CARBO FANFICTION- FALLEN PART 18

Bo zipped his duffel bag and went downstairs. Dropping it on the couch, he went to lock the back door. The doorbell rang when he went back to the living room and he opened the door. ‘Hi Mum,’ he said, letting her in.

‘Hello, honey. I was hoping to catch you before you went out.’ She turned to face her son, who looked at her in silence. There had been some distance between them since he confronted her about what Ciara told him. On hearing about Carly’s travails and the murder of their unborn child, Caroline was the most affected of both families. One by one, they rallied round Carly, expressing heartfelt sympathy and regret for the way she was treated. But Carly, while accepting their apology, still maintained she and Bo can’t be together. She felt overpowering shame for letting Lawrence fool her and considered herself too broken and damaged for Bo to take another chance with her. Bo tried everything while she was recuperating to convince her otherwise but she wouldn’t budge.

‘What is it, Mum?’ Bo asked quietly. ‘I’m sort of in a hurry.’

‘This won’t take long, I promise.’ Caroline raised her hands imploringly.  ‘I know you’re very angry with me. You’ve been angry with me for a long time now and I don’t blame you. I deserve your resentment; for a lot of things. For siding with Hope, for not seeing your view and for being unfair to Carly.’

 ‘You were uncaring and heartless.’ Bo said brutally. The reason behind Carly’s tears on seeing Ciara was the unhappy memory of their dead child and Bo was yet to forgive Caroline for not bothering to find out the reason behind Carly’s sadness and for the things she said about her.

Caroline winced, stung. ‘I suppose I can’t use the excuse of “I didn’t know.”’

‘You didn’t care to know. You and many people were so convinced she came back to cause trouble, you saw Carly how you wanted to see her. The whole time she wanted to heal after that animal killed my kid, our kid...’ tears crept at his eyes. ‘You believed what you wanted to believe, refusing to remember how she saved my life and Shawn D’s, everything about her. You were too wrapped up in hate, just like Victor.’

Caroline looked miserable. ‘I never hated her. I was just angry she left.  I… I wanted things to stay the same and I let it blind me.’

‘Mum, please; I really have to go.’ Bo picked up his bag from the couch, not wishing to hear more. He was facing a 4 hour drive and wanted to get to his destination in good time. First he has to stop by the mansion to see Ciara and then pick up Carly’s present afterwards.

‘I need you to forgive me, son. Please.’ 

Bo paused at the door, not looking at her. ‘I need this time away. Maybe when I come back, I’ll feel less resentful than I feel towards you right now. Lock up after me.’

He went to the car without a backwards glance, wanting to put as much distance from his mother as possible.

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Ciara hugged and kissed her father, saying she looked forward to seeing him when he came back from his trip. Hope was at the station so she wasn’t present. Hearing more details of Carly’s great trauma had shocked and humbled Hope, her resentment and jealousy all gone. So sad, resigned and a lot wiser; she signed the papers. The divorce proceedings were almost over and they’d agreed on joint custody of Ciara, but yet to decide on what to do about the house. Bo hoped they will be able to decide soon because he didn’t like Ciara living in the mansion.

Victor was coming down the stairs when Bo was taking his leave. If there was distance between him and Caroline, there was sheer hostility between him and Victor; flatly refusing to speak to him.

‘Still giving me the cold shoulder?’ Victor asked as Bo walked passed him. Ignoring him, Bo went to the door.

‘Listen to me for a minute, Bo.’ Victor said. Bo turned, waiting.

‘Carly and I will never be close friends, that much I know. But I’m not as heartless as you both think, that child was my flesh and blood too. Since there’s the strong possibility Carly’s going to be my new daughter-in-law; what say the three of us call a truce?’

‘I have nothing to say to you.’ Was Bo’s cold reply and then left the house.

What he ordered especially for Carly and himself was ready at the shop. Bo placed them at the backseat of his SUV before pulling out his phone.  

A few days after Carly was discharged, he went to the loft but she wasn’t there. Lexie assured him she was on her accumulated vacation; she didn’t quit her job and left Salem like he feared. He had called Frankie in D.C to find out if she was staying with him but she wasn’t. Frankie was still disinclined to believe Bo’s intentions towards his sister, reluctant to tell him where she was. Bo wasn’t prepared to lose her a second time. He said that much to her brother.  

‘She would’ve been safe and happy with me, even after Hope came back. She’s who I want for the rest of my life, Frankie, now more than ever. I decided that before she finally told me what happened with Larry. This isn’t a rebound; it’s a second chance, our second chance.’

Convinced at last, Frankie gave him the address and phone number of the lake house as Carly had switched off her iPhone.

Carly answered on the fourth ring. ‘Hello?’

‘It’s me,’ he replied without preamble.

Carly’s heart leaped at the sound of his voice. ‘How did you get this number?’

‘Never mind that; this has gone long enough! I need to talk to you and what I want to say, I’m not about to tell you over the phone. Frankie gave me your address and I’m on my way there right now.’

‘Bo, please… I told you…’

‘I know what you told me, and I decided to ignore it.’

‘What do you want to tell me now?’

‘A lot of things, some you already know. It’s high time you stopped running, princess. You can run to the ends of the earth and I’ll be right behind you, if that what it takes. I want to know you’ll be there waiting for me. Will you?’

Silence, then the soft word, ‘Yes.’

