It took a couple of seconds for Jax to realize that someone was calling his name. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times to focus them. He was surprised to see the morning shift nurse looking down at him.

“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “How are you feeling this morning? Any pain?”

Jax looked around, surprised when the nurse said it was morning. He moved around a little before answer her. “It’s morning? I’ve been asleep since yesterday?” he asked as he looked around the room, finally seeing Jerry standing by the door. “How’s Brenda? Is she awake yet? I promised her I’d be there when she woke up!”

Jerry walked over to the side of the bed. “She’s fine Jax. She’s still sleeping. I just checked on her 10 minutes ago,” he said as he rested his hand on Jax’s shoulder. “You never answered the nurse’s question. Are you in any pain?”

Jax moved again before answering. “Just a little when I move.”

“That’s good to hear,” Dr. Felton said as he came through the door. “I just checked on your wife and everything seems fine.”

“Thank God,” Jax said as he closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can I see her?” he asked as he looked up at the doctor.

“I’ll answer that question after I’ve had a chance to examine you,” Dr. Felton said.

“I’ll wait for you outside Jax. I want to talk to dad anyway,” Jerry said as he turned and went out the door.

Without looking back at Jax, Jerry walked out into the hall. He nodded to the guard on the door before leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. He didn’t even bother to open them when he heard a familiar voice.

“How’s the boy?” John asked as he walked up to Jerry and handed him a cup of coffee.

“The doctor’s in with him right now,” Jerry said as he opened his eyes and reached for the coffee. “He looks better. His color seems better. He doesn’t seem to be in as much pain as yesterday. He was moving around in bed just now and he hardly winced.”

“What about Brenda?” John asked softly.

“I’m not sure,” Jerry said as he took a long sip from his coffee. I checked with mum a few minutes ago and she said she was still asleep. Dr. Felton said he just checked on her and everything looked good.”

“What the hell does that mean?” John asked. “Is she okay or not?”

“I think so - at least that’s what it sounded like,” Jerry said as he looked directly at John. “The doctor wanted to examine Jax before he’d let him go see her though.”

John and Jerry both turned when they saw the door open and Dr. Felton walk out of Jax’s room. “How’s my son?” John asked as he and Jerry walked closer.

“He’s doing remarkably well,” Dr. Felton said with a soft chuckle as he glanced at Jax’s chart. “He’s healing much faster than I had expected. I’m having him moved out of here to a private room later today.” He shook his head and smiled. “AFTER I let him visit his wife that is.”

“How is Brenda?” Jerry asked.

“She’s still asleep but I think she will be fine.” Dr. Felton pointed back over his shoulder. “They’re getting Jax ready to visit her right now. I told him he could stay with her until she wakes up.”

“What happens when she does?” Jerry asked. “Will she be okay?”

“I think so,” Dr. Felton said. “We’ll run some tests to make sure she's okay physically. I think with everything she went through she was just on emotional overload. I think Jax is right though, he should be with her when she wakes up.” Dr. Felton looked up at Jerry and John. “You might want to arrange for her to have a change of clothes when she wakes up. I don’t anticipate any problems so I’ll be discharging her later today if the tests results come back as I expect.” He glanced up at the clock. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to make the arrangements for Jax’s transfer before I see my next patient.”

“One more question doctor,” John said after a quick glance at Jerry. “What about the police? Are they ready to deal with being questioned about what happened - especially Brenda?”

Dr. Felton thought for a moment. “I think Jax could handle a few questions but Brenda is definitely not ready to be questioned. I’ll leave orders with the nurses that neither of them is ready for police questioning.

John smiled slightly as he exhaled slowly. “Thank you doctor,” he said as he extended his hand. “For everything you are doing for my children. I know your specialty is trauma surgery but I want you to know how grateful our family is that you are taking care of Brenda as well. I know it is giving my son great peace of mind.”

“You’re very welcome Mr. Jacks,” Dr. Felton said as he grasped John’s hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got patients to see.” He gave John and Jerry a quick nod before heading down the hall to the nurses’ station.

“Mr. Jacks?” the nurse said as she opened the door of Jax’s room. When Jerry and John both turned and looked at her she smiled and pointed at Jerry. “Your brother is asking for you.”

Jerry looked at John. “Go ahead son,” John said as he nodded toward the door. “He probably wants to get out of bed so he can go to Brenda’s room.”

Jerry nodded and followed the nurse into Jax’s room. As soon as the door closed, John pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number and then waited for someone to answer. “It’s about time,” he said gruffly. “I’ve got a job for you. Meet me at the front entrance of the hospital in ten minutes.” He closed the phone without waiting for an answer. As he put the phone in his pocket, he walked over to look in at Jax and Jerry. He watched his sons for several minutes before turning and walking away. As he waited for the elevator he took a moment to organize his plans. He knew he could trust Ben to keep Jax and Brenda safe here at the hospital. For some reason he also knew that Lily Corinthos would keep her promise to have her father’s men keep an eye on them as well. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was Mac Scorpio’s ability to find out who had kidnapped Brenda and shot Jax. When the elevator doors opened he stepped in and pressed the lobby button. As the doors closed, he looked up at the people walking by and promised himself that he could not wait to see if Scorpio could find them. He would find them and take care of them. After all, he had done enough people favors. It was about time he called in some of those favors!

“When are they going to let me see Brenda?” Jax demanded impatiently.

“Will you calm down Jax,” Jerry said as he put his hand on Jax’s arm. “It’s only been a couple of minutes since you finished your breakfast. Give the nurses a chance.”

Jax and Jerry turned to look when they heard the door open. Jerry got up to hold the door when he saw the nurse backing into the room with a wheelchair. She pushed the chair over to the side of the bed and locked the brake. “Ready Mr. Jacks?” she asked with a smile.

“Definitely!” Jax said as he started to pull the covers back.

“Wait a second!” the nurse said as she pressed her hand against Jax’s chest. “I’ve got to remove your IV first!”

Jax leaned back to let her remove the IV needle from his arm. As she was putting a bandage on his hand Jerry reached for the robe that was lying on the chair and held it out to Jax. “Here, you might want to put this on,” he said with a chuckle.

The nurse took the robe. “I’ll take that. Why don’t you help your brother get on his feet?”

Jerry immediately handed her the robe and took a couple of steps closer to the bed. By the time he reached the bed, Jax had sat up, thrown back the covers and even swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Slow down little brother,” Jerry said as he reached to stop Jax from standing on his own. “You’re going to hurt yourself!” he said sternly. “Let me help you.”

Jax looked at Jerry for a minute, ready to argue with him, but when he saw the expression on Jerry’s face he changed his mind. Instead, he just exhaled and gave him a slight nod. When Jerry reached forward to lift him off the bed Jax put his hand up. “Let me try it by myself this time. Just give me your arms to lean on.”

Jerry looked at him for a second before glancing at the nurse. When he saw her give a slight nod he looked back at Jax and extended his arms. Jax rested his forearms on Jerry’s and wrapped his hands around his upper arms. He inhaled deeply and held the breath as he pushed against Jerry’s arms and stood up. He tightened his hold as he stood up. He exhaled slowly as he loosened his grip on Jerry’s arms. He slowly let go completely and stood on his own for the first time since being shot. A smile of pride at his accomplishment slowly spread across his face, even as the pain caused by his exertion showed in his eyes. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. When the nurse held out the robe he slowly slid his arms into the sleeves before looking slightly over his shoulder to see where the wheelchair was.

The nurse released the brake on the chair and brought it right behind Jax and then set the brake again. When he saw the chair he took hold of Jerry’s arms and slowly lowered himself into it, grunting as he sat down. “Okay,” he said as he exhaled loudly. “Let’s go.”

