Don't Walk Away

Chapter Five

(Hours later...)

Chloe found herself walking through the hallways of the hospital. The lighting wasn't it's usual hospital fluorescent lighting however. There was a strange blue glow throughout the hallway, similar to what the sky looked like at dusk. She looked all around her, but she was alone. The usual bustle of nurses, doctors and patients was missing. The hallway was completely empty.

As she passed the patient rooms on each side of her she peeked inside each one. They were all empty. Their perfectly made beds were without patients, and the morning sun shone brightly through each window.

Chloe made her way to the end of the hallway and looked through the door of the last room on the right. She saw Brady sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed not in a hospital gown, but in the last thing she had seen him in. A pair of jeans and a plain black T-Shirt. He grinned at her and waved.

Chloe smiled back and nodded in understanding. She stepped into the room and closer to Brady. He kept his grin in place as he spoke to her. "Hey there, Diva. How's it going?"

Chloe walked closer to him and shook her head. "This is a dream. It's not real."

"But, it feels real, doesn't it?"

Chloe laughed softly and rolled her eyes. "Right. Except for the completely empty hospital, the glowy blue light, and the fact that you're..."

Brady raised his eyebrows and finished the sentence for her. "Okay? Still in one piece. Not a scratch on me. Healthy as a horse."

"I think the phrase is 'healthy as an ox', not a horse."

"Either way... I look pretty good, don't I?"

Chloe chuckled at him and nodded. "You do. Just as I remember you. And that's how I know it's a dream."

"Of course it's a dream. But, it's a really good one, isn't it?"

Chloe shook her head. "I don't know... Because when I wake up, things will be different again. It won't be like this anymore."

Brady pouted slightly and laid his index finger on her lips. "Shhh. Who cares? Live in the now, Diva... don't worry about what happens when you wake up."

"You..." Chloe sighed softly and let her sentence unfinished. She took her left hand and gently brushed it through Brady's hair, letting it rest on his cheek for a moment before taking it away. Brady smiled at her and held out his arms. Chloe gladly stepped into his embrace and he wrapped himself around her. She laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "You look real. You feel real. God, I can almost smell your shampoo, Brady."

"Maybe it isn't a dream. Maybe we're both dead and this is heaven."

Chloe's head snapped up and she stared at him strangely. "No, don't say that. You're not dead, and you're not going to die. I won't let you."

"It's not up to you, Chloe."

"No, it's up to you. And, not even YOU... Because you're not Brady, you're just a dream. You're something I created in my subconscious."

Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "That may be true. But, I'm pretty close to the original. Wouldn't you say? I think your subconscious did a fantastic job."

Chloe sighed softly. "Why must you be so frustratingly self aware?"

"Because you are. You're the one who keeps reminding yourself that this is all a dream. Don't bring sense and logic into your dream world, Diva. Just go with whatever happens and enjoy it."

Chloe nodded in understanding. It was just like her to completely overanalyze her dreams instead of taking them at face value. Chloe smiled slightly and threw logic and sense out the window. She leaned forward and planted her lips on his. Brady leaned into her kiss and accepted her mouth hungrily.

They had never kissed in waking life, although Chloe had always wondered what it would be like. If the real thing was anything like this kiss, she regretted having wasted so much time without kissing Brady.

The kiss continued and Chloe felt like her heart was about to burst through her chest. Brady gently ran a hand through her long dark hair and held her closely. It seemed as if they stayed that way for an eternity, but Chloe finally broke away form him with a sly grin.

"How's that for just going with it?"

Brady nodded his approval and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I'd say that's pretty damn good."

Chloe looked at her imaginary Brady ponderously. "I wonder if the real you would feel the same."

Brady looked at her with complete seriousness. He grabbed her hands and held them in his own. "You know the answer to that. You know that I... that he... loves you just as much as you love him. You've seen it written all over his face every time he looks at you, Chloe."

"I wonder if he knows how much I love him. If I never get the chance to tell him... I'll never forgive myself."

"He knows. I'm sure he knows. It's hard to hide that kind of feeling from somebody. And, even if he hasn't realized that you're in love with him yet... Well, I know that he knows how important he is to you."

Chloe looked at him strangely. All of this was a little too weird for her. "Do you know how freaky it is that you're talking about yourself like you're narrating a story? Only... You're not yourself, so you're talking about someone else, except that you're not, because it's you."

Brady raised both of his eyebrows in confusion. "What? I'm not even sure what you're talking about, so I don't think I can answer that. All I can say is that if you think this is freaky..." Brady tapped his index finger on her forehead. "It came from your sick and twisted imagination."

"That's true. This isn't as weird as the dream that I had where I owned a bed & breakfast in Vermont, and all of my guests were superheroes or legends."

