A Christmas Memory

by Jules

- Chapter 6 -

Jason tried to reach for Courtney as she knelt on the floor, crying and holding her stomach. He tried to get up, but he couldn't move. He reached for the nurse button and continually pressed it, meanwhile screaming for a doctor. What he got, instead, was Carly.

She rushed in the door. "What the hell?! OH MY GOD! SOMEBODY GET A DOCTOR! THIS WOMAN IS GOING INTO LABOR!" she leaned down next to Courtney. "It's OK, sweetie, it's OK - we're getting someone. Just breathe." She took Courtney's hand and helped her into a sitting position against the small table that was beside Jason's bed.

The nurse rushed in the room with a wheelchair. "Mrs. Morgan, we need you to stand up."

Courtney cried. "It hurts too much! I can't!"

Jason leaned down and took Courtney's hand. "Courtney, you can do this. Be strong. I'll be right behind you -you need to give this baby a life. You can do it, I know you can. I love you," he kissed her head as she started to get up.

"Get me a wheelchair!" he told the nurse.

- - - - -

'IT...HURRRRRTS!" Courtney screamed as she squeezed almost all the life out of Jason's hand.

Jason sat there, looking very worried. Courtney's face was pale and she was crying uncontrollably. Was giving birth hurting her more than it should? "Be strong, be strong! You can do this!" he said.

Courtney cried as she pushed again and again, growing weaker and weaker each time. Carly was at the end of the bed, helping the doctor. "I can sense it..." she said. "This baby is gonna be a killer...just like Morgan...just like you, Court!" she smiled.

Courtney tried to laugh but the pain was too much. "GET...IT...OUT! I...I'm sorry-OW!-baby, you're not an it, it's just that I don't know wh-OW!-what gender you a-OW!!! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" She fell back on the bed with fatigue.

"Two more pushes, Courtney, that's it," said the doctor as Courtney pushed one last time.

"There's the head...oh, she is beautiful, just like her aunt...I can tell! She's gonna be a healthy one! Here she is." Carly took the newborn from the doctor's arms and wrapped her up in a blanket after her umbilical cord was cut. "Here's your baby girl."

She went to give the baby to Courtney, but her eyes were half-opened. "You...are...beauti..." Courtney said softly, her vision becoming blurrier and blurrier. She could see Jason and Carly calling her name with concerned voices. Then everything went black.

- - - - -

How's that for a cliffhanger...! I'M SORRY!! More to come :-)

A Christmas Memory

by Jules

- Chapter 7 -

"Courtney! COURTNEY!" Jason's voice woke Courtney up to see him and Carly looking over at her with concern.

"Wh-what happened?" she asked, totally confused. "Where's my baby?"

"Well, you passed out on us for a second there - but you're all right," said Carly. "And your beautiful baby girl is right here." She placed the beautiful newborn into Courtney's arms. "You must be tired!"

"More than you could imagine," replied Courtney with a smile. She looked at Jason, then looked at their baby daughter. Her eyes locked with her child's, feeling a rush of love and happiness.

"She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," said Jason. Courtney placed the baby in his arms just as the door to her room opened and her brother walked in.

"My sister gave birth and I missed it!" Sonny said, giving Courtney a hug and a kiss on the head.

"Don't worry, you didn't miss much - just me screaming my head off!" replied Courtney.

"Yeah, and passing out...I'll tell you later," Carly said, when Sonny gave her a concerned look.

"Let me see my niece," said Sonny as Jason handed her to him. "She is beautiful. This reminds me of when Morgan was born."

"OK, Sonny, let's give the new parents a few moments alone with their daughter. And let them choose a name!" Carly took the baby from Sonny, kissed her head, and handed her back to Courtney. Then she and Sonny left the room.

- - - - -

"Jason, thank you." said Courtney.

"For what?" he asked.

"For everything. You've always been there for me. Even just waking up to come back to me. I think you woke up because somehow - somehow, God let you know that our baby was going to come."

"I think I knew, too. It was like I had been closing my eyes, then all of a sudden, I opened them and everything came back to me. I felt - I felt all sorts of things. I felt you, and the baby, and - love. I knew I had to come back."

Courtney smiled and looked down at her daughter. "Hey, precious! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? A long time! Very long! But here you are - healthy and beautiful, and surrounded by everyone who loves you." Her daughter looked up at her, and Courtney and Jason could've sworn she smiled.

