John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 81 - The Prodigal Sons

Marlena checked her notes one last time before she took her glasses off. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she lay her glasses down on the desk and swivelled her chair round to where she could look out of the window. The sky through the blinds was a baby blue, unmarred by clouds, a declaration of imminent spring.

Laying her hands on her stomach, she smiled slightly as she felt the gentle swelling beneath them. As with Belle, she was barely showing still, but she could feel the growing life inside her and it filled her with a sense of incredible peace. Even through the strain of everything else that was going on in her life, the knowledge that she was sheltering a new life was a constant source of wonder to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of the turmoil that seemed to constantly taunt her.

After a moment, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Letting out a noiseless sigh, she opened her eyes and swung her chair around, taking the time to compose herself. Wondering idly where Hillary was, she invited her caller to enter.

With his heart fluttering madly in his chest, Eric turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"Hi Mom!"

Marlena's mouth fell open as her son stepped through the door.

"Eric?" It might have been a question rather than a statement of fact. It had been some time since Marlena had been able to get back to Colorado and it had seemed that during that time, Eric had left adolescence behind and become a handsome young man. For his part, Eric was glad to see that his mother looked no different to how he remembered, despite all that she had been through. In a way, he hadn't realized how much he had missed her until this moment.

"Yeah Mom, it's me." He could feel the silly grin on his face as her eyes filled with tears, but he couldn't wipe it off. He didn't really want to.

Although she was practically blinded by her tears, Marlena stood and wiping them away with a choked giggle, she made her way to where Eric was standing.

"Look at you!" She reached out tentatively and touched Eric's wavy hair. Taking everything in, in one sweeping glance, she smiled proudly. "You look wonderful." She pulled Eric into a close hug. "Just wonderful."

"You look great too Mom," Eric finally responded as he stepped back from the embrace.

"Oh, how I've missed my boy," Marlena smoothed his ruffled hair back off his face. "Where have you been?" She tugged on his hand. "Come and sit down and tell me everything you've been doing. I want to know it all." She had an eager grin on her face and Eric suppressed a smile. He'd forgotten how infectious her excitement was.

"There's plenty of time for that, Mom," he let her lead him to the seats in front of her desk. "I'm more concerned about you. Sami told me that things haven't been going so well."

Marlena ignored the familiar niggling pain that his words wrought and brushed them off.

"Oh, it's nothing," she waved as though the motion could slough off the heartache of the last few months. "Hardly anything that you need to worry yourself with anyway. I'll be just fine," she shook her head with a little motherly indulgence, "I always have been."

"Mom." He was unconvinced as he studied her. Her well applied make-up hid her paleness and the dark smudges under her eyes. But not well enough.

"Please Eric," she was suddenly serious, the softness of her voice masking something else, a slow, unbending sadness, an ache that she did not want to discuss.

"Okay," Eric nodded, suddenly with a smile on his face. She needed cheering up, that much was plain to see, and he knew just how to do it. "You wanna know what I've been doing then?"