August 16, 2006

Hope: Sorry, sweetie. I don't have any ketchup. Bo and Zack were the only ones who ate it, and, well, anyway, I learned to love eating french fries like this when I was in England with Bo.

Kayla: Forget it. I love them like this.

Hope: Want some vinegar? I can't believe how much I have been craving vinegar. Oh. Want some? Here. Here you go. Try it.

Kayla: That's enough.

Hope: I never had these cravings with my first pregnancy. Hey, you think I'm gonna get my little girl this time?

Kayla: Well, you know, in medical school, they tell you to forget about the wives' tales, but I think you have to trust your body.

Hope: I wish I knew what my body was telling me. I can't believe it took me this long to realize I was pregnant...and that I wasn't more careful.

Kayla: You're happy about this baby, though, right?

Hope: Yeah. I'm thrilled.

Kayla: Would you have been as thrilled if it would have been Bo's baby?

Hope: Oh, yeah.

Kayla: You know, I was with him today at the pub when he got served the divorce papers.

Hope: Then you were probably there when he tore it up into little pieces..

Kayla: Yeah, I was.

Hope: I'm not trying to hurt him.

Kayla: I know you're not, but I think that your heart is breaking, too. You still love him, don't you?

Hope: I do. I do.

[ Dance music plays ]

Bo: [ Chuckles ] Oh, man, I used to go broke picking up your bar tab. I don't know why I didn't remember that before I challenged you to a rematch of darts.

Steve: I'm supposed to be the one who doesn't remember things.

Bo: Mm-hmm. So, you're happy you're back in Salem?

Steve: No, I'm not happy. I just have a beautiful, spunky, smart wife; a beautiful, even spunkier, smart daughter.

Bo: Yeah.

Steve: Free beer, good friends. What's not to love about this place?

Bo: Plenty.

Steve: There must be a reason you decided to stick around here all this time.

Bo: Oh, yeah. When Shawn Douglas, our eldest son, was a baby, Hope and I decided to take him and sail around the world for a couple of years. When you and Kay stood on that dock waving goodbye to us, we knew that eventually we'd be back because Salem's our home -- always will be.

Steve: Even if the DiMera’s don't want us around, too damn bad, right?

Bo: Too damn bad. I mean, they couldn't keep you away, could they? They never win in the end. They won't win this time.

Steve: So you do think they're responsible for what happened to me?

Bo: You know, several years ago, we thought Hope had been killed by this crazy man -- Ernesto Toscano -- but she eventually came back to us, and we discovered that it was DiMera who was behind it. Maybe it's true with you, too. You and I were working on this case, following this guy named Larry Alamain. He had it out for me. Actually, I was the one who was supposed to die that day. I feel responsible for what happened to you. I'm gonna do everything I can to help you get your memory back.

Steve: We'll see. I appreciate that. But if things went down the way you say they did, you don't owe me anything. What happened back then is way in the past. I want to focus on the future, man, and right now. What can I do right now to help you get your wife back?

Bo: Aw, not much. It's hard for me to be inconspicuous at the station, so I've asked a buddy of mine -- actually, he's a friend of yours, too -- John Black -- to help me out. Whoa. Speak of the devil.

Steve: That's him, huh?

Bo: Yeah.

Steve: Who is that he's with? That's not his wife, the shrink, is it?

Bo: No, no. They're separated... sort of. It's a long story.

Steve: Isn't everything in this burg?

Bo: Yeah. That blonde is, uh, Officer Michaels. John may be onto something.

Hope: I'll always love Bo, but I hate what he's done to our marriage, to our family. Waiting around for something to fix itself -- it just isn't me.

Kayla: I know that.

Hope: And there's nothing that Bo and I can do to fix it, so --

Kayla: So, what, you decide to file for divorce because there's nothing you could do?

Hope: I'm having Patrick's baby.

Kayla: But don't you think Bo would want to help you raise that baby?

Hope: Kayla, he says he would, but come on. He hates Patrick. I don't want my child growing up in that kind of an environment. You know Bo's temper. You know, when I think... of Bo in bed with Billie... when our son had just died -- the day that we buried our son -- all the lies... it just makes me sick. You know, enough of that. I don't want to talk about that anymore, okay? Let's talk about you, happy times, okay?

Kayla: I don't know about happy times. I mean, when Steve told me that he wanted to stay in Cincinnati, it was almost as hard as the day he died, but now he was choosing to leave me and Stephanie.

Hope: He couldn't stay away long.

Kayla: I think he was being selfless. He seems to be so afraid of hurting us, and I don't think that he thinks that he deserves us.