- - - - -

A half an hour later, Sonny and Carly re-entered the room to see Courtney sleeping on her bed. Jason was still sitting in his chair, with his head on the bed in front of Courtney's stomach - sound asleep. They walked over to the new baby's bassinet and looked at the name sticker. Tears poured down Carly's smiling face and her hand went up to her mouth as she and Sonny looked at each other then at the sleeping child - Caroline Charlotte.

- - - - -

Thanks for the wonderful feedback I've received from a few people! Please keep it coming because it encourages me to write more! :o)

A Christmas Memory

by Jules

- Chapter 8 -

December 20, 2004

"Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, the doctor has told us that you both will be able to leave the hospital as soon as you wish," the nurse told the happy couple as they smiled.

"Finally," said Jason. "I'm going to go back to my room and change - I'll be right back." He kissed the baby's head and walked out the door.

Courtney sat there with her daughter. "Caroline Charlotte, I want you to realize something. You are named for a very, very important person - your aunt. She is mommy and daddy's best friend. She is the best aunt or friend anyone could have. She would do anything for us, just like mommy or daddy would do anything for her or her family. Aunt Carly is like my sister. When I first came here, she tried to warn me when I made a bad decision. But I made it anyway. Then, your daddy saved me. If it wasn't for your aunt pushing us closer and closer together, you wouldn't be here right now. So, you're named after your Aunt Carly, and Charlotte is the name of her best friend who died a while ago. She was very important to your aunt, just as important as your aunt is to us."

Jason entered the room with a diaper bag in his hand. "The nurse gave this to us - I guess we'll have to get used to it!"

"Yeah, Mr. Tough Guy, it's a bit different from what you usually carry," said Courtney, smiling, as she handed off their daughter to Jason. She grabbed her clothes and walked to the bathroom as Jason looked after her and realized how lucky he was.

- - - - -

Sorry this so short!! I only had a little bit of time and I thought some name-history was appropriate!! More later :o)

A Christmas Memory

by Jules

- Chapter 9 -

The door to penthouse 2 opened as the three Morgan's walked inside, smiling.

"She's already sleeping," whispered Courtney, looking down at Caroline.

"Let's put her up in her new nursery, then you can get some rest, " said Jason, as they made their way upstairs into the already prepared nursery.

Courtney put Caroline in her new crib and settled her into her new blanket that Carly had given to them. The room had been decorated four months before the baby was due, and Courtney remembered that whole day.

*Flashback*

"The nursery crew has arrived!" she heard Carly yell as she entered the door. She walked out from the kitchen to see Carly, Sonny, and Michael standing at the bottom of the stairs, each holding one can of paint and a paint brush.

"Well, we've got a lot of work ahead of us - let's head upstairs!" said Courtney. "I think Jason already started."

Since they didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl, they painted the room white with specs of all different colored pastels. They were doing fine - until Carly got bored.

"Sonny, come here, you've-you've got..." Carly gestured for Sonny to move closer to her.

"Wh-what? What is it?" he asked as he walked over to his wife.

"Something...right...THERE!" Carly took her paintbrush and drew a line of paint across his nose, laughing evilly.

"CARLY!" Sonny took his brush and spread the paint in her hair as everyone gasped - no one messes with Carly's hair.

"You did not just do that," said Carly, a wicked grin slowly spreading across her face.

"Uh-oh," said Jason. "Carlybabes is about to attack!" He turned to Courtney, just in time to see a large drop of paint land right on his forehead.

"Oops!" said Courtney, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Don't you give me that look!" he said, as a huge paint fight started, with Michael sitting in the corner, wondering what the heck had gotten into all of them.

*End Flashback*

Jason looked down at his sleeping daughter, then over at his sleeping wife in the rocking chair in the corner. Since they were all settled, he decided to go see what Sonny was up to. He walked into penthouse 4, greeted by the screaming of his niece.

"Hey, Jase. Bye, Jase," said Carly, as she rushed by him up the stairs to calm her daughter down.

"Wow, looks like you've got your hands full, " Jason told Sonny as he walked in from the kitchen. "Mine's sleeping peacefully."

"Yeah, not for long," said Sonny. "Listen, I just got a call from Meyer, and uh, there's someone back in town."

"Who?" asked Jason.

"Alcazar. Thought we got rid of him the first time, but he's back - and he's apparently more determined than ever to bring us down, so - we got -we got to get rid of him. As soon as possible."

