Part 37:
After Chelsea and Clancy leave Patrick asks, “You think they’ll be okay?” Hope nods and says, “I think in time they will.” Patrick says, “I hope so… they all deserve some happiness. Well… this has all been exciting but my head is still killing me.” He smiles touching the bandage on his head and excuses himself leaving Bo and Hope standing there alone together.
A long awkward moment passes and then Hope forces a smile and says, “I uh… I guess we should probably have a talk…” Bo smiles at her and says, “Yes… but not right now.” Hope looks at him confused but Bo just smiles warmly and puts his hands on her shoulders and says, “Listen… there is plenty of time to talk later. You aren’t ready right now.” He kisses her on the forehead and says, “I’ll be on the boat. When you are ready… find me.” He touches her face and leaves. Hope stands there a little surprised at Bo’s behavior but smiles and we can tell is touched that he is giving her time to think.
Hope goes to the hospital chapel and sits down in the front. She closes her eyes in prayer we don’t hear her thoughts but her expression is very calm and serene. A few minutes go by and we hear Lexi’s voice behind her say quietly, “Hope? Am I interrupting?” Hope turns and smiles at Lexi and says, “No, I was finished.” Hope stands up and notices Lexi holding an envelop in her hand and looks a bit nervous. Hope asks her, “Is something wrong Lexi?”
Lexi sighs and shakes her head she tells her, “No. But I have a confession to make. I know you asked me not too but I ran a paternity test on Bo… to see if he was Zack’s father. I was going to give him the results but… I couldn’t keep THIS from you.” Hope’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. She says, “So you’re telling me you know if he was Zack’s father or not?” Lexi says, “No.” She holds up the envelop, “I asked the technician to put the results in here. I figured you alone should be the first to know.” Hope’s eyes fall to the envelop and she slowly takes it from Lexi and holds it delicately in her hands.
A moment passes and Hope says quietly, “Thank you, Lexi.” Lexi smiles sympathetically and asks, “Are you going to open it.” Hope shakes her head, “No… not just yet. There’s something I have to do first.”
The Boat:
Bo is on the boat moving boxes around when Patrick shows up. He says, “You moving in or moving out?” Bo turns and laughingly says, “In. Just getting some supplies on board.” Patrick nods and says, “I just stopped by to see how you were holding up.” Bo shrugs and says, “Surprisingly well. Its weird what you can get use to. And as angry as I am over what the DiMera’s, L, Mason… what all of them have done… I somehow just know we’ll be okay. We’ll get through it.” Patrick smiles and shacking his head is disbelief says, “You’re one interesting guy, Bo.” Bo laughs and says, “Actually I’ve always thought I was pretty simple. Hope, my family… my motorcycle, my boat, and the occasional beer and I’m happy.” Patrick laughs and says, “Well how about we go get one of those beers now?”
Bo says, “Thanks, I’d love to but I’m expecting Hope soon.” Patrick looks surprised and says, “Really? Last I saw her she was still at the hospital. Did she say she was coming?” Bo smiles and says, “No. … But I know she will.” Just then They hear a creak on the boat and turn to see Hope coming aboard. Patrick’s eyes widen in surprised and he whispers jokingly to Bo, “Okay… that was just creepy… how’d you know she’d be here.” Bo just gives him a sideways smile as he looks at Hope.
Hope steps to face them both, she looks serious, yet resolved, like someone who has done a lot of sole searching and found what they were looking for. She says, “I’m glad you’re both here… I’ve made a decision.” Bo and Hope lock eyes for a moment and note where they are all standing on the boat. We get a brief flashback of another moment such as this when Bo stood before Hope and Billie and chose between them. Back to the present Bo’s eyes flicker with guilt as he and Hope obviously remember that time in the past. But neither voice it.
Hope faces Patrick and says, “Patrick… In all my life I have never had such a friend as you. I would not be here… none of us would be standing here if not for you. You have been honest when it would have been of more benefit to you to lie. You were also the only one truly there for me in my darkest hour.” Hope’s lip quivers slightly at this but she holds her emotions at bay, “I will never be able to repay that. I can not express to you how much you mean to me.” She pauses and then tries to continue, “And if things were different…” She sighs but then looks at them and says, “But you were right, when you said that my heart has always, and will always belong… to Bo.” She looks at Bo when she says this and he just closes his eyes and smiles soaking in the warmth of her statement and what it means.
Patrick smiles and steps forward and touches Hope’s face and says, “Hope…” He smiles affectionately, “I know… and I promise you, I will always be your friend.” Hope smiles, and says, “Thank you.” Patrick kisses her goodbye, on the cheek and then looks back at Bo and smiles and nods to him in a way that makes it clear that Patrick is happy for Bo.
Hope and Bo now alone look at each other for a long moment. Finally both break out in smiles. Before Hope can say anything more Bo says, “I have something for you.” He goes over to his bag and takes out the VHS tape Lexi gave him.
He goes over to Hope and places it gently in her hand, “I don’t want you to be angry but I had Lexi give me the drug… alone.” Hope looks up at him in shock and then down at the tape. He says, “She recorded it… figured you would want to see for yourself.”
Hope stares at the tape in her hands for a long moment. She takes a few steps back. Her eyes well momentarily with tears. She looks up at Bo and her expression changes to a slightly sarcastic smile. Without looking back down at the tape she tosses it with a flick of her hand over the boat. It splashes into the water. Bo’s mouth drops and he is speechless. She walks up to him, her eyes filled again with tears, but tears of joy and she says, “The only ‘test’… I needed was a test of the heart. We passed. You are my husband and the love of my life… I don’t need a drug or a tape to tell me what I know in my heart. I…” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as Bo lifts her off her feet into a passionate kiss.
