After the Rain
Carrie Brady-Reed stood outside the
door to John's room, gathering the strength from some place deep inside, some
reservoir of intestinal fortitude that had been bestowed upon her by heritage
as well as experience. She knew from talking to Marlena that he looked very
different from the last time she had seen him. He was standing tall and proud,
so strong and muscular and handsome as ever, smiling because he knew somehow,
some way he and Marlena would be together. That was only a few days ago. Now,
on New Year's Day, he was lying immobile in a hospital bed, his strong well
toned muscles flaccid, with God only knows how many machines, monitors, and
tubes everywhere, and the cumbersome neck brace Marlena had described that
obscured his handsome face. She steeled herself for it, trying to work through
her initial reaction to his appearance so that she wouldn't make him feel any
worse than he already did.
Mike had seen her from the end of
the hallway and decided to speak with her before she went in. As she stood
peeking through the door, he walked up slowly, making sure to be just noisy
enough to alert, but not startle her. "Hi Carrie... it's still a
little..unreal yet, isn't it?"
She nodded absently, still looking
in on John and Abe who were clearly having an emotionally charged conversation.
After another moment, she turned toward her good friend, agreeing with him,
"That's an understatement. I can't believe my father could have done
something like this. Mike, is it.. will he.. do you think..." She couldn't
make the words come out right and gave up with a frustrated sigh, hoping her
friend would understand and answer anyway.
"I don't know anything yet,
Carrie. I was going to try and let him get a little rest after he talks to Abe
and then send him down for another round of tests. I'm still hopeful it's only
a spinal cord concussion, which is the best-case scenario. It will still mean a
lot of pain and several months of therapy, but he'll probably get everything
back. We should know more with another day. The first 48 hours is
critical."
"Has there been anything...
any feeling, any movement?" she practically begged.
Shaking his head sadly, Mike told
her the truth, "No.. I'm sorry Carrie, but.. like I've told everyone, it's
still very early. The injury was only a short time ago. The head and neck are
traumatized and the swelling is significant... it's much too soon to draw any
real conclusions about the long haul here."
Looking back in, Carrie saw Abe
leaning down to hug John, who was struggling emotionally; that was obvious from
his pained expression. Crying for what he must be feeling, she turned to her
friend and said with anguish, "Oh.. Mike... look at him.. he's hurting so
much!" Suddenly, an expression of nearly murderous fury crossed the fine
features of her pretty face, as she said, "I...hate my father!! I HATE
him, Mike and from now on, John is the only one I will ever think of in that
way!"
“Carrie... you know.. I'm not sure
Roman knew what he was doing when he... hurt, John... I think he might have had
a.. break with reality that night."
"Do you really believe
that?" she asked, feeling mixed emotions about what that would mean for
all of them. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, I sat in on some of the
interviewing the psychiatrist did with him and he seemed.. genuine when he said
he didn't remember doing any of it. He doesn't remember pulling the gun, waving
it around, taunting or shooting John... none of it. Roman seemed believable to
me and to the psychiatrist too. He remembers getting a phone call from someone
and then going someplace, but not where, and then the next thing he says he
remembers is Abe and Bo arresting him, Marlena confronting him about the ring,
finding it in his pocket, and then being led off in handcuffs. Everything in
between is a total blank, Carrie."
"Oh.. I don't know.. that's
awfully convenient, Mike. Marlena seems to think he knew what he was doing. I
guess that's because of what John said about it. He's about to give Abe his
statement, isn't he?"
"Yes... they're going to be
awhile.. this all has to be pretty difficult for John... to have to relive it
so soon afterward. "
"Yes... someone should be with
him. Marlena is so upset right now. Maybe I should do it," said Carrie
looking in on the man again.
Concerned for her well being, Mike
tried to talk her out of it, saying, "Carrie.. you're going to hear things
about your father that.. are pretty awful... are you sure you can handle that
and be supportive to John at the same time?"
The young woman had extraordinary
strength. Nodding her head, she said, "Yes... I can.. because John needs
me right now. I will handle it because I have to handle it. I'm going in there,
Mike."
