WHAT DEFINES A REAL MARRIAGE?

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"Only dogs are to obey. If you love your wife, you'll value her opinion"- Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) to Semmi (Aresnio Hall) in COMING TO AMERICA.
How many men follow that quote in the real world?

The general consensus is that marriage is a relationship of equals; the husband of course is the head of the household and the wife is his companion, lover, mother of his children and his best friend. The wife has her own role to play of course but it's not to be a doormat. Respect your husband but do not let him walk over you, belittle you and not allow you to voice your opinion.
I feel the best kind of marriage is a marriage of equals. The fact the man is the head of the household doesn't mean the woman won't get to make some decisions in the marriage or in the raising of the children. The best kind of relationship is the one where both spouses make the decisions. They go over the issue in question and reach a real agreement without resentment or second thoughts. In most patriarchal societies, the wife is expected to be the submissive subordinate but surely not every man follows the patriarchal principle, not if he's modern and truly loves his wife. Will a man who really loves his wife prefer her to be a timid mouse who is far too submissive to make her opinions known and just allow him to make ALL the decisions in the house and control her? I think not.
I'm not married yet but when I do, that's the type of marriage I want- a marriage of equals. That's the definition of a real marriage, where the wife is a partner and not the subordinate, guided but NOT controlled. Only tyrants and men who live in the dark ages would prefer to be married to a woman with no will of her own.

CARBO FAN FICTION- CARLY'S DIARY PART 6

 PART 6

‘I understand what you’re saying,’ Nicholas spoke in his cultured, European accent as he paced his sister’s bedroom after listening to her and Abby.  Molly was cleaning up in the kitchen while Frankie was in Carly’s study going over work he’d brought with him. ‘But what you’re asking me to do is going to prove very difficult.’

‘But not impossible, right?’ Melanie persisted.

‘Impossible... no. But the term  “deep undercover” is no exaggeration, ladies. And a man with Bo Brady’s expertise and years in law enforcement will be hard to find if he doesn’t want to be found; especially, according to his brother, he’s acting on his own. That’s what he told you, Abby?’

Abby nodded.

‘What’s this mission he’s on, anyway?’

‘Uncle Roman didn’t tell me. I don’t think he would anyway, to protect him. But Uncle Bo didn’t come back with his mum after he took her to California to treat her Alzheimer’s.’ Abby said.

Nicholas frowned, deep in thought. ‘If we can just find out who or what Brady’s investigating we could probably take it from there. Melanie, if Roman Brady’s sincere about what he said to you at the hospital, he might tell you.’

‘Fine, I’ll ask him.’

‘There’s another option. I’m willing to bet Bo has  a contact; someone he’s passing his Intel to even if he’s acting on his own.’ Nicholas went on.  

‘Well, it’s not Uncle Roman; he swore he has no idea where he is.’ Abby said. ‘And I don’t think it would be Shane either.’

‘Who’s Shane?’ Melanie asked.

‘Bo has a sister living in California, Kimberly. Shane’s her husband and he used to be an ISA agent. Bo won’t pass secret info to a civilian would he?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Nicholas agreed.

Abby remembered something else; a conversation she overheard at the Brady Pub between Kayla and Caroline.

‘Uncle Steve...’

‘Who?’ Melanie said, exasperated.

‘My uncle... Steve Johnson. He’s in the ISA. Actually, that’s the reason why Kayla divorced him in the first place. He’d left law enforcement for years then decided to get back into it.’  

Nicholas stopped pacing. ‘We’re getting somewhere. Actually, it would make things easier for us. If there’s a chance this Steve Johnson is Bo’s contact...’

‘He’ll know where he is!’ Melanie and Abby said in unison.

‘He’ll be able to pass our message to him!’

‘Exactly,’ Nicholas smiled triumphantly.

‘Oh Nick!’ Melanie got up to hug her brother. ‘Thank God, you’re here. I knew you would be able to help find him.’

‘Let’s just hope that Johnson is the contact.’

Abby rose too, more aware of Nicholas Alamain than she could stand. When he’d arrived he’d looked at her inquiringly until she reminded him they were  introduced on his last visit. He was devastatingly handsome; no doubt like his father but he had Carly’s green eyes, just like Melanie. And he was so polished and charismatic; like a prince. A crush, it’s just a crush... it will blow over in time, she thought.

‘Well... guys. I’m taking off now.’ She said rather reluctantly.

Melanie turned to her, taking her hands. ‘Thanks a lot for this, Abby. You’re a great friend.’ She smiled faintly. ‘Well... at least I hope we are from now on.’

‘Considering the history between our mums, this is how it was supposed to be anyway.’ Abby kissed Melanie on the cheek, hugging her. She turned to Nicholas. ‘See you, Nicholas.’

‘See you too, Abigail.’

Abby wanted to automatically correct him but found she liked the way her name in its actual form sounded from his mouth; in that polished accent. Smiling shyly at him, she picked up her purse and Melanie saw her out.

