Chapter Three:

May 2004:

Life quickly returned to its normal frenzied pace in the Buchanan household as they settled into their new home. Bo was still as busy as ever with the case and he spent most of his days and nights at the station. Nora spent her days getting ready for the baby and being briefed on all pending cases including Gabrielle's. She spent most of her nights alone waiting for Bo to come home.

Bo woke up the morning of the trial just before dawn. He reached out to pull her close but all he found was an empty bed and cold sheets. He climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats. He made his way down the dimly hit hall, first stopping to see if she was in the nursery. He knew she wasn't in Rachel's room since Rachel had gone back to Chicago for a few days to tie up a few loose ends that came up with her old job. He walked towards Matthew's room and heard her muffled crying. He quietly pushed the door open the rest of the way and found her sitting beside Matthew's bed. He walked over and knelt down beside her, "Hey there gorgeous. What's with the tears?" he asked brushing them off her cheek.

She looked over at Matthew as he slept, "I was just thinking about the trial today and how I failed him again."

"Oh, honey you've never failed him," Bo helped her up and led her out of the room and back to their bedroom.

They sat down beside each other on the bed. She laid her head on his shoulder, after a few moments she began to speak, "I'm the DA Bo, I should've been able to convince the Judge to allow Matthew to testify privately. He's too little to be cross-examined and forced to relive this all in front of the whole town."

He leaned in and kissed her tear stained cheek, "He's going to be fine, Red. He's going to get up there and he's going to tell the truth."

"But..."

"Nora, you have your best ADA handling the case. Matthew has already answered the questions that he will be asked by the prosecution and you and Olivia, who you yourself appointed to this case, have prepared him for the questions that Gabrielle's attorney is bound to ask." He turns her so that she's facing him, he tilts her chin up and forces her to look at him, "Today when you walk into that courtroom you are Matthew's mother, you are not the DA. Nora, you have to trust the people you have working for you."

She laid her head against his chest as he pulled her close, "Thank you, you always know exactly what I need to hear even if I am too stubborn to believe it."

Bo took her face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips, "Matthew is going to be just fine. He's strong, heck he's half Hannen half Buchanan; and that alone gives him all the strength he'll need to get through this."

Nora nods, "I know and soon it'll be behind us and we can get on with our lives."

"Sounds good to me, Red. Our nice quiet but not too boring lives."

"Life is never boring with you, Bo Buchanan."

She leaned in and kissed him just as Matthew walked into their room, "Gross."

Bo and Nora both looked over at their son standing in the doorway and laughed at his reaction to their displays of affection. Bo jumped off the bed and grabbed Matthew, throwing him over his shoulder, "Just you wait, champ....just you wait."

Nora watched them as they made their way down the hallway towards Matthew's room. She sighed as she stood up, placing her hand on her back as a slight pain shoots across her lower back. She shook it off and walked into the bathroom. An hour and a half later they walked into the courtroom with Matthew between them. They took their seats behind the prosecutions table. Matthew crawled up on Bo's lap and looked around the courtroom.

Olivia Marshall, the ADA in charge of the case, walked in a few minutes after they arrived. She placed her files and briefcase on the table and then walked over to where Bo, Nora and Matthew were sitting, "So Matthew, are you ready?"

He looked between his parents, "Yeah, I'm ready."

They continued to talk for a few minutes about the case. Olivia reassured them both that she had discussed Matthew's testimony in regards to the defense's tactics and that Gabrielle's attorney had promised no theatrics, no double talk in order to confuse Matthew. The bailiff brought Gabrielle in. She glanced over at Bo, Nora and Matthew but quickly looked away. Judge Fitzwater arrived a few moments later and the trial began. Both sides presented their opening arguments and the Judge ordered a 10 minutes recess before Matthew was to testify.

Judge Fitzwater called the courtroom back to order, "ADA Marshall are you ready to call your first witness?"

"Yes I am your honor. The Commonwealth calls Matthew Hannen Buchanan."

Matthew climbed off of Bo's lap and walked over to the witness stand. They had practiced how he should sit; they practiced taking the oath and talked about what the oath meant. Judge Fitzwater looked down at Matthew and smiled. Matthew smiled back at her and took a deep breath before looking between his parents and Olivia, purposefully not looking over where Gabrielle was sitting. The Judge cleared her throat and nodded to Olivia to begin.

Olivia walked over to the witness stand and stood in between Matthew and the defense table. She smiled a reassuring smile and began, "Matthew I need to ask you a few questions about your time in Argentina, okay." Matthew nodded. Olivia smiled, "Matthew, remember when we practiced and we talked about how you were going to have to answer all of the questions out loud?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"That's okay. We can try it again."

