Chapter 22
Bo and Hope sat in the hospital waiting room for news. Alicia sat beside them calmly going over everything that happened. They arrived at the hospital three hours ago. The Alicia who had been shot was rushed into surgery. Bo asked for a DNA test to be done on both girls. The sooner he got to the bottom of this the better. Kayla led the second Alicia to a room to withdraw her blood.
"Why Don't they believe me?" She questioned Kayla. "How can they think I'd hurt my mother? It's obvious she's the imposter. I'd never do anything to hurt either of them. I thought we were past all this." Alicia rambled on as Kayla drew tubes of blood from her arm. "How soon before we get the results?" She asked glancing down at the blood squirting into the tube. Alicia felt faint at the sight of her own blood.
"The results won't take too long. I'll run the tests myself." She told Alicia.
"You don't believe me either, do you?" Alicia looked her aunt in the eye.
"I don't know what to think. The resemblance is too uncanny." She looked at Alicia and saw she was on the verge of tears. "We'll know the results soon enough. I want to believe you, but I know what Stefano is capable of doing. You have to understand what Bo and Hope are going through right now. Stefano took Hope away from us and had her impersonate a Princess very believably to all the people who knew the real Princess. And at one point, Princess Gina was here impersonating Hope very convincingly. I'd really like to believe you. Trust me I do want to." Kayla told her. "I just don't know what to think right now."
"I've been here in Salem for the past month. How could I know so many things about this family if I'm the impersonator?" Alicia reasoned with her.
"Stefano knows all too many details about the Brady family. He could've been feeding them to you."
"But I would never hurt my mother!" Alicia looked at her with angry eyes. "That girl, whomever she is, is not me. I'm Alicia."
"We'll know that soon enough. Like I said, I want more than anything to believe you are who you say you are. I want to believe Hope's daughter would never pull a gun on her, but I also know Stefano and what he's capable of doing."
Bo and Hope paced outside the door waiting for Alicia to be done. "I don't know what to think Brady. This is killing me right now to think our Alicia could pull a gun on me. They look so much alike it's hard to tell which one is our Alicia."
Bo pulled his wife into his embrace. "We'll know soon enough. Once Kayla runs the tests we'll know if she's Alicia or if our daughter is in surgery fighting for her life." Bo cringed remembering the gun going off in his hands and Alicia's body contorting as she fell forward from the gun wound. "I don't want to be guilty for shooting my own daughter. I pray to God she's alright." Bo kissed Hope's hair.
"Hi." Alicia said to her parents after she was finished getting her blood taken. "Do you want me to answer some personal questions so you now I'm the real Alicia?" She asked them.
"I don't know what to think right now. I want to believe you could never hurt your mother, but after everything Stefano has put this family through I need to be sure." Bo told Alicia. "Why don't we go to the waiting room where we can talk until we know more." The trio made their way down to the lounge where they still sat in silence after three hours of waiting on news from the surgery and the DNA results.
……
"Steve! I think he's over here." Shane called out to him. The two had been chasing Stefano through the tunnels. They turned down many halls always one step behind the Phoenix. After running for what seemed like an hour, they finally came to the tunnel entrance. Shane and Steve raced after Stefano who was climbing into his car.
"Get back here you coward!" Steve spat at him. He and Shane watched as Stefano's car sped off. Cruisers surrounded them on all sides. Stefano managed to pass through slamming into several cruisers as he did.
Roman emerged from one of the patrol cars and hollered to Steve and Shane. "Over here! Let's go!" They both ran to the car and jumped in.
"Let's go man!" Steve yelled as they scrambled into the back seat. Roman sped off after Dimera. They chased him down the highway speeding up to one hundred miles an hour. "Keep on him man. We can't let him get away again." Steve held the back of Roman's head rest.
