Chapter 5

He could hear voices, agitated and anxious. Someone was giving directions and he could feel gentle hands touching and prodding him. One of the voices was familiar but in his delirium couldn't place it. The voices then faded off and then he was back to that night, the night Dom died.

'Somebody help me please!' he screamed, trying his hardest to revive Dom. 'Wake up, Dom; come on now!'

The gun battle was over but he could care less, he desperately searched for any signs of life.

Roman, Rafe and Alan Fielding ran up. 'No… No…' Alan murmured in sheer disbelief. Pushing Bo roughly aside, he knelt by his friend.

'Oh my God…' Roman murmured at the sight before him. 'Oh what a mess…'

'The ambulance is on its way.' Roman said.

'Good. The sooner we get him to the hospital, the better.'

'I don't know how to thank you, Carly.'

'Then don't try to.' Carly removed the stethoscope from her neck, placing it back into her medical bag. 'Have you called Hope and your mum to let them know?'

'No, I haven't.'

Something about the way Roman spoke made Carly turn to look at him in surprise. 'Why not?'

'Because I want you to talk to him before she sees him. She told me about her little visit to you so I know she'll do all she can to stop you from being alone with him.' He looked at her sternly. 'Carly, whatever you feel about Bo right now; I'm begging you again, please. You already know what I want you to do.'

She stood, her eyes hard. 'I think you're crediting me with too much compassion and sentiment, Roman. I'm not 'Carly; the good girl' anymore.'

'Then why were you willing to come with me to help find my brother?'

'I'm a doctor, it's my job! Other than that, nothing.'

'My brother's hurting.'

'So am I! Remember that, Roman; I'm hurting and I've been hurting for a very long time! You can't expect me to say things that I don't mean to Bo, just to make him feel better. It doesn't work that way. I don't understand why Bo betrayed me the way he did just as I'll never understand why I had to lose my husband. Hope's his soul mate, his wife and the mother of his children; she'll be the one to sort him out if Marlena can't. I will not hold Bo's hand again, okay?'

Roman wasn't prepared to give up. Just as he sensed that Bo's old feelings would return when Carly resurfaced after so many years, he sensed that the deep connection between the embittered woman in front of him and his brother was still there and that Carly was still capable of forgiveness. She was very angry and sad about the past events, but not enough to leave Bo to deal with his depression alone.

'Is this what you would tell Shawn D if he was the one making this plea to you?'

'You leave Shawn Douglas out of this.' She bit out curtly.

'Would you refuse him?' he persisted harshly. 'The boy you love like a son; how he would feel the woman who was there for him won't help his father, just out of spite?'

Furious, Carly raise her hand to hit him but Roman gripped her wrist and then the other one tightly; looking deep into her eyes.

'You're not a vindictive woman, Carly; you've never been- not even to your enemies. It's the hurt and pain talking, not your heart. I understand, I really do but don't let it blind you. Please don't.'

:::::::

When Bo finally opened his eyes he found himself lying in a hospital bed, hooked to a monitor and I.V. His head ached badly and his mouth felt very dry.

'You're awake, about time too.'

He turned to see his brother sitting on a chair by the bed. 'How do you feel?' Roman asked quietly.

'Very thirsty.'

Roman gave him ice water from a straw. 'What happened?' he whispered.

'We found you lying unconscious; seems you took a bad spill. Your left fibula's broken and apparently you've not been eating right.'

Bo peered down to see his leg bound in a cast. 'You...you said 'we'. Who's we?'

'Someone I want you to talk to before I tell the family you've been found. It's long overdue.' Getting up, he left the room and came back with Carly, her white doctor's coat over her plaid shirt and jeans. Roman closed the door behind them.

She walked up to him, her eyes solemn. 'Hey.'

It had been such a long time since they'd faced each other in the same room, the last time being the night of Dom's death and he hadn't seen her since. She looked just as beautiful yet, very serious and solemn and looked like she'd lost some pounds. Bo thought she would pull up a chair but she sat on the bed, staring down at him. 'You had a lot of people worried.'

'I… I needed to be alone.' He finally said.

'And enough space to get drunk.' She added.

Bo closed his eyes, ashamed.

'Lucas and Roman told me about it. When Roman told me you were missing, the only place I could think of was the cabin. All alone with a broken leg…you're very lucky we found you when we did.'

'Funny… I don't feel lucky.' He mumbled. 'I don't feel lucky at all. Dom… it was all my fault, Carly. He died because of me.'

