Disclaimer: I don't own GH or any of the characters. I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.

Chapter 5

Jason headed back out into the lobby. Liz was seated on the couch with Max and Johnny. Both men stood up when Jason approached. "How are they doing?" Liz asked.

"Kristina is in the best shape. She'll be able to go home tomorrow. She'll be going home with Sonny while Alexis stays here with Molly. Molly isn't doing so well. From what Sonny told me, she took a lot of water into her lungs and the doctors are doing everything they can to clear them and get her to wake up." He didn't think she wanted to hear about Sam, so he stopped there.

"And what about Sam, how is she doing?" Liz asked much to Jason's shock, her eyes filled with genuine concern. Even for a woman she hated. That was part of what he loved about her.

"She might not make it. She's burned pretty badly. Sonny said about 60 of her body was burned. That's really all I know."

"Well, I hope she makes it. So are you ready to go?"

"Liz, I need to take care of some things so I want you to go home. Max will go with you. I don't want you going anywhere by yourself until we figure out what's going on here. If you want you can go pick up the kids and take them home with you or I will have someone posted outside Audrey's house for the night."

"Jason, I'll go get the boys. I don't want to scare Gram's any more than she already is by my just being with you."

"Okay. I really don't know what time I'll be home but I'll call you and let you know what I can. I need to go back and talk to Sonny for a little while." He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Liz smiled, nodded her head and headed to the elevator. "Max, get her home safe."

"Will do." Max replied heading toward the elevator behind Elizabeth.

Liz stopped suddenly and turned to Jason. "What about Jake's party tomorrow?"

Jason had almost forgotten. "We're still going to have the party. There's no need for Jake to suffer in all this. He's looking forward to this party. Just let me know what you need done for tomorrow. We'll talk about it in the morning some more but for right now, I really need to find out what's going on."

The elevator opened and Liz shook her head in acknowledgment. "Okay" And she stepped onto the elevator.

Jason headed back to see Sonny. "Any news on Molly and Sam?" Jason asked as he stepped into the room.

"Alexis was in a while ago to check on Kristina. The good news is that they were able to clear Molly's lungs. She's still not awake though. Alexis said she went up to check on Sam but the doctors were in with her and there had been no change. She said that she'd go back up a little while later to sit with her, just so she knows she's not alone." Sonny shook his head in disbelief at the situation in whole.

"Doesn't Lucky know that she's in the hospital? Why isn't he here?" Jason asked.

"Jason, I don't know if he knows but why would he be here if they broke up?" Sonny was confused.

"I saw them together on the pier. It looked as though they had worked it out. I heard them admit to still loving each other before I walked off."

"I don't know what to tell you then. Maybe he doesn't know yet. All I know is that she's upstairs and Alexis says that she's up there by herself. Anyway did you find out anything?"

Jason caught the hint from Sonny that they had more important things to worry about. "I have Stan looking into. I told him to look out for anyone looking into making a move on Port Charles. I also told him to look into any files he still has on Sam's past and see if there is anyone from there that would want to hurt Sam."

"Good. Keep me updated. I want to know who the hell almost killed my daughter and her sisters."

"Sonny, I want to know as much as you do. And I want to know why?" Jason walked out and headed toward the elevator. As he was waiting, Alexis came up behind him.

"Jason?" She asked. Jason turned around. She looked as if she hadn't slept in years. Her face was stained with tears. "Alexis. Look I'm sorry about..."

Alexis cut him off. "I don't need your apologies. I need to know why this happened to my girls. Was this retaliation against you and Sonny? He won't tell me. I have to know if someone is trying to hurt my girls as a way to get to you two..." Alexis began to cry again. "I'm grateful one daughter is okay and will be going home tomorrow but I have one daughter who won't wake up and another who may not even make it through the night. Is Kristina going to go home with a target on her because of your business? I have to know because at the end of all this she may very well be the only child I have left and I will not let anything happen to her." She was hysterical now. She had finally admitted out loud that she could lose both Molly and Sam and she didn't know how to deal with that reality. She fell to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Jason was speechless. He didn't have the answers she wanted. He could see she was clearly afraid for her daughters and he couldn't blame her. He bent down to help her up as a nurse came to take her over to the couches and get her some water. Jason pushed for the elevator again. It opened and he stepped in. He went to push the button but instead of pushing the button for the garage, he pushed the button for the 10th floor, the ICU- Burn Unit.

The doors opened onto the floor and he stepped off. He walked over to the nurses station and asked which way was Samantha McCall's room. The nurse behind the desk pointed down the hall. "She's in room 10-14C. It's the 4th door on the left down that way. You can't go in with out a face mask and scrubs though. They are located on the shelf directly across from the room." Jason thanked her and asked if there was anyone in with her now. The nurse shook her head no as she answered the phone. Jason walked down the hall and stopped in front of her room. He stood outside and looked through the glass. It pained him to see her. The entire right side of her face was bandaged as was her right arm. He couldn't see the rest because of the blankets that covered the rest of her body. He just stared at her through the window and regretted being so cold to her when he had seen her. His thoughts were interrupted by Emily walking up besides him. "Hey Jase, I didn't think I would see you here?"

