"Bobbie," Jason yells, carrying Carly into the emergency room. Blood has soaked the front of her blouse, and is visible on Jason's hands and skin. Bobbie blanches at the sight, her hand covering her mouth in horror. Michael and Morgan are right behind them. Michael is walking beside Max, who's carrying Morgan. Jason looks destroyed and both boys have tears streaming down their faces, their eyes red and swollen. Bobbie finally jumps into action, escorting Jason into a room, telling the other nurse to call over one of the doctors. She also yells out to the desk, "Call Dr. Lee!"

Then, she is focused on her daughter. She is a blur of activity, moving around the bed, fixing all the little details necessary to prepare her for the doctors. Briefly looking over her shoulder, she asks Jason as she cuts off clothes and gets an IV ready, "What happened? I thought you got out of the hostage situation without any injuries."

He stands back, not wanting to get in Bobbie's way, but his eyes never stray from Carly. "We got away from the hotel, but Jerry broke into the penthouse and shot her," Jason tells her broken.

"Jerry Jax did this?" She asks with rage in her voice, ready to tear apart anyone who hurt her child.

Jason tells her with an edge to his voice, "It's the last thing he did."

She looks directly in his eyes, and tells him with approval, "Good."

Morgan squirms out of Max's arms where they have been standing just outside the door. He runs fully into the room, standing at the end of the bed, wanting to share the details with his grandmother, "The bad guy broke in and when he opened the door I saw the guard Ben asleep on the floor. So I ran and hid. But Michael was really brave and yelled at the bad guy to leave us alone. He told him Jason was going to hurt him if he didn't leave. I heard them fighting, and when I peeked out, he had Michael and was holding a gun to his head." He looks down, his toe scuffing the floor as he admits, "I mighta cried when I saw that he got Michael. Then, Mommy and Jason came in and everybody was yelling. So, I snuck up behind him and bit him and Michael stomped on him really hard. Then, Mommy and Jason and Max shot him and there was blood everywhere." He pauses, looking at his mother with wide, teary eyes. "But he shot Mommy."

She watches his face crumple, fat tears falling from his eyes. She walks to him, taking him in her arms, cuddling him to her chest. "That sounds really scary."

He nods, telling her, "But Michael was there with me and protected me."

Michael is looking bashful at his brother's praise, though it's mostly covered by the fear clearly written on his face. When Bobbie looks at the little boy, her heart breaks even more. No child should ever go through the traumas he's had to face. Is this the second or third time his mother has been shot? She honestly can't remember. As he stands in the door staring at his mother, he looks every bit a terrified little boy. She would give anything to take away his pain and his fear.

Shifting Morgan to her left side, she opens her other arm to Michael and he rushes to her. She strokes his head as he clings to her. "We are doing everything we can for your mom. And we both know how strong she is, what a force. She's going to be okay."

"Do you promise?" He asks in a little voice.

She gives him the words, and prays that they are true, "I promise."

"Grandma and the doctors are going to take care of your mom and fix her up," Jason promises the boys. Morgan comes to stand beside him, wrapping his arms around his godfather. "She will be okay. Grandma will take the best care of her and the baby."

Epiphany rushes into the room with an ultrasound machine, as well as a monitor to put around Carly's abdomen. She tells Bobbie, "Dr. Lee ordered an ultrasound and wants to keep a close eye on the baby. She is still early in her pregnancy, so we will have to see if the monitor will pick up the baby yet."

Michael asks in a voice far too old for his young age, "Is the baby going to die?"

Those words coming out of the little boy's mouth hit Jason like a punch. Bobbie answers him gently, "We are going to do everything to make sure that doesn't happen." Then, looking over at Epiphany, she asks, "Epiphany, why don't you take the boys up to the playroom on the pediatric floor?" Looking at Morgan, she cajoles them, "There are some cool toys up there for you to play with. And they have a TV with some movies you guys can watch. If you are good, maybe I can scrounge up some popcorn, or some cookies and ice cream."

