“Marlena, damn him! We do not need to wait around and see how he is. Let him get out of here as fast as he can and good riddance,” Roman snapped, grabbing Marlena’s arm as she tried to follow the gurney down the hospital corridor.

“Roman, I can’t just abandon him! You saw what was done to him- who knows if he really worked for Dimera at all? The drugs, the beatings- Stefano could have made him believe just about anything!”

“Yea, Marlena- I did see it. I saw everything! I saw how he shot those men down at the compound. Hell, John was there when Dimera first captured me. He was in on the plan to take my place from the very start! You’re the one who needs to open her eyes!”

She jerked free of his hold, shaking her head. “He got us out of there, Roman. He risked everything to bring us home. To bring both of us home. He wouldn’t have done that if he worked for Stefano!”

“Okay, you two. I want you to tell me what’s wrong with him,” Bo interrupted, his face an angry mask. “What happened to him? Why is he trying to get away from here, from his family? What the hell is going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong, little brother,” Roman said, his eyes never leaving Marlena’s face. “Your ‘bro’ in there is nothing more than one of Stefano’s hired guns. He’s a stone cold killer and all of you accepted him as me! That’s what wrong!”

“No way. No way. Marlena?” Stunned, Bo took a half step back, looking to Marlena for support.

“I… I don’t know, Bo,” she finally replied, her eyes downcast. “He did things… I saw him do things I would have never believed possible. But he brought us home. In the end, he defied Dimera. He brought us home. I don’t know what to think anymore...”

It was not the denial Bo had hoped for and he looked uncertainly at Roman. “What did John say? Did he say for sure he worked for Dimera?”

“Bo, there is no doubt. I was there when he remembered who he was. He was yelling for Stefano to get him out of the cell and Dimera carried him out of there like he was golden. He locked-up the guy who did the damage to him, and according to Marlena, he let John kill the man. I have no doubts, John was close to Dimera, high-up in his organization. I don’t know what he was like when you knew him, but now he is just violent. The man’s a killer and I don’t want him anywhere near my family!”

“No. No, it’s got to be a trick. I would have known. After all these years… Marlena, are you sure it’s true?”

“John says it is,” she said with a broken laugh. “He said he had always worked for Dimera- his right-hand man. When he was here as Roman, he didn’t know who he was, he accepted that he was Roman Brady. But now, now he says he remembers who he really is. He believes it, Bo. He believes he is Dimera’s hired gun and he wants to go back to him.”

“Oh Damn!” Bo slapped a hand to his forehead, unable to believe this was happening. “I’ve already called mom and pop, they’re on their way down right now. This is going to kill them. And the kids! What’s this going to do to Carrie and the twins?”

“Bo, their father is back. They’re going to be fine. The man was an imposter and now he’s gone. It’s all going to be for the best.” Roman couldn’t figure out why Bo was making such a big deal out of it. John Black was nothing- a liar, an imposter. The sooner he was out of their lives, the better off they would be.

“Yeah, I guess,” Bo replied dubiously. “It’s just, it’s hard not to think of him as family. It’s going to be really hard for the kids. For everybody. Roman, he was there for us. You could always count on him, no matter what. This is, it’s going to be hard to adjust to.”

“Roman!?” The loud cry drew their attention, and Caroline Brady came rushing down the hall toward her eldest son. “I couldn’t believe it when Bo told me. Oh, Roman! Is it really you?” She took him into her arms and held on tightly, the tears streaming down her face.

“Ma… it’s been so long,” he said softly, a deep sadness he hadn’t known he felt welling up from inside.

Turning away, Marlena brushed at the tears now falling from her own eyes. This is so unfair… to both of the men. Most especially, to Roman. He deserved her undivided attention, her undivided heart. They should be home, with their children, their family. After all the time apart, he deserved nothing less. But still, there was… the other.

“Son? My son,” Sean said, coming up behind Caroline to grasp Roman’s shoulder. “We are so glad you are okay.”

“Mike?” Bo called, startling them all. “How is he?”

