I tried, but had a hard time, getting the personality of Roman. However, since Roman had been played by so many different actors, and I watched when all three of them were Roman, I really couldn’t finger a Roman personality. Probably the character of Roman in my fic is mostly related to Drake Hogestyn, since he was the Roman I was most familiar with.

Also for the purpose of this fic, Bo and Hope are still together, and Alex North doesn’t exist. (Don’t we wish this was true?)

~Kayla to Steve in February 1988

He dreamed of blonde locks of hair, blue eyes and a smile that always welcomed him, comforted him. He saw her face every night but would never remember it when he woke. He heard her voice, calling for someone named Steve. But he always woke up before he knew whom she was talking about.

"Wake up," a harsh voice said. Then he felt a sharp poke in the ribs.

He was angry. He didn’t want to open his eyes. He was lying with the woman in a field of yellow roses, holding her soft hand as she pressed her head to his chest.

His eye slowly flitted open and he saw the man staring back at him. The man who’s name he was never told. The one who’d been holding him prisoner for over 10 years. Forcing him to do horrible things. When he refused the man would put him in a trance and make him do them anyway, then suffer at his hand for being defiant in the first place.

He was a prisoner. He couldn’t remember any life other then this one. He knew he came from someplace else. He knew he had a life before this, but he couldn’t remember it. There was nothing in his memory of before he woke in a large bed with the man staring down at him.

"I have a new mission for you," the man said throwing a picture down on the bed. He fingered the picture. It was a middle-aged woman. She was beautiful with blonde hair and eyes that seemed familiar, too familiar. His head began to pulsate. He placed a hand on it and pressed.

"You are to find her and bring her to me." There was something in the man’s voice. It was different then usual. This mission was personal to him. Why did he want this woman? He knew better then to ask. "She lives in Austin, Texas. The address is on the back of the picture. You must go there and get her. Don’t harm her, bring her to me."

A sick feeling started to settle in his stomach and as he looked at the picture again his head aced harder. He didn’t want to hurt this woman. He didn’t want to bring her to this horrible man. He wanted to protect her. And for the first time in his memory he decided to play the game his way. He would do whatever he could to protect this woman and then he would set himself free from his servitude and end his own life.

CHAPTER ONE

Five miles to Salem, the green sign said. The blue convertible dodge drove past with two girls sitting in the front. They had their blonde hair pulled back in ponytails because the top was down.

"You nervous?" The younger one said, looking at the older girl in the driver’s seat.

"Nah," she replied. A smile crept on her face.

"Not even a little?"

She laughed, "Maybe just a little. Worried about my mom. She’s never been alone before."

"Well, my mom is close by. And Phillip. I’m sure she won’t mind the freedom."

More laughter from the girls. "Be good to see Grandma and Grandpa again."

"It’s not going to be like LA, though, Stephanie," the younger girl said.

"I thought that was the point," Stephanie said back, keeping her eyes firmly on the road.

The two girls were cousins technically, but they were roughly the same age and grew up just blocks from each other. They were often mistaken for sisters and after a while, they learned not to correct people. They were practically sisters. Their mothers were sisters who seemed more like best friends, so Stephanie Johnson thought of her cousin Jeannie Donavan as more of a best friend too.

"I love this song," Jeannie said, turning up the radio. She sang along with the music, and Stephanie joined a minute later.

They reached the city limits and when Jeannie saw the sign that said, "Welcome to Salem," she shouted out the top of the car; "It’s the beginning of the rest of our lives!"

They hooted from the car. "Look out Salem!"

~

The weather was scalding this time of year in Austin. The humidity made the air muggy. Even out by the pool in her two piece bathing suit Adrienne was still sweating.

"Mom," a voice called from the pool house.

"What is it?" Adrienne asked back, not even opening her eyes basking in the hot sun.

"Dad’s on the phone," the boy told his mother. He brought the cordless phone out to her.

Adrienne took a sip of her iced tea, hinted with a touch of brandy, and took the phone from her son. "Thanks," she said. "Hello?" She said into the phone.

"Adrienne. I’m going to have to go out of town tonight. I won’t be home before I leave. Just wanted to let you know."

"Justin, Alexander is bringing the baby by tonight. He wants to see you," Adrienne said, sitting up now and becoming agitated. She took another sip of tea.

"I know that, but this is really important. It can’t wait. Tell Alexander I’ll see the baby soon." There was a pause, then, "I have to go now. I’ll call you tomorrow." And he hung up.

Adrienne sighed and hung up the phone. She hadn’t spent more then 5 minutes alone with Justin in so long she couldn’t remember. And since the twins moved into the pool house the large manor they lived in seemed to swallow her. Sure Jackson was still living at home, but he had just graduated high school and he was going to Cambridge for college in two weeks. A whole other country.

Her mother had lived there with her until she died 2 years ago. The house was big enough that there was more then enough room for her without her getting in the way. And Adrienne loved having her mother there for her sons. But now it all seemed too much. The boys were grown. Alexander had a child of his own now. Her family was gone. Her two brothers gone. And she missed them both; she needed her brothers’ protection in a way she never understood before they both left her. She hadn’t grown up with brothers and she didn’t realize how special and protective they are. Once she was able to embrace that, they left her.

When her mother died she fell into a deep depression. Even knowing she had her sons she still felt the loss that she had no family left. That feeling was coming back to her. She felt alone and sad. She needed to get away. She poured more brandy into her tea.

~

It was only her second day in Salem, but Jeannie could already tell it wasn’t going to be her kind of town. Salem wasn’t that small, but it seemed to be a close knit community, and that made Jeannie uncomfortable. She loved seeing her grandparents every day, her Uncles spoiled her, but it was not her place. She dreamed of bigger and better things. And she was tired of every person asking her how her mother or father was. In Salem she was nobody but Shane and Kimberly’s daughter. Jeannie had an identity all her own and she didn’t want to be known as somebody’s daughter.

She had to admit, though, she didn’t want to leave Stephanie. Stephanie seemed to fit into Salem like a round peg, not minding that everybody asked her about her mother, or supplied sympathies about her father. But Stephanie was like a sister to Jeannie. And after Jeannie’s brother Andrew left for school in England, Stephanie was all she had.

They’d grown up together, played together, and shared their deepest secrets. And when Jeannie’s mother was making her crazy, or Stephanie’s mother was working long hours, the two still had each other. They went to the same high school, hung with the same crowd. In reality, Jeannie and Stephanie were far closer then cousins, far closer then sisters at times. They were best friends, soul mates. And Jeannie knew that as long as Stephanie was in Salem, she would be too.

The moon was providing quite a bit of light on this night, bathing the water off the docks in silver and making the warm mid-western air seem bearable. It wasn’t that late, couldn’t be past 8:00 PM, but the docks were still. Quiet. She sat on a step and thought about Salem. Just yesterday she’d registered at Salem University, the same college her mother went to over 20 years ago. The same school half of her family had been to.

