Chapter 7

"Daddy, how are you feeling?" Hope asked Doug.

"Hello Princess. I'm fine. Just a bump on the head. I always knew this hard head was good for something." He told her.

"That's not funny. I was really worried about you. We were really worried about you." She corrected herself looking over at Julie. "Kayla says he has a slight concussion and he can go home soon."

"Yes. He'll be going home soon, darling." Julie said. "How's Alicia doing? I didn't get to ask her anything before all chaos broke out over there." She asked Hope.

"Alicia is in a coma. Kayla's running some more tests on her." She explained. Bo shifted his feet feeling awkward with the lie. "I went to see her. She's hooked up to all these monitors. I wish there was something I could do for her." She said.

"You have really grown attached to this girl haven't you?" Doug asked her.

"I don't know why, but I feel this connection to her. I think we may have been together at Maison Blanche when Stefano held me captive."

"Do you think he was keeping her captive as well?" Julie asked her.

"I do. Bo seems to think she may be a Dimera." Hope looked over at Bo.

"I don't know what to think. There's just more than meets the eye with her." Bo said.

"But a Dimera, Bo? She's such a sweet girl. She kind of reminds me of Hope at that age. Strong and independent." Julie said.

"Is that how you remember me at that age? Seems we had quite a few fights back then." Hope laughed.

"You went through your rebellious years chasing after this guy over here." Julie said pointing at Bo. "But everything worked out in the end."

"So Bo, have you heard anything about the explosion." Doug asked trying to change the subject. "Do you think there was some foul play?"

"The bomb squad is looking into it as we speak. I don't think it was an accident. That place was blown intentionally. Makes me wonder who would want to do something like that and why. Or maybe it was set to take out someone." Bo said.

"You're talking about Alicia? Aren't you?" Hope asked him.

"It just seems to me wherever she goes trouble isn't far behind."

"I'm going to go check on Alicia. Daddy, I'm glad you're going to be alright. I'll stop by again before you're released." Hope kissed her father's cheek and turned to walk out of the room.

"Hope?" Bo grabbed her arm stopping her. "I'm just trying to figure this out. I don't know what to think and we can't get any answers from her right now."

"I know. But right now, she's the one lying in a hospital bed in a coma. I just need to go check on her." Hope kissed Bo and left to see Alicia.

……

Hope sat by Alicia's bed lightly stroking her hair. "What is it about you that makes me want to protect you?" The day's activities were beginning to take their toll on Hope. She sat back in the chair and fell into a restless sleep. The room was dark, but she could hear someone crying. Hope rose from her bed and felt her way in the dark for the doorknob. She definitely heard someone crying and was trying to find the source of the cry. Footsteps ran down the hall just outside her room.

"Mommy, help me! Help me Mommy!" Hope's heart raced. That was her little girl crying for her. She yanked open the door and raced after the voices coming from down the hall. "MOMMY!" Came her daughter's cry again. 'What are they doing to her?' Hope ran just in time to see her baby fall down the stairs. She couldn't get to her in time to keep her from falling. A man grabbed her, trying to keep her from going to her daughter. She turned and saw his face.

"Vito!" Hope screamed out.

"Hope? Are you all right?" Bo had just entered Alicia's room and heard Hope cry out Vito's name.

"Bo! It was him. He was there." She cried. Bo had no idea what she was talking about.

"Vito was at the explosion?" He asked her.

"No. I don't know. He was in the dream. He kept me from going to Alicia." Hope was agitated now. "I could hear her crying for me and I tried to get to her, but he wouldn't let me."

"It was just a dream."

"No!" Hope yelled cutting him off. "It wasn't a dream. The other night when I dreamed it, I thought it was Ciara. But it wasn't. It was Alicia. We were at Maison Blanche. I remember now. Bo? I remember her." Hope was crying clinging to Bo for support.

"Hope, come sit down. Tell me about this dream." Bo led her over to the chair. "What did you see?"

"I was sleeping and I heard someone crying. I went to go see who it was and saw her… Bo I saw her fall down the stairs. And Vito… Vito was the guy who grabbed me from going to her. I know it was him. I'd stake my life on it." Hope was gripping his arm. "The other night when I had the dream, it was confusing. I didn't see her face. I saw her little hand holding onto her dolly. She looked so lifeless. Oh Bo." Hope was sobbing as Bo pulled her into his embrace.

