Search & Rescue Chapter 10

The week went by in a blur of activity. Bo spent much of his evenings with Matthew trying to get him used to the idea of moving back in with Nora, at least part time. Nora was completely drowning at work thanks to Daniel’s accident and removal. She had to clear her desk so she could leave but she really wanted to spend some time with Matthew before her trip. She called Bo.

"Buchanan."

"Hey Bo."

"Hey Red...um sorry."

"It's okay, I still have red hair,” she laughed nervously, “I was wondering if you could bring Matthew to the diner for dinner tonight, I haven't gotten to spend much time with him, and would really like to see him before my trip."

"Yeah, that's fine, as a matter of fact, Renee was supposed to take him there to meet me in an hour, so you can just go in my place, and then bring him back to the station and I'll take him home from here."

"Perfect. Thanks Bo."

"No problem, we’ll get this joint parenting thing yet."

"Yeah." she wasn't nearly as happy as she tried to seem.

An hour later she walked into the diner and Matthew eyed here warily, "Where's dad?"

"He's at work, I wanted to have dinner with you is that okay?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I guess." He saw Starr over at another booth with Heddy, "Hey can I go talk to Starr?"

"Sure...but just for a minute okay?"

"Yeah." Nora put her head in her hands, "Maybe I should have stayed dead."

Renee put her hand over Nora's "Now darlin don't even think that, no one would be better off without you."

She looked up at Renee, "Really, does he look happy to see me?" Renee shook her head.

"Honey, he and Bo got really close while you were gone, it's not that he doesn't want you, it's that he wants both of you....and he thinks you’re the one that's choosing to not make you all a family."

"But he was living with Bo and Gabrielle." She shook her head.

"No, Bo and Matthew were staying with us."

"What?"

"Bo moved into the house, he spent most of his free time with Matthew and now, you want him to go home with you, but home with you doesn't include his dad, and playing games until bedtime."

"But Bo can come over whenever he wants, he knows that."

"It's not Bo, it's Matthew, he doesn't want to lose his dad any more than he wants to lose you, just give him time."

She nodded, “I guess I don't have a choice."

Matthew walked back over to the table, he looked at her hand, "Where's your ring mom?" Nora looked at her hand; she had been wearing it to work every day but taking it off while there, then putting it on to go home.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry I took it off when I went to the restroom at work earlier and forgot to put it back on."

He looked at her, tears in his eyes, "You don't like it do you?"

"I love it, it's just; it's hard for me to wear it with your dad around."

"Why?"

"Because, of what he had put inside the ring, that's not true anymore and it hurts me to think about it."

"Why don't you and dad love each other anymore?"

"Oh honey," she pulled him to her, "your daddy and I will always love each other as friends, but we just can't be more than that anymore, okay? It's time for your dad and I to move on. But we both love you and that will never change."

* * *

Alexis threw the last piece of clothing in her suitcase, her cell phone held to her ear by her shoulder, "I'm going to miss you too, Brook....I'll be home Sunday night, honey. No, Krissy is staying with Nikolas and Emily....How about this. How about you, Krissy and me have a girls night out, tonight. We can go to Kelly's for dinner and then you can come here..." she heard Brook's muffled cries on the other end of the phone.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I don't want you to go."

"Oh, Brook, honey I have to go."

"Are you going on an airplane?"

So that's what she's afraid of Alexis thought to herself, "No, sweetie. I'm having someone drive me."

* * *

Bo walked into Nora's office looking for a file. He saw the ring sitting in her desk and knew that she wasn't wearing it because of the inscription. He took it looking at his watch and headed for the jewelers. 45 minutes later, he returned the ring to her desk, under it was a note. He picked up the file and left shaking his head, he was too late, wasn't that the story of his life.

She walked into her office after leaving Matthew with Bo. She walked over to the desk and picked up the ring, spotting the paper underneath it she picked it up, "Hey Nora, I fixed this so you could wear it all the time, I don't want to see you without it anymore, I agree with you, it’s time we move on." She looked inside the ring and could see the inscription had been sanded away, ‘if only it was that easy’ she thought, a tear fell from her eye as she placed the ring back on her finger.

* * *

Nora walked into the plaza and saw Alexis checking in, she walked up behind her, "Hey stranger."

"Hey yourself" she stands up and the two woman embrace, "You look great."

"So do you." She turned to look at the bar, "What do you say we let this nice bellboy take these bags off our hands and go get a drink?"

Alexis smiles, "Yeah, a drink sounds great."

They head to a booth in the back of the bar, a waiter comes over. Nora speaks up, "I'll take a martini, 3 olives please."

He turns to Alexis, "I'll have vodka, chilled if you have it." She looks over at Nora, "It's great to see you again."

"It's great to see you too, and it's great to just kick back and relax."

"Relax, now that's something I'm not used to."

"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, a day of nothing but being pampered." She stops a far away look in her eyes, "It's been a long time."

Alexis, lost in her own thoughts of a weekend away at the spa from five years before

Alexis: Do they have mud-baths in heaven?

Ned: One of the great unanswered questions.

Alexis: Because if they don't, I'm not going.

Her mind comes back to the present, "I'm sorry, Nora. I guess I just got lost in the past."

