~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 16
My Brother
~~~~~~~~~
Jason~
I look at my watch for the dozenth time since arriving at Kelly's twenty minutes ago; I had been ten minutes early, and why I expected Brenda to be on time is the question on my mind as I stare into my coffee. "Jason" a voice calls me out of my thoughts.
I look up to see AJ and wonder how I've become soo easily distracted from the world around me; it definitely wasn't a good thing in my line of work.
I must have taken too long to say anything because he continues on, "Look I just wanted to thank you for watching out for Courtney, I had no idea it was as bad as it was. They arrested Coleman last night. I just wanted to say thank you."
"It really was Coleman? I really thought no one could be that dumb, I was almost positive he was being setup."
"Do you think we should be worried about someone else?" He asks and I could see the concern and fear in his eyes.
"Just watch out for her, I'll keep looking around for information, chances are though it was just Coleman."
He nods "Thanks" and he turns to walk away. Then oddly enough I call him back, when I normally always try to make him go away.
"AJ, you know how amazing Courtney is right?"
He turns "I'm dumbfounded each day by how I'm lucky I am to wake up next to her."
I laugh and say "I know the feeling."
The surprise must have been evident in my face over admitting that to anyone, especially him because he sits down and goes "You love her?"
I wonder if I can stop and cover this up, if I can be a dick to him and tell him it's none of his business, but who else do I have to turn to? "I think so"
"Didn't realize it was happening until it was too late, did you?" he says laughing
"Not a damn clue."
"Brenda's amazing Jason, it's always been evident. Lord knows I wanted her myself for years, even the old Jason wanted her."
"I know"
"How do you know? Brenda didn't know did she?" He stops and looks at me for a moment "His journals?"
"You knew about them?"
He smiles "I shared a room with the kid for almost 12 years. There was nothing about Jason I didn't know; unfortunately he knew everything about me too. I couldn't even fake the put together older brother act for him."
"You were older by a year?" I question, wondering how there could be so much importance in that one year.
"It was only the two of us, I was supposed to be the mature one." His smile fades
"He knew how hard you tried to make up for Monica and Alan not being there, you were a big brother in every sense of the word."
"I was for awhile"
"It's when you're here"
AJ looks up in surprise "Port Charles?"
I nod, this conversation was weird, but necessary.
"He used to beg me to just leave, to give the family up, to stop trying to be something I could never be." I see the pain so clearly evident in his eyes, he wishes he could have, he wishes for anything that would have kept me from being in the accident.
"Families are supposed to make you strong AJ, not weak."
He gives a small chuckle "Jase used to say that all the time." For a moment he looks like he going to cry, but then he seems to shake it off, you can't change the past. "I accepted a job offer in NY, Courtney and I will be there by the end of the week.
"Do me a favor AJ, not for myself, but for you and Courtney. Don't come back."
He doesn't appear stunned to my words, "I'm not going to, I want to give Courtney the world and I can't do that here." He suddenly smiles "Speaking of wives, yours is here. It was nice talking to you Jason." Then he bestows a simple hello kiss on Brenda's cheek before returning to the counter and Courtney.
"What was that about?" She says sitting down
"I think I found the reason I got into the car with AJ when he was drunk."
She doesn't show any surprise at my use of 'I' which surprises me, I think she's understands me more than I realized. "What was the reason Jase?"
"There's a good guy underneath it all, isn't there?"
"You always saw it better than anyone else; you didn't think he was a lost cause."
"He's not" I quickly defended
"I know he's not, I'm glad you see it."