Emily hurried over to where Johnny was lying on the hallway floor. He was bleeding and unconscious. Emily immediately ran into Jason’s penthouse and dialed 911 from the phone in the living room.

“Hello? I’m calling from the Harbor View Towers.... The address? Oh, my God--I don’t remember! Wait, it’s 122 Harbor View Drive. Look, there’s a man lying on the floor bleeding! .... The penthouse.... No, not in the penthouse. In the hallway outside .... No, I don’t know what happened to him. I--I think he may have been shot! Please, hurry!”

While Emily was calling for help, the elevator doors were closing, as the elevator was called back downstairs. It re-opened in the parking garage, where Jason got in and rode to the penthouse level. As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Jason saw Emily rushing back into the hallway to hover over Johnny.

“Jason, thank God you’re here!”

Jason crouched on the floor next to Johnny, feeling for a pulse. “Emily, get me a towel or something from the kitchen--we need to try to stop this bleeding!”

Emily returned quickly with the towel, and Jason did his best to stop the flow of blood from the wound in Johnny’s side. “What happened?” Jason asked, in a voice that was controlled but urgent.

Emily tried to explain what she knew. It wasn’t much.

“So I called 911, and they’re sending an ambulance now,” she finished. “Jason, I didn’t know what else to do!”

“You did fine, Em. Now, where is Michael?”

“He’s downstairs in the car with Juan. We parked out in front of the building. Don’t worry, Jason, Michael didn’t see anything.”

“Good. Why don’t you call Juan on your car phone, and tell him to drive Michael back to the Quartermaines?”

“Is that okay? I mean, the police are on their way--and no one is supposed to leave a crime scene, right?”

“Juan never came up here. He never saw anything. It’s more important right now to get Michael away from here. Just tell the police what you saw, and let me take care of the rest.”

“Okay.”

As Emily called Juan from the penthouse living room, Jason noticed that the unconscious Johnny was grasping something in his left hand. Gently prying Johnny’s fingers apart, Jason took the small, shiny object and put it in his pocket.

It was a gold key chain, with the name Caroline.

Seconds later, the elevator doors opened for the third time, as two paramedics rushed over to tend to Johnny.

“What happened?” paramedic Frank Scanlon asked, as he and his partner went into action.

“He’s been shot,” Jason told them. “He’s breathing, but he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“We’ll take care of him, sir,” Frank’s partner said, motioning Jason out of the way.

Jason went into the living room with Emily, praying silently as he clutched the Caroline key chain in his pocket. Please, God, let her be okay!

***

Carly had arrived at the penthouse about half an hour before Emily. “Hi, Johnny!” she greeted Sonny’s bodyguard.

“Hello, Carly,” Johnny said warmly.

It was clear Johnny was happy to see her, and Carly knew it. She gave him her brightest smile. “Is your boss home?”

Johnny shook his head. “No, Sonny’s out of town. And if you’re looking for Jason, he’s not back yet.”

“Jason told me you could let me into the penthouse,” Carly said, tilting her head toward the door. “Can I just wait in there for him?”

“Sure, if that’s what he said,” Johnny answered, unlocking Jason’s penthouse door.

Carly smiled again. “It’s really good to see you, Johnny,” she said as she went inside.

The door closed before she could see Johnny blush slightly.

Carly pulled out the Caroline key chain as she relaxed on Jason’s couch, allowing herself the pleasure of thinking that perhaps it might soon be carrying the key to the penthouse. But her daydream was shattered quickly.

Just minutes after she entered the penthouse, Carly was startled by the sound of a loud scuffle in the hallway. She rushed over to open the door--just in time to hear a gunshot, and see Johnny fall.

As Carly screamed, she dropped her key chain to the floor. No one noticed.

The gunman turned and pointed his weapon at her, as a second man grabbed her arms and held them behind her back. Reaching around to cover her mouth with his hand, he shouted, “Looks like Morgan’s got company, boss!”

“Well, well.” A dark-haired man in an expensive suit was standing near the elevator door. “Mrs. Quartermaine, isn’t it? If you promise to keep quiet, my associate will take his hand away from your mouth.”

Carly stared defiantly at Joseph Sorel.

“A nod will be fine,” Sorel said with a nasty smile on his face.

Carly stood completely still, continuing to glare at the mobster.

“No? All right, I guess Vincent will just have to make sure you stay quiet, then. Vincent, you attend to Mrs. Quartermaine while we find her boyfriend.”

Do you idiots think Jason would just hide in there while you shoot Johnny and grab me? Carly thought in disgust.

Sorel and the gunman tore through Jason’s penthouse, discovering quickly that no one else was there. Carly struggled briefly with the wise guy in the hallway, but he only held her tighter.

