Part 18:

Paris:

Giovanni’s men and Hope and the boys are arriving at the hospital. Vinnie tells Hope that they brought her car over and hand her her things from it. She thanks them and asks where Giovanni is. They tell her he’s at the airport and told them to have her call him when she can. She thanks them for their help.

Steve has been put onto a stretcher and is being wheeled in when he wakes up. Hope and Bo2 rush to his side. Steve opens his eyes and says weakly, “Bo? Hope? Oh my god… I can’t believe you two are here. Am I dreaming?” Hope and Bo2 both smile sympathetically at him and assure him he isn’t dreaming. Patrick watches and listens suspiciously. Steve asks them, “Kayla? Stephanie? Are they…?”

Hope says, “They are fine Steve.” Patrick steps up and asks him, “I’m sorry to interrupt but we need to know… who is L?” Steve looks at Patrick and says, “I… I know you don’t I?” Patrick nods and we can feel he does not like Steve… or rather who Steve was brainwashed to be for the past years. Steve groans in pain and says, “I never met L. I don’t know who she is.” Bo2 says, “So she is a woman.” Steve, “That’s how Mason always referred to her. She kept a very low profile… only a handful ever saw her and knew who she was.”

The ER staff who have been prepping Steve on the stretcher then say, “Okay I’m sorry but we have to get him into surgery now.” Hope kisses Steve on the forehead saying, “I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you.” Steve takes her hand and says with a week smile, “Thanks for the pain in the neck.” Hope smiles and a slight laugh escapes her, with tears in her eyes saying, “I will call Kayla for you.” Steve says quickly, “No…. I… I don’t want her to know yet. I don’t want her to know… everything I’ve done.” Tears well up in his eye.

Hope says, “But, Steve… Kayla needs to know.” He nods, “Just not yet. Promise me.” Hope reluctantly nods and says, “I will wait until you are out of surgery.” He thanks her and they wheel him off, Bo2 and Steve give one last nod and smile to each other as Steve passes by him on his stretcher.

Hope says, “The things he’s done? What does he mean?” Patrick says, “If he was Julian Richards for the past 15 years… well… I know I wouldn’t want anyone I cared about knowing I was alive.” Hope looks at him concerned. Patrick answers her look saying, “Julian was a killer, and um… the type they sent in to get information from unwilling sources.” Hope covers her mouth in shock and says, “Oh my god…. Steve.” Bo2 shakes his head in sadness saying, “He’s been in hell the past 16 years… and I thought missing five was bad.” Hope looks at him about to ask what he means when a nurse then comes over to Bo2 and sees his arm and says they need to admit him too. He tries to decline but both Hope and Patrick insist he is looked over. Bo2 looks at Hope for a long moment and then reluctantly goes with the nurse. After he is away Hope turns to Patrick and says, “Okay… talk… fast!”

L.A.:

Kayla is opens is getting out of her car and walking through a gardened area up towards a building that reads “Eastside Family Clinic”. A breeze kicks up and tons of yellow rose petals float past her. At the same moment from a nearby building the song ‘The Rose’ can faintly be heard playing. Kayla reaches up and catches some of the rose petals in her hand and looks at them. We can see in her eyes that she is thinking remorsefully about Steve. She blinks away the tears and walks inside.

At the desk is her receptionist. She says, “Good morning, Doctor.” Kayla snaps too and says, “Good morning, Shelly…. When did they planet the yellow roses next door?” Shelly looks at her confused and says, “What roses?” Kayla says, “I just saw them.” She then turns and goes back outside to see. Standing just where she had she looks around and no petals are anywhere to be seen. Kayla looks around confused. She walks around the courtyard and sees nothing. Then she notices to her left a single solitary rose bush with only one bloom… a yellow rose. She walks over too it and picks it. Smelling it she closes her eyes. She sighs thoughtfully and goes back inside.

Shelly says, “Oh! Well guess there are flowers out there. How nice.” Kayla just nods. She asks, “Shelly… what is my schedule like for the next few weeks?” Shelly looks and says, “Pretty light really.” Kayla asks, “Anything the other doctors couldn’t pick up?” Shelly says, “No. Why?”

Kayla says, “I just realized that it has been a very long time since I’ve visited my family. They’ve been going through a lot lately… I think it is time I went home for awhile.” Shelly smiles and says, “You want me to look at some flights for you?” Kayla says, “Yes please. And could you get my daughter on the phone please?” She smells her flower again and goes to her office in a half daze.

Salem:

Mimi knocks on the door to the loft. Shawn answers and is not pleased to find her there. He says, “Didn’t I ask for some space?” Mimi says quickly, “I know. I’m sorry but… look I don’t have time to explain and I know I have no right to ask but please you have to trust me… I think you are in danger.” Shawn looks at her like she is nuts. He says, “Mimi… this is just getting sad. You lied to me, you didn’t trust me and now you’re asking me to trust you!? I can’t deal with this now alright!? Philip… he and Belle have split up over this. He wants Claire’s paternity settled… he believes Belle and I had an affair. And Belle… she… she…” Shawn’s face screws up in anger… “Well lets say it would be hard to decide which of you I am more furious with right now. You have no idea what a mess you have caused with this, Mimi.” Mimi says, “You told Belle? What’d she say?!” Shawn says, “It doesn’t matter, and doesn’t concern you right now. This is between her and Philip.” He starts to shut the door but Mimi stops it. She says, “Shawn please… just take a walk with me.” He yells, “No Mimi! Not now.” Mimi pleads with him. “Shawn I’m not leaving until you listen to me!”

