I've Loved You Before

Chapter 6 - I'll Stand By You

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Oh, why you look so sad?

Tears are in your eyes

Come on and come to me now

Don't be ashamed to cry

Let me see you through

'Cause I've seen the dark side too

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Two days later Marlena sat on the edge of her bed in her hotel room. It had been relatively quiet at the start of the week, but someone had just moved into the room adjoining hers. She glanced at the locked door that separated the room, double checking that she'd locked it. She assumed there was another door on their side which was locked as well. She took a deep breath. She'd been anxious and overwhelmed since her argument with Roman two days earlier. Because of that she'd buried herself in work over the weekend. Her meeting with Paul Whitman had gone as scheduled, and she was preparing for the conference on the brain and memory.

She stared at the telephone. She needed to call Roman. She really couldn't put it off much longer. Another deep breath. Lifting the receiver, she decided to check on John first. Then she would call Roman. Dialing the hotel operator, she told them she'd like to make a long distance call, and they patched her through. It rang several times, and Marlena was relieved to finally hear Haley's voice, "John Black residence."

"Oh, Haley!" Marlena said, slightly breathless. She tried to take another deep breath. "I was hoping to catch John. Is he in?"

Haley sighed softly. Of course it was Marlena calling. No one else seemed to check on John. It wasn't as if they didn't care. He'd received numerous phone calls when he'd first returned after Isabella's death, but one by one he had pushed people away. The calls had become less frequent, until they seemed to drop off completely. She should be happy that Marlena hadn't given up on him, but truthfully she was jealous. She pushed her long copper locks back over her shoulder with a flip, and she said softly, "He left this morning for a quick business trip. He should be back tomorrow evening."

"Oh, he didn't mention anything the last time we spoke," Marlena said with a little more sadness than she'd intended.

"It wasn't expected," Haley told her. "Lawrence tried to schedule a meeting with another company head without informing John. He just found out last night, and he left this afternoon. He should be there already."

She couldn't help asking, "Where was he going?"

"New York. He's staying at the Martinique on Broadway if you'd like to call him there." Haley sat down on the couch feeling defeated. He was never going to notice her, so there was no sense trying to sabotage the one healthy relationship he seemed to have. He needed all of the friends he could get, and right then Haley was pretty sure Marlena was it.

Marlena straightened up, repeating, "The Martinique? You're sure?"

"Yes... hold on, I've got it written down... yes, room 518," Haley replied. She glanced towards the baby monitor when she heard Brady fussing. "I'm sorry I need to go get Brady. He just woke up."

"Okay. Okay. Yes... thank you, Haley." Marlena hung up the telephone, and then immediately called the operator again, calling Roman.

"Hello," Roman said briskly.

"Roman... it's Marlena," she said softly.

"Hey, Doc. I was just on my way out the door." He shrugged into his jacket, "Is it important?"