Disclaimer: The Corday Productions and NBC own everything to do with Days of Our Lives. I'm am using the characters for entertainment only and with no ill intentions. You should be able to tell that I've been watching Days for a really long time by the references to the early days of Days. I have no idea exactly how the baby switch is going to take place but here's one way it could happen.
The Innocent: Kidnapped
By: SparksJSH
"Oh, Shawn, he's the cutest. You are so lucky to have a baby brother." Belle Black didn't face her friend as she spoke. She was too taken by the sleeping infant in the hospital nursery.
"Yeah, well, one night when he's keeping everyone up I'll remember that and let you have him for a few hours." Shawn's teasing tone told Belle that he wasn't serious. Belle knew how happy he'd been when they found his mom in France. Learning she was pregnant as well had only been icing on the cake.
"I tried to talk Mom and Dad into having another baby right after they got married again. Dad seemed to like the idea but Mom said no. I believe her exact words were 'I've given birth to four children and helped raise two stepchildren. Now that Belle is almost grown I don't want to start back over.'"
Shawn did some rapid calculations. "Okay, Carrie and Brady I know are the stepchildren. Sami, Eric and you make three kids. Where am I missing the fourth?"
Belle laughed at his confusion and then grew serious. "I asked the same thing. Apparently during Mom's first marriage she had a baby that died of SIDS."
"She and Roman?"
Belle shook her head. "No, it was before she ever met Roman. It was Don Craig. He was a lawyer I think. I've seen pictures of him but that's it. So, since mom won't go for having another baby, I guess I'm stuck with spoiling my nephew Will and now this baby. Maybe if I get lucky, Commander and Dr. Carver will let me baby-sit for them sometime. That's their baby next to your brother isn't it?"
Shawn nodded. "Pretty wild that they were born at almost the same time, isn't it? They even look alike. I hope the nurses don't get them confused."
Belle glanced at him to see if he was serious. Not sure, she decided to reassure him. "Don't worry about that. They put tamper proof ID bracelets on them almost immediately. I spend as much time as I can up here while I'm volunteering. Speaking of which, I better get back to work. Tell your mom and dad congratulations for me."
Shawn nodded. Even after Belle left he continued to watch his new brother. He couldn't wait for the nurses to bring him back down to his mom's room where he could hold him. He wondered how much longer it would be. He tried to get the red headed nurse's attention but she ignored him. Finally he was able to catch the nurse's eye that helped with the delivery. She came to the door and smiled.
"Can I help you?"
"I was just wondering when you would be bringing the Brady baby back to his mother. I'm his brother." He added proudly even though the nurse had seen him in the delivery room.
"It should only be another fifteen to twenty minutes. I know you are anxious to spend time with him but we have to make sure we do all the necessary tests."
Shawn nodded and thanked her. He didn't want to leave the nursery window, but he figured his mom and dad would like an update. With one last glance he turned away from the window and started down the hall.
***
Inside the nursery the redheaded nurse smiled. It was Rolf in disguise. He didn't think Bo and Hope's son would ever leave. Now if only he could get the nurse to leave out he could switch the babies like Stefano wanted. He didn't have much time. Once the babies left the nursery, he wouldn't have another chance,
"The Bradys' are lucky to have a son that excited about being a brother." The nurse commented to Rolf.
He nodded. "Yes, I agree, very lucky. You must be tired after assisting with the delivery. Why don't you take your break now before we take these precious babies to their mothers."
The nurse frowned. "I could use a cup of coffee. Dr. Bader has another delivery she'll want me to assist with in about a half-hour. But Cathy's still on her break. I couldn't leave all this on you alone."
Rolf shook "her" head. "Don't be ridiculous. I'll be fine. Now go on. You might not get another chance."
Finally the nurse agreed. Rolf was relieved that he was finally alone. Moving both babies out of the security camera's unblinking eye, he quickly slipped a new bracelet marked Brady around the wrist of the baby that Marlo had borne and cut the original away. Turning to Hope's baby he slipped the bracelet marked Carver around the small wrist. He was just cutting away the other one when the door opened and Belle Black stepped in.
