Growing Up Brady And Johnson (Read 3,863 times)

[wildheartashley]

Title: Growing Up Brady and Johnson

Author’s Note: This is a story focusing on the Days Of Our Lives
characters of Carrie Brady and Steve and Kayla Johnson. Time in which
the story takes place is 1988. The children in the story will be slightly
sorased for story purposes. At this point, I have 22 completed chapters that I will be posting here over the next few days. I have this work in progress archived on another site, but I feel this is a more appropriate home for it. Once my story has been moved over to My Hourglass, I will update my story on a weekly basis. New story updates will be released on a weekly basis, on Sunday. Reactions and comments are
welcome. Happy reading.

Summary: Carrie Brady is anxious to begin junior high. As she begins
to navigate this new chapter in her life, she is feeling the pressures
of being an adolescent without a mother. Can she remain true to her
Brady roots as she tries to find her way of who she is? Kayla Brady
Johnson is enjoying newlywed life with her husband Steve Johnson. When
an unexpected person comes into their lives, they must make a decision
that will effect their marriage and the bedrock of the family that
they are trying to create.

Chapter 1

August, 1988
Salem, Illinois


The morning sun streamed through twelve year old Carrie Brady’s
bedroom window. She lay in bed, cuddled beneath her blankets,
clutching a teddy bear. Not quite ready to get up yet, she stretched
lazily. She opened her eyes, and rubbed the sleep from them. She only
had three days of summer vacation left, and then she would be starting
junior high. Carrie glanced at her alarm clock, and noticed the time.
It was 8:00 AM. Before she could get up, she heard pounding on her
bedroom door “Carrie, time to get up,” Eric, her six year old brother
called. “Dad wants you up,” Eric stated as he gave one last pound to
her door.
Carrie groaned loudly. “Okay. I’m up. I’ll be down in a few.”
Carrie laid in bed, and listened. Total silence. She figured that her
little brother probably went downstairs for breakfast. Carrie took
this as a sign that she probably should get up. Today was Friday, and
she had a big day ahead of her. Today was junior high orientation.
Today she would go to the junior high school, take a tour of the
school, and get her schedule. Next Monday, she would officially be in
seventh grade, and at the junior high. Carrie was excited to be going
into junior high. This meant school dances, going to junior varsity
football games, and cheerleading. Carrie’s main goal this year was to
try out for the cheerleading squad. She quickly got dressed, putting
on a pair of jean shorts, and a pink t-shirt. She brushed her hair,
and clipped the sides back with silver barrettes. To finish her
outfit, Carrie put a thin layer of pink lip gloss on her lips. Smiling
at her reflection, feeling satisfied with herself, she put her flip
flops on, and hurried downstairs for breakfast.

