Breathe

Chapter 12

Bo stood outside of his parents' fish market, staring into his wife's eyes. Their flight home and their first night in Salem had been difficult. Hope had nightmares where she woke screaming for Marlena. He'd tried to comfort her, but she'd still cried herself to sleep. Just before dawn, another nightmare, and she'd been inconsolable until she'd called Marlena in Seabrook. Even then she had dark circles under her eyes, and she seemed exhausted. It had been a difficult night, and Bo only hoped that with time this would pass. He reached for her hand, noticing that her other one held Shawn-D's.

He wasn't even sure they should be there. He'd wanted to tell his parents alone, but Hope had insisted that she be there with him. He sighed, "They're going to be shocked. I'm walking in with my wife who's supposedly been dead for the last two years...maybe we should do this a different way."

"We can't Bo. It's best to get it over with," Hope told him. She wasn't going to allow him to do this alone. Not without her. She wasn't going to allow her story to be told without her there to tell it.

He stared into her wide green eyes for a moment, and he said, "Fancy Face... Roman is... unpredictable. I'm not sure I want Shawn-D to be around when we tell him."

"We don't even know that Roman is here, and Shawn-D can watch television in the living room when we talk to your parents. We have to do this," she said, touching his face gently. She thought about Marlena, and she replied, "I have to do this."

The look in her eye made him uncomfortable, but he knew that with Hope, once her mind was set on something there was no changing it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Okay. Okay... yeah. Let's go."

It was just before closing, and Caroline was sweeping the floor, while Shawn finished wiping down the surfaces behind the counter. Both of them were getting older, and the fish market was starting to take a toll on them. Shawn had hoped to pass it on to one of his son's but neither Bo, nor Roman seemed interested. Caroline looked up absently when the door to the shop opened. She was just about to say that they were closed, when she saw who was standing there. There was nothing she could do, other than stand there with wide eyes.

"Saints preserve us!" Shawn said, crossing himself quickly. His son stood in front of him holding the hand of someone he'd thought was deceased for the past two years. His heart thundered, but Bo just smiled wide.

"Hey Ma. Hey Pop," Bo said with a huge grin.

"I don't understand," Caroline whispered. Her fingers still clenched the broom stick in her hand. "I don't understand."

Shawn stared at Hope, and then he looked at Bo, asking softly, "Was John correct? Marlena?"

"Yeah, Pop. Hope, Marlena... and Marlena and John's son," Bo said.

"Their son?" Caroline whispered.

"I think we should all sit down," Hope said softly. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"That we do," Shawn said, dropping his dish rag on the top of the fish counter. He reached for the broom and took it from Caroline's shaky hand. "So, Roman... he was wrong then?"

Bo sighed, "He was wrong, Pop. Roman was so wrong. He didn't even want to try, but John... he knew, and he didn't give up." He glanced at Hope, overcome with relief to have her by his side. "He didn't give up, and I believed him."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The boat rocked with the waves of the Salem River, and Bo woke disoriented. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that it was barely past one in the morning. He heard Roman's drunken yell from outside, and scrambled to get out of bed. Hope reached for his arm, "Bo?"