Carly was silent, bending her head as she twisted the plain gold wedding band and ten carat diamond engagement ring on her finger. 'How is it your fault?' she said at last.

'Keep your voice down!'

'Well, stop telling me what to do.'

'Bo, Dom… come in.' came Roman's terse voice over the radio. 'What the hell's happening out there, you're supposed to stay hidden till I give the clear.'

'Well, Flash Gordon here got impatient.' Dom growled, glaring at him.

'Get your asses back to the car right now before you're seen; we're this close at nailing Cordell to mess everything up.'

'Cops!' a voice at a distance shouted. An Uzi was pointedly directly at him but he found himself very roughly pushed aside. 'Dom!' He screamed out, staring in horror as Dom jerked and fell under the gun shots meant for him.

Shouts and more gun fire, as Roman, Rafe, Alan Fielding and the others ran up, exchanging fire. Bo dragged Dom to safety. Like him, Dom was wearing a bullet proof vest but his exposed neck was bleeding profusely.

'Hey man… stay with me; you're going to be fine.'

Dom choked, his mouth gushing out blood and then he was still.

'No… no… no… Dom; Dom!' he shook him, terrified.

Dom didn't move, his lifeless eyes staring up at him.

All she was told that night was that Dom had taken the bullets meant for Bo. This was the first time she was hearing the story in detail.

'If I'd waited for Roman's orders instead of getting out of the car, Dom would still be alive now.'

Carly closed her eyes, head down. The tears came, running down her cheeks. Standing up, she turned away from him, one hand covering her mouth. Bo watched her unhappily. He'd known long ago his abandonment had driven her to Dom's arms but it still hurt so greatly that she'd truly loved Dom. And he had given more pain to Carly by causing his death.

'I'm sorry Carly… I'm so sorry.' He whispered.

Carly brought out a hanky from her pocket and dried her eyes before turning back to Bo. Staring down at her former lover's tortured eyes, his unshaven face livid with bruises and scratches from where he fell, Carly Manning Korinthos finally realized that Roman, Jennifer and Lucas were right. It really was up to her to pull Bo out of his despair. Deep down, she never truly blamed Bo for what happened that night.

'Bo, you've worn the hair shirt long enough.' She said quietly, her voice steady as she sat beside him again. 'Dom was an adult and he did the most selfless thing any human being could ever do for another. It wasn't your fault.'

'But you said…'

Why wasn't it you? She remembered.

'I was very angry, naturally. But no matter how things were between us Bo, even though I resented you were alive and Dom wasn't; I could never, ever, wish you dead for anything. I felt cheated, yes and I cursed fate for allowing my husband to die and being alone all over again. It was unfair, I felt, after I found happiness and it got stolen from me. But…' she sniffled, reaching out to take his large hand, more tears pouring down her cheeks.'You're alive because of the actions of a very brave man. He was a hero and died a hero. He wouldn't have wanted me to question why he did what he did. And he wouldn't have wanted you to keep wallowing in guilt either.' With her other hand, she touched Bo's face, running her thumb over the fading scar on his cheek. She was the one who had given it to him; her engagement ring scratching him when she clawed at his face after his attempt at comforting her that night. 'I don't blame you for Dom's death, Bo. I never did. Now it's time you stopped blaming yourself.'

Bo stared back at her. 'I wasn't there for you. You were all alone; I didn't even visit you at the clinic and you're doing this for me?' he whispered, deeply moved and more ashamed of himself.

'That's neither here nor there now. And two wrongs don't make a right.' Carly replied quietly. 'For what's worth… I forgive you.'

Bo smiled at her faintly, his hand moving up to touch her cheek. 'Thank you, Carly. Thank you.' He said, feeling a great weight leaving his shoulders.

Carly wiped her eyes, nodding. 'It's okay, Bo.' She got up from the bed. 'Roman will start making phone calls now; let everyone know you're safe. Get some rest.' She hesitated then went on, 'I also think Alcoholics Anonymous would be a good idea.'

Bo nodded. 'I'll do that.'

'It's going to be alright. Picking up the pieces is hard but you'll feel a whole lot better when you do.'

'Carly?'

She turned to look at him. 'Yes?' she asked, her hand on the doorknob.

'Will you… will you come back later?' he didn't want her assigning another doctor to attend to him even though as Chief of Staff she had her hands full.

'Uh…sure.' Carly nodded. 'Relax now. Your family will soon be here.'

