Renegade Runaways :: Chapter Six

Bo struggled to open his eyes. He'd fallen into a deep sleep as his body attempted to recover and repair the multiple traumas and sleepless nights he'd endured. Despite the fact that he was slightly groggy, he jolted awake. Confusion immediately washed over him. He had no idea where he was. His memories of the past 72 hours were minimal. He had no clue what day or what time it was. He squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them in an attempt to remind himself of the previous day's events. He still had zero recognition of his surroundings, but he became immediately aware of the body lying next to his.

His eyes trailed along long brown hair. He was dreaming; this was not real. His heart lurched. He closed his eyes again and inhaled deeply. When he opened them, the body lying next to him was still there. It was wrapped in a blanket and facing away from him, but he could still recognize her anywhere. He was definitely awake. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding and winced at the exertion the action applied to his broken ribs. He had to be hallucinating. It was dark. He was still in the God forsaken hole. Steve had never come. It was all a dream. Disappointment washed over him and his eyes filled with emotion.

"Bo?" Hope whispered as she rolled over to face him, "Hey…..Bo?"

Bo swallowed hard. His mind was playing a cruel game. He never thought his own brain could break his heart that way. He didn't have any words. He refused to take the bait. He rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Hope asked pushing herself up onto her elbows, "Are you in pain? Do you need water?" Her hand reached for his, "I can get Kayla."

She was rambling. She was worried. Her hand was holding his. She was real.

"What the hell?" Bo asked, confusion and relief washed over his face.

"What?!" Hope sat up and moved closer to him. She touched his forehead in search of a fever, "Tell me what's wrong."

"Fancy Face…." Bo's eyes blinked repeatedly, "You're real. You're real?"

"Yes." Hope smiled softly, "I'm right here. How are you?"

"I'm…" Bo half smiled, "I've been dreaming of you for years. I thought you were…. a…. dream."

Hope kissed his forehead softly, "Brady, I'm not a dream. I'm so happy you're alive."

"Where are we?" Bo whispered. His voice cracked. His throat was dry, "How'd you get here?"

Hope put a bottle of water to his lips, "Here, you need to drink this."

Bo willingly took a sip. The cold water that trickled down his throat almost shocked his system.

"We're in Tennessee. We're in the mountains… in a tent." Hope finally answered, "Steve brought you home. You were in pretty bad shape. I walked in on you two, and Kayla was trying to fix you. They weren't going to tell me. I've been pretty upset with them."

"So much has happened." Bo attempted to reposition himself. His muscles ached from being still for so long. He felt stiff.

Guilt washed over Hope immediately. Tears stung the corners of her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Bo asked. He could barely see her in the darkness, but he could see enough. He played with her hair, "I've missed you. It's so good to see your beautiful face."

"I'm so sorry." Hope whispered, "I'm so, so, sorry."

Bo looked at her, unaware of the pain and guilt she was about to unload on him.

"For what?" Bo finally asked, intuition made him feel sick to his stomach, "Fancy Face? It's okay."

"I gave up on you Brady." Hope sighed and wiped furiously at her tears, "I swore you abandoned us. I announced it to the entire town. I… gave up… on us…"

"I would never do that." Bo shook his head. He struggled, but forced himself up into a sitting position, "Hope… I would never, ever, ever, abandoned you. You and the kids are everything to me. You're my wife. I love you."

Hope reached out for his face. She held it with both hands as she stared into the eyes she'd longed for. She didn't want to tell him any more. She wanted to pretend none of it had ever happened. She wanted to press rewind and go back to before he left. She wanted to hold him and kiss him. She wanted to listen to his heart beat.

She inhaled deeply. Bo was going to find out sooner or later. It was best that it came from her.

"You're scaring me Fancy Face." Bo leaned into her touch. She still held his face.

"Bo…." Hope exhaled with a defeated sigh, "I divorced you."

Bo shook his head. His hands found her wrists.

"We're divorced…" Hope continued, "And I moved on… And… I'm…"

Bo's head spun, "And?" He took everything back. This was his worst nightmare.

"I'm so sorry." Hope whispered, "You don't deserve any of this. You were being tortured and I was here being angry with you. I was so lonely Brady. I was so sad…. and I just… I don't know what's wrong with me. I should have known."

Bo swallowed the lump in his throat, "But I love you. I would never stop loving you."

"I don't deserve that. I don't deserve you at all." Hope shook her head.

"Who is he?" Bo asked.

Hope bit her lip, "He is here with us. His name is Aiden Jennings."

"He's with us?" Bo's hurt eyes sparked with anger, "You're still with this guy?"

"I don't know Brady." Hope shook her head, "No. You know I love you."

"Then what the hell is he doing with us?" Bo grunted. This was too much information to process. After so many days in a pit dreaming of getting home to his wife, he gets home to find she is in fact not his wife anymore.

"Steve didn't trust him. Aiden was with me when I came home and found you with Kayla."

"He lived in our home?" Bo didn't think the betrayal could get worse.

"No," Hope shook her head defensively, "Of course not."

Bo rubbed his temples. The pain in his abdomen was becoming more prominent. His head pounded.

"I think I need some time… to process all of this." Bo whispered. It was already physically hard to breathe. Now his lungs were threatening to refuse to open.

Hope saw the hurt in his eyes. She knew the pain he felt. She'd felt it. She never thought she was capable of inflicting such hurt. The guilt of the situation overwhelmed her.

"I understand." She said softly, and it pained her to ask, "Do you want me to go?"

Bo shook his head slowly. He slowly laid back down. Pain shot through him as his entire torso protested. He sighed, "No. No, I want you to stay because I've been waiting for this moment. I've been fighting for this moment… for so… long….."

Hope's tears spilled over. The emotion laced in his voice and the reality of what he had been through stabbed her in the chest. She instinctively kissed him. He let her. Their lips melted together like two pieces of a puzzle as they had so many times before. Hope used the pads of her thumbs to wipe at a stray tear that fell down his cheek.

"Bo." Hope shook her head, "I never in a million years wanted to hurt you. If I could take it all back I would."

He nodded, "I know."

And he did know. A part of him understood, but he was human and his heart was crushed at the reality of his absence. He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. They sat in silence, hands locked together until daybreak.