Unspoken

Chapter 6

September 26, 1992

John, Isabella, Brady, Marlena, and a nurse named Brenda were on their way to Italy. Roman hadn't even bothered to tell Marlena goodbye, and she had to admit that maybe her marriage was in more trouble than she had previously admitted to herself. Waiting for him to come home had cost her precious time, and made her late to the airport. John knew as soon as she'd arrived that she had cried all the way there. He wanted to ask her about it, but she'd glanced surreptitiously towards Isabella where the nurse was getting her settled, and shaken her head no. Instead, she'd reached for Brady, taking him gently into her arms, and walked towards the rear cabin of the plane. John watched her go sadly, and when he turned to his wife he saw her watching him.

Marlena had been forced to leave a note for Roman on the table beside the telephone. She'd also left him a message at work. What hurt her the most was his lack of consideration, and care. The person he was before he was taken by Stefano eight years earlier was a far cry from the man who'd returned. She was having a hard time reconciling the two. In fact, she was sure she could. She hadn't mentioned her marital troubles to anyone, but that didn't mean people hadn't noticed. She saw the sad glances she would sometimes get from Shawn or Caroline. She'd even seen Isabella watching her once across the room at the pub during a family gathering after Roman had dismissed Marlena abruptly during a conversation.

She rocked Brady in her arms as he fussed slightly. It was late, and therefore past the normal bedtime for a child his age. He might take awhile to settle simply because his schedule wasn't adhered to. "Oh, my sweet boy," she cooed. "You're tired aren't you? And everything is so confusing right now isn't it?"

He stared up at her, and she was struck by the deep mahogany of his eyes. They were nearly identical to Isabella's, having that reddish undertone that made them seem to hold so much depth. At four months old, Brady's life had been short, and it broke Marlena's heart to know the coming tragedy that he would have to endure. She held him close, and breathed him in.

"You know what?" she whispered. "Let's get you comfortable, and settled. What do you say? A diaper change, some soft pajamas with little feet, and a bottle. Does that sound nice?"

He gave her a toothless smile, and stared up at her with his head back. Drool dripped from his bottom lip, and she couldn't help taking another deep breath of him. He smelled like lotion, and baby powder. She missed that smell. Glancing around, she saw the diaper bag sitting on the couch, and headed towards it.

This trip would involve changes for all of them. John and Brady were losing Isabella. Marlena was planning to use the time away from Salem to reevaluate her marriage to Roman, and at some point she planned on going to Colorado to retrieve her children. She was no longer content to allow them to be so far from her. She would spend time with Sami, and she would find out what her daughter was keeping from her, because she was certain Sami was hiding something.

She laid Brady on the couch, placing the diaper bag at her feet as she started chatting at him, "Sami and Eric are just going to love you. I know it. And it's not hard to love you." Running her finger over his soft cheek, she whispered, "After I get you fed and comfortable we'll go say goodnight to your mama."

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Marlena had brought Brady to say goodnight a few minutes earlier. Isabella had barely been able to reach her hands out for him. John had helped her hold their son while she whispered soft words to him, and then he'd handed his son back to Marlena. She'd cradled Brady against her the way he remembered her cuddling the twins when they were small. It came so naturally to her.

Isabella had a gentle smile on her face as she'd watched Marlena make her way back into the rear cabin to prepare for takeoff. "She's so good with him."