CHAPTER NINE

BRUTAL TRUTH

WAITING ROOM / NURSES DESK

Nicholas walked with a firm step up to the nurses desk. "Yes, I need the rooms for Doctor Carly Manning, and Melanie Layton please. I'm here to see my mother and sister."

"Nicholas." Kate said nonplussed. She didn't even know why she would even be surprised that Nicholas would come to Salem; after receiving the news about his mother. But, she couldn't put her finger on it, she was just surprised.

Nicholas turned to the right with a sad smile, "Hello Kate. I wish it was on a happier note on seeing your beautiful face once more."

Kate couldn't help the slight flush that rose in her cheeks. "It's good to see you again, Nicholas. I'm sure your mother will be happy to see you also."

"Yes, or perhaps no, I mean it's been quite a while since the last time I saw mother. We had a major blow out the last time I saw her." Nicholas sighed deeply. "I found out that she betrayed my father. I was outraged. So outraged that I kicked her out of my life and heart."

His jaw tightened. "I was even more angry after I heard about my father's end. But recently I received some information on how my father had been treating her." Swallowing, "I'm here to try to make amends with her. Also get to know my half sister."

"You know, now may not be the time for a reunion, Nicholas, your mother has been through a few tough days recently. Her doctor's aren't letting anyone in her room right now." Hope said coming to stand next to Kate. "We don't want to add any more stress to your mother right now."

"I have heard about what had happened." Nicholas said. "Has my mother woken up yet?"

"Yes. But, it sounds like she has settled down once more." Hope gently said. "Bo, Daniel and Jennifer are in there with her right now. Daniel isn't allowing anyone else in. Expect for the nurses to assist him when needed."

"At least mother can be off life support now." Nicholas smiled slightly. "I know how much she hates being hooked up to machines." He hated the fact that both Bo and Daniel were in the room with his mother. But he had been prepared for at least Bo to be by her side non stop. So he managed to hide his true feelings from his body language. It wouldn't do good to set off Hope's doubts about him after all.

"Once your mother gets the rest that her body is craving, than she'll be happy to see you Nicholas." Hope put her hand on the young man's right arm. "Real glad. She'll be happy to have both her children in the same town as she."

"Speaking of which, how did Melanie handle the truth?" Licking his lips. "What I heard before I left Dublin, mother didn't even tell Melanie the truth until the tragedy that was a shooting." Nicholas placed his hand over Hope's.

Hope sighed, "Not good."

"That's why my mother was put on life support, wasn't it?" Nicholas asked in soft serious voice. "Melanie's rejection was the final straw for her."

Hope didn't answer. She didn't need too. He could read it in her eyes. Perhaps Hope would be the perfectly way to make Bo pay for taking his mother's heart away from his father. He would keep the idea in mind. "Is Melanie up for any visitors."

"You sister checked herself out early today. She's staying with Maggie." Hope sighed. "Nicholas, wait a few weeks before trying to make contact with her. Allow her wound to heal. One more shock may undue what Daniel managed to do for her. She wouldn't want to end back up in the hospital."

"Whom allowed her to be checked out! I'm going to have their medical license revoked!" Nicholas demanded. "My sister just got shot in her chest – not even three days ago. What quack of a doctor allowed her to leave?!"

"Your sister is very stubborn, Nicholas. Just like your mother. When Melanie has her mind and heart set upon something, nothing, not even a gun shot to the chest, is going to keep her from getting her own way." Hope replied. "There was no stopping her. If she hadn't gone to Maggie's – then she would have checked in at the Salem Inn. She's much safer at Maggie's."

"I still don't like this development." Nicholas looked over his shoulder at his mother's closed door. "This is going to set mother's recovery back a major step." He couldn't keep the slight bitterness from his voice.

CARLY'S ROOM

"Get out." Bo said. "Thank you for calming Carly down when she came too. But you are no longer needed, Daniel, nor will you be again."

"Melanie is my daughter. Carly is the mother of my child. I'm in this family, weather you like or not." Daniel frowned. "Only reason why you are truly a member of the family, Bo, is because you managed to finally get Carly with child." His hand never left Carly's shoulder. "My heart and soul belongs solely to my daughter, and the mother of my daughter. I'm not split down the middle – unlike you."