Though Morgan perks up at the promise of toys and ice cream, neither boy moves. Michael is shaking his head, "I don't want to leave Mama."

Jason pulls the boys to him, giving them a serious look, he explains, "I know you don't want to leave her, but we need to get out of the doctor's way, so they can make her better. I promise I will stay close to her and watch to make sure she's safe, but I need you to go with Epiphany. I will come get you when we can see her or if anything changes."

"You promise? Promise you'll make sure she's safe and promise you'll come get us if anything happens?" Michael demands, with a stubborn look.

Bending down so they're eye to eye, Jason vows, "I promise. Will you promise to watch out for your brother?"

Michael gives a serious nod, and agrees, "I promise."

Epiphany holds the door open, telling the boys, "Come on and I'll show you where the good toys are. There might even be a system to play video games."

When the boys have left, followed by Max, Bobbie asks Jason, "Has she been awake at all since she was shot?"

His voice sounds tortured when he says, "No. She's been unconscious since she…"

Dr. Drake rushes into the room, "Jason." Then, turning his attention to the nurse, "What do we have?"

"Gunshot wound to the shoulder. Patient is approximately seven and a half weeks pregnant, and has not regained consciousness since being shot. Her oxygen levels are good, but her bp is high at 156/95. We have put her on fluids and I have drawn blood to be sent down to the lab, as well as bringing in an ultrasound machine for Dr. Lee to check on the baby." Bobbie professionally gives the doctor the information despite feeling like her heart is being ripped from her chest.

Dr. Lee bustles into the room, "That's my cue. How are the patient and baby doing?"

Bobbie tells her, "Patient is unconscious. I checked, and didn't see any signs of spotting. We won't know if she feels any cramping until she wakes up, but there are no indications that the baby is in distress."

Dr. Lee sets up the ultrasound, while Dr. Drake is assessing the gunshot wound. Jason stands back watching them poke and prod her, talking to each other as they assess the damage. The words filter through his mind, but his entire focus is on Carly's face, willing her to open her eyes.

As much as he's trying to remain positive and hopeful, he can't stop the worst case scenario from playing out in his mind, where he loses them both, where the family that he's already fallen in love with is snatched away from him right when he gets them. And he knows he won't survive losing them, losing her. He may continue breathing, but if he loses Carly he'll be a shell of himself.

Then, the room is filled with the quick thumping of a heartbeat. He draws in a deep breath at the sound, tears of relief that their child is still with them, that the baby is strong. For close to a minute, all that exists to Jason is Carly's face and the sound of their child's heart.

Suddenly, Bobbie is standing in front of him, her hand gently touches his arm, "Jason."

He focuses on her, seeing that the doctors are looking at him expectantly. He clears his throat, asking, "Sorry, did you ask me something? I was… What do you need from me?"

Dr. Drake says, "The good news is that it doesn't appear the bullet hit any major organs or arteries. However, the bullet has hit her collarbone, fracturing and breaking off part of the bone, as well as stopping the bullet from exiting. We need to go in to remove the bullet and repair the fractured bone. The procedure is minimally invasive, and should have no negative effects on the baby."

Dr. Lee steps up at this, "Mr. Morgan, your baby appears to be doing well. We were able to find a heartbeat that is strong, and Carly isn't having any spotting or signs of cramping. We are always especially cautious when a pregnant woman has a trauma. However, we are not seeing any signs that the pregnancy is at risk."

He nods, but asks, "Why isn't she waking up? If it hasn't hit any major organs, why is she still unconscious?"

Dr. Drake gently explains, "It's the body's way of protecting itself from trauma. After everything she's been through today, her body just needs to shut down to rest and heal itself."

Jason nods, then turning to Lanie, "What about the impact of anesthesia on the baby? What are the risks?"

Patrick answers first, "We will only use medications that have minimal effect on fetuses. There's only minimal risk to the baby."

Lanie adds, "And I will be monitoring Carly through the surgery, so if there are any complications with the baby, I will be right there, ready to step in. We are also giving her some calcium channel blockers to stop the body from going into premature labor preemptively, just to be extra cautious."