Jerry looked at the nurse for a moment. She came around and wrapped a blanket around Jax’s legs. When she was finished she took his pulse and then smiled at him. “Take care, Mr. Jacks,” she said as she stood up. “You’ll be going to your new room when you’re done visiting your wife.” She looked up at Jerry and gave him a slight not to let him know Jax was free to leave.

“Thank you for everything,” Jax said with a smile. “All of you.” He looked away for a moment. “I know I haven’t been the easiest patient but I really do appreciate everything you have all done for me - and for my wife.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Jacks. Take care of yourself,” the nurse said with another quick smile before turning to walk over to the door. She held it open so Jerry could push Jax out into the hall.

Jax was surprised not to see his father in the hall. When they got to the elevator he was just about to turn around to ask Jerry when the doors opened and John stepped out. Startled to see them in front of him, John stopped suddenly, clearing his throat. “There you are,” Jax said as he looked up at his father. “I wondered where you were.”

“I, ah, went for a little walk to stretch my legs,” John said. “Off to see Brenda?”

“Of course,” Jax said as he fidgeted in the wheelchair. “Dr. Felton is releasing me from intensive care today so I’ll be going to a private room.” He looked up at Jerry. “Let’s go Jerry. I want to be with Brenda when she wakes up.”

“You got it little brother,” Jerry said as he pressed the elevator button. It was a few moments before the doors opened. “We’re off,” he said as he pushed Jax toward the waiting elevator with the security guard behind them.

“I’ll stay here and make sure your things are moved to your new room,” John said as he rested his hand on Jax’s shoulder. When Jax looked up at him he smiled. “Give Brenda my love.”

Jax smiled. “I will Dad, thanks.” He turned to look at Jerry again. “Let’s go,” he said as he tried to push the chair himself. Jerry smiled and tousled Jax’s hair before pushing him into the elevator.

It only took a couple of minutes for them to get to Brenda’s room. Jared was on duty at the door when they got there. “Hi Mr. J. How ya doing?” he asked as he started to push the door open.

“Much better, thanks,” Jax said as Jerry stopped the pushing. “Everything quiet here?” he asked seriously as he looked at Brenda's door for a moment before looking back at Jared.

“Very,” Jared said as he looked around quickly before looking back at Jax. “Your mother was here all night and then your dad was here for a little while earlier this morning while your mother was gone. She got back a little while ago.”

“Thanks,” Jax said before looking up at Jerry and nodding for him to push him into Brenda’s room.

As soon as she heard the door open Jane got up from her chair and pushed it away from the bed. She was pleased when she looked at Jax and saw that his color was much better than it was yesterday. “Good morning you two,” she said softly as she walked over to them. She gave Jerry a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning down to run her fingers through Jax’s hair and kissing his forehead. “You, young man, look good this morning,” she said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” Jax said softly. “Especially now that they took that damned IV out,” he said as he rubbed his arm. “How’s Brenda? Did she wake up yet?”

“Not yet,” Jane said softly as she looked back at Brenda. She started stirring around a little while ago so I guess it won’t be too much longer.” She nodded toward the overnight bag on the table in the corner. “I went over to your apartment earlier to get her some of her own clothes. I didn’t want her to have to put those awful hospitals scrubs on when she got up. I hope you don’t mind.” She gave him a slight smile when he looked up at her gratefully. “I thought she’d feel more like herself in her own clothes.”

“Thanks mum,” Jax said as he smiled up at her.

“We’ll leave you two alone for a while. The nurse said you should press the call button when Brenda wakes up,” Jane said with a slight smile as she patted Jax’s arm. Without taking her hand off Jax’s arm she looked over at Jerry. “Let’s go son. I’ll let you buy me some breakfast.”

“You got it mum,” Jerry said with a chuckle as he leaned over to kiss the top of his mother’s head. He looked over at Jax. “We won’t be long. I’ve got my cell if you need me.”

Jane leaned over to kiss the top of Jax’s head. “Give Brenda my love when she wakes dear,” she said with a smile before turning to walk out the door.

Once they were alone, Jax reached for Brenda’s hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it gently. He held it against his cheek as he looked up at her face. It seemed like forever to him before he saw Brenda start to stir and then roll onto her side facing him. He gently set her hand on the bed before rolling his chair a little further up the side of the bed. He reached forward and gently stroked the backs of his fingers across her cheek.

A smile spread across Brenda’s face as she stirred again. She opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to get them to focus. “Jax?” she asked softly as she licked her lips ad blinked several time again.

“Hi sleepyhead,” he said with a smile as he brushed his fingers across her cheek again. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure,” Brenda said as she reached up to rest her hand on Jax’s forearm. “I feel kind of groggy.” Finally realizing where she was, the smile quickly faded from her face as she looked around the room.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Jax asked calmly as he saw the confusion in her eyes.

Brenda closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to remember. Eventually she opened them and looked into his eyes. “You and Jerry were arguing. I think you were mad at him for telling your parents about what had happened.” She stopped to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Jax looked away from her for a moment. “I’m so sorry about that,” he said softly as he turned back to her. He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. “I should have kept my mouth shut. I knew you had been through hell and I went ahead and blew my top at Jerry anyway! I should have known that the last thing you needed was to hear the two of us arguing!” Jax kissed her hand again before looking up at her face with tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”

Brenda put her finger on his lips. “Don’t say that Jax. None of this was your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault - except for the person who ordered my kidnapping!” She smiled lovingly at him before leaning forward to give him a kiss, which quickly led to several more. When she finally ended the kiss she leaned back and looked at him before looking into his eyes. “How are you feeling? You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”

Jax couldn’t help chuckling. “It hasn’t been THAT long! You’ve only been asleep for about 24 hours!”

“I have? Really?” Brenda asked as she looked at him with a shocked expression.

“Yes you have,” Jax said with a reassuring smile as he ran his thumb across the top of her hand. “When you collapsed in my room Dr. Felton took you down to the ER and did a whole bunch of test on you. Then he admitted you with orders for you to receive some pretty heavy sedation so that you could get some undisturbed rest.” He squeezed her hand gently. “He told me that after seeing the test results he thought that was the best thing for you. Which reminds me, I was supposed to call the nurse when you woke up so he could run some follow up tests before releasing you.”

As Jax reached for the call button, Brenda put her hand on his to stop him. “Wait,” she said when he looked up at her. “First tell me about you. How are you feeling? You never answered me before.”

Jax smiled at her as he rested his free hand on top of hers. “I’m better,” he said reassuringly. “Dr. Felton must think so too. Before I came down here to see you he had the IV removed and he’s moving me out of intensive care and into a private room.” He pushed up his sleeve to show her the bandage on his hand where his IV had been. “Now can I call the nurse so we can get you out of this bed?” he asked with a smile and a wink.

Brenda couldn’t keep from laughing in relief. “When you put it that way, what are you waiting for?” She quickly lifted her hand off of his so he could push the call button.

Jax smiled back at her as he pressed the button. “Yes ma’am.”

“Do you need something?” the nurse asked in response to his call.

“Yes,” Jax said. “Would you please call Dr. Felton? He asked to be notified when my wife woke up.”

“Of course Mr. Jacks, right away,” the nurse answered.

It only took Dr. Felton a couple of minute to get to Brenda’s room. As soon as he got into the room he gave Brenda a quick check. “Well you seem fine Brenda. How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine,” Brenda said as she lay back against her pillow. “A little embarrassed for causing all of this trouble, but other than that I feel fine.” She smiled at Jax for a moment and then looked at Dr. Felton. “Can I get out of here now?”

“Probably,” Dr. Felton said as he finished writing in her chart. “I just want to run a couple of tests to make sure.” He reached up to turn her head slightly to look at the large deep purple bruise on her cheek. “Is there any numbness or tingling in your face?” he asked as he gently pressed along her cheekbone.