"Is he working with someone?"

"Yeah - Faith."

"Again?"

"Yes, again. I guess the first time wasn't enough - they're good for each other. But we need to take them both out. And I need you to do it for me."

A Christmas Memory

by Jules

- Chapter 10 -

"No, Sonny," said Carly as she walked down the stairs.

"'No' what?" Sonny asked, annoyed that Carly was interfering with his business plans.

"'No', I will not let you put Jason in danger when Christmas is in five days," she stated briskly.

"Carly-" Jason started, but was interrupted by Sonny.

"Jason, you can go back home - I'll call you later." Jason walked out the door, wondering what Carly would say to Sonny.

- - - - -

"Sonny, you know I'd never interfere with your business, but this is just wrong. He just got out of the hospital, for God's sake!" Carly yelled.

"Carly, you need -" Sonny sighed. "You need to understand. It's Jason's job to go out and do the things I tell him to."

"Holy shit, Sonny! You know what? You are completely ridiculous. What the hell are you thinking? Do you even realize what you are doing?"

"Yeah - giving Jason an errand, like I usually do."

"Sonny! He has a new baby, and he was just SHOT! What if - what if this time, he dies? Right when he and Courtney were starting their life together? What will you do when your little sister's husband, who she loves so much, dies? That'll be a burden you will have to carry, Sonny, and you will not enjoy it. And your sister will hate you." Carly put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband.

"It's his job." Sonny walked over to the bar and poured himself a brandy.

Carly threw her hands up in the air. "You know what? I just don't understand how you can be so damn selfish and arrogant."

Sonny didn't respond, and Carly decided he wouldn't see it her way, so she just pleaded. "Sonny, please, at least - at least wait until Christmas has passed to send him on an errand or whatever. Please, for all of us."

- - - - -

Sonny walked into penthouse 2 a few minutes later to see Jason just sitting on the couch, staring ahead of him.

"Jason - you, uh, you don't need to take care of Alcazar until after the holidays." he stated simply.

Jason stood up. "Sonny, I will do it if you need me to. It's just that I - I'd like to spend some time with Courtney and the baby first - if you wouldn't mind."

Sonny shook his head and held up his hands. "Jason, you deserve to. Carly actually talked me out of it, and, it was stupid of me in the first place to expect you to do something like this right between two important events in your life - you know, your baby being born and her first Christmas, so we can just take care of this whole mess afterwards."

Jason smiled. "Thanks, Sonny." A shrill cry filled the air. "Wow, already!" said Jason, as he rushed upstairs.

- - - - -

He walked into the nursery to see Courtney rocking baby Caroline in her arms. "Ssh, don't cry, babe. Mommy's here."

"So's Daddy," said Jason, coming over to Courtney and kneeling down next to her, being caught again in his beautiful baby girl's gaze.

Courtney smiled at him. "She is so beautiful - I don't know what to say. We truly are blessed."

"Yeah, we are," Jason agreed.

- - - - -

The snow fell onto Port Charles, leaving a beautiful white layer across the city. A man sat in a limo, talking on his cell phone. "No, I think we'll just wait until they have their merry little Christmas - then we'll make our move. We'll show Corinthos and Morgan-and their families-who's in charge around here."

- - - - -

December 24, 2003

Courtney and Jason walked into Sonny and Carly's penthouse, with baby Caroline in tow. "It's Christmas Eve!" exclaimed a happy Courtney, as she went around giving Sonny, Carly, Michael, and baby Morgan kisses and hugs.

"Now, we can get started on this tree!" said Sonny, smiling, happy to be with his family.

"Mommy! We forgot to get the cookies I made!" said Michael, pulling on Carly's festive red skirt.

"Oh, well, let's go in the kitchen and find them!" she said, humoring him.

They walked into the kitchen as Jason yelled behind them. "Carly, I hope you didn't help make those, or else I won't touch them!"

A faint, sarcastic "Ha, ha" came from the kitchen, as they all smiled and Courtney walked over to her niece, rocking her, and Sonny and Jason tried to untangle all of the knots on the Christmas tree lights.

The rest of the night was full of laughter, smiles, and fun as the rather large Corinthos/Morgan family decorated the Christmas tree, and talked about their children's first Christmases, so happy to be with each other.

- - - - -

Next chapter - Christmas!