A long moment passes as they kiss. They crumble to the deck together. Finally their faces move apart and they look into each other’s eyes. Bo says as if seeing her for the first time, “Hey, Fancy Face.” Hope smiles back and says, “Hey, Brady… I’ve missed you.” They fall back into another long kiss.
On the docks way out of their sight we see Patrick standing watching them. He smiles and says to himself, “Sometimes there are happy endings.” We can tell part of him is sad but mostly he is happy for them. He glances down the way and sees Mimi standing on the pier looking out over the water. He walks over to her and puts his arm around her. He says, “I thought you’d be at the hospital with Shawn?” Mimi nods and says, “I was… just came down here to think for awhile.” Patrick confesses, “Listen… I uh… I heard about what happened... between you and Shawn and Belle and Philip.” Mimi doesn’t respond, just looks guiltily at the ground. Patrick continues, “I’m sorry… I’ve not been a very good brother too you. I should have been there for you. I know how… well I know how Mom can be and I should never have left you in a spot to only have her giving you advice.”
Mimi stops him and says, “Patrick, I’m a big girl… it isn’t Mom’s fault or Kate’s… it was mine. I screwed up and it could still cost me my marriage.” Patrick asks, “I thought you and Shawn were doing better?” Mimi sighs and says, “We are but…” She sakes her head and continues, “I know a lot of how we are both acting now is due to all the drama lately. I’m not stupid… near death experiences don’t fix marriages. And they shouldn’t… Shawn and I are far from ‘ok’. I just know things will never be the same. I’m just scared… I don’t know where my life is going right now and that is scary.”
Patrick smiles sympathetically and says, “Mimi… you always land on your feet. You’re stronger then you give yourself credit. You don’t need Shawn to define you. If things don’t work out with the two of you… Well… then it wasn’t meant to be in the first place. Sometimes we don’t always get what we want… but life has a way of working out.” He tugs on her with his arm and says, “Come on… How about I buy you a drink and we start acting like brother and sister again.” Mimi smiles and nods. As they walk off we hear Patrick joke, “You are old enough to drink right?” Mimi elbows him in the side in jest and they go off together.
Back on the boat, Bo and Hope have come up for air and Bo asks her, “Do you want to go home?” Hope smiles and looks around the boat and says, “I am home.” Bo laughs and says, “Well we should at least go back long enough for you to pack a bag. We have a lot to talk about and I’d like us to set sail first thing in the morning?” Hope looks confused and asks, “Set sail?” Bo just smiles and takes her hand and shows her all the supplies and that the boat is obviously ready for a trip. Hope smiles and says, “You knew I would come and knew what I would say didn’t you?” Bo nods and says, “I passed the test remember? That means I know you.” Hope smiles broadly at him. But then her face falls a little and she says, “There is one other test that we need to talk about.” Hope pulls from her pocket the envelope Lexi gave her with Zack’s DNA test results.
Bo looks down at the envelope. Hope says, “Its Zack’s DNA results.” Bo’s face turns serious. Hope motions to open the envelop and Bo nods that he is ready. Hope tears open the envelop and pulls out the paper. They both look down at it and then up at each other.
Hope is standing next to Bo as he kneels at Zack’s grave. Bo says through weepy eyes, “I know it is impossible but I feel like I knew him.” Hope puts a hand his shoulder and whispers, “He was your son… he was a lot like you.” Bo asks, “Was… was Clancy a good father to him?” Hope nods, “For the most part… absolutely. Knowing what we know now there were differences… his programming made him make mistakes. But for the most part he was you in every way. He treated Zack with the same love you gave Shawn when he was that age. He loved Zack, and Zack loved him… just as he would have you.” Bo sobs, “Good.”
Bo kneels there for a long moment crying over the son he never knew. The cemetery then fills with fog and a voice say, “Hi Dad.” Bo looks up to see Zack standing there as Bo is having a vision of him. Bo looks up at Hope who is still staring at the grave stone and obviously not sharing this vision. Bo says to Zack, “H… Hi.”
Zack says, “I don’t want you to be sad, okay? I didn’t die for nothing. I had to go so that you could come home.” Bo looks confused as Zack explains, “If I had not died then mom would never left
Bo hugs his son for a long moment. Zach then pulls back and smiles at Bo warmly and says, “Don’t be sad, Daddy… there has been enough sadness. Mom needs you. She always has.” He steps back into the fog and says, “This isn’t goodbye… we’ll meet again.” Bo says, “What do you mean?” Zach just looks at Hope and then smiles teasingly at Bo and says, “You’ll figure it out eventually…. In the meantime, promise me to make mom happy. I want to look down and see you both smiling.” Zack’s image starts to fade as Bo yells to him, “I promise… I promise son. I love you, Zack!” Zack smiles, “I love you too.” He blows him a kiss and disappears.
Back to present Bo stands up and smiles brightly at Hope. She asks him, “Why do you look so happy?” Bo’s smile widens and he says warmly, “Because, Zack asked me too.” Hope bursts into tears but tears mixed with sadness and joy. Bo lifts her face up with his hand and smiles down at her until her tears subside and she smiles back at him. Bo pulls her into a hug and looking down at her says, “Come on… we have five years to make up for.”
They walk off and we see (but they don’t) Zack’s spirit watching them leave, smiling broadly at them. A young girl the same age as Zack appears beside him. Zack smiles at her and they turn and holding hands they walk off into the fog and disappear.
The Ocean:
The Fancy Face 2 is sailing full speed on the water. Hope is standing on the docks watching the sunset. Bo comes up behind her and puts an arm around her. She turns and they smile at each other and kiss as they sail off into the sunset.
The… Beginning!
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