She would be sharing a dorm with a stranger. A girl from Chicago, but Stephanie would be down the hall and always available to her. She knew this, even though it had never been said. Stephanie was always there for her, and in turn, Jeannie would always be there for Stephanie. On the nights when they were small girls and would dream about their fathers, they were always there for each other. Stephanie didn’t remember her father, he died when she was a baby, but she had visions of him. A noble man who was strong, handsome, and honest. Things she’d heard her mother say about him.

Jeannie’s father was also strong, noble and honest, but she didn’t know that from what her mother had said. She remembered. Jeannie only saw her father once or twice a year, when she would be able to fly to England where he was living. He’d remarried and was settled nicely into a new family, but Jeannie knew he wouldn’t forget about her, or her brother. And indeed he didn’t. Every birthday, every Christmas, there was always something from her father. And that was why Andrew went to England to school. "A boy needs his father," her mother had said. But what about her? She too needed a father. And where her mother had remarried years ago, it wasn’t the same.

Jeannie started when she heard a shuffling coming from the docks, brining her out of her reverie. She turned, but saw nobody. "Hello?" Jeannie called into the darkness. She was sure she heard someone. But nobody answered. She should be getting back anyway, she thought. She stood to go when a hand reached out to her. Jeannie screamed.

"Who are you?" A voice behind the hand asked.

"I’m nobody," Jeannie replied, scared.

The hand loosened. "What are you doing here?" The voice was low and raspy.

"Just taking a walk. Really." Jeannie’s breath quickened. The hand released her and she was able to turn and look at the person who’d grabbed her. He was dressed in a large cloak that covered his entire body. His face obscured by a hood and his hands covered by gloves. She looked around a little and noticed a pallet in the corner. "Do you sleep down here?" She asked, no longer frightened of the stranger who was looking at her in the same manner she was examining him. He nodded his reply. "Have you eaten?" She asked. He shook his head. She gently sat down on a beam and sighed. Los Angeles was littered with homeless, but Salem seemed too pure for some reason to have them. She pursed her lips. "Tell you what, I’ll bring you some food by later, okay?" She looked at the man, in the direction his eyes would be if his hood didn’t hide his face.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Do you have a name?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Phen is what I call myself."

Jeannie looked perplexed. "What do others call you?"

"They don’t," Phen answered.

"Nobody else calls you anything?"

"I don’t know anybody else." It sounded unbelievable, Phen knew that.

Jeannie didn’t speak for a while. "Well, you know me," she finally said.

Phen chuckled a little, then said, "Do you have a name?"

"Jeannie," she said. His chuckle made her smile. "How…" she paused, "how did you get here?"

Phen was quiet, then sat next to her on the beam. "I don’t know."

Jeannie took that as a hint not to ask questions. Phen was mysterious, but seemed harmless enough. "Let me get you something to eat. My grandparents own a pub in town and I can get you something from there." Phen nodded. Jeannie noticed he seemed to be shivering a little. "Are you cold? Do you want me to get you a blanket as well?"

Phen shook his head, "No, I’m not cold."

"But you’re shivering," she replied.

Phen didn’t answer. He wasn’t shivering from the cold.

~

Kayla Johnson had just sat down with a mug of coffee when there was a knock on her door. "Hang on," she called out. She walked to her spacious entry hall. She’d worked hard to get where she was in life. Worked to the best of her ability, and now she was the Head Nurse at a very prestigious hospital in Los Angeles. She felt lucky she’d made it as far as she had. But it took its toll. She was gone a lot when Stephanie was a teenager. She was tired, and she didn’t get much time off. But she was able to pay for her daughter’s six-month adventure in Europe and she was able to provide solely for Stephanie since she was a baby. And now she was putting her baby thorough college. And so a little lack of sleep was the price she had to pay, it was worth it to her.

Kayla opened the door and saw her older sister Kimberly standing before her.

"What are you doing knocking? You know you’re always welcome in my house," Kayla said, showing her sister inside and going to the kitchen to get Kim some coffee.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you were alone," Kimberly said.

Kayla laughed, "Who else would be here?"

Kimberly tutted her mouth and replied, "Martin."

Kayla rolled her eyes and presented Kimberly with a mug of coffee and two sugars, just the way she liked it. "Well, Dr. Reynolds is not here." They moved to sit in the living room.

"Dr. Reynolds?" Kimberly said after a sip. "Are you back to the formalities?"

"We never officially got past the formalities."

Kimberly laughed, "Kay, he asked you to marry him."

Kayla didn’t respond. She looked into her coffee.

"I know, we’ve talked about this, Kay, but you’re alone now. Stephanie is in Salem and I’m worried you’ll kill yourself with work now."

"I’m fine." Kayla said firmly. "So I’ve got the big house to myself now. Maybe it’ll give me more time to do other things."

Kimberly could tell Kayla was nervous about being alone. "You could give Martin a chance." Kimberly put her coffee mug on the table next to her. Kayla sighed. Kimberly took her hand. "What’s bothering you?" She asked.

Kayla took a moment, then replied, "Once in your life you get the chance to love someone with so much passion, so much fire. Once in your life you find someone whose soul meshes with you so perfectly, that without it you don’t feel whole."

Kimberly nodded. "You don’t have to feel that kind of love with Martin, Kay. It’s been 18 years you’ve been alone."

Kayla wiped a tear from her eye, "Yes, it’s been 18 years. And there are still mornings when I can’t bear the idea of waking up because he’s not here. There are still moments when I forget he’s gone and I want his opinion on something." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "There are still times I can feel him. I can feel him with me, touching me, holding me. And until that goes away, I can’t let someone else touch me or hold me."

Kimberly smiled sympathetically. "Okay, Kay. Okay. You still need more time." She wrapped her arms around her little sister.

That night she laid in her big bed and dreamed. Kayla often had these dreams. Dreams of her running in a large field toward something. She never knew what she was running toward, but she knew once she got there she’d find the most wonderful thing. Often she’d call out to Steve who would be sitting in the grass watching her. His handsome face smiling in the way it only did when he looked at her. Yes, she dreamed about him often. And when she would wake in her bed alone, she’d sob.

~

It was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation, Jeannie thought. Yes she was with her grandparents, but she was also surrounded by cousins she hardly knew. And some of them had children. She wasn’t old enough to have cousins with children. Jeannie didn’t remember the Sunday dinners and the Brady household and no matter how much her mother and Aunt Kayla talked about it, it was still strange.

"You miss LA?" Belle asked.

Jeannie nodded. "It’s different here," she replied. Stephanie was sitting next to her, but she seemed to be fitting into the family fine. She was laughing and talking avidly to her other cousins. Stephanie did always seem to fit in perfectly wherever she went. Jeannie just wished she’d talk to her.

"Well, if you need anyone to show you around or anything just let me know. I’m not working much since Claire was born." Belle smiled at Jeannie. Jeannie smiled back. They both knew Jeannie wouldn’t call on Belle.

~

They had some good times, Adrienne thought. She picked through the shoebox where she kept her memories. She remembered the wedding in Greece, their wedding night. Those were the happiest days of her life. And maybe the only few good days in her marriage. She knew that was an exaggeration, there had been spans of years where she and Justin felt close. But it had been more then 10 years since she could last remember feeling that.