Dr. Mike Horton looked up from the medical chart, approaching the worried family he had known since he was a child. He still wasn’t exactly certain what was going on, and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“Is he going to be okay, Mike?” Sean echoed, the concern in his voice bringing Roman back to the realities of the moment.

“We’re still running tests. There was a lot of damage over a pretty long period of time and on top of that, there’s the gunshot wound. It’s the drugs that have us worried, though. We analyzed the pills he’s been taking. Strong stuff. It would have to be to keep him on his feet in the condition he’s in. But the tests indicate other substances we haven’t been able to identify. It’s making it hard to know how to treat him and we don’t know if it may result in long term effects.”

“Mike,” Marlena interrupted. “I don’t think Stefano wanted him permanently injured. Whatever he gave him, I don’t think the effects will be long term”

“I hope you’re right, Marlena, because right now, there isn’t much we can do about it.”

Still holding tight to her son’s arm, Caroline asked, “When can we see him, Mike. I need to be sure he’s okay?”

“It’s going to be a while. The gunshot wound wasn’t bad, it didn’t hit anything vital, but there’s still a lot of work to do. They have to stabilize his eye-socket, he broke some bones in his face. His arms… they’re pretty cut-up. It’s going to take a while. Why don’t you all go sit down, have some coffee? I’ll send a nurse once they have him cleaned up. Don’t expect too much. He probably won’t regain consciousness for quite some time. He’s been through a lot- I just want you to be prepared for it, okay?”

As the Bradys turned reluctantly toward the waiting room, Mike called quietly to Marlena, “Can I see you inside for a minute?”

“Of course, Mike.”

Roman watched in silence as she followed Mike down the hall.

“What is it Mike? Is he really okay?” Marlena asked, joining Mike in the trauma unit.

“I haven’t gotten the full story of what’s going on- though I know that ‘Roman’ wasn’t Roman. But the guy we have in there… Marlena, what did Stefano do to him? We had to put him in restraints as soon as we got him in here. He was delusional, yelling and screaming and he nearly choked one of our nurses who was trying to hold him down. I need to know what’s going on. Is it the drugs Dimera gave him? He is really out of control and when he comes to, I need to know what to expect.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Mike. It looks like John might have been one of Stefano’s operatives- at least that is what he believes. Stefano drugged him- tortured him- into ‘remembering’, but I’m still not sure what the truth. But Mike, he is dangerous. He isn’t the man we all know. You need to be careful with him- especially if he’s delusional.”

“Have you told the family?” Mike asked.

“Bo knows, but he won’t say anything. I want to wait until he’s conscious, until he can explain what happened. Mike, I just can’t believe the man I knew would have every willingly worked for Dimera! I can’t tell the kids the man who raised them was really some hired killer. I need to wait, at least until things become clearer.

“Mike, I can keep him calm, you don’t have to worry. I’ll stay here until he’s lucid, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else. Please Mike, I’ll watch him. Just don’t tell anyone what’s going on, not until we know more.”

“Marlena, you know it’s not my job to make announcements about my patient’s mental health. I’m just worried about how best to treat him. But you have to know this is going to come out and you’d better be prepared. This isn’t going to stay a secret long. Roman’s a cop, apteral! He’s going to have to tell Abe what he knows. There may even be an arrest warrant out for John. It might be best to get the kids ready for that possibility. I know one thing- I sure wouldn’t want them around him the in state he was in when he was brought here. You’re going to have to tell them something, and I’ve found the truth is usually best.”

“This is just all so wrong!” she muttered, angry and tired and hating the fact that she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

Awkwardly, Mike wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Marlena had always been the strong one, the one he could look to when he didn’t know how to handle a case, how to tell a family their child was hurt or worse yet, gone. “It’s gonna be okay, Marlena. The main thing is that you are back. All of you are home, the rest will work itself out.”

“When did you get so grown-up, ‘Dr. Horton’?” she asked, forcing a smile and dabbing at her eyes.

“I’ve had good teachers,” Mike replied, stepping back and wiping away the tracks of her tears. “Are you all right?”

