Part One:
Carly is in her eighth month of her pregnancy. Despite the stress she endured from living with the Quartermaines, Jason leaving, and Bobbie’s kidnapping, she and the baby are in good health according to the top-notch gynecologist Sonny insists she go to rather than her old General Hospital doctor. Michael and Carly are still living at the penthouse with Sonny and Edward has reluctantly given up hope of convincing her to leave.
“Okay, here are the names I like for a girl: Victoria, because it means “Victorious” and I’m sure our baby will always triumph, Karina, which means “Dear Little One”, and Barbara Adella after our mothers. What do you think?”
Sonny smiles at Carly, who is sitting with one leg under her and a pillow clutched to her chest, looking excited and eager to hear what he thought. They have been going through the baby name books for a week now and had decided to make their final picks separately and compare notes.
Carly had been very serious about picking a name for the baby. With Michael it had all been up to Jason. She hadn’t been in a state of mind before, having just broken up with Tony, or after Michael was born to consider names. She wanted to make up for that lost opportunity and it seems to Sonny that she is determined to find the perfect name combination for their baby.
“I love them all. The hard part will be choosing just one out of those three,” Sonny said.
Carly smiles and asks, “But didn’t you pick any out? I’m willing to debate the issue if you have any favorite names you like.”
“That’s okay, I’ll pass. I think your choices are all extremely appropriate. What did you choose for a boy?” Sonny understands Carly’s desire to find the perfect name. He has decided to let her have the final say.
“I only found one name that I thought would work. No matter how many times I went through the book, the only name I can imagine naming our baby boy is...Jason.”
Carly looks up from her notepad, which has her notes about baby name definitions and popularity on it, into Sonny’s face. She immediately knows that something is wrong. His eyes have a closed look and his features a stony quality that she thought had disappeared over the past months. ‘He looks just like he did when I told him that I let Bobbie in his desk,’ Carly thinks to herself.
Sonny feels cold all over, he knows she can read his feelings on his face, but he can’t stop them from overwhelming him. Without a word he gets off the couch, where only moments before they had been talking and laughing, and leaves.
Part Two:
Carly remains on the couch for only a few seconds after the door shuts. Then she gets up as quickly as a pregnant woman can and makes it to the elevator right after it closes. In defeat she goes back in the penthouse.
“Sonny, don’t do this to me. Don’t you leave me,” she whispers as she goes back to the couch and picks up her baby name book. She begins to flip through it absentmindedly. Unconsciously she opens it to the boys ‘J’ section. Her attention goes to the name that caused Sonny to leave so abruptly.
“Oh just let me explain. I know it will all work out if you’ll give me a chance to explain,” she says to the absent father of her child.
-------------------------------------------------
Sonny didn’t know where he was heading when he got in the elevator and left his building. Where he ended up was The Recovery Room, Mike’s bar, ‘Boy, I know I’m in bad shape when I actually seek out Mike for advice,’ he thinks as he enters.
Mike is behind the bar and smiles and gives a little wave when he sees his son come in. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that something is wrong. Finally, he just comes straight out and asks, “What’s wrong?”
Sonny sighs and tells Mike about the situation: him and Carly trying to decide on a name, “...she said the only name she wanted for the baby if it is a boy is Jason,” he finishs with.
Mike winces at his son’s words. He knows how much that must have hurt him. Sonny and Carly have come such a long way in the last couple months.
“Did she say why?” Mike asks.
Sonny takes a long drink, “No. I left.”
“Well, maybe she had an explanation. Don’t tell me you just left her there.”
“I had to,” Sonny says. “ I had to get out of there. I didn’t want to say something to upset her and I knew if I had to stay and listen to her say she wanted to name our baby, our baby, after the man she still loves, I would...” Sonny stops.
“Sonny, Carly cares about you. You know that. Have you told her you love her yet?” Mike questions. There is a long silence which speaks for itself, “No. I see. Well, I won’t tell you what I think about that, but I do want to say something. You just getting up and leaving probably upset Carly more than anything else you could have said. From what I know about her history, she thinks that everyone eventually leaves her. And now you...what do you think she is doing right now?” Sonny lowers his head, recognizing the truth of Mike’s words. Mike continues, “I doubt very much she’s watching TV or reading a magazine, more likely is that she’s worrying about whether or not you’ll ever come back.”