Brenda winced slightly as he pressed an exceptionally dark spot. “No, it only hurts when I lay on it - or when you press on it.”

“Oh, sorry,” Dr. Felton said as he pulled his hand back. He made several notes in her chart about the bruising and then looked up at her. “Tell you what, we’ll take you down for a couple of final tests while Jax gets settled in his room. I don’t anticipate any reason why you can’t join him there when you’re finished.” He looked around and saw the suitcase on the table. “Good, I’m glad to see you have a change of clothes.”

"I do?" Brenda asked with a smile as she looked at Jax, who smiled as he nodded. “In that case, what are we waiting for?” she said as she looked at the doctor for a minute before looking back at Jax. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Jax asked with his best little boy face.

“If she’s not I am!” Dr. Felton said with a chuckle. “The nurse will take you back to your room while we run the test on Brenda. If everything goes the way I expect, she should join you in about an hour or so.” He looked a Jax a little more closely and noted how tired he looked. “How are you feeling?”

Jax leaned back in the wheelchair and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. “Actually, I’m kind of tired. I think I will head back to my room while you check out my wife.” When he opened his eyes and saw Brenda’s concerned expression he smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry luv, I’m fine - really!”

Noticing Brenda’s expression, Dr. Felton patted her arm. “He’s okay Brenda. He just needs to build his strength back slowly. After all, this is only the second time he’s been out of bed.” He smiled slightly as Brenda looked over at Jax. He could almost see the wheels turning in her brain as she watched Jax and processed what he had just said. Once she decided that what he had said made sense to her, the concerned expression changed to one of relief.

Dr. Felton looked over at Jax. “You didn’t come down here alone did you?”

“No, my brother brought me down,” Jax said. “Along with a security guard,” he added when he saw Brenda start to say something.

Dr. Felton walked over to the door and opened it. When he looked out he saw Jerry talking to one of the nurses. “Mr. Jacks,” he said as he nodded his head for Jerry to come into the room. “Would you come in please?” He held the door open for Jerry and the nurse to come in.

When he saw that Brenda was awake a big smile spread across Jerry’s face. “Look who’s finally awake,” he said as he walked over to the side of the bed. He leaned over to give Brenda a quick hug and a kiss on top of her head before leaning back to look at her. “How are you feeling Little Bit?”

“I’m fine big brother,” Brenda said with a big smile. “I’m sorry I scared everyone.”

“You guys can talk later, okay?” Dr. Felton said with a trace of impatience. “Mr. Jacks would you please take Jax back to his room? We’re going to run a few tests on Brenda before we release her.”

“Sure,” Jerry said as he gave Brenda another quick kiss before stepping over behind Jax’s wheelchair. “Ready to go little brother?”

Jax looked at Brenda for a second before looking up at Jerry. “I guess so. The sooner we leave the sooner Brenda can get out of here.” He looked over at Brenda again and smiled. “I’ll see you in a little while,” he said softly as he rested his hand on hers.

“You can count on it,” Brenda said as she smiled back at him.

Dr. Felton nodded to the nurse who held the door open. Jerry gave Brenda a quick smile before pushing Jax out the door.

Jax was already starting to wake up when he felt something brush against he cheek. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times to focus them. Slowly he realized that he was looking up at Brenda’s beautiful face. As soon as he did he smiled. “Hey you, it’s nice to see you visiting me,” he said as he reached up behind her neck to pull her face down to his. He kissed her passionately several times before finally letting her go.

Without saying anything, Brenda snuggled next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “This feels so good,” she said with a sigh as she rested her head on his chest, her ear just above his heart. “The only thing that would be better would be lying like this in our own bed.”

Jax wrapped his arm around her and gently ran his fingers up and down her arm. “I can’t argue with that,” he said softly as he rested his cheek on top of her head. They stayed like that for several minutes before Jax finally lifted his head and turned to look into her face. “What did Dr. Felton say? Are you okay?”

Brenda sighed loudly before rolling over so that she could rest her chin on top of her hands on Jax’s chest and look up at him. “He said he thinks that I’m okay now. He said it looks like I just went into emotional overload. He has to wait for the test results to be sure but so far everything looked normal.” She smiled up at him. “By the way, who do I thank for bringing me my own clothes? I was really uncomfortable in those scrubs.”

Jax smiled at her. “That would be mum. She’s been sitting with you ever since she got here. She went to the apartment early this morning to get them for you. She thought you might prefer your own clothes to hospital scrubs.”

Brenda leaned forward to softly kiss his chest before looking back up at him. “I knew I loved your mom,” she said with a big smile. “Remind me to thank her when I see her.” She gently ran her finger tips across his chest a couple of times before resting her head back on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around him. They lay snuggled together without saying anything until they were startled by a voice from across the room.

“Now that’s more like it,” Jane said with a big smile as she came into the room. “This is what I’ve been waiting to see,” she said as she walked up next to the bed.

Brenda got up and gave Jane a hug. “Hello mom,” she said after ending the hug.

Jane leaned forward to kiss Brenda’s cheek. “Hello dear. It’s so good to see you up and about.” She gently ran her hands up and down Brenda’s arms. “You gave us all quite a fright - both of you did,” she said firmly as she looked from Brenda to Jax. “How are you feeling dear?”

“Much better now that Brenda’s with me,” Jax said with a smile as he reached for Brenda’s hand. When Brenda turned and smiled at him, he squeezed her hand slightly.

“I’m glad to hear that because you two are about to get an ‘unwanted’ visitor,” John said from the doorway. When he saw the confused expressions on their faces, he nodded back toward the hall. “I just saw Ben get off the elevator with Scorpio and one of his detectives.”

Jax and Brenda looked at each other for a moment before Brenda sat down on the edge of Jax’s bed without letting go of his hand. “It’s not a problem dad,” Jax said calmly as he tightened his hold on Brenda’s hand. “We’ve been expecting him.”

Just then there was a knock on the door as it opened. Ben, Mac and Detective Taggert walked in without waiting for an answer. “Good, you’re both here,” Mac said as he walked in. “I’ve got some questions for both of you.”

“We’ll tell you what we can Mac,” Jax said as he gently rubbed his hand on Brenda’s back. “There is a condition though.” Jax waited a moment before finishing. “You are not going to pressure Brenda for information. If she says that she doesn’t know or that she doesn’t remember you will leave it at that and move on. I will not have her collapsing again because of you!” When he saw Mac start to say something Jax held his hand up to stop him. “When he released her, the doctor said she has to take it easy and is not to deal with ANY type of stress. Is that understood?”

Mac and Taggert looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Jax and Brenda. “Agreed,” Mac said as he nodded his head once.

Jax looked past Mac to Ben. When he saw Ben nod slightly, he slowly sat up and leaned forward to kiss the back of Brenda’s neck. “Are you okay with this?” he whispered.

Brenda took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she leaned back against him. “Yes,” she said softly. “As long as you’re here.” She rested her free hand on Jax’s leg as she looked over at Mac. “What do you want to know Mac?”

Detective Taggert took out his notebook. “What was the first indication you had that there was something wrong?”

Brenda thought for a moment. “I was on the phone with room service, making our dinner reservations when I heard the sounds of a struggle outside our door. I hung up the phone and was just walking toward the door when it suddenly flew open and all these men literally fell into the room.” She shuddered slightly at the memory.

Jax gently ran his hand across her back. “Okay?”

Brenda smiled as she looked back at him and nodded. She turned back to Mac after taking another deep breath. “I tried to help Clay but there was nothing I could do. So I started to run for the stairs to go hit the panic button in the den.”