‘You kids had quite a long confab upstairs,’ Molly was on the couch,  the T.V remote in her hand. ‘Will I be a nosy woman if I ask the subject of discussion?’

Sitting down next to her, Melanie told her and Molly listened, nodding in agreement. ‘You’re doing the right thing, Mel.’

‘Yes. And I hope Uncle Frank will understand why we’re doing this.’

‘If he doesn’t, I’ll talk to him, make him see reason.’ Molly promised. ‘you’re really doing your best for Carly. I’m glad to see it.

‘Thanks,’ Melanie picked at a loose thread on her jeans. ‘After all that hurt and misunderstandings she went through; I want to bring him back to her. Since that thing with Bo she never smiled, Molly. Even if she doesn’t get back with him, she’ll have that closure. She’ll smile again and get to raise Starr without a cloud over her head. And she’ll forget the  misery of the past... at least I hope so.’

Molly sighed. ‘I hope so too. The whole thing’s so sad. Back in the day, I regarded them as the luckiest couple in town. Their story was just so romantic; the love and passion they shared... anyone would want to feel that way. And to hear  it  all went to hell, I can’t understand what could have happened. I don’t mean the second time around, I mean back then.’

Melanie shrugged. ‘She wouldn’t talk about it with me; I think it was too painful. But I get the feeling back then their story had an unnatural ending as this one. Because I just can’t see how two people so deeply in love and so connected  found each other and then get torn apart; twice.’

‘You told me you’ve been reading her diaries, does it say what happened that day?’

‘No, I haven’t gotten to that part yet.’ Melanie admitted. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue reading it. The misunderstandings were now cleared- the reason why Alamain died by her hand, why she’d kept Chloe’s secret, snippets of her past revealed. But she was going to  later get to the part where Bo had to leave her and remembering Carly’s tears that day, Melanie could tell the later entries in the diary will be full of pain; especially the entry narrating the breakup. Melanie wondered if she was brave enough to read the rest.

‘Maybe Mum will tell me, eventually.... when she’s ready to talk about it.’ She said. ‘And maybe I’ll know what really happened back then. You’ve told me a lot about them, but I wish I knew more. Their story, from the very beginning. All the stuff that's not in her diaries.’

:::::::

Like Roman promised, Carly and Starr had some more visitors. Sami came with flowers and baby things, accompanied by Marlena who had sincerely wanted to reach out to Carly since her return to town  but Carly’s aloofness didn't encourage her. Daniel was informed of  what Melanie had gathered about Carly and silently read the entry Melanie wanted him to read, passing the diary back to her in silence; shock and disbelief on his face. ‘Chloe...’ he shook his head. ‘That rigged elevator was meant for Carly?’

‘Yes. Mum still kept her secret, only because of the test. The whole time she had no idea the other man was Phillip, it didn’t matter to her since the test was positive.’

‘You mean allegedly positive,’ Daniel said bitterly. ‘No thanks to Caroline Brady’s interference, remember?’ And Carly almost lost her license just because she was trying to help me out.’

‘Dad, we owe her a lot, a whole lot.’  Melanie emphasised.

‘I know,’ Daniel said nodding, looking back at the long list of injustices towards the mother of his daughter. How could he have accused her of not letting him be a father.. when she never got to see Melanie’s first steps or hear her first words? And to say he could’ve handled Alamain, the same man who beat, raped and did all sorts of terrible things to Carly because she wouldn’t say who fathered her child? Shame and anger hit him as he remembered the cruel words he would give anything to take them all back. As for Chloe... he’d been in love with a viper the whole time. ‘I’m glad you showed me this, honey. It really explains a lot now.’ He touched her shoulder, smiling faintly at her. Then his expression grew serious. ‘But now, I want you to do something for me.’

‘If this is about Jennifer again...’

‘Please, let her visit Carly. This grudge you’ve got towards her is ridiculous.’

‘Dad...’ Melanie fought to hold her temper. ‘She had the nerve  to...’

‘I know, I know... what she did was wrong; allowing Hope in there was inappropriate and wrong. I get it. But you’ve punished her enough.’

‘Not nearly enough. It’s bad enough she wasn’t there for Mum but to bring that woman into her room to gloat,’ she shook her head angrily.

‘I’m not defending Hope Brady but  I really doubt she was there to gloat. I know she partly caused Carly’s pain but she’s not a bad person either. Neither is Jen. She made her mistakes but so did you, so did I.’ Daniel put his arm round Melanie’s shoulder. ‘Do this for your old man, please.’

‘Fine,’ Melanie said sullenly, moving away from him. ‘but tell her to keep out of my way. I’m going back to check on Mum.’

Daniel shook his head at his daughter’s temper. Melanie was so sensitive and emotional; fiercely loyal to the people she loved and unyielding to those who crossed her. As he turned towards the direction to his office, he saw Kayla talking with  Carly’s obstetrician. Taking his mind back to past events, he wondered if she was asking about Carly as Chief Of Staff or was concerned about her.