"Carly needs me." Bo softly cried out.

"Yes she needs you. But she also loves you, Bo. Her whole heart and soul belong to you." Daniel said in a quiet voice. "But, Bo, you can't say the same thing. Your heart and soul belongs to Hope. Always had, and always will. You can proclaim all you want that you are willing to walk away from Hope, and be happy with Carly. But we all know that's a lie. Carly knows."

"Get your hands off of Carly." Bo took a step forward.

"Stay where you are Bo." Daniel ordered in a hard, but soft tone. "I want things made clear between us here, and now. I want a witness to witness what is said here, and now. I want a witness to witness you pledge the rest of your life to Carly. I want a witness to here to make sure that you aren't going to crush Carly once more."

Bo's jaw tightened. "You have no call to treat me like this, Daniel. Who the hell are you man, to keep me away from Carly like this? You aren't related to her. You aren't her father, or her brother. I would expect this treatment from Frankie. You are just the man whom gotten Carly pregnant with your child. You are just the man whom took advantage of her in her lonely state all those years ago."

"I never took advantage of her. She was the one whom asked me up to her room." Daniel smiled as he remembered his one and only night with Carly. "The moment that we kissed, it was no longer about her lonesomeness, or my problems at that moment. It became about two people whom were destined to be together in that time. For all t -"

Bo's eyes squinted. "You are in love with her yourself."

"So what if I am." Daniel whispered. "She'll chose you over me. She chose Lawrence over me. She would much rather live in fear, hatred, and death, then live in pure, and honest love."

"She'll have the pure and honest love with me. She'll have the life that I promised her so many years ago in Mexico." Bo's chin lifted. "I'm forsaking Hope for her." His voice softened. "I'm never going to allow her to be taken from me ever again."

"You are forsaking Hope for her." Daniel repeated back in a snide voice. "Oh won't Carly be ever so pleased to hear that. How much guilt do you think she'll be carrying around, knowing that she stole you from your true soul mate?!"

MAGGIE'S HOUSE

Phillip wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and lifted. "Time to get you underneath those covers." He watched as her right arm drifted slowly from her lap, up his chest, and around his neck. Tilting his head down he met her mouth with his own.

Melanie slowly pulled out of the kiss, "I can't wait until we can be together underneath those covers, as we are always meant to be."

"Give it a few weeks. Then you won't be able to keep me from them." He whispered as he began to walk. Her head drifted to rest against his chest, just underneath his heart. He tighten his gripe on his soul mate as he made the way up the stairs.

Pushing the door opened with his left leg, he was happy that it hadn't been shut all the way. It would have been a pain trying to open it without waking up his now sleeping wife. He walked to the bed and gently placed his bride down. Sitting down next to her. "I love you, Melanie, and always will. I'll willing give up my life for you. For you are my life." He softly said as he stroked the hair from her cheek.

"Things will go easier with your mother, soon, I promise. Anytime you want advice on crazy parental issues … than I'm the guy for you." He smiled, "You made the wise choice in choosing me to being your soul mate, and husband, Melanie. My parents are far from normal as they come."

He bent down and brushed his lips lightly across her forehead. "I love you." He whispered as he sat straight once more. Bending over he pulled the fleece blanket off from the back board. He covered his wife and just leaned against the head board, watching as she got the rest that her body craved.

CARLY'S ROOM

"Hope always claimed that Carly was her replacement." Daniel went on. "But, hell now, Hope will claim that Carly stole you from her. Hell, the entire town knows that to be the truth." He glared over at Bo. "You want Carly to live under that for the rest of her life? You want her to live in the guilt, and grief over taking you from Hope for the rest of her life?"

"I make Carly happy and whole." Bo said in a firm voice. "I love her."

"You love the idea of her. You love that you are her sole protector." Daniel ratted off. "But, is that truly true soul mate love? No." He simply said. "You don't deserve her."

