The rest of the week passed quickly, as Jason became re-acquainted with his Port Charles friends and loved ones. He was starting to get settled into his new job, and re-settled into his old home at the Harbor View Towers.

He still had not seen his parents. Monica and Alan were due to return Friday afternoon from the medical convention in California. Monica wanted to jump on a plane the second Emily told her Jason was back, but Alan convinced her it would probably be best to take things slowly. If they wanted to bridge the gap that had separated them for so long, Alan thought it was best to let Jason come to them when he was ready. Monica reluctantly agreed.

Jason and Nikolas had managed to reach an effective, if not especially pleasant, truce. They would never be friends or drinking buddies. They would talk to each other only when absolutely necessary. But each would be able to do his job without interference from the other.

Friday morning, Jason was working on an equipment inventory in one of the back rooms at L&B when Nikolas came looking for him.

“Your sister-in-law is here,” Nikolas said, with an unmistakable tone of disapproval in his voice.

Jason followed Nikolas to the front of the building, where Carly was waiting for him.

“Hi,” he greeted her. “I was gonna stop by Kelly’s later today. We need to go pick up Michael at the Quartermaines tonight, don’t we?”

Carly liked hearing we. She liked it a lot. But before she could answer, Nikolas interrupted.

“I have a meeting,” he said, heading for the door. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. If you leave before I get back, please make sure the answering machine is on.”

Without waiting for a reply, Nikolas headed out to his car.

“When did he turn into such a little snot?” Carly asked.

“He doesn’t like me,” Jason said flatly. “I don’t care, as long as he lets me do my job.”

“He must not like me, either. Did you hear how he said sister-in-law? Like he really meant, One of the hookers from Cortland Street is here to see you!” She paused for only a second. “What does he have against me, anyway? We’ve barely ever spoken.”

“He likes Elizabeth. And Robin.”

“Oh, that explains it! Those two little perfect angels probably filled his head with garbage about me!”

“Drop it, Carly,” Jason said dismissively.

“Okay.”

Jason had to restrain himself from looking at her in amazement. The old Carly never would have given in so easily. She would have been like a stubborn puppy refusing to let go of a bone. She would have kept on complaining about Robin and Elizabeth until she gave him a headache. Now, she seemed perfectly willing to change the subject.

“You don’t still think of me as your sister-in-law, do you?” she asked.

“I don’t think I ever did.”

“Good,” she said with a satisfied nod.

Jason still wasn’t sure why Carly was there. “Did you want to talk about something?” he prompted.

“Oh, yes!” she said, remembering. “It’s about Michael. Do you have a few minutes to go out for coffee?”

“Sure.”

Jason turned on the answering machine as they headed out the door.

“You should leave it off just to spite him,” Carly said with a nasty grin.

“And what good would that do? I own part of this company now. I told you--I don’t care what Nikolas thinks of me. This is a job, and if I have to work with him, I can.” He paused, then asked her, “Where do you want to go?”

“Isn’t there a little coffee shop on the next block?”

He nodded. It took them only a couple of minutes to walk to the trendy little place. Once inside, they ordered coffee and sat down at a small table near the window.

“Now, what about Michael?” Jason asked.

“It’s about this weekend. Lucas is having a party for his friends at Bobbie’s house.”

“That’s nice,” Jason said. “He’s a good kid.”

“Yes, his is. But his friends are a little too old for Michael, so I thought maybe we could take him out somewhere. You know, so he doesn’t feel left out?”

Jason had actually been thinking of asking if Carly and Michael wanted to do something that weekend, but he decided to let her go on thinking it was her idea.

Nodding, he asked, “What about the zoo?”

Carly looked confused. “We don’t have a zoo in Port Charles, do we?”

“I was thinking of the one in Syracuse,” he answered. “It’s not that far. We could drive over there for the day, and stop someplace to eat on the way home.”

“That’s a great idea!” she said enthusiastically.

Before they could make any more travel plans, a tall, well-dressed man with a familiar face came up to the table.

“Mr. Morgan! I heard you were back in our city,” he said.

“Lieutenant Taggert,” Jason acknowledged.