‘Checking on Carly’s progress?’ he asked after Dr. Long left.

Kayla looked at him inquiringly. ‘But of course, she’s a patient.’

‘Hmm. Have you actually seen her, or Starr?’

Her silence gave him her answer.

‘My God...’

‘Don’t you start with me.’

‘Just as well you were able to force Carly out of this hospital. I see you still hate her.’

‘How dare you accuse me of forcing her out.’ Kayla said, her voice tight with anger.

‘You were sure glad she left and I wasn’t the only one who noticed.’ Maxine, some nurses and several doctors blamed Kayla behind her back for Carly’s departure.

‘Carly resigned on her own and it’s because she was a sore loser. The board appointed me  as Chief of Staff over her because they felt I was the right person for the job.’

‘You and I both know she was the better person for the job; especially after she won that Medical Merit Award along with me.’

‘The board doesn’t look kindly on doctors with a history of illegal activity and Carly’s guilty of that; obtaining your DNA sample without your permission to run that paternity test at St. Mary’s under false pretence.’

‘Which you couldn’t wait to report to the board.’

‘I only did my duty, she deserved to lose her license.’

‘Carly didn't give a damn about that position and I doubt she would’ve accepted it anyway. Don’t flatter yourself, Dr. Johnson.’ Daniel said scathingly. ‘Carly left because she knew how you felt about her. Lexie sided with Hope too but at least she treated Carly with professional respect; which you wouldn’t have done. You would’ve made her life here a living hell. The last thing she needed while dealing with the misery your brother put on her was a vindictive woman like you. And speaking of illegal activity, what do you call what Caroline did?’

‘Remember I’m your superior, I will not be spoken to like this.’

‘Feel free to report me too then, boss.’ Daniel snarled. ‘Go ahead! The truth’s always harsh and that’s what you’ve been hearing. You and your family are nothing but a bunch of holier-than-thou hypocrites. Melanie’s told me what she found about her mother’s past so far... a past you all decided to forget  and kept from her. How you sleep at night I’ll like to know.’

Kayla glared at him, refusing to give way. ‘Carly knew Bo and Hope had children a long history but she threw herself at him anyway and too bad  she got hurt when my brother came to his senses eventually. He needed Hope more than her and Carly couldn’t stand that. I’ve got nothing to apologise for; and I’m guilty of nothing.’

‘You’re a heartless bitch, Kayla Johnson.’ Daniel said, really disgusted.

‘Daniel... I’m warning you.’ As she spoke, out of the corner of her eye she saw someone was standing not far off, overhearing the heated exchange. Frankie, his eyes fixed on her.

Without thinking, Kayla abruptly turned and began walking away but Frankie swiftly caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm. ‘What’s your hurry, Kayla?’ he hissed, spinning her round to face him. Daniel decided not to interfere; whatever Frankie had in mind for her, as long as it wasn’t physical violence, she deserved it.

‘Frankie... let go... no, let go of me!’ Kayla protested as Frankie firmly pushed her into the first empty room he found, slamming the door shut between them. 

‘I would never have believed you and the family would be capable of what you did.’

‘Carly only told you her side of the story...’

‘Her side of the story or the whole story! ’ Frankie shouted at her, shaking with anger. Frankie usually was capable of holding his temper but not this time. ‘Didn’t you just confirm it back there just now?’ Kayla turned her eyes away. ‘It’s bad enough you all treated her that way, but to justify your actions and caring nothing about my sister’s pain... how could you?!’

Kayla wrestled her arm off his grip, ‘You should understand...’

‘There’s nothing to understand except that you’re  truly a heartless bitch, just like Daniel said. Don’t you even try it!’ he grabbed her hand as she raised it to slap him. Kayla felt angry tears prick her eyelids as he held her wrist in a painful grip.

‘You’re no longer my family.’ He said slowly. ‘You, Caroline and especially that coward; I’ll never forgive every one of you. Ever.’

He freed her, Kayla starring down at the floor as Frankie slammed his way out of the room.

:::::

Jennifer opened the door of the Horton House, her eyes narrowing when she was her visitor was Hope.

‘Hey.’

‘Hey. Come in.’

Hope followed her cousin into the living room,  immediately noticing the  large baby gift basket on the couch.  

‘I was just getting ready to go the hospital to visit Carly and Starr.’

‘Starr?’

‘Yes, Starr Isabella Manning, Hope. Carly and Bo’s daughter.’ Jennifer firmly informed her. ‘And if I were you, I’d let Ciara know that she has a little sister now.’

‘Just like you had Roman tell Shawn D and Chelsea.’

‘They have a right to know. Whatever story you choose to tell Shawn Douglas when he gets here, just make sure you tell him the truth. Otherwise, Melanie will and it won’t be pretty coming from her.’

Hope was silent, looking down at her hands as Jennifer finishing wrapping the box containing Carly’s present. She’d bought her a silk nightgown and matching robe along with a pair of novelty slippers;  some accessories she thought Carly might need were in a shopping bag beside Starr’s gift basket.