Jason gives a tight nod, "Okay, do I need to sign…"

"Actually, Bobbie is the next of kin, so she will sign giving us consent," Bobbie nods as she continues moving around her daughter. Patrick looks at Jason with a quirk of his lips, "But we're all well aware who Carly would choose to make the decision."

Patrick and Lanie both leave to prepare for the surgery, leaving Bobbie and Jason alone with Carly. The head nurse has barely stopped moving since she entered the room. When she finally has a second to stop, she looks at her child, unmoving and unresponsive, and a wave of fear washes over her, making her knees weak and tears begin flowing down her face. She softly brushes Carly's hair from her face, gently stroking her. Jason silently walks up behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She turns and wraps her arms around him, holding on for dear life.

Bobbie croaks out, "She is going to be okay." Though, it sounds like she is trying to convince herself.

Jason nods, willing himself to believe that Carly and the baby will make it out the other side healthy and strong. For several minutes, the two cling to each other, both eyes glued to the blonde lying too still in the hospital bed. It's jarring to see her so still. When he thinks of Carly, he thinks of fire and passion, someone who is so vibrant and alive no one can deny her presence. But looking at her now, pale and still, he's reminded of how fragile she truly is, and how easily she can be taken from him.

There's a cough behind them, drawing their attention. They turn to see Monica standing in the door. "Jason," she tentatively starts, "I heard Carly was down here, and just wanted to check on you."

"Come in," he tells her, both recognizing the shift those two words represent. "She's about to go into surgery, but they think she is going to be okay."

"That's good. I'm glad." She gives him a smile, then looks down, "Is it true she's pregnant with your baby? Emily said she heard…"

"Yes, she's pregnant. We're having a baby."

Monica's eyes get misty. While it's no secret that Carly is not her first choice for Jason, she can't deny the bond they have. And more importantly, she's tired of fighting with her son. She wants to be part of his life, however he chooses to live it.

Sitting in the waiting room for Alan's surgery, facing the prospect of losing her husband, has given her time to think. The fear of losing family makes you want to cling to the ones you have. So, if swallowing her objections and accepting Jason for who he is gets her any closer to her son, it's well worth the price.

She steps forward, putting her hand on Jason's arm, "I'm happy for you both. If there's anything I can do to help…"

"How is Dad? Have there been any updates?" He breaks in, his face pinched with fear.

Monica takes in a shaky breath hearing Jason call Alan dad. Maybe there's hope. "The doctor came out and updated us about an hour ago. The surgery is going well; they seem optimistic. Emily said you got them out of there, that you saved them. The doctors said if he hadn't gotten to the hospital when he did, his probability of making it through the surgery would have much lower odds. So, thank you for saving their lives. I am just so… grateful."

Her voice wobbles on the last word as she forces it out past her tears. Then, suddenly he's in front of her, pulling her into a hug. The feeling of being in her son's arms once again, of him allowing her close, breaks down all her ability to hold her emotions together. A flood of tears overwhelms her, as she clings tightly to the child she was afraid was lost to her.

Jason has tears in the corners of his eyes as well, as he allows himself to open his heart to his mother for the first time since waking up as Jason Morgan. All of the reasons he pushed his parents away from him and kept them at a distance feel foolish and irrelevant. He doesn't want to lose the chance to have a relationship with his parents, and he doesn't want them to feel the loss of their child when he's right here. It's time to change this dynamic.

"You're welcome, Mom." He says, giving an olive branch in a voice scratchy with emotion. She gives a sharp intake of breath, then her arms are squeezing him impossibly harder.

"Jason. Son." She says with reverence.

She holds him for a long time, not able to get her arms to let him go now that he's in them. Then, scared of pushing too much, too quickly, she steps back, wiping her eyes. "I need to get back up to check on your father. But, will you keep me updated on Carly?"

"Yes, and thank you for checking on me. I appreciate it." She reaches her hand out to him, squeezing his hand in hers. Though still faced with a pile of challenges, she walks out of the room with a smile on her face, filled with hope that she may have her son back.