"And you do?" Bo asked with a deep frown. He didn't like what he was seeing before his eyes. Daniel was tending to Carly in a way that a man would with the woman of his heart and soul. Daniel had yet let his hand off of Carly's skin. It was as if the man didn't want to allow his touch to leave the person whom had claimed his soul. Within the time of their talk Daniel's hand had left Carly's face, to rest on her neck, shoulder bade, shoulder, arm, hand, than traveled back up towards her cheek. Daniel's hand was currently now intertwined with Carly's. He wouldn't have been able to tell whom hand was which, expect Daniel's thumb was lightly stroking the outside of Carly's thumb.

"I loved her from the first moment I set eyes on her." Daniel said looking into Carly's closed eyelids. "It was in the crowded room where we were having our first day of conferences. I was chatting it up with some collages, and my eyes traveled to the door. She walked in, and my breath literally hitched up. She was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen in my life." Smiling gently, "I managed to get the seat next to her, before anyone else could claim it."

"She smiled, but before we could even say one word to one another, the meeting started. She escaped before I could tell her my name, and I wanted to have dinner with her that night." Daniel lifted her hand to his lips, "But, later that night I found her at the bar. She looked lonely so I decided to buy her a drink. We hit if off and knew that we had to be together."

"So you forced her up to your room." Bo said in a rough voice.

"No, she actually asked me up to her room." Daniel never took his eyes off of Carly as he was telling the story of their past. "We connected like how I never connected with another woman before in my life. I knew that she was the woman that God had chosen for me. I woke up the next morning with the intent on confessing my love for her, when she said she was married. My heart broke when she told me a little about her marriage with Lawrence. I wanted to tell her that she should leave Lawrence, and be happy with me. But, I could tell she loved her husband. So I kept my mouth shut. I told her that our time was just a one time thing. That I wanted her as my friend."

"I should have told her to divorce Lawrence, to marry me. Deep down I knew Lawrence was all wrong for her. But, she looked me straight in the eyes and silently begged me to let her leave. Not to fight for her love." Daniel's hand left Carly's hand, and made it's way up to her cheek once more. "I obeyed."

His hand traced her jaw line, and underneath her bottom of her lips. "Now look what has happened to her. I knew you were fragile when I first set eyes on you. Everything in me was screaming that you needed someone to rescue you, why I didn't I listen? God, why didn't I listen?" Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Look what I had done to you. I willing allowed you to leave me, and go back to the hell that was Lawrence, just too keep you as my friend."

Daniel suddenly turned, and stared with raw pain etched permanently in his eyes, "Do you love her enough to let her go?"

"Yes." Bo whispered. Clearing his throat. "I loved her enough o let her go. When she chose Lawrence and Nicky over me, I let her go."

"You were with Billie than weren't you?" Daniel stated.

"Yes." Bo stated.

"You are with Hope now." Daniel harshly shot back. "Do you see a fucking pattern here, Bo? Carly isn't the one for you, man. She's always having to fight for a place in your heart and soul. Always with Hope, always. First because you honesty thought Hope was dead, now Hope is alive. Carly was always fine with the ghost of Hope. Hell, she's fine, overjoyed matter of fact, that Hope is alive. But, Carly knows that she isn't first and only in your heart."

"Like Carly first and only in your heart." Bo stated back.

"Carly always was the first." Daniel quietly said.

"But, she wasn't the only one in your heart. Forgetting Rebecca?" Bo said in the quiet of the room.

"Carly introduced me to Rebecca." Daniel barked back. He took a few deep calming breaths. "Rebecca knew of my love for Carly, even through she never spoken one word to me. I learned to grow to love Rebecca, we were happy together."

"Carly was and still is first in my soul. Melanie comes in second, and Rebecca was the third. I always thought Rebecca was a distant second, but my soul knew different. She was third." Daniel looked back down into the closed eyes of Carly. "I love Carly. I love you enough to give you up." He let go of her hand and stepped back.

Bo finally managed to move, he was soon back by his Princess's side. Carefully sitting at her side, pulling her gently against his chest. "I'm never going to let you go again, Princess, I promise you that." He said in the stillness of the room.

Daniel had his answer.

END CHAPTER NINE