‘I wish you’d let me tell Shawn D myself, Jen.’

Jennifer paused in the middle of her task to look up at her. ‘Would you have done it objectively? Admit your own mistakes to your son and make him realise it was never Carly’s fault that you and Bo were separated? If you want to be mad at me then be mad at me because I’m done, so is Roman.’

‘What does that mean exactly?’ Hope demanded defensively.

‘It means we’re not protecting you anymore, Hope. I lost my best friend’s love and trust because I sided with you,’ Jennifer said, her voice trembling. ‘Carly was like a sister to me, we were roommates in boarding school; we looked out for each other. And look what I did... what everybody did; blind to your faults when the whole time it was your fault. I don’t even have to tell you all this, Hope!’

‘Alright, I’m to blame!’ Hope shouted back, tears glistening in her eyes. ‘You want me to say it, I’m to blame! But Bo never told me about Carly, everybody made me think Billie was the only other woman while I was gone. Nobody ever told me about the elegant, perfect Dr. Manning! How did you expect me to act when I was caught unawares like that?’

‘Again, you’re making it all about you!’ Jennifer was really exasperated. ‘You moved out with Ciara! That’s it, isn’t it? Carly was more of a threat to you, because I think you realised that Bo wouldn’t have left her for you when you came back years ago.’

‘Stop it,’ Hope said through gritted teeth.

‘You realised you made a mistake moving out the moment you saw her, didn’t you?’ Jennifer pressed. ‘And that was one of the reasons why everybody shunned her, because deep down they knew. I knew! And we all pretended that her past with Bo was less important than his history with you. You caused all your problems and brought a lot of hurt on an innocent woman. You were never the victim, Carly was.’

Both cousins stared at each other, each seething in their thoughts.

‘Fine...’ Hope said at last, the tears finally rolling down her cheeks. ‘Fine, it was my fault. And everything you said... true. And it’s probably hard for you to believe but I felt  bad Carly was hurt. I was jealous of her because I knew what she and Bo had while I was gone was very deep; it explained why everyone didn’t want to talk about it when I asked. And it was easier to blame her, it was easier for Bo and I not to talk about her when we got back together.’ She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. ‘Well, I’m done pretending too. I accept responsibility for everything.’ The reason for her visit was to tell Jennifer about her growing feelings for Aiden but Shawn D’s phone call prevented her from discussing it after all. ‘For what it’s worth...’

‘You should apologise to Carly, not me.’ Jennifer swiftly interrupted.

Hope nodded. ‘Fine.’ She said again. ‘I have to be somewhere, I’ll see you later.’

Jennifer nodded back, watching her cousin as she let herself out of the house. From upstairs, Abby breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Finally.’ She said softly. She couldn’t wait to tell Melanie about this.

:::::::::::

Abby found Melanie and Nicholas at the hospital’s cafeteria while Jennifer went to visit Carly, accompanied by Daniel. 

‘Hey Abby, join us.’ Melanie invited. Nicholas got up, pulling back the chair for her. Secretly pleased by his gallant gesture, Abby sat down. ‘What’s happening so far?’ she asked eagerly.

‘I got in touch with an old college friend who is in M16. Since of course Steve Johnson would naturally have an unlisted number and could be anywhere in the world right now, I asked Alistair to help us locate him. Once we locate Johnson, we’ll be able to pass our message to Bo through him- assuming he’s Bo’s contact. And I feel very sure he is. But Alistair’s ready to help us if we’re wrong but that means we’ll have to find out who Bo’s investigating for Alistair to have a lead.’

‘Well, at least thank God something’s being done right now, the sooner we can find Uncle Steve, the better.’

Abby lost no time telling Melanie and Nicholas what happened at the Horton house. Nicholas snorted. ‘a little too late for that woman to see the light, isn’t it?’

‘Whatever,’ Abby replied, ‘But I was glad to hear Mum telling her all that, it was about time Hope heard the truth. And I’m willing to bet the pretending from the rest of the family’s  going to stop now.’

Suddenly they heard an  announcement over the general loud speaker. Melanie paled  when it was repeated; getting up from her seat.

‘What is it?’ Nicholas demanded, getting up also.

‘Code Blue on Mum’s floor...  Mum!’ she rushed out of the cafeteria with Abby and Nicholas in hot pursuit.  ‘Come on... Come on...’ Nicholas snapped, impatiently pressing the elevator button until the doors opened and he and the girls rushed in. Carly was not in the Recovery room when they got there.

CARBO FAN FICTION- CARLY'S DIARY PART 5

Part 5

Roman looked at his mother and at his sister, who  were sitting opposite him. Kayla’s face was expressionless while Caroline’s was a mixture of uneasiness, reproach and sadness; her eyes lowered. Roman already told them of Starr’s birth, Melanie’s visit and Frankie’s presence in town.