“I will be- after I talk to the family.”

Marlena leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath, give herself some time to make sense of it all. Her entire life had been turned upside down and now she had to try and explain it all to her children. How could she explain it when she couldn’t understand it herself?

She turned the corner and found Roman, holding all three children tightly to him. He finally stepped back, his hands going out to gently frame Carrie’s face. “I can’t believe how much you have grown. Carrie… my God, you’re an adult now! Look at you.”

Sami looked up from her inspection of the floor and caught sight of her mother. In a flash, she was streaking down the hallway. “Mom, we were so worried!” she said, throwing herself into Marlena’s arms. “They won’t tell us anything about Daddy. Mom, is he going to be okay?”

Marlena glanced up in time to catch Roman’s frown of displeasure. Returning Sami’s embrace, she brushed the hair back from the young woman’s face and managed a weak smile. “It’s going to be okay, kids. He’s just a little beat-up and they want to keep him under observation for a while. Look, why don’t we all go sit down. I know this has to be confusing to you, but it will all work out. The important thing is we are all here together. We’ll face whatever comes as a family.”

The whole family clustered around a big dinning table in the almost deserted cafeteria. “I still don’t understand, Mom. Are you saying that our Dad, or, the guy who raised us, was really working for Stefano Dimera? That just doesn’t make any sense. Dad would never hurt us,” Eric stated flatly. “There’s no way that’s right. We would have known. You have to be wrong.”

The children’s responses to the news were consistent with each of their characters, Marlena thought to herself. Carrie was quiet, turning inwards to process the information flowing around her. Eric was openly suspicious of both the story being laid out and of Roman himself. He was so like his father- so like John- expressive, confrontational and feeling very much the need to protect his mother and sisters from any outside threat. In many was, though, it was Sami who had Marlena most concerned. She had distanced herself from the entire discussion and Marlena wasn’t certain she had really heard her explanation of the complex relationship between the man who had left town as their father and the one who had returned. Though Rom… no John, John loved all of his children, he and Sami shared a special bond. She was her Daddy’s little girl and did not appear interested in engaging in a discussion that could challenge that relationship. The situation had to be handled very carefully if there was any hope of this family surviving intact.

“Eric, kids- we don’t know exactly what John’s relationship to Stefano is. I’m not even sure he really knows. He was drugged, maybe even brainwashed. But there is no doubt that he is not Roman Brady. He didn’t know it until Dimera triggered his memories. He thought he was your father, your biological father, for the past fourteen years. That was a mistake on Dimera’s part. John was a good father and he has always protected this family. He is the one who brought me and Roman back to you. I know he cares about you, it’s just that he’s not the man we all thought he was. And the man who is your father, he is back after all of these years. The only thing that kept him going for all of those years as a prisoner was his family. You owe him your respect,” Marlena said gently.

“Son, we’re so sorry for what happened to you,” Sean said, shifting the focus of the table to Roman. “I can’t explain why we didn’t know it wasn’t you. All I can say is that it was so hard when we thought you had died. When you came back, when we thought you had come back, we wanted it to be true so badly. He was different- more brittle, more intense than you ever were. But we wanted it to be true, we thought the time away had hardened you. He never gave us any reason to doubt him. Not once did he give us reason to doubt. But I am sorry, so sorry, that we accepted it so willingly. It was just that we wanted you back so badly. Can you understand that?”

Fighting to control the hurt he was feeling, Roman nodded his head. “It’s okay, Pop. There was really no way you could know that I was locked in some damn cell while an imposter watched over my family. I’m just glad he never hurt any of you.”

Eric snorted, rolling his eyes. “Dad would never hurt any of us, I don’t care what you say. How do we know that this isn’t some trick of Dimera’s?”

“He’s right,” a calm voice cut in, and all eyes turned to Carrie, who until this point had remained a mute observer.

“Carrie?” Marlena prompted, when she failed to continue with her thought.