Roman Brady was at the kitchen counter, pouring bowls of cereal for
his children, six year old twins, Eric and Samantha. Roman put the
bowls of cereal on the kitchen table. “Okay,twinners, breakfast is
ready.”
Upon hearing this, six year old twins, Eric and Samantha, Sami, for
short, came running into the kitchen. They took their seats at the
table, and began to Hungrily eat their cereal.
“Thanks, Dad,” Eric said with a mouth full of Cheerios.
Roman nodded, as he joined his youngest children at the table.
Carrie entered the kitchen. “Morning pumpkin,” Roman greeted his daughter.
“Hey dad,” Carrie said, as she moved towards the pantry to get out the
cereal. She poured herself a bowl of Cheerios with milk, and grabbed
a banana from the counter. She walked carefully over to the table, and
joined her family.
Sami eyed her older sister’s breakfast. “Carrie,” Sami said sweetly,
“Can I have some of your banana?”
Carrie rolled her eyes at her sister. Sami smiled innocently.
“Please,” she pleaded.
Carrie sighed heavily. “Fine.” Carrie broke her banana in half, and
gave half to her sister.
Sami grinned triumphantly, pleased with herself, as she sat munching
on the banana.
Roman grinned at his three children, as he watched them eat. “So, you
have junior high orientation today,” Roman said.
Carrie nodded. “Yep, Maggie and Sarah are picking me up at ten.”
Roman nodded. “Are you sure that you don’t want me to take you? I can
always go into work late.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Carrie assured. “I’m cool with Maggie taking me.”
“Okay, as long as you’re sure,’ Roman said.
“All good,” Carrie said. “Oh, and then Sarah is just coming over here
after the orientation, and we’re going to hang out for the rest of
the day. That’s fine, right?”
“Sure thing, kiddo,” Roman said. “Does she need a ride home once I get
home from work?”
“Nope,” Carrie said. “Jennifer’s going to give her a ride home, since
she’ll be here watching the twins.”
Roman nodded, satisfied with his daughter’s plan. Carrie finished her
breakfast, and went back upstairs to brush her teeth.
Once she was done with brushing her teeth, Carrie noticed that she had
a little time to kill before her best friend Sarah Horton, and her
mom, Maggie came to pick her up. Carrie could hear the twins
downstairs watching TV, as they waited for their baby-sitter, Jennifer
Horton to arrive for the day. Carrie decided to take advantage of the
quiet, and sit at her desk, and finish writing her letter to her
mother, Anna DiMera. Carrie’s mother was living in Europe with her
husband, Tony DiMera. Carrie hadn’t seen her mother for a few years
now. Once Anna had married Tony DiMera, she had made the decision to
move to Europe with her new husband, leaving Carrie behind in Salem,
to be raised by her father, Roman Brady, and her stepmother, Marlena
Brady. At the time, this did not bother Carrie. Carrie was very close
with her stepmother, Marlena. In a lot of ways, Carrie thought of
Marlena as her mother. Anna was only in Carrie’s life when it was
convenient for her. So, when Anna had made the decision to move away,
Carrie was all happy to stay behind in Salem, so that she could be
raised by her father and Marlena. That was six years ago, and at that
time, Marlena had just given birth to Carrie’s half siblings, twins,
Eric and Sami. Carrie simply adored her new little siblings, and she
didn’t want to leave them to move to a strange country with her
mother, and a man, who she didn’t view as her father. That was six
years ago. A lot had changed since then. Two years after having the
twins, Marlena had been in a plane crash, and she was presumed dead.
Carrie was eight at the time, and the twins were only two. Carrie had
had a very hard time dealing with the death of her stepmother. She
missed her terribly, even to this day. She knew that her father still
missed her as well. The twins were lucky in a way, because they did
not remember their mother. With Marlena’s death, Carrie still didn’t
see Anna as her mother though. Anna never came back to Salem after
Marlena’s death to be with her daughter. Roman was left to raise the
children by himself. At least that’s how Carrie had felt at first. But
over time, Carrie had grown to realize, that her father was not alone
in raising she and her siblings. Roman had quite the help in raising
his bunch. Roman’s parents, Shawn and Caroline Brady, helped with the
kids almost everyday, and then there was Carrie, and the twins, aunts
and uncles. Roman had three younger siblings, Kimberly, Kayla, and
Bo. They too helped with the kids. Kimberly was married to Shane
Donovan, while Kayla had just gotten married to Steve Johnson. Bo was
married to Hope Williams, but Bo and Hope weren’t around as much, as
they had moved away from Salem with their baby boy, Shawn-Douglas. Bo
and Hope did call often, and they were always sending letters, and
gifts for Carrie and the twins. Caroline Brady had always told her
family that it takes a village to raise children, and that Roman would
have the village of the Brady clan to help him raise his children now
that Marlena had passed. As Carrie got older, she became happy with
this arrangement, and looked to her aunts for advice and guidance.
Carrie took out her stationary pad, and began to write a letter to
her mother, Anna. Anna had just sent Carrie money, so that she could
go buy new clothes for school. Anna may not be present in Carrie’s
life, but Carrie had gotten used to Anna doing things like that. Anna
would make sure to always send Carrie money for birthdays,
Christmases, or any special occasion throughout the year. The first
day of junior high was no exception. Anna had sent Carrie a check with
a note, instructing Carrie to buy clothes for school with the money.
Carrie had done as she was told, and had gone shopping with her aunt
Kayla. That day, as she waited for Sarah to pick her up, Carrie sat at
her desk, and wrote a thank you note to her mother for the money.
Carrie wrote to Anna about her summer. She told her about how she was
a junior bridesmaid in her Aunt Kayla’s wedding to Steve Johnson. She
told Anna about the beach vacation she had gone on with her father and
the twins, and lastly, she told her mother about how excited she was
to start junior high. Once finished with the letter, Carrie put the
letter in an envelope. Carrie also included a picture of herself from
her Aunt Kayla and Uncle Steve’s wedding. It was a picture of Carrie,
all dressed up in her bridesmaid dress. Carrie had felt so grown up
that day. She wanted her mother to see that. Just as she finished
sealing the envelope, she heard a car horn honking. Carrie peered out
her bedroom window, and saw that Maggie Horton had arrived to pic her
up.
Carrie ran downstairs. “I’m leaving,” she called into the living room.
Seventeen year old Jennifer Horton came into the hall. “Okay, have
fun. See you when you get back.”
“Okay,” Carrie said excitedly as she left the house. Carrie ran out to
the car, and jumped into the backseat. She was excited to start a new
school year.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 2


