Chapter 4: Decisions

Hours passed, and Marlena was sleeping peacefully until she was sucked into another world.

"Mama, where are you?" cried a small voice.

"I'm here, baby!" Marlena called. "Can you tell Mama where you are?"

"Daddy's with me. It's safe. Come to us."
"Baby, I can't come to you if I don't know where you are."

"We're just over the bridge. "You won't have to run far."

Marlena looked around. Sure enough, there was a bridge about ten feet in front of her. "I'm coming, baby!" she called out. She ran faster than she'd ever run in her life, but when she got over the bridge, neither Roman nor her baby was there. "Roman?" she asked.

"No, Marlena, you're stuck with me," said a familiar voice.

Marlena turned. "Kate? What're you doing here?"

"You stole Roman from me, and I'm here to settle the score.'

"Well, Kate, if you feel that way, then I'm afraid you stole John from me, too."

"You still have John,"

"And you still have Roman, so do you get how crazy that sounds?"
"I may still have Roman, but you're carrying his baby, so you have a piece of him, too."

Marlena looked down. "I am? Then who did that voice belong to?"

"That was the child Roman and I wished we could've had together."

"S6, she was calling you Mama?"

Kate nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Suddenly, Marlena heard a male voice coaxing, "Doc, wake up. Come on." It seemed very faraway.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she was surprised to meet Roman's concerned gaze. "Roman, how'd you get in here?" she asked with a yawn.

"John let me in. He went to take care of some things at Basic Black, so he wanted me to sit with you."

Marlena smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Roman, because we need to talk."

Roman nodded. "About the baby?"

Marlena nodded, too. "John and I were talking earlier, and I think we came up with a plan."

Roman cocked his head curiously. "What is it, Doc?"

"Well, we were thinking we could raise her as a Black and let you be a prominent figure in her life. John and I wanna spare Kate the pain of raising a child that we created together."

"Wow, Doc. You're lucky," Roman remarked.

Marlena chuckled. "Why's that, Roman?" she asked.

"John's being so understanding about the baby. I wish Kate would take it as well as he has," he replied.

Marlena sighed. "I'm so sorry, Roman. We really messed things up this time."

Roman chuckled. "That's putting it mildly."

Marlena nodded in agreement. "So, do we have a plan?"

Roman smiled and nodded. "We have a plan."

Suddenly, Marlena moved her hand to her stomach. "Roman, she's kicking again. Do you wanna feel?"

Roman nodded, placing his hand over Marlena's. The baby kicked again, causing both of them to laugh. "Roman, can I ask a favor?" she inquired after stopping to catch her breath.

Roman smiled. "Anything, Doc. You name it."

Marlena returned his smile. "Could you make me some herbal tea? This nausea's a killer."

Roman nodded. "Sure, Doc. Hang tight. I'll be right back." He returned a few minutes later with a large cup. He handed it to Marlena slowly before sitting down beside her."Careful, Doc, it's still hot."

Marlena smiled and nodded. "Hmm. Oh, Roman, it's just like I remember it. How do you do it?" she asked, taking a sip.

Roman blushed. "Well, actually, Kate likes herbal tea, too. She uses it to ease stress."

Marlena laughed. "I guess she's been drinking a lot lately, then." she said as she took another sip.

Roman laughed, too. "It's good to see you still have your sense of humor, Doc."
Marlena smiled. "Believe me, Roman, after everything we've been through lately, my sense of humor is what's helped me keep my sanity."

Roman nodded. "I understand, Doc." he said with a smile.

Just then, John walked into the penthouse. "Doc, I'm home," he said as he closed the door.

Marlena got up slowly, crossed the room, and met him with a kiss. "John, I'm glad you're back," she said after she'd pulled away.

"Me, too," he agreed. He glanced at Roman, then at the cup of tea on the coffee table. "Well, Doc, it looks like I left you in good hands," he said with a smile.

Marlena smiled, too. "You did," she agreed before kissing him again. "Thanks, Roman,"

"No problem, Doc," he said before making his exit.

When they were alone, John kissed her again, and they both knew things would work out somehow.