“Why didn’t you hit the button on the living room desk?” Ben asked.

“It didn’t work. I guess it was pulled out in the struggle,” Brenda said calmly.

“What happened then?” Mac asked.

“I made it to the top of the stairs when two of the men grabbed me and dragged me back down.” She touched the bruises on her cheek as she thought for a second. “I guess I wasn’t being cooperative enough though, because one of them slapped me. When I tried to pull away to try to help Clay he hit me again.” She could feel how angry Jax was so she squeezed his hand. She turned slightly to look at him, to let him know she was okay with this. She could see he was getting tired so she nodded for him to lay back. As he did she kept his hand in her lap. She looked at him for several more seconds to make sure he was comfortable before looking back at the others.

“Are you okay to continue?” Mac asked.

Brenda took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure.”

“How did they get you out of the apartment without being spotted?” Taggert asked. “There are enough security people in that hotel to protect royalty!”

“They took Clay’s elevator key card and took me down to the garage in the service elevator,” Brenda said as she linked her fingers with Jax.

“Hold it a second,” Ben said as he stepped closer to them. “Did they find the card by accident when they were searching Clay?”

Brenda thought for a second before looking directly at Ben with a surprised expression. “No, he seemed to be looking for it. He went through all of Clay’s pockets until he found it.” She looked at Jax for a second before looking back at Ben. “I just remembered something. The guy that was holding me told the other one to go get the key off of Clay. They knew about it beforehand!”

Mac looked at Ben. “Who knew about those access cards?”

“Too many people," he said with a sigh. "Jax and Brenda, of course, as well as their protection detail all knew and even had a card.” Ben thought for a second. “The hotel manager and the security chief knew as well. You’d have to check with them to find out how much of their staff knew.”

“What kind of car did they have?” Mac asked as he finished making notes about what Ben had said.

“It was a silver sedan. I think it was a Ford but I’m not sure,” Brenda said. “I’m afraid I didn’t get a very good look at it. They rushed me into the back seat and then kept trying to keep me on the floor as we pulled out of the garage.”

“Did you hear anything that could give us a clue to who had hired them? Did they call anyone?” Taggert asked as he continued to take notes.

Brenda thought for a second. “The guy that seemed to be in charge made a couple of calls. He was usually pretty careful but I did hear part of one call.”

“What did he say?” Taggert asked as he looked up from his notebook for the first time.

“Tell the boss we got her but it was messy. There’s a cleanup at the sight,” Brenda said in a shaky voice as she started to tremble slightly.

“Did they hurt you while you were at that house?” Mac asked.

Brenda took a deep breath and let it out shakily. She wasn’t sure how to answer him. She didn’t want Jax any more upset than he already was but she also remembered what Dr. Felton has said about keeping things bottled up. She looked at Jax as she tried to figure out what to say. Finally, she squeezed his hand ad looked back at Mac. “I tried to get away once,” she said softly. “When they dragged me back the leader threw me into the bedroom. He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me close to his face. When he warned me not to try that again I spit in his face. I guess he didn’t like it because he backhanded me and threw me on the bed. He glared at me for a while, like he was trying to control himself, and then stormed out and locked the door behind him.

Seeing how upset Jax was by what Brenda had just said and afraid that he would stop things Mac turned his attention to him. “How did you find out something had happened to Brenda? It is my understanding that you were out of town on business.”

“Jerry picked me up at the airport when I got back to Port Charles. Brenda was supposed to but she had a business meeting with a distributor for L&B that couldn’t be rescheduled. I talked to her that morning and she said that she would be waiting for me at the apartment when I got back so I tried calling her from the plane just before we landed. When I didn’t get an answer I figured her meeting had just run long.” He looked up at Brenda before continuing. “But when I called several more times and still didn’t get an answer I started to get worried. I kept calling all the phones in the apartment as Jerry drove us back to the hotel. When we got to the garage and there was still no answer we both knew something was wrong.”

Jax closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tightened his hold on Brenda’s hand. “When the elevator doors opened we found one of the guards unconscious in the hallway and the apartment door forced open. We found the other guards unconscious on the living room floor. While Jerry checked on them I ran upstairs to look for Brenda. When I realized that she wasn’t there I came back to the living room and told Jerry. He found the panic button near the desk and reconnected it. As soon as he did he hit it several times. Ben and the guards were there in a couple of minutes and the rest you already know.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Mac said. “I still have a few questions - like how did you know where to find Brenda?” he asked as he looked directly at Jax.

“Ben got the information from a reliable informant,” Jax said as he loosened his hold on Brenda’s hand. “He told me to wait until you got there but I took off on my own to get her.” When Brenda turned around to look at him he smiled at her. “I wanted her back,” he said softly.

Mac turned his attention to Ben. “Who was this reliable informant?”

Ben glanced at Jax for a second before looking at Mac and squaring his shoulders. “It’s someone with totally reliable sources. That’s all I can tell you.”

Mac looked at Ben for a moment as he quickly put the pieces together in his mind. He knew that Ben would not give up his source but he was pretty sure he already knew who it was. He turned his attention back to Jax. “Once you got to the house, how did you get Brenda out?”

Jax looked at Ben. When he saw him nod slightly he looked back at Mac. “I met up with some men who worked for Ben’s informant. They helped me locate Brenda in the house and kept watch while I smashed a window and got her out. When they saw the kidnappers coming we all took off running for the woods.”

“Is that when you were shot?” Taggert asked.

“I guess so,” Jax said as he closed his eyes. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even realize that I had been shot at the time. I guess I was so focused on getting Brenda out of there that I never felt anything. It wasn’t until we were in the car driving away that I realized that something was wrong. Brenda wrapped her arm around me and I felt a sharp pain in my side for a second and then nothing until I woke up here in the hospital.”

Mac looked at Jax for a minute, finally deciding that he had told him everything he knew. Since he had already interviewed the trauma room doctor, he knew that Jax had been unconscious when he was brought in and had remained so until he was taken into surgery. “Did you know the men with Jax?” he asked as he focused his attention on Brenda again. “Had you ever seen them before?”

Before answering, Brenda glanced at Ben for some kind of signal. When she saw him shake his head slightly she looked back at Mac. “I’d never seen any of them before that day.” She turned around and looked at Jax. “All I know is that I owe them big time - especially the man who helped Jerry and I get Jax to the hospital so quickly. She stared at Jax for a while longer before looking back at Mac. “Do you know how I can reach that man that drove us here?” she asked innocently.

Mac and Taggert stared at her, not sure whether or not. to believe her. Finally, it was Ben who broke the silence. “I think Brenda and Jax have had enough for one day. They are both still recovering you know. Besides, they’ve told you everything they remember. I suggest you take what they’ve told you and find the men responsible for this AND who hired them!” With that said, he walked to the door and opened it. He looked at Jerry, John and Jane, gave them a slight nod and turned back to look at Mac and Taggert. “Gentlemen?” he said as he extended his arm toward the open door.

“We’ll talk again,” Mac said as he looked coldly at both Jax and Brenda. “Let’s go,” he said to Taggert.

Ben waited for Mac and Taggert to leave before walking out himself, pulling the door closed behind him. “You will NOT be talking to either one of them again Commissioner,” he said firmly. “They’ve told you everything they know about what happened. They both need to put this all behind them and let themselves heal.”

“You have no authority to make that call!” Mac said angrily. “This is a criminal investigation. You have no authority to prevent the police from interviewing the victims of the crime whenever I deem necessary!”

“He may not but I certainly do, Commissioner,” said a voice behind Mac, who spun around to see who it was. “Robert Donnelly, Justice Department,” the man said as he held his open identification out to Mac.

