Kayla stepped into the sitting room and located the phone on the desk. She had left Stephanie and Steve playing outside with Kim and her kids. Kayla had wanted to call Salem and get an update on Carly's work on the antidote to the virus and to find out if anybody had seen Bo. She knew that if Bo had not turned up, she was going to have to enlist Shane's help in tracking him down. Shane was not going to be happy to find out she had withheld information from him about Bo, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. It's not like he's all that happy with you now, anyway.
Kayla dialed the number for the lab and listened to the phone ring. After several moments, the call was finally answered as the voice on the other end said, "University Hospital Immunology Lab."
"Carly? It's Kayla."
"Oh. Hello Kayla." Carly's tone was cold and distant.
"I was just calling to see how the work on the antidote was coming," Kayla said, confused by Carly's tone.
"It's coming along fine." The coldness was still there.
"Good . . . uh . . . good." Maybe she's just upset at being interrupted. " Umm . . . have you happened to see Bo recently?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. He's a patient at the hospital right now. It turns out he has the virus, but I guess you wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Carly's coldness had turned to anger.
Well, that explains her tone. Kayla brushed her hand through her hair, wondering how she could answer that question. "Look, Carly, I can't really explain anything right now, but I'm glad that Bo is home and that you'll have the antidote soon."
"You don't need to explain anything to me, Kayla," Carly said, her voice cold again. "But I would suggest that you call Dr. Curtis. I think he wants some explanations."
Great. Kayla knew that her switching her blood for Bo's had been discovered. "I'll do that. Look Carly, I get that you are upset with me, but please take care of Bo. He needs you right now."
Carly's voice softened slightly, "Don't worry, Kayla. I'll make sure Bo is okay."
"Thanks, Carly. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Kayla."
After she hung up the phone, Kayla considered delaying the call to Neil. It was not like she could rush back to Salem to deal with any of this now anyway. But she knew that putting it off was just delaying the inevitable. She had known the potential consequences when she had made the switch, but she had been so afraid that Bo would simply disappear if he thought Carly and his family knew he had that damn virus.
Sighing, she picked up the phone and dialed the hospital. Reaching the switchboard, she asked for the Chief of Staff and was connected through. After a short wait, she heard the familiar voice on the line.
"Kayla? Is that you?"
"Hi Neil. Umm, I just talked to Carly a few minutes ago and she suggested that I call you." Kayla braced herself for what was coming.
"I'm glad you called, Kayla." Neil's tone was professional, but friendly. "It appears that there were some irregularities with a blood test that Bo had done a few weeks ago. The preliminary investigation indicates that Bo's blood sample may have been switched with someone else's. Additionally testing indicates that the person who's blood replaced Bo's was yours."
"Look Neil, I can explain everything . . . just not right now." Kayla said, knowing Neil was not going to like that.
"Wait a minute, Kayla. Are you telling me this is true?" Neil said, the surprise clear in his voice.
"It's a long story, Neil. As soon as I get back to Salem, I promise I'll explain the whole thing." There was no way Kayla was going to go into the whole story over the phone.
There was a pause on the other end. Finally, Neil said, "Okay, when do you expect to return? We need to address this issue immediately."
If Neil did not like her earlier dodge, he really was not going to like what she was about to say next. "I'm not sure when I'll be back, Neil. It might be a few weeks."
"A few weeks!" Neil exclaimed. "I don't think you understand how serious this is. There is going to be a full investigation and board hearing. Your license could be suspended. I would think you might want to be here for that."
"I do understand that, but I just can't come home right now. I'm sorry. Is there any way you could delay the hearing until I get back? Tell the board you've suspended me pending that hearing. It's not like I would be working anyway." Kayla held her breath waiting for Neil's response.
There was another long pause on the other end. Kayla heard Neil sigh and then say, "All right, Kayla. I'll delay the board until you get back. But I have to tell you that your absence is not going to weigh in your favor. These are serious charges and you need to be prepared for what might happen."
"I know," Kayla said sincerely. "I'll face the board and the findings from the investigation when I get back. Thank you for delaying things until then."
"Don't thank me, Kayla. Just take care of whatever is so important in England and get back here soon."
They said their goodbyes, Kayla hung up the phone, and slumped against the desk. Could my life possibly get any crazier? Steve was back and she was as happy as she had ever been. But she still had not told him about Shane, Steve was battling demons she could not seem to help him with, and, now, she had probably lost her job. She would just have to deal with that last one when they went home. There was nothing she could do about it now and there was no reason to tell anybody else about her pending suspension. Steve was back and he needed peace and security so he could heal. They would deal with the job issue when it was time to return to Salem.
With that thought, she got up from the desk and headed out to rejoin her family. Steve and Stephanie were all that mattered right now. They had this time together and she was going to make the most of it.