‘Sooner or later this day had to come. Melanie’s more aware of Carly’s past with Bo now. And I doubt Frankie will count himself as  a member of this family from now on after he hears what happened to his sister. His sister, Mum. How can we say we’re Frankie’s family after Carly was treated like an outsider by all of us? What sort of excuse are we going to give him? Or we’re just going to act all defensive and do to him what we did to his sister; his only blood relative? We accused her of coming to wreck Bo’s marriage. We didn't care to listen to her side of the story of Alamain’s murder. Like it or not, we’ve got a lot to answer for.’

‘I’m aware of that, Roman.’ Kayla said, her tone flat. She’d been away for a week attending a medical conference, thus didn't know about Carly’s illness until     Roman informed her and Caroline. ‘But what exactly can we do about this now? What’s done is done; Frankie can’t expect us to go down on our knees and start apologising.’

‘Do you hear yourself?’ Roman asked harshly. ‘Is this how we would’ve treated Carly years ago after Hope suddenly came back? Have Bo throw Carly and Melanie out of his life because of his history with Hope? Look at how we all swept Carly’s past with Bo, with this family, under the rug because we cared too much about Hope’s feelings! For god sake; Carly was one of us!’

‘Fine, she didn't come back here for the reasons we thought,’ Kayla snapped. ‘But all the same she shouldn’t have come back here; she was a complication Bo didn’t need...’

‘Don’t you ever call her that again!’ Kayla rose, backing away from her brother’s wrath, his fist pounding the kitchen table.

‘Roman, Kayla... please stop, just stop.’ Caroline demanded, her voice trembling. ‘I can’t watch you two arguing, please.’

Roman scowled at his sister, not heeding their mother. Kayla scowled back, trying not to be intimidated by him but felt her eyes lowering.

‘Is Carly going to be alright?’ Caroline asked slowly.

‘She’s still in  a coma; what she’s got is life threatening.’ Roman turned to her, replying with great effort as he was still simmering with anger.

‘And...’ Caroline swallowed, ‘the baby?’

‘She’s in the NICU right now.’

‘Oh my God...’ Caroline closed her eyes, bowing her head. ‘How angry is he... Frankie?’

‘From what Jennifer told me over the phone, I can only imagine how he’s feeling right now. I don’t know about you two but I’m going over to the hospital right now to see Carly and my niece; your granddaughter. Hope can say what she likes; I’m done shunning my brother’s ex because of her.’ 

Picking up his car keys, he left the house; slamming the door behind him.

Kayla sighed deeply, sitting down next to her sobbing mother and put her arms round her. ‘Mum, you’re going make yourself ill; please stop crying.’

‘How will I face Frankie? He will  never forgive us...’

‘Mum, stop it... it’s going to be alright...’ Kayla soothed.

‘How’s  it going to be alright? Frankie’s my son, your brother... what are you going to tell him?’ Caroline demanded. ‘Carly’s his sister, Kayla... one of the many things we conveniently forgot about!’

Kayla shook her head, refusing to give in to guilt. ‘That may be true Mum... but Carly shouldn’t have gotten involved with Bo. Whatever the circumstances, her relationship with Bo was wrong.’

Caroline pushed Kayla’s arm away from her shoulder. ‘after everything that’s been going on in this family over the years... Kayla; who are we to judge what’s right and what’s wrong?’ More tears rolled down her cheeks as memories flooded in. ‘ I cheated on your father... for selfish reasons. You got involved with your sister’s ex-husband.’

Kayla bit her lower lip. ‘Mum...’

 ‘What right did we have to judge Carly?’ Caroline shouted. ‘She came back to find her daughter... she endured years of abuse instead of contacting Bo to help her! That’s the extent of how much she loves him! Carly was like a daughter to me....  she was your friend. How will we explain our actions to Frankie... you tell me that!’

Long awkward silence.

:::::::::::::

‘I should go,’ Hope sat up, only to be pulled back down.

‘Stay, please.’

She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder; her body still tingling from his lovemaking. ‘I can’t stay the night, Ciara will be wondering where I am,’ she whispered, running her fingers over his chest longingly.

‘She’s your daughter, not your keeper. You can call and tell Kiriakis you’ll be out half the night, cop stuff.’

Hope  smiled faintly as she raised her head, pressing a kiss on his mouth. Since the day she’d met him at Ciara’s school she’d sensed the attraction for him and vice versa and fought hard against it; her love for Bo the main reason.  But the feelings she had for this man couldn’t be ignored anymore. He’d found her at the docks, upset over her fight with Jennifer and in the middle of comforting her, had kissed her. Dinner had led to him taking her back to his place; where they finally gave in to passion. It was different from her time with Patrick. She had been taken in by him true but it was mostly out of revenge towards Bo for his betrayal; an act of revenge she later found out to be futile. But now, she felt no guilt or remorse.

Aiden  Jennings kissed Hope back, wrapping his arms round her tightly.  

Pulling back a little, he stroked one eyebrow with the tip of his finger. ‘This isn’t a one night stand for me. I don’t want an affair; I want a relationship, a real relationship with you.’

‘Aiden...’ Hope sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.