She picked an old dried flower from the box, a souvenir from her wedding. Then she found a picture. The picture she could only bear to look at after she’d had a few sips of brandy. And she’d had more then a few sips this night. She fingered the picture, worn at the edges. It was a simple snapshot, taken by their mother, but it was a picture Adrienne treasured. She looked so young back then, things seemed so much easier, and with her big brother’s arm around her shoulder, a smile on his face, she felt at that moment she was safe. And she was, he made sure of that. In the four years she’d known him she’d come to love him more then any other man in her life, except maybe Justin. Or perhaps just in a different way then Justin. And she was so angry with him when he died. "It was so long ago," she said to herself. And it didn’t hurt as much anymore, but she still missed him. She still wanted his protection, his support. "Steve," Adrienne said. She hardly said the word anymore. She had no one to say it to. Mamma was dead, her sons had no memory of him, all but Alexander being born after he died, and Justin told her years ago she had to let go. He was gone.

Maybe Justin was jealous. And maybe he should have been. Adrienne would take Steve’s advice before she took his. Well, in the beginning anyway. And maybe she should have taken his advice more seriously. Maybe she should have listened 20 years ago when Steve told her not to marry Justin. But she was so in love back then.

She closed her eyes and retrieved a memory. A special memory she only saved for moments like this, when she was alone and needing her brother. His arms around her, whispering to her he would help her. And she being so scared. Steve took the gun from her hand, wiped it off, and took the blame. Took her pain and made it his own. And that was the moment she knew how special her brother was. How much she needed him. And even though Adrienne had to be the first to say it, she knew at that moment that he loved her as only a big brother could. She put the picture back in the box, closed it and placed it gently on the top shelf of her closet. Then she climbed into her big king sized bed, wiped a tear from her cheek and closed her eyes. Sleep would only come after many more tears.

Over the next few weeks Jeannie visited Phen everyday, bringing him food and anything else she felt he needed. She took him a book to read. Her favorite, Little Women. Phen read it in just two days saying he thought he’d read it before, but couldn’t remember.

Jeannie looked forward to her visits with Phen, even when they were only a few minutes due to her busy school schedule. Her last visit she took him an old textbook she had from High School, her basic psychology book, hoping it would help Phen understand why he was there. It made sense to her at the time, but now she didn’t understand why. And all the while she’d never seen Phen’s face. He was careful to keep hidden under the hood of his cloak. Jeannie got a peek once and noticed he had a large scar over his left eye. It wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t even have a left eye. But she knew better then to ask him about it.

She had told Stephanie about him, she told Stephanie everything. And Stephanie was worried that Jeannie was talking to a bum she met on the riverfront. Even after much protest that Phen was not going to hurt her, Stephanie still insisted on going with her to see him.

"You have the food?" Jeannie asked Stephanie as they walked down the stairway to the docks.

"Got it," Stephanie replied, carrying a basket with sandwiches and fruit. "I still think you’re crazy," she added.

"I know you do," Jeannie responded. She led Stephanie to the pier where Phen usually hung out. "Phen?" She called.

He’d become so accustomed to her visits and her voice that he didn’t hesitate anymore when she came. He came out of his hiding place.

"I brought my cousin, you remember me telling you about her. Stephanie."

Phen shook a little bit; it was the only way Jeannie could tell he was nervous or unsure.

"It’s alright. She’s really nice and she wanted to meet you."

Stephanie caught up to them and placed the basket of food in front of her. She stood up and looked at the caped man.

Phen groaned and moved his gloved hand to his head.

"Are you okay?" Jeannie asked, taking a step closer.

Phen straightened himself and looked at Stephanie again. The pain in his head became unbearable and splitting. He doubled over.

"Phen, do you need to see a doctor?" Jeannie asked. Stephanie looked worried.

"NO. No doctors," he answered. Then, once again he stood, careful not to look at Stephanie. Something about her made him uneasy.

"Are you sure you’re alright?" Jeannie asked one more time.

Phen nodded. He looked at the basket at the feet of his friend.

"It’s just sandwiches today, hope you don’t mind," Jeannie said, bending down to open the basket and taking out a sandwich for Phen.

He thanked her and took the food.

Stephanie looked at the man; something about him made her nervous. Something was wrong. "Phen," she took a step closer to him, he didn’t look at her. "Jeannie has told me a lot about you, but I still don’t know how you got to Salem."

Jeannie shot her a nasty look. She’d told Stephanie not to ask Phen any questions.

"I don’t know," Phen replied, looking deeply at his sandwich.

"Well, you must know. You don’t just fall asleep someplace then wake up someplace else."

"Stephanie, stop," Jeannie said forcibly.

Stephanie quieted a moment. Then said, "Look, I’m worried about Jeannie. She tells me you’re harmless, but I don’t understand how you could be when you don’t answer questions about yourself."

"Stephanie," Jeannie said again.

Phen didn’t answer.

"I’m just curious about what you’ve gotten yourself into, Jeannie."

"I’m not going to hurt her," Phen said. "I’m not feeling well, I need to be alone."

Jeannie was angry with Stephanie for scaring Phen off. "It’s okay, Phen, she’s just…"

"I’m worried about my cousins safety," Stephanie said. She moved closer to Phen and he looked at her again. And once again his head felt like it would split open. He screamed and fell forward, knocking Stephanie down in the process. Stephanie hit her head on the dock.

Phen looked at the girl lying on the ground not moving and panicked. Without saying another word he ran off into the darkness.

"Phen," Jeannie called to him. But he was gone. She moved to Stephanie and kneeled down next to her. "Good one, Stephanie. You scared him off. I thought you were going to be cool about this." Stephanie didn’t move. "Come on, get up," Jeannie said. Stephanie still didn’t move. "Stephanie, this isn’t funny. Get up." Still no movement. "Stephanie?" Jeannie said, shaking her cousin. Jeannie pulled out her cell phone and called for an ambulance. This whole meeting was a terrible idea.

"What happened?" The doctor asked Jeannie after they’d admitted Stephanie.

"She fell. We were at the docks and she lost her balance and hit her head," Jeannie replied.

The doctor nodded. "Okay, I’ve contacted her mother and her family here in Salem." The doctor, Higgens, looked at his clipboard and said, "I’ve got to get back to the patient."

Jeannie nodded and thanked the doctor, then sat in the waiting room.

It was only a few minutes later before her Uncle Roman came in. "Jeannie, what happened?"

Jeannie was getting tired of that question. "She fell on the dock. Hit her head."

"Have they called Kayla?" Roman asked.

"Yes." Jeannie replied.

"Good," Roman said. "I’m going to find a doctor and get more information. Grandma and Grandpa should be here soon."

Roman was gone a second later. Jeannie put her head in her hands and worried about Phen.

It was a long night in the hospital that night. Stephanie had a concussion and went comatose when she arrived at the hospital in the ambulance. The whole family sat in the waiting room of University Hospital. Cousins Jeannie hadn’t known or seen in years sat looking at her accusingly. Her Uncle Bo and Aunt Hope sat in a corner together, Bo trying his hardest not to fall asleep. And Jeannie was sitting next to her grandmother; the one person who hadn’t treated her like this was her fault. Grandma just held her head and whispered to her that Stephanie would be all right.