After carefully studying the ID and deciding that it was authentic, Mac handed it back. “What brings a Justice Department Senior Agent to Port Charles, Agent Donnelly?”

Agent Donnelly looked at Mac with a trace of a smirk on his face. “Let’s not get off on the wrong foot Commissioner. You have been aware of our interest in goings on here in Port Charles concerning the Jacks couple since the murder attempt on Mr. Jacks last June.”

Mac couldn’t hide his surprise at the last statement. “What murder attempt on Mr. Jacks?” he demanded as he looked from Agent Donnelly to Ben. “Why wasn’t my department notified of this?”

“You’ve known about it since it happened Commissioner,” Agent Donnelly said. “Our investigation has determined that the shooting of Lily Corinthos and her bodyguard was actually a contract hit intended for Jasper Jacks. Mrs. Corinthos and her guard were shot by mistake. From what we’ve learned it was a case of mistaken identity on the part of the shooters.”

“How did you come to that conclusion? We’ve never found any information that would tell us definitively who that actual target was - Lily, Brenda or Jax,” Mac said as he crossed his arms in front of himself.

“A confidential informant gave us a tip that led us to proof positive that Mr. Jacks was the intended target,” Agent Donnelly said matter of factly. “Because of that information, I have been sent here to take charge of this investigation.”

“You still haven’t explained the government’s interest in this case,” Taggert said with a trace of anger in his voice. “Last time I checked, attempted murder is not a federal offense unless it’s against a federal law enforcement agent.”

“J&J Jacks Inc. is one of the largest corporations in the world. They do business on not only an interstate level but also on an international level as well. The Justice Department is concerned about any criminal activity that could interfere with the smooth operation of a company that generates the tax revenue that they do. Personally, I would consider the shooting of one of the partners and the kidnapping of his wife as interfering with that smooth operation! Wouldn’t you?” he asked.

“There’s more to this than just lost tax income, Agent Donnelly,” Mac said as he looked at the federal agent suspiciously. “What is it?” he asked as he and Taggert glared at him.

“We believe that what has been going on here in Port Charles the past few months is directly connected to a much larger investigation that we are conducting.” Agent Donnelly glanced around the hall at the people passing by before focusing back on Mac. “I’ll expect a copy of your victim interview notes in my hands within the hour.” He turned to look at the Jacks family. “I also have some questions for you two gentlemen.”

John and Jerry looked at each other for a second. “I’ll be glad to answer any questions I can Agent Donnelly, but I don’t see what my father can tell you. He’s been away from the office since his heart attack several months ago. Besides, he and my mother just arrived in Port Charles yesterday, after Brenda and Jax were attacked,” Jerry said as he stepped slightly in front of John and Jane.

Agent Donnelly looked at Jerry for a moment. “Alright Mr. Jacks,” he said as he glanced around the hallway. “Shall we go into the lounge?” he asked as he extended his arm toward the lounge doorway.

“I’m coming with you,” Mac said as he took a step toward them.

“That won’t be necessary Commissioner,” Agent Donnelly said as he held up his hand to stop Mac. “I’ll make sure you get a copy of the interview notes when I pick up your notes.” He turned back to Jerry. “Mr. Jacks?” he said as he extended his arm toward the lounge again. Jerry looked at John for a second, squeezed his arm slightly and started toward the lounge. Agent Donnelly walked closely behind him without saying another word to anyone.

As they watched Jerry and Agent Donnelly walk away, Mac and Taggert leaned closer to each other. “What’s going on here Commissioner?” Taggert asked softly. “Why are the Feds so interested in a local kidnapping?”

“That’s a good question,” Mac said as he watched Jerry walk into the lounge with Agent Donnelly. Once they were out of sight Mac looked at John. He was surprised to see how nervous he looked. “What do you know about all this old man?”

John and Jane both glared at Mac. “I have no idea what you’re getting at Commissioner. But I must tell you I appreciate anything that Agent Donnelly or the Justice Department can do to keep my family, especially my son and daughter-in-law safe.” He looked at Jane and reached for her hand. “Now that the children are together again, why don’t we go back to the hotel and get some rest? I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted.”

Jane squeezed John’s hand and smiled at him. “That sounds great. I could use a shower and a nap.” She looked at Mac. “You are going to leave the children alone aren’t you Commissioner? They need their rest - and some time alone.”

Mac glanced at Taggert who shook his head in frustration. “We’ll leave them alone - for now! I have a lot more questions though - for both of them.”

“I understand that, just not today,” Jane said firmly as she looked him in the eyes as she linked her arm with John’s. “Let’s go dear,” she said with a slight smile when she finally looked at John.

After watching John and Jane get on the elevator, Mac tapped Taggert’s arm. “We’re running out of time. If we’re going to nail Corinthos for this we’ve got to do it soon. If we don’t, I have a feeling the Feds are going to get him for something a lot bigger.”

”How do we do that Commissioner? We’ve got nothing to tie him to any of this. Nothing from the victims, no witnesses, even the guards who got roughed up gave us nothing. They identified the two perps we’ve already got in custody and gave us only general descriptions of the other two.” Taggert finally turned to look at Mac. “Where are we going to get the evidence we need to nail Corinthos?” He was surprised when he saw Mac smile slightly. “What?”

“We’ve got something the Feds don’t know about,” Mac said as he slipped his notebook into his jacket pocket.

“What’s that?” Taggert asked.

“ME!” Mac said with a chuckle. “Actually, my friendship with Miranda.” When he saw the confused look on Taggert’s face he smiled again. “All I have to do is tell Miranda that I know she was manipulated by Sonny. That I know she would never do anything to hurt Jax. I tell her that she’ll be completely exonerated if she helps us by telling us everything she knows.”

“You can’t promise her that! The DA will never go for it!” Taggert said as he stared at Mac in disbelief.

“Who said anything about promising her anything?” Mac asked. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll have someone pick Miranda up and bring her to the station.” He slapped Taggert on the shoulder and nodded toward the elevator. “It’s going to work Marcus, trust me.” After staring at Mac for a minute Taggert exhaled loudly and reluctantly nodded his agreement.

By the time Mac and Taggert got back to the station, Miranda was already waiting for them in an interrogation room. When he saw Miranda without her lawyer, Mac leaned closer to Taggert. “Let me talk to her alone. You and Garcia go to the observation room and monitor our conversation. Make sure the recorder is running. I want everything witnessed and recorded so she can’t claim later that I promised her anything.”

A smile slowly spread across Taggert’s face. “Are you this suspicious of all your friends?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

“No, only the ones that lie to me and play dead for six years,” Mac said coolly. “Ready?” he asked as he looked at Taggert. When he saw Taggert nod, Mac looked around the squad room until he saw Detective Garcia. He signaled him to come over, quickly explained what was going on and sent them both to the observation room.

Once he was sure he had given them enough time to get in place and start the recorder, Mac grabbed a note pad off a nearby desk and walked up to the interrogation room door. He stopped, took a deep breath and let it out slowly before opening the door.

“Hello Miranda, how are you?” he asked in what he hoped was a serious but concerned voice.

Miranda jumped up when she heard Mac’s voice. “You startled me!” she said nervously.

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention,” Mac said reassuringly.

“Why did you bring me here? Do I need to call my attorney?” Miranda asked as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

“You can if you want to, but I’m hoping that won’t be necessary.” Mac extended his hand toward the table. “Please, let’s sit down.”

Miranda stared at him for a long time before letting out a sigh and walking over to sit down. “Why am I here Mac? I’ve already told you, I don’t know anything about what happened to Jax. You know how much I love him. I would NEVER do anything that would endanger his life!”