"Superheroes? Legends?"

Chloe nodded slightly and continue. "Yeah, there was like Robin Hood, King Arthur, Wonder Woman, Superman. Except that Superman's costume was really bad... Like a cheap Halloween costume."

Brady shook his head in shame. "You are strange... Very strange."

"I know. I know."

Brady looked over her shoulder suddenly and nodded. He looked back at Chloe and spoke softly. "You have to go now."

Chloe tried to look behind her but there was nothing there. She looked back at him in confusion. "What? Why? I don't want to go yet."

"You have to go. Someone is looking for you."

"How... How do you know that?"

Brady grinned devilishly at her and wagged his eyebrows. "Because... I know EVERYTHING."

Chloe laughed and playfully smacked him on the arm. "Oh, of course. Wait a second... Are you sure you're not the REAL Brady? That sounded exactly like something he would say."

"I'm sure. You just know me so well, Chloe. You know how to create the perfect imitation in your mind. You know me better than anybody else ever has."

Chloe smiled shyly and Brady leaned in to give her another kiss. He brushed a piece of hair away from her eyes and smiled at her. "Now, you better get going."

Brady backed away a few steps and Chloe shook her head. "No, I don't want to. I have so much I need to ask you. I need to know if you're going to be okay, Brady."

"I don't know that, remember? I only know everything that you already know."

Chloe nodded sadly and walked backwards a few steps. "Will I see you again? Like this, I mean."

Brady nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Just close your eyes, and I'll be there."

Chloe looked at him lovingly before she turned around to leave. She reached the doorway and then turned to get one last glance at him, but he was gone. Chloe sighed softly and muttered under her breath.

"Brady..."

Chloe stared sadly at the empty room until she heard a voice calling her away.

"Chloe... Chloe... Sweetheart, wake up."

She blinked suddenly and found herself on the couch in Craig's office. Craig was kneeling beside her trying to gently shake her until she woke up. Chloe yawned loudly and scooted up into a sitting position.

"You looked like you were having good dreams."

Chloe nodded slightly. "Strangely enough... I was. So, what's the latest?"

"We've got him in a room, and his vitals are stable... But, he's far from being out of the woods. The head injury is still extremely worrisome."

Chloe pulled her legs close to her chest with a sigh. "He's in a coma?"

Craig nodded and patted her knee with his hand. "Yes, and until he wakes up..."

"You mean, IF he wakes up? Don't you?"

"There's definitely a chance that he'll never recover from the head injury, Chloe. But, there's a lot of hope that he will. We won't know the depth of the damage until he comes out of the coma."

Chloe felt like somebody had dropped a ton of bricks on to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, forcing her emotions to stay below the surface. When she opened them again she turned to Craig, trying to hide the anger in her voice. "None of your fancy machines can tell you that? You can't tell if he's going to be a vegetable, or if he's not going to remember anyone or be able to function normally again? There's no test for that?"

Craig exhaled slowly and rubbed Chloe's arm gently. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I wish I had all the answers. Not even the best medical equipment in the world can tell us everything we want to know. We're doing our best to make sure he comes out of this... But, the rest is up to God."

"I know... And, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry with you. None of this is your fault. I know that Brady is in good hands with you and the rest of the staff."

"Chloe... Whatever you're feeling, whatever you're going through right now. Don't hide it. If you need to talk about it, if you need to let it out... then you talk to me. Talk to Nancy. You can't hold it all in."

Chloe sighed softly and shook her head. "I have to. I need to be strong. I can't let myself fall apart. Brady needs me to be a whole person, and so does Belle."

Craig smiled and hugged her quickly. "You are strong. But, that doesn't mean you should stop feeling what's in your heart."

"I... I can't feel anything right now. It's like none of this is real. I'm just numb. That's all." Chloe fought back the urge to cry and looked at Craig curiously. "Can I... Can I see him?"

"In a little while. Belle and John are in with him right now, you should be able to go in and sit with him for a few minutes soon. As a matter of fact... Let me grab you a cup of coffee, you can get up and stretch your legs, and then I'll take you down there. At the very least, you can sit with Marlena and Shawn."

Chloe nodded and smiled weakly at him. "Thank you. So, what time is it?"

Craig glanced at his watch and then cringed slightly. "About six in the morning."

"Wow... I feel like I've been here for three days."

Craig stood and nodded in agreement. "Me too. Now, I'm gonna go get that coffee and I'll be right back."

Chloe watched him leave and then stretched her arms over her head with another loud yawn. It would have taken wild horses to drag her away from the hospital while Brady was still unconscious. Chloe did not plan on leaving this building until Brady woke up and she could look into his twinkling blue eyes again.

Previous Chapter - Back to My Stories - Home - Next Chapter