Hope: Sounds like the old Steve.

Kayla: Like when I first met him.

Hope: Yeah.

Kayla: I know I just have to be patient. But something -- something did happen that seems to sort of change things.

Hope: What?

Kayla: Today he called me "sweetness."

Hope: Oh, my God.

Kayla: I know. It's crazy. I mean, I know he gave me that nickname a long time ago and maybe it's just coincidence that he thought of it again, but you know what? I don't think so.

Hope: No. No, I don't think it was a coincidence at all.

Kayla: He is convinced that someone, probably Stefano, erased his memories and he's not gonna get them back. But you got yours back, and you worked your way back to Bo.

Hope: Yeah, I did.

Kayla: I'm sorry. I don't know why I brought him up again.

Hope: It's okay. It's okay. Bo's a big part of my life. He's always gonna be a big part of my life. But now so is Patrick. There's something...I need to tell you, and, um, that is we decided to start seeing each other.

Kayla: Was that your idea?

Hope: No.

Kayla: How do you feel about it?

[ Dance music plays ]

Steve: Oh, there's Stephanie.

Bo: Oh, well, go. Go see her.

Steve: Listen, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you, okay? I got nothing else to do, no place else to go.

Bo: Well, you better not disappear on me again. Steve, thanks. I appreciate it.

Steve: It's all right. I was starting to think you stood me up.

Stephanie: I would never do that.

Steve: Well, hey, I'd understand. You got a busy life, unlike your old man. You got better things to do than hang out with me, don't you?

Stephanie: No. But you do.

Steve: You're kidding me, right?

Stephanie: Why else would you go to Cincinnati and decide you were never coming back?

Steve: Okay. I'm sorry. I know I hurt you by walking out on you and your mom. But for your sakes, you might have been better off if I'd stayed away for good.

Hope: The truth is, is that I never would have been able to get through these past few months if it wasn't for Patrick. So I feel that I owe it to him and to this baby to give our relationship -- if you can even call it that -- a chance. We'll just see what happens. I mean, we'll just take things slow. Kayla, I know it's difficult for you because Bo is your brother and you love him and you want to see him happy --

Kayla: But I love both of you, and I want to see both of you happy. I just don't want you to give up on this guy that you're telling me you're still in love with.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Hope: Excuse me. Hey. Patrick. Oh, I'm sorry. This is Kayla, Bo's sister..

Patrick: Hi.

Kayla: Hi.

Patrick: I don't want to interrupt you guys.

Kayla: No, no. I was just leaving. I'm gonna go see Stephanie and Steve.

Hope: It was so good to see you. Have a good time.

Kayla: Nice to meet you.

Stephanie: How could you say it would be better for me and mom if you hadn't come back?

Steve: Oh, man. I never should have brought it up. I don't want to upset you. Listen, you know that I'm still trying to figure out who took me away from you in the first place, right? Well, whoever that was might not be too happy that I'm back. Now, I'm not positive, but I'm afraid I could be putting you and your mother in danger just by being here.

Stephanie: That is the reason you decided to stay in Cincinnati? Sorry, Dad, but come on, okay? I race cars for a living, and mom was about to go to a war zone to practice medicine. We can handle danger. What we could never handle would be losing you again.

Stephanie: A toast to the best dad in the whole world.

Steve: [ Sighs ] Oh, come on. I've only been your dad for -- what? -- A couple days now.

Stephanie: It doesn't matter. I'm your daughter. I grew up loving a man I never knew. But knowing you makes me love you even more.

Steve: Stephanie, uh --

Stephanie: I know. You can't say the words -- not yet.

Steve: I'm just -- I'm just not very good at this kind of stuff.

Stephanie: It's okay. It's okay. I mean, I've known I had a dad my whole life. You just found out you have a daughter. I'm sure it'll take some time to get used to. But you're here, and that's all that matters for now.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ]

Stephanie: So, you're gonna come see me race at the Salem Grand Prix, right?

Steve: Oh, yeah. I will be the loudest dude in the front row. But, uh, I can't guarantee that I'm gonna be rooting for you to come in first. I might be rooting for you to come in last.

Stephanie: Last?

Steve: Well, yeah. If you go slow, you're careful, you'll be safe.

Stephanie: That's not necessarily true, but, come on, I'm good.

Steve: I don't doubt that, but I want you to be safe.

Stephanie: You said I needed to do what made me happy, and this is it. Mom doesn't understand, but you get it, right?

Steve: Yeah, I get it.

Stephanie: Thank you. Thank you for understanding. Thanks, Dad.