‘I mean it, Hope.’ Aiden’s strikingly handsome face was stern. ‘We’ve been keeping back how we feel for each other for a very long time. We can’t deny it any longer.’

‘Not after this we can’t,’ Hope reluctantly agreed.

‘What’s this about, then?’ Aiden cupped her chin. ‘Do you still nurse the hope that Bo will come back to you? Or... is this a way of getting back at him?’

‘No!’ Hope denied, stung by the question. ‘Of course not.’

‘Then we do we go from here, Hope? I know what I want but what about you?’

 ‘It’s  a little more complicated than you think.’

‘You’re afraid of what your family’s going to think about us, aren’t you?’

‘Well, yes.’ Hope admitted. ‘Technically, Bo and I aren’t married... but he’s still the father of my children and we’ve been together for years. We had our rough patches but we always got through them.’

‘If this was another rough patch, you wouldn’t be in bed with me right now.’

Hope couldn’t argue with that. Bo’s been away for months... No letter after the one she got through John; no phone call, not one word to let her know he was alright. All because of his “deep undercover” mission. Just thinking about it made her angry and resentful all over again. If Bo really loved his family, truly put them first; he wouldn’t be gone at all. She was the one who’s been raising their daughter alone; Ciara affected by her father’s absence. Lonely nights, wondering if Bo would come home anytime soon and they will be a family again.

Will they ever be a family even if he came back tomorrow? She just made love to another man... and she didn’t feel guilty, but she still loved Bo. She turned to look at Aiden and the tender expression on his face made her want to cry. She touched his cheek. ‘Give me time to think.’ She said softly. ‘Please... my feelings are just all over the place right now. Please?’

Aiden  looked at her for a few seconds then nodded, drawing her back into his arms.

:::::::

‘She’s beautiful, Mel.’ Roman said softly, peering down at Starr through the glass. ‘And it’s a beautiful name Carly picked out for her.’ He’d already seen Carly, very sad to see how pale and ill she looked under the oxygen mask.

Melanie shrugged. ‘Thanks for the flowers and the baby stuff.’

‘It’s the least I could do. Even before Jennifer called me, I thought about what you said the day you came to the station. And you’re right, Mel. We acted badly. And we should’ve told you more about your Mum, especially since you could’ve been Bo’s daughter. I’m really sorry.’

So you should be, Abby, who was standing beside Melanie, thought scathingly but said nothing.

‘Where’s Frankie?’

‘I sent him and Molly to Mum’s house; they needed the rest. You remember Molly?’

Roman  frowned. ‘Molly... Molly Brinker?’

‘She’s Scofield now.’

So she married Tanner, Roman thought. ‘I see. So you know Mel, if I really knew where Bo was, I would contact him in a heartbeat and get him to come home.’

Melanie and Abby exchanged glances, they’d agreed not to tell any of the Bradys or the Hortons of their plan to locate Bo.

Roman continued, ‘I told Sami about Carly and Starr, she promised to come by with Marlena in the morning. And... I sure hope you’ll go easy on Jennifer from now on.’

‘Please don’t mention her.’ Melanie turned to Abby. ‘Sorry.’

Abby shook her head reassuringly.

Roman patted Melanie’s shoulder. ‘There’s going to be amends being made, Mel. Try and be generous; okay? I’m going to say the same thing to Frankie. I’ll see you girls tomorrow.’

‘Good night and thanks.’ Melanie waited for him to leave before turning  back to Abby. ‘I’d like to see just what Caroline, Kayla and Victor will explain to Frankie. Speaking of Victor...’ she noticed Abby looking over her shoulder and turned.

‘Melanie.’

‘Nick! You’re here finally, thank God!’ Melanie rushed to her brother. Abby stared at Nicholas as he enveloped Melanie in his arms.

He’s here, the man who’s been haunting her dreams. 

CARBO FAN FICTION- CARLY'S DIARY PART 4

Part 4

‘I know what you must think of me... of us all.’

Frankie’s soulful bluish black eyes, which once gave Jennifer butterflies in her stomach, were hard and cold. ‘Since you know that quite well, you should also know I have nothing to say to you.'

‘Frankie, please... let’s not do this. I know I wasn’t a good friend to Carly but she’s still my friend and I’m hers. You have to understand...’

‘What exactly do you want me to understand, huh? Hope made her choice yet everybody just decided to hug and comfort her and shun my sister like she was the one who wrecked her marriage in the first place; including you.’

Jennifer swallowed. ‘Don’t you accuse me of that. It’s true I didn't approve of her and Bo but that’s only because I knew Hope was still in love with Bo; I felt he should give her another chance, because they belonged together.’  

‘But my sister was in the way,’ Frankie bit out. ‘Was the love they had years ago suddenly a crime? Or something dirty and disgusting just because Hope suddenly decided to end her marriage? My sister’s return reminded them of what she and Bo had years ago; it reminded you. Bo loved my sister very much and Hope’s been making him unhappy- you lot added two and two together and hated the inevitable- so Carly suddenly became the enemy and Hope the victim!’