“Lieutenant, is there some reason you need to talk to us,” Carly asked, a bit belligerently.

“Not to you, Mrs. Quartermaine,” Taggert answered. “But I may have a question or two for Mr. Morgan.”

“What do you need to know?” Jason sounded tired. He thought encounters like this were a part of the past.

“Well,” Taggert began, “to start with, you’re driving around town in a vehicle with Florida license plates, registered to someone who is not yourself.”

“Have you talked to the owner?” Jason countered. “Has he reported the truck stolen?”

“No,” Taggert admitted. “Mr. Nico Kelly of Miami says you have his truck with his knowledge and permission, for as long as you want it.”

“Then, what’s the problem?” Jason asked, starting to sound disinterested.

“Nothing. Did I say there was a problem?” Taggert paused. “Just wanted to let you know we know you’re back.” With a smile, he moved away.

“Why are driving some other guy’s truck?” Carly asked, when Taggert was gone.

“I’m not. It’s mine. It’s just registered to a guy in Miami, because I didn’t want to give Sorel a way to track me while I was gone.” He paused. “It doesn’t matter any more. I’m back, and Sonny says he hasn’t had any problems from Sorel in months. So I might as well have the title to the truck transferred to my name.”

“Good. Now, where were we?” Carly asked, wanting to return to a more pleasant subject.

“Getting ready to take Michael to the zoo,” Jason answered.

“Yes! He’s going to love it!”

It was apparent from the light in her eyes that Carly was going to love it, too.

***

Jason picked Carly up at Kelly’s that evening after the dinner shift was over. They drove immediately to the Quartermaine mansion.

Reginald answered the door. After greeting the two visitors, Reginald told Jason, “Just wanted to let you know--they’re back. And they really want to talk to you, if you’re up to another family reunion.”

“I can handle it,” Jason answered.

Reginald escorted Carly and Jason into the living room, where Alan and Monica waited with Emily and Michael.

Monica couldn’t contain her joy. She rushed over to her younger son and threw her arms around him, as she said simply, “Jason, we’re so glad you’re back!”

“Thanks,” he answered, hugging her back.

Alan looked at his wife and son, wishing he could do the same thing Monica was doing right now. But he was afraid of pushing too hard, too soon. Instead, he held out his hand and said, “Welcome home, Jason.”

The two men shook hands awkwardly. But it was a start. And for that, Alan Quartermaine would be eternally grateful.

***

“So, was that tough for you?” Carly asked.

They were back in the truck now with Michael, heading for Bobbie’s house.

“Yeah, kind of,” Jason answered. “It was probably tougher for him.”

Carly wasn’t sure if he was ready to listen to her advice, but she decided to give it a try. “Look, Jason, if it means anything, I’m a real expert on hating a parent. Thank God I found out soon enough that it’s a lot better to love her.”

“I never hated any of them,” Jason said quietly. “I just didn’t want to be suffocated by them. I don’t know if you can understand that.”

“I think I can,” she answered. “I was in Ferncliff for a while, remember?”

She paused, then continued. “But nothing like that is going to happen now, is it? You’ve made a life for yourself. And it’s a life that’s changing all the time. Why not let it change a little more, to include your father? You made peace with Monica before you left. Are you willing to give Alan the same chance you gave her?”

“I’ll try, Carly--that’s all I can say right now.”

They reached the brownstone at this point, and Jason parked the truck. He helped Carly get Michael’s things out of the back of the cab, then carried the little boy to Bobbie’s door as Carly got out her keys.

“How about if I come by around 9:00?” he asked.

“Sounds good to me!” she answered. “Hey, Michael--we’re gonna have a fun time tomorrow, aren’t we?”

***

It was a beautiful late summer morning when they set out the next day. Traveling on the New York State Thruway, it took them less than two hours to reach Syracuse.

Along the way, Jason pointed out birds perched on a fence near the Thruway. “Michael, that’s the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge,” he said. “We’ll come back sometime this fall and take a drive through there.”

Carly was happier than she had been in a long, long time.

