Chapter 1: Gabriella Hernandez, Part 1 – Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

Adjusting well to something new in life is an immense accomplishment, especially when the change or changes arrive with sudden and great responsibility. Choices have to be made differently than before. Sometimes when one thing is gained, another is lost.

"Come here you little stinker," Gabi called out to Carter as she swiftly chased him into his colorfully messy bedroom. She finally had him cornered – right where she wanted him. "We need to change your clothes, Carter. Can you help me by finding your shoes?" She hoped by engaging him, he would stop putting up a fight.

Carter remained still. He eyed his mother for a moment contemplating if he wanted to find his shoes. "Mama… I'm hungry."

With her focus on her son, Gabi took another step forward and immediately jumped in pain because she accidentally stepped on one of Carter's toy cars. Trying to walk off the pain, she noticed Carter smiling at her. "Oh, you think that's funny? I'm glad you can laugh at Mama…"

When Gabi was close, Carter gave her a quick hug and kiss hoping it would help the pain in her foot to go away. "Mama. You need to find your shoes and put them on. I'm hungry."

Sitting on the floor, Gabi pulled Carter closer. "I know you're hungry. That's why we need to get ready now – so we can eat."

"Okay."

As Carter searched for his shoes, Gabi rubbed her slightly injured foot for a moment before pulling herself up to grab the clothes she picked out for him before she had to chase him around the house. She sighed with relief when Carter quickly found his shoes under his bed and began to help him get dressed. "You're doing a good job, Carter."

Gabi began to reflect on how much her life had changed in the last few years. She smiled at the way Carter watched her every move – the way he called her Mama – the way he loved her. A sadness abruptly came over her. She didn't want to lose this.

Carter carefully moved Gabi's long dark hair from her eyes so he could study them. "Mama, what's wrong?" he asked with great concern. "Does your foot still hurt?"

"I'm fine." Gabi smiled for Carter before pulling him into a hug. "Are you ready to visit daddy?"

Sunday, October 27th, 2013

Gabi sat on the couch glancing through the Amazon app on her phone when a sudden knock sounded on the door. She looked over to the couch next to her for a moment before pulling herself up to answer the door hoping that whoever was on the other side did not knock again. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to find Nicholas on the other side. "Nicholas… is the reception over?"

Nicholas entered the condo Gabi shared with Manny and Arianna and looked around wondering what emergency kept Gabi from coming to Billie and Frankie's wedding. "Everything okay?" He looked towards the couch when he heard a faint noise and spotted Carter sleeping with a blanket covering his body. "What?"

With her hand over her forehead, Gabi stepped between her boyfriend and the beige-yellow couch. "I told you not to come tonight. I planned to talk to you tomorrow."

Rubbing his suddenly tense shoulder, Nicholas gave Gabi a confused look. "Why can't you tell me now? Who is the baby?"

Gabi stalled for a moment by turning her attention to make sure Carter was okay. She walked over to him and made sure the blanket covered his body so he wasn't cold. After another deep breath, she locked eyes with Nicholas and candidly confessed, "I may have made a rush decision, but I did so because I didn't want to see him get abandoned."

Looking down, Gabi shook her head hoping this all made sense to Nicholas. She continued, "My oldest brother was given up by my mother to a church, and he really turned out messed up. Kinsey signed over her rights to her son, and now Carter is in my custody. I want what is best for Carter, and if I am not what is best, I will make sure he gets it."

As Gabi went silent, Nicholas couldn't believe what his girlfriend had shared and tried to process it the best he could. His mind was blown from all this information rendering him silent as well. After some time, he looked away from Gabi and finally spoke, "I can't believe this is happening."

Though this was not the reaction she hoped she would get, Gabi tried to salvage this conversation by relating to Nicholas's bewilderment. "I'm still shocked by it," she admitted, "…but I had to act fast." Noting that Nicholas wouldn't look at her anymore, she began to fear the worse. "Is this it then? Is this already happening?"