Shaking his head at her
determination, he said only, "Good luck, Carrie. You amaze me, you know
that?"
"I get that from John and
Marlena... they have such faith and belief in the power of love and in God...
they've had a very important influence in my life and they've always been there
for me. It's my turn to repay the favor." Mike nodded as he gave her a
brief hug of encouragement and then turned away, hoping all the love and
support in his patient's life would bouy John's flagging spirits so that he
would fight for his recovery in the long days, weeks, and months ahead.
Abe and John whose face was still
moist with tears, looked up and Abe pulled out of the embrace when Carrie
opened the door. Abe leaned down to quickly dab at the moisture, which made
John feel the helplessness even more acutely. Carrie stepped up close to the
bed, reached a hand to stop Abe, saying.. "No let me do that. He's been
there to do that for me more times than I can count. It's my turn, Abe."
Then to John, she said while swiftly completing the task and revealing the
purpose of her visit, so as not to embarrass him further, "John... I know
that you are about to give your statement to Abe about what happened last
night. I want to be here for you while you give it, just to support you.
Marlena needs a break; she's in her office right now and I hope she's going to
get some rest."
John’s eyes opened wide with
horror; there was no way she should have to hear what her father had done to
the other man she loved in that way. It was brutal and cruel and it would tear
her apart to hear him describe the details of what had happened. "No...
Carrie.. this is going to be hard enough to tell Abe... it would be too much
for you to hear about Roman... no, I can't let you do it. I appreciate the
thought, but no... I don't want you here for this."
Carrie was quite firm with the man
she loved and respected as a father, "Listen, John... you have been there
for me, even when it cost you, even when it was tearing you apart to be near
Marlena and not have her in your life. You came to help me... no matter what it
did to you. Now, it's my turn. I am *not* going to take no for an answer here.
I am going to be with you through this whole ordeal. I love you as a father and
you will always be my... Daddy."
Tears wanted to form again... tears
of joy. This young lady had grown into such a wonderful compassionate,
beautiful woman and he was so proud to have had even the slightest impact in
her life. "Oh.. punkin... I love you.. thank you.. thank you so much.. You
are such a beautiful person in every way. Alright, alright...you can stay, but
if it starts to upset you too much, I want you to leave the room, okay?"
"It's a deal. John... I have
to hear it in court one day anyway so this is as good a time as any as far as
I'm concerned. I'll be fine.. you just concentrate on yourself right now."
Abe, who had been sitting quietly
by, cleared his throat softly and said, "So.. are you ready, John?"
Taking as deep a breath as his
current condition allowed, John nodded and said, "Yes, I'm ready,
Abe."
"Okay now... tell me exactly
what happened from the time you left the Courthouse, any noises.. any cars you
saw, any feeling that someone was following you or watching you at any given
point."
John shut his eyes and tried to
recapture all the details. "All right, we left the courthouse without
incident. The drive up into the mountains was smooth, nothing happened. When we
got there.. we thought we heard a noise, but we figured it was just some animal
or something and we went inside. There was nothing else out of the ordinary
until Roman showed up. I went after Roman to stop him from driving down the
mountain in the snow. Marlena thought he might have an accident or a heart
attack, after what the doctors had told us about how stress might affect him.
That's when he hit me in the face and broke my nose. I went out with the blow
for a minute or two and then Marlena was there and we gathered our things and
she took me to the hospital where my face was x-rayed and bandaged. We went
home to spend the night at the Penthouse and that's when it went from bad to
worse."
"That's when the gun became
involved."
"Right... Marlena and I saw
him come out of the shadows and then I shoved Doc out the door and locked it
behind her. I was going to be the only one hurt if it went south fast. Marlena
stood outside the door screaming for me to let her in, but there was no way I
was going to let her anywhere near him. I would die for her in a heartbeat; she
knows that. I guess that's why she finally gave up and called you and Bo."
