Chapter 3

"He has two broken bones in his leg and arm, his left ankle is broken as well as his left thumb and ribs."

Each injury sounded horrible but at least her was awoke and alive. Justus couldn’t believe all that had happened to him. All he remember was his car upside and seeing the headlights coming for him, only to find out he had been in a coma for 5 days.

"Well what was the cause of the coma?"

"We think his body was just stunned and it was trying to find some way to get everything together, some type of semblance. Once it had everything in order it let Justus wake up."

"Wow" he whispered to himself.

"Thank you Dr. Quartermaine for everything."

"Yeah, thanks Alan."

"You’re more than welcome." Alan gave the Wards a smile and left them alone.

"So how are you feeling?"

"I’m good, I’m bandaged up."

"Well hey at least you don’t look like hollow man, plus that’s the least you should complain about."

"You’re right lil’ bit, you know I’m just a big baby, but enough about me, its good to see you."

"Its good to see you too, I know its been awhile, I just wish it would’ve been under better circumstances."

"Same here but its still good nonetheless." Justus smiled at his cousin. They often talked but rarely saw each other. She was disappointed in his return to Port Charles but still loved him, just not his decision. "So what’s up with the guard?" Keesha looked behind her to the guard that stood outside his door.

"Oh um, that’s for protection."

"Protection? From whom?"

"Uh, from Jason" she said diverting her eyes away from him.

"Jason? Why?"

"Because I don’t want to see him Justus."

"Even going as far to have a guard?"

"Yes, that’s how much I don’t want to see him again. Alan was nice enough to appoint a guard at the door for me."

"So you’re going to keep my cousin away from me?"

"No not from you, Jason is more than welcome to visit you when I’m not here but when I am he can’t come in."

"Why don’t you want to see him?"

"You know why Justus."

"Squirt don’t give me that. Jason’s different guy now, he’s not the same when you were here last."

"Why does that sound like the same speech that Emily gave me?"

"Because she know it as well. Granny Mae taught as never to hold grudges, you know that. There’s a reason Jason is trying to talk to you, so why keep avoiding him."

"I’m not sure if I am ready to speak to him."

"Pray about it, God will give you the strength to handle whatever Jason brings to you."

*~*

"Coming!" Emily ran to her door to greet her visitor. Jason stood on the other side waiting for his sister. "Jason?"

"Can I come in?"

"Um, yeah sure I guess, but you can’t stay long, Keesha will be here any minute now." Emily stood off to the side and let her older brother in.

"I’m actually here to see her."

"Oh Jason I don’t think that’s a good idea."

"I just need to talk to her for a second."

"Jason she doesn’t want to see you."

"Well I want to see her."

"It doesn’t work like that."

"I have something important to tell her."

"Just tell me and I’ll tell her for you."

"No, I have to talk her face to face, no relaying." Jason wasn’t letting up, he had to do this to right the wrongs of the past.

"Well can you at least give me some sort of clue of what’s so important that you have to tell her that you can’t tell me?"

"I want to tell her that I’m sorry." Emily stood shocked at Jason’s admission. Never had he mentioned apologizing to Keesha since his accident and now out of nowhere he wanted to.

"Well do you mean it? Are you really sorry?"

"Yeah I am."

"Where is all this coming from? Is this because of Courtney?"

Jason began to pace back and forth. Some would assume because of Courtney leaving him would be the reason why he was doing what he did but after the arrival of his cousin Justus earlier this year and the reason Courtney left him made him think of his wrongs. Maybe he needed to change some things about himself, starting with the one person he’s hurt the most in his life.

"No, no, this is not because of Courtney this is because of all my faults and how to make them right."

"But Jason she doesn’t even want to talk you! She went as far as to have a guard to keep you away from her."

"Well she’s going to listen. If she doesn’t accept fine, but I’m going to tell her." Emily didn’t know why she did but she understood why Jason wanted to talk to her.

