Chapter 13

"Mom." Alicia whispered. Her throat was dry and her head still hurt. She was groggy from the morphine and had trouble opening her eyes.

"What is it Alicia? I'm right here." Hope called out to her.

Alicia jumped when she felt Hope's cool hand on her forehead. She hadn't seen her mother come over to the bed. The lights were dimmed down and it was close to night fall. Alicia reached out to take her mother's hand. "Mom? Can you get me some water?" She asked in a weak voice.

"Here you go." Hope held the cup of water to Alicia's mouth so she could have a sip. "Are you feeling better?" She asked her.

"A little. My head doesn't hurt as much." She took another sip from the cup before handing it back to Hope.

Bo walked in and noticed Alicia was awake and sitting up in bed. "Hey Alicia. How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"I'm a little groggy and my head hurts a little. It's not as bad as when I first woke up earlier." She said eyeing her father. She wondered if he knew he was her dad. He was looking at her differently; like she was a suspect. It made her feel uneasy.

"Hope, can I talk to you for a minute?" Bo motioned for Hope to leave the room with him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him.

"I just need to talk to you about something." Bo told her.

"Is it about me?" Alicia asked. "You think I did something, don't you?"

Bo shifted his gaze to the floor.

"Well, is it about me?" Alicia asked him. She knew by the tone of his voice that what he had to say to Hope was about her. "Well?" She arched her eyebrow the same way Hope did when she wanted answers.

Bo was conflicted. He couldn't picture her shooting anyone. She was his daughter. There had to be another reason for what Shane found on the disc. "I have some questions for you, but I want you to be well enough to answer them."

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked him.

"No. You didn't do anything." Not that he knew of anyway. "I just want you to be well enough before we get into why you've been lying to us about who you really are." Bo told her.

"You know I'm your daughter, huh? How did you find out?" She asked biting at her lip.

"I had my sister run some DNA tests on you. And your mom had some memories of you." Bo answered.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't think you'd believe me if I had." Alicia looked down at her hands, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"You're right. I probably wouldn't have believed you without any proof." Bo told her. He saw her lip quivering and decided to go easy on her. "I'm sorry kid. You didn't make it easy for us to trust you. But we know now who you are and that's all that matters now." Bo walked over to her and gently placed a finger under her chin to lift her face up to see him. "I want you to know that I'm happy you're my kid and not a Dimera. I just need time to get to know you before I can give you my trust." He hesitated before pulling her into a hug.

Alicia started crying when he did. It was the first time she ever got to hug her dad. She always wanted a dad and now here he was holding her. She felt safe in his embrace. His strong arms held her tightly making her feel as though nothing in the world could touch her as long as he was there. "I'm sorry." She bawled. Her tears were falling in torrents as she clung to her daddy.

Bo gently stroked the back of her head trying to calm her down. He could feel Alicia tightening her grip on him as though she were holding on for her life. Her sobs were beginning to ease up. Bo pulled her away from him so he could see her face. "Hey, it's okay. We'll sort through everything once you're feeling better and home with us. Right now I want you to get some rest. Why don't you lie back and get some sleep." Bo propped up her pillows and lay her back on them.

"You want me to go home with you? To live?" Alicia was afraid to believe it was true.

"Of course we do." Hope answered for him. "You are our daughter. Why wouldn't we want you home with us?" Hope asked.

"I …I don't know." Alicia hesitated. "I guess I thought you'd be mad at me for lying to you."

"Get some rest sweetie." Hope leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You look a little pale. Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel drained. I guess I'm still not strong enough to stay up for too long." She yawned. Her eyes struggled to stay open. "Will you be here when I wake up?" She asked Hope.

"I'll be right here." Hope squeezed her hand. She looked over at Bo and wondered what he had to tell her. She wondered if he'd heard from Shane and had more information from the disc. He seemed distant with Alicia when he first arrived. There was something definitely wrong, but she wasn't sure what it could be. It wasn't long before Alicia drifted off to sleep. Hope went over to Bo wanting to know what was wrong.

"I got some disturbing information today on Alicia. I need to know more before I can even think about what it could mean. It's so frustrating not knowing who she is and hearing things about her and then seeing her here so vulnerable. I don't know what to believe." Bo tried to explain how he was feeling to Hope. He didn't know if he should tell her what Shane told him about Alicia being an assassin. It was hard enough for him to try to believe it. Hope would never believe a child of hers could be anything but good at heart. He knew he couldn't keep the information from her. He just didn't know how to tell her.

"What exactly did you hear?" Hope pressed for him to tell her. "How bad is it?" She looked over at Alicia wondering what could be so bad that Bo was reluctant to tell her about it.

"It has to do with what Stefano was training her for. Shane seems to think he was training her to be an assassin." Bo bit at his lip knowing what was coming next.

"What? Are you serious? Bo? There's no way!" Hope nodded her head no repeatedly in disbelief. "I can't believe you would even agree with him. She's our daughter, Bo. She was made from our love." Hope was furious with him.

