Chapter 5

"It's mine! Give it back!" Ciara screamed. She pulled on one side of the toy and Zack pulled on the other side.

"I want to play with it! Let me have it!" Zack yelled back at her.

"No! It's mine! You can't play with it!" Tears streamed down Ciara's face as she kept up the struggle to keep her toy. "Give it back to me!" She sobbed trying to hold on tighter to it.

"I just want to play with it. Give it to me. It's my turn." Zack ripped the toy out of her hands and Ciara chased after him trying to get it back. Zack held it above her head where she couldn't reach it. Ciara continued to cry and yell at him to giver her back her toy.

Bo and Hope were sleeping when they heard the shrill cries coming from downstairs. They raced down the stairs to see what was wrong and saw Zack hanging Ciara's toy just out of her reach while she cried and struggled to get it back from him.

"Zack give the toy back to Ciara." Bo told him.

Zack kept it from her reach. "I want to play with it."

"Zack give it back to Ciara." Bo told him a second time before moving forward to take the toy from him.

"Here!" He said throwing it across the room before racing towards the stairs. "It's a stupid toy anyway."

"Zack come here." Hope called him over. She grabbed his arm to keep him from running out on them. "Come sit down on the couch so we can talk about this." Hope led him over to the couch.

Bo and Ciara sat on the couch next to them. "I don't like the two of you fighting over toys." Bo told the both of them. "What happened here?" He asked Zack.

"I wanted to play with the toy but she wouldn't let me." Zack whimpered.

"Did you ask her if you could play with it?" Hope asked him.

"I was playing with it and she grabbed it out of my hands." Zack explained.

"Zack, Ciara is very good at sharing her toys. I'm sure if you had just asked her she would've let you play with it." Hope tried to reason with him.

"No she wouldn't. She's mean." Zack jumped up from the couch to run upstairs.

"Zach, come here." Bo grabbed him and sat him to the right while Ciara sat on his left. "Let's try to settle this. Ciara?" He turned to his daughter. "Why wouldn't you let your brother play with your toys?" Bo asked her.

"I don't like him. He's mean to me." Ciara said.

Bo looked at Hope wondering what to do next. "Ciara. Zack is trying to fit in right now. I'm sure he didn't mean to take your toy away. He just wanted to play with it. Right Zack?" He nodded yes. "You can share your toys with him." Ciara looked at him unhappily. "Hey Sugar Bear, you're used to having mommy and daddy all to yourself. Having Zack here doesn't mean we're going to love you any less. And right now, Zack doesn't have any toys to play with. So maybe you could be nice and share some of yours with him?"

"Okay Daddy." Ciara gave him a hug and ran to get the toy. "Here Zack."

"Thank you." Zack took the toy from her.

"I have an idea. How about after breakfast we go to the park?" Hope asked them.

"Yeah!" They both replied.

"Great. Let's go have some of Daddy's famous pancakes." Both children raced into the kitchen.

"I think maybe I should go to the toy store and pick up some things for Zack so he doesn't feel left out." Bo told her as he made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. Both Ciara and Zack helped him fix the batter.

Hope watched them work together and noticed they were smiling at each other. 'Maybe there is hope for the two of them.' She thought to herself. "Bo, I think after the park we should head over to Salem Place. You can take Zack on your errand and I'll take Ciara to do some clothes shopping. Zack is going to need a few things." Zack looked over at her at the sound of his name and smiled at her. Her heart melted the same way it always did when he was little. She had missed seeing that smile.

……

"Zack be careful!" Hope called out to him. He was hanging on the monkey bars. "Zack!" She cried out again.

"Hope relax. He's having fun. Let him play." Bo tried to keep her from going to grab Zack. "I know you feel as though you need to protect him from everything because of what happened three years ago, but you need to give him room to breathe. Let the kid have some fun."

"I know. I just don't want anything to happen to him." Hope went to run to him when she saw him dangling from the bars but she made herself stop. "I guess I'm being too overprotective, aren't I?"

"Just a little. Listen to him. He's laughing. He's having a ball. Just relax and come sit here next to me." Bo patted the bench. Hope walked over and sat down. She kept on edge jumping up with her heart in her throat every time she saw him hang upside down. "Relax Hope. He's fine." Bo pulled her close to his side. "Look at the two of them playing together. They're having fun. I wasn't sure they'd ever get along after yesterday and this morning."