Stefano swerved in and out of traffic. Cars honked their horns all around him. Roman kept on his tail just a few feet behind. "Where the hell is he going?" Roman wondered aloud. He reached for his radio to call into headquarters for more back up. "I want road blocks put up on I-80 now. Suspect is headed North along I-80 towards Littlefield's. Get me some back up!" Roman yelled into the radio. He swerved to avoid being hit. They where climbing up the side of a narrow cliff when Stefano's car veered and went careening down the side of it. His car blew up erupting into flames. Shane, Steve, and Roman looked on to see if anyone emerged from the car. "I guess I better radio in for rescue."
"I don't see how anyone could have survived that wreck." Shane mused.
"The Phoenix has risen before." Steve mumbled.
……
Alicia paced back and forth around the waiting area. She glanced over at her parents sitting huddled together. "How much longer do you think it will be?" She asked.
"I don't know. Kayla said she'd bring the results up as soon as she has them." Bo answered her.
"I was talking about the operation. I already know the results of the blood tests. I just want to get some answers from that girl. How can you still think I'm not your daughter?" Alicia asked looking angrily at them.
"I already told you…" Bo started.
"I know what you told me. I know what Mom told me. And I know what Aunt Kayla told me. I'm your daughter, not that imposter in there who's fighting for her life. You know a part of me wishes she doesn't make it, because I don't want her to be able to come after my mother again." She started pacing again. "Mom. Look at me. I would never do anything to hurt you. You should know that. Look!" She reached down to grab her locket. "I still have the locket you gave me all those years ago. See." She showed it to her mother.
"You could've taken it from her. We were locked in separate rooms. I don't know who went in or out of her room. You might be the imposter here." Hope looked at her with a heavy heart. She could see the pain in her eyes, but didn't know if she could trust it was really her daughter. The resemblance was too canny. They even spoke the same. Alicia's eyes pleaded with her breaking Hope's heart into a million pieces.
"I'm your daughter." She said barely above a whisper. Alicia bit at her lip. "I sent Vanessa to give you a message from me. I wanted you to know I was okay. Did she relay the message?" Alicia asked.
"Yes. But it still doesn't mean you're Alicia. If you're working for Stefano you could have sent me the message so you could make me believe you're my daughter now." Hope tried to make her see why she didn't trust she could be her daughter. "How do I know for sure? Stefano could've implanted memory cells of Alicia in your head. I don't know what he did while we were locked up in his house."
Alicia sat down feeling defeated. Her body racked with tears. She placed her head in her hands and continued to cry. "Why would I agree to a DNA test if I thought for a second it would come out wrong?" She cried.
Hope reached out to her gently rubbing her back. "I want more than anything to believe my daughter could never hurt me." Hope reached out to cup Alicia's face in her hands and lifted it to meet her eyes. She looked into her eyes and saw all the pain staring back at her. "What happened at the manor?" Hope asked her.
"Dad rescued me and then we went to get you. We left and as we were walking down the hall, I felt someone grab me from behind and slam me into a wall. Everything went black and when I came to you were gone." Alicia took a deep breath trying to calm her sobs. "I searched the rooms and when I didn't find anyone, I decided to check the dungeons. I thought maybe Stefano had gotten you. I heard a gun go off in one of the tunnels and footsteps running down another tunnel. I raced to see if something had happened to you and saw Dad carrying that girl in his arms. I've never seen her before and I don't have a twin that I know of." Alicia stopped. "Mom, I …" Alicia saw Kayla headed their way.
Hope and Bo both looked up in the direction of Alicia's eyes.
"I don't have the DNA test results just yet, but I wanted to tell you the surgery went well." She told the three of them.
"Can we see her?" Bo asked.
"She's in recovery right now. She won't be awake for a little while." Kayla informed him. She glanced over at Alicia's tear stained face. "It won't be much longer for the test results.""Thanks Kay." Hope told her.
Alicia wiped at her tears. "I guess it won't be much longer now before you know the truth."
