As Time Flies.....Chapter 19
Last time: Bo and Sam underwent tests to see if they were a donor match for Ben. Ben and Viki were not unaware or unamused at the irony of what these test results might reveal. Nora was hungry, and Bo came to her culinary rescue. Sam wasn't happy to see Nora and Bo sharing a pizza.
Llanview Hospital - Room #416
Nora was shocked at Sam's outburst. Bo was just being a friend. Nora knew Sam was a jealous man, but she had apparently forgotten how much Bo pushed his buttons. Some things never changed.
"Sam! You should be ashamed of yourself! Bo was just trying to help. Be nice, or I'll ask you to leave again. I mean it!" Nora's eyes were blazing.
Sam was furious. How dare Nora defend Bo! It was his job to take care of her. Why was she letting Bo do it? That man was ruining everything! He wanted to blast Bo to the moon, but he knew if he did, Nora really would throw him out. He could tell she was serious. He tried to disguise his rage.
"I'm sorry, Stinger. I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about this later. How are you feeling, honey?" Sam leaned in and gave Nora a kiss. This time, he did it on the lips. He'd show Bo who Nora really belonged to.
"I'm fine, Sam. I'm very hungry, so if you don't mind I'm going to go back to my pizza. Where's Matthew?" Nora asked.
"He's with Mary Ann. I'm going to bring him to see you later, okay? He can't wait to see you, Nora! He's really missed his Mommy!" Sam smiled.
"How come he's not with you now? I thought I asked you to bring him the next time you came. I miss him, Sam. I really wanna see him!" As much as Nora was enjoying the pizza, she was desperate to see her son.
"I'm sorry Stinger, but I just came back from the lab. I didn't have time to go home before I came up here. I'm gonna go home right now and get him, okay? I want you to be happy, Nora. I'd do anything for you. I love you."
Nora ignored the last part. Right now the only thing that interested her about Sam was his ability to bring Matthew to her. He was really acting like an idiot! She tried to change the subject.
"How did your tests go? Bo told me about Ben and his condition. I'm so sorry, Sam! Ben is a wonderful man, and I hope you'll be a match for him. He doesn't deserve this." Nora was trying to express her compassion and sympathy for Ben, but Sam wasn't even paying attention.
Sam was livid. That Buchanan bastard had done it again! He'd already told Nora about Ben! Sam thought Bo might as well change his last name to Rappaport since he was obviously trying to commandeer his whole family! Sam was totally sick of Bo and his knight-in-shining-armor routine. He realized that if he went home now, Bo would be alone with Nora again. He couldn't win for losing today.
Sam noticed Nora watching him with an expectant look on her face. He snapped back to the present and answered her question. "Well, fine, I guess. I went through the motions, and now we just have to wait and hear from Larry. I hope I can help Ben. I'm his brother, so I'm sure I have the best chance of doing so." Sam shot Bo a "so there!" look.
Bo ignored him. Sam was so ridiculous. Sam leaned in for another wet kiss on Nora's lips. "I'll be back soon, okay, Stinger? With Matthew. I promise." Sam didn't mean to, but he slammed the door on his way out.
Bo shrugged his shoulders and looked at Nora. She looked angry. "Hey, Red? Are you okay? Did that pizza give you heartburn?" Bo laughed.
Nora smiled. "No, Bo, actually Sam gave me heartburn. I feel like I should apologize for his behavior. You've been so kind to me, and he was so rude! I don't know what to say." Nora blushed. She felt awkward with Bo, like a teenager out on a first date.
"No apology necessary. Sam is an adult and he's responsible for his own actions, just as we all are. You should only be worrying about healing and getting back to your life." Bo patted Nora's arm.
"Thanks, Bo, I appreciate that." Nora smiled.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Bo wondered if Nora was up for hearing what he wanted to tell her. Nora was wishing Bo would stay, she just wanted to look at him and listen to his voice. She felt warm and secure in his presence.
Bo decided he'd feel Nora out to see if she was ready. He was about to change her life, and he hoped it was for the better. Matthew just had to be his son! He figured there was no good time to drop the bombshell, and he'd be damned if he'd let Sam do it first. Now was as good a time as any, especially since he knew Sam wouldn't interrupt him. He decided to go for it.
"Nora? Can I ask you something? Are you up for a serious question?" Bo's voice caught on the word "serious". He was nervous.
"Sure, Bo. Shoot. What's on your mind?" Nora felt her heart jump. Bo looked and sounded so serious. She hoped it wasn't more bad news. She'd had more than enough for one day.
"Nora, if you knew something now that you didn't know before, would you..." Bo trailed off. He sounded ridiculous! He'd better get a grip on himself and do this right. Once he started, there was no turning back.
"Bo, is your question a riddle? You know I'm no good at those things!" Nora laughed. She could see Bo was having a tough time getting the words out. She was dying to know what was on his mind. Dare she hope? No, Bo had made himself pretty clear on the train. It must be something else.
"No, Nora, it's not a riddle, but it is a mystery. And I know how you love mysteries!" Bo smiled. He could see he had Nora's full attention now. "Remember when we found out Lindsay had tampered with my sperm test? Remember how we took a DNA test to make sure who Matthew's father is?" Bo looked at Nora. Her eyes were widening.
"Yes." It was almost a croak. Nora was frozen. This was the last topic of conversation she had expected Bo to bring up. Nora felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She wanted Bo to stop, but she was powerless to say anything. She had the feeling this moment was going to be etched in her mind forever.
Bo took a deep breath. "I have reason to believe that Lindsay tampered with Matthew's DNA test, and I'm pretty sure the results we received were questionable, at best. I want to take another DNA test. I want to know if Matthew is my son." Bo stopped at looked at Nora. Her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed a million miles away. "Red? Have you been listening?" Bo fervently hoped so. This was one thing he wouldn't want to repeat. It was hard enough the first time.
