Chapter 4

Bo and Hope walked into their house holding Zack's hands. "We're home." Hope said swinging his arm back and forth. "How does it feel to be home?"

Zack looked around the room to see if anything had changed. He walked around quietly looking at everything that was new to him. He spotted a picture of Ciara on the coffee table and picked it up. "Who is this?" He asked his parents.

"This is your little sister Ciara." Hope told him. "I can't wait for the two of you to meet."

"Where's Shawn?" Zack asked her.

"Shawn is sailing around the world with Belle and Claire." Hope sat down on the couch. "But I'm sure as soon as he hears you're home, he's going to race back here to see you."

"I miss Shawn." Zack sat beside his mother. "Is Chelsea here?" He asked.

"She left yesterday to go see her mommy in Europe. You can call her on the phone later if you want." Hope told him.

The doorbell rang and Bo went to answer it. "Hey Doug. Julie."

Julie ran over to the couch to see Zack. "I had to come as soon as I heard the news. Hello Zack. Remember me?" She asked him.

"Grandma Julie." Zack wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

Julie cried as she held onto the boy. "It's a miracle. Do you know what happened?" She asked Hope.

"We just got home from the hospital. We haven't had a chance to talk to him about it yet." Bo told her. "Hey Tiny Man. You think you can answer a few questions for me?" Bo asked his son.

Zack nodded yes.

"Okay. Do you remember the last night you were with us? You went to sleep at your friends house. Do you remember that?" Bo asked him.

"Yes Daddy. I heard the kitty crying and I went to find her." Zack said.

"What happened after that?" Bo was anxious to learn the truth.

"There was a boy who looked just like me. He even had the same pajamas and bathrobe as me." Zack's eyes grew large as he explained. "He ran away and then a lady grabbed me and put me in her car. I cried for you and Mommy, but she kept driving far away. She said she was my mommy and that man at the hospital said he was my daddy, but I know you and Mommy are my real parents."

"That's right." Hope stroked his hair. It was still unbelievable to her that he was sitting right next to her. She kept touching his face or his arm or she'd run her fingers through his hair. She needed to feel that he was really there. "Zack, sweetie, are you hungry?" She asked him.

"Can we go eat at Grandma Caroline's? I want a burger and fries." He grinned at Hope.

"You can have whatever you want." Hope pulled him into a hug holding him close to her. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed the top of his head. "Your sister Ciara is at the pub with Grandma Caroline. Would you like to meet her?" She asked him.

"Maybe. I guess so." Zack shrugged his shoulders. He just wanted his parents and Shawn and that's it. Zack got up from the couch and raced upstairs. Bo and Hope looked at each other puzzled.

"So Doug, how is Dougie doing?" Bo asked him.

"He's having a hard time dealing with everything. First he finds out his ex-wife was killed in an accident and then he learns the son he loved and thought was his isn't. He's struggling with the fact that his son has been dead for over three years and he never got the chance to say goodbye. He's beside himself with grief." Doug explained to them.

"Where is he?" Hope asked.

"He's gone to Springfield to bury Carissa. Her family is there and he'd thought it'd be a good idea to have her funeral and burial in her hometown." Doug sat down by his daughter just as Zack started yelling from upstairs.

……

Hope and Bo raced upstairs to see what was wrong. "Zack?" Hope called out to him. "What's wrong?"

Zack stood outside Ciara's bedroom door staring in disbelief. "What happened to my room? Why is it all pink? Where are my toys?" Zack was upset.

"Zack sweetie, this is Ciara's room now." Hope tried to soothe him. "We thought you had died. We gave your things away."

"Why? Who did you give them to? I want them back." Zack stomped his foot.

"Tiny Man, we can't get them back, but we can buy you some new toys." Bo grabbed him in a hug. "We didn't think we'd ever see you again."

"You thought I died?" Zack looked shocked. His eyes were huge with disbelief. "Why did you think that?"

"You know the little boy you met who looked just like you?" Hope asked as Zack nodded his head yes. "He was hit by a car and he died. And we thought he was you." Hope told him. "His name was Jack and he was your cousin."

"And that lady who took me thought I was her son Jack?" He turned to look back in his old room. "Do I have to go back home with her?"

"No baby. You are home. This is your home." Hope wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, where am I going to sleep?" He asked as he stared at all the girl toys on the floor of his room.

"I have an idea. How about you sleep in Shawn's old room? We can fix it up nice and get you some new toys to play with. Would you like that?" Bo asked him.

"I guess." He looked reluctantly at the room that was once his. Everything was different. It wasn't like he remembered. He had a new sister and he already knew he wouldn't like her. She took his room away from him. She couldn't be very nice.

"You still want to go to the pub for lunch?" Hope asked him.

Zack nodded his head yes.

"Then let's go." Bo and Hope brought Zack back downstairs.

"Is everything alright?" Julie asked them.