"The day isn't over yet. I'm sure we'll be breaking up quite a few fights between them. Zack had our undivided attention and he comes back to a little sister he has to share with us. And Ciara has had us all to herself all this time. Now she has to share us with her brother. I think it's still going to take a little time for them to feel like we don't love one more than the other." Hope was telling him as Zack jumped from the top of the bars, falling on his side. "Zack!" Hope raced to him.

Zack was laughing as he got up brushing the dirt off his pants. He looked at his mother's worried face and sadness overtook him. "I'm sorry Mommy."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I upset you. I forgot what a little dare devil you are." She hugged him. "Go on. Go play. I'll be right over here with your father." Hope walked back to the bench holding her head in her hand. "I was so worried he hurt himself." She said as she sat back next to Bo.

"Hope, he's fine. I know you're feeling anxious about something happening to him because you're still getting used to him being here. But he's a kid and he needs to be able to play and scrape his knees. That's all part of growing up." Bo hugged her close as they watched their children run to play on the swings.

"I know. I can't help it. I couldn't save him that night and I.." Bo placed a finger on her lips to stop her from speaking and followed it with a kiss. "I love you Brady."

"I love you too." Bo held her in his arms.

"Daddy come push me!" Ciara yelled from the swings.

"Me too!" Zack said.

Bo and Hope walked over to the swings and pushed Zack and Ciara on the swings making sure to switch off so they each had a turn with both parents.

……

"Why are you getting Ciara a toy?" Zack asked his father who had just put a doll in the basket. "I thought we were just getting toys for me. She already has a lot."

"It's just a doll Zack. Look at all the toys I got you." He waved his hand at the carriage full of toys. "Hey Tiny Man." He bent down to be eye level with his son. "If Ciara has a new toy to play with, she won't want to play with all of your new toys. I know you're going to share with her just like she's going to share her toys. Don't you think it's only fair she get at least one toy?"

"Yeah." Zack grinned at him. "You did buy me a lot of toys." His eyes grew large to emphasize his joy. "Do I have to share my new toys with her right away?"

"She'll be too busy with her new doll to want to play with anything else." Zack hugged his father. "Come on. Let's go find your mom and sister and go get some hot chocolate."

"Yeah!" Zack jumped up and down. Bo laughed at his son's happiness…..

……Ciara and Hope were busy buying clothes for Zack. "Mommy look at this pretty dress." Ciara pulled at her mother's hand. "Can I have it?"

"Ohh that is pretty. I think we can buy it for you." Hope placed the dress in the carriage. "I think we have everything we need now. What do you say we cash out and go find your daddy and Zack? Maybe we can even go get some hot chocolate."

"Yeah!" Ciara jumped with glee clapping her hands together.

Hope and Ciara made their way out of the store and bumped into Bo and Zack. "Hey you." Hope handed some bags to Bo.

"Did you buy out the store?" Bo laughed as he took the bags form her. "We were thinking about going for some hot chocolate. What do you say?"

"Ciara and I had the same idea. But I think we should get these bags in the car first. I really did go overboard a little." Hope looked at all the bundles.

"A little?" Bo laughed as the four of them headed to the car. "You know, I think we should have that hot chocolate at home. Maybe pop in a movie and pop some popcorn."

"I like it. How does that sound to you two?" She asked Ciara and Zack.

"Yeah!" They both said at once. Hope smiled at Bo enjoying the happy moments they were having. She hoped it would last for a little while.

……

Ciara and Zack lay snuggled between their parents while watching a video on TV. They had been getting along for several hours. Zack even let Ciara choose the movie. The four of them sat watching the movie when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Hope eased herself out from under Ciara who was beginning to fall asleep. "Hello?" She opened the door.

"Are you Hope Brady?" The man at the door asked her.

"Yes I am. Can I help you?" She asked curiously.

He handed her an envelope. "You've been served." He turned and walked away.

"Wait. What is this all about?" Hope called out, but he never turned back around. Hope shut the door and walked back to the couch.

"Hope. What is it?" Bo asked her.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Hope tore open the letter and read it. "I don't believe this!" Hope read the letter again.

"Hope? What is it?" Bo asked.

"Dougie wants a DNA test done on Zack. He's suing for full custody pending the results of the test." Hope couldn't believe what she was reading. "Why is he doing this? He knows Zack is our son." Hope shook her head in disbelief.

Bo got up from the couch gently laying Zack's head on a pillow. Both kids had fallen asleep. "Let me have a look at it." Bo grabbed the letter from her hand. "What the hell is going on here? He can't take our son away." Bo was furious. He read the letter through several times. "We don't have a choice in this. We have to get the DNA test done." Bo looked over at his sleeping son. "We just got him back."

