It has been about a week since she had pressed charges against Tony. An arrest warrant has been issued for him, but he has disappeared and is nowhere to be found. It has put Jason on edge. He and Sonny have men scouring the area trying to track him down since they have little trust in any police department that allows Taggert free reign. After a week of Jason tearing the city apart searching for the bastard, he's no closer to finding him.
The rage he feels every time he thinks of the bruises on Carly's body, or the fear in her eyes when she remembers, makes the mob enforcer in him want to tear Tony apart with his own hands and watch him bleed. He will happily watch the light fade from the doctor's eyes, and breathe easier knowing he will never have the chance to hurt Jason's family ever again. He just wishes he could have done it when he had Tony in his sights. He might be in jail, but at least Carly would be safe from the jackass.
Carly has healed for the most part. Her bruises have faded until there are only some patches that are a soft yellow and green. She is so strong, putting up a brave, happy front, but Jason will catch her jumping at unexpected noises or staring into space with a look of fear in her eyes. She's also refused to leave the apartment since it happened, braving no farther than Brenda and Sonny's place. She tries to hide it, knowing how it affects her husband, but he can read every emotion she feels with a scary clarity.
However, as awful as Tony's attack had been, it has caused her family, both biological and chosen, to surround her, coddling her and showering her with love. Jason has been in and out searching for Tony, so both of her mothers have been hovering, with Virginia bringing her all her comfort foods from childhood and Bobbie checking her and the baby's vitals far more than necessary. Any time she tries to point out that they might be going overboard, she gets lectured by not only her mothers, but also her husband, Brenda, Sonny, Emily, and Lucky. They tell her that she's been through something traumatic, and they are just concerned. Sometimes she even gets one from Luke who tells her to "Buck up buttercup, it's your family and they care. So, shut your trap and accept it. Gratefully would be nice." She doesn't mind the lectures because it has left her with a warm glow of happiness to be surrounded by people who love her. It's what she dreamed of as a kid, to be surrounded by family who have her back.
Her uncle has been in and out of the penthouse, always going off with Jason and Sonny to talk about who knows what. He has been slightly less annoying since she'd had her run in with Tony, which might be the best she can hope for with Luke. The first time he had seen her after the attack, his face had darkened and he had let out a string of invectives that left her watching him with wide eyes. When he finally stopped cursing, he and Carly had stared at each other silently for a long moment. Then, in a gruff voice, he asked her, "You're okay, you and the baby?"
She shrugged, and cautiously answered, "Yes… we'll be fine."
He gave a short nod, and awkwardly said, "Good." Then, with a hard voice, "He's going to die."
With an equally hard voice, though a wealth of emotion is in her eyes, she replied, "Good."
That had apparently been the end of the discussion, but since then there's been an understanding between them. They are like two wary lions, eyeing each other with a mixture of respect and suspicion. Luke and Carly give each other matching looks, neither quite sure if they can trust the other and neither willing to admit they care. Jason wisely refrains from telling his wife the similarities he sees between her and her uncle, but the more time they spend together, the more clearly the resemblance appears.
Laura would occasionally join the hovering mothers, cooking or fussing over her new niece. The girl who felt all alone in the world, is suddenly surrounded by family, and more importantly, family who cares about her. There will be times when she's sitting cocooned under a blanket on the sofa, happily curled between her husband and her best friend, and she will have her mothers and Laura lovingly fussing over her, while Lucky, Lulu, and Emily can be heard giggling together in the background. You would think for someone used to going it alone that it would get annoying, all the noise and activity, and maybe it does a little sometimes, but Carly basks in the attention, like a flower turning its face to the sun.
Today is the first day she has gotten a reprieve from the crowd. Brenda has been called away on Deception business, Emily and Lucky are in school, Bobbie is working, and her husband is off chasing down a lead. As the apartment clears out, she convinces her mom to let her have the apartment to herself to rest. As much as she loves having them all around her, she is feeling a little overwhelmed with all the attention.