Around 3:00 AM the sliding doors of University Hospital opened and Kayla Johnson ran in.

"Is she okay?" Kayla asked. She’d taken the first flight she could get out of LA into Salem.

"We don’t know. Nobody’s told us anything," Caroline Brady said. Then took her youngest daughter in a hug.

"Who’s her doctor?" Kayla asked, after embracing her mother.

"Jeremy Higgens." Caroline said.

Kayla shook her head. "I don’t know him"

"He’s new. He wasn’t here when you were," Caroline said, caressing Kayla’s hair.

"Well, let me go find out what I can. Maybe they’ll let me attend to Stephanie." Kayla left her family to find a receptionist.

~

"I brought you more coffee," Jeannie placed a Styrofoam cup in front of her aunt.

"Thank you," Kayla replied. She’d been sitting by Stephanie’s bedside since she’d arrived at the hospital, nearly 12 hours ago. "I can’t figure it out," Kayla said, sipping the coffee.

Jeannie sat gently on the chair across the bed from Kayla. "What?" She asked.

"She just fell? What were you two doing for her to fall?" It wasn’t said in an accusatory tone, Jeannie was grateful for that.

"We were just walking on the pier. It was slick." It was the same story she’d told everyone that night. But she knew Aunt Kayla wouldn’t buy it.

"Jeannie," Kayla said, looking into her niece’s eyes, "Tell me the whole story."

Jeannie swallowed and didn’t speak.

"I need to know what happened." Kayla reiterated. She reached across and touched Jeannie’s arm. "If you don’t want the others to know I’ll respect that. But Jeannie, I’m her mother, I don’t know how to help her if I don’t know what happened." In actuality Kayla wanted to shout at Jeannie and force her to tell her the truth. She was terrified to lose her daughter, the only person alive in the world she loved more then life. But she also knew that forcing Jeannie to do anything wouldn’t work, she was a Brady after all, and Brady’s were stubborn.

Jeannie still didn’t say anything. At least not at first. Then she said, "I’ll tell you, but I have to trust you won’t tell anyone."

"Okay," Kayla said softly.

"Promise, Aunt Kayla. You can’t tell. Not Uncle Bo or Roman or anyone."

"I promise, Jeannie." Kayla said, her tone becoming more demanding.

"I met a man on the pier a few weeks ago." Jeannie paused.

"A homeless man?" Kayla remembered the kind of people that hung out on the pier.

"Yes. And, Kayla, he’s really a nice man. And we became friends. I would bring him food and things he needed, and he would just listen to me when I needed someone to talk to." Jeannie turned her glance to Stephanie. "Well, of course I told Stephanie about him. She flipped out and told me I was crazy. She told me I was going to get hurt, or worse. But I know he wouldn’t hurt anyone, not intentionally."

Kayla was still staring at Jeannie. "Go on," she pressed.

"So Stephanie told me she wanted to meet the man for herself. She wanted to see what I was getting myself into. I agreed."

Kayla interrupted, "He hurt Stephanie?"

"No, Aunt Kayla," she said quickly. "He wouldn’t hurt anyone, not on purpose. He got scared, I guess. He doesn’t like people. He ran off and knocked Stephanie down. He didn’t mean it. Kayla, you can’t tell anyone." Jeannie whispered the last part. "They’ll go and arrest him, and I don’t know what he’d do then. He’d hate me. He’s the only friend I have in Salem, other then Stephanie." Kayla was quiet. "Aunt Kayla, you promised. You promised not to tell."

Kayla nodded, "Okay. But I want to go to the pier to see if I can talk to him." She saw the look on Jeannie’s face. "Not to accuse him of anything. I want to make sure he really is a safe man. If anything happened to you Jeannie, it would tear your mother apart." Kayla paused then added, "And me too."

Jeannie smiled and nodded back. "Okay. Just be kind to him. He doesn’t like people."

Kayla laughed lightly, "I know. I’ll be nice."

~

Her bags were packed her keys in her hand. She’d told Justin and the twins she was just going on a small vacation. Justin wouldn’t miss her, she knew that. He’d become so engrossed with work she wondered if he’d even come home. The twins would be fine as well, as long as they didn’t start the house on fire, she wouldn’t put it past them. She asked them if they wanted to go with her, but of course they didn’t. It wasn’t cool to go on a vacation with your mother when you’re 19 years old. She sighed; the house was so quiet. Jackson had just left for England 3 days ago. She wasn’t taking it well.

She grabbed her flight itinerary and shoved it in her purse. She’d told everyone she was going on a spa retreat to Arizona. She wasn’t. She was going to battle some old demons. Close a part of her life that needed to be closed before she made herself crazy. She closed the door and saw the limo waiting. She wondered if she’d ever really come back.

~

Kayla was walking down by the docks, trying to see if she could find any information on what happened to her daughter. She knew from when she lived in Salem the types of people who hung out at the docks, and there was always somebody there. She had to push all her memories aside for the hundredth time since she arrived in Salem. The reason she left was to escape the memories, the life she’d had but would never have again. Never again could she love someone the way she’d loved Steve Johnson. And after her failed attempt with Shane, she never again tried. She understood, in part, why Steve was so afraid of love when they’d met. It was scary and it caused pain and hurt. And Kayla didn’t want that again. She was happy in LA with her daughter, her daily reminder of Steve. She didn’t mind being reminded of him most times. But there were days she’d cursed herself for ever loving a man that much.

She climbed down the stairs that led to the waterfront. The water was rough today, crashing up against the side of the dock. A storm would be coming in. She scanned the docks, looking for someone, anyone who would know what happened to Stephanie.

She saw a small movement from behind a pier. She stared at it; sure she was imaging it. Then it moved again, just so slightly. "Is someone there?" She asked, walking to the pier.

"Jeannie," the voice called out.

Kayla stopped. There was something about that voice, deep and raspy. "No," she replied to it.

"Who’s there?" The voice asked.

"I just have a few questions I want to ask you," Kayla moved slowly once again toward the pier. Nobody answered her. "Please, my daughter was here a couple of days ago and fainted on the dock. I need to know if you saw something that would cause…" But she didn’t get to finish. A black gloved hand had reached out and pulled her into the shadows.

Kayla turned defensively and looked at the figure who’d grabbed her. A man, she guessed, dressed from head to toe in black, his face covered by a hood. "What do you want?" She asked.

But the man didn’t answer. He looked at her cautiously. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I’d like to ask you the same thing," she replied, still fearful, but not letting it show.

The man again remained silent. He then clutched his head with his hand and groaned. His grasp on Kayla gone.

"What is it?" Kayla asked, taking a cautious step toward. The man stepped back. "I’m a nurse, let me look at that." She reached her hand out but the man had doubled over and now had both hands on the side of his head, moaning in pain. The hood slid off and Kayla saw his shaved head had large clumps of blonde hair in patches and a large scar across his skull. "Let me," she pulled the man’s face toward her and gasped. "Who are you?" She demanded more forcefully, "Why do you look so much like…" but before she could finish the man ran off.

