This update was written by AngelsInstead.

Chapter Eleven

John couldn't believe that he had been so dumb or that he could have been so blind. It was there in Marty's eyes - the lies and all of the betrayal. Marty had miscarried their baby and this child inside her; it WASN'T his! He knew it wasn't his. He could tell by the way Marty was looking at him with guilt and pain written all over her face.

"You... you lied to me?" he asked. "You had a miscarriage? You miscarried OUR child?"

Marty nodded silently as tears fell from her eyes. "Why? Why would you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me the truth... that our child was gone?"

"Because I saw you with her. I saw you with Natalie."

"You saw us?" John asked in shock.

"Damn right I saw you!" Marty cried out, suddenly becoming angry. "You had your tongue half-way down her throat! I ran out... crying. I tripped on the ice. That night, because of you and Natalie, I lost OUR baby!"

"My God!" John gasped. "You lost... our baby..."

It was all sinking in for him... the terrible truth. He placed his hand on her swollen stomach. "Who's baby is this? Tell me, Marty! Is this baby even mine?!"

Marty shook her head, tears still rolling. The baby wasn't his. She couldn't keep her little secret safe another moment longer. "Who's baby is it then?" John demanded. "Is it... is it Todd's?"

"Todd's!" Marty exclaimed. "No... it isn't... No!"

"If it's not his, then he wishes it was..." John said, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Marty, I can't believe you lied to me!"

"You were making out with Natalie!"

"You tried to trick me into marrying you... into making me believe this baby was mine!"

"I never wanted to marry you anyway... not really. Just get the FUCK out!" Marty exclaimed. "You're not wanted here. Go to Natalie; your little red-headed whore!"

Suddenly Dr. Larry Woleck showed up, a look of concern on his face when he saw Marty had become so agitated. "I'm sorry. I think you better leave," Larry said to John.

John let out a heavy sigh. He gave Marty a look of sheer pain, then he was gone. Larry approached his patient and gently touched her hand. "Marty, are you okay? Is there anyone I can call for you?" he asked.

Xxxxooo

John was fuming as he left the hospital. He nearly got into an accident as he was trying to text in traffic. "Natalie, meet me...at our special place. It's important."

A moment later, Natalie received John's text. Her heart started to pound. John wanted to meet with her?!

She thought of her conversation with Todd. It was time to get John back into her bed. He belonged with her... not Marty. She knew it in her soul.

In her urgency to get to John, she was ignoring all other texts. Her family had been desperately trying to reach her.

Xxxxooo

Clint's family was grieving deeply when they heard that he hadn't survived the knife wound. "Who killed my father?" Kevin cried out.

Vicki looked at her son, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. It was Renee who finally managed to speak up. "Your father hurt Nora one too many times," she stated solemnly. "I saw the bruises... the cuts and the black eyes. I tried to get her help. I really did, but..."

"Are you telling me that our father abused our stepmother?" asked Joey in a state of shock.

"I'm sorry... Yes. That's exactly what I am telling you," said Renee. "She was only defending herself. He had a gun."

"Then where is she now?" asked Kevin.

"I don't know," Vicki said softly. "But wherever she is, I hope that she is somewhere safe."

"The police are looking for her. They did an investigation of the... of the scene," Renee stated.

"Lord help us all," Vicki said. "I hope that she's with Bo...and that he keeps her safe."

Xxxxooo

Bo and Nora were safe at the cabin, but the police were hot on their trail. Nora's knife had been found at the scene of the murder, covered in Clint's blood. When Renee was questioned, she told the truth. Clint had been a wife beater and Nora had been his frequent victim. It was obvious that Nora had endured more than enough of Clint's brutal treatment, so she had done the only thing she could - she had protected herself.

As Nora and Bo cuddled in bed, bright lights appeared just outside the cabin's window. "Ohhh my God," Nora gasped. "They've found us!"

Xxxxooo

Meanwhile, Todd couldn't believe what he had found... his own brother...and he was by no means dead. "Where the HELL have you been?! And why would you let everyone believe you were dead?!" Todd asked in a growl.

"I have my reasons," Victor said curtly. "I don't owe you any explanation!"

"Well, stay away!" Todd hissed. "I won't let you hurt them again...and you can't have Marty! She's mine."

Victor laughed. "You think she's yours, huh? And Tea, Blair, and the kids? None of them are YOURS. I know exactly what's mine!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Todd asked in anger as he thrust his brother up against the roughness of a brick wall.

"I will have it all, brother! The baby in Tea's belly - it's mine. I know it is. And do you really think that the baby Marty carries is John's? Are you a fool?! She lost John's baby... then she came to me...and that night, we made love... All. Night. Long..." Victor taunted.

Xxxxooo

Tea was rushed into the operating room. She cried out for Larry, but it was much too late. The anesthesiologist gave Tea something which helped her fall into a deep sleep. She closed her eyes and then the surgery began. The doctors and nurses hurried to save the baby. As the scalpel cut into her flesh, the child's heart ceased to beat. The surgeon knew he had to get the baby out in a matter of seconds or it would not be revived.

In the hallway, Blair continued to pray without ceasing. She prayed for the woman she loved and her unborn child. She knew Tea couldn't survive if the baby didn't make it. "Please, God, help Tea and the baby..." Blair said in prayer. "Let them live."