Chapter 15 - The Homecoming

It's been a little over three weeks since Marlena's shooting and it's finally time for her to come home. John comes bursting into Marlena's hospital room. "OKAY BABY I'M HERE TO SPRING YOU OUT OF THIS JOINT!" "Marlena?" John looks around the room but Marlena is nowhere to be found. The door opens and Marlena walks in. "What's wrong with you? I could hear you all the way down the hall." "You're going home today baby!" "I am?" "You sure are and I have the paperwork to prove it." John and Marlena hug. "John, stop wasting time and get rid of those papers so I can get out of here." "You really want to get out of there that badly?" "Yes I do. Now move it." Marlena slaps John on his rear-end as he leaves the room.

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Jesse, Eric, and Jamie are decorating the mansion living room for Marlena's homecoming. Eric's up on a ladder hanging a welcome home banner. "Is it straight?" "It's fine Eric." Eric attaches the sign to the wall and comes down the ladder. Jesse speaks. "I want to thank the two of you for helping me decorate." "It's no problem after all this party is for my mother." "Well this party's for Sami's mother too and look how much she's helped." "All right Jesse let's change the subject. Is Mike coming?" "He'll be here as soon as he gets off work."

Caroline comes into the living room. She's carrying a very large sheet cake. Jesse grabs one end of the cake. "Here Caroline let me help you with that. Caroline the cake looks delicious." They set the cake down on the coffee table. "Where's Shawn?" "He's getting the rest of the food we brought." "Eric why don't you go out and help him." Eric starts to walk to the door when Caroline stops him. "Austin, Carrie, and Laura are helping your grandfather. They got here just as we did, so they should be able to get everything." The whole gang comes into the living room with the food. "Grandpa is that everything?" "Yes this is everything. Now where should we put all of this?" "Put the rest of the food in the kitchen Shawn and while you're in there please get a knife, forks, and plates for the cake." Eric and Jamie go into the kitchen to help set up the food.

Jesse and Caroline are alone in the living room. "Have you heard from John and Marlena yet?" "No but John said he would call before they leave so we would be ready for them. Mike enters the living room. He goes over to Jesse and gives her a kiss. "Hey you. Hi Caroline." Jesse speaks. "Have John and Marlena left the hospital yet?" "John was finishing up Marlena's paperwork when I left. So they should be here soon." The phone rings and Jesse answers it. "Hello." "Jesse, it's John we'll be leaving in a couple of minutes." "All right John. We'll be ready. Goodbye." "Bye Jesse." Everyone comes into the living room from the kitchen. "Everyone, John just phoned. He and Marlena should be here soon. I'm going to go upstairs and get the kids ready." Caroline speaks up. "I'll help you Jesse."

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John comes back into Marlena's room. She's sitting on the bed all dressed and packed. She has a worried look on her face. "Okay pretty lady it's time for you to get out of this joint!" Marlena has a surprised look on her face. "You haven't called me that in years." "Is it alright that I called you that?" "Yes, of course it is. It just took me by surprise that's all." A nurse comes into the room with a wheelchair. "Dr. Evans are you ready to go?" "Could you give us a few minutes alone Sarah?" "Sure Dr. Evans. I'll be right outside." "Doc, what's wrong?" "As soon as we get home I want to tell Roman the truth about us." "Doc that can wait, give yourself a few days to get settled at home." "No, John this can't wait. Roman's going to want to know what happened to me and I don't want to lie anymore to him." "Whatever you want Doc, as soon as we get the chance we're going to tell Roman the truth." John and Marlena embrace. "Now get that nurse back in here. I want to see my children."

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Jesse and Caroline come into the living room with the children. "Okay guys you know what you say when your mommy comes into the room right?" All of the children yell "WELCOME HOME MOMMY!" Everyone hears a car pull up out front. Eric pulls the doors to the living room shut. Jesse hands out flowers for the kids to give to Marlena when she walks into the room.

John and Marlena are in the foyer talking. "John, why don't we go up now and talk to Roman?" "Doc why don't we go into the living room and relax for a while." "No John. I want to get this over with." "Doc the kids haven't seen you for a while and I'm pretty sure they're waiting for you in the living room." "What's going on here? This is a surprise party isn't it." "No, it's just a couple family members here to welcome you home. Now Doc when you walk in there I want you to act surprised." "John I would never disappoint my children." John opens the doors and everyone yells WELCOME HOME! Marlena bends over so the children can rush into her arms for hugs. They almost knock her over but John catches her. "What's all this?" Belle speaks up. "Dese flowers are for du mommy!" Marlena hugs Belle. "They're absolutely beautiful sweetheart." Brady hands Marlena his flowers. "Here mommy." Marlena hugs Brady. "It's so good to see you." Maddie gives Marlena her flowers. "Here you do grandma! I missed you!" Marlena gives Maddie a hug and a kiss. "I missed you too." Finally it's Megan's turn. Marlena stands upright and hugs her daughter. "I'm so glad you're home mom." "Me too." Tears are falling from Marlena's eyes. "I want to thank everyone for being here. This means so much to me." Jesse speaks. "It's no problem Marlena but please don't ever do that again." "I promise that will never happen again."

Everyone is sitting around the living room talking. Marlena's cutting the cake. She makes sure that everyone gets a piece. "Now has everyone gotten a piece of cake?" The entire room yells, YES! Marlena cuts herself a very large piece of cake. Jesse's sitting on the couch with Marlena and John eating her cake. Marlena can't help but notice what she's doing. Jesse's eating all of the frosting off of her cake. Once all of the frosting is gone she offers the remaining cake to Mike. "Jesse, aren't you going to eat the rest of the cake?" "No, I only eat the frosting." "You know Sam…your mother used to do the same thing." "Really? Martha used to tease me about it all the time. She would make me a bowl of frosting for my birthday and stick candles in it. Well at least I know I have something in common with my mother." "What about your father?" "What about him?" "I have his number if you want to talk to him." "Marlena I couldn't. I wouldn't know what to say." "How about you have a daughter?" "Not right now, maybe once I'm settled in here. I'll let you know when I'm ready." "I just want you to know that I will help you when the time comes." "Thank you Marlena."