“I know that Miranda, that’s why I asked you here,” Mac said calmly as he sat down across from her. “I’m hoping that if we just sit and talk we can help you remember something, anything, that will help you and the investigation.” He waited several seconds to let her think about what he had said. He watched Miranda’s face and had to force himself not to smile as he watched the wheels in her brain start to turn.

“What do you want to know?” Miranda asked as she looked into Mac’s eyes, trying to figure out what he was up to and how she could use it to her advantage. Finally deciding that he was genuinely concerned about her, she started trying to figure out how to clear herself without incriminating Sonny. Regardless of what she thought of him, there was one thing she knew for sure. If she turned him over to the police her chances of living long enough to spend the money he had already given her, as well as the money she was still planning to get from him or the Jacks family, were very slim.

Mac had to force himself not to smile as he watched the wheels spinning in Miranda’s brain. So far so good, he thought. He could tell she was trying to figure out a way to use him and their friendship to her best advantage. He glanced past her at the mirrored wall and smiled, letting Taggert and Garcia know he was ready. “Why don’t we start at the beginning? Why did you agree to come to Port Charles with Sonny?”

Miranda almost smiled at how easy she thought this was going to be. Obviously Mac was no longer mad at her about what she had done six years ago. He sounded like he was looking for a way to help her out of this mess. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she put what she hoped was a pitiful expression on her face. “Now that I look back on it Mac, I truly wish I hadn’t. I NEVER meant to cause so much pain to everyone - especially not you!”

“Why did you agree to come then?” Mac asked gently.

Miranda waited for a minute, looking at Mac as she tried to decide what he wanted to hear.

“Sonny showed up at my front door in Manila and told me that he knew everything. He said I had two choices. I could come to Port Charles with him and stop the wedding or I could stay put and he would go to the press with some evidence he said he had that John and Jerry had kidnapped me and were holding me prisoner to keep me away from Jax.”

“Was he right? Is there evidence against them?” Mac asked as he looked up from his notepad for the first time.

“Of course not!” Miranda said angrily. “I already told you that it was my idea to stay away! I figured it was better for me to be the one to tell Jax. I thought I could make him understand why I did it.” She stopped and looked at him sadly. “If I had known that you were here I swear that I would have wanted to tell you as well.” She leaned back in her chair and laid her hands flat on the table.

“You were always a good judge of people, Miranda. Couldn’t you tell Corinthos was up to no good?” Mac asked as he leaned back in his chair as well.

“I knew,” Miranda said as she slowly closed her eyes. “But I love Jax. I knew if I let Sonny tell him I was alive he would do his best to destroy Jax and his trust in his family. I owed them my life. I couldn’t let him do that to them.”

“Why did you walk in on the wedding?” Mac asked suddenly. “Didn’t Corinthos tell you that you would be walking in on the happiest day in Jax’s life? Or did he tell you that Jax was happy and you couldn’t stand that?”

Miranda’s eyes popped open and she just stared at him as she tried to figure out how to answer. She could tell that he was still suspicious of her. Finally, she decided her best chance of getting his help was to tell him the truth - at least part of it.

“He told me about the wedding,” she said with a sigh. “But I loved him. I love him now. I agreed to do it because I was sure that if he saw me alive, if I could explain why I did what I did, he would remember his love for me and stop the wedding. I never meant to cause John’s heart attack!”

“Did Jax forgive you?” Mac asked.

Miranda shuddered. “I think so - eventually. He was shocked and angry, but I knew that he still loved me. I could see it in his eyes. But SHE interrupted us before he could tell me!”

Mac was actually surprised at the sudden change in Miranda’s eyes when she mentioned Brenda. He glanced up at the mirrored wall to let Taggert and Garcia know he had found his key, his way to get Miranda to tell what she knew - her obvious hatred for Brenda!

“She? Do you mean his wife? Brenda?” Mac asked.

“Of course I mean Brenda!” Miranda spat angrily. “You saw her at the hospital. She couldn’t wait to tell me that she and Jax were already married!” Miranda leaned forward. “She’s not right for Jax, Mac. You must know that. They have nothing in common. Jax loves literature. He always has. After meeting her I’m not even sure that she knows how to read, let alone appreciate fine literature!”

“God! That’s one woman I wouldn’t want for an enemy,” Garcia whispered with a chuckle. When he glanced at Taggert he saw him nod his agreement before pointing back at the window.

“Did you explain why you did what you did?” Mac asked as he leaned forward again and started writing on his pad.

“I tried!” Miranda almost yelled in frustration. “But he wouldn’t stay long enough for me to convince him that I did it for his own good. He kept insisting that he had to get back to HER!”

“So what did you do then?” Mac asked.

“I went to see Sonny. I told him that I knew I could convince Jax to forgive me and come back to me if I could just talk to him alone!” Miranda said as she looked down at her hands.

“Why did you go to Sonny for help? Why didn’t you come to see me? If you had explained it to me I might have been able to help you convince Jax of what happened,” Mac said. He knew he had to be very careful at this point so he wouldn’t tip her off to what he was trying to do.

Miranda put her hand up to cover the smile that was spreading across her lips. Mac had just given her a way to implicate Sonny and clear herself. “It became clear to me once we got to Port Charles that the reason Sonny had brought me here was to destroy Jax so he could get Brenda back. I didn’t dare cross him. He’s not the kind of man who gives up on something he wants. He’s willing to destroy anyone he has to, to get what or who he wants. I couldn’t let him do that to Jax so I agreed to work with him so that I could protect Jax from as much hurt as possible!”

“So what did you do exactly?” Mac asked quickly, not wanting to give Miranda time to realize what she was saying.

Without taking time to think about what she was saying, Miranda continued. “When Jax wouldn’t listen to me at the hospital, I went to see Sonny. I told him what had happened with Jax. I also told him that I was sure that if I could get Jax alone I could explain everything to him. I was sure that once he knew the whole story he would leave her and come back to me. All I needed was time alone with him - without worrying about her interrupting us!”

“What did Sonny say to that?” Mac asked as he slowly set down his pen and looked at her.

“It was kind of weird actually. He just looked at me for a minute and then a smile spread across his face. He told me that he’d arrange for me to have as much time as I needed to fix things with Jax. He said he could guarantee that Brenda would not interrupt us - no matter how long it took.”

Mac couldn’t keep from smiling. “Thank you for coming in Miranda. You’re free to go. I’ll have an officer take you back to your hotel now,” he said as he stood up and put his pen in his shirt pocket. He walked over and opened the door before Miranda had a chance to say anything. “Baker,” he called as he hooked his finger to one of the officers in the squad room. When the officer came up he nodded toward Miranda. “Take Ms. Jameson back to her hotel.” He then leaned over and whispered something in the officer’s ear that made him nod when Mac was finished.

“Yes sir,” the officer said. “Miss Jameson,” he said as he extended his arm toward the squad room.

Miranda had no idea what had just happened. She had not said anything incriminating - at least she didn’t think she had! She picked up her purse and walked to the door. “Mac?” she asked as she stopped in the doorway and looked at him.

“Thanks Miranda, you’ve been a great help,” Mac said with a smile. When he turned back toward the table he purposely knocked her purse out of her hands. “Sorry,” he said as he stooped down with his back to her to pick it up. It took a couple of seconds for him to stand back up and hand the purse to her.

Miranda looked at him suspiciously as she slowly reached for the purse. “Thanks,” she said softly as she took the purse and tucked it under her arm. “Goodbye Mac,” she said as she walked past him and into the squad room with Officer Baker right behind her. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair as he walked past and followed her out the door.

Once he was sure Miranda was gone, Mac turned and walked back into the interrogation room. “All clear,” he said as he looked at the observation mirror.

“What was all that with the purse? Did you put a bug in it?” Garcia asked as he and Taggert came through the door.

