Don't Walk Away
Chapter
Four
(A little while later.)
Chloe's eyes fluttered open when she heard Mimi, Phillip and Victor enter and
greet Belle and Shawn. Belle explained the latest news to them as Nancy rejoined
the group and took her place next to Chloe.
She sat in silence as she listened to them speak to each other and she briefly
caught Phillip's gaze. He was listening to Belle speak, but staring at Chloe.
Chloe looked away from him quickly. Now was not the time for there to be
awkwardness between the two of them. They were there for Brady's sake, not so
Phillip could once again bring up the subject of their relationship.
Chloe did not speak at all while the group conversed about Brady's condition and
the accident. No words could describe how she felt. It was as if a piece of her
was dying as each minute passed by. Her chance at telling Brady how she felt was
being taken away from her because of an event that only took an instant. An
instant that would haunt her forever if Brady lost his fight.
She broke her reverie when Shawn's father, Bo, came in to join them briefly. He
sat down and all eyes were on him, as he prepared to brief them on what the
investigation had discovered already.
"I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is there was a
security camera, so we know the make and model of the vehicle. But the bad news
is that because of the lack of light, the angle of the camera and the fact that
the video is in black and white, we haven't been able to pick out a face yet.
So, we don't know who the driver was and we may not be able to figure it out at
all."
Phillip interjected with a question. "Was it an accident?"
Bo shook his head sadly. "It doesn't look like it. Whoever did this did it
on purpose. Somebody was after Brady. Do any of you have a clue why someone
might want to kill Brady?"
Belle's face was contorted in shock. "Somebody did this on purpose? Who?
Who would do this?"
Mimi frowned and shook her head. "But, Brady didn't have any enemies or
anything. I can't think of a single person who would want to hurt Brady."
Chloe felt something creeping at the back of her spine and a shiver ran through
her causing her to shake slightly. She didn't know what caused it to happen, but
she certainly had a bad feeling about all of this. Bo must have caught her
movement, because he looked at her curiously.
"Chloe... Are you all right? Can you think of any reason why Brady's life
would be in danger?"
"I... I... I don't know. I can't think of anything. Brady's a very good
man. All I know is he didn't deserve what happened to him."
Bo nodded and rubbed his hands together. "You're right, he didn't. And, I
am going to do everything in my power to make sure that the person responsible
for this is found. Brady is family, as are all of you. I promise I will do
everything I can to make sure that justice is served."
Victor patted Bo on the shoulder appreciatively. "Thank you, Bo. And if
there is any way I can lend a hand in the investigation, please let me know.
Nobody hurts one of my family and gets away with it."
"I know, and thank you." Bo stood and looked around at a room full of
sad faces. "I just dropped by to give you the latest. I have to go back to
the station, but if there is any change in Brady's condition, please call
me."
Shawn nodded and stood to hug his father. "We will. Thanks dad."
Bo paused briefly and gave Belle a hug and a kiss on the forehead. She had
always been like family to him and his wife, and he knew how close she was to
her older brother. "Belle... If you need anything at all. I mean, ANYTHING.
Please call us. And, Hope said to send you her love and her prayers. The Bradys
and the Hortons will be praying for your brother."
Belle nodded and smiled in appreciation. "Thank you. That's a great
comfort."
Bo waved goodbye to everyone else and left the hospital to go back to his
investigation of Brady's case.
Mimi shook her head in despair. "I just don't get it. What kind of sick
person would want to hurt Brady? He's never done anything to deserve this."
Phillip nodded in agreement and put his arm around Mimi's shoulder to comfort
her, but he kept his eyes locked on Chloe. "I don't know, Meems. But, I'm
sure the police will find the person who did this very, very soon."
Chloe looked away from Phillip, his gaze was starting to be unnerving. He had a
way of looking at her sometimes that made her want to get up and leave the room.
It was as if she was the only thing in the room he could focus on, and it
bothered Chloe, because it was just another sign of his unwillingness to move on
without her.
***
(About an hour and a half later.)
Chloe was returning from the restroom when she saw John and Marlena walking
through the doors. She intercepted them before they had made it to the waiting
room.
"Uhm, Mr. Black..."
John turned at the sound of her voice. "Chloe... What's going on?"
"He's still in surgery. We haven't heard anything in a while, but Craig
said to page him as soon as you got here. That way he can give you all the
details himself. Have you spoken to Shawn's dad about the investigation?"
John shook his head and raised one eyebrow curiously. "Not since right
before we got on the plane. Why? Is there something I should know?"
Chloe's eyes trailed back and forth between Marlena and John and she exhaled
loudly. "Actually... Yes. This wasn't an accident. Whoever hit Brady, did
it on purpose. They don't know who it was yet, but they know the make and the
model of the car."
John's face contorted in anger and he clenched his fists at his side. "Damnit...
Who would want to hurt my son?"
"I don't know. None of us do. It's almost too crazy to be believed. I
definitely don't understand any of this."
Marlena nodded sympathetically, her usual calm and upbeat demeanor had
disappeared. She was clearly shaken by what had happened to her stepson.
"Belle's in the waiting room, right?"