Before Jennifer could speak, Frankie continued, his voice rising. ‘How dare you stand in front of me and call yourself Carly’s friend? What stopped you from doing the right thing? Why didn't you stick up for her and remind Hope of the choice she made by herself and have her take responsibility? Did you comfort Carly at all when she was hurting over Bo? Did you?! Did you care at all of how much Carly  was suffering or were you too busy popping the champagne with the rest of the family?’

Jennifer shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. To be accused by Melanie of being a bad friend was bad enough but from Carly’s brother and former love... she couldn’t bear it.

‘Carly shut me out... she wouldn’t let me comfort her.’ Adrienne had been the one to do it.

Frankie gave a rude, contemptuous snort. ‘Not allow a woman who obviously  sided with Hope to comfort her, how shocking.’

‘You have every reason to be angry, Frankie. I don’t know what we can do or say to make up for everything Carly went through.’ Jennifer’s voice shook. ‘I don’t expect you to forgive us that easy...’

‘You got that right,’ Frankie interrupted. ‘No way am I going to ever forget this, never. Not you, not them and especially not that bastard Bo deserve to ask me for anything!’ 

‘Come on, Frankie- lay off her...’ Daniel, overhearing the exchange, came forward to intervene, taking Jennifer’s arm. ‘We all treated Carly badly, including me. We made our mistakes; people make mistakes. Don’t  be so hard.’

Frankie merely scowled at Daniel then at Jennifer before walking away from them.

Jennifer stood in silence, biting her lower lip as Daniel hugged her tightly. A few yards away, Molly watched.

Bo is  at Mrs. Horton’s funeral right now; with the rest of the family. It breaks my heart that I can’t join them in saying goodbye to her, I loved her as much as they did. I saw the grief on Bo's face the day Hope came to tell him Alice's health was failing. She had a long, happy life but the idea of her gone forever is still so hard to swallow. I’d seen her only once since I got back- the day after Mickey was buried and even in the midst of her grief over her son, she smiled and hugged me the way she used to whenever I was worried or sad back in the day. She was a woman of strength and wisdom and she’ll be  really missed by all of us. At least I wasn’t treated like an outsider by her, she was always loving and warm and I wish I had taken more time off to visit her before she died. I wanted to go with Bo to see her at the house when I heard she was ill but even I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed there. And even though she was glad to see me again, deep down I was so afraid of how she would react about my resumed relationship with her granddaughter’s husband... years ago she did all she could to bring Bo and me together, but that was then.

Bo’s words gave me my answer and it gave me a great deal of comfort.

" I know how much you loved Mrs. Horton... I feel like I should see her, say something to her, share in your grief." I told Bo.

He stroked my cheek, tears in his eyes, “Mrs. H knows me better than I know myself. She never judged, especially when it came to my feelings for you.”

Oh Alice... Alice! What will we all do without you now? 

As for Chloe, she's very lucky the elevator crash didn’t kill her... the elevator crash I now know was meant for me. Why else did she try all she could to stop me from getting on it... and ended up falling into her own trap? And she’s confessed already.

I have more than enough reason to denounce her. She tried to kill me, because of my ultimatum to her, tell Daniel about your affair or I will. Since I heard her arguing with Nathan about it, I suspected he was the man in question but she swears it’s not him. And she’s begging me not to expose her to Daniel, or to Bo for attempted murder. Because Bo will definitely arrest her... especially after he finds out Chloe set it up with Vivian’s help. The stupid fool actually went to Vivian Alamain of all people to get rid of me; she obviously didn't know Vivian enough to realise she would let her take the fall and deny any involvement. Victor must have told Vivian about the elevator crash he planned years ago, how else would she have thought of such a plan and sold it to Chloe.

But what good will it do? It would be Vivian’s word against Chloe’s. Chloe did drag me away at the last minute and got her punishment. And now this development, she’s pregnant. No matter who the father is, can I send a pregnant woman to jail? And Vivian’s always been good at manipulation.

Chloe’s very distraught and on edge, she has no idea who the father is and she can’t marry Daniel with a clear conscience until she finds out. Her fate’s in my hands, she will lose Daniel and her freedom, all I have to do is say the word.

Which is what I have no intention of doing. Chloe got herself into a huge mess but an innocent child’s involved now. Instead, she will tell Daniel about her affair, only if the baby turns out not to be his. She’s going to have to take a DNA test, which I can arrange for her at St. Mary’s.

 Why, oh why hadn’t she allowed Carly to explain? No matter what Frankie, Brady, Molly and Daniel said, Melanie would never feel free from her guilt. And now she just found out another terrible secret... Chloe had conspired with Vivian to kill Carly, no wonder she became so chummy and humble around her! Melanie was aghast and furious... how could Carly let that bitch get away with attempted murder, baby or not? She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stared down at her mother’s face, taking her hand. In spite of what Chloe tried to do to her, Carly had made that deal but Caroline’s interference had made them all heap blame on Carly instead. Daniel must know about this, immediately.

