Part Sixteen:

Her eyes slowly flutter open and a smile spreads across her face when she sees him staring at her. Her smile quickly fades when she notices the tears brimming in his eyes and evidence of the tears that have already fallen staining his cheeks. She reaches up and lays her hand on his wet cheek, brushing off a newly fallen tear, “What’s wrong, Buchanan? Did you forget how scary I can look in the morning?” she jokes, trying to break the seriousness of the mood. He shakes his head. She looks at him knowing whatever he was feeling and thinking was no joking matter.

She sits up, pulling the sheets around her. For the first time in all their years together she became aware of her lack of clothing when with him. She suddenly felt awkward, afraid he was regretting their night together, after all that they’ve allowed to come between them. She began to slip out of bed, but he reaches out and pulls her back down onto the bed, “Where are you going?” He asks quietly.

She looks down at her lap, pulling the sheets tighter across her chest, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she says; figuring it would be easier for her to take if she was the one to say it first.

He sits up quickly, his own lack of clothing forgotten, “Why would you say that?”

She looks at him, her own tears threatening to fall, “When I woke up,” she pauses, “Well the look on your face. I just…”

He crawls across the bed, kneeling down in front of her. She’s still looking down at her hands that rest in her lap. He reaches out and tilts her chin up, “I could never regret making love to you,” she averts her eyes, “Look at me, Red,” she slowly raises her eyes to meet his, “I’ve never regretted a moment we’ve shared since the day we literally ran into each other at the Palace all those years ago.” She tilts her head to the side, giving him a ‘yeah right’ look, “not one single moment, Red. I mean it,” he pauses for a moment, “not even the bad times.”

He reaches out and wipes the tears off her cheeks, cupping her cheek in his palm. He looks at her, his own tears threatening to fall once again, “The look you saw on my face when you woke up was a look of awe and amazement. I woke up and looked at you and you looked so beautiful with the moonlight silhouetting your face, and I realized once again how lucky I am. I just laid there staring at you, burning that image into my brain,” his voice begins to crack; “I don’t want to ever forget this night, Nora; the night I held you in my arms again, the night I watched you sleep with your hand resting across our child. These images are what will get me through any time we may have to be apart.”

She shakes her head, “You’re not going to spend another night in jail, Bo. I promise you that. And as soon as you’re cleared, we’ll get your job back.”

Bo reaches out and places his finger on her lips and shakes his head, “Getting my job back is the furthest thing from my mind right now, Red. Right now, I want you to know that whatever happens as long as you’re waiting for me on the other side, I can make it through anything.”

She takes his hand and places it on her stomach, “No matter what, we’ll be right here waiting for you.”

Bo leans in and kisses her, gently laying her back onto the bed. They spent the rest of the early morning hours making love and making more memories; memories that they’ll need to get them through what may lie ahead.

They spent the next two days hiding from the world and what lurked just outside; threatening to separate them once again. Just before dawn, the morning of the hearing, he rolls over in bed. He reaches for her, only to find her side of the bed empty. He throws back the covers and climbs out of bed. He walks downstairs, expecting to find her in the living room. He searches the rest of the house, not finding her anywhere. He ran back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. It had suddenly hit him where she was, where she always went when she couldn’t sleep the night before a big case.

He finds her exactly where he knew she would be, standing in the middle of the empty courtroom, her voice echoing off the marble floors as she pleads her case to an invisible judge.

He was just about to turn and leave when he hears her words, obviously re-practicing and re-working what she’s going to say, “Your honor, we’re no longer talking just about Bo Buchanan the Police Commissioner, a man who has lived in this town for over two decades and has dedicated the past six years of his life, to making this town safe from the Todd Mannings of this world, but about Bo Buchanan the man. A man that many have heard of, but only a lucky few really know.

She begins to pace, her heels clicking on the marble floor, as she makes her way over to the empty jury box. She leans her hands on the railing and begins to speak again, “Earlier we got to know Bo Buchanan the Commissioner, now it’s time to get to know Bo Buchanan, the man. Bo Buchanan, the loving husband, the fa…” her voice cracks for a moment. She shakes her head, forcing herself to regain control of her voice, “the father. A loving and devoted son to Asa, brother to Clint, uncle to Kevin, Joey, and Jessica, a friend to many others in this very room.”

She walks back over and stands in front of the bench, “On August 25^th those two sides of Bo Buchanan collided with Todd Manning, a man who has terrorized this community for years, a man who has walked away from his crimes over and over again. So on that day, Bo Buchanan the Police Commissioner and Bo Buchanan the…Bo Buchanan the grieving father came face to face with a man who taunted him with his…with our daughter’s death, a death that we now have irrefutable proof that Mr. Manning perpetrated.”

Was Mr. Buchanan out of line when this altercation occurred? Absolutely. Was he a man out of his mind with grief and anger when confronted with the man responsible for the death of his daughter? Without a doubt.”