“Looks like Morgan isn’t here. But something tells me he will be soon. Now, we can either wait for him--or we can bring Mrs. Quartermaine with us, and let her boyfriend join us later.” Sorel paused theatrically. “I think I like the second choice. Just in case anybody heard that gunshot.”

Sorel kicked Johnny as he and his henchmen turned to leave. The man who was holding Carly forced her inside the elevator.

“Now, Mrs. Quartermaine, we’re going to leave through the parking garage. Just in case anyone else is down there, I suggest you keep quiet--or you and that bodyguard will have more in common than your loyalty to Jason Morgan.”

Carly nodded, and the goon took his hand off her mouth.

“That’s better,” Sorel said.

As the elevator headed down to the parking garage, Carly hoped fervently that Emily and Michael would be late.

A beautiful day had turned into a life and death crisis. But there was no doubt in Carly's mind that Jason would find some way to deal with it. He always did.

***

Police Lieutenant Marcus Taggert and several uniformed officers arrived at Jason’s penthouse as the paramedics were placing Johnny on a stretcher. Taggert ordered the other officers to make way. “Let these guys get that wounded man to the hospital now!”

From just inside the penthouse door, Jason and Emily had been anxiously watching the paramedics work on Johnny. Their eyes followed the stretcher as Johnny was carried into the elevator.

While the uniformed officers and crime scene technicians began going over the blood-soaked hallway, Taggert joined Jason and Emily in the penthouse. Motioning them to sit down on the couch, Taggert took a chair opposite the girl and her brother. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened here,” he said, staring straight at Jason.

“I was the one who found Johnny, Lieutenant,” Emily said quickly. “Jason asked me to meet him here, and bring Michael. I left Michael down in the car with Juan, and I came up on the elevator. When the door opened, Johnny was just lying there, bleeding!” Emily shuddered.

“Where are Juan and your nephew now, Emily?” Taggert asked quietly.

“I told Juan to take Michael to the Quartermaines,” Jason answered.

“That’s fine,” Taggert said. “If I need to talk to Juan about anything, I know where to find him.”

On Jason’s first night home, Emily had told him one of the conditions for Juan to remain in Port Charles was that the teenager live under Taggert's watchful eye. They were now Port Charles’ version of The Odd Couple, sharing an apartment at Bobbie’s brownstone.

“And what about you?” Taggert said, turning to Jason.

“Emily was phoning for help when I got home,” Jason said. “I checked to make sure Johnny was still breathing. I tried to stop the bleeding--that’s pretty much all I could do until the paramedics got here.”

Taggert nodded, then asked, “Where’s Corinthos?”

“Out of town,” Jason answered.

“You in charge while he’s gone?” Taggert asked.

“Sonny and I aren’t partners any more. We’re still friends, and I still live across the hall, but we’re not in business together now.”

“Uh huh. Then why do you suppose your door was wide open, with a man lying on the floor bleeding just outside?”

“I don’t know, Lieutenant,” Jason said evenly.

Taggert pressed on. “Do you think somebody was after you?”

“I don’t know,” Jason repeated.

Taggert stood up. “I need you two to come down to headquarters with me and give statements.”

“Is it okay if I take my own truck?” Jason asked. “I’ll bring Emily with me.”

“Fine. Meet me there.”

Taggert opened the door and gave instructions to the officers working in the hallway, before taking the elevator downstairs. Jason and Emily remained in the penthouse, watching the detective leave.

When Taggert was gone, Jason closed the door and turned to Emily. “Em, did you see any sign of Carly?” he asked urgently.

“No, I thought she probably hadn’t gotten here yet.” Emily paused a second, then asked, “Do you think she’s been hurt, Jason?”

“I hope not. But I know she was here.”

“How?” Emily asked.

Before Jason could answer, the door opened again, and one of the uniformed officers reminded Jason and Emily they were needed at police headquarters to give their statements.

“We’re leaving now,” Jason said, taking Emily by the hand and guiding her toward the elevator.

Emily could tell Jason needed some quiet time, and she let him have it. She knew he would have to do plenty of talking once Taggert resumed asking questions. And she could use a little time for reflection herself, so they rode most of the way to police headquarters without talking.

Jason held the Caroline key chain in one hand as he drove. Please God, he repeated silently, let her be okay.

***

Jason and Taggert sat across a table from each other in an interrogation room. Emily and Jason had both finished giving their statements, but Taggert wasn’t satisfied yet.

“Mr. Morgan,” he said, “there’s a wounded man in the hospital right now, and I need to find out who put him there. I think you know. Was it Sorel?”

Jason didn’t answer.

“You’ve already told me Sonny isn’t here. So if Sorel was responsible for that shooting, he had to be after you. Why? You say you’re not part of Sonny’s organization any more. And you weren’t even in town for months. So why would Sorel be after you?”