"I, I didn't plan to come. But I ran into Alexis down stairs and she said that Sam might not make it through the night. Somehow I thought I should come up here and check to see how's she's doing. Are you her doctor?" He spoke without even looking away from the window.

"I'm one of many. If Sam makes it through the night, she's going to have a tough road of recovery ahead of her. She suffered a lot of damage. She's got third degree burns on 35 percent of her body..."

Jason cut her off. "Sonny said that it was 60."

Emily shook her head. "No, she has burns on 60 percent of her body. Only 35 of that was third degree burns. The other 25 percent were 1st degree and 2nd degree burns. We think that when the boat exploded Sam was standing in front of the girls and the explosion came from behind Sam. Sam must have managed to push the girls in the water because they only had minor burns. Sam's entire back and the back of her legs are burned pretty badly. We assume she must have turned to see where the explosion came from and she ended up being burned along the right side of her body when the second explosion happened, which is what forced her into the water."

"Wait there was a second explosion?" This was the first Jason had heard of it.

"Yeah, Jase. The police said so when they came to check her status. When we were questioning the way she was burned, they said that there were two explosions. They didn't say anymore. Jase do you want to go in and sit with her?"

"I don't want to be here when Lucky comes."

"Jason, Lucky was here already and he left. But why does that matter?"

"Why would he leave? Doesn't he know Sam needs him right now? She needs someone to will her to fight."

"Jason, you're right but Lucky is not that person. He and Sam are over. He told me they officially let each other go earlier today. He said they love each other but are not in love with each other. Their love isn't strong enough to make her hold on. He came to see how she was and sat with her for a little while and left because she was so out of it when she was awake. Jase, it's not looking so good for her right now. She's in and out of consciousness and when she is awake, she's incoherent. We doubt she even knows where she is. It's not her fault really. She's on an extremely high dosage of pain medication for the burns. Not to mention all the antibiotics to prevent infection. She's weak. Physically her body is beginning to shut down. Her blood pressure is continuing to drop. She's at risk of slipping into a coma and if that happens she may never wake up. So if there is anything that you need to say so you can have a clear conscience, I advise you to go in there now and speak your piece Jase."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Jason wondered aloud finally facing his sister.

"Because Jason, I can see in your eyes that you still care for her. You wouldn't be here if you didn't. I just think that maybe you need to go in and sit with her and tell her what ever it is that's on your mind. Get whatever it is off your chest and tell her how you feel."

"If I didn't know any better I would have thought that you were pushing me on Sam." Jason smiled a little.

"Jason you and I both know that you do whatever it is you want most of the time except in those cases where you feel like what you want is going to hurt the ones you love. I know you love Elizabeth and you don't want to hurt her. All I ever wanted was for each of you to be happy and I know you make her happy and she makes you happy. But maybe there are still some underlying feelings for Sam that this situation is bringing back to the surface. Maybe that's what you need to tell Sam, so go in there and say what needs to be said." And with that Emily reached over and handed Jason some scrubs and a face mask. Jason took them and put them on.

"You know what? You should have been a shrink instead." And he laughed.

"I don't think so. With the amount of problems in our family alone, I would have no life outside of work. Now go!" And she walked off.

Jason walked into the room with no idea of what to say. He sat in the chair next to Sam. She was asleep. He wasn't sure if he should take her hand or not to let her know someone was there with her. His mind went back to all the times he sat next to her in a hospital and willed her to keep fighting not to leave him. He thought about when she lost baby Lila, when she was shot with that medicine to stop her heart by Dr. Thomas and Emily had to give her the counter medication, then there was the virus, and finally when she was shot by Manny. He remembered talking to her and asking her not to leave him. But he couldn't ask her not to leave him this time. They weren't together anymore so he couldn't tell her how much he needed her to come back to him. So Jason decided to try to speak from the heart and tell her the reasons besides him that she should hold on. He leaned in toward her ear and whispered,

"Sam, its Jason. I know that I'm the last person you expected to be here and to be honest I don't really know why I'm here. I heard you were alone, fighting for your life and I just thought maybe you could use a few words of encouragement to hold on. Your sisters need you. Alexis isn't here right now because Molly is fighting too. You should know she was up here a while ago. Kristina is fine. She's been asking for you. I guess I should say that I'm sorry for treating you like I did when you came back. I really thought you might be coming to start trouble, especially when I found out you and Lucky broke up. I see now that you only wanted to spend time with your sisters. I acted like an idiot." Jason took her left hand into his own. "Sam, I don't hate you. I never did. I should never have threatened to kill you. I know I have no right to ask you for anything but I'm going to ask you for this. Please, don't give up. I need you to wake up so I can apologize to you face to face. So you can tell me that you don't need my pity. Sam you are stronger than this. You have so much to live for. Please fight for…... for me. Fight for me Sam. I want to make things right between us. I think that if we remember what we used to have and look at how far we've come apart then maybe we can find our way back to being friends."