She's laying on the couch, cuddled up with a throw pillow and a soft blanket. The baby is too active for her to sleep, so she's been quietly talking to him. She's speaking love words and telling him, "Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Little Man. I can't wait to hold you in my arms. Thank you for being so tough when that mean man was hurting us. Mommy is so proud of how strong you were."
The quiet moment is broken by the phone ringing, making Carly jump. Laughing at herself, she answers the phone, expecting it to be someone checking on her, "I am fine, I promise."
Instead of a familiar voice, she hears a woman she doesn't recognize ask, "Hello? Is this Carly Morgan, Virginia Benson's daughter?"
Carly begins to feel fear rise up in her. With a trembling voice, she rushes out, "Yes, this is Carly Morgan. What happened?"
With a sympathetic tone, she advises, "I am so sorry. There's been an incident with your mother. She was attacked, and is in critical condition. She has been brought up to General Hospital. Her family needs to get here quickly… it's bad."
"Oh my God! Yes, of course, I'll be there as soon as I can." She rushes out, barely waiting for a response before she hangs up the phone and grabs her purse. Opening the door, she finds Johnny standing in front of the elevator. She reaches for his arm, punching in the down button before she begins to explain, "We have to go to the hospital, now! I have to see my mom!"
Jumping into action at the fear in her voice, he guides her into the elevator. "Are you okay?"
"No! I'm not okay. We have to get to the hospital now!" Her voice shakes so much it's hard to understand her. Thinking she is having trouble with her pregnancy, he follows her to the SUV. Telling the guard on duty in the garage to call Jason and tell him to get to the hospital immediately, that it's an emergency.
He drives faster than the law prefers, but he knows that if anything happens to Carly or the baby it will destroy Jason. When they arrive, Johnny gets out of the car, and reaches to open the door for Carly, when suddenly a hooded figure jumps out behind him and plunges a hypodermic needle into his neck. Almost immediately he feels a sedative hit his system. Johnny reaches for his gun as the medicine kicks in, making him sway. Before he can turn fully around, he collapses to the ground.
Carly screams as the man turns towards the door. As he reaches to open it, she locks them quickly. When he leans down to look in the window, she sees Tony and immediately scoots as far away as possible. He doesn't look like the same man she went after when she first got to town. Gone is the distinguished doctor, instead he is wearing a hoodie, beneath which his hair is unkempt, and his face has at least a week's worth of growth. And his eyes don't look right; they look desperate and crazy.
"That's fine. You can stay back there for now." Then, he's rifling through Johnny's pockets until he finds the keys. As he is distracted, she opens the door behind her and takes off running, losing a second as her feet get tangled in her purse. Throwing it off, she runs towards the hospital entrance. She only gets a few yards before he picks her up off her feet. She kicks back at him, landing a few against his shins that get a grunt out of him. Then, as she reaches back to scratch at him, she screams at the top of her lungs, "Help! Someone help me! He's kidnapping me! Please help!"
He puts his hand over her mouth to quiet her and she bites down as hard as she can. Cursing, he pushes his thumbs and fingers into her jaw, painfully immobilizing her mouth, and the other arm wraps around her neck, lifting her with the pressure on her neck alone. Her hands grasp and claw at his arm, unable to get a grip through his sweatshirt. He only carries her a few feet this way, but her legs are kicking wildly as she fights desperately to breathe. Finally reaching the SUV, he drops her down to the ground and slaps her viciously across the face as she gasps for breath. "You little bitch! You always have to do everything the hard way."
She tries to move away from him as he pulls out another hypodermic needle and moves it towards her. Her breathing gets fast and panic makes the world look fuzzy around the edges. It also makes her jerky and less effective at fighting him off when he grabs her arm in an unbreakable grip and jabs it into her. As the world gets fuzzy, she hears him tell her as though from far away, "Don't worry, it won't hurt the baby." Then, the world goes dark.
