~Against Their Will~

Bo surveys the park, nodding at some of his officers as he passes by. He was about to turn things over to Antonio, he had fulfilled his duties for the night, and it was time to spend the rest of the fourth with his son. He glances around the park one last time, knowing that all was well in his town. He makes his way to where he knew they were sitting. He pauses for a moment, a slight twinge in his chest causing a frown to appear across his brow. He had hope it would just be the three of them, that he would be able to spend some time with his son and Nora without anyone else vying for their attention.

Bo begins to walk towards the blanket when two small arms wrap around his legs from behind. He turns and just as quickly as the frown appeared it was gone with just one look at his son. He bends down and scoops Matthew up into his arms, “Hey there, champ. Where did you come from?”

Matt places his hands on his father’s shoulders, supporting himself in Bo’s grasp, “I saw you coming and decided to surprise you? Were you surprised?”

“You bet I was,” he looks around, “Where’s your mom; she was there a minute ago?”

“She said she had to get some more stuff from the car. Mr. Coulson went to help her,” he adds, rolling his eyes.

Bo just smiles, “Well let’s go claim our spot on the blanket so we can see the fireworks.”

Bo deposits Matthew onto the blanket and takes a seat Matthew fills Bo in on what he did at camp that day. He grills Bo on how many bad guys he caught that day and if his mom was going to be able to put them in jail. Bo smiles and laughs as Matthew talks a mile a minute. Ten minutes after they sat down a warm breeze begins to blow. Bo turns, when on the breeze, he smells a familiar scent. A flush rises up his neck and his heart begins to beat faster the closer she gets. He takes a deep breath, hoping to still his heart.

He stands up and walks over to her, “Here let me take that,” he says, taking the tray from her hand. He looks around, “Where’s Coulson?”

“He had to go back to the office. Something about a missing file,” she shrugs. She glances down at his cell phone and beeper, “You off duty or still on the clock?”

“Well I don’t know if the Commissioner is ever off duty, but,” he glances between Matthew and Nora, “Antonio’s the one who’s officially in charge tonight.”

Nora smiles, “Well I’m glad,” she notices the look on Bo’s face, “Well, you know, Matthew would be upset if you were called away,” she adds, trying to cover, “he’s been looking forward to watching the fireworks with his dad.”

He glances over at Matthew who is busy kicking a soccer ball with Stevie. Bo turns back to Nora and smiles, “I’ve been looking forward to it too.”

They exchange a smile, “Well I’m starved, let’s eat.”

“We’re not going to wait for Daniel?” Bo asks, trying to hide his happiness.

Nora waves her hand, “No way…I’m starving,” she says with a laugh.

Nora places a few pieces of chicken on a plate for Bo and hands it to him. Their hands brush briefly causing them to lock eyes for a moment. The moment went as quickly as it came, as Matthew made his presence known. Matthew grabbed a hot dog and ran back over to play with Stevie.

They ate together with an awkward silence between them, sometimes they would break the silence and discuss work or Matthew, but mostly they just would watch their son as he plays. Before they knew it the sun had set and the small band began to play again after taking a break for dinner. Matthew hears the music and looks over at his parents. He drops his soccer ball and runs over to where they’re sitting in silence, both watching the crowd as they roam around the park.

Matthew drops down to his knees in front of them. Bo looks down at him and smiles, “What’s up champ? You done playing already?”

Matthew tilts his head towards a small clearing where people have gathered to dance, “Why don’t you and mom dance?”

Bo and Nora exchange a quick glance, “Oh, sweetie, I don’t know…”

Bo stands up and dusts off his pants, “What do you say, Nora, just one for Matthew?”

Nora looks over at Matthew and then up at Bo. She places her hand in his and allows him to pull her up off the blanket, “Sure,” she shrugs, “why not.”

They walk towards the small clearing hand in hand. Their hearts were beating so fast they felt as though they’d explode from their chests. Bo turns her in front of him and takes her in his arms. It only takes a moment for them to fall into a perfect rhythm.

At the same time Daniel arrives back at the park. He walks over to where the blanket was, finding Matthew alone, sitting on top of his soccer ball. Daniel walks up behind him and leans against the tree, “Hey there Matthew, where’s your mom?”

Matthew points to the small clearing, “Dancing with my dad.”

Daniel follows where Matthew’s finger is pointing and he sees them dancing, laughing and talking. He was just about to walk over to where they were dancing when the band stopped and they announced that the fireworks would begin in 10 minutes. He decided to just let it go and took a seat on the blanket.

Bo and Nora walk over to the blanket a few minutes later. Nora notices that Daniel has returned, “Oh…hi Daniel,” she looks over at Bo, “I…we weren’t expecting you back tonight.”

“Well we found what we were looking for,” he glances over at Bo who has taken a seat on the blanket,” pulling Matthew close against him, “so um…I decided to come back and watch the fireworks with you guys.”

An awkward silence passes between them all as they await the fireworks. Matthew climbs into his father’s lap just as the first crack lights up the night sky. Bo glances to his left, watching her as she begins to fan herself, running her hand over her forehead as though she was breaking out into a sweat. Bo shifts in his seat, placing Matthew on the blanket beside him. Come to think of it he was feeling awfully warm himself.

