"In here." Bo said to Marcus as they entered the dark room. Bo was again using his flashlight to illuminate a path for the both of them. He lit the oil lamp on the table as Marcus made his way to the bed.
"I don't know about this man." Marcus said as he looked around the dimly lit room.
"I do. This place is perfect. No one knows about it." Bo walked around the room lighting the various lamps and candles.
"But it's so isolated," Marcus shivered a little. "and cold." Even though it was still summer the nights up in these mountains got cold and it often snowed in September up here.
"I'll get a fire started." Bo walked over to the bed and pulled the antique quilt and other blankets back before heading to the stone fireplace.
Marcus shot a look of doubt at Bo's back and then looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms. He gently laid her on the double bed and checked her vital signs before drawing the blankets over her to keep her warm. The more time that passed the more it worried him that she hadn't yet woken up.
They had left Dubai 4 days before. They had landed in Florence, Italy where they had taken her to a private hospital that John supported to run some tests. After 3 days of tests and observations they had again boarded the plane and flew towards Salem. Once landing in Salem the others had gotten off the plane and went back to their jobs and families. Bo and Marcus had stayed on the plane waiting for night fall. Then under cover of darkness they had carried Carly to the two SUV's John had waiting for them. Bo drove with Carly securely tucked in the back seat and Marcus followed him.
After driving for a little over an hour they had arrived at a rustic little cabin up in the mountains. It only had one main room with a small bathroom attached. Marcus had a lot of concerns about leaving Carly here. Other than the fact that the place didn't have a heater, he was worried about her being so far away from a hospital. Her condition was serious and she would have to be watched carefully. He knew Bo would do all he could but Bo was not a doctor. When he had a fire roaring in the fireplace, Bo turned towards the bed and walked over looking at Carly.
"How is she?"
"There's no change."
"That's not good is it?"
"I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm worried. She should have woken up by now. The longer it takes the more likely it is that she never will."
"Don't say that. She will wake up. I mean, this is Carly we're talking about."
"I know, but you need to remember that she may not be the Carly that we knew. We don't know what all Lawrence has done to her or how she was affected by it. Maybe she just doesn't want to wake up."
"She will wake up. I know she will. I can feel it." Bo's face was set in a stubborn frown. He refused to give up on her after all she had been through.
"Bo, I don't like the idea of her being all the way out here."
"Marcus, we can't exactly hide her in Salem. Larry is definitely going to have someone look for her there. And this place is close enough that I can come and go and look like I am just going fishing and living life like nothing has changed."
"What about medical attention?"
"There is a Doctor in Salem named Daniel Jonas, and if she needs Medical attention then I will drag him out here to take care of her if I have too."
"You can't leave her alone out here, you know. At least not until she wakes up and heals enough to get around on her own."
"I'm not going to leave her alone. Roman is going to cover for me at the station and he and Abe will tell everyone I went camping because I needed some time to think about things. I'm staying here as long as it takes."
"You still love her don't you?"
"Yeah, I think I do." Bo gave Marcus a small grin. "At least I still love the woman I remember."
"It's been a long time, Bo."
"I know. But those feelings didn't go away just because she left. I have always loved her and I always will."
"Even though she walked away from you?"
Bo nodded. "Marcus, when I first met Carly, I couldn't stop thinking about her. It was her eyes, you know. Those damned emerald green eyes captivated me. Then I began getting to know her. And I tried to stay away from her but I just couldn't. I knew I loved her. And once I admitted it to myself, I knew that she would always own my heart and my soul."
"What about Hope?" Marcus asked with a tilt of his head.
"What about her. Just because I have always loved Carly doesn't mean I didn't love Hope or Billie. I just loved them differently. I still love them both. I share children with them and I will always care about them."
"Yeah, but Hope is your wife. How is she going to feel about Carly being back in your life. And how are you going to explain all of this to her. You know she is going to figure out that you still have feelings for Carly."
"That won't be an issue."
"Why not?"
"Hope and I are in the middle of a divorce. Our marriage was over a long time ago. I'm just waiting on the final decree from the court."
"Wow…you guys are really over? After all these years?"
"Yeah. The thing is that when Hope and I fell in love we were teenagers. Back then she knew that she could pitch a fit or throw a tantrum and she would get what she wanted. And during those years that she was missing and we thought she was dead that didn't change. She never really grew up and I did. She still thinks that she can get what she wants by acting like a spoiled child. A lot of that is my fault. I always gave into her in a fight or when she would have a tantrum. But when Ciara was kidnapped, I realized that wasn't a way to live. And once we got Ciara back, Hope took her and walked out because I didn't do things her way when our daughter was missing. That was the last straw. Hope expected me to fall apart and come crawling to her on my hands and knees begging her to come back. But I didn't want her back, so I filed for divorce."