Jason rushes into the hospital, heading straight for Bobbie. When the guard called him and told him Carly was being taken to the hospital, that it was an emergency, his heart had stopped for a moment. And since it resumed, it's been beating double time, as though trying to beat out of him, making him feel like he can't take a full breath. With panic in his voice, he demands, "Where is she?!"
Bobbie stands up straight, "Who?" His fear fills her. She asks, though she knows only one person would cause this panic in him, "Carly?! She isn't here!"
"No!" He practically roars. "James said Johnny was bringing her up here. She has to be here!" His eyes look around desperately, praying she's going to suddenly appear. When she doesn't, he feels like the world is crushing in on him.
Alan hears his son's yell, and rushes to see what is happening. "Jason, what…"
His son strides over to him, unconsciously grabbing onto his arm in desperation, "Have you seen Carly? Johnny was bringing her up here because something was wrong. She should be here by now!"
"I'm sorry. I haven't seen her, son." Alan tells him regretfully.
"She has to be here!" He feels panic taking hold, his mind picturing her hurt and scared, or… He shakes his head and takes a moment to pull himself together, then he orders his mother-in-law, "I want this entire hospital searched! I'm going out to the parking deck. Dad, call …"
"Help! Please, I need some help!" A woman in her sixties yells as she stands at the entrance, "There's a man lying in the parking garage, and he's not moving!"
Jason is running before she finishes speaking. When he finds Johnny lying still on the ground, he collapses to his knees beside him, not even noticing the pain from the impact against the hard concrete. He notes that the guard is thankfully still breathing, then his eyes look around until they land on a small purse lying on the pavement on the other side of the parking space. It's Carly's. And he knows. He knows that Tony has her. The realization hits him like a physical blow. He feels his world tilt as a fear so fierce hits him that it draws the air out of his lungs.
While it's possible someone else could have taken her from him, someone connected to his world, he feels in his bones that it's Carly's ex. A cornered animal is reckless and dangerous, and this particular animal has the woman he loves.
The hitman Sonny has trained him to be, cold and methodical, is taken over by a rage so hot and fierce it could destroy the world. It will destroy the world, tearing it apart piece by piece until he finds his wife. And when he finds her, he will take pleasure in tearing the bastard who dared to take her from him apart piece by tortuous piece.
Bobbie runs up with Alan and several medical personnel following close behind. Seeing Carly's guard, she gasps and stops dead in her tracks. Her eyes shoot to Jason, wide and scared. Alan steps up beside her when she wobbles, putting a hand on her arm to brace her. Her voice breaks as she asks, "Jason?"
His face is hard as he looks in her eyes and says, "He has her." The anguish in his voice has tears flowing down Bobbie's face.
"What can we do to help?" Alan asks, as the nurses and orderlies get Johnny on a stretcher and run him inside.
Jason looks lost for a moment, like he can't get his brain to process. Finally, he takes a deep breath, focusing on his father, and directs, "We need as many people looking for her as possible. I'm going to bring in some guys to look around. And I need to see the security footage. Can you smooth the way?"
Alan nods, "Of course." Then, remembering his son calling him dad, his voice is filled with emotion as he proclaims, "Anything you need. All you have to do is ask."
Giving him a nod, he turns to Bobbie. He looks her over, noting that despite her fear she's standing strong. She reminds him so much of Carly at this moment, it threatens to break him. Gritting his teeth, he forces himself to keep moving. He tells his mother-in-law, "Get Luke caught up, I need him to help me hunt down Tony."
Her eyes narrow, "You think it's Tony?"
He gives her a short nod, "I don't have proof."
She lets out a growl, "We're going to bury him."
He looks her in the eyes, his eyes hard as he pictures killing Tony in the most painful ways possible. Then, in a voice that is both determined and pleading for his words to be true, he declares, "I'm bringing her home. I'm bringing them both home."