Kayla Brady Johnson awoke to an empty bed, and an equally quiet
house. She peered at the alarm clock, and noticed that the alarm had
been turned off. She figured her husband Steve had to have done that.
She and Steve had only been married for a few short weeks now, but he
was always doing little things like turning her alarm off when it was
Kayla’s day off. Kayla and Steve had just gotten home from their
honeymoon. They had one last weekend together to enjoy one another
before they had to go back to their working lives. Kayla was the head
nurse at the Riverfront Clinic, while Steve was a private
investigator. Kayla was anxious to return to work. It had been a crazy
summer. Earlier in the spring, she had been in an accident, causing
her to lose her hearing. That had been a whirlwind time. She had to
adapt to being deaf, and learning sign language. Steve had even taken
it upon himself to also learn sign language, so that they could
continue to communicate. Kayla had been determined not to let her
deafness stop her from marrying Steve, or living a normal life. Just
as Kayla was getting used to her new life, living with her hearing
impairment, she had learned of a surgery that could restore her
hearing. Kayla’s good friend, Dr. Mike Horton encouraged her to have
the surgery. Steve had stood by Kayla, signing to her over and over
again, that he would love her no matter if she were to have the
surgery or not. Kayla had decided to have the surgery. Two weeks
before she married Steve, Kayla had surgery to restore her hearing.
The surgery worked, and Kayla’s hearing had been restored just in time
for her wedding to Steve. On her wedding day, she was able to walk
down the aisle, and say, “I do,” to her husband. Hearing herself
speak those words was one of the best feelings that Kayla had ever
had. Now that she had her hearing back though, Kayla had promised
herself that she was going to do something with that experience of
sign language, and make it count. She didn’t want to lose the ability
to sign even though that she could now hear and speak normally.
After her wedding to Steve, they had honeymooned for two weeks in the
Orient. It had been a romantic couple of weeks, but now they were back
in Salem. Their lives as newlyweds had to return back to their normal
lives, with family and work responsibilities. Kayla was anxious to
return to work at the clinic. Throughout her deafness, she had found
it hard to return to work. Now that she had her hearing back, she was
anxious to get back to work, and caring for the sick and injured of
Salem. Kayla got up, and took a shower. When she got out of the
shower, she was greeted with the aroma of coffee, and breakfast being
made in the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she got dressed, and
headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen.
“Morning Sweetness,” Steve greeted Kayla.
“Morning,” Kayla said as she walked over to Steve. She kissed him
lightly on the cheek. “What’s all this?”
“Breakfast,” Steve said. “We need a little something to start our day
out right. I know it’s not what we’ve been used to for these past few
weeks, but hey, we gotta get back to normal.”
Kayla grinned as she looked at the breakfast spread that Steve had
prepared. “As much as I loved our delectable breakfasts while in the
Orient, I’m definitely in the mood for normal.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.” Steve said.
They sat down to eat a breakfast of coffee, juice, toast, yogurt, and
an assortment of berries.
“What’s the plan for today?” Steve asked as he began to clear the
breakfast dishes.
“I want to go run some errands. Get some things for the clinic, and
patients,” Kayla said.
“Alright,” Steve said. “I need to check in with my office, and make
sure things are fine. Why don’t we meet up at your parents pub for
lunch.”
“Perfect,” Kayla said. “We can take the gifts for the kids over when
we go for lunch.”
“I already have them in my car,” Steve said.
“You’re always one step in front of me,” Kayla said.
“I try,” Steve said.
They kissed one another, and then parted ways.
Kayla spent the rest of the morning getting supplies for the clinic.
She always liked to have a variety of products for the patients that
she saw. She bought a variety of necessities from feminine products to
personal hygiene products, such as razors, shampoo, and deodorant.
The people whom she cared for at the clinic came from all walks of
life, and some people, even children had very little. Kayla liked to
help in anyway that she could. Once she was finished with her
shopping, she took everything to the clinic. She opened the back door
for the employees, and set her bags in the lounge area. “Hello,” Kayla
called, as she shut the door behind her.
“There’s the blushing new bride,” Robin Jacobs greeted. Robin was one
of the doctor’s at the clinic, along with Dr. Mike Horton.
“Hey,” Kayla said. “What have I missed?”
“Not much,” Robin said lightly. “Mike and I have been holding down the
fort. I can say though, there’s gonna be some patients who are going
to be happy that you’re back to work.”
“That makes two of us,” Kayla said. She began to put everything away
that she had bought.
“So,” Robin exclaimed. “How about those honeymoon pictures.
Kayla blushed. She sat on the lounge couch, and took pictures out of
her purse. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Robin giggled, and sat down beside her. The women began to look at
Kayla’s pictures, and Kayla told Robin about her honeymoon.
“I’m so glad you and Steve had a wonderful time,” Robin gushed. “You
both deserve it after what you both went through.”
“Yeah, we did,” Kayla agreed. “But I’m better now. My hearing and
speech is all back to normal, and I’m ready to go back to work.”
“Well, we’re ready to have you back,” Robin said.
“I was thinking,” Kayla said. “With me knowing sign language now, I
want to incorporate that into work whenever I can.”
“I think that would be great,” Robin said. “If a patient comes to us
and they’re deaf, you can be their interpreter as well as their
nurse.”
Kayla nodded. “I just think there’s no need for us to turn anyone away
if they have a hearing impairment, if the clinic is more financially
sound for them for treatment verses the hospital.”
Robin nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I get it. I like your thinking.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Robin grinned. “Hey, get out of here. You’re not supposed to start
back to work till next Monday.”
Kayla laughed lightly. “Okay. I’m going to go meet Steve for lunch.
I’ll see you next Monday.”
Kayla left the clinic, and went to the Brady Pub to meet Steve for
lunch. Kayla’s parents, Shawn and Caroline owned the Brady Pub. It was
a quaint family restaurant that had the best clam chowder in town.
Before Kayla was a nurse, she would work at the pub. She sometimes
would help her parents out on the weekends if she wasn’t working, and
work a lunch or a dinner shift. Kayla always found the pub a
comforting place to be. Her parents made it feel like home to all
their customers, from those who they saw everyday to those who came in
once in a while for a bowl of chowder.
Steve arrived a few minutes after Kayla. They talked about their
mornings as they each ate a bowl of clam chowder, and their respected
sides. A cobb salad for Kayla,and a burger for Steve. Before leaving
the pub, Steve and Kayla left the presents they had gotten for the
kids with Caroline. Roman was bringing Carrie, Eric,and Sami over that
night for dinner. Kayla and Steve would be joining them, along with
Kimberly and Shane. Tonight’s dinner would be a celebration of first
and new beginnings. New school year for the children, and the
beginning of Kayla and Steve’s married life together. The Brady family
always loved to celebrate, and looked for any excuse to do so.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 3