Soon the sky was littered with every color imaginable as the grand finale sounded off. Matthew looks up at his dad and notices the beads of sweat dotting his brow, “You okay, dad?”

Bo looks down and smiles, “Yeah son, just feeling a bit weird all of a sudden,” he says as he stands up.

Nora glances over at Bo, “Come to think of it. I’m not…” she attempts to stand up, but falls against him. Bo, also feeling lightheaded, almost falls backwards but is able to steady them. She looks up at Bo and smiles a small smile, “Um…you look like I feel.”

Daniel looks between the both of them and grimaces, “Neither one of you looks good. I think you better let me take you guys to the ER.”

Nora waves Daniel off, “No…no I’m sure…,” is all she manages to say before she get sick.

Bo could feel his stomach tossing and turning and thought for once Daniel just might be onto something. He leans over and lays a hand on Nora’s back, “I think, Daniel’s right, Red. I think we better go to the hospital.”

Bo instinctively places his arm around Nora and together they walk towards her SUV. Matthew searches through her purse, handing Daniel the keys. He climbs into the passenger seat while his parents sit in the back. Ten minutes later they’re pulling into the parking lot at Llanview Hospital.

Larry was standing at the nurse’s station, talking to Michael when Bo, Nora, Matthew and Daniel walk in. Larry looks up and walks over to them, “Hey you two,” he takes a closer look, “Wow…you two look awful.”

Nora glares at Larry, “Wow, perceptive doc.”

Larry looks over at Bo, “Oh yeah, she’s definitely sick.” Bo tries to smile but the pain ripping through his stomach causes him to double over. Larry motions for Michael to take Bo into the left cubicle, “I’ll take Nora in here. She can be a handful,” he says with a wink.

“Ha ha, very funny, Larry,” she says before letting out a moan.

Twenty minutes later Larry and Michael are standing outside their rooms, comparing test results. Larry looks over at Matthew and Daniel who are sitting in the chairs across from the ER rooms. Michael looks over at Larry, “Are you going to tell them or am I?” he says, a hint of trepidation in his voice. Marcie had told him plenty about Bo and Nora Buchanan and he shared her opinion that there was something definitely going on between those two, whether they knew it or not.

Larry lays a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll take care of it. When it comes to these two and what I’m about to tell them, well let’s just say I’m well versed in how to deal with the Buchanan’s.”

Larry walks into Nora’s room and pulls back the curtain dividing the two cubicles. They both sit up on the beds, glancing back and forth between each other and Larry, “So doc, what’s ailing us?” Bo cracks.

“Well from the looks of things the two of you have caught a nasty bacterial infection,” he waits a moment to let that sink in. “This type of infection comes from eating undercooked poultry. It can be contagious in some cases so for the next 72 hours the two of you are going to be placed under a medical quarantine,” he pauses for a moment, “in Nora’s house.”

Nora jumps down off the bed and has to grab the side to steady herself, “I…I can’t be stuck in my house for 72 hours Larry. Especially not with him”, she thinks to herself, “I have too much work to do.”

“Yeah, we’re just too busy down at the police station. I can’t be gone for three days.”

Larry just smiles, knowing there was more to their protesting than just work, “You have no choice. It’s either at Nora’s house or it’s here in the hospital, your choice.”

“Well…what about Matthew?” she asks.

“If Matthew was going to come down with this he would have already begun experiencing symptoms, so would Daniel for that matter. Matthew can go ahead and go home with you.” He begins to write out some prescriptions. He hands two to her and one to Bo, “These are antibiotics for you and some for Matthew in case he begins to experience any symptoms, but like I said I highly doubt he will.”

He looks between the two of them. “You both need to head to Nora’s and get some rest. I’m off duty now so I’ll be glad to see the two of you home in case there’s anything you need.”

Nora shakes her head, “I’m sure Daniel can take us home.”

“No, actually Daniel left, he had some emergency. Matthew is sitting with the nurse’s behind the nurse’s station. I’ll be more than happy to drive you home. We’ll send someone back for your car in the morning.”

Nora gathers up her purse, still avoiding looking at Bo. They filled their prescriptions and twenty minutes they were on their way back to her house. They pull up in front of her house fifteen minutes after leaving the hospital. Bo carries a half asleep Matthew into the house and places him on the couch.

Larry glances between the two of them. He pulls out his business card and jots down a few numbers before handing it to Bo, “This is my home number, cell and beeper. If either of you need anything or either of you have any questions feel free to call.”

Bo takes the card from Larry, “Thank you, Larry,” he glances over at Nora who is sitting on the couch next to Matthew. He quickly looks away, “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Larry looks between the two ex-spouses and just shakes his head, “Good luck you two. I’ll be by in two days to check up on you guys.” He slaps Bo on the shoulder, “Try not to kill each other,” he says with a wink.

“Good night, Larry,” Nora says firmly.

Bo sees Larry to the door. Larry tells Bo that he’ll stop by the station on his way into the hospital early in the morning and pick up his change of clothes. Larry reminds Bo about their medication and getting plenty of rest. Bo assures Larry that they’ll be fine and soon he’s closing the door and shutting out the rest of the world for the next three days.

Bo slowly walks into the living room, his hands in his pockets. Nora looks up from the couch and neither of them says a thing, their eyes locked on one another. Matthew looks between his parents and the looks that are being exchanged between them. He slides off the couch and heads towards the stairs, “I’m going to go to bed,” he says.

