CHAPTER 13

'Good evening, Ma'am and welcome.' Henderson formally bowed to Olivia who merely raised her eyebrows, before turning to greet Bo and Shawn Douglas. After taking Olivia's shawl, the butler led the way to the living room where Justin and Phillip were waiting.
'Olivia, great to see you again.' Justin kissed her, again marvelling how she and Carly looked so much alike. 'You look gorgeous.'
Not having packed a dress suitable for a formal dinner and Arianna had no dress that would fit a girl several inches taller than her; Olivia had to make do with a cream corset-style lace top over a black mini skirt and strappy sandals. Minimal makeup and a pair of gold earrings (a gold crucifix in lieu of the medallion for the night) completed the look.
'Kissed the Blarney stone recently, have we?' was the flippant reply, making Justin laugh.
'What's that?' he asked, indicating the wrapped package in her hands.
'A present for Ciara.' She looked at Phillip, who moved to her, eyes appraising her boldly.
'This is my brother Phillip.' Bo introduced. Phillip, a few months younger than Brady, was the result of a one night stand between Victor and Kate Roberts- not long after Carly had walked out on him. After finding out about his secret son when he was two years old, Victor had married Kate until Vivian had come between them and the bliss had ended in a nasty divorce.
Phillip shook hands with Olivia; realizing if she wasn't his niece, he would be having dirty thoughts by now. 'Am I supposed to call you Your Highness?' he asked sarcastically.
Olivia decided she didn't like him. 'Am I supposed to address you as "Uncle Phil?" ' she deliberately drawled, pulling her hand away from his.

Justin snorted while Bo and Shawn Douglas sniggered at the look of discomfiture on Phillip's face. Like Victor, Phillip didn't really care for females who talked back. Not just that; unknown to anyone and he'd die if anyone found out, Phillip Kiriakis was intimidated by strong, powerful women , rudeness and sarcasm were the usual cover. And with the way this one looked at him squarely in the eye, he prayed he wouldn't add to the embarrassment by blushing red.
'Touché.' He managed.
'Quite.' The men laughed again and he gritted his teeth, praying she wouldn't add more to it.
'Where's Hope?' Bo asked.
'She said something about going over to Maggie and Mickey's.' Justin replied.
'Oh, I actually wanted to talk to her, to apologize for the other night.' Olivia said, disappointed.
'Don't be silly, it wasn't your fault.' Shawn Douglas pointed out.
'All the same, it's the right thing to do- I had no right talking back like that...'
'Drop it, kitten.' Bo interrupted firmly. 'No more of that for the rest of the evening, let's just get through dinner and make our way out of here. Where's Victor anyhow?'
'On the phone in the study.' Phillip replied. 'Probably a conference call, he's been in there for almost forty minutes.'
'Well, while he's at it, I'd like to visit with my little sister. Excuse me, gentlemen.' She walked out and after explaining to a maid, was taken up to the room Ciara shared with Hope.
'Serves you right, by the way.' Shawn Douglas told Phillip, elated at the way Olivia had handled him.
'It was a joke!' Phillip protested.
'Sure it was and I'm Wyatt Earp.' Bo said coldly. 'Even after probably hearing what happened to her and her Mum, you just HAD to throw that kind of zinger in her face. I'm not going to stand for that kind of talk around her; she's a Brady, not an Alamain and I'll thank you to remember that and show her some respect from now on.'
' Yeah right, like he would make the effort to remember that sort of thing.' Shawn Douglas added scornfully.
Justin joined in the scolding. 'I would have thought you would know better...'
'You don't have to gang up on me okay, I'll apologize to her when she comes down!' Phillip said, crossly- suddenly feeling like he was five years old.
Justin turned to Bo. 'Any news about Carly?'
Bo glanced at the door to make sure Olivia had gone upstairs. 'Just don't tell Olivia, okay? Carly's doctor told me she had a cardiac arrest.'
'NO! Is she okay?' Shawn Douglas exclaimed, filled with fear.
'They've got her stabilized now; I just hope she won't have another one. Not a word to Olivia, mind.'
'I sure as hell won't! At Gram's today, she was talking about going back to Paris and we had to talk her out of It.'
'Thanks for doing that, son. She came here for a well-deserved rest and I'll see that she gets it.' Bo said, determinedly.
'It won't stop her from worrying about her Mum either,' Justin pointed out.

'Years of beatings and then thrown off a balcony... you really can't blame her.' He regarded Bo keenly. 'And you? You okay?'
'No, Jus- I'm not.' Bo shook his head angrily. 'I worry, I worry a lot about her. It's just like the time she had the accident in the elevator, when she got stabbed...'
Phillip shook his head. Bo's ex sure gone through a lot! He thought incredulously.
'Bo, Bo!' Justin admonished him. 'You really need to calm down. Carly survived those two incidents; she's going to survive this one.'
Will she? Bo thought miserably. Carly was forty two years now; will her age help her withstand thrown five storeys down? Why did it have to happen to her in the first place?
Justin, Shawn Douglas and Phillip studied Bo's set face carefully and reached a conclusion individually. Bo was still very much in love with Carly Manning.

