Part Ten:

They spent every day and night of their two week honeymoon celebrating their love and the second chance they’ve been given. They walked along the beach hand in hand, walking through the surf as it pounded against the shore. They watched the sunrise each morning as they held each other tight, wrapped in a blanket on their balcony, after a night of making love.

They returned to Llanview, their sun kissed bodies standing out against the cold winter landscape. They were well rested and ready to embark on their new life together, their life as husband and wife. Matthew was happy to have his parents back although spending the past two weeks with his grandparents had proved to be very profitable. Bo and Nora rolled their eyes as they loaded all of the new video games and toys that Asa had bought for both of the kids.

Life quickly fell back into its usual hectic pace. They moved out of the house that Sam had bought for her and into a new home on the outskirts of town. Two months after they returned from their honeymoon Daniel resigned as D.A. and went into private practice in Philadelphia, after reconciling with Lindsay.

Nora was named interim D.A. until the election in November. The murder of Tico Santi and the subsequent arrest of Kelly Cramer for the murder sent shockwaves through Llanview and kept Nora and Bo extremely busy. The Buchanan family was rocked when the truth came out that Kelly had been aiming for Kevin that day at the political rally but mistakenly shot Tico instead.

Rachel’s ex had arrived in town when Amalya was nine months old, sending them into a tailspin. He tried to take Amalya back to Chicago with him but finally decided that she was better off with her grandparents like Rachel had wanted. He signed documents waiving any further claim on Amalya and Bo and Nora officially adopted her, but decided against changing her name.

Things finally began to slow down as spring turned into summer and the anniversary of Rachel’s death approached. Amalya was beginning to look more and more like Rachel every day, but with hints of her grandmother’s red hair and her father’s light complexion. Nora would watch her as she played, amazed at how much having this little girl had changed her life. Bo would often find her sitting in Amalya’s room, talking to her in the dark, telling her stories about her mother as she drifted to sleep.

The day of Amaya’s first birthday dawned hot and humid. Bo rolled over in bed, reaching for her, only to find her gone. Bo grabbed his t-shirt and boxers off the floor, where they had fallen the night before and quickly dressed. He walks down the hallway, closing Matthew’s door before making his way to Amalya’s room. He walks over to her crib and sees her still sound asleep, oblivious to what day it is. He closes her door and walks back out into the hallway, making his way downstairs.

He walks through the silent house, his bare feet padding across the hardwood floor. He walks into the kitchen but finds it empty. He walks onto the back porch and finds himself alone in the back yard. Her car was in the garage so there was only one place left to look, the basement.

Bo walks down the stairs and through the front room, navigating his way through the toys. He sees the light coming from underneath her office doors. He slides the doors open and sees her sitting in the corner of the room, boxes all around her, pictures scattered across the floor. He walks over to her, his presence in the room going unnoticed as she lovingly looks at the pictures, placing them in the book that lies on her lap, wiping the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.

He walks up to her and squats down in front of her, laying his hands on top of her knees as she sits cross-legged on the floor. She looks up at him, his face blurred by the tears still falling onto her cheeks. He reaches out and wipes the tears off her face, “Honey, how long have you been up?”

Nora shakes her head, and shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know…hours maybe. I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to disturb you so I came down here to finish Amalya’s birthday present,” her voice begins to crack, as she begins to cry, “I just wanted to go through all of these pictures,” she looks around the room, at the pictures spread out all over the floor, “So many pictures, and each one tells a story,” she looks up at him, “I don’t want Amalya to grow up not knowing all about her mother.”

Bo removed the book from her lap and sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms. He positions her between his legs and wraps his arms around her. He kisses the side of her head and leans his chin on her shoulder, “Amalya is going to be just fine, honey. You’re doing an excellent job of making sure that Rachel’s memory stays alive, for Amalya and for Matthew. Today is a bittersweet day, and it’s going to be rough on all of us, but we’ll get through it; together,” he wraps his arms tighter around her, “Just hold on to me and let me be there for you, let me be your safe place.”

She turns in his arms, her legs stretching out to the side over his, “You are my rock, Bo. I wouldn’t have made it through this past year without you,” she lays her hand on his cheek, “Promise me you’re always going to be here, Bo. Promise me…”

He leans in and kisses her. He leans his head against hers, “Always and forever, Red…always and forever.”

They spend the next few hours together on the floor of her office. They cried together and laughed together as she told him the story behind each and every picture. They made their way upstairs when they heard movement at the top of the stairs.

Matthew met them at the top of the stairs, “What are you doing?” he asks, his voice full of concern when he sees him mother’s red and swollen eyes. He looks down at the ground and then back up at his parents, “Were you crying about Rachel, mom?”