Kayla drove as fast as she could back to University Hospital. She reached Stephanie’s room and pulled her chart. Then walked to the receptionist desk and said, "I want you to discharge this patient. I’m taking her back to LA on the next flight out."

"Mrs. Johnson, we can’t do that," the receptionist said. "This patient is still unconscious, we can’t discharge her."

"I’m the head nurse at Gostlin Hospital in Los Angeles, I can assure you she’ll get the care she needs there. Now, discharge her!" Kayla’s voice rose.

"Let me get her doctor," the receptionist said and hurried from her desk.

"Kayla." Bo was running toward her. "What’s wrong?" He looked into his sister’s face and saw her pale.

"Bo," she breathed heavily, "this is going to sound crazy…" she licked her lips and thought of how to phrase this. "I want to exhume Steve’s body."

Bo let his hands fall to his side, "Kayla, we can’t just exhume a body for no reason." He noticed the panic on Kayla’s face. "What happened?"

"It’s crazy, Bo, it couldn’t have been," she stopped again. "EXUME him!" She shouted.

Bo moved in closer to her and tried to calm her, "Shh, Kayla, I can’t do that, I’ve told you."

Kayla breathed deeply and was getting ready to tell Bo that it didn’t matter if he could do it, when Lexie Carver came to her.

"Kayla, you want us to discharge Stephanie?"

Kayla took her gaze from Bo to Lexie.

"What?" Bo asked. "Kay, what happened?"

"Yes, Lexie, I want you to discharge Stephanie, I’ll take her back to LA with me."

Lexie looked at Kayla carefully, then replied, "I can’t do that. She’s not even conscious. We haven’t finished the tests. I can’t let you take her until we at least know what’s wrong, or she’s awake." She gently said, "Kayla, you know that. You know how dangerous it is to take a patient who’s not conscious. It could kill Stephanie."

Kayla didn’t respond. She put a hand on her forehead, then looked at Bo meaningfully, and ran out of the hospital.

She had to be going crazy, Bo thought as he drove down the road in the rain. He’d been looking for Kayla for nearly two hours now. He’d checked with his parents who said she hadn’t come home, went to all the local places Kayla would go, and he couldn’t find her anywhere. "Come on, Bo, think," he told his steering wheel. Something she’d seen earlier that day had upset her enough to make her want to leave Salem. He was determined to find out what it was.

His next thought was at the docks. He’d already looked there once, but knew that there were all sorts of places someone could hide on the waterfront. He had to try again. His cell phone rang, and he answered it.

"Bo, it’s Roman. Any luck?"

Bo keep his eyes on the road, the rain was making it hard to see. "No, can’t find her anywhere. I’m heading back to the waterfront if you want to…" but he stopped. He saw something. A very familiar looking car.

"Bo, are you still there."

Bo slowed his car down and answered, "Yeah, I think I found her."

"Where are you?" Roman asked.

Bo parked his car beside Kayla’s rental car and turned off the engine. He hesitated to get out due to the rain. He looked up and saw an archway with a name on it. Into his phone he said, "The Salem Cemetery."

~

It felt familiar somehow, sneaking around the hospital like this. He wondered if he’d done it before, if he’d been to Salem before. Phen pulled the cloak farther down over his face. It was the first time he’d been in a public place in weeks, and he was nervous. If the man who’d kept him all those years found him, he’d pay. Phen prayed several times the man would kill him, but he never did. That would be too merciful.

Phen only slightly remembered escaping. The picture the man had shown him triggered something in him. He didn’t know what it meant, but he knew he had to find out. Austin Texas was where the man wanted him to go, but something inside him told him he had to go someplace else. Some place far away from Texas. If the man found out Phen would be punished, but he was willing to take that risk. He was willing to die before having to face the man again. And he would find out about the woman in the picture and warn her that someone horrible was after her. He had to, there was an overpowering instinct in him that told him. He knew this woman, that he was sure. He didn’t know from where he knew her. She wasn’t the woman from his dream, he knew that too. But there was something in Salem he had to find. And he was sure once he did he’d know the answer.

He crept down the hallway and saw a name on a door. S. Johnson. He peeked into the room; unsure how he knew it was the room Stephanie was in. She was lying in bed, tubes in her nose; a machine attached to her bed. His head throbbed again. He didn’t know why it hurt so much. He tried to remember, but the pain got worse. It was like there was a wall blocking his mind. He would penetrate the wall, he had to. It was the only way he could save the woman in the picture. But he didn’t know how. And looking at Stephanie lying in that bed was causing him enough pain. He feared he would pass out. He turned and left the hospital.

~

"Mrs. Kiriakis, you are the last person I expected to see," the man sitting behind the desk said.

Adrienne walked purposefully to him. "I want my files. I want my name out of the computer," she said, her tone serious.

The man laughed, "We’ve had this conversation before, Mrs. Kiriakis."

Adrienne didn’t change her expression, but her fear welled up inside. "I remember, but I want my name off your files. I’m want to be done with this."

The man laughed again. "There is only one way out of the business, surely you know that."

Her expression fell briefly, but she recovered it. She couldn’t show weakness, not to him. "I’m not afraid of you. You can’t threaten me anymore. My children have grown, I know you wouldn’t hurt Justin." She stopped and her nostrils flared. "And I don’t care if you kill me." She knew they wouldn’t kill her. She was far too useful to them.

The man’s face became blank, unreadable. "I can’t threaten your children anymore, this is true. Justin has made sure of that. But perhaps there is someone who could pursuade you to co operate with us."

Adrienne had no idea what he was talking about. "You’re bluffing," she said.

"You’re children and your husband aren’t your only family, Mrs. Kiriakis."

Adrienne was confused. They were her only family. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Kayla Johnson. Stephanie Johnson." The man replied.

"They don’t have anything to do with this," she answered, her voice faltering. She had to keep herself together. These people could tell the slightest sign of weakness.

"They have far more to do with this then you know." He replied. There was silence in the room for a moment before the man said, "Don’t make me have to resort to killing people who needn’t be killed just to convince you."

Adrienne bit her lip, then replied, "I don’t want to work for you anymore. If you come after my brothers family I’ll do what I have to in order to protect them." She put her front up again and stood tall, "You remember who my husband is?"

The man smiled, "Yes, I remember, Mrs. Kiriakis."

"Then are we understood?" Adrienne asked.

"Hardly. I’ll be in touch," the man stood and opened the door to his office.

Adrienne walked out, "No you won’t," she said once the door closed.

~

Bo should have brought an umbrella or at least a jacket. The rain was soaking through his clothes and he was cold. He knew where to look. The Brady’s all had plots in this cemetery. Even the family members who wanted to be cremated were required to get a headstone. "So that when the family is all gone at least we’ll still be together," his mother had said when she purchased the plots. Each child got a spot for themselves and their spouse. In Bo’s case, the Williams had the same idea and if Hope ever died they would have to battle on weather to bury her in the Williams plots or the Brady plot. But that was something Bo didn’t like think about. He called into the darkness, "Kayla? Kay? I saw your car."