“Okay, sweetie, we’ll be up in a minute,” she says, her eyes never leaving Bo’s.

“Yeah champ, your mom and I will be up to say goodnight soon.” Matthew just rolls his eyes and runs up the stairs, taking them two at a time, “So…” Bo says quietly.

“So…um well I guess we should go up and say good night to Matthew and then get some sleep ourselves,” she says, pointing towards the stairs.

“Right, we’ll say good night to Matthew and then if you’ll just show me where the extra pillows are I’ll settle down here on the couch.”

“The couch…um no not the couch, you need to get a good night’s sleep. Larry said that was the most important thing.”

“Well then I’ll take the guest room.”

“Um…right well about the guest room. You see I was cleaning out the attic and well that was like three months ago and all the stuff is still scattered all over the guest room, and I don’t think either of us are up to moving all that stuff so…well you’ll just…you can sleep in my room, she blurts, “We’ll just pull the futon mattress out of the closet,” she notices the look on his face. “Oh, come on Bo, even when we were together and we were fighting, I never made you sleep on the couch. I’m certainly not going to do it when you’re sick. We’ll be fine.”

Bo nods, “Sure, we’ll be fine. We’re both adults. Piece of cake,” he says with a half smile, wondering if her heart was beating as fast as his.

Bo follows her upstairs and down the hallway towards Matthew’s room. Matthew was coming out of the bathroom, wiping toothpaste off his face, “You ready for bed, champ?”

“Yeah, dad,” Matthew says as he runs into his room and dives onto his bed, almost falling off the other side as he bounces up and down. Matthew looks between his parents as he settles in bed, “I’m sorry you guys are sick, but I’m glad you’re here dad,” he says with a yawn.

Bo tousles his hair, “I’m glad I’m here too, bud,” he says, glancing over at Nora on the other side of the bed.

They both kiss the top of his head and say their goodnights. Matthew closes his eyes and whispers his goodnight as he drifts off to sleep. They both stand in his room for a few minutes before turning out the light.

They walk down the hallway towards her bedroom. Bo pauses just outside Nora’s bedroom door for a moment. She turns and looks at him, “Come on, Buchanan, we’ve gotta get some sleep,” she walks over to the closet and opens the door.

She turns on the light and walks into the closet. Bo follows her into the closet, his nostrils being assaulted by her scent. She stops suddenly causing Bo to almost knock her over. She turns and looks at him for a moment, his spicy lime scent invading her senses causing her to momentarily forget why they were standing in the middle of the closet. Bo smiles and reaches around her for the mattress, “Let’s get this out of here.”

Nora just nods and together they pull the mattress from the back of the closet. She hands him a sheet and a pillow. He smiles his thanks as she makes her way into the bathroom. She walks back out of the bathroom a moment later and hands him a few necessities that she had stashed away, “Hey, I’m a den mother, a scout’s always prepared,” she says with a laugh.

Bo returns her smile and heads down to the bathroom down the hall. When he returns ten minutes later she’s walking out of her bathroom. A heat begins to rise up the back of his neck, a silk tank top and shorts for PJ’s, sending him back in time. She climbs into bed and pulls the sheets around her, “Night Bo,” she says quietly, as she turns out the light on her nightstand, trying desperately to stop thinking about him lying there just a few feet away.

“Night, Nora,” he says in the dark, trying desperately to stop thinking about her lying there just a few feet away.

They tossed and turned most of the night, neither one being able to get the other off their mind. Bo woke up that morning and found the room empty. He made his way downstairs, passing by Matthew’s room. He looks in on Matthew who was still sound asleep. Bo pauses for a moment and watches him as he sleeps.

Bo finally makes his way downstairs, expecting to find her in the living room or kitchen. He walks into the kitchen and pours himself a cup of coffee before returning to the living room. He walks over to the front door and finds his duffle bag sitting on the front porch, with a note on it that says, “63 more hours,” signed Larry.

Bo picks up the duffle bag and closes the door, shaking his head as he walks back into the living room. Nora walks out of her office and sees him shaking his head, “What’s so funny?”

He walks over and hands her the note. She looks up at Bo, “I don’t know why he thinks we’re not going to be able to do this. It’s been working out fine so far.”

Bo shrugs, “I agree, but then again, we’ve been asleep for eight of the nine hours we’ve been together.” Matthew comes running down the stairs, interrupting their time alone. Bo raises the duffle bag, “Well I’m gonna go up and shower and change.”

Matthew leans over the couch and looks at his parents, “Well I’m gonna go make you guys breakfast,” he says, breaking the silence that has come between them. Before either of them could tell him the last thing they wanted was food Matthew was running into the kitchen. 

Nora retreated back into her office while Bo showered and Matthew prepared their breakfast. Twenty minutes later Bo came down the stairs wearing an LPD t-shirt and jeans, his bare feet tapping against the hardwood stairs as he makes his way into the kitchen. Matthew looks up from the table and jumps in front of the tray, “Go back out into the living room dad, it’s not ready yet.”

Bo raises his hands in front of him, “Okay okay,” Bo says with a smile as he walks back into the living room.