Carly wakes up nauseated. When she sits up, the world spins, and she has to take deep breaths until it settles. Moving her feet to stand up, she realizes her foot is shackled to the bed with a leather cuff attached to a clunky silver chain. And worse, she realizes she's not at home. She's in a rustic cabin, which has a bed in the middle of what appears to be the living room, kitchen, and dining room. There are three doors in the room, and a big window that looks out over a snow covered wooded area. The bed she's in is queen sized, and has rough wooden posts to which her left leg is shackled.
She looks around blankly for a moment, and then everything comes crashing back, as her eyes swing wildly around, searching for Tony. When she doesn't see him, she pulls uselessly at the chain, hoping to tear it free. She looks at the lock, wondering if she can somehow pick it. She's looking around for potential tools, though everything seems to be too far away for her to reach, when she hears the door opening. Her hands clutch protectively over her belly as Tony walks in carrying firewood, a blast of cold air rushes in raising goosebumps all over her body. The brief glance she gets outside the door shows her that there's no one close by to help her or hear her scream.
He looks her over, and apparently is satisfied with what he sees since he gives her a smile that sends chills down Carly's spine. He comments, "I'm glad you're awake. The effects of the drugs should wear off soon, and won't have any lasting impact on my son."
"Tony, he's not…" she argues.
"Don't you say it!" He shouts at her. "Stop lying! I know the baby is mine. Robin told me everything!"
"I'm not lying!" Carly yells with tears streaming down her face. "Robin's the liar, not…"
He stomps over to her, shaking his fist in her face, causing her to flinch back. He spits a little as he screams at her, his face red and mottled, a vein throbbing in his temple, "You ruined my life! Why would I believe a homewrecking slut like you? Robin has impeccable manners and ethics, not you!" He turns, running a hand through his hair, then giving her a narrowed look, asks, "Was it all just an act? Did you ever give a damn about me, or was I just a tool to get back at your mother?" He lets out a snort of derision when she looks down with a guilty expression. "That's what I thought. And then, you find out you're pregnant with my kid, and that just messed up all your plans. So, you convince brain damaged Jason to lie to everyone. I bet it was easy for you to convince him, just offer him a roll in the sheets and his simple mind…"
"Don't talk about him that way! You are a fool if you think my husband is some idiot. Jason's going to find me, and when he does he's going to destroy you!" She's spitting fire, too angry at how he's talking about her husband to be cautious. "And, Tony, I swear to God, this baby is Jason's. It's not your kid!"
"Jason told Robin…" he argues.
"She lied! Jason never told her that, it's a…" Carly half yells and half pleads.
Tony's face gets dark, with his brows lowering and his eyes turning mean, "It's my baby."
She sits back against the headboard, looking at him with wide eyes, "You're crazy. I mean… you're completely off your rocker."
He takes a menacing step forward, looming over her. She tries to make herself as small as possible, which is challenging with her pregnant belly. She finds herself curling around her belly protectively. His voice is a growl as he threatens, "You're the crazy one if you think for a moment I'm going to believe a word out of your mouth. Once the baby is here, that violent thug can have you back, but you have already taken Bobbie and Lucas from me. I'm not going to let you steal my baby as well!"
Tears are pouring from Carly's eyes as she tries not to have a full on panic attack. She has to get out of here! If she can just get out of the shackles, maybe she can escape. Thinking quickly, and not entirely lying, she tells him, "I need to use the bathroom."
"Oh, I forgot." He says with a smile that creeps her out as much as the anger. He leaves the room briefly and comes back bringing a medical portable toilet, the kind with a bucket that needs to be emptied. He sets it right beside the bed. "Your chain should reach that far."
She feels a wave of helplessness wash over her, but she pushes it back as much as she can. She has to protect the baby, and she can't do that if she gives in to her fear. When he just continues to stand there, she asks with annoyance in her tone, "Can I get some privacy?"
He gives her a hard, distrusting look, then concedes, "Fine, but I will be close, so don't get any crazy ideas."
"Thank you." She says with sarcasm, a little bit of fire breaking through the fear.
