CHAPTER 9
One of the many priceless memories Carly had shared with her daughter after coming out of the long term amnesia was the boat trips on the Fancy Face with Bo and Shawn Douglas; sometimes the three of them, other times just her and Bo alone. In detail, she'd described the beauty and tranquility of the ocean and the delicious silence that always surrounded them, which to her and Bo was their own special music. On this beautiful sunny day, Olivia saw what she meant.
Shawn Douglas had made her take the wheel, guiding her until she was able to steer the sailboat with ease. When they reached the mouth of the river, he took over, moving the Fancy Face III into the ocean and turned off the engine. The breeze picked up, lifting Olivia's luxuriant curls and she felt the ocean beneath her. Shawn Douglas put up the sails, the wind immediately catching them and they got under way.
'It's exactly how Ma described it,' Olivia marvelled. 'It's so breath-taking here and the silence... can you actually feel yourself soaking in it? Bloody marvellous, that's what it is!'
'Yeah, it really is.' Shawn Douglas agreed. He watched his sister, whose lovely face was lifted towards the sun, her expression blissful. It had been his idea for them to skip sightseeing and go sailing instead; mostly because he wanted her all to himself, no family members jostling for her attention. Within minutes they found themselves in deep conversation as the boat gracefully cut through the water.
He told Olivia about his troubled teenage and adolescent years and how becoming a father and later a husband had provided a huge amount of stability in his life. Like his parents had done when he was a kid; he, Belle and their little Claire had sailed round the world before setting up house in Chicago.
In turn, Olivia narrated the years within the gilded cage she and Carly had lived, how most nights she'd sat at the window seat in her suite, wondering about the places that lay beyond the boundaries of Alamainia, places she'd read about and tried picturing in her mind. Her early childhood had been spent in Vienna, England and Germany but still within walls. Although she'd been fond of Nicholas, they hadn't been as close as she would have liked because he'd spent most of the time in boarding school and would at home for a week before going off for long visits with his school friends or with his Aunt Vivian in Milan. Obviously Lawrence's means of hiding his abusive practices because Nicholas never suspected a thing.
'I can't believe Nicky went along with Larry and Vivian's lies. He and Dad got close after the funeral, how could he have done it?'
'Lawrence could manipulate the people close to him or who didn't really know him like Ma and I did,' replied Olivia. 'And anyhow, Nicholas was just a little boy back then; he swallowed anything and everything his father and Vivian probably fed him... he thought the sun shone through their arses.'
'How was Larry able to explain away Carly's absences from social functions?'
'Stories of her being ill, or away at medical conferences or Doctors Without Borders.'
'Christ!' Shawn Douglas shook his head angrily.
Olivia continued, 'after college, Nicholas got himself enlisted in the army against Ma's wishes and Lawrence's... oddly enough. But there was no stopping him, Nicholas was really, really stubborn and had this huge thirst to prove himself. One day, we got that telegram and as we speak, he's lying in the Alamain family crypt.'
Shawn Douglas put his arm round Olivia's thin shoulders as her green eyes clouded. He and Nicky Alamain had been good friends, despite the differences in backgrounds, opinions and personalities. They had met by chance at the park and he'd been thrilled on later finding out he was Carly's long lost son; thus making him his stepbrother. But even he had to admit that Nicky had a few issues. Compared to Olivia who possessed Carly's down-to-earth personality, Nicky had been his father's son, turning down his nose at the simple life Carly had chosen to lead. Shawn Douglas hadn't been pleased at the way he'd treated Carly at first when she and Larry had told him that Vivian wasn't his mother after all- as if she had been the one who'd stolen him and not the other way around. And there was the way he'd acted around Bo; he'd made his resentment towards him clear on several occasions and Shawn Douglas had had the feeling that Larry had put him up to it to cause tension between Bo and Carly. If his father had noticed it, he never said so- preferring to tolerate the pampered boy for Carly's sake. But then after Carly's supposed death, Nicky had cried and cried in Bo's arms asking for his forgiveness, admitting he hadn't really wanted to break them up, he'd just resented sharing Carly after seeing the lovely person she really was. Olivia was probably right about Nicky being manipulated by his father and Shawn Douglas felt that if he'd known the whole truth, he would have exposed him a long time ago.
'Rest in peace, buddy. Shawn Douglas said silently. But I really wish we'd had a chance to meet again before you died a hero's death.
He hugged Olivia tightly, willing her to relax and leave all depressing thoughts behind, making way for the future that lay ahead.
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'Thanks for bringing me up to speed. No, there's no reason to worry Olivia about it- you say she's stabilised now. Please let me know if there's any positive change. Right, bye.'
Bo hung up, trying to quell the agonising fear in his gut at the news of Carly's cardiac arrest. Dr. Simpson had assured him her condition was stable again but suppose she had another one, a massive one that kills her? Fate couldn't possibly be that cruel; not after the hell she and Olivia had endured for so long. And there were so many things he needed to talk to Carly about, so much to catch up on.