Bo sits down on the couch and picks up a magazine off the table, “When did she start reading Town and Country,” he thinks to himself. He throws the magazine down and picks up Matthew’s Sports Illustrated for Kids, “Well it’s better than nothing,” he says out loud.

A moment later Matthew yells from the kitchen, “Breakfast’s ready in the kitchen!”

Bo stands up and walks towards the kitchen followed closely by Nora. They both walk into the kitchen and look down at their son’s beaming face. Neither one of them had the heart to tell him they couldn’t eat what he had prepared, especially not the burnt poptarts or the equally burnt bagels.

Bo tousles Matthew’s hair and takes a seat at the table, “Great job, champ. Every thing looks…good.”

“Yeah, sweetie, thank you for breakfast.”

Matthew just smiles. He’s about to sit down when he realizes that he forgot something, “Go ahead and eat. I’ll be right back; I forgot something up in my room.”

Bo and Nora exchange glances as Matthew runs out of the room. Bo leans in, “Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to cooking.”

“Very very funny, Buchanan.” She picks up a burnt pop tart, “How are we going to not eat this and at the same time not break our little man’s heart?”

Bo sits back in his seat, “Well I’m usually not a fan of deception but in this case I think it’s warranted. I say we wrap the food up and bury it in the trash can while he’s gone.”

“I hate this,” she says, crossing her arms in front of her, “but there is NO way I can eat that stuff. I barely managed to keep from getting sick while brushing my teeth this morning.”

Bo stands up and gathers the food, “Why don’t you go on out into the living room. I’ll do it; then you’ll remain the innocent party,” Bo says with a wink.

Nora walks out into the living room and sits down on the couch. She pulls her legs underneath her and hugs a throw pillow tight against her chest. She glances at the clock and sighs, “So far so good,” she says to herself, “We can do this,” she says out loud.

Matthew comes running down the stairs, “Do what mom?”

“Oh, nothing, sweetie,” she says, patting him on the knee.

He looks around the room, “Where’s dad?”

“He’s in the kitchen cleaning up.”

Matthew sits down beside her, “Hurry up dad. I have something for you,” he shouts from the living room.

Bo walks out into the living room, “Okay, okay son, I’m here.” He walks around the couch and sits down on the other side of Matthew, “So son, whatcha got.”

Matthew hands them both a piece of folded construction paper, “They’re Get Well cards,” he looks between his parents, “Do you like them?”

Nora looks down at Matthew and kisses the top of his head, “I love it, sweetie.”

She looks up at Bo who is obviously fighting with his emotions, “I…I love it too, son.” He also kisses the top of his head, “Thank you very much.”

Matthew looks between his parents and smiles, “You’re welcome,” he settles back on the couch, “Can we watch a movie together?”

Two hours later Bo wakes up to find himself alone in the living room. He sits up and notices her office door is closed. He stretches and picks up the remote and begins to flip through the channels, “No Phillies games on until later,” he sighs as he continues to flip through the channels. He was just about to settle on a movie when the phone rings. He counts the rings, wondering why she hasn’t picked up yet. He shrugs and picks the cordless phone up off the table, “Hello…Oh hi Daniel,” Bo practically spits out.

Bo stands up and opens her office door. He walks over to where she’s sitting, staring at her computer screen, and places the phone in front of her, a little harder than he should’ve. She looks up at him and notices the scowl on his face. She picks up the phone, “Hello…,” she looks back up at Bo who is walking towards the door, “Oh, hi Daniel…” She jumps in her seat as the sliding doors are closed hard enough to shake a few pictures on the wall. She lets out a sigh, “You know, Daniel this really isn’t a good time. I’ve got to go.” She says hanging up the phone.

Meanwhile Bo is out in the living room, bare feet propped up on the coffee table. He’s still flipping through the channels, deciding to settle on an Astros game. Nora walks out into the living room and stares at Bo. She walks over to the couch and picks up the remote, turning off the game, dropping it back onto the couch beside him, “What the hell is your problem, Bo? Why did you slam the doors like that?”

Bo just picks up the remote and looks up at her, “I was watching that.”

“I don’t care what you’re watching. I want to know what the hell your problem is,” she glances back over at the TV that he’s just turned back on. “Since when do you watch the Houston Astros, or are you just doing this to tick me off.”

Bo looks up at her, “I don’t live to tick you off, Nora. Not every thing is about you. Besides I’m waiting for the Phillies game to come on later, if you must know.”

“Why are you being such a jerk?” She walks over and stands right in front of the TV, “Answer me!”

Bo moves to the side, watching the portion of the TV that she’s not blocking. “I’m just trying to enjoy a baseball game here, Nora.”

“That’s a bunch of bull and you know it, Bo! You have NEVER watched a game that doesn’t involve the Phillies since I’ve known you. We used to sit down and make fun of Bagwell’s batting stance for christsake, so there is no other reason for you to be watching this game but to tick me off.”

“And I’ll repeat myself one more time. I don’t LIVE to just tick YOU off.”

Nora picks up a pillow and throws it at him, knocking him in the head, “You know you really are a world class jerk, Bo Buchanan.” She begins to pace in front of him, “For weeks now you’ve been either the Bo that jokes with me, the Bo that teases me, the Bo that is warm and tender or the Bo that completely blows me off and ignores me. I never know what I’m going to get with you, lately. Am I going to have funny Bo, tender and caring Bo, or the Bo that downright ticks me off and makes me want to beat him over the head,” She stops pacing for a moment and stares at him, “So what is it Bo? What the HELL is going on with you?”