Except for the time he was sick with the virus and when Hope had drugged him, Carly had never seen Bo helpless. She clearly saw what the guilt had done to him and she hoped he would now feel absolved.

'It's alright, Roman. The rest is up to him but I'm pretty sure things will be different from now on.' She said to him.

Roman nodded, hugging her close as Marlena, Caroline and Kayla hurried up to them.

'Is it true, you've found Bo?' Kayla demanded, pointedly ignoring Carly.

Carly left Roman to do all the explanations; refusing to catch Caroline's eye, briskly walking away. Entering her office, she sank into the chair; rubbing her throbbing head. She was exhausted.

'Hey,' she raised her head to see Daniel at the door with Melanie. Melanie had a Styrofoam cup in her hand which she handed over to her mother and perched on her desk.

'Thanks honey.' Carly said, taking the cap off and sipping the hot coffee.

Melanie stroked Carly's hair in reply.

'How is he?' Daniel asked.

'He'll live; that is if he stops ruining his health. I hope I got through to him.'

'You did a very good thing, Carly. Considering what happened between you two.'

Carly shrugged.

'I wish I can feel sorry for Bo but I just can't.' Melanie said. 'Where was he when you were pretty much the same state he's in, cozying up to that bitch he left you for? He didn't give a damn about you, Mum!'

'Mel, there are a lot of things I never thought would happen to me.' Carly said wearily. 'But they did and I've stopped wondering why they happened. It was the only way I could move on with my life like I did. And no matter what Bo did, I couldn't let him go on with what he was doing to himself.' She raised her eyes to stare at the two large portraits of Tom and Alice Horton mounted side by side on the wall opposite her desk. They would have knocked some sense into his head as well; Alice especially. Carly missed her mentor and his wife so much; especially during her period of addiction, feeling like she'd failed them both.

Daniel patted her arm, bringing her back to the present. 'Still, great job Carly.'

'I don't think I would've been able to what you did Mum, but I'm proud of you.' Melanie said.

Carly smiled at them faintly. 'Somehow it helped me too. I'm not angry with Bo anymore and if he can shed some of his guilt from now on, maybe I can shed some of my own bitterness.'

'And be friends with him again? Sorry Mum, but I don't think that can work.'

Carly thought for a bit then nodded. 'You're right, it can never work. Once he gets back on his feet, Bo and I will continue being what we've been since we broke up; strangers.'

Daniel had long guessed the feeling there was more to Bo's guilt than Carly realized but he didn't dare express it to her; she would not welcome the idea at all. But like Melanie said, everyone deserved a happy ending.

There came a knock on the door. 'Come in.' she said.

It was John Black. After exchanging greetings with him, Daniel and Melanie left him with Carly.

'Hey there.' John sat opposite her.

'The family can rest easy now; Bo's promised to straighten himself out…'

'That's good news,' John interrupted; his handsome eyes fixed on her face. 'But actually I'm more concerned about you, Carly.'

'More concerned about me?' Carly said, confused. 'I don't understand.'

'It couldn't have been easy for you seeing him like that. And it couldn't have been easy doing what you did for him. And don't you dare hide behind the damn Hippocratic Oath either; you're intelligent enough to know what I mean.' John's face was as hard as granite. He and Marlena returned to Salem a week after Dom's funeral but Carly had refused to see them; far too grief stricken at the loss of her husband and angry and bitter with everyone. His son's close (and very angry) friend Melanie had wasted no time pouring out everything that happened to her mother and Brady had backed her up.

Carly wondered if John realized how very similar he and Roman were; the unnervingly piercing way they had of looking at people as they tried to read their minds. 'Bitterness doesn't do anyone any good.' She replied gruffly, taking another sip of her coffee.

John snorted. 'Try telling that to my son. I didn't expect you to do otherwise, Carly but after what you went through it must have been rather hard all the same.'

Carly put the cup down, looking thoughtful. 'I thought it would be. Not as a doctor but as Bo's ex. After all this time of being angry with him; I never thought I will be able to help Bo, much less face him.' She rubbed her face wearily. 'But his pain and guilt and the angry feelings I have left won't erase the past. And I had to think of Ciara and Shawn Douglas; they need their father.'

'You're a good woman, Carly Manning. You've always been.'

'You're biased.'

'Quit being silly now.' John said gently. 'Is it so hard to believe an old friend who's telling you the truth?