"Hope. I don't agree with him. I don't know what to think. We need to get some answers from Alicia, but obviously we can't do that right now. When I came in here tonight, I was thinking about all the times she's run out on us; how evasive she's been. And then she broke down and I couldn't believe she could be a killer. I'm confused, Hope. I don't know why there's this information on her or what it could mean. What if she was brain washed the same way you and John were? I'm afraid she'll go into a trance and attack someone we care about. We don't know what Stefano did to her. He's had her locked away her whole life." Bo was pacing now. He wanted to believe that his daughter was filled with love; that she didn't have an evil bone in her body. He knew where Stefano was concerned, anything was possible. His daughter could be a trained killer. How would he be able to keep his family whole?

……

Alicia tossed and turned in her bed. She could feel the eyes of someone watching her. She rolled on her side to see who was there. She opened her eyes in the darkened room expecting to see her mother smiling back at her, but she came face to face with Vito instead. Vito was leering at her seductively. "Help!!!!!! Help!!!!" She screamed at the sight of him. He grabbed her mouth with his hand. Alicia struggled with him. She bit down hard on his hand and screamed out again. Vito grabbed her arms and pinned them by her sides. She cried from the pain of his grip. He brought his face down to her until his lips met hers and he forced a kiss on her. He held on to her as he shuffled his body onto the bed and on top of her all the while shoving his tongue down her throat. Alicia struggled to be free of him. She fought to free her arms and kicked at his legs. She was whimpering from the pain his grip was causing her. Finally he released her and jumped off the bed. Alicia screamed out again in piercing shrieks. The door to her hospital room was flung open and a guard came in flipping on the light switch as he did. The light flooded the room making Alicia squint her eyes. She glanced around the room looking for Vito, but he was gone. She and the guard were the only two people in the room. 'Where did Vito go? Did I imagine him here?' she wondered.

"Miss? Are you alright?" The guard asked her. He could she the girl was visibly shaken. "Can I get the doctor for you?"

"No. I'm fine. I must have been having a nightmare." She answered in between gasps. Alicia's heartbeat returned to normal and she wiped the tears off her face. "Where are my parents? My mom said she would be here when I woke up." Alicia looked beyond the guards shoulder trying to see if her parents were standing in the hall. 'Where had they gone? She promised she'd be there when I woke up.' Alicia panicked.

"Your parents went to the cafeteria to get some coffee. Would you like me to have them paged?" The guard asked her.

"No. It's okay. I'm sure they won't be gone long." Alicia lay back on the bed and watched the guard walk out of her room. She wasn't sure if what had just happened was real or not. Was Vito in her room? Why did it take so long for the guard to come in? Was she dreaming and crying out in her sleep? It seemed so real. She shivered from the thought of Vito attacking her and hugged herself. The moment she did, she winced in pain. Alicia looked down at her arms to find the bruised finger prints glaring back at her. She nervously looked about the room wondering if Vito was still there hiding.

Vito peeked out from the closet door. "All in good time little girl. I'll have my way with you." Vito ran his tongue over his lips enjoying the taste of Alicia that still lingered on them.

Alicia shivered. She could sense someone still watching her, but she couldn't see anyone there. She noticed her clothes slung over a chair and went to the bathroom to put them on. Alicia glanced around the side of the door looking to see if anyone was there. She dressed quickly and made her way out. Alicia noticed the guard was at the nurses station with his back to her. She quietly eased herself through the doorway and quickly made her way down the hall.

Vito followed her at a safe distance. "This is going to be much easier than I thought." He grinned knowing he would finally have her.

……

Bo and Hope returned to Alicia's room to find her bed empty. Hope ran out to the hall to speak to the officer assigned to guard her daughter. "Dallas? Was my daughter taken for more tests?" Hope asked him. "She's not in her bed. Where is she?"

"She's not in her bed? I've been right here and no one has been in or out of the room. She had a nightmare about twenty minutes ago and was asking for you. I haven't left my post all night. Are you sure she isn't in the bathroom?"

Hope ran back into the room frantic. She checked in the bathroom and closet for any sign of Alicia. "Bo, she's missing! Officer Dallas claims no one has been in or out of her room and he hasn't left his post." She glanced around the room for clues. "Her clothes are missing. Bo, where could she be?"

"I'm going to put out an APB on her. Don't worry Hope she can't have gotten far. We'll find her." He hugged his wife before going to tear into Dallas for not doing his job.

"Dallas? Where were you when you were supposed to be protecting my daughter?" Bo chewed Dallas out. "What happened? How could you not see my daughter leaving her room if you were standing right here like you told my wife you were?"

"Look. I heard you're daughter screaming. I went into her room. There was no one in the room with her. I asked her if she was okay. She said she had a bad dream. She wanted to know where you and your wife were. I asked her if she wanted me to page you. She didn't. I came out here and…"

"And?" Bo was anxious to know where his daughter was; if she was in any danger?"