"I'm sorry, man. What do the Horton's and your family think of this?"
"My family is fine with it. They all agree that Hope went too far after the kidnapping. And the Horton's all seem to understand and accept the divorce. All but Doug and Hope."
"Hope is fighting the divorce?"
"She isn't really fighting it. It's more like she is trying to get me to come back to her."
"But you aren't going back?"
"No, I'm not. I haven't been happy in the relationship in a very long time. There is no trust or communication between us and without those you can't have a healthy marriage. I have spent too long giving up my happiness for Hope's. I don't want my daughter to see her parents in such an unhealthy relationship. And I don't want her growing up thinking that throwing fits to get what you want is right because that is what her mother does and I give in to keep peace."
"Good Point." Marcus knew that, divorced or not, Hope would have issues with Carly being back in Bo's life. He knew he needed to change the subject. "What is this place anyway?"
Bo chuckled. "Do you remember back when everyone knew that I was in love with Carly but I kept pushing her away. It was when Victor was trying to woo her?" Marcus nodded. "Well Carly was driving out to Brookeville one night in the middle of a blizzard and Mrs. Horton told me so I followed her. Well I found her on the side of the road where her car had slid off because of ice and was stuck in a snow bank. And once I stopped my car it was snowing too hard to get it going again and the roads were closed so we found this place and spent a couple of days snowed in here. This is where we were when I first told her that I loved her."
"Oh. Don't you think the people who own this place will care that you are holed up here with a woman you had kidnapped from another country."
"Nope. The owner won't care."
"How do you know?"
"Because I own it. And you can't tell anyone about this place. No one knows about it."
"I won't say a word. I still don't like leaving you guys out here."
"We will be fine Marcus. The place is stocked with a years worth of non-perishable food. There is a pond outside that has plenty of fish in it. And there's lots of firewood to keep the place warm at night and when the winter gets here. Hopefully by then Carly will be up and around and healed and we will have been able to get her a divorce from Larry."
Marcus sighed and looked back down at Carly then up at Bo and nodded. "OK, but you call me if there are any changes in her condition, good or bad."
"Of course. When do you fly back to New York?"
Marcus looked at his watch. "In about 3 hours so I gotta get going."
"OK. And thanks for everything."
"No problem. You aren't the only one who loves her you know. I just love her like a sister."
Bo grinned. "Is there anything special I need to do?"
"Well we need to unload the car and I need to get her hooked up to an IV before I go."
Bo nodded and they headed out to unload the second SUV that was loaded down with the medical supplies Marcus had requested and Shane had paid for. It took the two of them about 10 minutes to unload and arrange all the supplies. Then Marcus hooked Carly up to an IV that would supply her with the medications and nutrients that she would need. The medication was already in syringes in the proper doses so that all Bo had to do was inject them into the IV at the right time. Marcus gave Bo a list of each medication and when it would need to be given to her. Then he showed him how to change the bags of nutrients and saline hanging from the pole. Since Carly was unconscious she couldn't eat so these pouches of nutrients kept her alive.
Marcus looked at his watch again. "OK man, I gotta get going or I won't make my plane."
"Is there anything else I need to do?"
"Just remember when she wakes up she will probably be in pain. All of her ribs are cracked or broken and she has a major concussion. She was lucky there was no hemorrhaging in her brain or any internal injuries. Just make sure she takes it easy. Cause I can bet that one thing that hasn't change about her after all these years is her being stubborn."
"I'll bet your right about that." Bo chuckled. "OK, man, thanks. Be careful."
"I will. You take care of yourself and her."
"I will."
The two men shook hands and Marcus walked out to his SUV and was soon gone leaving Bo and Carly alone in the solitude of the woods and mountains. Bo walked over to the bed and looked down at the woman he had loved more and loved deeper than any other in his life. He reached down and gently ran his fingertip across her right cheekbone tracing the bruise that had been left on that beautiful face and he vowed to himself that if he ever laid eyes on Lawrence Alamain again then he would kill him. Bo began stroking Carly's hair.
"Everything is gonna be OK, Princess. I promise. I love you Carly and I will keep you safe."
Carly didn't move but Bo believed that Carly could hear him and in his heart he knew, well he prayed, that she would wake up soon. He left her side and walked over and sat down at the small table and opened the portfolio that the ISA agents had removed from Lawrence's when they had taken Carly. He sat quietly looking at every scrap of paper carefully. He would right the wrongs Larry had perpetrated against Carly. He just had to get to work because Carly wasn't the only one who needed protecting.