"Jesse I was wondering if you could come over here tomorrow morning to help me with the wedding plans?" "Sure I'll help you but isn't that a job for a bridesmaid?" "Well that's why I'm asking you. I want you to be in the wedding." Tears start to fill in Jesse's eyes. "You do?" "Yes, I want you in my wedding. So will you?" "Of course I will." Marlena and Jesse hug. "Who else is going to be in the wedding?" Marlena looks to Carrie and Laura. "Laura, I would like for you to be my maid of honor. Carrie and Megan I would like for the both of you to be bridesmaids. Belle and Maddie will be the flower girls." "Marlena, you don't have to do that." "I want to have Maddie in the wedding besides who's Will going to walk down the aisle with if she isn't in the wedding." "Do you think Sami's going to let Will be in the wedding?" "I think Lucas will allow him." Carrie speaks up. "So what guys are going to be in the wedding, John?" "Well Abe is going to be my bestman. I thought that Bo, Mike and Eric could be the groomsmen." Eric's very uneasy. "I'm sorry, but I can't take part in this wedding." Eric goes into the garden. Marlena and John are very hurt. Jesse takes Marlena's hand. "Don't worry Marlena. Eric is going to be in this wedding."

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Jesse goes out into the garden; she closes the door behind her. Jesse's clapping her hands as she moves towards Eric. "That was quite a performance you gave in there." "Performance?" "That's the best Sami impersonation I've seen in a long time. Why can't you be in the wedding? This wedding is just symbolic. They're already married. You were there for the hospital wedding and you didn't seem to have any objections. Why is this wedding so wrong?" "My dad didn't know about that wedding in the hospital. This wedding is going to hurt him so much." Eric has tears in his eyes. "I really love how you and your sister care so much about Roman. I only wish he cared as much about the two of you as you two care for him." "What do you mean?" "Three years ago Roman took a very dangerous assignment without thinking whether or not he was going to hurt his children by leaving. During those three years he didn't have any contact any of you." "Jesse he was undercover. He couldn't contact us." "Eric he could have found a way. Why did Roman come back to town? It wasn't because his children missed him and needed him. He came back because Kristen told him that Marlena was all alone and just waiting for him to come back to her!" "Stop it Jesse! I'll admit it that I am angry about the past three years but he's still my father." "What's a father Eric? It doesn't just deal with biology. A father is someone who's there for you day in and day out. A father is someone who goes to all of your little league games to cheer you on. He's someone who wipes away your tears when you're sad. He's also the one who gives you your allowance in advance so you can buy a book on coin collecting. That's what a father is and that's what John's been to you all of those years."

"Jesse, my father has lost so much in his life." "And John hasn't?!" "Eric without any warning John lost his wife, his children, and his identity to this very day he still doesn't know everything about his past. Eric where's your love for the man who raised you? Eric, don't forget all the love that he once gave to you." "I love John very much and a part of me still thinks of him as my father. But if I feel that if I show John how much I care I feel like I'm betraying my father." "Eric it's okay for you to love them both. They both love you." "I know you're right." "I think that if Roman, John, or Marlena could have prevented this mess all together they would have but that wasn't possible so you have to make the best out of the situation. John makes your mother happy and that's what's important isn't it?" "Yes my mother's happiness is important. I think it's about time she does something to make herself happy instead of doing something that will make everyone else happy like she usually does. I feel like such a jerk. What am I going to say in there?" "Tell them that you will be in the wedding." Eric gives Jesse a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for setting me straight." "Don't you know by now I will always be there to set you straight when you're acting like a jerk." Eric puts his arm around Jesse and they go back into the living room.

Eric goes over to Marlena and John. "Mom…John I'm sorry. I'd be honored to be in the wedding. Mom, I want you to be happy and if that means you spending the rest of your life with John then I will support you." Marlena hugs Eric. "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." Eric turns to Jamie. "Are you ready to go home?" "Yes, I'm ready." Eric and Jamie leave. Marlena turns to Jesse. "I want to thank you for whatever you said to him." "Marlena, I didn't say anything that he wasn't thinking himself but was afraid to say. When are you going to tell Roman the truth?" "As soon as everyone's gone." Jesse turns to Maddie. "Okay sweetie! It's time to go." Maddie goes over to her mother. "Carry me mommy." "Maddie I think you're getting a little big for this." Mike goes over and picks Maddie up. "Why don't I carry you to your mommy's car? I was just going to leave myself."

Marlena and John walk them to the door. Jesse hugs Marlena. "I'll see you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything." "I will." Jesse and Mike say their good-byes and leave. Laura walks into the foyer. "Are you leaving too?" "I have to check in at the hospital. I'll be here bright and early tomorrow. Goodbye guys." Shawn and Caroline come into the foyer. "Marlena…John we're going to leave too." "Caroline, would the two of you mind staying for a while? John and I are going to tell Roman the truth today and I think it would be a good idea to have the two of you here." "Sure we'll stay. Are you sure he's strong enough to handle the truth?" "I think he is. I just can't lie to him any more. Telling him the truth is best for everyone." "We'll be down here with the kids if you need us." "Thank you. Are you ready, John?" "Let's go!"

To be continued...

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