He goes back toward one of the doors in the back of the house, and opens it to reveal another bedroom that has a bed that has clearly been slept in. When he closes the door behind him, she scoots out of the bed. The jangle of the chain as she moves is going to give her nightmares. Trying to move as quickly as possible, she hurries to pee before he comes back. It makes her feel exposed and painfully vulnerable. Finishing quickly, she moves back to the bed, the chain announcing her movements. Tears drip down her face as she sends up a prayer for Jason to find her soon.
Jason leaves the hospital before the police arrive, not willing to waste the time talking to them when he can be looking for Carly. He only takes long enough to watch the security footage of the kidnapping. He feels equal parts terror and rage as he watches Tony choke and then slap her. He's proud of how hard Carly fights, noting with satisfaction that she scratches several deep gashes into his cheeks as she tries to escape. When he jabs her with a needle, and she collapses, Jason watches him put her into the back of the SUV, and drive away. To the outside, the enforcer looks as still and emotionless as a statue, but his eyes betray the storm raging underneath.
After looking at the footage, and getting an assurance it will be sent to him, he tells his father, "Please take care of Bobbie for me." Then turning to his mother-in-law, he directs, "Get in touch with Luke, and tell him to find me. I'm going to need his help." With resolve and a little desperation on his face, he promises her, "I'm going to find her. I'm going to bring them back to us."
She gives him a hug, both of them clinging to each other for a moment of comfort. When he pulls back, she grabs hold of his arm and demands, "When you find the bastard, kill him."
He gives her a tight nod. Alan reaches out, putting his hand on his son's arm. He tries not to be jealous that Bobbie gets to hug him, tries to just be happy that his son called him dad and is letting him close enough to touch him, but he longs to comfort his child in this moment. Instead, he offers, "Any resources at the Quartermaine's disposal are available to you. Anything you need is yours."
He gives him an emotional look, his defenses down enough that he can accept the olive branch he's offering. With a voice tight with emotion, he replies, "Thank you."
Leaving them, he heads straight for the warehouse. Finding Sonny in the office, he barges in the room with a bang, yelling, "He's got Carly! Tony kidnapped her. I need your help finding them!"
Sonny stands, alarmed. He's never seen his partner in this state. Even when he first started working for him, and he was controlled by his anger, he was never this unraveled. Knowing he needs answers before he can help, he advises his young friend, "You have my help, but I need you to calm yourself enough to tell me what you know. How did he get to her?"
"I don't know. I got a call from James, who's guarding the parking garage, that Johnny was taking Carly up to the hospital. He said it was an emergency, but that's all he knows. When I got there…" he shakes his head, a tear dripping down his cheek, "She…she wasn't there. I found Johnny unconscious out in the parking deck. It looked like he had an injection mark on his neck. But Carly and the SUV were missing." He leans down, bracing his hands on Sonny's desk, "I know it's Tony, I watched the video of him taking her. I know he took them from me."
"Okay. We'll figure this out." Sonny reassures him. Then, with a tilt of his head, he adds, "If it is Tony, that might not be the worst scenario. The good news is that if this wacko thinks the baby is his, he's going to take care of Carly even if it's only so he doesn't hurt the baby. It will give her some protection. And that girl is tough, she's a Spencer. In my experience, a Spencer will find a way to scratch, claw, and fight for their survival."
Jason takes a deep breath, nodding as Luke's voice speaks up behind them, "Damn straight. That girl won't be taken out by the likes of that slimy bastard. Spencers are made of stronger stuff." Then, with focus, "My question is how did he get to her in the first place?"
"I don't know. As far as I knew, she was staying in the apartment. Since Tony got to her last time, she is nervous about leaving. But then I got a call from the guard down with the cars saying Johnny was taking her to the hospital. Johnny told him to call me and tell me to get to the hospital. When they got there, Tony rushed up on Johnny and jabbed a needle in him, causing him to collapse. Carly tried to run… he choked her and hit her. He drugged her. What if she's having trouble with her pregnancy or something is wrong with her? She could be…"
Hearing what Carly went through, is going through, fills Luke and Sonny with rage. Both are looking more than determined to destroy the bastard who hurt Carly. The men who have murder in their eyes are more than familiar with executing the deed, brutally and with no remorse. It's a chilling sight.