'Sort of, John. I've kind of gotten used to being Salem's pariah. If you were here when everything went down…'

'If you sit there and dare say I would've felt the same way as everybody, I will get mad at you.' John said harshly. 'Why the hell would I think that way of my wife's best friend, are you kidding me?'

Carly said nothing.

John's face softened. 'The way the family acted wasn't fair to you at all; I made that clear to you in turn got to stop hiding from them from now on. If you could finally forgive Bo, you can forgive them said it yourself Carly; bitterness doesn't help anyone.'

'It's not a case of being bitter towards them, John; not any more. It's more like a tug of war. Apparently to Hope, I'm more of a threat than Billie. She was jealous of my past with Bo, like I stole him from her and she acted as though I was the reason why she was gone then. If I allow them to get close, Hope's going to resent that and I don't have the inclination to do battle with her. Bo and I can't even be friends ever again and not just because of her but because it would be far too awkward for us, especially me. I told Daniel and Mel this before you came in and I'm standing by it.'

'I don't think you'll be able to do that, not with your past with them.'

Carly buried her head in her hands, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

Getting up, John went to her, pulling her from her chair and hugged her close. Carly rested her head against his chest as he stroked her hair. It was easy for John to say all that but it wasn't him who was shunned by the people she'd loved as her own and all to reassure a woman who'd caused her own trouble to begin with of their allegiance to her. And them immediately assuming she came back to cause trouble between Bo and Hope was what had hurt her the most. Hope had revelled in it; showing her in many subtle ways that the Bradys and their friends were hers and were on her side.

John held his old friend in his arms for a while, consoling her in silence.

When Carly and John came out of the office, Caroline was in the lobby on her way to look for her, looking harried and talking to Marlena. On seeing Carly, she hurried to her immediately and hugged her tightly. Carly stared at John and Marlena over Caroline's head and at their encouraging nods, awkwardly hugged her back.

::::::::::::::::

One by one, members of the family came to visit Bo; Hope included, bringing Ciara along. Bo was very ashamed his daughter saw him looking so dishevelled but he was happy to see her again. Ciara didn't even care how her beloved Daddy looked; she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, asking when he was coming back home to them.

'Would you like me to sit with you tonight?' asked Hope tentatively. 'I can send Ciara over to Caroline's.'

'No, you don't have to do that.' He shook his head. 'I won't be much company anyway. You go on home.'

'You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?'

'What do you mean?' he asked wearily.

'No blame? No yelling at me for not realizing the extent of your pain and throwing you out instead? Frankly, I'd rather have that than you distancing yourself from me. At least get it off your chest; you know you want to do that.' Tears poured down her cheeks. 'You want hear that I'm sorry, Bo? Okay, I'm sorry for being selfish and heartless!'

Bo sighed. 'Hope, you did what you had to do for Ciara's sake. I'm not blaming you for anything so quit beating yourself up. There's nothing to forgive.'

'I love you so much.' Hope sat on the bed, her eyes still streaming with tears. 'If anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself.' She sniffled.

'It's over, now.' He assured her. 'Carly said I was to stop blaming myself.'

'She did?' Hope stiffened.

'She was pretty tough on me. And I got the message.' Bo said evasively, wondering if Carly would keep to her promise. 'You know what, just go home and get some rest. I'm pretty tired right now.'

Hope hesitated then shook her head. 'No Brady… I'll stay with you tonight. I want to be with you, okay?' she touched his cheek.

Bo was too weak to argue with her but he was very disappointed; he'd hoped to be alone when Carly came back to check up on him. He wanted to talk to her some more, pour out his heart some more. But he was already drifting off to sleep.

In the meantime, Carly was brushing Caroline's words of gratitude aside. 'I didn't do anything except help Roman find him.' She insisted.

'You think you didn't do anything, you did a lot for my son; for this family.' Caroline said tearfully, holding on to Carly's arm. 'If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened to him. Just like before, when you saved his life. You've saved him now.'

Carly was feeling more and more uncomfortable. 'Caroline, please stop.' She said, trying to disentangle herself. She didn't want to hear more.

'I'm sorry for everything, for the way we treated you. I'm not even going to give any excuses for the way we acted; all I want is your forgiveness and the hope that you and Frankie will forget what happened.' More tears flowed down Caroline Brady's cheeks. 'And it's not like I even have the right to ask you for that when… when we all deliberately forgot what you meant to us.'

Carly's lips trembled. Behind her, John watched silently while Marlena brushed back a tear.