They spent the day enjoying zoo exhibits that included Siberian tigers and a baby elephant. They visited an area known as “The Cave” that focused on the earliest beginnings of animal life. Michael especially seemed to like the “Wild North” area--home to the Arctic wolf, Kodiak bear, snow leopard, Andean condor, and bighorn sheep, among others.

By late afternoon they were finished with their zoo tour, but not ready yet to return home.

“You wanna try a different route on the way back?” Jason asked. “We could go through the Finger Lakes area. It’s pretty down there.”

“Hey, you’re driving! And I’m in no hurry to get back.”

Instead of taking the Thruway, Jason picked up Route 20, heading west. They passed Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, and when they reached the town of Geneva, they turned south.

They took a twisty drive down the west shore of Keuka Lake, stopping to eat at a little restaurant adjacent to one of the many wineries in the area. When they reached the south end of the lake Jason pointed the truck north again on Route 54, along the eastern shore.

It was dark now, and time to be getting back to Port Charles. But as they were passing a lakeside resort a few miles south of the town of Penn Yan, there was a noisy thunk! under the hood. Jason quickly pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

“Jason, is something the matter?” Carly asked.

“Yeah,” Jason answered. “And if it’s what I think it is, we’re not gonna get back to Port Charles tonight.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Carly, I think the serpentine belt just broke. It controls a lot of systems--heat and air conditioning, power steering, the alternator--all kinds of stuff. Right now, we’re running directly off the battery, there’s no power steering, and we could overheat real soon.” He paused, then added, “I know how to fix it. But there’s no way we’re gonna get a new belt this time of night, on a Saturday, way out here.”

“Then it’s a darn good thing we’re so close to that place, isn’t it?” she answered, pointing to the motel/resort.

Jason managed to get the truck to the motel office. Carly carried Michael, as the three of them went inside to arrange for a place to stay the night.

“You’re in luck, folks,” the manager said. “We were sold out for this weekend. A family reunion. They come here every year. But one guy spent a little too much time on the winery tour, and he had to head home early. So I can give you one of our upper efficiency units.”

The manager added helpfully, “There’s a couple of auto parts stores in Penn Yan. They should be able to help you tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Jason said.

The manager showed them to a unit with a bedroom/kitchenette, a separate room with twin beds, and a bathroom. It was a nice place, but now that they were alone there, both Carly and Jason were starting to feel a little awkward.

“Are you okay with this?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” she answered quickly. “Are you?”

Before he could answer, Michael chimed in from the spot on the carpet where he was playing with his truck. “Mommy!”

“Oops, I think you need to make a little trip to the bathroom, don’t you Mr. Man?”

“How long has he been trained to do that?” Jason asked curiously.

“Not long. You missed a lot of fun stuff while you were gone!”

When that little task was taken care of, Carly grabbed Michael’s bag and took him into the room with the twin beds.

“Do you actually bring pajamas in that thing every time you take him out?” Jason asked from the other room.

“I bring everything,” she called back. “You never know what a toddler is going to need. I thought maybe he could change into his PJs and sleep in the car on the way back. Then I wouldn’t have to wake him up to put him to bed when we got home. But they’ll come in real handy here, won’t they? Just wish I’d brought some for me!”

Carly got Michael settled in one of the twin beds, then came back to the bedroom/kitchenette where Jason was waiting.

“Do you, uh, wanna watch TV or something?” he asked.

Or what? Carly wondered. Better not think of anything like that! she warned herself. “You know, I’m really tired,” she said quickly. “I should probably go back in there with him. He’s pretty wound up. He’ll need me to tell him a story or something before he gets to sleep.”

“Yeah, okay. Well, I’m gonna take a shower.”

They looked at each for a few seconds. Then Carly said, “Good night, Jason. Thanks for a really nice day.”

“Good night, Carly.”

The last thing Carly remembered thinking before she fell asleep was that Jason was taking a really long time in the shower. She would have been even more surprised if she knew how cold the water was.

***

A few hours later, Jason awoke suddenly to the sound of soft sobbing. There was light coming from the bathroom, where the door was open just an inch or so.

Jason got out of bed. “Carly,” he said quietly through the bathroom door, “are you okay?”