Bo stands up and walks over to where she’s standing, their bodies just a few feet apart, “Okay, fine you wanna know what’s bugging me,” she nods, “Okay, I’ll tell you. When I was pushing you to get back out there and get a social life I didn’t mean with a JERK, like Daniel!”

“What the hell is your problem with Daniel? I KNOW he can be a jerk around the office but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to change!”

“Change,” Bo laughs,”…right.”

“When is it any of your business who I do or do not date anyway?”

“It became my business when who you date can positively or negatively affect MY son,” Bo shouts.

Nora drops her hands in disgust, slapping them against her thighs, “Oh PLEASE, Daniel and I are hardly dating; so how in the hell can that affect Matthew enough to where you feel the need to act like such an ass!”

“I’m an ass, that’s rich! You’re dating a man who is an alcoholic and who once upon a time pushed his wife around, and I’M being an ass!”

“Yes! You’re being an ASS!”

“Well I don’t like him and I don’t like him being near MY son. So if that makes me an ass than so be it!”

“YOUR SON!, she shouts. He’s my son too, Bo,” she places her hands on her hips, “This has nothing to do with Matthew and you know it! Why can’t you admit it Bo?”

“There’s nothing to admit, Nora! I don’t like the jerk and I don’t want him anywhere near Matthew, end of story.” She begins to walk towards the closet, “Walking away already!?”

Nora spins around, “No honey,” she spits out sarcastically, “that’s YOUR MO!” she shouts.

Just as the words left her mouth she regretted saying them. They could see the pain on the other’s face, but neither was going to admit to the pain their fighting and her words were causing.

She finishes making her way into the closet, returning a moment later with a brown bag. She deposits the bag on the couch. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a long piece of garland, “What the hell is all this for?”

She grabs the garland from his hand, “Well obviously we’re incapable of having a civil conversation so we’re dividing up the house, and I mean EVERY THING!,” she walks over to her desk and pulls out a roll of masking tape and walks back into the living room, “We’ll make a schedule and we won’t even have to see each other at all.”

Bo reaches into the bag and pulls out a “congratulations” banner. He hangs it off the end of his finger, “Congratulations for what?”

“My…um, the engagement party Jen threw for Sam and me,” she says.

He hands it to her, “How sweet that you kept it.”

Nora grabs it out of his hand and begins to tape the end of the banner to the top of the television. She walks around the back of the couch and fastens it to the back of the couch, dividing it in two. Bo reaches into the bag and pulls out another banner.

The shiny blue of the banner catches her eye and the look on Bo’s face brings a lump to her throat. She stares at the banner in his hand, “It’s a Boy,” those three words held all the pain they’ve pushed aside for the past year and a half. She looks between the banner and him one last time before running up the stairs, leaving him standing alone in the living room.

He jumps when he hears her bedroom door slam closed. Bo was just about to go after her when the phone rings again. He waits a few seconds and answers the phone, “Hello…hey there champ, you having fun with Stevie?...Good…sleep over, um sure. I’ll let your mom know. See you tomorrow, son…I love you too, Matt. Bye.”

Bo looks down at the banner in his hand and up the stairs. He sits down on the couch and drops his head in his hands, the banner still hanging from his fingers. He takes a few minutes and composes himself before he makes his way upstairs.

He pauses outside her door before knocking quietly, “Nora…”

She sits up in her bed, wiping the tears off her face, “Go away, Bo.” He slowly opens the door. He stands on the other side of the door and looks at her from across the room. God I hate it when she cries, he thinks to himself.

He walks over and sits down at the end of the bed. He looks up at her as she stares at the wall to her left, the tears still falling from her face. He sighs, “How about we go downstairs and have some soup and ginger ale,” she looks at him and makes a face, “Hey, you’re the one who always said that chicken soup was Jewish penicillin. So why don’t we give it a try.”

“Chicken noodle soup is not going to fix what happened down there, Bo.”

He nods, “I know but it’s a place to start. We’ll talk over soup and saltines, okay.”

“Talk or fight, Bo?” I’m not up for another round.”

“Let’s just see where things go, okay?”

She scowls at him again and begrudgingly throws back the covers. They walk into the kitchen and Bo starts to make the soup. A few minutes later he sits down at the table next to her and motions for her to eat. They sit in silence for a while. Nora pushes her bowl aside and looks over at Bo, “I’m…I’m sorry about the banner. I had no idea it was still in there.”

Bo just looks at her, “This goes way beyond the banner, Nora. This is about our son and all the time that I lost…that we lost.” He gets up and places the bowls on the counter. He looks back over at her, “Just forget it!” and walks out.

Nora stands up and follows him out into the living room, “Well maybe I don’t want to forget it, Bo. Maybe I need to talk about it.”

Bo turns and looks at her, “You need to talk about it, Nora…why, you’re not the one that missed out on the first eight years of his sons life!.” He picks his shoes up off the floor and walks through her office, slamming the back door.

She picks up a vase and hurls it at the back door, shattering it in pieces, “Fine just walk away like you always do!” she shouts at the closed door, before running towards the bathroom.