Abe was writing fast and furiously,
then asked, "Okay.. then what happened next, John... I know it's going to
be difficult, but I need every detail you can possibly recall. It will help
build the case against him and it may help to refute any temporary insanity
claim."
John shuddered slightly, laboring
to hold back the emotions that accompanied Roman's acts of terror so that he
could think clearly enough to recount them verbally. After letting out a long
breath, John started in, "He was.. waving the gun around aimlessly at
first, and then he pointed at me and leveled it, as if he were going to shoot
me at point blank range. He was just messing with my head though... he just
wanted to make me sweat and he was laughing so hard after that. Roman talked
about how great it was to have complete control over what happened, to hold the
power of life and death over me. That's when he started to walk around the
room, acting like he was going to shoot me at any given moment. He was so angry
and jealous and he tried to make me take off my wedding ring, but I refused, so
he shot me in the arm and then came over and basically ripped it off my finger
when I was out of it for a minute. Then he took advantage of my weakness and
shoved me to the ground. Roman pretended he was going to throw the ring over
the terrace.. he made these moves like he was going to get rid of it and then
he'd stop and laugh at the expression on my face. Abe... he was loving every
minute of it; he knew what he was doing, I swear it! "
When Abe didn't acknowledge that
aspect of it, John continued, "Finally, he put the ring into a pocket and
I could tell he was going to shoot me again. He started to walk all around me,
aiming the gun at various body parts, pretending he was ready to pull the
trigger at any point. He seemed to enjoy seeing my.. fear. Then he asked about
which knee was hurt when Doc and I were trapped. I guess it was symbolic of the
beginning of the affair to him.. I don't know, but it was very important for
him to know, so I told him. Then, he kept roaming around the room for a little
while, taking the clip in and out, in and out.. just to make me sweat the when
and where questions, though he made it very clear he was going to shoot me
again. When I was least expecting it, he fired and hit me in that same leg.
God... it hurt.. it just burned so bad and it was all I could do not to fall
apart." The tears that were welling up began to fall one at a time as he
recalled that part of it, and John had to stop talking for a minute or two.
"I went down with it immediately. I tried to.. fight back the fear... so I
could.. think straight, but after that... it was.. so hard. I started to pray..
that if.. I had to.. die that God.. wouldn't... let anyone.. find my.. body,
because I didn't want.. Doc to see it!"
It was all Abe as well as Carrie
could do to keep from being physically sick to hear the abject cruelty with
which Roman had treated John. She was weeping and holding John's limp hand that
couldn't even feel the comfort she wanted to give him. That realization made it
seem even worse. "Oh.. John.. I'm so sorry.. I hope he rots in jail for
what he did to you!"
As the images became more and more
vivid, John found his voice becoming shaky and his eyes stayed moist as he
relived the emotions he experienced at the time. "Abe, I did... everything
I knew to do to calm him down, but nothing worked. Roman seemed to.. enjoy
watching me... lying there on the floor bleeding from two gunshot wounds. He
was standing there.. laughing while I used my hands... to try and stop the
blood loss.. I mean it was like... Stefano used to do, Abe... and I was so..
scared, not just for myself, but for Doc... and I begged him not to put Marlena
through having to see me.. all torn up and bloody. I asked him if he had to
kill me to just do it, but not subject Marlena to seeing my... bloody body..
lying dead on her living room carpet. No matter what I said, he just... kept
getting angrier and more threatening. Finally, I just confronted him with
reality of her love for me, and he totally lost it. He kicked me in the leg
where he'd shot me... and then at some point he smashed my head with the butt
of the gun. That's the last thing I remember."
John frowned, as if he didn't quite
get it right. After a moment's pause, he added, "Oh... yea.. I think he
might have left the room at some point to make a phone call... but I can't be
sure. Yes.. that's it and I remember him saying something about giving me to
the other person who wanted me. I can't remember anything else, Abe.. Is that
good enough?" He was so drained and didn't think he could talk about it
much longer; it was just too upsetting.
