are light, the quiet is noisy. I got a home full of love that I -- I never thought I -- I would have. I don't deserve Carly, but I love her and she loves me. And that's what scares me. People who love me die. Maybe I should be asking you to give me more strength to push her away or for the power to leave her and never look back. But, you know, I -- I don't want to be strong. I want Carly in my life even if it's dangerous for her. I know that's wrong and it's selfish, but I'm a selfish man and I do bad things. But please don't punish Carly for my life. Protect her from harm and help me keep her safe. Help her be happy. And if a life has to end, if someone has to pay--the things that I've done take me, not Carly. Until then, all I ask of you is to watch over her as much as you can, keep her safe, and let her know how much I love her even though I can't say those words sometimes.

Sonny: Thank you for sending someone who loves me for now and forever.

Sonny: These things I ask in the name of the father, son, Holy Spirit. Amen.

Carly: Ok.

Carly: Sonny? Anybody here?

Sonny: Shh. Be quiet.

Carly: Why?

Sonny: Because we can't be, you know -- church.

Carly: Oh, right, ok. Did you talk to the priest?

Sonny: yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Fine. You look beautiful.

(She remembered how happy they were. Then Sorel started to become a threat. She remembered when she betrayed Sonny. How she begged for forgiveness.)

Memory: Carly's dead to Sonny

Carly: You do what you want. You want to forgive me, sonny.

Sonny: That's right. I do.

Carly: Well, let yourself --

Sonny: Don't. I can't. I never learned how. I'm on life when somebody did some -- I'm on life when somebody did something to me, I carried it. Even if they said they were sorry, they couldn't mean it, it didn't matter. To this day, when I look at my father, I see him walking away and my mother crying. And she had the door locked because she didn't want me to know what was going on. What do you think I see when I look at you? Huh? What do you think I hear? A cell door slamming, a FBI Agent wanting me to turn over the people I trust, to crawl into a gutter for my freedom? To throw away my honor so I can become a snitch for the rest of my life? I'd rather die first! I'd rather cut out my own heart. And that's what I did. You were my heart. You were my heart. Now you're dead to me.

Carly: We both know what death is, sonny. It's that place that you can't come back from.

Sonny: Right.

Carly: Something that no apology is going to fix. There's a way back from this, sonny, and we can find it together. I was wrong. But I did it for the best intentions. And I know that you can understand that because you've done some terrible things for the best reasons, too.

Sonny: I never stole and called it love.

Carly: I never stole anything from you --

Sonny: You took away everything I ever wanted! The first night I slept with you, you were nothing to me. I tried to prove to Jason that you were nothing, either, except a liar, somebody who would tell a man that she loved him and then turn around and have sex with another. I hated you and I hated myself, but for some crazy reason, it worked for both of us. I was wrong to bring you here, to get used to telling Michael bedtime stories, to have you redecorate when I wanted things left alone, to have us laughing and arguing and let you make me believe that we were a family. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what you stole that night from me. Every night, I'd come home. You'd be waiting for me. Every morning, I'd be -- I'd be making Michael pancakes. Everything I ever wanted, that I thought would last is gone. Now, you can tell me you're sorry. I don't care how many times you tell me that it's not going to happen again, I can't trust it because when I look at you, all I see is what I saw from the start -- a liar.

Carly: Why can't you believe that I was afraid? We got a bomb inside our house, sonny. I was afraid that our son was going to die.

Sonny: Then you should have left me.

Carly: No, I wasn't going to do that to Michael or to me or to you. We love you, sonny. We love you, and Michael asks for you. He asks every night for you. He thinks he's coming home, coming back to you.

Sonny: Well, tell him the truth.

Carly: I do. I. I tell him that uncle sonny loves him and that mommy made a big mistake, but that she's going to fix it and we're going to be a family --

Sonny: No, no!

(He was so cruel to her. She remembered when Sonny disappeared and when Sorel had her as his hostage. Then the explosion.)

Memory: After the Explosion

Sonny: The best place for you now is with Michael. If you don't want to go to the Brownstone, I'll put you on a plane to Martinique. Michael will be glad to see you.

Carly: I stayed away from Michael because I was afraid AJ was going to have me followed.

Sonny: A.J.'s no problem; you don't have to worry about AJ.

Carly: Well then come with me, please? I - I took Michael to the Church that we were married and we lit a candle and I told him that God would answer our prayers and bring you back to us. He has Sonny.

Sonny: Tell Michael I'll see him soon.

Carly: I'm not going to Martinique or anywhere without you. I am your wife and my place is with you.

Sonny: If you don't want to leave then you have to go down to the
Brownstone with - Roy and Bobbie are waiting for you. Come on -

Carly: No! Don't - Don't - Don't make me leave.

Sonny: Don't - Don't do this, not tonight.

Carly: Sonny, don't.

Sonny: I'm not -

Carly: No, don't.

Sonny: I'm not - I'm not - Don't do this, not tonight.

Carly: Sonny, it is not over.

Sonny: No! That's it.

Carly: Fine.

(Carly walks away)

Sonny: No - No - Wait.

(Sonny chases after Carly)

Carly: Fine, I will go.

(Carly begins to push Sonny away after the wave of Memories.)

Sonny: What's wrong?

Carly: I remembered our wedding on the island, how I betrayed you, and most importantly how I am dead to you and you can never forgive me. Are we even together? What the hell are you trying to do?

Sonny: We are divorced but it was a mistake.

Carly: I think you should go before we do something you'll regret in the morning.

Sonny: Carly…

Carly: Please Sonny…..

(Sonny knew what she remembered. He pictured the times in his mind. He was so stupid. How could he have said those things to her? He knew not to push her. She was dealing with a lot. He knew she loved him. He knew she still had more to remember and he would get her back even if it took the rest of his life.)

Sonny: Goodnight, Carly.

Carly: Goodnight, Sonny.

(After she closed the door, she went upstairs to lie down. She began to cry as the memories floated through her mind. She loved Sonny so much it hurt her. She wanted nothing just then to make love to him and never let him go but she didn't understand the change in Sonny. She wanted the gaps to be filled in. What happened between then and now? She finally fell asleep with a new resolve to remember everything no matter how painful.)