'There's nothing to forgive,' Carly finally said, her hands framing Caroline's face. 'Really there isn't so please don't beat yourself up about it. It's alright.'

Crying softly, Caroline hugged her tightly again and Carly hugged her back, this time more warmly. But when she raised her eyes, she saw Hope walking up and reluctantly moved away from Caroline; remembering what she'd told John. The Bradys were Hope's family, not hers; it was far better to distance herself from them. 'Excuse me, Caroline, I uh… I have some other patients to see to. John, Marlena… I'll see you guys later, okay?'

They nodded, staring after her as she walked away before turning to Hope.

'I hope she didn't leave on my account.' Hope said dryly.

'She does have a name, Hope.' Marlena admonished.

'And you owe her Bo's life.' John added.

'You don't have to remind me, John; I'm pretty much aware of that.' Hope replied, giving him a cold look. 'But Carly was the one who scuttled away like a rabbit like I have the plague or something.'

'Oh well, if a woman comes up to me and more or less tell me not to have anything to do with her husband's drinking problem; I would probably "scuttle" away too,' was Marlena's sarcastic reply. 'Especially after his brother begged me to do something to help him.'

Caroline stared at Hope, aghast. 'Hope is that true?' she demanded.

'It wasn't like that!' Hope said defensively. 'It had nothing to do with jealousy; I just didn't think Carly could do anything for him.'

'Don't give us that load of bullshit, Hope!' John said angrily. 'If it wasn't jealousy, what the hell was it? You threw the man out but you didn't want his ex to help him, why; because you were afraid she would get through to him and make you look bad?'

Hope glared at him.

'For god sake Hope, her husband died saving Bo's life.' Marlena said. 'That's the obvious reason behind Bo's drinking and who else but Carly could reach out to Bo? Suppose she and Roman didn't find Bo on time, would you be standing here justifying yourself…'

'Listen, I did what I had to do but it had nothing to do with jealousy and I'm not prepared to explain myself again!' Hope interrupted, angry as well.

'Hope, this is my son and the father of your children we're talking about and you aren't allowed to go all defensive.' Caroline snapped. 'If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to warn Carly off; Bo wouldn't have had to disappear from home in the first place! This is what you always do; make a mess of things between you and Bo and we go about defending you. But not this time, Hope! You're a grown woman and if you want to keep calling yourself Bo's wife, act like a real wife for once!'

With that, she marched away to find Carly, leaving Hope abashed and biting her lower lip. John glared at her; furious with Bo all over again for not letting go of the past, he could've married Carly and be happy; instead he broke that poor woman's heart. Isabella would be really furious with her brother right now if she was alive.

'Don't you look at me that way either.' Hope muttered walking away, brushing back angry tears.

'Yeah? Why not try looking at yourself in the mirror instead, Hope Brady!' John shouted after her, ignoring Marlena's placating hand on his arm. 'Try that sometime!'

::::::::::

Dr. Michelle Easton was the one who tended to Bo later that night. Inwardly fuming, Bo stayed quiet as she checked his vitals and meekly took the meds the nurse handed to him; Hope hovering protectively nearby.

'Where's Dr. Manning?' he asked.

'She's gone home for the day. Don't worry, you're in good hands.' Dr. Easton replied with a smile.

I don't want you, I want Carly; Bo thought. Carly could've at least come by to say goodnight to him before going home.

Hope said nothing. She was angry with Roman for defying her and was determined not to humble herself to Bo's significant ex for anything. It was already bad enough that Carly was holding the position her grandfather once held, the entire staff looking up to her and the family making a big deal of what she did for Bo. And Jennifer was still very angry with her; she hardly spoke two words to her while Maxine, Daniel and Melanie kept scowling at her.

She sat close to him after the doctor and nurse left, stroking his cheek. 'Are you too tired to talk?' she said softly.

'I did tell you I wouldn't be much company. I've got a lot of my mind right now.' Bo said wearily.

'I just wanted tell you again, I'm sorry. I did what I thought was best; but I should have handled things better.' Hope said earnestly. 'But now, I hope things will be better between us from now on. Stop shutting me out and let me help you. You know you can talk to me about anything, honey. Not now, of course; when you're discharged and move back home with Ciara and me, we'll talk as long as you like.'

Bo wanted to tell her that he wasn't planning on going back home, not for the moment anyway. He had a lot of things to sort out besides his drinking. But right now, he wanted Carly by his side. As he closed his eyes, he kept thinking about her; how she always made him feel better and made him smile and he in turn always wanting to protect her.