She didn’t answer.

“Carly, can I come in there?”

“No, I’ll come out,” she finally answered.

Carly turned out the bathroom light and opened the door. In the darkness, Jason took her hand and guided her to one of the chairs at the little table in the kitchenette. He sat down opposite her. “Tell me about it, Carly.”

“I didn’t want to wake up Michael,” she said.

“He’s fine. But you’re not. Did you have a nightmare?”

“Yes,” she answered. “About the accident.”

He nodded. “I had bad dreams for a while after my accident, too. Not the same--I wasn’t remembering what happened. I couldn’t remember stuff. But I didn’t understand anything that was going on, and it showed up in my dreams, too.”

“I had dreams like this a lot, right after it happened,” Carly said softly. “But not for a while. And this one--it was so vivid! It felt like it was happening all over again. I was lying in that ditch, face down. And I heard a baby crying.” She wiped away tears. “And then I woke up crying, and I couldn’t stop, so I went in the bathroom. I didn’t want to wake up Michael,” she repeated.

“Was the baby you heard in your dream Michael?” Jason asked quietly. “Were you afraid you were going to die, and he wouldn’t have anyone left to take care of him?”

She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t Michael.”

Jason didn’t say anything. He just waited for her continue. Finally, she did.

“Jason, I was pregnant. I lost the baby.”

He reached across the table and took her hand. “God, Carly! I’m sorry.”

It was only seconds before Jason realized what she had not said. “It was Sonny’s, wasn’t it?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes. But he can’t ever know.” Carly shook her hair out of her face. “I know what this loss feels like to me. I don’t want him to feel it, too. He saved my life, Jason. I don’t ever want to dump this on him.”

“He won’t find out. Nobody else knew you were pregnant, did they?”

She shook her head sadly. “A lot of people knew I lost the baby. A miscarriage is not something you can hide, if it happens in a hospital. Bobbie, Alan and Monica, they all know. And AJ knew. He followed me to the doctor. He was yelling at me about it right before we crashed.”

“Do any of them know it was Sonny’s?” Jason asked.

She gulped. “They all think it was yours.” When Jason didn’t say anything, Carly continued, “I let them think that. I’m sorry, I know you don’t like to lie. But I just didn’t want Sonny to ever find out. I’m sorry.”

“Carly, it’s okay. I know better than anybody what Sonny goes through. I know what he’s like when he goes over the edge. I don’t want him to find out about this, either.” He paused a second, then went on. “I’ll keep your secret.”

“What will you say if Alan and Monica ask you about it?”

“I’ll tell them I didn’t know about the baby until I got back. Don’t worry, Carly. It’s gonna be okay.”

He was still holding her hand as they both stood up. Carly was about to go back to the other room when Jason suddenly collapsed in a pile of arms and legs on the floor.

“Jason, what happened?” she asked in alarm.

“This,” he said, holding up Michael’s toy truck. “Remind me to watch where I step.”

He held up his arms to her, and she reached down to pull him back to his feet. As they faced each other again, he didn’t let go.

“It really is gonna be okay,” he said, taking her in his arms.

He held her that way for a long time. Finally, he asked, “Carly, do you wanna go to bed now?”

“Do you have any idea how many years I’ve waited for you to ask me that?” she responded. When he didn’t say anything, she added quickly, “I’m kidding! I know you’re just thinking about sleeping right now.”

She was wrong about that. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, caress her. He wanted to start making up for all those wasted years.

“Carly—“ he began.

But he never got any farther. Michael started crying loudly from the other room, and they both rushed in there to calm him.

Michael had awakened alone in a strange place, and he was frightened. It didn’t take long for Carly and Jason to soothe him back to sleep. But the mood was broken, and Jason would not finish telling Carly what he wanted to say that night.

“I think he’ll be okay now,” Carly said, as Michael slipped back into dreamland. “Jason, I know I’ve said this before, but thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome, Carly. Good night.”

Jason went back to the other room and got into bed, alone. As he closed his eyes, he knew there would be another night, hopefully soon, when he would ask her that question again.

______________________________________________________________________________