Mr. Buchanan is here today because he gave into his pain and grief and reacted wrongly but not unjustifiably,” she pauses for a moment.

Bo slowly walks towards her. She’s now leaning against the witness stand, her shoulders slumped. She closes her eyes as she slowly gives into the tears she knows she’s going to have to keep at bay while she pleads Bo’s case to the judge. Bo could see her shoulders begin to shake as she continues to cry. He rushes towards her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, “Shh…Red, come one now, no more tears,” he whispers in her ear.

She turns in his arms, throwing her arms around his neck. She lays her head on his shoulder and lets the feeling of being held by him calm her tears. She lifts her head off his shoulder, wiping the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand, “I’m scared Bo, what if no matter what I say or do they still take you away from us… what if I…”

He shakes his head, “Shh…listen to me okay? I’ve made a decision.” He takes her hand and leads her over to the gallery. He turns the chairs so they’re facing each other, “I’m going to plead ‘no contest’ to the assault charges, Red.” She begins to protest, “let me finish,” she nods, “I heard what you said earlier. I heard you trying your hardest not to break down, not to give into the fear. You were trying desperately to be my lawyer and not my wife, not the mother of the little girl we lost at Todd Manning’s hand.” He takes her hands in his and begins to gently caress the top of her hands with his thumbs, “You and I both know that if I don’t plead out, this is going to trial and I’m not going to do that to you. I’m not going to put you through this. I can see what it’s already doing to you.”

She shakes her head, “I can do this, Bo. I can see it all the way to the end. I’ll be fine, the baby will be fine.”

He leans in and kisses her, “I know that, honey, but I don’t want you to have to. I’ve given the past six years of my life, of our life together, to upholding the law. I’ve trusted in the justice system that we’ve dedicated our lives to, and I’m going to trust in it now.”

“So many things can go wrong, Bo.”

“You have to have faith, honey; faith in me.”

She reaches out and lays her hand on his cheek, “I do have faith in you, Bo.” He leans in and kisses her, “and I love you so much.”

“I love you too and remember no matter what happens; we’re going to make it.” They both look up as the lights in the courtroom turn on and the custodial crew begins to prepare the courtroom for the day. They stand up, “Let’s get out of here for a while.”

She gathers up her stuff and he leads her out of the courtroom. They stop at the diner and order two breakfasts to go. They walk to the park and sit under the large elm trees. He leans against the trunk of the tree, she sits between his legs; his arms wrapped lovingly around her. They sit in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of Llanview as it wakes up, getting ready to start another day.

His hands wander lower until they rest on top of her stomach. She rests her hands on top of his and smiles. He leans in close, “So what are you hoping for?”

“I have a feeling it’s going to be a boy this time.” She looks up at the clouds as they slowly float by, lost in the past for a moment, “You know, when I was pregnant with Sarah I was so sure I was having a girl, this time I have those same feelings, and I just know it’s a boy.”

“A boy,” he smiles at the thought of having another son.

She leans back further against his chest, “This baby can and never will replace Sarah in our hearts, but knowing he’s on the way has begun to take the pain away,” she begins to shake her head, “I’m almost afraid of that though.”

He sits up a little straighter, “What do you mean?”

She shrugs, “I’m afraid that if the pain goes away completely, then I’ve forgotten her.”

“You could never forget her, sweetheart.” He raises their hands and rests them over her heart, “She’ll always be right here.”

They spend the next few hours sitting under that elm tree, talking about their daughter and the child that was on the way, neither one discussing what might happen if their worst fears came true.

She glances down at her watch. She turns in his arms and kisses him before standing up, “We better get going if I’m going to talk to Hank and Judge Fitzwater,” she brushes off her skirt and looks back up at him, “You still sure about pleading ‘no contest’?” He nods. She smiles, “Then I’m with ya.” She holds out her hand, he takes it and places a kiss on her ring finger. She places her other hand on his cheek, “Let’s go.”

They walk hand in hand into Hank’s office. He looks up from his desk and smiles, “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see the two of you for another hour. What’s up?”

Nora looks over at Bo who nods. She looks back over at Hank, “My client wishes to plead ‘no contest’ to the assault charges against him.”

Hank stands up and walks over to the front of his desk. He leans against it and crosses his arms across his chest, “You sure?”

“I’m sure, Hank. I just want this over,” He looks over at Nora then back over at Hank, “I need this to just be over so that we can move on to whatever comes next.”

“Are you prepared for what may come next, Bo?”

“I am,” he reaches down and squeezes her hand, “we are.”

“Alright, let’s go talk to the Judge.”

Bo gives Nora a quick wink as they walk hand in hand down the hallway to Judge Fitzwater’s chambers. Halfway down the hall Hank’s cell phone rang, “Gannon…You’ve got to be kidding me…”

TBC…