"It will be. I think we all have a little adjusting to do. He just saw what we did with his room." Hope explained to her sister. "Do you want to join us for lunch at the pub?"

"We'd love to." Doug told her.

……

The Brady Pub was filled with people as they walked in to eat. Bo found an open booth near the bar and brought the family over to it. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go find Ma before she comes out and gets the shock of her life." Bo went behind the bar and into the kitchen.

"Zack, why don't you sit here by me." Hope patted at the seat next to her. She didn't want to let him out of her sight. Her boy was home. It was a miracle. She hugged him close squeezing him tight.

"Mommy you're hurting me." Zack squirmed in her embrace.

"I'm sorry baby. I just missed you so much." She kissed the top of his head.

"I don't believe it. Zack!" Caroline cried when she saw her grandson sitting by his mother. Bo had his hand on her shoulder for support. Caroline held her hands together up at her face in disbelief. "Come here and give your Grandma a hug." Zack raced over to see her.

"Where's Grandpa Shawn? Is he here too?" Zack asked. Bo and Hope looked at each other not knowing what to say to him. There was so much Zack had missed out on they still needed to fill him in on. "Is he in the kitchen? Can I go see him?" Zack went to go in the kitchen when Bo stopped him.

"Come here Tiny Man." Bo kneeled down so he was eye level with his son. "You've been away for a long time and a lot has changed. I'm sure there's a lot you're not too happy about, and it'll take some time to get used to being home again." Bo had both hands on Zack's shoulders. "Son, there was a plane crash and your Grandpa didn't make it. He's in heaven now." Several tears streamed out of Zack's eyes and ran down his cheeks. Bo wiped them away. "We need to remember the good times we had with him. That's what your Grandpa would want. He's probably looking down at you right now remembering the times we used to go fishing. Do you remember that Zack?"

"We had to get up real early." Zack smiled through his tears. "Grandpa Shawn always said the best tasting fish swam in the moonlight."

"That's right." Bo laughed hugging him close. "He loved you an awful lot Zack. You need to remember that and think about all those happy times we got to share with him." Zack nodded yes and went to sit at the table with his mother. Hope pulled him close kissing his tear stained cheeks.

"Can we eat now?" Zack asked.

"I bet you want one of my famous burgers?" Caroline asked as Zack nodded yes. "Coming right up. What can I get the rest of you?" Caroline took their orders and left to get them.

"Hi there big guy." Kayla had just walked in and seen Bo and Hope sitting with her parents. "Remember me?" She asked Zack. "I don't think we were formally introduced. I'm your Aunt Kayla." Zack shied away from her burying his face in his mother's side. "What happened to the little guy with the big smile?" She asked as she tickled the side of his neck. Zack's face broke into a wide grin. "There's the cute dimples I remember."

"Hi Kay. Would you like to join us for dinner?" Hope asked her.

"I can't. I just came to pick Joe up and I'm heading home. Steve ordered some take out for us." Kayla said her goodbyes and went to find her baby boy.

"Bo where's Ciara? I thought she was with your mother." Hope asked him.

"Maggie came by earlier and took her to the park with Ali. They should be back soon." Bo told her. "And here they are now." Bo motioned to the door.

"Daddy!" Ciara raced to her father as soon as she saw him. She jumped into his lap grabbing him tightly around the neck. "I went to the park with Aunt Maggie and Ali. I played on the swings with her." Ciara gushed.

Bo chuckled watching his daughter explain to him in animated details the events of her day. "Ciara. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Bo turned her around on his lap to face Hope and Zack.

Zack turned his head away. "Can I go find Grandma Caroline?" He asked Hope.

"Don't you wan to meet your sister?" Hope asked.

"Hi." He said to Ciara and then hopped off his chair and ran into the kitchen to find his grandmother.

"I think we're going to have a lot more adjusting to do than I thought." Hope watched as he ran off to find Caroline.

"Mommy? Who was that boy?" Ciara asked her.

"Come here baby." She pulled Ciara into her arms and sat her on her lap. "That little boy is your brother Zack." She brushed Ciara's hair back from her face. "Do you remember your daddy and me telling you about your brother?"

"Yes. You said he was in heaven. Does that mean Grandpa Shawn is going to come back too?" She asked innocently.

"No baby. Grandpa Shawn is still in heaven." She kissed Ciara's cheek. "Zack was taken away from us. We thought he had died, but he didn't. He's going to be living with us now. Do you think you'll like having a brother around?"

"Will I get to play with him?" Ciara asked.

"Of course you will. You guys are going to do lots of fun stuff together." Hope told her.

"Will you still love me as much?" Ciara looked up worriedly at her mother.

"Yes baby." She pulled her daughter close to her. "I love you just as much as ever. And I love Zack and Shawn too. Nothing will ever change how I feel about any of you."

