Chapter Forty:

They spent the next two weeks on their honeymoon which doubled as "The first annual Buchanan family vacation". They had gone on a Disney Cruise through the Bahamas. The various activities left Matthew with plenty to do; while his parents spent time together; walking hand in hand on the beach; making love on the white sand beaches of the Bahamas. Everything was perfect and their arrival home came all too quickly....

Bo and Nora's house:

Bo opens the front door as the limo driver drops their bags just inside the door. Matthew runs into the house and plops down on the couch and turns the TV on.

"Oh no you don't buster, get on upstairs for your bath. It's late and you have to go back to school tomorrow morning."

"Aww...mom."

"Don't aww mom me. Move it. I'll be up to start your bath in just a minute."

Bo tips the limo driver and thanks him for his assistance. Bo walks over and lays his hands on Nora's shoulders....

"Tired?"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to need a vacation from our vacation."

Turning her around and taking her in his arms, "I think you should start to consider cutting back at work. We're almost at the point in this pregnancy where you had difficulties when you were pregnant with Matthew."

"I'll be fine, Bo..."

"Honey..."

Placing her fingers on his lips, "Let's not talk about this right now. Why don't you bring our bags upstairs while I give Matthew his bath, and then we'll indulge in a bath of our own? How does that sound?"

"Sounds great, honey but don't think for a minute that I'm giving up on this discussion about you slowing down."

Leaning in and kissing him, "I wouldn't expect you to."

Nora went upstairs to give Matthew his bath while Bo looked through the mail and listened to the answering machine....

Hi Nora, it's your mother. I know you're still on your honeymoon but I just wanted to check in and let you know that everything's well here. Call me when you get home. Love you, baby. BEEP Sound of the phone hanging up. BEEP Another hang up. BEEP Another hang up. Bo continues to listen to the next 10 calls; all of them hang-ups. Something does not sit well with him but he figured he'd just figure it out in the morning once he got to the office. He walked over to the couch and sat down still flipping through the mail...

"Junk, junk, bills, junk, more bills.

 

He throws the mail down on the coffee table and walks over and picks up their bags; balancing them as he carries them upstairs. He drops the bags in the corner of their bedroom and walks into Matthew's room...

Walks over to Matthew's bed, "Night buddy, we'll see you in the morning."

"Night daddy."

Bo leans down and kisses his forehead. Nora walks over and does the same....

"Goodnight, champ. Sweet dreams."

"Night mommy, see ya in the morning."

Bo and Nora walked out of his room and down the hallway hand in hand. They walked into their bedroom. Nora laid down on the bed suddenly too exhausted to move. Bo sat down on the bed beside her and took off her shoes and began to massage her feet and legs...

"That feels incredible. Your hands have magic powers did you know that?"

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah."

Bo continues to massage her body until he hears her steady breathing and realizes she's asleep. He covers her up and climbs into bed beside her. She feels the weight of the bed shift as he climbs in beside her. She rolls over and lays her head on his chest. He pulls her close and closes his eyes, a huge smile on his face....

Two months later....

Bo has finally convinced Nora to slow down and take some time off from the office. She's been spending her days at home and with summer vacation in full swing she's been busy taking Matthew back and forth to camp and his play dates. Sometimes she thinks she's busier staying home than she would've been if she'd gone into the office each day....

The Station:

Bo is sitting in his office looking through the most recent case files. He's been up to his eyeballs in work the past two months. There have been a string of assaults against women in the past few months. They had no leads on this individual because the women have no recollection of what transpired during the attack. All of them had been injected with some sort of drug; leaving them unable to fight back and with no memories of the attack. The attacks hit home with Bo after what Colin tried to do to Nora. He wondered if it was a copy cat but erased that as a possibility since it had been over three years since Colin had tried to attack Nora, but the fact that all the victims were red heads made this case even more disturbing. Bo was about to turn in for the night when his phone rang...

Sighs, "Buchanan....What can I do for you, Mr. Mayor?....Sir, I was just about to....Okay...Right I understand…I'll be there in 10 minutes..."

At the same time back at Bo and Nora's house:

Matthew and Nora had just walked through the door after picking him up from camp. Matthew threw his ball and glove down on the floor by the door and ran out into the backyard. Nora was about to say something to him but the words wouldn't come. She was exhausted and the pain in her back was getting worse. She lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. She fell asleep a few minutes later but only slept for about twenty minutes before a sharp pain ripped through her abdomen....

Grabbing her stomach, "Whoa now that came out of no where."

Nora stood up and started to walk towards the kitchen when another pain hit her...

"Okay, there's another one."

Nora walks towards the phone and dials Bo's cell number...

"You've reached the voice mail of Bo Buchanan. Please leave a message after the tone...

"Bo, honey it's me…I think it's time…OW!!! Yeah it's definitely time...OH GOD!!!!!...phone falls to the floor Matthew!!!! Matthew!!!!....

Matthew comes running into the house and finds Nora lying on the floor. He picks up the phone and pushes the button waiting for the dial tone...

"Llanview Police Department…"

"I need help...it's my mommy...she's lying on the floor..."

"Who is this??"

Crying, "Matthew Buchanan and I want to talk to my daddy, my mom needs my dad to come home…My mom won't wake up. She won't wake up."

"We have an ambulance on the way, Matthew. I want you to stay on the line with me until they get there okay."

"Okay. Hurry....Mommy wake up please..."

Matthew heard the sirens a few minutes later...He went over to the door and opened it when he heard them on the other side. They rushed to Nora's side and began to assess her condition.

"Her blood pressure is way too high; we've got to get her to the hospital now. On my cue let's get her on the gurney...3...2...1…lift."

They lift Nora onto the gurney and load her into the back of the ambulance. The other paramedic lifts Matthew into the back of the ambulance and he takes a seat beside his mother...They arrive at Llanview Hospital a few minutes later....

The station:

Bo is walking towards his jeep when he realizes that he left his cell phone on his desk. He walks back towards his office and picks up his cell phone. He notices the message and plays it as he walks out of the station...When he hears Nora's cries he runs the rest of the way to his car and speeds out of the parking lot...

Back at the hospital:

They have Nora hooked up to IV's and monitors as they try to stabilize her condition. Her blood pressure is extremely high and they're giving her medication to counteract it...

"Alright people, we've got to get her pressure down. We can't have her stroking out on us."

Bo runs off the elevator just as the alarms can be heard throughout the hallway....

"We're losing her..."

Standing in the doorway of her room, "NORA!!!!!"