Whisper My Name

Chapter 50

April 13, 1992

Victor Kiriakis Mansion

I can see you in the shadows

I can hear you in the wind

Think of you and I can feel my world closing in

~ Cruel Nights ~ Heart ~

Stefano DiMera walked right into the hands of the ISA and was taken into custody as soon as he descended the stairs onto the first floor. He'd known as he left his daughter's room that the fight was over. His memory was fading, and very often when it came back to him it came with overwhelming feelings of guilt and sadness that he didn't understand. Call it dementia, call it Alzheimers, he didn't have a name for it because he had refused to tell anyone, and he had refused to see a physician. As he walked down the main staircase, he was not surprised to see John and Shane waiting for him. His eyes connected with John's. He had known that if John's memory returned to him the ISA would come looking for him. Giving up Hope, and seeing Isabella were his last attempts to redeem himself. When he was completely lucid, his need for revenge coursed through him like a lifeforce, but when he wasn't it simply left him morose. He was tired. Tired of the game, tired of the rage, tired of it all. As he was being placed in handcuffs, he watched as John made his way towards the stairs, calling after him, "Even after abandoning her for Marlena Brady, you think you have the right to be with her."

John turned on the stairs, facing the man he hated with every fiber of his body, "She is dying, and I won't leave her to die alone. No one should die alone."

Stefano watched him go, coming to terms with who John really was. He had tried to destroy the caring, kind, empathetic man who was Forrest Alamain. He had tried to take every bit of Vivian and Shawn out of him, and obliterate it completely. He had done everything in his power to create a cold, heartless, mercenary, but he had failed. There had always been something in John's eyes, even if he didn't say it out loud. Something in his eyes that said he didn't understand, or he didn't agree with what Stefano was having him do. That failure had simply fueled him, because Stefano did not fail. Yet, John Black remained kind, caring, and empathetic to Isabella... a woman who had done things to hurt him, and earn his mistrust. There was a begrudging respect for the man who wouldn't allow his daughter to die alone.

Shane studied Stefano for a moment, watching him as he stared after John, finally saying, "It's time to go."

Stefano nodded once, placing his hands behind his back as Shane said, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

Upstairs, John opened the door to Isabella's room, and approached her bedside. She was so frail, and her breathing was shallow. Her eyes fluttered, and she looked up at him. John could feel her fear. His feet shuffled across the thick carpeting as he came to sit beside her. Reaching for him, she said softly, "John. You came back..."

He held her hand, brushing his thumb over the top, "Hey, Izzy-B. You know... you did your last PI job like a champ." He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. She knew he was trying to keep it light, but death was coming for her whether she wanted it to or not. She could feel it coming for her even as she laid there trying to fight it.

She smiled at him, "We still make a great team."

"Shane is very impressed," he told her. His free hand cupped her face gently, "I think he'd hire you as an ISA agent if you were interested."

She coughed softly, and tried to smile as she said, "Isabella Toscano, ISA agent."

Her breaths were becoming stuttered, and she seemed to grimace momentarily, as if she were in pain. John leaned closer, brushing her soft brown curls from her face. She was leaving this world, and she'd barely had a chance to live. "It's okay... to let go," John whispered, feeling the tears leave wet paths over his cheeks. "It's okay, Isabella. If the pain is too much, just let go."