Sonny sits in silence. He already knows what he is going to do, after thanking Mike and saying goodbye he heads back home. To Carly.
Part Three:
Sonny arrives back at the Penthouse and questions Johnny, “ Is she still in there?”
“Yes. She hasn’t left all night, except when she came out into the hall just as you were leaving. I offered to go after you for her but she just said, ‘No. It won’t do any good.’ and went back inside,” Johnny says.
“Okay, thanks,” Sonny heads inside. Carly is still on the couch. She has fallen asleep and would look the definition of peaceful motherhood if it weren’t for the tear stains that were visible to those who looked closely. Sonny kneels in front of her sleeping form and stares at the woman who has changed his life.
He has hated her, wanted her, laughed at her, laughed with her, worried with her, held her, been angry at her, felt the wonder of the life they created with her, and come to love her, all in a few months. She has given him something he had been positive he would never again possess: a future. And now it was time to tell her his feelings, even with the knowledge that she loved another man.
“Carly, honey?” Sonny lightly touches her shoulder and her eyes flicker open. Carly sees who is waking her and immediately reaches out and pulls him to her in a hug, laying her head on his shoulder for a couple seconds.
“Don’t ever leave me like that again,” she says, her words a whisper. Pulling back, she places her lips on his before he has the opportunity to say a word.
Sonny is shocked, not that he isn’t enjoying the kiss and want to continue it, but it was the last thing he expected. Angry words,yes. Tears, yes. A kiss, no way.
“Carly...” She sits up and Sonny takes a seat next to her on the couch. “I’m sorry for leaving earlier. I...I couldn’t...”
She interrupts him, “ Why did you? Why’d you leave?” Carly stares at him, waiting for an answer. She is extraordinarily calm, especially for her, and hasn’t raised her voice at all.
“I didn’t want to say anything to upset you. I was angry and upset myself, because...because you said you want to name the baby Jason.” The last half of the sentence comes out choked. He continues, “I know you’re still in love with him, but...”
When Sonny said she was in love with Jason, Carly finally understood what had upset Sonny so much.
“I’m not.” The simple statement from Carly stops Sonny’s explanation. He just looks at her surprised. Taking his hands in hers, Carly goes on, “I’m over Jason. He’ll always be one of the best friends I’ve ever had and I’ll always miss him but I don’t love him.”
Carly’s words are exactly what he has been dreaming she would one day be able to say. Hope is welling up inside of him that she will fulfill the rest of his fantasy and he is not disappointed.
“How could I hold onto the past when I was here with you? You’re my future Sonny, if you want to be. I couldn’t hold onto my animosity towards you, it dissolved under your tenderness and obvious worry about me and love for this baby,” she smiles tenderly at him as he starts speaking.
“Yes, I want to be your a part of your future. I’ve wanted to tell you that for a long time but I was too afraid. I thought you might always love Jason. And when you said that you wanted the baby’s name to be Jason...well, my worse fears were being confirmed right then and there,” Sonny tells her.
They remain on the couch, holding each other for a long time before either of them speak again. Carly is the first to break the silence.
“I still want the name Jason for our baby if it is a boy.” She pauses and places Sonny’s hand on the swell of her stomach. “He was a best friend to both of us. Without him we might never have found each other. I’ll always regret the fact that we hurt him, but even that brought us closer together. I think we could face anything after losing the person we both depended on the most. He gave you to me and as a thank you, I’d like his name to be carried in our baby,” she finishes.
“You’re absolutely right. No other name would do. I’m just sorry I overreacted and didn’t give you a chance to explain earlier,” sonny says.
“I’m not. We might not have found the courage to tell each other how we felt if it all hadn’t come to a breaking point. Now here I am, in your arms, neither of us knew we would be here by the end of the day.”
“No, I had only hoped we would be,” Sonny says.
“Honey, do you know what the meaning of the name Jason is?” Carly asks.
“No. Tell me.
“Jason means healer. I didn’t think it could be more meant to be than that. I know for both of us he lived up to that name and I hope that one day our child will too,” Carly says as she feels their baby move inside her.
The End