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The sun was setting by the time Bo's car  pulled up in front of the lake house. From the porch, Carly watched Bo come out. Though he marveled at the beauty of the charming house, his eyes were only on her. 

 ‘You’re a difficult lady to find, you know that?’ he called, smiling at her; elation in his heart on seeing her walk towards him, the setting sun touching her hair. The moment she reached him, Bo’s arms came round her and for the second time since she came back in his life, he kissed her; long and hard. For Carly, the touch of Bo’s mouth on hers was no longer a yearning memory but glaringly real, his arms tightly locking her against him as though he’ll never let her go. She kissed him back, devouring his lips with hers; reveling in his strong, manly strength. She pressed her cheek against his, her arms still round his neck, savoring the warm feeling of happiness.

Bo pulled back slightly to run his hand over her hair. ‘I love you, princess.’ He said at last.

Tears filled her eyes. ‘I love you too, sailor.’ She whispered, holding his face, seeing the love and tenderness in his eyes. Bo used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

‘You’re just in time for the sunset, isn’t it amazing?’

‘It’s breathtaking.’ His arms still round her; he watched the orange ball hovering over the horizon. ‘But I’d much rather look at you.’ He kissed her again, slowly and tenderly. ‘I’ve missed you.’

‘I’ve missed you too.’ Carly held on to the lapels of his leather jacket. ‘I felt I was doing the right thing for you. But you’re right; it’s time I stopped running. Come on, let’s go into the house.’

Pausing only to take his bag from the car, Bo took her hand and followed her inside, leaving it in the small hall. He immediately liked the place. ‘This place is great,’ he said, staring round the large cozy living room, where a fire was already going. The décor was a cross between Texan and English country living; complete with modern appliances and a filled bookcase.

 ‘I figured you would scoff if you ever found out about it. I know it’s a palace compared to our cabin but I really needed a sort of sanctuary to escape to now and then and this house was for sale. It used to belong to one of Frankie’s clients and Frankie bought it for me.’

‘So that explains why you always seemed to disappear now and then,’ Bo said, yet understanding her action. It was a perfect place to hide from what she was putting up with at the time and spend much needed peace and quiet.

‘So… um… why don’t you take your bag upstairs, freshen up while I fix you something.’

‘Sure.’ He kissed her again.

Doing a quick explore upstairs, Bo saw there were three bedrooms and a guest bathroom; definitely a far cry from their rustic cabin. Finding the room where Carly slept, he unzipped his bag and pulled out a fresh T-shirt before going to the adjoining bathroom for a wash.

Carly was in the warm, brightly lit kitchen when he went back downstairs, behind the work island pouring out hot coffee. Bo sat at the kitchen table and stroked her arm as she set a plate of sandwiches down, causing her to smile shyly at him.

‘Well, here we are.’ She said, sitting opposite him; a cup of coffee in front of her.

‘No interruptions, no more walls.’ Bo reached out for her hand, which she slipped into his. ‘We’re where we should’ve been ages ago.’

‘Yes, I know.’ Carly squeezed his fingers. ‘But I still…’

‘No more buts.’ Bo said firmly. ‘No more reasons or excuses. Whatever you still feel, you won’t be working it out alone anymore.’

‘It’s not just about part of me which will always hurt; losing our baby.’ Carly said quietly. ‘That day when we almost made love, I thought I would find solace in your arms, like I always did. But I pushed you away…’

‘It was PTSD, Carly. What you went through, you were bound to experience it.’

‘I know. But I never thought I would react like that with you. And when I did… it hit me more than ever that I was not the same person, not the same woman I was years ago. I hated feeling that way, that sense of terror and not feeling myself.  It’s more about the scars on my body, Bo. I’m afraid… I might not be able to be that person I was ever again, or be a woman … for you. And it’s all because I allowed myself to be taken in by Lawrence’s lies. I brought it all on myself. If only I hadn’t made such a terrible error, our child would be all grown up by now.’

‘Come here,’ Bo pulled at her hand and she walked round the table. Bo placed her on his lap, his arms tight round her waist. ‘Now you listen to me. I told you this years ago, and I’ll tell you now. I love you, not just your body… but your mind and your soul. Of course I want to make love to you again, erase the terrible memories. But you should also remember that we were connected on many levels long before that special night in the hut.’ He stroked her hair. ‘Not just physically, princess. I know you have a lot to heal from. So when Marlena comes back, you’re going to resume therapy and I’ll be there to hold your hand. But in the meantime, I won’t touch you… unless you want me to. And I don’t want you to ever think about Lawrence again, or blame yourself.’

He wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks. ‘I love you Carly Manning. I can’t change the past but I can give you a future and new memories. And I will give that to you.’

Carly sniffled, touching his face. ‘The best way to heal is not allowing the past to break you. And…’ she smiled faintly, ‘allowing someone you love very much walk with you.’

‘Exactly.’ Bo’s voice shook. ‘You’ll let me now, princess?’

‘Every day for the rest of our lives.’ She kissed him with a deep, fiery intensity that matched his, the couple holding each other close.

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Bo insisted she went upstairs to bed, while he cleared the kitchen and locked up for the night. When he went up to her bedroom, she was in a nightgown, sitting up in bed waiting for him. Bo undressed in the bathroom, brushed his teeth and slipped into sweatpants. Getting into bed beside her, he turned off the lamp and drew her into his arms. Bo and Carly were aware there was quite a lot to overcome. But they were together at long last and that was what was really important.