Not just that, Brady, a voice in his head pointed out to him. You're also aching to know if there's a possibility of picking up from where you two left of, admit it!
There were still far too many emotions to process before he could deduce what his feelings towards Carly were. Bo knew however that the most important thing right now, was for her to get better and pick up the pieces.
Please, Princess... don't die! He cried silently.
So deep in thought, Bo didn't notice Hope standing at the door of his office, looking at him fixedly. Hope always knew when something heavy was weighing Bo's mind down; puckered brow and a deep frown on his handsome face. What was currently on his mind, she needn't bother guessing.
Hope still couldn't get over what she'd heard about Bo and Dr. Manning, or otherwise, Lady Von Leuschner. She didn't give a damn just how down-to-earth Carly had been; she simply couldn't see what an aristocrat had had in common with Bo, Salem's resident bad boy. Of course she was from a wealthy family herself, but at least the Hortons and the Bradys have been close knit friends for so long; the idea of the Bradys rubbing shoulders with Carly's lot was laughable. No wonder Lawrence Alamain had been so furious at being upstaged!
Bo suddenly raised his head and caught her eye. Once upon a time, on seeing her, his brown eyes would light up. Now, they narrowed instead.
'Oh, it's you.' he said coolly, straightening up in his chair. 'Where have you been?'
'Monitoring my movements now? '
'I'm still your boss, Hope. There's a huge difference in the way we relate inside and outside office hours and I'll thank you to remember that.'
'I was over at Maggie's.' was the sulky reply. 'I needed to get some answers.'
'Did you now?'
'Are you expecting an apology?'
'For what; thinking that I cheated on you, accusing a fifteen year old girl of being my mistress or for freaking her and Justin out by making a complete ass of yourself? Which one is it Hope, because I can go on!' Bo said, his angry raised voice causing several officers walking along the corridor to stare.
Hope slammed the door shut behind her, blocking potential eavesdroppers. 'Alright! I was out of line, I can admit that much! But if you'd told me about this woman a long time ago...'
'Carly, her name's Carly and I'm not about to explain myself to you.'
'No need, I GOT the information I needed.' Hope fired back. She folded her arms and continued, 'So, Lady Von Leuschner was the one who really replaced me while I was gone; not Billie. You certainly did well for yourself, finding such a classy dame.'
Bo couldn't believe how the feisty, lovely girl he'd fallen madly in love with so many years ago, his ''Fancy Face'', had changed so drastically. Marry young and grow old together, that had been in the cards. They'd stepped over a lot of obstacles, shared many adventures, had three children, bound by their love and the close friendship of their families. He'd chosen her over Billie because he knew where his heart lay. But the current situation between them couldn't be salvaged this time around. Because the cold hard reality was they've finally outgrown each other.
'What exactly is this about, Hope? That I had the audacity to fall in love with a woman above me in rank or that I fell in love at all while you were gone? Because I don't see what I did wrong at all here. I loved you; I never disrespected you or our marriage in any way. Why are you being like this about a woman you don't even know?'
Why wouldn't I be, Hope thought resentfully. Listening to Maggie listing all of Carly Manning's accomplishments had been like listening to that of Princess Diana's and how she and Bo had gotten along so well made her strongly suspect that given the recent developments, Bo has been comparing her with his Countess. And the sense of time was staggering; Carly resurfacing while they were in the middle of a divorce.
'I'm not jealous, if that's what you think,' she lied. 'You all kept a secret from me and I have the right to be upset. So, if there's any apology to be made here, it's you apologizing to me.'
'Must you ALWAYS play the victim?' Bo snapped, rising from his chair. 'You've completely blown the whole thing about proportion; and not once did you even bother finding out if Carly's any better or stop to think of how Olivia's going to feel if she loses her mother. Because that's a very strong possibility, I can't believe you can be so heartless!'
'There you go again, putting me down!' Hope shouted back. 'I'm really sorry that I can't measure up to the refined Dr. Manning! I bet back in the day she let you win all the time!'
Bo stared incredulously for several minutes. 'We're done here.'
Stepping round her, he reached for his jacket.
Suddenly contrite and ashamed, Hope grabbed his arm. 'Bo, wait. I'm...'
Bo shook it off easily. 'I'm off to have lunch with my son and daughter now and hopefully when I get back; I'd be in a much better frame of mind to discuss arranging for Ciara to meet her sister.'
Hope opened her mouth in protest but her husband opened the door and left, slamming the door behind him. Miserably, Hope sank into a chair. All they've done since Ciara's kidnap was fight and fight. What exactly had happened to them? Hope buried her face in her hands and began to sob.
The door opened and Abe Carver hurried to her. 'Hope! Honey, what's wrong?' he exclaimed, pulling her to her feet and holding her close. 'I saw Bo storming out just now.'
'Everything's so messed up!' wept Hope. 'And it's much worse now!'
Abe hugged her, soothing her softly. 'Calm down now. Things aren't as bad as they seem.' He sat her down, handing her his hanky before seating himself opposite her on Bo's desk. 'Now, tell me everything.'