"Bo? There's no way he couldn't be Zack. He has too many memories of us and his life here. I don't see why Dougie is pursuing this. He said it himself that he wasn't the son he knew. I don't get it. I'm going to call my father and see if he knows anything." Hope went to call Doug.

…3 days later…

Several days had passed before Dougie returned to town demanding why the test hadn't been taken yet. Hope didn't want to put her son through any undue tests. She kept putting it off. She knew in her heart Zack was hers. She didn't need some test to prove it. Dougie showed up at her door pounding angrily on it.

"Hi." Hope answered the door to her brother.

"Is that all you have to say?" Dougie pushed his way into her house. "Why hasn't the DNA test been performed yet?" He asked her.

"Dougie. I know you want to believe he's your son, but the truth is he isn't. Zack already explained what happened that night all those years ago." Hope explained. "I don't feel the need to put him through any unnecessary tests."

"He's my son. Didn't your son get killed in a car accident?" He asked her.

"We thought he had been, but now we know otherwise."

"Hope, I know you want to believe he is, but it isn't possible. My son hasn't talked in over three years. He could very well have concocted this whole idea of another boy's life in his head. It's impossible he could be yours." Dougie was adamant about it. "He must have heard me talking to Carissa about your son and just made it all up in his head to cover how he's feeling about losing his mother."

"No. I'm his mother. I know my own son." Hope's anger mounted.

"You know your son? Then how did you believe your son died that night if you know your son so well?" Dougie asked her.

"I didn't know your son looked so much like mine, or that he was even in town that night. Zack was…I mean your son was unconscious. I didn't have a conversation with him or I would've known he wasn't mine. How can Zack remember so much about his life here if he isn't really Zack?" She asked him.

"Like I said, he must have heard stories about him from me. Where is he by the way? I think the only way we're going to settle this is to go have the test done." Dougie looked around for signs of Zack.

"He's at school." Hope told him. "And I'm not getting the test done."

"Jack is home schooled. And we will be getting the test done. I have a court order!" Dougie yelled at her.

"Zack is in school. Bo and I thought it best for him to resume a normal schedule." Hope grabbed her cell phone and started dialing Bo's number. "Bo? How soon can you get home?" She asked him.

"Hope? Is there a problem?" Bo asked her.

"Not yet, but there could be."

"I'm on my way."

Hope hung up her phone and walked over to the door opening it. "I think it's time for you to leave."

"This isn't over Hope. He's my son and I will get him back." Dougie brushed past her on his way out. "There was no need to call in the cops." Hope slammed the door on him and went to call Uncle Mickey.

……

"Hope are you okay?" Bo asked before kissing her. "What's going on?" He looked around the room for signs of trouble.

"Dougie was here demanding we get Zack tested. He's not giving up. He seems to think Zack made everything up to cover his grief over losing Carissa. I don't know what to do. I called Uncle Mickey and he's on his way here now." Hope stood with one hand on her hips on the verge of tears.

"Hope, come here." Bo held her in his embrace. "There's nothing he can do to take Zack away from us. We'll get the test done just to prove to him it's Zack and not his son." Bo tried to comfort her.

"I hope you're right. I don't want to lose Zack again."

"We're not going to." Bo let Hope go to answer the ringing doorbell. "Hey Mickey. Come on in."

"Hope." Mickey hugged her. "Where's this court order you received?" Hope went to get the letter. "Let me have a look at this." Mickey read over the order and folded it back up into the envelope. "It looks like you don't have a choice in the matter. You have to get your son tested. There's no way around it."

"But can he sue me for custody when the tests turn out in our favor?" Hope asked him.

"I think we should get the tests done with before we get into anything else." Mickey told her.

"Uncle Mickey? What aren't you telling me?" Hope's eyes pleaded with him.

"It's possible he could still sue for custody even if the tests prove he's not his son. He could argue he has been the boys legal guardian for the past three years." Mickey explained.

"But it isn't his son. Why would he even want to keep him from me? He hasn't even been with him since the divorce." Hope's eyes watered thinking it was possible she could lose her son again.

"Even if he hadn't seen him in awhile, he did have shared custody with his ex-wife. Hope, I don't know why he would want to keep Zack knowing he isn't his son. Let's get the tests done and then we'll have more to fight him on this." Mickey hugged her and said his goodbyes.

"Bo?" Hope fell into his embrace as tears streamed down her face. "We can't lose him again."

"I'm not about to let that happen. I'll do whatever I can to keep him from taking our son away." Bo held onto Hope gently stroking her hair.