He kept trudging through mud as the rain got heavier. Three right turns and down the fifth row. He knew where he was going, but the weather wasn’t making the journey easy.

He stopped suddenly as he saw his sister. She was bending over the grave. The place Bo knew he’d find her. As he walked slowly toward her he noticed she wasn’t just bending over, she was moving. Up and down, bending and straightening. He didn’t get it. It was dark and the rain had soaked him enough that his hair was dripping water into his eyes. But he kept going. "Kay?" He said. When he finally reached her he gasped. She wasn’t bending over the grave; she was digging it up.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bo ran to Kayla and took her hand as it was mid air.

"Have to see for myself, Bo," she said. Her breath was ragged. She wasn’t herself; she was like a woman possessed.

"Kayla, you can’t…"

"Stop it. I have to see for myself," Kayla repeated, moving her hand forcibly from his. She threw a shovel back into the ground. The grave was already more then half way dug out. She’d been doing this for hours, or at least since she left the hospital. Her hair was wet against her face and Bo couldn’t tell if it was sweat or water that was dripping off her.

"Kayla, you’ve gone crazy. Stop this," Bo tried to talk to her again, but she’d gone back to digging. He reached for his cell to call Roman, but realized the rain had gotten it wet. It didn’t work.

He put his hands up to his face and sighed. "What did you see on the riverfront?" He asked.

"It can’t be who I thought it was," she said, throwing a clump of mud to her side next to the heap.

A light suddenly shown in their direction and the name on the headstone was illuminated. Bo knew what it said, but even still, it was a creepy image.

Steven Earl Johnson

1955-1990

Loving friend, father, husband and companion.

A rose was engraved in the granite stone with a verse, "Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes the rose."

It was one of their songs. Bo remembered the day Steve was buried here. The day his sister cried unlike he’d ever seen her. So vulnerable and hopeless. Indeed their love was one unlike most. And where Bo and Steve had their share of arguments, he couldn’t deny that Steve made Kayla happier then he’d ever seen her. And in turn Kayla had turned Steve into a man Bo couldn’t even recognize.

The source of the light became apparent a moment later when Roman appeared at Bo’s side, a flashlight in hand. "Kayla, what the…what’s going on?" Kayla didn’t respond. She was franticly digging.

"We should get her to a doctor, Roman, she’s not well."

Roman watched a moment as Kayla’s arms moved the shovel into the mud then to the side of the grave, over and over again. He moved slowly toward her. "Kayla," he said. "Let’s get you out of this weather."

Kayla turned to Roman and yelled, "No. I have to see for myself."

"See what, sis," Roman asked.

She didn’t answer; her digging resumed.

Roman took Bo to the side and said, "Call someone. Call Marlena."

"I can’t my phone got wet. It won’t work."

Roman pulled out his cell and checked it out. It was safe in a leather carrier, but the signal was gone. "Damn," he said.

They turned abruptly when they heard the shovel hit something. Kayla was now inside the grave, taking the dirt off the top of the coffin by hand. It only took a few minutes before she was able to reach the latch and pull it back. She had to stand at a funny angle, one foot on the ground above her and the other on the side of the hole she was standing in. She pulled the lid back and fell to the ground at Bo’s feet. He and Roman took a step forward to see what was inside. Kayla screamed and pulled Bo down to her, burying her head in his chest. Roman gasped, but Bo still was unable to see inside. Once he was able to lean over his sister he saw the coffin. It was empty.

"Did you call Mom and Pop?" Roman asked as Bo hung the payphone up. His phone was still broken; he would have to get a new one.

"Yeah, they’re on their way. Kim’s coming on the next flight out too."

Roman nodded his head. "Well, she’s out now. Marlena gave her a sedative. It should last the rest of the night."

University Hospital was quiet now, visiting hours having ended just a half-hour ago. They were in the Psychiatric Unit where Kayla had been admitted under Marlena’s care.

Bo took a deep breath and said, "There’s one person who can help us answer some questions."

Roman nodded. "I’ll bring her to the station."

"Jeannie, I need you to tell us everything you know about that man living on the docks," Roman said, gently but with force.

"What?" She looked at her uncle through half lidded eyes, "How do you know about him?"

"Kayla went to the docks to see if anyone saw what happened to Stephanie." Bo said.

"But I told her what happened," Jeannie interjected.

"Stephanie didn’t just fall. A fall wouldn’t have caused her to break two ribs and have a concussion."

Jeannie didn’t say anything for a moment. "She promised me she wouldn’t tell you," Jeannie sounded hurt, betrayed.

"She didn’t tell us, Jeannie. She said she’d gone to the docks, then she started mumbling something incoherently about a man she’d seen there." Bo said, looking at Roman and getting the hint that he’d already said too much to Jeannie.

"Kayla’s been admitted to the hospital," Roman said.

"Is she okay? What happened?" Jeannie asked.

Bo and Roman exchanged looks. "We’ll tell you, but you have to talk to us first."

Jeannie considered telling them it was no deal, but if her aunt was hurt and Phen was responsible, Jeannie had to know. "If I tell you, it has to be off the record. I’ll tell you, but only as a niece to her overbearing uncles, not policemen. Deal?"

Roman looked at Bo, nodded and said, "Okay. Off the record."

"He said his name is Phen. He has been living down at the docks for about two months or so. I found him one day when I was just walking." Jeannie looked at her uncles, their arms crossed in an identical manner, "He hadn’t eaten in a few days I could tell and he was sleeping under the pier."

"Why didn’t you come to one of us?" Bo motioned between him and Roman.

"You want me to tell you every bum I see? I sort of figured you had better things to do." Jeannie replied, a slight bite in her voice.

"Go on. So he’d been sleeping under the pier?" Roman pressed.

"Yeah. I only talked to him for a few minutes that first day. I told him I’d bring him some food later. Well, I tried everyday to go see him and bring him food, usually between classes. He was nice to talk to, he listened to me and didn’t ask questions." Jeannie looked at the questioning eyes of his two uncles. "It’s daunting living in Salem. Sure, it’s a big place, but everyone knows me. They know everything about my parents. It’s nice to find someone who doesn’t ask me what my dad is doing now, or how Mom is. It’s nice to just be able to talk to someone who seems to really listen to me."

"Did you ask him about himself?" Bo asked.

"No. I sort of got the impression that he didn’t want to talk about himself. He told me some things, but he didn’t remember much about his life."

"What was he doing under the pier?" Roman said.

"He was running from someone. I don’t know who, I don’t think he knew who. He just said he didn’t know how he got to Salem, but that if they knew where he was, they’d kill him."

"Who? Who’d kill him?"

"I don’t know, Uncle Bo. I didn’t ask."

Bo sighed and after a minute said, "Is that the only thing that interested you in him?"

It took Jeannie a minute to get what he was implying, then she said, "Ew, yes. He’s old, he’s like Uncle Roman’s age."