Shawn looks at her and says, “Fine! You want to stay?” He flings the door open. “Be my guest… come and get your things while you are here.” He grabs his jacket and storms off. Mimi follows after him saying, “Shawn no wait… you have to listen I think your Dad is after you!” Shawn turns and says, “What? Mimi what the heck is wrong with you?! You are talking nonsense… my dad is ‘after me’… where did you get an idea like that?!” Mimi says, “Chelsea called and said….” She realizes her mistake. Shawn’s face turns red, “Chelsea?” He shakes his head, “I don’t even want to know why you are talking to her… Just….” He just turns and stalks away unable to even look at Mimi he is so mad.

He opens the door to leave the building with Mimi hot on his tail in a panic. As he turns the corner he walks smack into Bo1. Shawn stumbles back and says, “Dad?!” Bo1 is in a daze, he draws his gun and points it at Shawn. Shawn is in total shock. Then from the side Chelsea rushes up and slams into the side of Bo1 causing him to loose his aim. A shot rings out but misses Shawn completely. Shawn looks as if he is dreaming. Chelsea and Bo1 struggle over the gun. Shawn comes too and seeing Mimi turns and shields her as another shot rings out. Mimi screams “NO!!” as we hear a thud behind them.

Shawn turns and he and Mimi see Chelsea took the bullet for them and falls to the ground. Bo1 then raises his gun again towards Shawn. Shawn is now past being shocked leaps for Bo1. The two fight as Mimi rushes to Chelsea on the ground stammering over and over, “Oh god no, oh god..” She digs in her purse and finally finds her cell phone and dials 911. We hear her tell 911 what’s happening and where they are as Shawn and Bo1 continue the fight.

Another shot rings out as Mimi screams and covers her eyes. She can’t bare to look who got hit this time. After a moment Shawn reaches down and pulls her hands from her eyes. She is crying and hysterical. Shawn holds her telling her he is okay, that it’s over. She sees Bo1 on the ground and asks if he is dead. Shawn shakes his head, “No… he’s only shot in the arm and knocked out.” He looks at Chelsea and then lets go of Mimi to check on her. He says, “She’s not breathing.” Mimi gasps. Shawn says, “Give me a hand.” He moves Chelsea so she is laying flat and he and Mimi start CPR on her. We hear sirens in the background.

Paris:

Hope continues her tirade at Patrick saying, “I appreciate your wanting to insure my marriage is really over before we moved forward, but you had no right to bring Bo here! There is being a friend and then there is butting in, Patrick!” Patrick keeps trying to get her to stop talking and finally he grabs her by the shoulders and says, “Hope! Forgive me for this but please for one moment… Shut up!” Hope is stunned silent. She looks annoyed but says nothing. After a pause where Patrick is now sure she isn’t going to continue he releases her and starts to explain.

He says, “Okay, I told you that Alex gave me an address and told me if I destroyed that building that I would never loose you. Well what I found in that building was Bo.” Hope looks confused. Patrick continues, “I found…Bo… the on in there getting treated… he is NOT the Bo that is in Salem. That man is still there. I know I checked… Bo Brady is still in Salem… AND here in Paris.” Hope is shocked and says, “What are you saying? That there are TWO Bo Brady’s?!” Patrick nods, “That is exactly what I am trying to tell you. This man has been locked up by this person ‘L’ for at least the past 5 years.”

Hope says, “L?” Patrick fills her in on how he found Bo, what he said, and who L is. Hope listens without interrupting. When he finishes Hope paces for a moment and then sinks into a chair.

Patrick says, “Hope? Say something? I mean you know Bo Brady better then anyone… what does your gut tell you?” Hope looks at him and we can see the stress in her eyes. She says, “My gut? If I have spent the last 5 years with a stranger I’m not exactly going to listen to my ‘guy’ any more.” She is obviously overwrought. Patrick tries to reason with her, “Hope, if this man IS Bo then…” She stops him saying, “We don’t know who he is.”

She walks over to where Giovanni’s men sat down her things and takes the laptop from the bag. She sits back down by Patrick and opens it. She turns it on and shows him the file about the drug she found and the file about her as Gina. She says, “I found this in the building you found this Bo at. It is how Stefano and this ‘12’ you spoke about does their brainwashing. I had one vial of the reversal serum… that’s what I injected into Steve to bring him back. Its how they made him think he was this Julian guy, how they made me think I was Gina, and is probably how they are making these men believe they are Bo.”

Patrick looks at her and says, “So you think neither of them is the real Bo?” Hope’s eyes well up with tears, she says with a quiver in her voice as she holds back from crying, “Why would they keep the real Bo Brady alive? I would like nothing more then too have my husband… my real husband back. But we have no proof who either of these men are. I spent the last 5 years believing I was married to the love of my life and see where it has led me?” She whips her eyes, “I’m not going to invest my heart in another fraud. I can’t… do that to myself, not after everything that has happened.” She is in tears.

Just then Bo2 walks up and says, “She’s right.” Patrick and Hope turn to see him, they did not know he was out and overhearing them. He is bandaged and cleaned up some. He looks at Hope and we can tell this is killing him. He says, “Hope… I want nothing more then to hold you and kiss you and make the last five years go away. I know who I believe I am… but… Patrick told me everything you have been through.” He shakes his head and is holding back the tears. “I, won’t risk you being hurt again. You are right… we have to find out who I am and who the man in Salem is before anyone else gets hurt.” Hope looks at him and we can feel how badly she wants him to be Bo but she just nods through her tears.

Patrick says, “Okay… so how do we do that?” Hope says, “I sent the information about the drug to Lexi. She said she would have a college look at it and see if it is something they can work up.” Bo2 says, “So we are heading back to Salem then.”

Hope says looking at Bo2, “Yes… and it is going to be an interesting homecoming.”