Recognizing that Gabi was asking if they were breaking up because of her decision to take in Carter, Nicholas quickly returned to reality and rushed to her side. "I will support whatever decision you make. I'm not leaving your side. I will help you with whatever you need."

Present: Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

Carter was now dressed, and Gabi managed to put on her shoes without losing sight of her son. Leading him towards the front door, she grabbed his light jacket to put it on, but her cell phone began to ring. "Just one moment, Carter." Gabi walked over to the sofa and found her phone in her purse rather quickly. "That never happens," she commented before answering.

"Hey sis," Dario released on the other side. "I'm only calling to make sure you and Andrew got the final catering menu for the wedding this weekend."

Gabi sighed and rubbed her head as she apologized. "Sorry for not texting you back earlier, but I am on my way to the pub now. I got it, but Carter was being very ornery earlier."

"It's okay," Dario replied hearing the anxiety in his sister's voice. "Like I said I only wanted to make sure…"

Grabbing her purse to look for her keys, Gabi assured her brother, "Don't worry. We got the menu. I believe Caroline will make an appearance in the Brady Pub kitchen for at least one of the items on your list."

Dario was excited to hear that news. "Awesome."

Unable to find her keys, Gabi turned around and headed for the coat rack to see if they were in her coat pocket. She and Carter needed to leave soon. "Carter really misses his uncle. You were the first person he asked about when he woke up this morning for his appointment."

Touched, Dario said, "Aww… I miss him, too. How is everything going? Any updates?"

After finding her keys, Gabi quickly put on her coat as she began to respond to her brother; she knew he wasn't asking about Carter's appointment. "Well, Justin…" Gabi stopped because Carter was not where she left him. She peered into the kitchen in time to see Carter had managed to grab a snack and make a huge mess. "Dario… I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

Hearing the urgency in his sister's voice, Dario figured Carter must have gotten into something. The tone in her voice was very familiar to him now. "Okay. Later… good luck…"

Placing her cell in her coat pocket, Gabi rushed over to Carter before the mess got worse. She sighed before commenting, "We are definitely going to be late now."

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Rushing into the rear entrance of the Brady Pub, Gabi stopped to catch her breath for a moment even though she was running late. She noted that Andrew was already in the kitchen waiting for her. He had a disappointed look on his face.

Before Gabi could apologize, Andrew shook his head at Gabi as he sarcastically commented, "I'm surprised you have set a new record in how late you are."

"I am so sorry, but…"

Andrew impatiently tilted his head because Gabi stopped herself from saying more. "But what?"

Gabi was about to mention something happened with Carter, but she stopped herself because she didn't want Andrew to know about him. She couldn't handle more judgment from Andrew at this point. He wasn't exactly a friend or a supportive and warm person in general. "I had things I needed to take care of."

"You always have 'things' to take care of," Andrew complained before reminding her, "You also signed up to take over this pub, remember? If it wasn't for me, things wouldn't get done around here. My grandparents' legacy would be dead if you had taken over the pub solo."

"Andrew, I am sorry…" Gabi began to apologize again.

Andrew cut her off though. "Let me make your life easier. I'll buy your half of the business," he offered without a real ounce of sympathy in his tone. "I could get a loan from my parents and pay you upfront."

Gabi was speechless for a moment from the shock of Andrew's offer. Catching her composure and breath finally, Gabi heatedly questioned, "Why are you such a jerk?"

Crossing his arms and tilting his head once more, Andrew argued, "I'm not being a jerk. I am only making sure I keep my family's legacy and my reputation intact. You may not care what others think, but I do. I worked too hard to become an embarrassment ag…" He stopped himself from saying too much and realized he was letting his emotions get ahead of him.

Trying her best not to let Andrew's words get to her, Gabi placed her hands on her hips. "Why don't you care what I think? You claim to care what others think; why am I not important? I won't let this happen. I'm not selling."

