Heartbreak Warfare :: Chapter Twenty Three

Bo paced frantically in his cell. The small space was not a welcome feeling. Flashbacks taunted him. He wanted out. He needed out. With every step he swore the cell was getting smaller. The walls were closing in on him. He'd never been claustrophobic before, but spending years in a pit could change a person's perspective of small spaces.

His heart stopped when he saw Hope appear on the other side of the cell. He went to her; reaching through the bars. He was desperate to touch her.

"FancyFace." Bo sighed in relief, "I'm so sorry. You've got to help me. Please, get me out of here."

Hope jerked her hands away from his, but her heart broke at the desperation in his voice. She knew being locked in a cell had to be hard on him. She looked at him for as long as she could bare it before tearing her eyes away and running frustrated hands through her hair.

"Hope, please don't do this." Bo begged, reaching for her again.

"Do what Brady?" Hope growled. She was furious. She was disappointed. She was embarrassed, but most of all she was worried. She thought he was making progress. Today shattered all illusion.

"Please don't pull away. Don't leave me here alone." Bo spoke through the panic in his voice. He leaned as close to her as the bars would let him. This was the nightmare he'd had repeatedly. He was trapped and he was going to lose her.

"I'm going to ask you one question." Hope sighed in anticipation of his answer. She swallowed the bundle of nerves that crept up her throat from her stomach. She wanted to vomit.

"Anything. I'll answer anything." Bo nodded in agreement.

"Are you high?" Hope's voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't even want to ask.

Bo recoiled from her, almost as if he'd been burnt, "What? No. NO, HOPE!"

She watched him begin to pace again. Her heart was torn. He was distraught.

"Then please explain your erratic behavior to me." Hope ordered, "My husband would never beat a man within an inch of his life."

"The man is fine." Bo argued.

"Because people stopped you!" Hope screamed, "Bo, I saw the look in your eyes. You terrified me. I don't know who that man is. And now look at you."

Bo surprised himself when tears erupted from his eyes. He had made so much progress, and now he was right back to where he started. He hated himself. The self loathing erased all the feelings of accomplishment he'd made in the past two weeks. He was weak. He was angry. He didn't feel like a man.

"Fancy Face…" Bo whispered through his tears, "I'm sick I don't know who I am anymore.."

Hope felt her own tears spill onto her flushed cheeks. She reached her arm through the bars, instinctively wanting to go to him. He was vulnerable. He came to her. He grasped her hand and brought it up to his cheek in search of comfort.

"Bo, I know you're sick." Hope nodded, "But you can't just beat people. That's not who you are."

"I hate him Hope." Bo sighed, clinging to her hand.

"Aiden is not the man who locked you up Bo…" Hope chose her words carefully, "He's done nothing wrong."

Bo listened to her words. He knew she was right. He couldn't explain his misplaced anger.

"You have to tell me where this anger is coming from." Hope prodded.

Bo gulped, "For some reason he represents everything that went wrong to me. He was here when I couldn't be. He replaced me. He was here for you. He was here for Ciara. I don't feel good enough for you anymore."

Hope absorbed his words silently, eager for him to tell her more. She wiped at his tears with her free hand.

"Sometimes I think that if he wasn't here for you, you would have started looking for me a lot sooner than Steve did."

Bo's confession stung her hard. Her heart shattered, but she didn't pull away. She stared into his hurt and broken eyes, "Bo…. I'm so sorry."

Bo nodded, "I know."

"Maybe the person you're really mad at is me," Hope whispered, averting her gaze. She felt the familiar guilt swarm her.

"No." Bo shook his head. He reached for her face between the bars, pulling her close to him, "No, Hope."

The little composure she had left broke and she closed her eyes. Tears slipped out against her will, leaving hot trails down her cheeks. Her voice broke, "I love you, Bo."

Bo kissed her forehead, attempting to swallow his own emotion, "I love you too, FancyFace. More than ever."