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Ciara was already in her yellow pyjamas and was sitting cross legged in bed, poring over a picture book when Olivia knocked on the door. The night they'd met in Paris, Olivia had seen photos of Ciara Bo carried around with him in his wallet, but her heart skipped at the sight of the dark eyed cherub looking up at her with interest.
'Hello, Ciara.' she smiled, closing the door behind her and moving to sit with her on the bed. 'I'm your sister, Olivia.'
Instantly, Ciara sat up, grinning from ear to ear. 'Hi. Daddy said you were coming.' She gazed at her big sister, thinking she was the most beautiful lady she'd ever seen.
'Is it true you're a real princess?' she asked.
Olivia laughed. 'Why do you ask, love?'
'Grandpa said you are. And you talk like Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. And you're very pretty.'
'Oh lor'...' Olivia laughed, smoothing the child's hair. 'That's really sweet, thank you. And you're very pretty too. '
'So, are you?' Ciara persisted.
'Well, I am...' Lawrence being His Serene Highness Prince Lawrence de Alamain when he was alive gave her the title of Her Serene Highness Princess de Alamain in the eyes of the world. 'But I'm not letting anyone call me "Princess", I'm just Olivia.'
'Why?' Ciara asked, astonished. 'Why wouldn't you want anyone to call you that, if you're really a princess?'
'Because I'd rather use our Daddy's name, I like Olivia Brady more than I like "Princess Olivia".'
Ciara couldn't understand why an actual princess would like such a thing. 'Is your Mummy a princess too?'
Olivia nodded. 'But before that, she was a Countess.'
Ciara's eyes widened. 'Really?'
'Yes. She was Lady Von Leuschner. But then she became a doctor and everyone called her Dr. Manning instead.'
Ciara found the whole thing very interesting; princesses and countesses in stories married princes and kings. Princesses liked being princesses. But the real world was completely different.
'Daddy said she's very sick. Is she getting better now?'
'Oh, yes... and she'll be home soon.' Changing the subject, she held out the package in her hands. 'I brought this for you.'
'A present!' Ciara exclaimed, taking it from her and opened it. She gasped at the revealed antique china baby doll with golden curls, white dress and matching baby cap made of handmade lace and wool socks on her feet. 'She's beautiful!'
'Mummy gave me this for my birthday when I was four years old.' Olivia said, smoothing the doll's cap. 'Now, I feel it's time Annabelle had someone else to look after her.'
'She's really for me? For keeps?'
'Yes, love, for keeps.'
Ciara hugged Olivia tightly, kissing her cheek. 'Thank you, thank you, Olivia! I'll take good care of her!'
Olivia laughed. 'I know you will.' She kissed her chubby cheeks in turn. 'And you're welcome.'
'Knock, Knock...' Bo entered. 'How's it going over here?'
'Fine! Look what Olivia gave me!' Ciara held Annabelle up excitedly.
'That's really nice and I hoped you thanked her for it nicely.'
'She did, Dad. I take it dinner's about to be served?'
'Yeah. And Victor's finally out of the study.'
She turned to Ciara. 'I'll come up and say goodnight to you before we leave, okay love?'
Ciara touched Olivia's cheek with her small hand. 'I'm so happy you're my sister, Olivia.'
'I'm happy you're my sister too.' Olivia hugged her again. Bo placed his arms around his two precious little girls- their happiness couldn't be compared with the one he felt at seeing them bonding so fast. And no one was ever going to take them away from him again.
'You'll come back before you go? Promise?' Ciara pleaded.
'Promise? Now, play with Annabelle, or will you pick another name for her?'
Ciara shook her head firmly, making Bo and Olivia laugh. 'Have fun, Little One.' Bo said, leading Olivia out.
'She's precious, Dad.' Olivia said as they went down.
'I'm really glad you bonded so fast, she needs you in her life; a big sister to look up to.' Bo took her arm as they got to the living room. 'Ready for him?'
Olivia smiled. 'The big question Dad, is he ready for me?'

'So, did you dream about me while you were gone?'
Bo's eyes were bright with fever but it couldn't hide the love mirrored in them. She'd waited so long for Bo to look at her this way. 'All the time,' he replied softly.
'Me too. I used to lie awake at night in bed and just think about you. Even about the special times we had together; the fun times on the boat, the hospital sleep room...'
Bo chuckled at that. They'd been engaged in a pillow fight she'd started and he'd won hands down.
'And the cabin,' she continued emotionally, 'I loved the cabin. I can't remember everything that we said, or everything that happened... but I do remember the silences. Those times when you'd just look over at me, all of a sudden all of my problems, all of my worries just disappeared.' She laughed tearfully, her eyes still fixed on the brown eyes looking back at her. 'Just disappeared.'
Bo stroked her cheek. 'I remember.' He replied softly.
'You know... they say this is what Heaven is, the place where all that is not music is silence.' She sniffed, unable to hold back her tears any longer. All she'd held back for so long in her heart kept pouring out and she wanted them to have this moment to remember always.
'That's pretty.' Bo smiled, leaning forward and kissed her, his lips capturing hers. She returned it tenderly, aware that the tears were falling down her cheeks, unchecked.
'If this isn't Heaven, it's pretty darn close.' Bo held her face between his hands.
God, please guide me towards the cure... I love him so very much! Please help me save him! She prayed, tears running down her cheeks. She touched his hot cheek, her thumb tracing his lower lip.
'I love you.' She whispered, sobbing. 'I love you so much!'
Bo regarded her solemnly before pulling her against him, her head on his chest. 'Love you too, princess. Love you too.'

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'Call Dr. Simpson, now.' The nurse ordered her colleague and the young woman fled the room. There was actually a faint smile on the patient's lips, almost illuminating her pale, thin face. She also appeared to be saying something she couldn't catch. She moved nearer to the bed.
'Dr. Manning?' she said tentatively. Carly Manning mumbled again and she listened hard. It sounded like a name.
'Bo...' Carly said in her delirium. 'Love... Bo... Bo...'