It was Sunday evening, and Carrie sat at her desk, painting her

nails. Tomorrow was the first day of school, and she was excited and

a bit nervous. She had already laid out her clothes for tomorrow, a

jean skirt, and a floral top. They were the new clothes that she had

bought with her money from her mom. As Carrie finished painting her

last nail, she heard a voice from her door. “I want candy hands."



Carrie turned to see Sami standing in her doorway, clutching her

favorite doll. Sami walked into Carrie’s room, and walked over to

Carrie's desk to admire her big sister’s nails. “Please Carrie. Can

you give me candy hands?”

Carrie’s aunt Kayla was a firm believer that women should have fine

kept fingernails and toenails. Kayla always called her toes and hands

her “candy hands”, or “candy toes.” Kayla’s nails were always painted,

even if it was a clear top coat. Carrie always liked that about her

aunt. Kayla had rubbed off this way of thinking onto Carrie, and Sami

liked walking around the house saying “candy hands.” Carrie sighed

heavily. “Okay,” she finally relented.

“Yay,” Sami exclaimed happily. “I get candy hands too!”

Sami positioned her favorite doll on Carrie’s bed, so that the doll

was watching them. Pleased with herself, six year old Sami sat at

Carrie’s desk. Carrie began to paint her little sister’s fingernails a

light shade of pink. Carrie didn’t have many nail polishes. Roman

Brady was very uncomfortable with Carrie having a lot of make up. It

took a lot of convincing from Kimberly and Kayla to convince their big

brother that Carrie was growing up, and having a little make up was

part of the growing up process. Roman had finally relented when Carrie

had turned twelve in March, and he had let his sisters get Carrie

make up for her birthday. Nothing crazy, light colors, he had

insisted. None the less, Carrie had been ecstatic when she had

received light pink lip gloss and light pink nail polish, and a bottle

of top coat for her nails as birthday presents from her aunts. Grandma

Caroline had also thrown in a bottle of perfume for Carrie. That too

was a light fruity scent. Carrie had been pleased with her presents,

and happy that her father had acknowledged the fact that she was

growing up.

Carrie finished painting Sami’s nails. “There you go. What do you think?”

Carrie smiled at her work. “They look good, Sami.”

Sami smiled at her freshly painted nails. “I love them” she exclaimed.

“I got candy hands!” She waved her hands around excitedly.

Just then the girls heard a voice from the door way. “Alright ladies,

it’s time for bed,” Roman said as he came into Carrie’s room. “We’ve

got a big day tomorrow.

Sami ran to her father. “Daddy, look! Candy hands!” She waved her

hands in Roman’s face.

Roman smiled at his youngest child. He shot Carrie a “Why did you do

that kind of glance. Carrie giggle slightly.

“I see that,” Roman said. “They look great.”

Sami beamed proudly. “I got hands like Aunt Kayla.”

“Alright, Candy Hands,” Roman said. “Time to get your PJ’s on.”