Afraid that he'd been caught, he looked up with a glare. "What are you doing in here?" Rolf demanded, almost forgetting to disguise his voice. Frightened by his tone Belle took a step backward. Rolf forced a smile. It would do no good scaring the girl. "I mean, I'm not supposed to let volunteers in here."
Over her initial shock, Belle stepped back into the room. She smiled. "Nurse Davison always lets me come in here. Besides, Dr. Carver sent me to see when she and Commander Carver would be able to see the baby." She approached the bassinet and smiled at the baby. She saw the name Carver on the bracelet. She touched it briefly. "What were you doing to his tag? I thought they were supposed to stay on until the baby leaves the hospital."
"Yes they are. But it looked like it was on too tight. I didn't want his circulation to be cut off or for the bracelet to rub a sore on his wrist so I fixed a new one for him." With a slight of hand, he produced the original Carver bracelet to show Belle. Belle nodded.
"Poor little guy. I'm glad you noticed it. So what should I tell Dr. Carver?"
"We'll have this little guy ready in about fifteen minutes. Tell her not to worry, we're taking very good care of him."
Satisfied, Belle left. Rolf swore and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Bart's number. "We have a problem. John Black's daughter saw me changing the bracelets. I made up an excuse so I don't think she's suspicious but we can't afford to take chances."
"Should I tell Stefano?"
"No, not yet. He will be furious if he thinks his plan is in jeopardy. No we will take care of Miss Black ourselves. Once the situation has been dealt with, then we will tell Stefano. Listen carefully, here is what we are going to do…"
***
"Man, I'm still on cloud nine. I hated leaving Mom but I'm glad that Grandma and Grandpa Brady insisted Dad and I come to the pub for supper. I know Mom and the baby need to rest but I was too excited to stay quiet. Dad's the same way. He's like a kid at Christmas."
"Is that why he left early?" Belle asked as she and Shawn walked to the pub. Just before she'd finished her shift at the hospital, she'd run into Bo leaving the hospital.
"Yeah, plus Mom had a list of things that needed to be done at the house. I can't believe she and the baby are coming home tomorrow. I mean she just gave birth today. I thought she'd be in the hospital for a couple of days."
"Well, both she and the baby are fine. There's no need to keep them any longer. "
Shawn nodded. He was glad they were coming home so soon. He couldn't wait to spend time playing with his new brother. He was about to admit that when suddenly two men in ski masks wearing all black pulled them into the alley.
Belle screamed and struggled against the arms that held her tight. Despite her struggles the man released his hold with one arm to thrust a cloth over her nose and mouth. It had a sickening smell and she immediately felt lightheaded. Her eyes watering from unshed tears and from the chloroform, Belle tried to call out to Shawn.
Shawn wanted to help her but was having troubles of his own. A well place right jab in the stomach sent him to the ground. The masked attacker continued to hit the hapless teen in the face and stomach until Belle's assailant told him to stop. Shawn tried to fight back but was too weak. He continued to lie there, too battered and bruised to do much more than that. He felt helpless as the guy who had grabbed Belle handed the unconscious teen over to the other man. Tossing her over his shoulder, Shawn's attacker spared Shawn one more glance before both men were gone.
"Belle!" Shawn called after her. By the time he managed to make it to his feet and out of the alley there was no sign of the pretty blonde or their attackers. Holding his bruised ribs Shawn walked as fast as he could toward the pub. Darkness threatened to keep him from his goal but he finally stumbled inside. Just inside the door, he collapsed to his knees.
Caroline Brady noticed him first. "Shawn!" She turned back to the bar. "Bo, Roman, come quick."
At her frightened call, Bo and Roman stopped talking and looked at her. Seeing his son on the floor, Bo was out of his seat and at Shawn's side in an instant. "Shawn! What happened? Who did this? Talk to me Sailor Man."