Gabi's phone suddenly made a sound. She received a text message from Carter's babysitter. The babysitter had an emergency and needed to leave as soon as possible.

"And once again you're distracted," Andrew noted aloud.

Gabi put her hand up and said, "I need five minutes." Not giving Andrew a chance to respond, she walked outside and quickly dialed Nicholas's number. As soon as he picked up, she said, "Nicholas, I need you to pick up Carter now."

Annoyed, Nicholas inquired, "What is it this time?"

Impatient, Gabi answered, "Nicholas, I don't really have time to go into details. I need an answer. Can you do this or not?"

"Fine. I'll go get Carter…"

Present: Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

With the mess cleaned, Gabi put Carter's light jacket on before responding to Andrew's text. After pressing send, Gabi received a text from Justin Kiriakis. It read: "The meeting has been set for Friday at 11:00am."

Gabi rolled her eyes. She was annoyed the meeting was right before the wedding. She replied: "Did you try to move it to next week?"

Justin quickly shot back: "I tried, but I had no luck. Furthermore, I recommend you stay away from the cemetery."

Gabi reread Justin's text several times. Each time she read it, the more frustrated she became. She wasn't in the mood to continue this text conversation with Justin, so she sent: "I will ttyl." Putting her phone away, she turned to Carter and mentally questioned what she should do.

Friday, December 12th, 2014

At the apartment Gabi shared with Nicholas, Gabi decided to throw an unofficial engagement party for Abby and Josh. She smiled as she brought out more snacks for everyone to enjoy. After placing the tray in the middle of all her friends who came, she sat next to Dario and asked, "Where's Nicholas?"

Will, who sat next to Chad, shared in a playful tone, "Carter had to go number one!"

Chad laughed as he added, "He grabbed Nicholas's hand and rushed him to the bathroom."

Gabi slumped a tad as she blew the hair out of her face. "We have been potty-training, and it's been an adventure and a struggle. He's finally getting the hang of it."

Josh leaned into Abby and playfully commented, "We still have a while before we're changing diapers, right?"

Abby hit Josh's arm and said, "Don't even joke about stuff like that…" She couldn't imagine having kids at this point in their lives.

"It will be here before you know it," Melanie warned Abby and Josh.

Shrugging his shoulders, Nathan claimed, "It's not so bad. You get sleep eventually, and it definitely helps when you have extended family who live close to watch the baby."

As the group laughed, Chelsea looked to Cameron as she shook her cup causing the ice to make a clanging noise. Cameron glanced at her cup for a moment before Chelsea released, "Please…"

Deciding to be a nice friend, Cameron took Chelsea's nearly empty cup and went into the kitchen to get her a refill.

"I want some more to drink, too," Will announced. He pulled himself up to join Cameron in the kitchen when suddenly a yell came from the bathroom.

Nicholas stomped out of the bathroom and headed to his and Gabi's bedroom. "Fuck this," he said under his breath – though it was loud enough for everyone else to hear.

When Gabi stood up, Dario grabbed her hand and stood up as well after letting go of Sonny's hand. "I'll help Carter clean up in the bathroom," he volunteered.

Gabi thanked her brother before going into her bedroom to check on Nicholas. As soon as she closed the door, she turned around and noted that the closet light was the only light on. She flipped the switch for the bedroom light and asked, "What happened?"

Now shoeless and without pants, Nicholas had a towel as he briskly wiped his legs trying not to gag. "I turned on the water so Carter could wash his hand with warm water after he finished peeing. Carter then turned around and began to pee all over my pants and shoes!"

A small smile fell on Gabi's face as she approached Nicholas. She wanted to laugh, but she could see how upset her boyfriend was. "Nicholas…"

"I didn't sign up for this," Nicholas interrupted Gabi. "I love you, but I'm not sure I want to be a father. You were so afraid that another guy would get in the way of our relationship after you found out what happened between Sonny and me… I guess in a way it still happened with Carter getting between us…"

Closing his eyes, Nicholas dropped his head realizing he was getting ahead of himself. "I've tried so hard, but I need my space now to figure things out." Before Gabi could respond, he declared, "I'm moving out. I'll let you and Carter stay here, so you have a place to live."