Nora kneels down in front of him and pulls him against her, “Yeah, sweetie, mom was crying, but you know what, no more tears. Today’s Amalya’s birthday and we’re going to celebrate that just like Rachel would want us to.”

Matthew wrapped his arms around Nora and kissed her cheek before running off to get dressed. They spent the next few hours decorating the house for the party. Renee arrived an hour before the party, dropping off the food that they had ordered from Rodi’s.

Nora walks into the living room and finds Matthew standing on his tip-toes on top of a chair, trying to reach something off the top shelf. Nora walks up to him, “What are you looking for champ?”

“I think we need more decorations for the back porch and I thought there would be some up here.”

Nora laughs, “Well I don’t think you’re going to find any more decorations up here, but let’s check in this box just in case.” Nora reaches up and pulls down the box, walking over and setting it down on the coffee table. Matthew sits down on the couch and looks through the box while Nora goes to answer the phone. Matthew runs out of the room a few minutes later when his search for more decorations comes up empty.

Nora ends her call a few minutes later and walks back over to the coffee table. She was just about to close the box when an envelope sticking out of a bag catches her eye. She pulls the bag out of the box and realizes that it’s the bag of Rachel’s belongings from the hospital, the bag that she had refused to look in after her death. Nora had forgotten about it until now. She takes the bag upstairs to their bedroom and dumps the contents out onto the bed.

At the same time downstairs Bo walks into the living room looking for her. Their guests had arrived and they were waiting for her to begin. He calls her name but is met with silence. He walks upstairs making his way towards their room. He pauses in the doorway when he sees her sitting on the bed surrounded by Rachel’s things. She looks up at him and then down at the letter in her hand, “It’s a letter…she wrote us a letter, Bo.”

Bo walks over to the bed and sits down beside her. She looks up at him, the tears spilling onto her cheeks once again, despite the promise she had made to Matthew earlier that morning. She hands the letter to Bo and he begins to read it out loud…”

Dear Mama and Bo,

If you’re reading this letter than I didn’t make it just like the doctor’s feared.

I want to take this little bit of time that I have left to tell you that I love you both. I love you mama, so much, and even though we’ve had our differences I’ve never forgotten the sacrifices that you made for me.

I wanted to do the same for my little girl, to be the mother that you were to me, but I’m not going to be able to have that chance. I want her to have the kind of life that I had. I want her to have all the love that this world has to offer.

The only way I could think of to give her this kind of life was to do every thing I could to make sure she came into this world. I knew the risks and I hope you understand why I made the decision I made, mama. Don’t blame her, please, don’t. She has already brought me so much happiness in her short time here. From the moment they laid her in my arms I knew every thing was going to be okay, that making sure she made it into this world was what I was meant to do.

I need you to do something for me mama, you too Bo. Watch over my little girl; raise her as though she were your own. I’ve left instructions, giving you joint custody of my little girl, my Amalya Buchanan Gannon.

Bo looks up at Nora, the tears now running unchecked down his face. She takes her hand in his and intertwines their fingers as he continues to read…

I know by now the two of you are wondering why, why I chose the two of you to raise Amalya, especially since you’re not together. I can’t predict the future, but one thing I know for sure is that the two of you are on the brink, you’re on the brink of finding each other again, and knowing this, knowing deep down that the two of you are going to find your way back someday, makes leaving you all so much easier.

You both always joked that it would take an act of God to get the two of you back together, well now I know you were right, Amalya, our little “work of God” has been sent here to guide you back to one another, to help you find your hearts again. Love her, love each other, and never ever forget how much I loved you both.

Mama, tell daddy that I love him. Tell him that I was so proud to have been his daughter. Tell Matthew to grow up and make me proud, tell him that I was honored to be his big sister and that I love him with all my heart.

Bo runs his fingers over the smeared ink, evidence of the tears that had fallen onto the paper as she wrote. He inhales deeply, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continues to read…

Tell Amalya how much I love her and that even before she was born, before I ever laid eyes on her I dreamt of her, what she would look like, who she would grow up to be. And as I felt her move inside of me I knew that I had been given a special gift. I give this gift to both of you now, love her, and let her spread her wings as you both let me.

I’ve got to go now, mama. I’m sorry I’m so very sorry. I’m trying to hold on, I’m trying to wait for you, but I can’t. I love you both; please just always remember how much I loved you.

Bo looks at her, “Love Rachel,” he says, his voice thick with emotion.

They held each other close, her daughter’s last words ringing in their ears, realizing now that Rachel had done more that day than sacrifice her life for her daughter’s, she had sacrificed her life for them and for the love and happiness she hoped they’d find again. Rachel was right; sometimes all it takes is a word of God.

THE END!