Also, I'd like to note that I do not own NBC's Days of Our Lives or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.
I hope you like my story and please don't forget to review...
Chapter Six :::
Nearly two months had passed since Carly had announced her pregnancy to Lawrence and Nicholas. Lawrence was gathering fruit one day, and Carly was washing their clothing at the stream when Nicholas ran toward his mother calling excitedly, "Mom! Mom! I found something!"
"What is it, Nicky?" she asked, looking up from the blouse she had been scrubbing.
She saw Nicky dragging a large, heavy suitcase behind him, his flace flushed from the exertion. Nicky lay the cumbersome suitcase down on the bank beside the stream and slowly pulled it open. Carly gasped, seeing what it contained.
The suitcase held many baby clothes. Carly picked up a little yellow sleeper and began to caress the terry-cloth fabric with her fingertips. "Where did you find this, Nicholas?" she asked.
"It was with the other suitcases Ivan left on the island with us," said the little boy. "These clothes used to be mine when I was a baby."
"How do you know?" Carly asked.
"Because I found this under the clothes," Nicholas answered, reaching beneath the tiny outfits to retrieve an ivory-colored book bound with black plastic rings. "It's my baby book!"
Carly opened the slightly worn book to examine it's contents. Nicholas was correct! This was indeed his baby book! The first page read: This is the baby book of Nicholas James Alamain.
"James," Carly said softly.
"See, Mom! It is my baby book! It tells all about me!" the boy said with great excitement.
"Yes, Nicholas, it definitely is. It describes everything about you- how much you weighed, your first word, when you first walked - everything," Carly said, suddenly misty-eyed as she flipped through the pages.
"How much did I weigh, Mom? What was my first word? How old was I when I first learned to walk?"
"Let me see," Carly said as she began to slowly read. "You weighed four pounds and nine and a 1/4 ounces, because you were a little early. It says your first word was 'hi,' and you learned to walk at eleven months."
"Wow! I can't believe it, Mom! Can you?"
"Ohhh, Nicky, this is such a miracle. I thought I had lost all this with you- all those years together, but this is so amazing. It's as though I have been given another chance. Thank you for finding this," she said tearfully, hugging her son close.
"But, Mom, I wanted you to see these baby clothes, too," Nicky said, holding up a tiny pair of light green baby booties. "I want the baby to wear them when he's born."
"Thank you, Nicky. I didn't know what I would dress the baby in after it's born. Now your brother or sister will have lots of nice clothes."
"And toys, too!" Nicky reached under the many tiny garments to retrieve a plastic sack containing five baby toys. There was a circular purple rattle, a jingling stuffed bunny made of blue terry-cloth material, a brown teddy bear which squeeked when squeezed, a set of toy keys made of hard plastic, and tiny toy choo choo train that played a lullaby when pushed across a flat surface.
"I can't believe these were actually your toys," Carly said to Nicky, still in a state of awe as she learned so much about her child's early years.
"And you can use this spoon to feed the baby!" Nicky said as he held up a long-handled golden baby spoon for his mother's inspection. The spoon had been found within a small velvet-lined black case at the very bottom of the suitcase.
"Ohhh, Nicky!" was all Carly could manage to gasp when she read the words engraved on the golden handle. It read: Nicholas James Alamain, followed by the birthdate 10-4-84.
Carly was still gazing at the baby spoon in fascination when Lawrence approached, carrying a basket which was now heavy with tropical fruits. He saw Carly and Nicky sitting near the edge of the stream staring at a long, shiny object.
"What's going on?" he asked, and Carly jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.
"Look what we found, Dad!" Nicky exclaimed, taking the baby spoon from his mother's hand and passing it to Lawrence. "It was mine when I was little."
He examined the spoon, reading the engraved words and numbers. His eyes widened as Carly's had when he discovered that their son's middle name was 'James.' He wondered if the name bothered Carly as he decided his aunt must have chosen that particular middle name with the intention of causing Carly pain.
"It's beautiful, son," Lawrence told the boy.
"What's that on your lap?" he then asked Carly.
"Ohhh, it's Nicky's baby book. Vivian kept it very well updated," she answered, handing him the book.
Lawrence set the heavy fruit basket aside and began skimming through the pages of Nicholas's baby book. He smiled when he read about some of his son's early humorous antics. "It says here that during your second birthday party, you pushed your birthday cake into a guest's lap," Lawrence chuckled.
Carly laughed softly and said, "I bet Vivian loved that."
Lawrence met Carly's eyes across the distance, but she quickly looked away, her eyes shifting to the little spoon once again in her grasp. "I'm giving the clothes and things to baby," Nicky spoke up. "Do you think he will like them, Dad?"
"I'm certain he will, Nicky. Why don't you go in now? Take these things back to the cave before they become dirty," Lawrence encouraged, helping Nicholas gather the baby articles back into the suitcase where they had been stored. "I need to speak to your mother a moment."
"Alright, Dad," Nicky sighed in agreement, closing the lid to the suitcase and lugging it back up the side of the bank. "See ya later."
After Nicholas was out of sight, Lawrence said, "I bet seeing Nicky's baby things was quite a surprise to you."
"It was. I never thought I'd ever have a part of his younger years," she replied. "I can't believe Vivian could have been so cruel."
"I hate her for how she's hurt you."
"There is no need to hate her now. She's dead."
"I know, but I hate her for hurting you in other ways, Katerina. I can't believe - can't believe she gave Nicholas the middle name 'James,' just to hurt you."
"She's a fool then. I'm happy she gave Nicholas the middle name 'James.'"
"You are?" Lawrence gasped in surprise. "But I thought-."
"I never hated James, Lawrence. I loved him. There is no other middle name I would want our son to have."
Her answer surprised him, made hope rise up in his heart. "I guess I just thought that you wouldn't want to be reminded of James. I thought that name would cause you to remember me lying to you."
"Perhaps for a moment it did, but then I felt a great sense of happiness, because I was reminded of the special love I once had with James and the joy we once had together," she replied, unable to keep eye contact as Lawrence gazed at her so intently, emotions aglow in his eyes.
Again her reply surprised him, making him feel a rushing sense of hope. He reached across the distance to lift her chin gently with his fingers, forcing her to meet his enchanting gaze. "But I AM James, Katerina," he said softly, his eyes penetrating hers.
She twisted away furiously, her gaze suddenly darkening to anger. "No, you're not! You are Lawrence Alamain, the evil and all-powerful, a man capable of unspeakable crimes!"
"Perhaps if you believe me capable of such crimes, you have reason to fear for our son's life when he's around me," he responded coldly.
"I do not fear for Nicky. You love him. You'd never hurt him."
"Yes, but I love you, and I've hurt you," he said. "I am reminded of that each and every day when I awake to find myself alone."
Her eyes widened considerably at those words, and abruptly she stood up and began throwing the wash haphazardly into the wicker basket. "I don't want to have this discussion with you any longer. I'm going back to the cave now to prepare Nicky's lunch." She tossed her words back at him as she left the stream and walked away toward the cave.