:::::::::::

Troy was still awake when Carly got home, his beautiful black eyes lighting up on seeing her. 'Mummy, Mummy!' he squealed, his little arms round her neck when she picked him up.

'Hey little Trojan… were you good today?' Carly murmured, kissing his plump cheek.

'As always, like an angel.' Lucia said, smiling. 'How was your day?'

'More eventful than I thought actually.' Carrying Troy, Carly went into the living room, Lucia following her. Sitting on her overstuffed couch, she narrated to Lucia the day's events.

'Dios.' Lucia muttered, shaking her head. 'You have a heart of gold; I've always thought so.'

'I don't know about that.'

'You have no reason to help this man or his family but look at what you did! I wouldn't have been as kind as that to the man who hurt me so! Is he going to be alright?'

'His leg will heal but the rest is up to him; he has to stop drinking.' Carly stroked her son's curls as he played with her watch. 'Now that I've given him the reassurance that he's not responsible for Dom's death, he and Hope can move on with their lives.'

'When you told him you don't blame him for what happened to Mr. Dom, did you mean that?' Lucia asked.

'I did.' Carly said. 'Even if I didn't, let's be realistic Lucia. What amount of blame I heap on Bo will bring my husband back?'

Lucia nodded. 'That is true. But do you think that he also bears guilt about the past? About you, besides Mr. Dom I mean.'

Carly shrugged. 'Yeah, I guess… but I've told him it was alright and he had to pull himself together now. One of the things Dom taught me was how important it was to let the past go and I did and my life was all the better for it.' She sighed. 'But…'

'But what?'

'Somehow, I have a feeling things are going to be rather complicated. Caroline Brady made friendly overtures to me at the hospital, she actually hugged me and asked for my forgiveness.'

'As she should!' Lucia said indignantly. 'What about that man Kiriakis; did he do the same?'

Carly shuddered at the idea of Victor touching her. 'He thanked me for helping his son but it was obvious he wished he didn't have to. Kayla wouldn't look me in the eye but Roman and the others couldn't thank me enough.'

'Ho…' Lucia finally understood. 'You don't want to get close to them because of that woman?'

'It would be much too awkward now. Even before Bo and I ever slept together, Hope couldn't handle being in the same room with me and the family clearly showed whose side they were on; they treated me like an unwanted outsider.'

'But it's not fair.' Lucia argued. 'She was the one who left him! If she was still with him when you returned, would they have acted that way?'

'I don't know, I really don't know.' Carly said sadly. 'That's like asking if he would've divorced me after Hope came back from the dead. It's not a question that has an answer.' Glancing at the clock on the wall, she added, 'You should go home. Thanks for listening.'

'Any time.' Lucia got up and slipped on her jacket, letting herself out. Carly locked up, bathed Troy and put him to bed.

::::

Bo went back to The Salem Inn's penthouse suite instead of his house after he was discharged some days later. Even before he started attending A.A meetings, he no longer touched the liquor in the fridge. He ate more and had no more nightmares of the night Dominic Korinthos saved his life at the cost of his own.

Caroline wasn't pleased with his living arrangements but Bo refused to be mollycoddled by her or anyone. But to satisfy her, he always went to the Pub to have dinner and to Caroline, Roman and the rest of the family's relief, he looked a lot better.

Things with Carly was another story. Every time Caroline called to ask her to come to the house for dinner or at least drop by the Pub for lunch or coffee Carly always said she was busy at the hospital. Maggie invited her to come for a visit at the mansion and bring Troy along, Carly always declined. Distressed, she asked Melanie to talk to her mother but Melanie, though fond of Maggie, didn't want to make Carly do what she didn't want to do. On the other hand, while she understood Carly's need to keep her distance; she didn't like the whole scenario.

'The world doesn't revolve around Hope, it's not like she's Queen Supreme of Salem or anything.'

'We can't coexist, the reason why the family kept me out in the first place. Much as it hurts, I finally understand why they did what they did.'

'Sure.,. Ignoring your past with Bo all to make Hope feel better about herself, give me a break Mum, that's not a good excuse for what they did. The fact they stooped to do that only shows that Bo loved you as much as he loved Hope, she couldn't handle that. She could handle what he felt for Chelsea's Mum because it wasn't deep enough. You were different and they knew that. It was wrong.'

'Just as it was wrong for me to succumb to my feelings for Bo in the first place. I should have read the signs and made him work things out with her. But that's not even important, Mel. I just have to keep things as they are, to avoid a battle with Hope. And it would've been a lot easier if I'd left town like I wanted to.'