"Hey, we're not playing that game. No what ifs." Sonny reassures him, reacting to Jason's fear, and then he gives him a thoughtful frown, "Tony snuck up on Johnny, drugged him? That means Tony was lying in wait for them. He knew she was coming. If she was having trouble with her pregnancy, how would he know to be there? It's more likely she was lured out somehow. And there's no way she would leave if it was Tony calling. Which means he has help."
Luke asks, "Robin?"
Sonny shakes his head, "No way she's meeting up with Robin either."
"Robin's the reason Tony…" Jason argues, angrily.
Begrudgingly, Sonny admits, "I'm not saying she isn't involved. I'm just saying there's no way your wife would rush up to the hospital if Robin called. I'm guessing somebody up at the hospital called with a false emergency. Told her you were hurt or something. But that gives us somewhere to start. If we can find out who called, maybe we find out more about where Tony's got her and what he's up to."
Jason looks Sonny square in the eye, and declares, "Robin probably knows something too."
Sonny looks down, torn, but eventually nods and agrees, "I'll talk to her."
With a hard edge to his voice, he retorts, "And if she doesn't give you anything, I get a crack at her. You know I respect you, and I respect this organization, but where my family is concerned, I will burn down anyone or anything that goes after my wife and child. Even Robin. I don't give a damn if she has your protection." Jason is a block of stone, his face and voice tight with anger, "If you tell me to treat her with kid gloves while my wife is being held by the man who left her bruised and bloody after just a few minutes, I will disobey. He's had her for nearly an hour already, and I'm not going to sit around waiting for you to get over your feelings for Robin. If she knows anything about where Tony is, we need that information now! The longer he has her…I won't let him hurt Carly!"
Attempting to ease the tension, Luke jumps in, "Alright hombres, let's take it down a notch. Why don't you let me have a go at her?" His eyes take on an evil gleam, "I think it's time for that trash talkin' little girl and me to have a discussion. I can get her to talk. Hell, after fighting Cassadines for a couple decades, that little harpy will be a cakewalk."
Looking at each other, considering his suggestion, both Sonny and Jason give nods of agreement. The mob boss responds, "That's fine. But no one kills her without my permission." Both men glare at him, but they nod. He continues, "All the men are at your disposal. What have you found out in the last week that can help us narrow down the search?"
Luke grunts, "He emptied his bank account, and if he's staying somewhere, he's either squatting or paying in cash and off the books. He's not in the city. We have looked everywhere for the little prick. I even called in some favors from some bottom feeders who have their ears to the ground. Nobody has seen hide or hair of the bastard." He shakes his head, scratching his chin, "If he grabbed our girl, he has to be close enough to get in and out, but somewhere isolated enough that nobody will hear the ruckus Caroline is bound to make, so it must be out of town."
Jason grits his teeth. He feels like he's coming out of his skin. The weight of his fear and self recrimination would buckle a weaker man. It takes every ounce of energy to make himself keep moving. If anything happens to her or the baby, he's not sure he'll be able to recover. Forcing himself to put aside his fear and focus, he tells them, "It will be harder to hide the SUV. Not impossible, but it's a luxury vehicle so people had to have noticed it. It can at least give us a general direction."
With a nod, Sonny agrees, "Let's send guys out to ask around." Turning to Carly's uncle, he wears an expression of pained resolve as he asks, "Luke, do you need somewhere off the grid to question Robin?"
"Yeah, how about where we did that last guy?" Luke asks, then with a bite to his voice. "It'll be out of the way so nobody will hear her scream."
Sonny flinches, but stays quiet. Jason looks emotionally between the two men. His voice breaks as he vows, "We are going to find her. We have to… we have to find them."
Luke puts his hand on the younger man's shoulder, "We will find them and bury Tony so deep they'll never find the body."