"Hey Ciara. Your mommy and I will always love you." Bo caressed the side of her cheek. "You know having another brother around means there's one more person that's going to love you." Ciara grinned at her father. "Are you hungry?" She nodded yes. "Okay. I'm going to tell Grandma Caroline to fix you a plate as well." Bo got up and went to the kitchen where he found Zack sitting on a stool watching his grandmother cook.

Zack looked up at his father hesitantly when he saw him enter the kitchen. "Hi Daddy." He said with a half smile.

"Ma would you mind fixing a plate for Ciara too. Zack and I are going to go have a little chat. Let Hope know so she doesn't get worried." Bo took Zack's hand and led him out the back door.

……

Bo and Zack sat in the upstairs living room. "You okay Tiny Man?" Zack shrugged his shoulders. "You've been through a lot haven't you?" Zack nodded his head. "Listen, I know things are going to be a little tough for you right now. I want you to know that it's okay for you to tell me how you're feeling. I won't be mad. I just want to know what you're feeling." Bo hugged Zack and kissed his head. "I missed you so much son."

Zack sat silently in his father's embrace. He wondered if his parents really meant everything they said. "I'm hungry Daddy."

"I know. We'll be going to eat in just a few minutes." Bo looked at Zack's face. "You were pretty upset when you met your sister just now. Want to talk about it?" Bo asked him.

"Do you like her more than me now?" Zack looked up at his father.

"What? No Zack. I love you both the same. You're my Tiny Man and she's my Sugar Bear. You know what? You have an older sister and brother and I love them too. But it never stopped me from loving you. There's a whole lot of room in this heart for all of you."

Zack shuffled his feet and kept silent. He looked around the room taking in everything his father said. "You love her like you love Shawn and Chelsea and me?"

"Yeah. And just think Ciara is one more person who's going to love you." Bo told him.

"She took my room away. I don't like her very much." Zack said honestly.

"Zack, Ciara didn't take your room away. Your mom and I already told you we thought you had died. We didn't give the room to Ciara to hurt you." Bo turned Zack to look at him. "You know we would never do anything to hurt you son. I thought you liked the idea of having Shawn's old room? I think there's still some of his things in there. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you had them now. His old bat and mitt are still there. You used to love playing catch with him. Won't you like that?" Bo looked at his son's face with a heavy heart. How do you explain to an eight-year-old you gave his things away because it hurt too much to look at them. "You're a big brother now. I bet there's a lot of stuff you can teach Ciara that Shawn taught you. She might like to play catch with you."

"Maybe." Zack shrugged his shoulders. "Can we go eat now?"

"Sure. Come on." They made their way back to the pub.

"There you are." Hope smiled at her husband and son. "We've been waiting for you to return so we could eat."

"Sure you did." Bo wiped away some ketchup from the corner of Hope's mouth laughing at her mischievous grin. "Looks like your mom started eating some fries." Zack smiled as he climbed onto the chair next to his mother. "What about you Ciara? Did you eat anything?"

"No. I was a good girl and waited for you." Ciara grinned at her father. Everyone laughed.

……

"Hope come to bed." Bo wrapped his arms around his wife. "You've checked on him five times already. He's fine." Bo quietly eased the bedroom door shut.

"I can't help it. I still find it so hard to believe he's really here. I need to keep checking to make sure it wasn't just a dream. I just want to hold him all night and feel him safe in my arms." Hope went to open the door to Zack's room again.

"Hope." Bo grabbed her hand and shut the door again. "I know how you're feeling. I feel the same way. But we have to let him sleep. And we need to get some sleep. Come on. Let's go to bed." Bo pulled at her hand to try and get her to leave Zack's door.

"I can't help it Bo. I can't believe he's really here with us. Can't I just go and kiss him goodnight once more?" Hope turned back to the room.

"Hope, no. Come on. You've kissed him goodnight, tucked him in, and checked on him more than enough times. Let the poor kid sleep." Bo tugged on her hand and dragged her back to their room.

"I think I'll get another blanket from the hall closet. He might be cold." Hope tried to leave the room, but Bo stood his ground in front of their door. "Bo. It's cold tonight. I promise, I'll get another blanket and I'll be right back."

"No Hope. He's fine. He has enough blankets. You just want to go back to his room so you can watch him sleep." Bo kept her from leaving the room.

"Well don't you want to do just that?" She asked him.

"Yeah I do. I want to sit by his bed and make sure he's still there in the morning, but we can't do that. It's not good for any of us if we do that. Let's just go to bed and when we get up in the morning, Zack will still be there." Bo led her to the bed. He pulled back the covers. "Get in. I insist."

"Yes sir." Hope saluted him. "I know it's better for everyone if we just go to bed and wait until morning to see him again, but I can't help how I feel. I just want to hold him."

"I know Hope. I know. Just get some sleep if you can." Bo climbed into bed next to her and pulled her close. "He's going to be there when we wake up in the morning."