Bo sits out on the swing, staring back at the house. He had heard the glass shatter against the door. If he hadn’t already been regretting walking out on her as soon as the door closed, he definitely was after he heard the glass break, “Why did I walk out like that? Why can’t we just sit down and have a civil conversation without things turning into a fight?” He starts to walk around the backyard, the crickets and the lightening bugs his only audience, as he continues to think out loud.

Back in the house she walks back into the living room, a cool washcloth on her head, the tears freely falling down her cheeks. She picks up a piece of paper and begins to jot down a kitchen schedule and a TV watching schedule. A few minutes later she throws the schedule down on the coffee table, no longer able to see what she’s writing through her tears.

Bo continues to pace around the backyard, trying to figure out what was going on in his jumbled head and heart. They were doing nothing but reacting. Maybe Viki was right. Maybe the reason why they can’t get along isn’t solely because of their past, maybe it’s because of the here and now.

He stands up, picking his shoes up off the ground and walks back into the house. He rushes through the back door, ready to finally talk this out with her. He walks into the living room, “Nora…” he says, stopping when he sees her asleep on the couch. He walks over and sits down on the coffee table and looks down at her tear stained face, “Oh, Red.”

He looks back down at her and stands up, reaching down to pick her up off the couch. He places her on her bed and covers her with her sheet. He brushes a few strands of hair out of her face before turning out the light. He fell into a fitful sleep that night, the events of the past 24 hours playing through his mind.

The next morning Bo wakes up just before eleven. He glances up at her bed and notices that he’s alone once again. He reaches for his shirt and pulls it on as he makes his way down the stairs. He walks into the kitchen and finds her eating some dry toast and sipping on some warm ginger ale. He walks over to the counter and pops a few pieces of bread into the toaster and leans against the counter, staring at her, as she does the crossword puzzle.

She continues to ignore him, trying to busy herself with the puzzle, trying not to let his presence distract her. She wanted to ask him how she got to bed the night before but refused to give him the satisfaction of speaking first.

He grabs his toast out of the toaster a few minutes later and sits down across from her. He looks over at her as she continues to ignore him. Bo drops his toast on the plate and sits back in his chair with a sigh, “So, we’ve gone from screaming at each other to the cold shoulder, I see.” She looks up at him and then back down at her puzzle, never saying a word. Bo stands up and pulls out the chair beside her, “Listen Nora, I’m sorry I walked out last night. I just…it was just something I wasn’t ready to discuss, not with all that had happened between us earlier in the day.”

She looks up at him, lying her pen down on the table, “And now you’re ready to talk?”

“Yes, I’m ready to talk. I think it’s about time we discuss how finding out about Matthew has changed my life, changed our lives, for the better in my case,” he pauses for a moment, “and I hope in yours.”

“Oh Bo,” she says, laying her hand on his arm, “I’m so happy that Matthew is your son…that he’s our son,” she sighs, “I thought you knew that.”

He stands up and walks over to the counter and leans against it, running his hands over his face, “I don’t know what I think or what I know anymore, Nora.” He walks back over and sits down beside her, “All I know is that my life is so different now,” he looks at her and notices the look on her face, “in a good way, Nora, in a good way, I promise. It’s just a lot to get used to and adjust to. I had come to terms with not being Matthew’s father. I had finally found a place where when I would see Matthew and Sam together, I wouldn’t get that pain in my gut, my heart wouldn’t break. I could finally handle it,” he picks the pen up off the table and begins to remove and replace the cap as he continues to talk, “Then to find out that most of that time Sam knew the truth, that he was living my life. That knowledge was like a punch in the gut, Nora,” he looks up at her, “Remember the night we read Sam’s letters and you asked me if I was angry?” she slowly nods her head, “Well I am, Nora. I am angry. I’m angry at Sam, I’m angry at you, I’m even angry at myself.” She looks at him confused, “I’m angry at myself for not seeing it Not believing in this connection I always felt with Matthew,” he reaches out and lays a hand on her arm, “For walking out on you and him all those years ago.”

She looks up at him and shakes her head, the tears running unchecked down her face, “I don’t remember every thing that happened back then, really just bits and pieces but what I do remember is how badly I wanted you to walk back into our lives. I wanted you to be Matthew’s father. I should’ve seen it too, Bo. I should’ve been able to look into our son’s face and see you staring back at me. I should’ve known by the way he sleeps, his mannerisms, by the way he fiercely protects those he loves.”

“Well some things just come naturally I guess.”

She smiles and looks up at the clock on the wall. They had been talking for hours and she needed to make a few phone calls before the courts closed for the day, “I…I need to make a quick phone call before the courts close. I’ll meet you out in the living room and maybe we’ll pull out an old movie or something to watch.”

“I’d like that,” he says, knowing they’d barely scratched the surface of all that was happening between them but knew they had started to chip away at the hurt.

Nora sits behind her desk, talking to Judge Fitzwater, explaining why neither she nor Bo will be able to make the hearing that was scheduled for the following day. She was in the middle of explaining how they ended up quarantined together when her cell phone rang. She motioned for Bo to go ahead and answer it for her.