"Hey, watch it, short cake," Roman said.

"I don’t mean…I’m just not into older men, okay. I didn’t mean anything by it." Jeannie looked at her hands and fidgeted with the pink nail polish on her fingers.

"Kayla went to see him today. She was extremely upset after meeting him." Roman interjected.

"She came to the hospital after seeing this man, Phen you said?" Jeanie nodded. "She said she wanted to take Stephanie back to L.A and treat her there."

"She can’t do that. Stephanie is in school here." Jeannie said, then felt stupid for stating the obvious.

"She wasn’t rational. She was saying…" Bo looked at Roman who shook his head. He couldn’t give too much information. "We had to sedate her. She’s in the psychiatric unit at University Hospital."

"Is she going to be okay?" Jeannie had genuine concern in her eyes.

"She’ll be fine. She’s going to talk to a doctor, but everyone thinks she’ll recover."

Nobody spoke for a moment, then Roman said, "Jeannie, we have to go to the docks and question Phen."

"You can’t do that," Jeannie shot up from her chair. "He’ll freak out. He doesn’t trust people."

"We have to find out who he is. What happened to Stephanie."

Jeannie sighed and said, "Okay, Stephanie didn’t just fall. I took her down to the pier to meet Phen. I thought she’d like him too, maybe she could visit with him sometimes. I don’t know. I tell Stephanie everything, and I didn’t want to keep this from her either. Well, she saw him and got a funny look on her face. I asked her what it was, but she didn’t say anything. Phen I guess got a headache or something. He clutched his head and doubled over in pain."

"What does Phen look like," Roman asked.

"I don’t really know."

Bo and Roman looked at her skeptically.

"He wears a cloak type thing. It covers his face. I only sort of saw his face once, and it looked like it was pretty scarred up."

Roman grabbed his file and said, "We have to question him. There’s no way around it."

Jeannie grabbed his arm, "Uncle Roman, please. You’ll upset him. Let me talk to him, he knows me. He knows I won’t try and hurt him."

Roman looked at Bo then said, "Okay. But we’re going to put a bug on you and Bo and I will be close by. Just in case."

Jeanine nodded. "Okay."

There was usually fog on the docks and since it was late September, there was no exception today. Jeannie walked carefully toward the pier Phen usually slept under. "Phen?" She called.

"Jeannie," the voice called back.

"It’s me," she replied and looked in the direction of his voice. "I brought you some chicken and iced tea."

Phen emerged from the shadows carefully and reached for the food. "Thank you," he said.

Jeannie didn’t say anything for a few moments, just sat next to him and watched him eat. "Phen, I have to ask you some questions." She said, nervously scratching her neck.

Phen didn’t answer.

"A woman came to see you earlier today, you gave her quite a fright," Jeanie said.

Phen stopped eating. "You know her?"

"Yes. Do you?" She asked.

Phen shook his head, "No. She seemed familiar. Maybe I knew her once, I don’t remember."

Jeannie nodded. "You remember when I brought my cousin to meet you?"

Phen bit into the chicken and pulled it apart, much like a wolf devouring it’s prey. "Yes. How is she?"

"She’s doing better, I think."

"She woken up yet?" Phen asked, taking a sip of tea.

"No," Jeannie replied, then stopped. "How did you know she was unconscious? I didn’t tell you that."

Phen stopped eating and pushed the chicken aside. "I was worried about her. I went to the hospital to see her."

Jeannie gasped, "That could be dangerous. What if someone saw you?"

"Nobody saw me. I made sure of that." Phen’s hood turned slightly, Jeanie could tell he was looking at her, but she couldn’t see his face.

Jeannie was feeling the pressure to get all the questions out before her uncles lost their patience and rushed Phen. "Can I ask you something?" She asked gently.

Phen nodded his head.

"You don’t remember anything about your life?"

He shook his head.

"Do you have a last name?"

Phen shook his head again; "I don’t know it."

Jeannie looked at her hands. "Do you have one," Phen asked. She could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.

"I do." Jeannie smiled. "Donavan."

Phen took a sharp intake of breath and moved a hand to his head.

"Are you alright?" Jeannie asked.

"Just a head ache. They happen sometimes. They’ve been a lot worse recently though."

"You should have it looked at. My aunt is a nurse. She’s really good, her names Kayla Johnson."

Phen clutched his head with both his hands and moaned.

"Phen, we have to get you to the hospital. What’s wrong?"

He shook his head. "No hospitals." After a moment he said, "What did you say her name was?"

"Kayla. Kayla Brady Johnson."

Phen fell to the ground in pain and screamed.

"Uncle Roman, Uncle Bo," Jeannie yelled. And in mere seconds her two uncles were there.

Roman pushed Jeannie out of the way and ran to the man, turning him over. The hood had fallen off his face and revealed a badly scarred eye. "My God," Roman said.

Bo looked on, "No wonder Kayla got so worked up."

Kayla woke the next morning startled by her surroundings. She had no recollection of being taken to the hospital. She looked around the room and saw her chart sitting at the foot of her bed. Noticing that she had no IV’s or tubes attached to her, she crawled to the end of the bed and picked up her chart.

Kayla Johnson

Kayla put the chart back and thought. Mental breakdown, she didn’t remember that. She tried to think of what may have disturbed her that much. She remembered Stephanie being in the hospital. She stared to get up and ask about her daughter when the door opened and Kimberly came in.

"You’re up," Kimberly said, putting a tray of food on the table next to Kayla’s bed. "Got you some breakfast. Not the regular stuff the other patients got, this is home cooking. Courtesy of Mom." Kimberly smiled.

Kayla thanked her big sister and then asked, "What happened? How’s Stephanie?"

Kimberly tilted her head and answered, "Well, I’m really not at liberty to tell you that, not without Marlena here." She looked at the face Kayla was giving her and replied, "But I guess I can. Stephanie is doing much better. She woke during the night and complained of a headache. Her first moment of consciousness and she’s compiling of the pain." Kimberly laughed.

Kayla smiled too. "She never was one to be big on pain. Can I see her?"

Kimberly nodded her head, "Of course. Have to get Marlena to check you out first, but she’s making her rounds and should be here in a few minutes." She handed Kayla a biscuit.

Kayla took a bite and groaned, "I forgot how good Mom’s biscuits were." She finished chewing and added, "I guess some things don’t get passed on to your children." Kayla smiled. There was silence a moment, then Kayla said, "You never answered my other question. Why am I here?"

Kimberly swallowed and said, "What do you remember?"

Kayla thought and said, "I remember being here in the hospital with Stephanie. I remember wanting to know what got her injured, so I decided to go down to the docks…" She stopped.

Kimberly nodded. "What do you remember about that?"

But Kayla didn’t get to finish because Marlena came into the room. "How’s my favorite patient today?" She asked.

Kayla forced a smile, but since Marlena had been so close to Kayla, she knew it wasn’t a real one. "Are you feeling alright?" Marlena asked.

Kayla nodded. "I want to see Stephanie."

"Well, I can arrange that, definitely. I think it would be good for you to see how well she’s gotten."

