Don't Walk Away
Chapter
Seven
(Much later, same day)
Chloe had been in and out of Brady's room as much as she possibly could. She
knew that Craig was letting the hospital rules get bent for her and Brady's
family, and she was very grateful to him for it. Craig probably knew that in
Brady's case, having his loved ones near him would do more to help him than harm
him.
She sat in a chair in the waiting room next to Shawn and Belle. All three of
them looked haggard and worn out. Belle sighed softly and turned to Chloe.
"You know, Chloe. I don't really want to leave Brady right now, but my
parents are making me. And, I think they have a point. It won't do him any good
if we all make ourselves sick."
Chloe nodded slightly. "They're right about that."
"Good, I'm glad you agree. That's why you should go home too. As soon as my
parents come back from Brady's room, we're leaving. You need to go home, have a
good healthy meal, a shower, change of clothes and maybe get a few hours of
sleep in your own bed. It would be good for you."
"I know you're right, but I can't. I made a promise to Brady, and I plan on
keeping it. Besides, Nancy will bring me clothes and I can get food in the
cafeteria. I can get Craig to let me use the shower in an empty patient room.
And, I slept just fine on the couch in his office."
Shawn shook his head and interjected. "Belle is right. There's no reason to
let yourself suffer. You need to keep yourself healthy for Brady's sake."
Chloe sighed loudly. "And, I will. You guys... My father is the Chief of
Staff of this hospital. He will make sure that I'm taken care of. I'm glad that
you're all going home for a little while, but somebody needs to be here when
Brady wakes up. And, if you aren't here, then I will be."
"We understand that, Chloe. And, you're right. It would be for the best if
someone Brady cares about were right beside him when he wakes up. So, when one
of us gets back here tonight, then you should go home. We'll be here in shifts
if we have to."
Chloe shook her head in plain refusal. She would not be swayed, no matter how
convincing the arguments of her friends might sound. "I can't. I just
can't. Part of me knows that you're both right. But, I made a promise to never
leave Brady, and I'm not going to. Please don't worry about me. I will be fine,
I swear."
Belle nodded in understanding. She was concerned for the well being of her
friend, but she understood what was going on. Chloe and Brady had never acted on
it, but she knew that they felt for each other the way she felt for Shawn. And,
Belle knew that if the situation were reversed she would refuse to leave Shawn's
side, and he would do the same for her.
Belle was about to say something when her parents entered the waiting room with
Victor Kiriakis in tow. Marlena smiled at them and directed a question to her
daughter.
"Belle, are you ready to head home for a while?"
"Only if I have to." Belle turned to Chloe and looked at her
curiously. "Are you going to be here alone? Should one of us stay and keep
you company?"
Chloe shook her head. "Uhm, no, I'll be fine. Nancy's going to come by in a
little while. And, Mimi said when she was here earlier that she'd come back
after she was done babysitting her brother. So, I'll have plenty of
company."
Belle nodded and then turned to look at Victor. "Well, what about Phillip?
I thought for sure he'd come by some time today. I know that he and Brady
haven't always gotten along, but they always come through for each other when it
counts."
Chloe felt a knot in her stomach at the mention of his name. She knew that he
was family, and that he had every right to be here, but his very presence had
become uncomfortable for her. Part of her would always care about him, but she
was ready to move on with her life and he kept getting in her way.
Victor threw his hands up in confusion. "I asked him to come, Belle. But...
He won't come out of his room. Says he doesn't feel well or something."
Shawn looked at his grandfather with concern in his eyes. "Is he
alright?"
"I wish I knew. Maybe he's just more upset by this than any of us realized.
I'll talk to him later, make sure he gets over here for a visit."
Chloe turned her gaze away from Victor, wondering if the palpable tension in the
room whenever Phillip was around would be helpful to any of them. Maybe she was
the only of them that sensed it, but she knew that Phillip's visit couldn't
possibly be a healing force for Brady. Not with the way things had been between
them lately.
John pointed at Shawn and spoke to him. "Shawn, we'll take you home and if
you want to come back later when Belle does, we'll come pick you up."
Shawn nodded and smiled weakly at him. "Thank you, and I'll definitely want
to come back when Belle does."
Belle smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "You don't have to, Shawn. But,
I'm really glad you are."
Chloe looked at them wistfully. She said a silent prayer that they would never
have to be apart from each other, and that they would never have to feel the way
she felt right now. The prospect of losing the love of her life was like a knife
through Chloe's heart, and she prayed that Shawn and Belle would never lose each
other before their time.
Shawn and Belle stood, and Chloe stood with them. They hugged and said their
goodbyes quickly, and she stared sadly as she watched everyone leave. She was
left alone in the waiting room, and she wrapped her arms around herself and
sighed softly.
She didn't know whether to be grateful for Phillip's absence or flat out angry
with him. Anger would certainly not be a new feeling for her when it came to
him. She walked out of the waiting room but paused at the payphone in the
hallway. Chloe felt her anger boiling towards the surface and she fished a dime
and a quarter out of her pocket.
Chloe hesitated for a moment before dropping the coins in the slot and picking
up the headset. She was afraid to let her temper get the best of her, but there
was no excuse for Phillip's absence. Her fingers quickly tapped out the numbers
to Phillip's private line and waited for an answer.
"Hello..."
"Phillip. It's Chloe."
Phillip cleared his throat slightly, and spoke in a surprised tone. "Chloe?
What's going on? Is everything okay?"
Chloe rolled her eyes in frustration. "Is everything OKAY? No, everything
is NOT okay. Your nephew is in the hospital in critical condition, and everyone
you know has come to visit today, but you aren't here. I know that you two
haven't always been the best of friends, but you need to get over it and get
your ass over here to lend some support."
Phillip coughed a little, and Chloe sensed something weird in his voice. She
couldn't tell if he had been crying, was drinking or a little under the weather.
"I... I was going to, I really was. But, uhm... uhh... something else
happened... something came up."
"Something came up? Something more important than your own flesh and blood?
Jesus, Phillip... You have done some pretty screwed up, immature, things in your
young life, but this just about takes the cake. I know that you ARE immature,
but for once, act like you're not and be there for your family."
"I will... I will be there. I promise I'll come visit."
Chloe rested a hand against the wall in front of her and shook her head.
"Don't promise me anything. You're not very good at keeping promises. Just
be here. And, not for me. For Brady."
Phillip coughed again and continued. "I will. As soon as I can."
"Right, knowing you... that's probably tomorrow... or the next day. If you
don't show up here to see Brady within 24 hours, then you can forget about ever
speaking to me again."
"Alright, I will see you soon." Chloe sighed softly as she hung up the
phone and shook her head. She didn't know if what she had just done was for the
best or not. But, as a person who grew up without a real family, she couldn't
imagine how anyone could turn their back on their family when they needed them.
Chloe walked towards Brady's room and slowly opened the door. She took her place
at his bedside and once again held his hand in hers. She laid one arm on the
railing of the bed and let her head rest on her arm. She smiled slightly at the
man in the bed before her.
"Hey again... You ready to open your eyes yet?"
Chloe stared at him intently but there was no movement, no flicker, and no sense
that he could even hear her.
"Guess not." Chloe sighed and tried to inject a little humor into the
moment, something that Brady had always tried to do for her in her darkest
hours. "But you should really hurry and wake up, Brady. That new Harrison
Ford movie comes out in a couple of weeks and I know how much you want to see
it."
Chloe frowned at her weak attempt at humor and shut her eyes. She planned to
open them again after a second of reflection, but instead she began to feel the
full weight of her tiredness hit her. Chloe yawned slightly and drifted off to
sleep, Brady's hand lying limply in her own.