The next week seemed to fly by. One minute John, Bo and Hope were making
their way to this island, the next they were standing face to face with all
of the victims, and Marlena. Their first moment had been just as he had
hoped: at first, they just stared at each other, trying to figure out if
they were dreaming, but in a blink of an eye she was in his arms, and he
was kissing her and holding her. They were both crying openly, and it was
a long time before they broke the embrace to just look at each other, each
making sure the other was alright.
With the force field disabled, they were able to get everyone out and onto the plane for the ride back home to real Salem. And as they sat side by side on the plane, Marlena noticed John staring at Roman.
"Hey, what is it?" she asked.
John blew out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "There's something I need to tell Roman before we get home. You should know too."
"You're scaring me, what do we need to know?" asked Marlena, growing more concerned.
John held up a finger, "Roman?" he asked, "Can you come over here a minute?"
Roman rose from his seat to sit across from John and Marlena. "What's up? I didn't want to disturb the happy couple."
"John has something he says we need to know before we get home." said Marlena.
"Is this about Sami and Kate?" Roman asked, "They're at it again aren't they? Ok, who did what to whom?"
John looked Roman square in the eyes, "This isn't about Sami, but it is about Kate." He took a deep breath, "Ok, there's no easy way to lead into this, so here goes. Right before I left to find you, I had convinced Kate to go to a fundraiser with me. To just get her out and forget about how miserable we both were, so we went. Just as I was about to take her home, she realized she'd forgotten her cell phone on her desk at the office, and she asked if I would stop off there and she'd run in and get it."
"Okay," said Roman.
"So, I stayed in the car, and she went in. After 5 minutes, I called the office, sure that she'd found something else to keep her there again, and that she'd want me to leave her there. But, when I called the operator said the phone had been disconnected. I got concerned and went inside."
"What happened?" asked Marlena.
"I got up there in time to see some thug taking aim at Kate, as she struggled to crawl away."
"Oh my God!!" said Roman, "Is she alright?"
"The guy attacked me, and I punched his lights out. I called out for Kate, but she didn't answer. When I went around the couch I saw her on the floor unconscious, and bleeding pretty badly from a wound on her forehead."
"Jesus, but, she's ok now? Right?" asked Roman.
"She's in a coma now. She hasn't responded to anyone. She doesn't even take any Sami and Lucas bait."
Roman put his head in his hands, "Please, please tell me she'll wake up, John. What's her prognosis? "
"Lexie says that right now, she's suffered a severe head trauma, and her brain has swelled, but that the swelling should go down. It might be a week or a month, she doesn't know. It just depends on how her brain heals. "He ran his hand through his hair, as Marlena closed her eyes, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I won't lie to you Roman, the longer she's unconscious, the greater chance she'll stay that way. But she knows that I came looking for you. I told her she needed to hold on, and fight her way back to you. I honestly think that you are probably the only thing that will bring her out of this. She doesn't feel like she's got a lot to wake up for without you."
Roman wiped a tear from his eye, "I know how she feels. Knowing I'd somehow find my way back to her is what's kept me sane here all this time. She's gotta get better, we've got a second chance here, and I'm gonna make her see that we can't waste it."
John smiled, "She's gonna be a whole lot better once she sees you. I know I am now that I've got this one next to me." He looked at Marlena, "You know, I'm never going to let you go."
She snuggled up to his shoulder, "I'll hold you to that."
And the whole plane fell into silence. Everyone's lives were about to change again, some for the better, some for the worse, but either way they would be home, and that's where they needed to be. How they all got there and why would have to wait. Right now, everyone had their own hopes and dreams to fulfill, and for Roman, those hopes and dreams rested on whether or not he would see Kate smile and look at him again. "Oh, Katie," he thought to himself, "You have to wake up, I'm gonna help you every way I can. And then, I'm gonna kill the bastard that did this to you. Just hang on Katie, just hang on , I'm coming home."
With the force field disabled, they were able to get everyone out and onto the plane for the ride back home to real Salem. And as they sat side by side on the plane, Marlena noticed John staring at Roman.
"Hey, what is it?" she asked.
John blew out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "There's something I need to tell Roman before we get home. You should know too."
"You're scaring me, what do we need to know?" asked Marlena, growing more concerned.
John held up a finger, "Roman?" he asked, "Can you come over here a minute?"
Roman rose from his seat to sit across from John and Marlena. "What's up? I didn't want to disturb the happy couple."
"John has something he says we need to know before we get home." said Marlena.
"Is this about Sami and Kate?" Roman asked, "They're at it again aren't they? Ok, who did what to whom?"
John looked Roman square in the eyes, "This isn't about Sami, but it is about Kate." He took a deep breath, "Ok, there's no easy way to lead into this, so here goes. Right before I left to find you, I had convinced Kate to go to a fundraiser with me. To just get her out and forget about how miserable we both were, so we went. Just as I was about to take her home, she realized she'd forgotten her cell phone on her desk at the office, and she asked if I would stop off there and she'd run in and get it."
"Okay," said Roman.
"So, I stayed in the car, and she went in. After 5 minutes, I called the office, sure that she'd found something else to keep her there again, and that she'd want me to leave her there. But, when I called the operator said the phone had been disconnected. I got concerned and went inside."
"What happened?" asked Marlena.
"I got up there in time to see some thug taking aim at Kate, as she struggled to crawl away."
"Oh my God!!" said Roman, "Is she alright?"
"The guy attacked me, and I punched his lights out. I called out for Kate, but she didn't answer. When I went around the couch I saw her on the floor unconscious, and bleeding pretty badly from a wound on her forehead."
"Jesus, but, she's ok now? Right?" asked Roman.
"She's in a coma now. She hasn't responded to anyone. She doesn't even take any Sami and Lucas bait."
Roman put his head in his hands, "Please, please tell me she'll wake up, John. What's her prognosis? "
"Lexie says that right now, she's suffered a severe head trauma, and her brain has swelled, but that the swelling should go down. It might be a week or a month, she doesn't know. It just depends on how her brain heals. "He ran his hand through his hair, as Marlena closed her eyes, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I won't lie to you Roman, the longer she's unconscious, the greater chance she'll stay that way. But she knows that I came looking for you. I told her she needed to hold on, and fight her way back to you. I honestly think that you are probably the only thing that will bring her out of this. She doesn't feel like she's got a lot to wake up for without you."
Roman wiped a tear from his eye, "I know how she feels. Knowing I'd somehow find my way back to her is what's kept me sane here all this time. She's gotta get better, we've got a second chance here, and I'm gonna make her see that we can't waste it."
John smiled, "She's gonna be a whole lot better once she sees you. I know I am now that I've got this one next to me." He looked at Marlena, "You know, I'm never going to let you go."
She snuggled up to his shoulder, "I'll hold you to that."
And the whole plane fell into silence. Everyone's lives were about to change again, some for the better, some for the worse, but either way they would be home, and that's where they needed to be. How they all got there and why would have to wait. Right now, everyone had their own hopes and dreams to fulfill, and for Roman, those hopes and dreams rested on whether or not he would see Kate smile and look at him again. "Oh, Katie," he thought to himself, "You have to wake up, I'm gonna help you every way I can. And then, I'm gonna kill the bastard that did this to you. Just hang on Katie, just hang on , I'm coming home."