Hope reached out to Alicia and pulled her into a hug. Alicia wrapped her arms around her mother and held on for dear life as the tears flowed freely once again.
……
"Hey Sweetness." Steve grabbed Kayla and spun her around. "What's going on? I thought you would be home with baby Joe and Ciara."
"I was, but I got called in for an emergency. Ciara and Joe are with my mom at the pub." Kayla hugged Steve. "Hold me in your arms.""What's wrong Sweetness?" Steve asked her.
"I just wish I could take away the pain my brother and his family are feeling right now." Kayla couldn't believe how much they had been put through over the last month.
"How's Alicia doing?" Steve asked her.
"Which one?" She asked.
Steve looked at her confused. "What do you mean which one?"
"Weren't you with my brother tonight?" Kayla pulled back from Steve to see his face.
"Yeah, baby. We were together in the tunnels when Stefano showed up and all hell broke loose. Alicia pulled a gun on Hope and Bo went after her, they struggled and the gun went off. Alicia got shot. Then Shane and I took off after Dimera. What am I missing here?" He asked her.
"There's two of them. Both of them are identical to each other. One got shot and the other claims to be the real Alicia. I'd like to think she is, because the Alicia I know would never do anything to hurt Hope. We're just waiting on some test results now."
"Two Alicia's? Are they twins?" Steve asked.
"Not that we know. Alicia thinks the other Alicia is an imposter. Listen to me, this sounds insane. Anyway she claims she didn't have a twin and never saw this girl before in her life." Kayla said. "So what happened with Stefano?"
"We chased after him, he got away and we got into a high speed chase. His car took a nose dive off a cliff and exploded into flames. But you know the Phoenix, he has a way popping back up to wreak havoc on the Brady's. He's risen from the dead one too many times in the past.""Let's hope this time he stays dead." Kayla looked at her watch. "Steve I need to check on some test results. Bo and Hope are down in the hospital lounge if you want to go see them. I don't think anyone has filled Bo in on Stefano."
"Okay baby. Just come over here and plant one on me before you go." Kayla laughed as he pulled her in his embrace to kiss her.
……
"Darling we just heard on the news Stefano was killed in a car accident." Julie informed Bo and Hope as she came into the lounge. "Is it true?"
"I dunno. We've been here all this time. Speaking of which, how did you know to find us here?" Bo asked her.
"Kayla called and said you might need some support." Julie looked over at Hope and Alicia. "What's going on? You can cut the tension with a knife. Is something wrong? It's not Ciara is it?"
"No. Ciara is with my mom." Bo told her. "It's not that.""Well if it isn't Ciara and the three of you are sitting here, then what could it be?" Doug asked them.
"They think I'm an imposter." Alicia spoke up not bothering to lift her head to meet their eyes.
"Hope I'm so glad you're okay." Melissa came in and went over to her cousin to hug her. "Everything is okay, right?" She glanced around at the somber faces.
"Hey Bo." Steve walked in. "Have you heard the news?"
"Julie just filled us in. What happened?" He asked Steve.
Steve recalled the events leading up to the car going over the cliff and exploding. "Roman is downtown filing a report and Shane took some of the burnt remains to ISA to have it analyzed for human DNA." Steve looked over at Alicia. "So Kayla filled me in on your dilemma."
"Yeah. Why don't we go grab some coffee for everyone." Bo and Steve left to discuss the events of the day. "I don't know what to think man. We were getting so close as a family and to think it was all a lie and she really held it against Hope all these years for leaving her. I don't know what to think. Shane kept warning me not to trust her. After seeing all those videos of her on that disc, man I'm just so confused right now. I want to believe the girl sitting in there by Hope is my daughter and the one who just pulled through the surgery is the imposter. But you know how Stefano works. What if she isn't my daughter?" Bo's head was spinning.