Bo nods and picks up her cell phone, “Nora Buchanan…” Bo glances over at Nora who gives him a “what’s up” look. Bo turns his back on her, “What do you want Daniel? Nora’s busy…” The look on Bo’s face turns from one of disgust to one of anger as he listens to Daniel on the other end of the phone. Bo walks farther away from her office door, “I told you she’s busy Daniel, and exactly what she’s busy doing or what is happening here in HER HOME is none of your damn business,” Bo growls into the phone before hanging it up and throwing it down on the couch.

Nora looks over at Bo and stands up, “Listen Judge Fitzwater, I’ve got to go.” She hangs up the phone and walks out into the living room, “From that all too familiar scowl on your face would it be safe to say that that was Daniel on the phone?”

Bo sits down on the couch and places his feet up on the coffee table, “That man is such a jerk, Nora.”

Nora leans against the back of the chair, “Yes, Bo we’ve established yesterday that you hate Daniel. However the one thing we didn’t establish was the real reason behind it.”

“I told you, I don’t like or want him around Matthew.”

“You’re lying Bo Buchanan. That may be part of the reason but that’s not the whole reason why you don’t want Daniel a part of my life outside of work, so how about the truth for once.”

Bo stands up and walks over to where she’s standing, “Fine. I just don’t’ think he’s good enough for you!” he blurts out.

Nora stands there in shock for a moment. She tries to recover, ignoring the feelings that one statement threatened to evoke, “We’ve gone around and around with this Bo. Who I date is NOT your call or any of your business. Why do you care so much anyway?!”

“Because I’m fa…because I’m your son’s father and I don’t think that man will be a good influence on our son! How many times do I have to tell you this!?”

“Until I believe you, and besides it’s NOT like your father is all that great of an influence on him.”

“Big difference between your boyfriend and his GRANDFATHER, Nora.” He walks towards the stairs, “I’ve got to make some phone calls.”

Nora collapses onto the couch, “Perfect” she sighs, “Just perfect.”

Bo spends the next hour upstairs pretending to make phone calls. He was avoiding her and the truth she was trying to make him face without realizing that that was what she was doing. He begins to make his way down the stairs when he hears her voice. He peeks down the stairs and sees that she’s on the phone and watching TV. He turns and walks back upstairs, heading into Matthew’s room to watch some TV, giving her time alone.

Downstairs, Nora’s sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. She leans her head back and sighs, “I don’t know what to do, Rikki, all we’ve been doing is fighting.”

On the other end of the phone, Rachel is sitting on her couch, bowl of popcorn in her lap, the same show on the TV, “Why do you think you’ve been doing nothing but fighting?”

“Because Bo Buchanan is the biggest jerk and the most stubborn man I’ve ever met in my life.”

Rachel shakes her head, “Try again, mama. You’ve known all of that for years, well the stubborn part at least.”

“I just don’t know what he wants from me, Rachel. One minute he’s teasing me about the way I pitched the tent on our camping trip and the next day he’s ice cold. Matthew says it has something to do with Daniel but he’s just a kid.”

Rachel rolls her eyes, “I think Matthew knows and sees more than you’re giving him credit for, and so do a lot of other people.”

Nora sits up straighter on the couch, “What do you mean other people?”

“Well you know I still talk to Kevin from time to time and well I talk to Uncle RJ once or twice a week. Uncle RJ thinks you’re choosing to go out with Daniel because you really have feelings for Bo and are too afraid to admit them, but you’re choosing the one person that Bo will have to see you with on a daily basis.” Rachel stands up and walks into the kitchen, “And Kevin said that Viki has been mentioning things to him about the two of you. He said she even had a talk with Bo about it last week.”

Nora sighs and leans her head against the back of the couch, her eyes closed, “I don’t know what to do, Rikki.”

“Why don’t you start with being honest with yourself for once? Do you love him?”

Nora sighs again, fighting back the tears, “God help me; I do.”

On the other end of the phone Rachel smiles, “So, then what are you going to do about it?”

“There’s a huge part of me that wants to try again, to try and make a go of it, but there’s a part of me that is scared to death.”

“What are you so afraid of, mama?”

Nora wipes the tears off her face, “I’m afraid of opening myself up to him again, of him opening himself back up to me. What if we hurt each other again, Rachel? What if things don’t work out this time? I can’t…I can’t survive losing him again. I just can’t. It nearly killed me the last time and I can’t do it again.” She leans over the arm of the couch and picks up Bo and Matthew’s picture off the end table, “What about Matthew. He’s been through so much pain and so much trauma in his short life. I couldn’t stand to see him heartbroken if this doesn’t work out between us,” she sighs as she places the picture down on her lap, “I know I love him with every thing I am, Rachel. With my whole heart and my whole soul, but then there’s Daniel. He’s safe and he’s easy, there’s no history there. No past hurts to overcome.”

“Mama,” Rachel sighs, “You and I both know that nothing worth having comes easy.”

“I know, Rikki, I know. I just…I just don’t know if I can put my heart out there again. Her phone beeps, “Listen Rachel, another call is coming in. I love you and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Nora pushes the button, “Hello…hey there sweetie are you having fun over at Stevie’s?...Well that’s good…Sure if it’s okay with his parents you can stay another night…Your dad…um well he’s upstairs making some phone calls….Yeah, sweetie, as soon as he comes down I’ll have him call you to say goodnight…I love you too, sweetie. Good night.” Nora places the phone down on the kitchen counter and opens the pantry, pulling out more snacks.