"Are you sure it was her?" Bo asked her.

"Yes. It was Alicia. She was crying for me…" Hope stopped suddenly realizing what Alicia had called her in the dream. "Bo? I think she's our daughter."

"What? I..I" Bo couldn't get the words out. "How…she…daughter?"

"Yes. Bo, I think she's our daughter. That's why she's here in Salem. That's why I have this unbelievable need to protect her. It's the same way I feel about Ciara and Shawn. The same way I felt about Zach."

"Yeah but Hope, how can she be our daughter?" He asked still stunned by the thought.

"I don't know. I just know that she is." Hope didn't know how to explain it.

"Well we'll know for sure shortly." Bo said.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Uh… those tests Kayla is running are DNA tests."

"What? You had her run a DNA test on Alicia? What for?'

"I wanted to make sure she wasn't a Dimera." He told her.

"She isn't."

"Well I guess we'll know for sure with the test results."

"BO! I know she's my daughter. I feel it in my heart."

"Fancy Face, I need proof. I can't go by what you feel to be the truth."

"You did not just go there. How many times have I been right about my feelings? Wasn't I positive that you were Zach's father and he turned out to be?"

"Yes, but…"

"But nothing. I know she's our daughter."

"Bo can I speak to you?" Kayla appeared in the doorway.

"It's okay Kay, you can talk in front of Hope. She knows."

"Umm… it's not that. I think I should talk to you alone." Kayla wasn't sure how to go about telling them the results of the DNA.

"Kay it's okay. Anything you have to tell me about the results you can say in front of Hope." Bo told her motioning to her to come in.

"Well the good news is that she's not a Dimera." She said hesitating to go on. "Um.. I did find a match in the system. But I don't know…I don't see how."

"She's a Brady, isn't she?" Hope finished for her.

"How do you know that?" Kayla asked astonished.

"Wait she is?" Bo asked stunned by the results. "She's our daughter?" Bo asked his sister again.

"Uh, yes. But I'm curious. How did you know that Hope? And you didn't Bo?" She asked them.

"I remembered her just now." Hope told Kayla.

"So when did this…I mean how was she…I." Kayla scratched at her head confused about the news.

"I don't know when or how or where…well the where would be Maison Blanche." Hope told her. "I'm guessing that since she's Bo's that I must have been pregnant or gotten pregnant when we were on the island. So that would be 20 years ago?" She said figuring out the math.

"So now what?" Bo asked.

……

"Hey Shane. I was just going to call you to let you know your man picked up the disc. How soon do you think it'll be before he can crack it?' Bo had just walked into the precinct when the phone rang. Shane's English accent was on the other end.

"We'll know more once we've had a look at the encryption on it. I'm sure you're in a hurry to find out what information the disc might contain on those years Hope had gone missing."

"That and something else." Bo said.

"What? Is there something you're not telling me?" Shane asked him.

"Yeah." Bo took a deep breath. "I just found out tonight that I have a daughter."

"What in bloody hell are you talking about? And for that matter, how is it connected to the disc?" Shane blurted into the phone.

"Apparently Hope and I have a kid who's recently surfaced here in Salem. Hope had a few memories of her form when she was held prisoner by Stefano. I had Kayla run some DNA tests on her to find out who she was. Turns out she's mine and Hope's."

"Bo, are you sure?" Shane asked him.

"Uh…I trust Kayla. She wouldn't lie about this." Bo was puzzled.

"I'm not talking about Kayla. Stefano has men all over that could have easily hacked into the computer system to change the results." Shane explained to him.

"Look Governor, Hope remembers her. There's no doubt in her mind that Alicia is her child. The DNA just proved that she is." Bo told him. "I'd like to know if there's any information on that disc that concerns my…daughter."

"As soon as I know anything I'll let you know. You have my word on it." Shane was about to hang up when he received an urgent message. "Look Bo, I have some new information coming in now. I'll ring you up as soon as I get all the information. And I'll see you in a few days."

"Later." Bo hung up the phone. 'What now? Hope it isn't bad news.'