Nora was silent for a moment. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I heard you, Bo. At least I think I did. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just say that Lindsay tampered with Matthew's DNA test? How the hell did that happen, Bo?"
Nora's mind was churning. Bo might be Matthew's father? How on earth could this happen? Was no one in her life safe from Lindsay? Wait a minute! Was this why Lindsay had tried to kill her? Matthew was Bo's son? Nora felt like she was drowning.
Bo told Nora all about Lindsay's unholy bargain with Jeff Barnes. He left nothing out. He told her the truth, that he had known for months where Lindsay had been the night of Jessica's hit-and-run, but that he didn't know the rest of the story until after Nora had been "killed". Bo took Nora's hand in his own. Before he could say anything, Nora cut him off.
"You mean to tell me that you knew about this all along, Bo Buchanan? How could you keep this a secret? You've got some explaining to do, starting right now!" Nora was very angry. She had loved and cared for Bo enough to tell him the truth, even when it had meant stopping his wedding.
Bo hung his head. "Okay, Red, let me explain. I owe you at least that much. I didn't think there was any point to upsetting you if things were as Lindsay had said they were..."
Nora cut him off again. "Bo, when are things ever as Lindsay says they are? You should know better than that! That woman would lie about the weather if she thought it would get her somewhere! Bo, I'm hurt. I really am. Does Sam know about this?" Nora's eyes were blazing. She wrenched her hand free from Bo's grip. He looked miserable.
Bo was devastated. He hated hurting Nora this way, but he just had to know the truth. He wanted his son. He knew he deserved being berated by her, he had let her down. Especially after all their talks about the "truth". He had screwed up big time, in more ways than one, and he wanted desperately to make up for it.
"Yes, Red, Sam knows. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to take another DNA test. He says the only one that counts is the one that names him as the father. I've tried to get through to him, but he won't listen."
Nora realized it all made sense now, the extraordinarily high tension between the two men, the constant bickering. Sam was afraid of losing Matthew, and Bo was afraid he'd never know the truth. Nora felt Bo's pain. He seemed to be looking right through her, and she could swear she saw tears in his eyes.
Oh my God. What if Matthew really was Bo's son? Bo had lost so much. He had lost Drew, his baby with Lindsay, and now he might lose Matthew. Nora knew that for Bo, not knowing the truth would be the same as losing him.
Frankly, Nora wanted to know the truth, too. What if she really had died? She'd have wanted Matthew to be raised by his real father and know his real family. She also knew Sam would have known that.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became at Sam. Yeah, Bo should have told her about Lindsay's real alibi, but knowing him so well, she could understand why he hadn't. The way Lindsay had originally presented the story, it sounded like everything had been legitimate, and Bo hadn't wanted to hurt Nora any further. Nora could understand that. Amazing how it took a "death" for Lindsay to decide to come clean!
Nora knew immediately what Lindsay's motivation had been. She wanted Bo and she wanted Matthew! Nora had always known Lindsay wanted Bo, but she hadn't realized how desperately Lindsay wanted to replace her lost baby with Matthew. Lindsay was sicker than she'd thought! So much for a temporary loss of insanity when she injected Nora with cyanide. Lindsay knew exactly what she was doing. Didn't she always?
Lindsay aside, just what the hell was wrong with Sam? Nora had thought he was as big on the truth as she was, but apparently not. He had kept Lindsay's secret about tampering with the sperm test, and although she had been incredibly hurt and angry, she had forgiven him. This was a completely different story! Sam was in big trouble. He just didn't know it yet.
"Bo, sit down. I want to say something to you." Nora watched Bo sit down next to her bed. His eyes never left her face. "While I understand your motivation for not telling me about this before, I'm still hurt that you didn't. You know how I feel about telling the truth, and in my book, a lie by omission is still a lie. If we're going to be parents together, we have to make a pact. I want to be able to trust you with my son, if you are indeed his father, and I don't want any arguments. Before you say anything, yes, I do want to know the truth about Matthew. I want to know who the real father of my son is. I want to start a new life with no baggage, no secrets, and no lies. Is that a deal?" Nora looked Bo straight in the eye.
"Yes, Red, it's a deal. I promise. I'll never lie to you again. About anything. You have my word." Bo felt relieved.
Nora knew the truth, and she hadn't thrown him out of the room. He wasn't finished with his confessional, but the rest of his sins of omission would have to wait. He could tell Nora was hurt by what he had done. He didn't blame her. Bo had put Lindsay first for far too long. Thank God those days were over!
"I know you're a man of your word, Bo. There are not many men you can say that about, but your word I would never doubt. You're an honorable man, Bo Buchanan. God, I wish I would have known this a long time ago..." Nora trailed off. She wasn't ready to spill her guts. Besides, Bo might freak and run away. He had said he didn't love her, what more did she want from him?
The door to Nora's room opened and Sam walked in with Matthew. Nora squealed. "Matthew! Oh my little baby! I missed you so much! My God, you're not little anymore! You've gotten so big!" Sam placed Matthew alongside Nora. He didn't want to hurt her pelvis by placing Matthew on top of her. Nora leaned over and covered Matthew with millions of kisses. He didn't stop laughing. Nora had never felt anything so wonderful. She had missed Matthew so much!
Nora settled in with Matthew, her good arm around him. Sam and Bo didn't say a word. Bo looked over at Sam and Sam could see a glint of triumph in Bo's eyes. He knew he was too late.
They were all interrupted when Larry opened the door and came in. "Good you're both here. I've got some news. I had the lab rush the tests, and the results are in."
To Be Continued...
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