Sam began to stir. "Jason?" she whispered.

Jason looked up in shock. "Sam I'm here. Are you in pain?" he asked

Tears began to fall from her left eye. "Jason, don't let them take my ring. Promise me."

Jason was confused at first. "What? Sam what ring?"

"Please don't let them take my ring, Jason please." She said, as she dozed back off.

Jason realized that Sam must be talking about when she had been shot. That's what she asked him to promise in the hospital. This must have been what Emily was talking about. She doesn't realize where she is. He suddenly remembered the fear and pain he felt when he almost lost her. He remembered the guilt he felt, knowing that the bullet she took was meant for him. He thought about how he had to sneak her into the surgery that saved her life and how grateful he had been. Then it hit him. That was the moment everything changed. That was the defining moment of everything that they were going through now. Sam getting shot was the catalyst. She got shot, he pushed her away, she begged him to take her back, he refused, she gave up, she slept with Ric, he saw, he slept with Elizabeth, Elizabeth ends up pregnant, He's the father, Sam finds out, Lucky finds out, Sam and Lucky leave, him and Liz finally admit to loving each other, they get together to raise their son, now she's back, and they are in another situation like the one that started the entire thing. It's funny how things come full circle. Jason didn't know how he would deal with the guilt if this boat explosion was meant for him and Sam or Molly died behind it.

"Jason?" Sam had waken up again.

He figured she was still out of it. "Yeah, I'm still here." He said.

"Jason what are you doing here?" She asked and he realized she was fully aware.

"Do you know what happened?" He asked.

"My boat blew up. Oh my God, what about Kristina and Molly?" Tears began to roll down her face.

"They are both downstairs asleep. They are going to be fine." Jason didn't see the point in upsetting her any more by telling her Molly hadn't woke up since she was pulled from the water.

"Are you sure? Are they really okay?" She was still skeptical. She cringed in pain.

"I'm sure. Alexis is with Molly and Sonny is with Kristina. Kristina is going home tomorrow and Molly in a few days, only because she was under water for a while and they just want to keep a close eye on her for a little while." Jason silently prayed that his lie would turn into the truth. "Do you need me to call for the doctor?"

"No. Jason that doesn't answer why you're here. Why aren't you with Liz and Jake?"

"I just felt like I needed to make sure you were okay. I don't know if that bomb was meant for you or me. I just couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt again because of me."

"I don't know why it happened but I doubt it was because of you. You didn't even use the boat. It's just been sitting there. Don't blame yourself. You have nothing to be guilty over. Why would anyone use me to get to you? We haven't been together in years." Her face distorted as she cringed in pain again.

"Me and Sonny are looking into it. Look you seem to be in a lot of pain. I'm going to get the doctor." He said as he started to get up.

"Jason, wait. I need to tell you some things before it's too late."

"What do you mean too late?" He asked and sat back down.

Her voice was weak and her eyes filled with tears. "I've had this feeling before Jason. I know that I'm dying. I'm not stupid. I just need to tell you before I go that I'm still in love with you. I've never stopped. I only pretended to move on because I knew we were over for good. You had the family you wanted. I went through the motions with Lucky. We both admitted that it was more of an infatuation and a crutch by us being together. I was angry and I tried to self destruct as usual. But Jason it has always been you in my heart. I'm sorry for all the lies and hurt that I caused. But I had to let you know that I've never hated you. I acted like I did because you were just so willing to let me go. You fell in love with Elizabeth and I was alone again. But no matter what I still love you and I am still in love with you." She turned her face away from him and closed her eyes.

Jason didn't know what to say at this point. He admitted to himself that he still had feelings for her. They had surprised him because he hadn't had to face them in so long. "Sam, I don't know what to say. I guess I'm fighting with my own feelings right now. I realized when I saw you the other night that I still have feelings for you but I just don't know exactly what they are yet. I still love Liz. What she and I have is different than what you and I had. I do know that I don't hate you either. I guess I need to figure some things out. I will but I ne…" Before Jason could finish what he was saying. The machine alarms started going off. Sam's blood pressure had dropped dangerously low.

"Sam? Sam!" He screamed. "Please don't leave me, not yet." He pleaded as the nurses and doctors came rushing into the room forcing him out.

He was outside the window again. He watched as the doctors worked on her. They put something into her IV. They poked and prodded. They checked her pupils. One would say something while another wrote something on her chart. He didn't know what was going on but Jason realized he couldn't lose Sam until he knew exactly what his feelings were toward her now. He hoped that she had heard him ask her not to leave him. He walked off because one of the nurses had told him that he wouldn't be able to go back in for a while. It was about 2 in the morning. He needed to go home and get some sleep. Regardless of everything that was going on he needed to be rested for his son's birthday party later that afternoon. He stopped on the 7th floor to see if there was any word on Molly's condition. The nurse at the desk said there had been little change but she showed improvement. Jason thanked her and went home. He checked in with all the guards before climbing into the bed next to Liz. He looked at her sleeping peacefully and allowed himself to doze off. He only hoped that when he woke up, things would be a little clearer.