“Grandpa is right. He was different. When he came back, I mean. Sami and Eric were too little when he left. They don’t remember. But, when he came back, he was different. Not just his memory. He was… more careful. I remember when he’d pick me up when I was little. It was like I was made of glass, like he’d never held me before and he thought he might break me. Before he came back, he took us all for granted. I mean, like it was just normal- to have a family, to love each other. But when he came back… Even now, sometimes I’d watch him, watching us. It was like we were something very precious, some rare thing that he couldn’t believe existed and that might disappear at any time. Grandpa is right. He was different.”

The room was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, until Sami said plaintively, “I want to see Dad. Didn’t Mike say we could see him, Mom?”

“Sami, why don’t you wait until tomorrow,” Roman replied. “Mike said he wouldn’t be able to talk until tomorrow at best. Maybe you should just get some rest. Let this all sink in. You can see him in the morning, if you want to.”

Irritated at being told what to do by a man who pretended to be her father, Sami became stubborn, as only she could. “I am not leaving here until I see my Dad and I don’t have to do anything you say!”

Laying a gentling hand on Roman’s forearm to forestall an angry retort, Marlena said sternly, “Samantha, you are welcome to your own interpretation of events, at least until the DNA tests come back. But you will show respect. Now, I think it might be a good idea to wait and give John time to gain strength.” Noting the stubborn glint in Sami’s eye, a look so like her ‘father’s’ when he had made his mind up about something, Marlena sighed in surrender. “However, if you really want to look in on him, Mike did say it would be okay. But we really need to let him rest, so try and be as quiet as you can. Okay? I’m going to stay here tonight, just to make sure he’s all right and I’ll call you if anything at all happens.”

“Thanks, mom. I’ll be really quiet. I just want to see that he’s okay,” Sami replied with a grateful smile.

As Sami hesitantly pushed open the door to the private room, Marlena took Roman’s hand and pulled him back. “Why don’t we give them a minute alone, Roman.”

He grimaced, managing to hold his tongue until the door closed behind the three children. When he turned to her, he was angry. “They should not be in there! That man is violent and I don’t want him near my kids. He’s done enough harm already, Marlena. I won’t let him cause more.”

“Roman, I know you’re mad, but you have to see this from the children’s point of view. He is the only father they have known for the past 14 years. We need to be able to work with him to help the children accept what has happened. If you attack him, it’s just going to confuse the kids, drive them away from you. We have to give them some time to understand things.”

“Marlena, the only way for us to get on with our life together is to get him out of it. As soon as he is out of this hospital, he’s either getting out of town or he’s going to jail. He will not be a part of our lives and he will not be a part of our children’s lives. The issue is not open for discussion!” Not waiting to hear her reply, Roman turned on his heel and stormed away.

With a muttered sigh, she let him go. Maybe time alone was what he needed. At the moment, the children needed her more. Pushing her way silently into the room, she saw Eric and Carrie standing together at the foot of the bed. Staring down in confusion, they were clearly unsure how to react to the battered figure laying in the bed. Marlena could sympathisize, confusion the most apt label she could put on her own feelings. Sami, however, appeared to be operating under no such dilemmas.

Standing beside the bed, Samantha Brady had John’s good hand clutched firmly in her grasp. “Daddy? It’s me, Sami. Please, Daddy. Can you hear me?” she whispered, the tears running freely down her cheeks.

John lay motionless, only the gentle rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was still alive. Putting her arms around Eric and Carrie, Marlena pulled them close. “Come on kids. We need to let him rest.”

Sami showed no inclination to move and Marlena joined her at the side of the bed. Flashing her mother a silent look of thanks, Sami wrapped her arm around Marlena’s waist and rested her head on her shoulder. “I thought I felt him squeeze my hand, mom.”

Reaching down, Marlena tucked the stiff white sheet up beneath his chin, her fingers checking his pulse as she did so. Weak but steady- what he needed now was sleep. “He will get better, Sami. We just need to give him some time to heal. We’ll come back tomorrow when he’s awake. Okay?”

Unable to speak, Sami simply nodded and allowed her mother to lead her from the room. 

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