Sami nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna go show Eric my hands.”

Sami ran out of Carrie’s room to go show her brother her hands. Roman

looked towards Carrie. Carrie grinned at her father. “I just had to,”

she said.

“Time for bed for you as well,” Roman said.

“Okay Dad,” Carrie said.

Roman kissed Carrie on the cheek. “Get some sleep pumpkin. You’ve got

a big day tomorrow.”

“Yep, I know,” Carrie said. “I can’t wait. Seventh grade is gonna be the best.”

Roman said good night, and left his oldest child to get ready for

bed, as he went to get the twins ready for bed. Carrie got her

nightgown on. She snuggled into her bed, and clutched her bear. She

looked at the picture of Marlena on her nightstand. She touched the

picture. “Night Marlena."            

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 4         


The next morning Carrie woke up early. Her alarm hadn’t gone off yet,

but she was excited to get ready for school. She quickly got dressed,

carefully putting on her new skirt and top. She then went into the

bathroom and washed her face. She then went back into her room. and

brushed her hair. She decided to wear a new headband that she had

bought along with her new outfit. Smiling at herself, she felt

satisfied as she went downstairs. She found her father and her

grandmother in the kitchen. They smiled at Carrie upon seeing her

“You’re up early darling,” Caroline Brady said to her granddaughter.

“Too excited to sleep Grandma,” Carrie explained.

Caroline had come over to help Roman get the children ready for their

first day of school. “Well why don’t you sit down. I made blueberry

muffins,” Caroline exclaimed.

Carrie grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, and sat at the kitchen

table. Caroline sat a plate in front of Carrie with a muffin, and a

glass of orange juice. Carrie smiled gratefully as she ate her

breakfast.

“Okay, Pumpkin, I’m gonna go get the twinners up for school, then I’m

going to work,” Roman said. “Grandma will get you guys on the bus.”

“Got it Dad,” Carrie said.

Roman kissed his daughter on the cheek. “You have a good first day. I

can’t wait to hear all about it.”

Roman then went upstairs to wake Eric and Sami. Carrie finished her

breakfast. She went back upstairs, and brushed her teeth. She then

went back into her room, and put on some make up. Just the lip gloss

and perfume that had been gifted to her. Jennifer Horton was in high

school, and Jennifer wore make up all the time. Carrie figured now

that she was in junior high, she might as well do the same. Once

finished, she grabbed her backpack, and went downstairs to grab her

lunch from the fridge.

Carrie called to her grandmother that she was leaving. The bus stop

was a block from her house. She arrived at the bus stop just as Sarah

Horton did. The girls talked excitedly about their first day of school

as they waited for the bus. Within a few minutes, the bus pulled up.

Carrie and Sarah got on the bus. They found a empty seat, and sat

together. They saw their other friends, Lindsay, Megan, and Rachel.

Carrie’s stomach began to flop nervously as the bus got closer to

Salem Junior High.

[Kpatch]

Hi wildheartashley. Great start. I'm just going to comment on the first chapter because that's all I've had a chance to read so far.

It's so fun to go back in time when Carrie and Jennifer and Sarah were all teens and Sami and Eric were so much younger.

I adored that bit about the banana. Such a small moment yet it says so much about Carrie's nature and the way she interacts with her siblings. Surely Carrie could have given Sami a whole banana. I imagine Carrie wasn't eating the last one in the house. But instead she shared hers. Looking forward to seeing how this story progresses.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 5 


The morning went quickly for Carrie. Once arriving to school, she and

Sarah were given their schedules. The girls compared schedules, and

realized that they didn’t have any classes together. Carrie did

breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that she and Sarah had lunch and

study hall together the last period of the day. Carrie figured that

was better then nothing. The girls parted ways, promising to sit with

one another at lunch. Carrie made her way to her locker, and observed

the other students around her. She noticed that all the girls were

carrying purses, not backpacks. They were carrying their books too.

Carrie realized then that junior high was going to be very different

from elementary school. She made the decision to stash her backpack in

her locker. She wanted to fit in with the other kids. She took her

binder and pencil pouch from her backpack, and closed her locker. She

noticed a girl next to her struggling with her locker. “Do you need

help?”

The girl looked up at Carrie with big scared eyes. Carrie instantly

recognized the girl. Her name was Jennie. Jennie had been in school

with Carrie ever since Carrie had started elementary school. Jennie

was a loner. She didn’t have any friends, and Carrie always thought

that Jennie seemed kind of awkward. Kids would always give her a hard

time. Carrie never teased her, but she didn’t necessarily stick up for

Jennie either. “No,” Jennie said quickly. “I can do it.”

“Okay,” Carrie said. “See you around, Jennie.”