"You need to get a grip, man. Kayla said she ran a DNA test. So just relax and wait for the results. You shouldn't get yourself all worked up until you know the truth." Steve grabbed his shoulder. "Listen man, I know you're going through more than anyone should right now. I just think you need to wait for the results before you do or say anything you might regret later."
"I hear you man. I just wish I had those results already. It's killing me to see this kid sitting beside Hope all racked up with tears pleading for us to believe her. And then to think if she isn't telling the truth and my daughter is the one who just got out of surgery; man I put that bullet in her. That is something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life." Bo grabbed the pot of coffee and began pouring out some cups. "Either way you dice it I feel guilty. If I shot my own daughter or if I'm accusing my daughter of being an imposter, neither one is any less painful. To see the look in her eyes. She's so angry at us for not believing her. She makes a lot of valid points too. I mean if she isn't who she says she is, why would she stick around and go through with a DNA test that could prove her wrong?"
"I don't know. Guess we'll find out soon enough. Here comes Kayla."
……
"Hey Bo. Did Steve fill you in on Stefano?" Kayla asked her brother who eyed the file in her hands.
"Yes. Are those the results?" He asked pointing at the file. "What does it say?" He asked anxiously awaiting the results.
"I haven't had a chance to look at them yet. I thought I'd wait to share it with all of you. Why don't we go over there with Hope and Ali…" Kayla wasn't sure what to call her exactly.
"It's okay I know who you mean." Bo followed her over to Hope and the rest of the family.
"Kay, do you have the results?" Hope looked up at her sister-in-law and then back at Alicia.
"I have them right here." Kayla held up the file.
"Finally. Now everyone will know the truth." Alicia cried out.
Hope wrapped her arm around Alicia's shoulder. "So what are they?" She asked Kayla.
"Let me have a look here. I ran the test three times to be sure, but I didn't look at the results yet, so just bear with me. Okay the results of Alicia one…" She looked over at Alicia. "That's you….are ninety-nine point nine percent positive match." Kayla went through the pages. "It's the same for all three tests."
Alicia let a few tears fall knowing her family wouldn't be looking at her questionably anymore. They knew the truth now, she was their Alicia. She looked up to see the relief on her father's face and saw it quickly fill with guilt. Alicia got up and walked over to him. "Dad. I know you didn't do any of this to hurt me. I get why you would even question it. But…" Bo pulled her into a bear hug.
"I'm sorry kid. I can't tell you how relieved I am that you are my daughter and you didn't try to kill your mother." He started to cry. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive." Alicia held on to her dad. "I love you Daddy. Nothing else matters now." Hope joined them in the hug. "I love you Mom."
Kayla let them have their moment while she went over the rest of the results.
"Dr Johnson? Can I have a word with you?" Dr. Peterson called her into the hall.
"What is it?" Kayla asked.
"I know you were running some DNA on my patient. I thought I'd let you know the patient had some major plastic surgery done to her face. And if my guess is correct, the girl I just operated on is closer to thirty and not twenty like you thought." Dr. Peterson informed her.
"Thank you." Kayla turned to go back into the lounge. "What do I do now?" She looked back at the test results and then over at her brother and his family. "I don't want to cause them anymore pain."
"What's wrong Sweetness?" Steve asked her.
"I'm not sure. It could be nothing, but I need to run some more tests to be sure." Kayla held her gaze on the trio in the corner. "I just hope I don't have to give them any bad news. They've been through enough already.""Kayla?"
"I'm sorry. I already told you more than I should have." Kayla walked over to Alicia. "Sweetie. I need to run some more tests on you."
"Why? You said you ran the test three times and they all came out the same." Alicia looked at her with tears building up in her eyes.
"They did. However, I noticed some abnormalities in your blood. It could be nothing, but I'd like to run some more tests to be sure."
"What do you mean exactly? Is there something wrong with me?" the tears began flowing freely down her cheeks. Hope pulled her close. "Mom?" She turned into her mother's arms and sobbed.
