December 26th
After an amazing Christmas and tons of delicious food, Carly was exhausted. "Jase, I am not feeling so well. I think I'll go up to bed early."
He looked at her in concern. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I-I'm just...tired."
"It was a long day. It took us awhile to put all those baby items away. You should go upstairs and rest. I have a few things I need to do, then I will be turning in myself."
"Okay, good night," Carly said as she reached up to kiss his cheek.
Jason held her in his arms as he told her good night. "Sleep well," he said before she headed upstairs.
Carly crawled into bed after slipping into on her long cotton nightgown. She hugged her pillow as she lay there in the darkness. In minutes, she had drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Jason had to step out for awhile. He didn't want to leave Carly, but he had pressing matters to settle with his business. He was certain he wouldn't be gone all that long. He told Renaldo to guard the door as he left the penthouse.
A couple of hours later, Carly awakened with a start. She felt an incredible, searing pain in the center of her abdomen. It felt like sharp, ugly claws were tugging at her unborn baby. "Jase!" she called out as she switched on the bedside lamp. She hoped and prayed he would rush to her side.
She pulled away the blanket, seeing a puddle of bright-red blood beneath her on the sheet. "No!" she cried out as she realized the baby was in danger.
She sat up carefully and tugged on her robe. Her legs were wobbly as she stood up, once again calling out Jason's name. Where in the world was he?!
Each step was excruciating as she made her way down the staircase. "Help!" she cried out as she reached for the phone. She collapsed as her fingers reached out, upsetting the phone and knocking it down to the floor.
Before she blacked out into nothingness, she was thinking, *Please Jason, save our baby!*
About twenty minutes later, Jason arrived at the penthouse. All the lights were out, except those of the Christmas tree. Right away, he knew something was wrong. He could feel it.
"Carly," he said as he came upon her lying on the floor.
He knelt down next to her, pressing his fingers against her neck. He let out a long breath of relief as he felt her steady pulse. Although Carly was breathing, Jason was aware of the bright stain of blood that covered the carpet beneath her. "Carly, I am here. It's going to be alright. I am taking you to the hospital now," he said as he wrapped her in a blanket and lifted her into his strong arms.
"Jase," he heard her murmur. "Save our baby. Promise me. Save him."
"Shhhh," he said softly as he rushed out the door, carrying her in his arms.