Carrie wanted to stay to watch to see if Jennie could manage to get

her locker open, but she decided against it. She walked to the gym for

an orientation assembly for the seventh grade. She quickly found

Sarah. They sat with Lindsay, Megan, and Rachel. The principal

introduced herself to the student body. She talked to the students

about what was expected of them, and how after school activities

were to be run. Once the assembly was concluded, Carrie made her way

to her home room, and then to first period.

As Carrie went through her morning classes, she noticed that Jennie

was in all of her classes. Rachel, Lindsay, and Megan were also in a

few classes with Carrie as well, but Jennie was in every one. Lunch

finally came, and Carrie made her way to the cafeteria with her

lunch. She quickly found Sarah in the cafeteria, and they sat with

Lindsay, Megan, and Rachel. Carrie noticed that her friends had bought

their lunch, even Sarah had bought a school lunch. Carrie felt a

little out of place as she ate her packed lunch. Rachel told the group

that once in junior high that everyone bought their lunch. That was

the cool thing to do. Megan chimed in, and said that all the cool

girls also wore make up. Carrie did notice that a lot of the girls

around her were wearing make up. More make up then what Carrie had on,

or even more then what Carrie even owned. Sarah contributed to the

conversation saying that her cousin Jennifer said that Sarah could

borrow her make up to wear to school. Now Carrie really felt out of

place as she finished her lunch, but she decided not to let it bother

her. The five friends then went over to the activity table, and

signed up for cheerleading try outs. They all had decided to try out

for junior varsity cheer. As each girl signed up, they looked at the

sign up list to see who else signed up. Carrie noticed Jennie’s name

on the list. Rachel scowled when she saw Jennie’s name. “God, looked

who signed up.” Rachel motioned to Jennie’s name.

“She doesn’t stand a chance,” Megan said. “Jennie’s just going to

embarrass herself.”

“Cut her a break,” Carrie said. “She can try out just like the rest of us.”

“Whatever,” Rachel said. “At any rate, it will be fun to watch.”

Carrie wanted to say more, but the bell rang, signaling that lunch was

over. She said by to her friends, and made her way to her afternoon

classes.

Carrie’s afternoon classes went just as well as the morning did. She

realized that she was going to like all of her teachers. Her classes

seemed to be fine. Carrie thought that English would be her favorite

class. Her English teacher, Mrs. Carlton seemed very nice. Again,

Carrie noticed that Jennie was in all of her afternoon classes as

well. The last class of the day finally came, Study Hall. This was

the one class that Carrie had with Sarah. The girls sat together

during study hall. Since it was the first day, the students had no

homework. The study hall teacher allowed the class to talk at a

reasonable volume. Carrie and Sarah sat together, and talked about

their day. Carrie noticed that Jennie was not sitting with anyone. She

was alone at a table, writing in a notebook. The bell then rang. The

day was over. Carrie had made it through her first day of junior

high. She was pleased about how her first day had gone. She and Sarah

walked to the bus together, meeting Lindsay, Megan, and Rachel for

their short rides to their respected homes. Carrie was excited to tell

her father about her day. She had also made a mental note to ask her

father if she could start buying lunch at school.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 6 


Kayla’s first day back to work at the clinic was going smoothly. She

had an uneventful morning of seeing patients, checking vitals, and

treating minor injuries. With just having two doctors at the clinic,

Kayla pitched in, and would care for patients in the area of minor

injuries. Dr. Robin Jacobs and Dr. Mike Horton would examine and treat

the more serious sick and injured. It was now after lunch, and Kayla

was cleaning up her work area in anticipation for the afternoon

schedule of patients. A woman then opened the front door, and entered

the clinic. “Hello,” Kayla said brightly.

“I need to see a doctor,” the woman said.

Kayla looked at the woman. She noticed that the woman had a huge gash

on her chin. “Okay,” Kayla said gently. “I’m Kayla. I’m a nurse here.

Let’s take a look.”

Kayla guided the woman to an exam room. Kayla motioned for the woman

to sit on the exam table. The woman did as she was told. “What’s your

name?” Kayla asked.

“Ellen,” the woman said.

“What happened?”

Ellen hesitated for a long time. “I want to help,” Kayla said gently.

“Why don’t I at least look at your chin. It’s bleeding quite a bit.”

Ellen nodded. Kayla sanitized her hands, put gloves on, and gently

began to examine Ellen’s cut chin. “You’ve got a pretty deep cut.

You’re going to need stitches.”

“Oh,” Ellen said in a shaky voice.

Kayla rubbed Ellen’s arm assuredly. “It will be just fine. I’ll be right back.”