Wanting to comfort his friend, but
also wanting to get the facts down, he said, "John... I'm sorry.. This
is.. so hard on you. I know that, but I want him to face the consequences for
what he did to you. You did a great job, but I'd like to know more of what he
said to you.. can you recall any more details?"
It was all John could do to keep
the emotions under control and fight off the darkness that was creeping in
around the edges long enough to finish the statement. The drugs, all the tests
and his condition in general were wearing on him, and he was in desperate need of
rest. His voice starting to sound distant as he fought to stay conscious, he
said, "Uh.. yea.. he said something about temporary insanity.. about how
it would be believable because of what Doc and me did to him.. because of the
affair. He said he knew that killing me wouldn't get Marlena back, but at least
he would know I didn't have her either and that would.. keep him warm at night.
He said he wanted to watch me be beg for my life and to see me suffer. Abe.. I
swear to you.. he thought all of it out.. he wanted to taunt me and torture me
to death and if we were alone somewhere, I believe he would have.. murdered me.
He had no remorse about what he was doing, even when I tried to reason with him
and get him to recognize that he was forsaking everything he believed in by
doing it. He said he didn't care... he just wanted to get back at me for taking
Marlena and for lying to him again. The only thing that had any impact at all
was what was left of his genuine love for her. I think that's when he made the
call for someone to help him take me away. I'm sorry... but I just... can't
remember that part for certain. I...uh.. Abe... I'm kinda... getting...tired...
can we.. talk.. more later on?" John said, struggling to keep his eyelids
from going closed.
Before Abe could even respond, John
was asleep, the remaining tears slipping out of his closed eyes, the anguish
fading mercifully with each passing moment of slumber. He was totally exhausted
from the traumatic ordeal he suffered and the emotional recounting of it for
his friend the Commander. "Yea.. buddy... we can talk more later on,"
he said softly as a few of his own tears fell again. He sat there for a moment
longer, then helped Carrie pull the covers up over his best friend's dozing
form, to ward off any chill.
Carrie wept openly, not at all
ashamed to cry for John's suffering. She tore her worried gaze from her
*father* to say, "Oh... Abe.. that was so hard on him. It's almost
unbelievable isn't it.. that my.."
She stopped before that word came out. She would never use it to
describe the man again, "..that.. Roman could have done and said all those
horrible things to such a good man?"
Abe noticed the change, but didn't
comment. Instead, he just agreed, "Yes, it's almost impossible to believe
and if it were anyone but John I would have defended Roman to the wall. But, I
believe John when he says Roman knew what he was doing. I'm going to fight any
attempt they make at an insanity plea, Carrie.. I'm sorry, but John seems so
sure of it.. and that is good enough for me."
"Me too, Abe.. as much as it
hurts to admit what.. Roman has become, I support John 100% and if he believes
it, I'll back him completely, no matter what the rest of the family says."
As they finished their
conversation, the room was completely quiet, except for the sound of all the
machines and monitors necessary to sustain his condition. And then there was
another sound; someone was weeping softly and then they heard the sound of the
door shutting. Someone had overheard at least part of the statement and was
very upset by it. Fearing that it was the already distraught Marlena, Carrie
jumped out of the chair in which she was sitting to go find out, planning to
help whomever it was that learned the details about the terrible violent acts perpetrated
on John Black by one Roman Augustus Brady, former all around good guy.
Abe looked down at John, wondering
if he sensed the turmoil others were experiencing in his current physical and
emotional state, and was only slightly surprised to hear his best friend
muttering, "Don't cry.. Doc.. don't cry... I'll be okay... shh.. it's
alright.." and other similar phrases of reassurance. This was a man who
didn't give up easily, although Abe had to admit, if there were ever going to
be a time when John might quit and give into despair, this was it. He offered
up one more silent prayer before leaving his friend to his much needed rest,
"Dear God...please watch over John... and bring healing to his injured
body. He has suffered enough.. please heal him and let him live a happy life
with the woman he loves. They've waited so long and had so much pain in their
lives. Hear my prayer, Oh Lord... I beseech you.. grant my request. Amen."
Sandra Bondelier