Melanie looked at her unhappily. The Board's resolve that Carly fill Lexie's shoes wasn't the only reason Carly had stayed when she wanted to leave after Dom's death; Melanie had begged her not to leave, insisting she needed her mother. 'Do you still want to leave?' she asked quietly.

Carly saw the look on Melanie's face and hugged her reassuringly. 'Don't worry honey, I'm not going anywhere, okay?'

'Good.' Melanie muttered, hugging her back. 'Because I'd drag you back here, kicking and screaming.'

Carly chuckled.

Melanie turned as the elevator's doors opened and raised her eyebrows. 'Look who's here.'

Carly turned to see Bo hobbling towards them on crutches. 'Hi Carly, Melanie.' He said.

'Hey.' Melanie said, not sounding very enthusiastic to see him. 'How's the leg?'

'Oh, it's healing up nicely.' Bo replied, turning to look at Carly. Taking the hint, albeit in annoyance, Melanie left them alone.

Carly stared at him. Besides a much needed hair cut, Bo had shaved, completely. 'You've taken the beard off.' She said.

'Oh yeah,' Bo rubbed his bare jaw. 'I figured I should make a change. You don't like the clean shaven look?'

Carly shrugged. 'It's different. I've never seen you like this, that's all. But… whatever you like, of course.'

'Mmm… you look different yourself.' Carly's hair was now medium length and tinted to a honey blonde shade, stylishly framing her beautiful face in smooth, sleek waves. He'd noticed it the night they talked but he figured she wouldn't welcome any compliments from him.

She touched it self-consciously, shrugging again. 'Did you come by for a checkup?' she asked abruptly.

'Actually, I came to see you. I wanted to thank you personally, for what you did for me and everything.'

'Like I told your mother, you don't owe me anything. I'm glad you've obviously found your feet.'

'I'm getting there. And speaking of Mum, she's really upset you wouldn't come over for dinner.'

'Caroline understands that I have a lot to do.'

'Come on Carly, even Dr. H was able to take a few hours off. What's the deal here… is it that hard to be around my family?'

'You're the last person to ask me that kind of question, Bo.' Carly said sharply, walking away. Bo followed her, leaning on the crutches.

'Carly, slow down… please.' Carly stopped, turning back.

'That was tactless and I'm sorry.' He said, contrite. 'But Mum told me what you said to her so we don't understand why you've been avoiding us. If it's not because you're still mad, is it because of Hope?'

Carly's silence answered his question.

'Carly, Hope doesn't have a say in this. You can't keep avoiding everybody because of her.'

'The situation's too complicated. I'm doing this more for myself than Hope. She once told me that when she married you, your family became hers, just as hers became yours.'

'So?'

'So?' Carly threw up her arms in exasperation. 'It's like you and I not being able to be friends again; because of our history. I just want to spare myself some embarrassment, Bo. I'm sorry if I've seemed standoffish but that's just the way it is.'

'You actually feel that we can't be friends again?' Bo said quietly.

Carly shook her head. 'No, we can't. We just can't.'

'Carly, don't be this way. If you've really forgiven us, you should give it a chance.' Bo pleaded. 'I've really hurt you, I know and I'm so sorry about it. I've regretted a lot of things…'

'Stop.' Carly said coldly.

'No you stop it, stop hiding behind that wall!' he snapped. 'They handled everything wrong but they don't want to make that mistake again, especially Mum and you're not to let Hope or pride prevent you from being a part of the family again, or us being friends.'

'Why does it matter to you so much?'

'Because…' Bo stopped himself just in time. He was going to say "because I'm still in love with you". Carly was free and so was he but it wasn't yet time for her to be aware of his feelings for her. She was still in mourning, wearing Dom's rings.

'Well?' Carly demanded.

'Because this is what the family wants, especially Mum. Hope or no, it's feasible, Carly. Please consider it, okay? Mum's very hurt you've been fobbing her off; she really wants to reconnect with you. So does Kayla.'

'Right… Kayla who's not been able to look me in the eye?' Carly said cynically.

'It's not for the reasons you think.' Bo said quietly. 'Just give it a chance, I'm begging you.' Reaching out tentatively, he patted her shoulder and hobbled towards the elevators.

:::::::::::::::::

That evening, Caroline hurried over to Carly as she walked through the Pub's glass doors, pushing Troy in his stroller.