"It's okay, so did I, seems the past is everywhere." The waiter came over and set down their drinks. Nora picked hers up, holding it towards Alexis, "Here's to forgetting the past and moving on."

Alexis picked up her glass and raised it, lightly tapping it against Nora's, "To moving on," she said sadly.

"Hey, hey, no more frowns and no more tears," she looked around the room, "look at us, two attractive, successful, eligible women, and all these successful, attractive men let's say at least for tonight we just concentrate on the future."

Alexis smiled and lifted her glass once again, "To the future."

* * *

Bo walked into the Plaza and headed to the registration desk, he checked in and the clerk looked up in confusion, knowing that name seemed familiar. Bo checked his watch, he was a little late, but just as he was about to call Ned, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, "Hey Ned, it's good to see you," he held out his hand.

They shook hands, each turning to finish their registration, "It's great to see you, Bo, and I'd like to thank you in advance for all the help you are giving me with Skye. I had a feeling she was on her way to Llanview to try and keep up her lie."

"Ned, don't even mention it, I know what those kind of lies can do to a couple, no matter how strong their relationship is, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"I'm glad at least that's over. My relationship or lack there of with Alexis is a whole other story."

* * *

Nora took a sip and set her drink back down, "I'll tell you what, how about the next man that walks through that door you ask out for tonight, dinner and dancing." She raised her eyebrows in challenge.

Alexis smiled, "You're on."

* * *

Not wanting to go into deep conversation right now, he pointed towards the bar, “What do you say we get a drink in the bar, before we head to dinner?"

Ned looks in the direction of the bar, "After the afternoon I've just had, a drink or two are just what the doctor ordered." Ned and Bo walked towards the bar. Ned stops when his cell phone rings, Bo stops and waits, "No you go ahead, I'll be in a sec."

Bo enters the bar and turns back to look at Ned, raising his eyebrows, Ned signals it will just be a minute and so he enters and heads to a table. At the back of the bar Nora's face drops as she realizes who just walked in. She turns to Alexis, "Well, I guess that's your date for the evening."

Alexis turns and looks in the direction that Nora is pointing, "My God it's Bo."

"It appears that it is, but a bets a bet so it looks like he's yours. I congratulate you he's one hell of a dancer." She takes a sip of her drink.

Alexis has only known Nora a short time but she knows very well the pain her friend is in, "Nora...I..."

She holds up her hand, "Alexis, please, just go ask him out. I'll be fine."

"Okay, fine, a bets a bet. But the next man that walks through the door is all yours." Alexis slides out of the booth and stands up. She pauses for a moment and looks back down at Nora.

Nora looks up at her, “Fine, now go.” She waves her on; then looks down at her martini glass. He felt her presence before he saw her, he turned searching the room for her, she said she was supposed to be in Philadelphia, but he knew she was there. Finally, he squinted and caught her form at a booth in the back of the room, he never even noticed Alexis approaching him.

Nora tries not to look at Bo, but she can feel him looking at her, slowly she turns, and their eyes meet, she watches as he turns to talk to someone, and she realizes the man he is with is none other than Ned Ashton, "Oh hell, in for a dime in for a dollar,” she mutters, "could this get any weirder." She stands to walk over to Ned.

Alexis makes it halfway across the room when she sees Bo turn his attention to the door. She looks over in the direction his gaze had gone. She felt her heart begin to race and for a moment she couldn’t' breathe. She looked back over at Nora who obviously had seen Ned and was making her way over to him. Alexis straightens her shoulders and walks over to Bo, "Excuse me sir, I hear you're one heck of a dancer.”

Catching Bo off guard, "Huh, what, “recognition dawning, "Alexis, how are you." he bends to give her a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Just taking sometime for me; and you?"

"Had a meeting, thought I would meet up with a friend," he looked up as Nora approached and feeling the situation beginning to get uncomfortable he decided to take a chance, "Look we were going to have dinner, why don't you two ladies join us?"

Nora looked at him, "We would love to, unfortunately; we have other plans."

Disappointed, "Oh."

"Ned, how would you like to have dinner and go dancing with me tonight?"

Ned looked over at Alexis who had by now snaked her arm through Bo's. He looked back over at Nora, "That would be great, thank you."

"Well then, why don't you boys let us go freshen up and we will meet you down here in an hour for a night I'm sure none of us will ever forget." She headed towards the elevator.

"You got that right Red," he muttered under his breath.

Alexis leaned in and kissed Bo gently on the cheek, "See you in an hour, Bo."

"I'm looking forward to it Alexis." He then looked over at Ned, who appeared to be staring daggers at him.

"Problem?"

"You let her kiss you." Ned sat down at their table, "Never mind...it doesn't really matter....

”I'll tell you one thing, Bo. I'll never understand that woman."

"You seemed to be enjoying Nora's backside as she walked towards the elevator," he smiled, “and believe me I understand it’s quite a view." He takes a swig of his beer, “So Alexis, you still love her don't you?"

Ned looked over at Bo, blushing slightly at being caught, "To answer your question, Yes, I love her…always have always will.”

"You know, I came here with the idea of moving on, but them being here, I'm taking it as a sign, so here's what I think we should do." He started whispering to Ned as they walked towards the elevators.

Ned laughs, "You my friend are brilliant."

TBC...