"Yeah. She donated blood earlier, but now she's in there with Shawn and
everyone else. I'm going to get the nurse's station to page Craig for you. I'll
be right back."
John nodded and they hurried off to the waiting room to lend comfort to their
daughter. Chloe watched them go and then headed to the nurse's desk.
"Excuse me..."
The young blonde woman behind the desk looked up to greet her. "Chloe,
right? You're Dr. Wesley's daughter?"
"Yeah, that's me. Could you please page him for me? He said to page him as
soon as Brady Black's parents arrived. They're in the waiting room right
now."
The nurse nodded and smiled, reaching for the phone as she did. "I'll make
sure he heads right down."
Chloe smiled weakly back at her. "Thank you."
She sighed softly and then headed back towards the waiting room. Marlena had
taken her place at Belle's side, and John had replaced Shawn on her other side.
Belle had her head rested on her mother's shoulder, and Marlena was gently
stroking her hair.
Chloe found a seat and addressed John. "Craig is on his way down. He'll be
able to explain Brady's condition better than any of us can, I'm sure."
John nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Chloe." He paused and looked
around at the assembled friends and family. "Thank you all for being
here."
Chloe sighed and sunk down in her seat. She observed the faces of those gathered
around her. All of them had emotions that were clearly written all over their
faces. Their fear, their anger, their sadness was evident in every move that
they made. But not for Chloe. She had spent so many years holding those things
inside her, and had only recently been able to share her inner self with other
people. And, now she had withdrawn into herself again. She had to be the strong
one, for the sake of everyone else, and she refused to let her friends see her
break down.
***
(Later on.)
John and Marlena spent a brief time in Craig's office, listening to him speak
about Brady's injuries. Both of them had plenty of medical knowledge, and
understood what he told them better than everyone else could. They returned to
the waiting room a short while later, with Craig next to them.
Belle looked up hopefully at them. "So, is there any news?"
Craig sighed softly and shook his head. "He's still in surgery,
Belle."
"Still? How long is he going be in there?"
"Quite a while, actually. They have repaired his lungs already, and now
they're working on some of the fractures and breaks. He's going to need a few
pins in his legs, and one of his arms, but he'll be able to use them normally
again after some physical therapy. And, they want to check his brain more
closely, see if they can relieve some of the pressure and fluid before they take
him out of the O.R."
John ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. "It's going to be a
very long night. We really appreciate all of you being here, but there's no
sense in everyone having to stay the night. Please go home, get some sleep and
we'll call you as soon as we have news of any kind."
Chloe was the first to reply, and she was completely adamant in her tone.
"I'm not leaving. I just can't."
Nancy laid her hand on Chloe's arm and shook her head. "Chloe, please.
There's not much you can gain by sitting around here for the rest of the night.
Please come home and get some sleep."
Chloe shook her head in plain refusal. "I'm sorry, Nancy. I'm staying. You
go ahead home, but I'm staying. Craig has a couch in his office, and I can go up
there and sleep. I have to stay here. I need to.."
Nancy nodded in understanding and stood from the chair. Chloe knew that Brady
would do the same thing for her, and she refused to stray any further until she
knew he was going to be all right. Nancy said goodbye to Chloe and Craig, then
made her exit.
Mimi stood up next and frowned as she spoke. "I want to be here for Brady,
but I think he has plenty of support, so I'm going to go too. But, I'll be back
first thing in the morning. I promise."
Belle smiled appreciatively at Mimi. "Thanks, Meems. Thank you for
coming."
Mimi quickly hugged everyone and was starting to leave when Victor stood and
stopped her. "Mimi, wait. Phillip and I are leaving too, we'll walk you to
your car."
Mimi stopped in her tracks and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kiriakis."
Phillip shook his head and stood along side his father. "No, dad, wait.
Chloe, did you need me to stay with you?"
Chloe shook her head. That was the last thing she needed right now. She knew
Phillip cared about her well-being, but she didn't want this night to turn into
a glimmer of hope that she might eventually take him back. "No, I don't.
Please go home, Phillip."
"Are you sure? I can stay here with you, it's not a problem."
"I'm sure." Chloe made sure to speak slowly and emphasize every word
in her next sentence. "Go home, Phillip. We will call you later."
Phillip looked stung by her rejection, and Chloe knew that face well. She hated
blowing him off the way she did, but she knew it was the only way he might ever
get the hint that she didn't want to be his girlfriend ever again. He may have
been an honors student, but he was never quick to catch on to her not-so-subtle
hints.
Phillip nodded in understanding, and the look on her face clearly told him to
back off. He did not attempt to hug her before he left; he just quickly said
goodbyes to everyone else and walked out in between Mimi and Victor.
Shawn turned to Belle and squeezed her hand tightly. "I'm staying right
here, Belle. For as long as you need me. I'm never going to leave you, you know
that, right?"
Belle nodded sadly as Shawn wrapped his arms around her. Chloe watched them
together. They loved each other very deeply, and Chloe knew they would always
have each other, no matter what new catastrophe popped up. Chloe couldn't help
but feel a pang of jealousy. She prayed that Brady would come through this;
otherwise she would be losing her potential for a love like theirs before she
ever had a chance to really experience it.