"We don't know that anything is wrong, but I'd feel a lot safer if we ran the tests to be sure." Kayla reached out and placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder. "I'm sorry to worry you. I just want to know you are okay."
"Kay, what exactly are we talking about here? What kind of tests do you want to run?" Hope asked her.
"I don't want to say anything to upset anyone." Kayla looked down at the floor trying to avoid the pained looks she was getting."Kay please." Hope begged her.
"Alicia might be in the early stages of cancer." Kayla informed them. "But before you all start getting upset, it could just be a glitch in the results. I just want to run some tests to make sure so we can treat her if she is."
.…..
"Mom will you stay with me?" Alicia held onto her mother's hand as she waited for Kayla to withdraw some more blood.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here every step of the way." Hope brushed the hair out of her daughter's face. "We need to be positive." She said trying to wipe the worried look off Alicia's face.
"Okay here we go." Kayla stuck the needle in Alicia's arm and withdrew several tubes of blood.
Alicia looked away so she wouldn't faint at the sight of her blood. "You are most definitely my daughter." Hope told her. "I can't stand needles either." Alicia laughed.
"There we go." Kayla placed a bandage on Alicia's arm. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"
"How soon before you know?" Alicia asked her.
"It shouldn't take more than a few days." Alicia looked down at the floor. Kayla could see the worry in her eyes. "Look, why don't you go home and get some rest. You've been through an awful lot."
"I think that's a great idea." Hope said. "Come on sweetie. Your dad is waiting out in the hall."
"Okay." Alicia grabbed her mother's hand as they walked out to meet Bo.
"You about ready to go?" Bo asked them. They both nodded yes. "Okay. I want to swing by Ma's and pick up Ciara before we go home." The three of them left the hospital.
……
The Brady pub was dark when Bo, Hope, and Alicia entered. Bo called out to his mother, but no one answered. "That's funny. She said she would be down here when I called her from the car." Bo switched on the light switch.
"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled out all at once. A banner was strewn across the bar. 'Welcome Home Alicia and Hope!'
"What do you think about that?" Bo asked Alicia as Caroline came to greet them.
"Where you surprised?" Caroline asked them.
"Yeah. Id' say we were." Bo took his jacket off and threw it on the nearest booth. "Where's my little sugar bear?" He asked as he heard the faint sounds of laughter coming out from under the table. "Come here you little monkey." He grabbed Ciara in his arms lifting her above his head before pulling her into a hug. "I have someone here I know you've been wanting to see." Bo walked over to Hope to hand their youngest daughter to her.
"My baby." Hope pulled her into her embrace. "I've missed you so much." She kissed her cheek.
"I missed you to. Are we going home now?" She asked her mother.
"Soon, baby. Right now I think we're going to eat some of Grandma Caroline's chowder."
"Yeah. I helped her make it." Ciara gushed. "We made a special one for Alicia, because she's my new sister and I love her."
Alicia came over to give Ciara a hug. "I love you too."
"Will you be my sister forever and ever?" Ciara asked her.
A lump came into Alicia's throat. She wasn't sure about her future, but she didn't want to worry her little sister. "Of course I will." She hugged her close as two tears escaped her eyes. Hope went over to her to hug them both.
"This is a celebration. There's no room for tears here." Julie came over to hug her sister and granddaughters.
"I want in on this group hug." Doug said as he hugged them too.
"Hey! Make room for me." Bo piped in. Alicia's tears turned to joy as she received hugs from both the Brady clan as well as all of the Horton's. She was glad they hadn't gone straight home. She loved being part of such a great family. She knew she'd never be alone again.
"Hey sis." Chelsea tapped Alicia on her shoulder. "Mind if I get a hug?" Alicia hugged her sister.
"Well I don't know about all of you, but I'm hungry. Let's eat." Caroline called out to everyone. Steve and Bo pushed tables together so the whole family could sit down together. Alicia looked around at her newfound family and for once, she wasn't worried about what the future held for her.