"I got a call from the station. I went to the nurses station right here to take it." Dallas explained. "I was away from the door for no more than three minutes. But, I was right here. No one went in or came out."

"Did you have your back to the door at anytime. Obviously she somehow got out of her room. Why the hell would the station be calling you on the hospital line? Who called you? I want names!" Bo was furious.

"I had my back turned for a second, I swear. I don't know who called me."

"You don't know who called you?" Bo felt like knocking some sense into Dallas. "Did you ask who was calling? Did you recognize the voice on the other end?"

"There was no one on the line." He answered.

"This must have been a set up to lure you away so whoever was on the phone could get to my daughter. What the hell were you thinking man, leaving your post?" Bo walked off leaving Dallas dumbstruck.

……

Chelsea was cleaning off the kitchen table when she heard the front door open and close. 'I wonder if that's Dad. I thought he was spending the night at the hospital with Hope.' Chelsea went to see who it was and saw Alicia walking up the stairs.

"Alicia?" She called out to her. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital? Are Dad and Hope with you? Do they know you're here?" She fired off the questions.

"Who are you?" Alicia eyed Chelsea. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm your half sister Chelsea. You didn't answer my question. Do Dad and Hope know that you're here? You're supposed to be in the hospital."

"I left." Alicia made to walk upstairs to her room again.

"Where are you going? You can't just leave it like that. Where are my parents?" Chelsea was getting irritated.

"I'm tired. I'm going to lie down. I don't know where MY parents are. They weren't at the hospital when I woke up." Alicia left Chelsea staring after her with her mouth hanging open. She didn't know or trust Chelsea so she wasn't about to answer any of her questions. She couldn't stay at the hospital knowing that Vito was able to get to her. She didn't know that he had followed her home and stood lurking outside the house waiting for his chance to corner her.

Chelsea was mortified that Alicia had snuck out of the hospital without telling her parents. They must be worried sick looking for her. She quickly grabbed her cell and dialed her dad's cell.

"Hey kid, everything alright? I don't really have time to talk. I'm trying to locate…"

"Alicia?" Chelsea asked cutting him off. "She's here. That's why I'm calling. She said she woke up and you and Hope weren't there, so she left the hospital and came here."

"Thank you for calling. We were worried something had happened to her. I'm on my way home. Can you do me a favor and make sure she stays put?" Bo asked her.

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Chelsea hung up the phone. "I can handle her."

……

"Where is she?" Bo and Hope asked in unison. They were barely in the door when they spotted Chelsea.

"She's upstairs sleeping?" Chelsea told them.

"Are you sure?" Bo asked her.

"Yeah, I just checked on her a few minutes ago." Bo and Hope ran up the stairs.

Hope opened the door and walked over to a sleeping Alicia. She lightly jostled her awake. "Alicia?"

Alicia looked up at Hope dazed wondering where she was for the moment. As the last moments of sleep left her head, she raised herself off the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Alicia? Why did you leave the hospital? You had your dad and me really worried." Hope asked her.

Alicia stayed silent wondering where to start. She looked from her mother's face to her father's. He looked upset with her. She lowered her glance and told them what happened to her. Alicia twisted the blankets around in her hands as she relayed the attack on her. "I don't know where he went. At first I thought it might have been a dream, but I have bruises on my arms where he grabbed me."

"Why did you tell Officer Dallas that you had a nightmare? Why didn't you tell him what happened or ask him to get us. We would've come right away?" Bo stared at her face trying to believe her.

"I was screaming for help and no one came. He was supposed to be protecting me, but Vito was able to get into my room on his watch. I couldn't trust him. You weren't there like you promised." She turned her gaze on Hope. I struggled with him for more than just a few minutes. I was scared and there was no one to help me. Why didn't the guard hear me crying for help? How could Vito get into my room if he was supposedly outside my door protecting me?" Alicia was crying. "I couldn't stay there. I was afraid he'd come back."

"Why didn't you have us paged. We were down in the cafeteria. You didn't have to leave the hospital. You're not well enough to. In fact, I think we should bring you back there now." Hope said.

"No! I can't go back there. I don't feel safe there. Can't I just stay here with you. I'll stay in bed until I'm better. I promise." She pleaded with Hope. "Please don't make me go back there."

"I don't know. I'm not a doctor. I'll call Kayla and see if it's alright." She compromise with Alicia seeing the worried look in her eyes. Hope left to call her sister-in-law.

Bo stayed with his arms crossed watching Alicia nervously dart her eyes away like she was hiding something from him. Was he reading too much into it because of the information Shane had found on the disc. Maybe she was just a scared little girl who wanted to be safe with her family. If only she had been forthcoming from the beginning, he could've trusted her more.

Hope returned to the room. "Kayla said she'll be by later to check on you. You have to promise me that you will not leave this bed under any circumstances."

"I promise." Alicia looked up at her father holding his gaze to show him she meant it.