Shawn gripped Bo's shirt. "Had masks on. Dad, they took Belle. You have to go after them." Then he passed out.
***
Belle awoke with a groan. Her head was pounding and her stomach was doing flip-flops. It took her a moment to remember what had happened in that alley. Her heart now matching her head pound for pound, she checked out her surroundings. She appeared to be in a damp, musty warehouse. The room was windowless and dark. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound at her ankles. A bandanna had been tied around her mouth as a gag. But she appeared to be alone. Remembering the beating she'd seen Shawn getting before she passed out she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad.
Shawn, you have to be okay. You have to tell my dad what happened where he can find me.
She didn't feel selfish for thinking that. She didn't want to see Shawn hurt for any reason. But she knew they'd been close to the pub when they'd been attacked. The Bradys would take care of him; meanwhile, she was the one being held captive.A door opened and a light came on. Belle had to close her eyes at the sudden glare. She slowly reopened them in time to see one of the masked men from the alley kneel in front of her. She couldn't see his face because of the mask but his eyes were cold. She whimpered.
"So you are finally awake. Don't worry, little girl. I'm not going to hurt you. I understand your daddy is a rich man. I bet he loves you enough that he'd is willing to pay just about anything to make sure nothing happens to his sweet little girl. Is that right?"
Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. She had been kidnapped for a ransom. Surely that had to mean that they wouldn't hurt her. But then she remembered the beating Shawn had received in the alley. The guy before her appeared to be the same one who had hurt Shawn. She knew he was capable of violence. He touched her cheek sending shivers up her spine. She whimpered again. He produced a Polaroid camera and quickly snapped her picture. She could almost imagine he was smiling underneath that mask.
"When I send your Dad the ransom note, I want him to know that I really have you and that you are alive. Whether or not you stay that way depends on how cooperative he is. For your sake, I hope he's very cooperative."
Belle shuddered again.
***
John and Marlena rushed into the emergency room. John spotted Bo talking to Roman near the nurses' desk and steered Marlena toward them. She grabbed Bo's arm. "Bo, we came as soon as we got your page. What happened?"
Bo frowned. He hated to have to tell them what happened. "Belle and Shawn were walking together to the pub when they were attacked. Shawn was beaten pretty badly; the doctor is examining him now. Fortunately he was able to get to the pub and tell us what happened."
John gripped Marlena's shoulders tightly as she groaned. "What about Belle? Is she okay? Where is she?"
Bo sighed. "Shawn couldn't tell us much before he passed out. But he did manage to tell us that whoever attacked them kidnapped Belle."
Marlena sagged against John at the news. She would have fallen if not for his supportive arms. Her hand flew to her mouth as she began to cry. Reaching over Roman squeezed her ex-wife's arm. "I've already put out an APB. Every available officer is looking for Belle right now. We are going to find her. I promise you that."
"Stefano. I bet he's behind this." John's jaw was rocking.
"That was my first thought. But what for? What would he gain from kidnapping Belle? Why would he kidnap Belle?" Bo asked.
"Why does Stefano do anything? So help me, if he harms one hair on her head, I'll…"
Before John could finish his threat, a nurse stepped out of an exam room. "Mr. Brady, you can see your son now."
Bo nodded. "How is he?"
The nurse smiled. "He's a very lucky young man. He'll be sore for several days but nothing was broken. He's awake and worried about his friend. I didn't know what to tell him. I'll bring the discharge papers in just a few minutes and you can take him home."
Bo, Roman, John and Marlena entered the exam room the nurse had just left. Shawn was lying in the bed. His face was bruised and he looked like he was fighting back tears. When he saw Marlena and John, a tear did slip past his defenses. "I tried to help her but he was too strong for me. I'm so sorry."
Marlena leaned over and kissed his forehead. She was worried sick about her daughter but she knew that if at all possible Shawn felt worse about it. "I'm sure you did, Shawn. Nobody blames you."