Kayla gave Ellen some gauze, and instructed her to apply pressure to

her wound with the gauze. Kayla then left the room to go talk to Mike

Horton. Kayla explained the situation to Mike. They went back into the

exam room, and Mike Horton examined Ellen’s cut chin. He came to the

same conclusion, and said that she would need stitches. He went to

get the stitches kit. Kayla gave Ellen medicine to numb her chin, and

then Mike stitched up Ellen’s chin. He instructed her to come back in

in about two weeks, and he would take the stitches out. He asked if

she wanted to talk about anything. Ellen said no. Mike Horton then

left the room. Kayla was then alone with Ellen.

“Do you want to talk?” Kayla asked.

“My husband did this,” Ellen said sheepishly. “He hit me with a beer bottle.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kayla said gently. “Can I call someone for you?”

“No,” Ellen said quickly. “It was my fault. I’ll be fine.”

Kayla was about to say something else, but Ellen quickly got up and

retrieved her purse. She thanked Kayla, and made her way out of the

clinic. Kayla went about the rest of the afternoon, but she found

herself thinking of Ellen. She hoped that the woman would be fine, and

that she would come back in to have the stitches removed when it was

time.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 2: It was good to get that refresher of Kayla's history and where your story comes in. I'm really glad both Shawn Sr. and Caroline are alive. Can't wait to see where their story goes from here.

[André DiMera]

Enjoying the start of this! It's nice to hear some of Carrie's inner thoughts.

Nice to get some backstory on Kayla and Steve's relationship. I love her friendship with Robin!

I forgot how adorable Sami was at this age. Her bond with Carrie is sweet!

Nice to see Carrie get ready for her first day of school.

Wonder what's up with this Jennie girl. It's interesting that Carrie's friends made some rude comments about her.

Ellen definitely isn't as fine as she says. I hope Kayla's right about her coming back, and looks into what's going on with her.

This is a really great story so far! Thanks for joining in, wildheartashley!

[Kpatch]

I think Carrie will befriend Jennie and I have a feeling Jennie and Ellen are related.

I envision Roman being played by Josh Taylor but I think John (Drake Hogestyn) thought he was Roman during this era.

[wildheartashley]

Yes, Drake was playing Roman during this time. As I write, I’m envisioning Drake’s Roman in my head. I have plans for Carrie and Jennie. I’ve broken down my original chapters of my story,and made them into more manageable readings. By doing this, I have around 36 chapters. Once I get home from vacation, I plan to post regular weekly updates.

May 21, 2022 7:27:10 GMT -5 Kpatch said:

I think Carrie will befriend Jennie and I have a feeling Jennie and Ellen are related.

I envision Roman being played by Josh Taylor but I think John (Drake Hogestyn) thought he was Roman during this era.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 7

Kayla got home from work. Steve was not yet home. She changed into
more comfortable clothes, and began to make dinner. She had found
herself thinking about Ellen for most of the rest of the day. Kayla
couldn’t shake the feeling that Ellen was living with an abusive
husband, but if Ellen wouldn’t necessarily admit to that, there wasn’t
much that Kayla could do for her. Kayla began grilling salmon and
asparagus for she and Steve. Once that was finished, and warming,
Kayla started on making a salad. As she chopped vegetables, her
thoughts again turned to Ellen. Kayla was so deep in thought that she
didn’t even hear Steve come home.
Steve breathed in the aroma of citrus as he walked into the kitchen.
“Hey Sweetness,” he greeted. “How was your first day back to work?”
Kayla didn’t say a word. She just stood at the counter, continuing to
chop vegetables. Steve walked over to Kayla. “Baby,” he said. Still
not a word. Steve walked over to the food that was warming,and
looked at the citrus salmon and asparagus. Steve took some olive oil
and tossed the asparagus with it. He figured by doing so, it would get
Kayla’s attention. No such luck though. He gave the asparagus one
last toss, and a quick taste. It was to his liking. He then turned his
attention back on his wife. He approached her, and gently put his
hand on her wrist. “Kayla,” Steve said gently.

Kayla was finally broken from her thoughts, and she looked up at
Steve. “Goodness, I didn’t even hear you come in. How long have you
been standing there?”
“Long enough to season the asparagus,” Steve said. He motioned to the
salad. “Are we having chopped salad too? If you chop any further we
won’t need a fork to eat that.”
Kayla blushed slightly. “Sorry, guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
Kayla put the chopped vegetables in a salad bowl, and began to toss
everything together with salad tongs.
“Can I do anything else to help?” Steve offered.
“No,” Kayla said. “Dinner is almost done.”
Steve nodded, and went upstairs to wash his hands,and change into
more comfortable clothes. Once he came back down, Kayla was putting
the food on the table. They sat down to eat. “You were in deep thought
when I got home,” Steve said. “Rough day back?"

