Chapter 12

MARCH 2009

A few days later Jason was in Kelly's getting coffee. Carly had left him a phone message that she was going out of town for a while. She didn't say where and he was going crazy with worry.

The Torres family was gone, half of their men baring gunshot wounds as they fled out of Port Charles. For now. It was never for good, Jason had come to realize years ago.

A man approached him and said, "Jason Morgan?"

"Yes."

The man held out an envelope for him and said, "You've been served."

He opened the envelope and saw the words

Dissolution of Marriage.

Jason lost his breath, everyone in the room disappeared and in that instant he lost his fear of what he might feel or what might happen if he made his marriage real, opened his heart, and then lost them all again. Because staring at the words on those papers made him see the truth, that unless he changed his wife's mind... they were already gone.

(Don't leave me in all this pain

Don't leave me out in the rain

Come back and bring back my smile

Come and take these tears away

I need your arms to hold me now

The nights are so unkind

Bring back those nights

when I held you beside me

Un-break my heart

Say you'll love me again )

Toni Braxton Lyrics

CARLY WALKED along the beach. She just wanted to walk and not think. But it wasn't working.

She tried to see the upside to things. She had two wonderful years as Jason's wife. He still cared for her. Wanted to sleep with her. He just didn't give a damn if they were married or not.

Her thoughts always ended up making her more upset so she did her best to keep her mind empty.

Look at the birds, she told herself, Watch the waves.

Screw that! She thought immediately

She sighed and thought about coming up with a plan to make Jason want to be married as bad as she wanted it. But she had been loving him for too long to still be scheming.

I'm beyond plans, She thought Either he loves me or he doesn't

And sadly she had to assumed, since he hadn't said otherwise, he didn't love her.

All that was left to do was start planning how to go back to only being Jason's friend, how to not lose everything just because she lost her title of Mrs. Morgan.

Carly hated the fact that Jason couldn't take that last step, and love her fully, but she told herself it was no surprise. He had never told her he would be able to... her foolish heart had been the only one to believe that her and Jason had a real chance.

Standing on the beach, she stared into the water, and imagined her future without Jason as her husband. Her hands slid around her waist, her head dropped forward, and, not caring who saw her, she began to sob.

Back in Port Charles, Morgan was sitting in his bedroom on a time out. He was being punished for having a tantrum.

Michael knew his brother had started acting out after Carly left Jason. He went into Morgan's room and saw him sitting in a chair, facing the wall.

"Hey," Michael said

Morgan jumped up and whispered "You here to break me out? Want to climb out the window and down the tree ?"

"Dad is going to cut down that tree if you don't chill on that kind of behavior."

Morgan rolled his eyes.

Michael said, "I talked to Jason."

"Yeah?" said Morgan cautiously

"He doesn't want to lose Mom or us. I don't think they are going to get a divorce."

Morgan sat back down in his chair, facing the wall.

Michael said, "Don't act like you don't care. I know you liked living with Jason."

Morgan asked quietly, "Did he say he wants us? Me and you and mom? Did he say those exact words?"

"He loves us. I know it. And he is not divorcing Mom. Okay?"

"Okay." Morgan said in a small unsure voice. He really wanted to believe his brother was right.

JASON WENT ON A MISSION to find his wife. He told Stan to start checking flight records and run a trace on her cell phone and credit cards. Since all of that would take time, and Jason had finally saw he was out of that, he hurried over to General Hospital and asked his mother-in - law where Carly went.

Bobbie said, "I don't know if I should tell you. You hurt my daughter, Jason, terribly."

"I know I did. I never meant to though. If I can just talk to her..."

"Maybe you should give her some space. Let her start to get over you, if that is what she has to do."

"That's the last thing I want. I might not deserve Carly but I do want her to stay my wife."

Bobbie said, "She left her copy of the divorce papers at my house. She signed them and wanted to get me to have you to sign them too."

His body stiffen.

Bobbie added, "But your lucky I like you and happened to think you are good for my daughter." Bobbie smiled " I burned the papers. She isn't using me to get out of her marriage. She will have to face you herself."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Florida. She went to the same hotel she stayed at when she was suffering postpartum depression after Michael was born. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Bobbie."

Jason went straight to the airport and boarded a plane for the Sunshine State.

Don't give up on me, Carly, he silently implored. Don't stop loving me...

(Take back that sad word good-bye

Bring back the joy to my life

Don't leave me here with these tears

Come and kiss this pain away

I can't forget the day you left

Time is so unkind

And life is so cruel without you here beside me...

Un-break my

Un-break my heart, oh baby

Come back and say you love me

Un-break my heart

Sweet darling

Without you I just can't go on

Can't go on)

Toni Braxton Lyrics