Bo sat on the bed next to his son. "Shawn, can you tell us anything about the men who attacked you?"
Shawn shook his head. "They were wearing masks. There were two of them. One grabbed Belle and the other attacked me. It all happened so fast. One minute Belle and I are talking about the baby and the next, there they were. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, son."
John pulled Marlena aside. "I'm going to see Stefano."
Her eyes wide with fear. "NO! Please John, what if does have her?"
"Then I want him to know he won't get away with it. I can't just sit back and wait, Doc. You know that. I'll meet you at the pub in a little while. Call me on the cell phone if you hear anything. I'm going to get our little girl back safe and sound. Stefano is going to regret the day he messed with my family."
Terrified for him and her daughter, Marlena had no choice but to let him go. Before she did, however, she hugged him tightly. "Be careful."
When he was gone, Marlena turned back to Shawn. She knew he was feeling guilty but she had to know more. "Shawn, when those men took Belle, did they hurt her?"
Shawn shook her head. "Not like they did me. The guy that grabbed her chloroformed her but they didn't hit her or anything like that. I should have done more, anything. If anything happens to her, it'll be my fault."
***
"Where is she Stefano?"
Stefano DiMera set his glass of cognac on the table at John's sudden entrance. Illiana was right behind him. "I'm sorry, sir, I tried to stop him."
Stefano smiled. "It's all right. Obviously Mr. Black is upset over something. You can leave now Illiana. I'll let you know if I need you." He waited until she was out of the room. "John, where is who? What is wrong?"
"Don't play games with me DiMera. You know who I'm talking about. Someone kidnapped her and beat up Shawn Douglas. Don't try to tell me you don't know anything about it. I know you had to be behind it."
Stefano was genuinely surprised. "John, I don't know what you are talking about. Belle was kidnapped? Bo and Hope's son was beaten? Is he okay?"
John studied Stefano carefully. If he didn't know better he would say that Stefano was telling the truth. But he had to be lying. Who else would kidnap his daughter/"
John grabbed the other man's collar. "Come off it, Stefano. You are the only one who would want to hurt my family so much that you would kidnap my daughter. If you hurt her…"
Stefano shook his head and gave a tsk tsk. "Really John. You know me better than that. I would never hurt such a sweet innocent girl as Belle. I will put out some calls, get my people looking for her. I know how worried you and Marlena must be."
John realized he wouldn't get anywhere with Stefano. He released him. "I mean it Stefano. If I find out you have her and she's hurt in any way, you'll wish I'd left you in that castle to burn." Without another word he left.
Stefano watched his retreat and then picked up his glass. For once in his life he was innocent of what he was being accused of. He wondered who was responsible for Belle's kidnapping. Just then Rolf entered the room. He looked at him.
"I trust the switch went as planned? Hope now has Marlo's baby and my dear Alexandra has Hope's baby?"
Rolf nodded. "It has been done. No one suspected a thing."
"Good. Rolf, John Black was just here. It seems someone has kidnapped his daughter. See what you can find out about it."
"Belle Black is with Bart right now."
Angrily Stefano slammed his glass on the table. "WHAT!! How dare you do something like that without consulting me first."
"We had to act fast, Stefano." Rolf assured him. "She came in while I was changing the bracelets. I gave her a convincing story but I didn't want to chance her mentioning things and making anyone suspicious."
"So you kidnapped her and beat Shawn Douglas Brady in the process. What do you plan to do with her now that you have her, Rolf? Hmm? Or did you think that far ahead."
Rolf smiled. "Of course I did, Stefano. Bart will be sending John a ransom note. There will be no reason for them to expect that her kidnapping was anything but someone's desperate attempt to get money out of John Black. In a couple of days Belle Black will be back home with her family."
"And how will this change anything about her seeing you with the bracelets?"
"Ah, you see by the time I'm through with Belle Black, she won't remember a thing about what she saw in that nursery. And even if she does, no one will believe anything she says."