‘Why did it all have to happen to you?’ she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘You... who never hurt anybody.’ She let go of Carly’s hand to touch her cheek. ‘Please wake up soon, Mum. Please... I got so much to say to you.’

‘Melanie? Can I come in?’ Abby said, hovering the door.

 Melanie stared at her and nodded, closing the diary on her lap and wiping her cheeks. Abby had a vase of flowers in her hands. ‘I brought these for her.’

‘Thanks Abby, put them over there.’

Abby put the vase down, turning to look down at Carly. ‘How is she doing?’

‘Dr. Long keeps saying she’ll come out of the coma eventually. She’s just not sure when. With Eclampsia...’ she shrugged.

Abby shifted her foot. ‘Mel, I want to talk you about something. Can we go outside?’

Melanie raised her eyebrows but stood up. ‘Sure.’

Abby waited until Melanie closed the door behind them. ‘So, what’s on your mind?’

‘Listen, I realise our last conversation about Carly and Bo didn't go well. But I want you to know, I really feel bad about how she was treated. I’m on her side, Mel.’

Melanie stared hard at her, seeing the sincerity on her face. ‘Thanks, that’s good to know.’

‘And there’s something else you need to know. Bo came by to see her one day. He brought what turned out to be junk mail to her but I feel he used it as an excuse.’ She narrated what she’d overheard between them.

‘You think... Bo’s still in love with Mum?’ Melanie said at last. ‘No Abby, I don’t think so. You just don’t hurt someone you love like that.’

‘I keep going over that day in my mind Mel, and I can’t shake the feeling that he still does. And he has to know about Starr and Carly’s condition too.’

‘Abby, this is a long shot. Even if we find a way of contacting Bo, suppose things are still the same with him?’

‘Carly will at least get some closure.’ Abby replied. ‘With that and having a part of Bo Hope can never take from her, she’ll finally be able to move on with her life. Don’t you see?’

Melanie reluctantly saw that Abby had a point. 'Okay. She either gets him back or gets closure; which would help a great deal. But how will we find Bo? We don’t even know where to start.’

‘Your brother can help. He’s a very important man, isn’t he?’ Abby said, praying she wouldn’t blush at the thought of Melanie’s handsome brother. Carly introduced him to her and Jennifer after they made peace and Abby had found herself immediately taken in by Nicholas Alamain. ‘He’s bound to have a lot of connections.’

Melanie nodded thoughtfully, ‘ I guess he could do that. I’ll talk to him about it when he gets here. But don’t mention this to my uncle, he’s mad at the family right now.’

‘Can’t say that I blame him. But we do need to find Bo all the same. The sooner he gets here the better.’

Melanie suddenly found herself more willing to find Bo.  Maybe Brady could help too.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jennifer stared down at little Starr Manning through the NICU’s glass window; wishing over and over she told Bo about Carly’s pregnancy when she had the chance. The baby looked so tiny and helpless.... and so beautiful. She was doing well so far but supposing an unexpected complication came up? What about Carly, who was still in a coma and whom she was not allowed to see? How will she ever live with herself or face Bo?

She turned as someone came up to her, her eyes widening on recognising her. ‘My God... Molly.’

She reached for her but her arms dropped on realising immediately Molly made no move towards her, her expression unsmiling. ‘You know, huh?’

‘I know.’ Molly replied quietly.

Jennifer turned away. ‘Molly... Frankie’s already chewed me out, please don’t start too.’

Molly shrugged. ‘I don’t have to, Frankie said it all. And it’s not like he said anything that wasn't true.’

‘Bo never meant to hurt her, neither did I.’ Jennifer turned back  to look at  Molly. ‘As for the others... I won’t speak for their behaviour. I don’t know what else I can say except I wish it never happened; what Carly went through.

‘But it did, it did happen.’ Molly said, her voice still quiet but her usually gentle eyes hard. ‘I keep going back to the night I overheard you and Julie planning Carly’s wedding shower. Back then, I thought  Carly was so lucky to have friends who cared so much about her. But now I see that alliances can change. I cannot even begin to tell you... how disappointed I am with all of you, especially you. You’re supposed to be her friend, but like Bo you let her down. How can you ever live with yourself, Jen? How?’

I did nothing wrong! Jennifer wanted shout, staring after Molly’s retreating back. I warned Carly Bo and Hope will always be connected; I didn't want her to get hurt!

But was that the right reason? Did I warn her for her own well being or for my cousin’s?

What stopped you from doing the right thing? Why didn't you stick up for her and remind Hope of the choice she made by herself and have her take responsibility? Frankie had accused.

 He’s right, so right! Jennifer bit her trembling lip. Deep down she knew that, the reason for her fight with Hope- she’d pretty much said the same thing to her. No more sheltering and protecting her though. No more unfairness, no more pretence.

Bringing out her phone, she dialled Roman’s number. ‘Roman, it’s me. Listen, pass this round to the family. Carly’s had her baby.’