Mac chuckled as he sat down and crossed his arms in front of himself. “No, but I want her to wonder if I did. That way she won’t look for the ones that I had planted in her hotel room while she was here.” When he saw the shocked expressions on their faces he couldn’t help chuckling. “Don’t look so shocked. They’re perfectly legal. I had the DA’s office get a court order for them.” He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “The order’s only good for 72 hours so we better hope I shook her up enough to get her to do something stupid.”

All the way back to the hotel Miranda stared out the window as she kept going over everything she had said to Mac. She could not remember one thing that would have caused him to end the interview so abruptly. She had still not figured it out when the squad car pulled up in front of the hotel. She waited for the officer to come around and open the door for her. As she waited she looked down at her purse. Why had Mac been so quick to pick it up for her, she wondered. He was never the gentlemanly type. Why suddenly start now? When the officer opened the door she shuddered. What if all of Mac’s concern for her had been an act? What if he was trying to use her to get to Sonny? She shook her head slightly in disappointment as she got out, telling herself to check her purse as soon as she got to her room to see if he had planted a listening or tracking device.

Baker waited and watched as Miranda walked into the hotel, across the lobby and straight to the elevator. As soon as he saw the elevator doors close behind her, he took out his cell phone and dialed. “Commissioner? She bought it,” he said quickly. He listened for a second. “Yes sir, I’ll do that on my way back to the station,” he said before closing the phone, getting back into the car, and driving away.

Jared immediately looked around when he heard the door open. He waited until Brenda finished silently closing the door behind her before saying anything. “Everything okay Mrs. J?” he asked softly.

“Everything’s fine Jared. Jax is sleeping so I thought I’d come out to make a call.” She looked back at the door for a moment before looking back at Jared. “I could use your help with a couple of things. If you don’t mind.”

“Sure, whatever you need,” he said eagerly.

“Great, thanks,” Brenda said with a big smile. “The first thing I need is for you to contact Ben and ask him to come up here as soon as he can. I need to talk to him.”

“You got it Mrs. J,” Jared said as he reached into his pocket for his phone. As he pressed the speed dial number on his phone Brenda stepped back to the door.

“I’m going back in with Jax. Let me know when Ben gets here will you?” She said with a smile.

“Will do, Mrs. J,” Jared said with a nod as Brenda pushed the door open and walked back into the room. About 10 minutes later he opened the door enough to stick his head in. He glanced around the room until he saw Brenda curled up in the chair next to the bed, watching Jax sleep. He waited until she looked up at him and then signaled her to come out. She nodded slightly before getting up. She looked at Jax for a moment before turning to walk over to the door Jared was holding open.

When she got into the hall she waited until Jared let the door close softly behind her before looking over at Ben. “Thanks for coming so quickly,” she said with a slight smile. “I need your help with something.”

“Sure, what do you need?” Ben asked.

“I’m going to talk to Dr. Felton in a little while about when he’s going to release Jax. Hopefully it’ll be in the next day or so,” Brenda said quickly. “I want to do something special for him when he’s released but I’m going to need your help to pull it off.”

“What do you need from me?” Ben asked.

“Quite a bit actually,” Brenda said with a chuckle as she linked her arm with his. “Let’s go into the lounge. I need to tell you a lot and I don’t want to be away from Jax for too long. He’ll probably be waking up soon.”

They walked quickly down the hall to the lounge and Ben stepped aside to let her walk into the lounge in front of him. He closed the door before turning around to look at Brenda. “What’s up?”

It only took about twenty minutes for Brenda to explain everything she wanted to do when Jax was released. Ben couldn’t keep from smiling as he wrote down Brenda’s instructions. He was beginning to understand why Jax loved her so much - she was very much like him!

“Can we get everything ready in time?” Brenda asked as she leaned back in her chair.

“Leave it to me,” Ben said with a nod as he looked over his notes. “Everything will be ready when Jax is discharged.” He closed his notebook and looked over at Brenda. “Just make sure he stays in here for another 48 hours okay?”

Brenda couldn’t help laughing out loud. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. I haven’t even talked to the doctor yet about when he thinks Jax will be ready to go home.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to get back. I’ve been gone too long. I don’t want Jax to get worried - or suspicious.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Ben said as he stood up and reached to pull out Brenda’s chair. “I’ll take care of everything.”

“Thank you,” Brenda said softly as she rested her hand on Ben’s arm. When he looked at her she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. “Not just for this - for everything you’ve done for both of us.”

Ben smiled at her as he gently patted her hand. “It’s my job to look after the Jacks family,” he said. “Usually they don’t make things very easy for me. But I have to tell you, ever since you became a member of this family my life has been so much easier - not to mention a hell of a lot more fun.”

Brenda was surprised. “How can you say that? Ever since Jax and I got back from our honeymoon you’ve had nothing but one problem after another to deal with!”

“Brenda, none of that was too out of the ordinary for this family,” he said with a chuckle. “What you probably don’t realize is that ever since you joined us everyone has been behaving - much better than they ever have! With the exception of Jax’s ‘lone ranger’ rescue attempt, everyone - even Jerry - has been following my orders when it comes to their safety and security.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Brenda said in a very confused voice. “It seems to me that you’ve had nothing but trouble!”

“Ever since you became a member of the family everyone else seems to be paying more attention to their own safety. It’s like they don’t want to do anything to get you hurt,” Ben said as he patted her hand again. When he saw her start to say something, he took his hand off of hers. He smiled at her again as he put his pen back into his pocket. “I better get moving if I’m going to have everything ready in time. You get back to Jax. You don’t want him to wonder where you are do you?”

Brenda stared at Ben for a minute before letting out a sigh. “Okay, I’m going,” she said as she slowly shook her head. She started walking toward the door but stopped in front of Ben. “After all of this is over you and I are going to finish this discussion.”

Ben smiled at her. “You’ve got a date,” he said as he squeezed her shoulder. He nodded toward the open door. “Go on, if you’re not there when he wakes up Jax will try to get out of bed to find you. You don’t want him doing anything to screw up your plans do you?”

‘Oh God! You’re right. I better get back to him,” Brenda said before quickly walking out the door and down the hall to Jax’s room, leaving Ben laughing as he watched her almost run down the hall and into the room.

Even after Brenda was in Jax’s room Ben continued to stare at the closed door. Finally, he slowly shook his head with a smile and headed down the hall in the opposite direction to take care of Brenda’s instructions.

Ben got the two days he needed plus one more. Dr. Felton would not consider releasing Jax from the hospital until he was able to walk without assistance. When he was satisfied that Jax was ready to leave, Dr. Felton signed the discharge papers, gave Brenda his written post discharge instructions as well as the prescriptions for his medications and gave Jax a strong lecture on not overdoing. After getting promises from both Jax and Brenda to take it easy, he shook hands with them and left so that Jax could get dressed.

Just as Jax finished dressing there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he called. He watched to see who came through the door. When he saw the nurse come in with a wheelchair he smiled sadly and looked at Brenda. “I suppose I have to ride in that don’t I?”

“If you want to get out of here you do,” she said with a chuckle as she stepped next to the nurse and crossed her arms.

Jax looked at her for a moment before a big smile spread across his face. “What are we waiting for?” he asked as he slowly stood up, wincing as he did.

“Are you okay?” Brenda asked as she stepped closer to him.

“I’m fine. It just smarts a little when I move,” Jax said with a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s go home,” he said as he cupped the side of her face.

“Sounds good to me,” Brenda said softly as she put her hand on top of his and looked into his eyes. “Get into the chair and we’ll go,” she said without looking away from his eyes. Her expression turned serious when she saw him start to protest. “Jaaax...”