The smile was now gone. "Nicholas… let's talk about this."

Taking off his shirt and throwing it in the pile with the shoes and pants he was wearing earlier, Nicholas shook his head. His mind was made up. "Return to the party. I'll stay in here and pack some of my things and head out after everyone is gone."

Hurt, Gabi remained silent. She couldn't believe this was happening.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Present: Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

Gabi made sure Carter was in his car seat securely before getting in the driver's seat. She started the car and, with the AC on full blast, checked her mirrors to make sure no one was behind her. As she looked in the rearview mirror, she noticed Carter was now singing to himself. Turning around, she sighed and told her son, "We are going to have a great picnic with daddy no matter what."

As Gabi received another text message from Andrew, Carter began to look around the car. "Where is the food for the picnic?"

With a smile, Gabi put her phone away and announced, "The food is being delivered."

Monday, March 23rd, 2015

"Nicholas…" Gabi sighed in relief because she finally got Nicholas on the phone. She sat in the living room of her apartment alone.

"Hey…"

Gabi wanted to tread carefully, but she also needed answers. "Nicholas, I want to know if you're ever coming back to me and Carter?" It had been over three months since he left.

"Gabi, I can't really talk now."

Fearing Nicholas would hang up on her, Gabi quickly stated, "That's fine because I'd rather talk to you tonight – in person. Please meet me at the pub after closing time. If you decide not to show up, I'll know what that means."

Gabi waited for a response, but there was only silence until she heard a click. Nicholas ended the call. She wondered if Nicholas would show up at the pub.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Later that evening, after the pub had closed, Gabi sat in the Brady Pub waiting for Nicholas. Carter sat upon her lap snuggled against her chest when he suddenly began to get fussy. She pushed the home button on her phone and glanced at the time realizing it was rather late. Kissing the top of Carter's head, she said, "It's almost bedtime, little stinker." A tear fell down her face as she realized Nicholas wasn't showing up.

Grabbing her phone, she told Siri to call Nicholas's cell. It rang and rang until voicemail picked up. When it was time for her to leave a message, she knew what she needed to say. "Goodbye Nicholas… Goodbye." As she wiped her face, Gabi suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Present: Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

Gabi and Carter arrived to the cemetery at St. Luke's. Holding her son's hand, she led Carter to a fairly new tombstone. With a determined smile, she whispered, "No one is going to keep us from your daddy." Unfolding a large striped blanket and placing it on the well-manicured ground in front of the tombstone, Gabi helped Carter sit down before handing him a few snacks from his bag to tide him over since the food hadn't arrived yet.

"Thank you, Mama." Carter immediately began to chow down on his fruit snacks.

Turning her attention to the tombstone, Gabi claimed, "We're going to have daddy's favorite today." She placed her hand on the name and began to trace it with her fingers. "Hey, T. Carter and I decided we wanted to come see you today. We miss you. The wedding is this weekend, and I know everyone wishes you could be there…"

Gabi stopped when she heard footsteps approaching. She glanced towards them hoping it wasn't trouble. Fortunately, it was the food delivery. "Hey Andrew."

"Hey…" Andrew released through a smile. He handed the bag of food to Gabi before Carter jumped up to give him a hug. "Hey little stinker."

Gabi began to set out the food and commented, "You brought more than enough."

Andrew kneeled down and helped Gabi unpack everything. "My grandma forced me out of the kitchen and overdid it a bit," he shared before asking, "Is it okay if I join you for a bit?" He really didn't know what he was doing here.

Gabi leaned forward and patted on the striped blanket so Andrew would sit next to her. "Sure," she answered verbally though a genuine smile.