Kayla took a bite of salmon,and chewed slowly. "It was fine,” she
said. “It was nice to get back to work. I really did miss it. How
about you? How was your day?”
Steve stabbed at an asparagus spear. “It was good. I got a new case
today, so I’m going to get into that tomorrow.”
Kayla nodded. “That’s good. Steve…” her voice trailed off.
“What baby? What’s bothering you? I can tell something is.” Steve’s
words were gentle.
“A woman came into the clinic today with a cut chin. She needed
stitches. When I asked her about her chin, she told me that her
husband hit her with a beer bottle.”
“That bothered you,” Steve said.
Kayla nodded. “How did you live like that? I mean when your mom was
being abused by your father. It had to be hard.”
Steve put his fork on his plate. He sighed sadly. “Oh baby, it was
hard. That's why my mom gave me and my baby brother up. She was too
scared to leave. If I had stayed, I probably would have ended up
killing him.”
Kayla nodded. “My heart just broke for this woman today. I can’t stop
thinking of her. It just makes me sick knowing that she’s not going
back to a safe home. And then if there’s any children.” Kayla’s voice
trailed off.
“I know,” Steve said softly. “When Adrienne killed our father, I know
that she did it in self defense. She did it to protect our mother, and
to protect herself. I can’t even call Duke Johnson my father, yet he
is. But in my mind, he will be a sick abuser who hurt my mom and
sister for years. My mom was too scared to leave him, even to keep
Adrienne and I safe from him. She couldn’t do that. I’m sure this
woman you cared for today is scared. The thought of leaving the abuse
is too much, so you stay. All you can do is be there for her if
she’ll let you.”
Kayla knew that Steve was right. She promised herself that when Ellen
came back into the clinic to remove her stitches, that Kayla would be
there for her. That would be all that she could do, and Kayla would
have to be fine with that.
“Thank you,” Kayla said. “Talking helped.
Steve nodded. “Why don’t I clean up dinner. You cooked. I’ll clean up.”
“Okay,” Kayla said.
She and Steve ate the rest of their meal,and then Steve cleaned up the
kitchen. They spent the rest of the evening watching television before
going to sleep.

[Kpatch]

So glad you are back wildheartashley. A Sunday chapter is a nice surprise.

I am wondering if Steve's new case will intersect with Kayla's.

[André DiMera]

Glad Kayla opened up to Steve.

[wildheartashley]

Chapter 8

Carrie had shared with her father how her first day of school had
gone. As they ate dinner that night, Carrie, Sami, and Eric excitedly
talked about their first day of school. The twins were in first grade,
and they were pleased that they were in the same class. Sami was also
happy that her best friend, Jamie was in her class as well. Carrie
took that time to ask her father if she could start buying her lunch
at school. Roman didn’t have a problem with that, and said that it
would be fine. Carrie was going to ask about wearing more make up to
school, but she decided against it. She didn’t have a lot of make
up,and she knew how her father felt about make up to begin with.
She instead talked about cheerleading tryouts. There was going to be
a meeting on Friday at the end of the day with all the girls who were
trying out. Then next week, there would be a cheer clinic after
school. During that time, Carrie would meet the eighth grade
cheerleaders, and the girls trying out would learn the tryout
routine. Next Friday would be the tryouts. Carrie decided that she was
going to work really hard to learn the routine. Roman told his
daughter that she’d be great, but to also make sure that she spent
time on her studies, not too much on cheer. Carrie rolled her eyes at
her father,and assured him that she would be fine. It’s only the
second week of school,and the work won’t be too much, Carrie reasoned.
Carrie assured her father that if she were to make the cheer squad,
that she could manage her schoolwork and cheer.
****
The next morning Carrie left for school. As she got ready that
morning, Carrie put on her perfume and light pink lip gloss. She had
decided that she would wear this make up everyday. It was all that she
owned, but at least by doing so, she felt that she fit in a little
more with the other girls. Roman had left lunch money for Carrie by
the cookie jar before he had left for work. Before leaving the house,
Carrie put her lunch money in her backpack. She said bye to her
grandmother,and walked to the bus stop. She met Sarah at the bus
stop. Carrie noticed that Sarah was wearing make up. Blush, eye
shadow, lipstick, and even lip liner. “Wow,” Carrie said. “How did
you get out of the house like that?”
Sarah grinned. “My parents left early for work today. They’ll never
know. I’ll just wash it off once I get home after school.”
Just then the bus pulled up. Carrie and Sarah got on the bus. As
Carrie made her way to her seat, she notice Lindsay, Megan,and
Rachel. All three girls were wearing make up, similar to Sarah. Again,
Carrie felt slightly out of place, but at least she had lunch money
today. Once she got to school, she went to the bathroom with her
friends. “Time to touch up,” Rachel said.
Rachel dumped make up out of her purse on the bathroom counter. She
began to touch up her face. Carrie watched her. “Want some?” Rachel
offered.
Carrie hesitated for a minute. “Sure,” Carrie said.