Jax stared at her for a moment before shrugging and exhaling loudly in frustration. Without saying anything more he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before turning around and slowly sitting down in the wheelchair. "Now can we go home?” he asked with his best little boy expression.

Brenda looked at the nurse standing behind the wheelchair who was slowly shaking her head and trying not to laugh out loud before looking back at Jax. “Yes dear, we can go home now,” she said as she bent down and gave him a quick but passionate kiss. As she leaned back she laughed out loud when she saw the twinkle in his eyes. “Now I know you’re feeling better!”

Just then the door opened again and Jared stepped into the room. “Ready to go Mrs. J?” he asked as he nodded for the uniformed guard with him to get the dufflebag off the bed.

“More than ready Jared,” Brenda said with a chuckle. She looked around to make sure they had not forgotten anything. When she was sure she had packed everything, she looked at Jared with a smile. “Let’s go.” She put her hand on Jax’s shoulder as she leaned down to rest her cheek on top of his head for a second. When she straightened up she looked at the nurse and gave her a slight nod. As the nurse leaned over to release the brake on the wheelchair she looked over at Jared and nodded again.

Jared nodded and stepped into the hall. After looking around, he looked back into the room and gave a slight nod. When she saw his nod the nurse pushed the wheelchair out the door, followed by Brenda and then the uniformed guard. They walked straight to the elevator, Brenda keeping her hand on Jax's shoulder the entire way. When they got to the elevator they walked straight in since the door was being held open by another uniformed guard. As soon as everyone was in the elevator, he stepped in and released the doors, allowing them to close.

When the doors opened again they were in the garage. Jared stepped out first, took a quick look around and then signaled for the car. As soon as the car came to a stop he looked around again before nodding for them to come out of the elevator. Jared opened the rear door as the nurse pushed the wheelchair toward the car. She locked the brake on the chair a short distance from the car. She reached to help Jax stand up but he was already standing. After giving him a slight pat on the arm and a smile, she released the brake and pushed the chair back to the elevator.

Brenda looked at Jax for a moment before reluctantly getting into the car first. She slid over in the seat and extended her hands to Jax. Jared helped Jax get into the car and closed the door behind him. He looked around the garage again before slapping his hand on the roof to signal Edward it was clear to pull out.

As the car started to move, Brenda slid closer to Jax and linked her arm with his. She slowly ran her hand across his chest as she studied his face. "Are you okay? Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine luv," Jax said with a reassuring smile as he rested his hand on hers. You have no idea how glad I am to be out of that place." He smiled as Brenda rested her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on top of her head as she did.

They continued holding each other as they drove through the streets of Port Charles. It wasn't until he realized that they were going the wrong direction that Jax lifted his head and looked around. "What are you up to Mrs. Jacks? Where do you think you're taking me?" he asked as he tilted his head to look at Brenda's face.

Brenda lifted her head and smiled at him. "After everything that has happened I thought we both needed some quiet time." She leaned a little further back as her smile faded. "So I told Ben what I had in mind and he put everything together for me. Then I told Dr. Felton and got his permission," she said as a slight smile returned to her face at the memory of how hard she had worked to convince Dr. Felton.

Jax leaned back in the seat and smiled at her. He reached up and stroked the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "You continue to amaze me. Do you realize that?" he asked softly. "After everything YOU'VE been through, you had the strength to do this." He rested his right arm on the seat back and waited for Brenda to snuggle close - which she did almost immediately. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her even closer. "It'll be great to watch the sun set on the ocean again," he said matter-of-factly.

Brenda jumped back and looked at him with a stunned expression. "What?" She looked away for a moment before looking back sheepishly. "How did you know?" she asked with a trace of sadness in her voice at her surprise discovered.

Jax reached for her hand and linked his fingers with hers. "It wasn't hard, luv," he said softly. "I saw you after the accident last spring." He squeezed her hand gently to get her to look at him. "You need to heal as much as I do. There is only one place where we both feel at ease enough to let ourselves heal and that's Malibu."

A smile slowly spread across Brenda's face as she silently looked at him. "I love you Jasper Jacks," she said softly as she leaned forward and kissed him passionately. When she finally ended the kiss, she gave him several more quick kisses before snuggling close to him again for the rest of the ride to the airport.

When they got to the airport, Edward drove directly to the plane, having received prior clearance from airport security. He pulled to a stop at the foot of the boarding stairs and got out quickly to open the door for Jax and Brenda. As he reached for the door handle he looked around quickly to make sure things were clear. Seeing nothing unusual, he opened the door and leaned in to help Jax get out. Once Jax was steady on his feet, he reached in to help Brenda out.

"Thank you Edward," Brenda said as she got out. "I'm not exactly sure when we'll be back. It'll probably be at least three or four weeks. I'll let Ben know when we're ready."

"I understand, Mrs. Jacks," he said with a slight nod. He stepped over to open the front door of the limo and brought out Brenda's briefcase. "You asked me to make sure you didn't forget this," he said as he handed it to her.

Surprised and a little disappointed that Brenda was planning to work while they were in Malibu, Jax looked at her sadly. "Do you really need to take that? I know Lois is in no condition to run L&B, but can't Ned handle anything that comes up until we get back?"

"What are you..." Brenda started to say when she realized that he was looking at the briefcase. "Oh this?" she asked with a chuckle as she held up the case. "This isn't work. This is all about our trip."

"Really," Jax said suspiciously.

"Trust me Jax. All that is in here are your discharge papers, the medications you have to take while we're gone and Dr. Felton's very specific instructions for your rehab schedule."

"My what?" Jax asked as he rested his hands on his hips.

"Your rehab instructions! I knew that as soon as you started feeling better you'd try to do too much too soon, so I asked Dr. Felton to put together a schedule of how quickly you can do what. I promised him you would follow the schedule to the letter too."

Jax stared at her for a moment before a familiar twinkle appeared in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. "I certainly hope you didn't include ALL of my physical activity in that schedule," he said softly before kissing the tip of her nose.

Knowing immediately what he meant, Brenda smiled as she gently stroked his cheek with her free hand. "That's the one thing that I'm leaving up to you. You'll know when you're ready," she said seductively.

"Oh I'm more than ready," he said as he leaned down to kiss her passionately. When he ended the kiss, he took her face in his hands. "I love you," he said softly before giving her another quick kiss. As he stared into her eyes he started to sway slightly.

Brenda immediately wrapped her free arm around him to steady him. "Come on, let's get you on the plane before you fall down." She looked up at him and winked. "You don't want to overdo it before we even leave Port Charles do you?" she asked as she tightened her hold and started them toward the plane. When they got to the stairs, she insisted that he go first so she could support him on the stairs, her hand flat on his back to steady him.

As soon as Jax and Brenda were aboard the steward pulled up the steps and secured the door. Before the door was even secured, the pilot started the engines. As the plane started away from the gate, Edward got back into the limo and picked up the carphone. He pressed a speed dial number and waited for an answer. "Mr. Johnson?" he said. "They're on their way."

"Thank you Edward. Come back to the hotel. I'll meet with you later," Ben said before hanging up the phone. "They should be safe at the beach house," he said as he turned his chair and looked at Jerry, who was standing by the window. "We've got people covering the entire area around the house and we got the authorities to close the beach for a quarter of a mile on either side of the house. We also have a security team patrolling the ocean 24/7 just out of sight of the house."

Jerry turned and walked over to Ben's desk. He leaned his hands on the desk and looked directly at Ben. "Good, just make sure your people do NOT invade their privacy," Jerry said firmly.

"They understand that Jerry. You have my promise that no one will disturb Jax and Brenda - especially not the security team. They will have all the privacy they could possibly want."

Jerry stood up straight and smiled. Knowing his little brother, and to some extent his sister-in-law, as he did, they were going to need all the privacy they could get!