She walks back out into the living room and finds Bo stretched out on the couch. She walks over and plops down on top of his legs, which are on her side of the couch. He looks over at her and the bowl of Doritos and the small carton of ice cream she has sitting on her lap, “You’re going to make yourself sick with all that food, Nora.”

She looks over at him and sticks another handful of Doritos in her mouth. A moment later she and the bowl of Doritos are sitting on the floor. She looks up at him, “What the hell did you do that for?”

“You were sitting on my legs.”

“Well your legs were on my side of MY couch.”

“Our couch, Nora, well at least for the next 12 hours or so it’s our couch.”

She stands up and pushes his feet off her side of the couch, “Fine, then for the next 12 hours keep your feet on your side.”

“No problem,” he says, flipping the channels.

“Hey, who said you could change the channel?”

“The remote’s on MY side of the couch,” he says with a smirk.

“Fine,” she mumbles before stuffing more food in her mouth.

He looks over at her and shakes his head, “I’m telling you Nora, you’re going to make yourself sick.”

“Mind your own busin…” she looks over at him and drops the bowl as she runs towards the bathroom.

Bo drops the remote and runs towards the bathroom. He waits outside the door until he hears the water begin to run in the sink. He opens the door and hands her the washcloth that was hanging on the bar, “Come on, Red. Let’s get you to bed.”

She looks up at him and nods. He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair off her clammy brow. He takes her hand and helps her upstairs and to bed. Once again he lies down, preparing for another night of restless sleep.

They awoke the next morning to someone knocking on the door. They both make their way downstairs. Nora walks over and opens the door, “Hey, Larry. What brings you by so early?”

“Well I came to see how the two of you are doing. I think enough time has passed so if everything checks out I’d say you’re free,” He notices the looks passing between them, “It’s refreshing to see that the two of you haven’t killed each other in the passed few days.”

They both ignore his comment, “Well you said we just needed to be checked out and then we were free, so whatcha waiting for doc.”

Larry gave them both the once over and declared them officially sprung. They thank Larry and Nora sees him to the door while Bo goes upstairs to collect his things. He walks down the stairs twenty minutes later carrying his duffle bag, “Well I guess I’ll be going. I’m going to stop off at Asa’s and see Matthew. I saw Pa’s car out in front of Stevie’s house when I was getting dressed.”

“I’m sure he’d like that.”

Bo smiles, “Well, I guess I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

“Right, I’ll see you tomorrow, Bo.”

Nora watches him walk out the door and over to his car that had been dropped off sometime in the past few days. She watches him as he pulls out of the driveway and disappears down the street. She sighs and heads upstairs to shower and change.

Fifteen minutes later Bo is walking through the door of his apartment. He looks around the room, dropping his bag on the couch. He drops his keys, cell phone and beeper on the table as he makes his way towards the bathroom. Ten minutes later he’s standing under the stream of hot water, but his mind was across town.

Thirty minutes after walking through the door he was grabbing his keys and sitting behind the wheel of his Jeep. He had every intention of going to see Matthew, but he couldn’t keep his mind off of her. Fifteen minutes later he was walking towards her front door.

She was just about to hit play on the DVD she had decided to watch when she heard a soft knock on her door. She walks up to the door, a smile forming on her face, without her even realizing it. She opens the door, “Forget something?”

“Um…no, actually I was just thinking, that maybe we could just try and spend the afternoon together because we want to instead of because we have to.”

She tilts her head towards the living room, “I just put in some Bogey and Bacall, you wanna watch with me?”

“I’d love to,” he says with a smile.

They spent the afternoon sitting together, on an undivided couch, watching some of their old favorites. Before long the stress of the past few days caught up with them and they fell asleep on the couch, her head slowly drifting down, until it was almost lying in his lap.

Matthew and Asa found them this way a few hours later. They both awoke with a start when they heard Asa bellow, “Now this is what I like to see.”

They both stand up, righting their clothes, “It’s nothing, Pa. We just fell asleep that’s all.”

“Right, you just keep telling yourself that boy,” he walks over to where Matthew is standing, “Alright, partner, give your Granpa a hug.” He looks over at Bo and Nora, “Have fun you two.” He says with a wink.

Just as Asa was leaving Daniel walks through the open front door. He stands on the landing, “Um…am I interrupting something here?”

Nora looks over at Bo. She’s just about to say something when Bo jumps in, “No, not at all, Daniel,” he looks between Nora and Daniel, “I was just leaving.”

Nora looks over at Daniel, “I’ll be right back,” she walks up to the door and grabs Bo’s arm, “What’s with you?”

“I’ve got to go,” he looks over at Daniel, “Besides it looks like you have a date.”

“I can’t believe you, you know that?” she pushes him out onto the front porch, ”Something happened here this afternoon and you’re acting like nothing’s changed and trying to place that at Daniel’s feet. You’ve been telling me for the past few days that you don’t want him around Matthew, so what’s changed, huh Bo,” she pauses for a moment, waiting for him to answer, “I’ll tell you what it is Bo. Daniel’s not such a bad influence on our son when you’re using it as an excuse to run away.”

He just looks at her for a moment and turns to leave, “Tell Matthew I said goodbye and I’ll see him tomorrow.”

She watches him walk away, a single tear falling onto her cheek. She turns and walks back into the house…

TBC….in an elevator ;)