'You came.' Caroline said softly, touching Carly's cheek. 'I'm glad to see you Carly.'

'Me too.' Carly admitted.

Kayla rose from her chair and walked up to Carly; her expression solemn. 'Carly, I've been so…' she began.

'Kayla Johnson, if you dare apologize to me, I swear to God I'll cry my eyes out.' Carly said almost savagely, her voice shaking.

At her words, Kayla burst into tears, pulling Carly into her arms and Carly clung to her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…' Kayla sobbed, pressing her cheek against Carly's, holding her in her arms; every form of guilt pouring out in torrents like her tears.

The three women sat at the table and ate together, Troy on Caroline's lap and talked for a long time. By the time Carly left The Pub with her son; there were more tears in her eyes but her heart a lot less heavy. She was very happy for the first time since Dom's death. Eating and talking with Caroline and Kayla was like old times and she felt almost like one of the family again. Bo and Melanie were right concerning that part. Screw Hope; the world definitely didn't revolve around her.

::::::

Bo's leg healed and he went back to work with renewed energy. Keeping his promise to Carly, he continued going to A.A meetings and before he knew it, received his three month chip. He also had therapy sessions with Marlena, which helped him even more and she was pleased with his progress.

'When do you think you'll take the next step?' she asked him one day.

'Next step?'

'Patching things up with Hope and moving back home. Brady said you're subletting the loft.'

'That's right.' Bo admitted.

'Would I be too nosy if I ask why?'

'No, not at all.' Bo replied. 'I'm not planning on moving back home; it's no longer home to me. It hasn't been for a long time actually.'

Marlena leaned forward. 'Oh?'

'Truth is, I'm still in love with Carly. I've been this way for a very long time.'

Marlena stared at him, shocked. 'Bo!'

'Don't worry, I haven't said anything to her, not yet anyway.'

'Then I suggest that you don't! I don't believe I'm hearing this.'

'Marlena, Carly's not to blame for this…'

'I'm not blaming her for anything! Do you honestly want to put her through all that again; making promises and then leave her?'

'It's different this time, I'm different.' Bo said firmly. 'I realized I was still in love with her…'

'After she got involved with Dominic.' Marlena finished for him, her expression cynical. 'Just like you opened your eyes about her after she married Victor.'

'That was a totally different situation, I tried to stop Carly from marrying him but he forged my letter to her.' Bo replied defensively. ' I knew I loved her but I was too scared of losing her like I thought I lost Hope. It sounds shallow to you but yeah… her getting involved with Dom made me realize what I let slip through my fingers. But of course I couldn't tell her, not after all that time I turned my back on her; I knew she wouldn't have me back and she looked so happy with him. And she even sent me a message.' Pulling out his wallet, he drew something out, placing it on Marlena's desk. She picked it up, examining it.

'This is the North Star necklace you gave her years ago.' She said. 'And it's broken.'

'She sent it to me like this.'

Marlena nodded slowly. 'She let go of you.'

'And I know Carly,' Bo bit his lower lip, remembering their encounter at the hospital; how she was in obvious pain, despite her attempt to hide it. 'It hurt her so much but she did it anyway. I guess she figured there was no point keeping any memory of me because it was just too painful.'

'If she didn't, she would never have been able to be with Dominic, or learn to love him.' Marlena said shrewdly, completely understanding why Carly had sent the broken necklace to Bo, feeling even more sorry for her old friend. By cutting the chain, Carly had symbolically broken all ties with Bo, letting go of her love for him. 'Carly's the bravest woman I know. For her to sever this precious memory, it took a lot of guts; I know how much she loved you, Bo. That's why she didn't deserve what you did to her. It should never have happened at all. But how do you expect her to believe what you just told me?'

Bo put the broken chain back into his wallet. 'I know it's going to be very difficult. Carly wouldn't want to hear it now… after the way I treated her and Dom's death. But somehow I know we'll end up together again. When I'm with her, I sense it very strongly and I just want to hold her in my arms and never let her go. If I can finally realize we're meant to be, she will too.'

Marlena looked doubtful. 'I don't know Bo. I don't want you hurting her again. Why don't you just mend fences with Hope…'

'I love Carly.' Bo said, his eyes hard. ' I love that woman and I want her. When the time is right, Carly will know that. After that, nothing and nobody will ever come between us ever again.'

Famous last words, Bo; Marlena thought, still not believing him and very worried that Carly was going to be exposed to fresh new pain.