This time Kayla smiled a genuine smile.

~

Adrienne knew they wouldn’t give up. They were horrible people who did horrible things. And if Kayla and Stephanie were in any sort of danger, Adrienne had to warn them. She even considered telling Justin for a brief second, but if Justin knew she’d gone to see the boss he’d be angry. She didn’t want another fight.

She plugged her laptop into the terminal in her hotel room and connected to the Internet. The last e-mail Kayla had sent her was a month ago. Stephanie was going to Salem University. She found the idea that Steve’s child, not only in college but also in Salem, quite funny. What would Steve have thought of that? The first Johnson to go to college, Adrienne thought. But her mood stiffened when she remembered what she was doing.

She looked up flights. She had to get to Salem as soon as she could. She owed it to Steve to protect his daughter.

~

"What can you tell me about this patient?" Roman was standing outside the room of the man he, Bo and Jeannie had taken in last night.

"I really can’t tell you anything about him, Roman, it’s confidential." Lexi looked at him disappointed.

"What if it’s about a legal case? We have to talk to him so we can ask him if he hurt Stephanie."

Lexi sighed. "Roman, you know as well as I do that if this man is who we think he is, he didn’t hurt Stephanie, at least not on purpose." She pursed her lips. "Have you seen Kayla?"

Roman shook his head. "I don’t know how she would react to knowing he’s here. Lexi, we don’t even know if this is who we think he is. He didn’t have any ID on him and he can’t tell us anything about himself."

Lexi looked significantly at Roman then pulled him into an empty exam room. "Roman, he has some sort of chip in his brain that’s sending out waves to block his memory. If his memory gets triggered the chip starts to overload, that’s what’s been giving him headaches."

Roman nodded. "Can you remove the chip?"

Lexi replied, "We can try, but only with his consent. It’s possible that if we try to remove the chip it could cause permanent brain damage, even death."

"Possible, but not definite?" Roman pressed.

Lexi nodded. "I think it’s something we have to try. He can’t live his life not knowing who he is. He’s very fearful of being found and he thinks that whoever is looking for him will kill him."

Roman got a perplexed look on his face, "How is it he can remember that?"

"He’s able to remember certain things, I’ve discovered. Not important things. He doesn’t remember who wants to kill him. He doesn’t remember his name. But he remembered finding a piece of paper in the place he was living that was mostly covered but had a picture of him. The only letters he could see on the picture were PHEN, which’s how he took his name. He remembered being in the place. He said it was big and cold. That’s all he told me."

Roman nodded his head. "That’s something at least."

Lexi sighed, "Now, I’ve broken about 10 confidentiality laws by telling you this. You can’t tell anyone what I’ve told you until we get consent from the patient."

Roman nodded again and said, "I understand." He continued, "Should we bring Kayla to see him?"

"That’s something you should bring up with Marlena. I don’t know what it would do to Kayla, and I know it would disturb Phen, but if it’s going to bring about some progress, we should try it." Lexi put her hands in her pocket and turned to leave. "I’ll talk to Marlena about it, you aren’t supposed to know." She left the room.

Kayla was picking at the biscuits Kimberly had brought in. Her mind wandered to the man she’d seen on the docks, then to the scene afterward, in the graveyard. She remembered it, but she wasn’t sure she would tell Marlena. She still had to work it all out in her head. Was there any way that the man at the pier was who she thought? How could that even be? He died. He died in her arms, she held him as he took his last breath. He was dead. It didn’t make sense.

"You have a visitor," Kimberly poked her head in Kayla’s door. Kayla smiled. Then saw that Kimberly had someone with her.

"Stephanie," Kayla breathed, her smile now reaching every part of her face. She opened her arms and her daughter ran to her embrace.

"I was so worried about you when they told me you were here," Stephanie said.

Kayla laughed, "Well, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me."

Kimberly smiled and stood to leave. "Do you want anything before I go back to Mom and Pop’s?"

Kayla shook her head; she was staring at her daughter. Kimberly left.

"Mom, what happened to you?"

"I don’t really know," Kayla answered honestly. "I think it’s just exhaustion. I’ve been working a lot since you left. And then I was so worried about you being here. Are you alright?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, I’m going to be alright. I guess I got quite a bump on my head." Her lips fell into a stern look. "Mom, Jeannie took me to the pier the night I fell. I met this man there."

"I know," Kayla said.

"How do you know?"

"I went to the pier to find him." Kayla replied.

"You did? What did he say? Mom, he looked so much like the pictures you showed me of…"

"He didn’t say anything, Steph. He took one look at me and ran off." Kayla interrupted.

Stephanie fidgeted with her hands. "Well, you could talk to him now. He’s here, in the hospital."

The blood ran out of Kayla’s face. "He’s here? How do you know that?"

Stephanie noticed the severe look on her mother’s face. "I heard Uncle Roman telling Lexi Carver about him. I don’t think I was supposed to hear because once Uncle Roman saw me he and Dr. Carver went into a private room."

Kayla didn’t respond. She picked a little more at the biscuits on her side table. "Did you see his face?" She asked quietly and quickly.

Stephanie shook her head. "Mom, what’s wrong? Who is that man?" Stephanie’s voice now reflected her concern.

"I wish I knew, Steph," Kayla answered. Though something inside her told her she already did.

Lexi came a few moments later to take Stephanie back to her room. She still needed to spend most of her time lying down since she had a concussion. But Kayla promised she’d visit her as soon as she could.

Meanwhile Kayla picked up the hospital phone and pulled her credit card from her purse. She had a phone call to make. Maybe it would answer a question or two.

~

Adrienne was still looking up flights when her cell phone rang. She almost didn’t answer it; she had more important things to do. She pulled the phone out, saw a number she didn’t recognize and started to put it away. But something told her this was a call she needed to answer. "Hello," she said into it.

"Adrienne? It’s so good to hear your voice. It’s Kayla."

Adrienne almost dropped the phone. Kayla used to be one of her best friends. And then Steve died and everything changed. Adrienne’s whole world changed, and so did Kayla’s. "Kayla. How have you been? It’s been a long time." It had. Kayla and Stephanie came out to Adrienne’s mother’s funeral. That was the last time they’d seen each other.

"We’ve been fine," Adrienne lied. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah. I have a question for you. It’s going to sound weird, but I just need to know."

"Okay," Adrienne replied.

"You were closer to your mother then Steve or Jack were. I’m sure they wouldn’t have known this. But I was wondering if your mother had another son, around the same age as Steve, maybe older?"

Adrienne paused. What a strange question. It sent shivers down her spine. Something wasn’t right. "No, I’m sure it was just the three of us. Kayla, why do you want to know?" She hid the concern in her voice.

A nervous laugh came from Kayla’s end of the phone. "Just a silly thought, really. It’s not important." Kayla changed the subject. "How are your boys doing?"

Adrienne told Kayla about her sons and the conversation lasted a good half-hour. When the phone call ended Adrienne got a feeling of dread. She had to get to Salem.

Let me know if there are any mistakes, if the story sucks, if you like it....anything.