"Fine, um I guess you can wait in here, I’ll be in the kitchen, its clean the fridge day."

"Alright thanks Em."

Jason gave his sister a kiss on the cheek before she returned to the kitchen. After impatiently waiting, Jason walked upstairs to use Emily’s bathroom. As he was leaving out her guest room where Keesha was residing for awhile caught his eye. He walked in and had a seat on the end of the bed. She packed minimal, just clothes, but he didn’t dare go through her things. Jason got up from the bed and headed for the door, but there laying on drawer was a small photo album. He looked through each picture. One of her as a child, another at graduation from high school. Jason went through each picture studying the face that he had long forgotten. There with Justus and from who Justus showed and told him about, Granny Mae in front of Ward House which was still up and running. She looked so happy in that photo, it even made Jason smile. If only she would be that happy around him. Years ago he wouldn’t have cared if she was mad at him but things were different now and he hated the way she looked at him. Sure he had people who didn’t like him and he didn’t care. He didn’t care when she didn’t like him all those years ago but now when she gave him that look or when she told him not to say one word to him it was like his heart was ripped out of chest and stomped on with a golf cleat. Jason turned the page, looking on. There was another picture where she looked happy on, surrounded by children with an older man. It looked like Ward House here, but it was definitely in another town. Jason shook it out of his mind and turned the picture, this picture was different from the others. It looked as if it was cut, like someone else was in the picture. There was a hand on her waist but no body. Jason studied the picture and looked over to his hand. That was him, that was a picture of them together.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Jason almost jumped out of his skin from her yell. Jason gripped the photo album as he rose from the bed.

"I’m here to talk to you."

"And apparently your brain damage still has long lasting affects because I told you I didn’t want to hear anything you had to say."

"Well I’m not accepting that, because I want to talk to you."

"So you’re going to rape me audio wise?"

"What?"

"Never mind, just get out of here, I don’t want to speak to you. If you had half the mind--"

"I CAME HERE TO APOLOGIZE!"

Keesha stopped and looked to Jason. He came to do what?

"Pardon me?"

"I came to say I was sorry" Jason said in a more softer tone. "I know how I treated you and if anyone treated me like that I would’ve reacted the same way. It was wrong of me and though I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, I know now and for that I am sorry. You don’t have to accept my apology but as long as you know that, it’ll make it all worthwhile."

Keesha didn’t know what to say. Jason looked at her once more before heading out of cottage. Tears began to flow from Keesha’s face. He was sorry? He was sorry?! No, no, no, no, he couldn’t be. Someone put him up to it, Justus or Emily maybe. Or maybe the Quartermaine’s, yeah that was it because there was no way Jason could be sorry for his actions. This Jason wasn’t sorry for anything, so why did it sound so convincing? Why did he have sincerity in his tone of voice? In his stance? Keesha made it to her bed and crawled into the sheets and just cried. She couldn’t stop crying, she just cried and cried until her pillowcase was completely drenched. After hearing that maybe she was done with crying Emily slowly entered the guest bedroom.

"Keesha, is everything ok?"

"No" she whispered.

"Oh Keesha." Emily made her way to the side of the bed and lifted her up to the sitting position. "Talk to me."

"I don’t even know what to say."

"Say what’s on your mind."

"Its Jason."

"I know."

"He came to apologize for the way he treated me those years ago."

"Yeah." Emily stroked Keesha’s back as she told her about the conversation the two had earlier that day. "What did you say?"

"He didn’t give a chance to say anything."

"Well what do you think about what he said?"

"I don’t know what to think. Did you put him up to it?"

"Me? No, not at all. He came on his own accord. He told me that he had to make right with the person he had hurt the most and that was you."

Keesha was astonished, had he really said that? Was he telling the truth? "Keesha, he really is sorry, you do know that right?" Keesha pulled herself up from the bed and straightened her clothes.

"There’s only one way to find out."