He looked over at his parents. Bo winked at him and Nora nodded her head telling him that every thing was going to be just fine, "Okay. I'm ready."

Olivia smiled and nodded her head, "Where was the last place you remember being before you woke up in the house in Argentina?"

"I remember being at a party for my mom. She was the new District Attorney and we were celebrating at Rodi's. My Grandma Renee took me home to our house and MaryAnn, my babysitter was there. She put me to bed and that's all I remember before I woke up in that big house where everyone talked funny."

Olivia tried to stifle her laughter and asked her next question, "What is the first thing you remember after you woke up?"

"I remember that my head and my stomach hurt when I woke up. I didn't know where I was and I was scared."

"Were you alone when you woke up?"

"No."

"Who was with you?"

"There was an older lady there, sorta like a grandma. She told me I needed to eat so that my head and my stomach would stop hurting, but I didn't want to and I told her all I wanted to do was go home and see my mom."

"What happened next?"

"Gabrielle came in the room and told the other lady to leave."

"What happened once the other lady left?"

"Gabrielle made me eat the soup even though I told her I didn't want it. I told her that I wanted to see my mom and dad."

"What did she say to you when you asked about going home to your mom and dad?"

"She..." he pauses for a moment and looks over at his parents. He looks over at Gabrielle and then back up at Olivia, a few tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Olivia walked over and blocked his view of the defense table and laid her hand on top of his, "Its okay Matthew. Take your time."

He wiped the tears off his cheek with the back of his hand and straightened up in his chair, "I'm okay." Olivia nodded and repeated her question. Matthew took a deep breath and began to speak, "She told me that my mom and dad were gone. That they had gone to Heaven and that God had given me to her to be her son. I...I told her that she was lying, but..."

"But what, Matthew? What happened next?"

"She showed me..." He looked over at his parents again who both nodded for him to continue, "she showed me two pieces of papers that said that my parents were dead."

Olivia walked over to the table and picked up two plastic bags each with a document inside. She placed them in front of Matthew, "Are these the pieces of paper that she showed you?"

Matthew looked down at the pieces of paper and nodded. He looked up at the Judge and then back over at Olivia, "Yes."

Olivia continued to question Matthew about the months that he was held by Gabrielle. Judge Fitzwater called for a ten minute recess before the defense began their cross examination. Gabrielle's attorney asked a few questions about his time with Gabrielle. Matthew was dismissed from the witness stand and Judge Fitzwater adjourned court for the day.

An hour later Bo carried an exhausted Matthew up to his room and put him to bed. Nora followed them upstairs and made her way into their bedroom. Bo closed Matthew's door after putting him in his pjs and reading him the next chapter in the latest book they were reading together. Bo walked into their bedroom and found her sound asleep, still fully dressed. He walked over and carefully removed her shoes before covering her up. He undressed and climbed into bed beside her; pulling her close, careful not to wake her.

The next morning started like the day before. They walked into the courtroom just after nine, this time minus Matthew. He was done testifying and they both thought it was better that he wasn't in the courtroom any more. The prosecution was going to be resting their case and then it was the defense's turn. Gabrielle's attorney was basing his case on Gabrielle's state of mind after her break up with Bo, hoping to get off with a temporary insanity plea.

They broke for lunch just before they were set to give their closing arguments. Just as Nora stood to leave she doubled over in pain. She grabbed Bo's arm causing him to turn around. He helped her back to her seat and knelt down in front of her, "Hey Red, what is it? Is it the baby?"

She nodded; trying to catch her breath, "Yeah....I think it's time. We've got to get out of here....fast."

Bo helped her out of her chair, scooping her up in his arms. He helped her into the car. He climbed in behind the wheel; throwing his bubble light onto the dash, before peeling out of the parking lot. They arrived in front of the hospital in record time. Bo ran around the car and helped her out. He carried her through the double doors of the emergency room, "Someone page Dr. Conklin or Larry Woleck, now." he shouted as he pushed open one of the exam room doors.

"Bo...where's the doctor...someone needs to get in here now...this baby is coming and she's coming fast."

"They're on their way, honey. They're on their way. You need to keep breathing, just keep breathing."

Larry rushed through the door minutes after they paged him. The nurse had set up the room for an emergency delivery. There was no time to take her to the maternity floor, "Okay Nora are you ready to bring this little one into the world?"

Nora looked over at Bo and nodded. Bo leaned in and kissed her forehead before taking her hand, "I love you, Red."

"Love you too, Buchanan," she managed to say before another contraction hit.

Bo held Nora's hand as she brought their daughter into the world, and just as Destiny Renee Buchanan took her first breath, Gabrielle Medina was being led out of the courtroom and out of their lives forever.

TBC