Again, Taggert’s questions were met with silence.

“You’re not a suspect this time, Morgan. You’re not being charged with anything. But the more you can tell me, the better chance we have of finding whoever did this, and keeping them from doing anything else.”

“Okay,” Jason said. “Let’s talk.”

***

Jason came out of the interrogation room a short time later and found Emily waiting for him. “Em, I’m gonna take you home, and then I need to go see Johnny at the hospital. I’ll call you if there’s anything new.”

As he dropped Emily off at the Quartermaine mansion, Jason stepped inside briefly to see Michael. Kissing the little boy, he said, “Good night, Michael. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Silently, he added, But right now, I have to find your mother.

***

Johnny was admitted to General Hospital after the trauma team removed the bullet from his side. He was sleeping now, and the doctors said he was going to be okay.

A relieved Jason was driving away from the hospital parking lot when his cell phone rang. He answered immediately. “Yeah,” he said, “it’s me.”

He listened as the voice at the other end gave instructions to drive to a specific location.

“Let me talk to her,” Jason said.

“That will have to wait until you get here, Morgan,” the voice answered. “And make it fast.”

Jason drove as quickly as he could to a nondescript warehouse not far from the docks. He parked his truck and went inside.

He was immediately accosted by two men who shoved him against a wall. As Jason faced the wall with his hands above his head, the two men checked to make sure he was not carrying a gun.

“He’s clean,” one of the men said.

“Good,” said another voice behind Jason. “That means we can finish our business.”

Jason turned to face Joseph Sorel.

“Where is she?” Jason asked, coldly and quietly.

Sorel had the same nasty smile on his face that Carly had seen earlier. “My associates and I have been getting to know Mrs. Quartermaine. Quite well.”

Jason refused to take the bait. “Let me see her,” he said.

“Fine,” Sorel answered. “Follow me.”

With the two goons on either side holding his arms, Jason followed Sorel down a hallway to a locked room. As Sorel unlocked the door, Carly rushed towards Jason--but one of the two henchmen pulled her away.

Sorel put his arm around Carly as he dismissed his two underlings. “Leave these two with me,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket with his free hand and pulling out a gun.

“You stay right where you are, Morgan. And you,” he said, turning Carly, “stay right here.”

Jason and Carly were only a few feet apart, but it seemed as if they were separated by the Grand Canyon. Sorel kept the gun pointed at them as he made his way to the other side of the room. Jason noticed then that there was a second door, apparently leading to another part of the warehouse.

Jason kept his eyes on the gun as he spoke. “Sorel, I don’t know what you want with me. You oughta know I’m not part of Sonny’s organization any more. But you told me to come here, and I’m here. Now let Carly go.”

“You can’t be so stupid that you think we just let witnesses go,” Sorel said. “Besides, Mrs. Quartermaine has a major role to play in this drama.”

“Let her go,” Jason said. “Whatever score you want to settle is with me, not her.”

“Well, Morgan, you’re getting a little closer to figuring out why you’re here,” Sorel said. “But I’m not the one with a score to settle.”

“Then who?” Jason asked.

Sorel opened the door. A man in a wheelchair wheeled himself into the room.

“Me,” he said.

It was Anthony Moreno.

Carly gasped. “Jason, I thought Moreno was dead!”

“So did I. I shot him after he and Sorel and their goons ambushed me,” Jason said, his voice a little colder. “I thought I killed him. Guess I was wrong.”

“It might have been better if you had killed me,” Moreno said bitterly. “Instead, I have to spend the rest of my life in this miserable chair! Do you know what it feels like to be paralyzed, Morgan?”

Jason didn’t answer, and Moreno didn’t seem to care. He continued staring at Jason. “Do you know what it feels like to have your entire life wiped away?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jason said. “I do.”

Moreno seemed almost to be talking to himself. “That’s why I had to find you. I had to keep hunting. Now you’re here, and it’s almost over.”

Jason stared hard at the man in the wheelchair. “Moreno,” he said, “whatever you blame me for has nothing to do with Carly.” He glanced toward Sorel, still holding the gun. “Tell your buddy here to let her go.”

“No,” Moreno said. “Having her here makes it perfect.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

Sorel pointed his gun directly at Carly. “What Mr. Moreno means, Morgan, is that before you die, you get to watch her die!”

“No!!!!!!!!!!!”

As a shot rang out, Jason leaped on top of Carly, forcing her to the floor and covering her with his body.

But the shot had not been fired by Sorel. Across the room, the mobster was lying on the floor, blood streaming from his chest.

And Lieutenant Marcus Taggert was standing in the open doorway, his gun now pointed at Moreno.

Jason groaned. “What took you so long?”

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