Don't Walk Away
Chapter
Twenty-Five
(Later
- At the Hospital)
Chloe walked down the hallway, staring at the names on the office doors as she
passed them. She had Brady's letter still folded into the back pocket of her
jeans. Even though she knew it was coming eventually, she was still emotionally
shaken by Brady's sudden departure. She paused outside the door with the
familiar name on it. Dr. Marlena Evans.
She turned the knob and quietly crept into the front office where Marlena's
secretary was busy typing away at her computer. Chloe hesitantly spoke up,
hating to interrupt her.
"Excuse me."
The young woman looked up from her work and smiled cordially at her. "Good
morning, what can I do for you?"
"I'm uhm, a friend of Dr. Evans' family. I was wondering if she was busy, I
need to speak to her."
"She's not in with a patient right now, so I can check for you. What's your
name, miss?"
"It's Chloe... Chloe Lane."
She nodded and picked up her phone pressing a button that rang into Marlena's
office. "Dr. Evans... There's a young lady out here asking to speak to you,
a Miss Chloe Lane... Yes, yes. Alright."
Marlena's secretary hung up the phone and turned to Chloe. "Go on in, Miss
Lane."
Chloe smiled in appreciation as she headed to Marlena's door. "Thank
you."
She turned the knob and peeked her head around the door. Marlena motioned for
her to come in and smiled at her. "Come on in, have a seat."
Chloe nodded and took a seat across the desk from Marlena. She sighed softly and
smiled weakly at her. "Brady... He's gone."
"I know. John went with him this morning. I'm sorry, Chloe."
"No, no, I'm okay. I'm glad to hear that his father went with him."
Marlena nodded in reply. "John is just going to be with him a few days, to
make sure everything is set up for him, and that the physical therapy
appointments are all set to go. Listen, Chloe... I don't mean to pry... I know
some of the reasons that Brady left town, but I don't know all the reasons. Are
you taking all of this okay?"
Chloe sighed heavily and shrugged. "I... I guess so. I knew it was coming,
and we talked about it, but now that it's happening... Well, it's not as easy as
I thought it would be. So, now I wonder if this is a big mistake. It sounded
like a good idea at the time, but now I don't know. We even made this stupid
agreement not to call each other, just letters and e-mails, that's all. It's
supposed to make it 'less painful' if we don't have to hear each other's voices
every day. And, now I feel stupid. I feel like I want to get on an airplane
right now and follow him and bring him home."
"And Brady... Is that what he would want you to do?"
"No, he wouldn't. And that's why I'm here. I need to keep my end up the
bargain, to do what he's asking me to do."
Marlena looked at her curiously. "And what is he asking you to do?"
Chloe paused and bit her lower lip nervously. "Is this conversation on a
personal or professional level?"
"It's on whatever level you want. You're like a member of our family, and
anything you need to discuss with me, you can do it anytime. I'm here to listen,
and if you ask for my advice, I will do my best. Or, if you want to have these
talks on a regular basis, formally, we can set up appointments with my
secretary. It's up to you."
"Considering what I have to do... We might need to do this on a regular
basis. It's so hard for me to do this... I've spent so many years being
independent, and only having myself to rely on. And, now I have to ask for help.
And, it's not easy for me to have to rely on other people. I'm not used to being
needy."
Marlena nodded in understanding. "But, there's nothing wrong with asking
for help, Chloe. It doesn't make you any less strong than you are. None of us
can only rely on ourselves one hundred percent of the time. That's what we have
friends, family and shrinks for."
Chloe laughed softly and nodded. "I know... And that's why I'm here. I've
been dealing with a lot of personal issues for my entire life, and I've never
sought help for them. And, I probably should have. Especially now. I need to
start my relationship with Brady on a clean slate. I need to get rid of all the
horrible things that have been haunting me since I was a child, and there is
this one thing in particular that I need to get over."
"Phillip?"
Chloe looked downward and placed her hand on her forehead, trying to hold her
tears back. She knew that therapy was built to make you cry, she just didn't
want to do it right off the bat. Chloe nodded slightly and Marlena continued.
"I think I understand. You feel guilty, somewhat responsible, for Phillip's
actions. And, whether that feeling is justified or not, it doesn't make a
difference. It's there, and it needs to be dealt with."
Chloe looked back up at her and nodded in agreement. "That's it. And, it's
not just his most recent actions that I feel responsible for. It's everything. I
can recognize the fact that I dealt with my relationship with him incorrectly
from the very beginning. I made a lot of mistakes, like continuing to take him
back every time he screwed up, and believe me, I regret it. And, I don't want to
make ANY mistakes with Brady. I want it to be perfect. We both do."
Marlena smiled reassuringly at her. "Chloe, I know that you had a difficult
childhood, and part of your therapy will be dealing with that as well as your
problems with Phillip. It's going to be a painful process. But, as someone who
has been in this business for many many years, you can trust me when I say that
everything will be better just because you made the decision to come here
today."
"I hope so. Because if I don't get better... I'm scared. I'm scared that
Brady won't come back."
"You have nothing to worry about. You will get over this. It may take some
time, and it may seem like you never will. But, every day a little piece of you
will heal, and before you know it, everything will be just fine. And, Brady will
be back -- just like that."
Chloe felt a couple of stray tears start their journey down her cheeks and she
attempted a weak smile. "I... I love him so much. And, I need him, and he
needs me. I've never felt anything like that before. I've never been needed, and
wanted, and loved this way before. It's just so strong. I just don't want to
lose it."
Marlena stood from her desk chair and walked around to the chair beside Chloe's.
She sat down, and pulled the girl she had come to know as an honorary family
member into a warm embrace. "Chloe, I know how scary this is. Love is a
powerful thing, it's strong, and sometimes it just knocks you off your feet.
But, it's also a miracle. It can overcome anything. All of this pain and guilt
you have inside is nothing in the face of how strong your love is. All of the
faith and hope that you gave to Brady when he was in his coma, use it now to get
past this. You will overcome this obstacle, as long as you believe that you
can."
Chloe sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, leaning out
of the embrace and smiling in appreciation. "Thank you, thank you so
much."
"There's no need to thank me. There is nothing I want more in this world
than for my children to be happy. I know that you and Brady belong together,
Chloe. I saw it every day that you stood by his side during his coma. And, I
will do everything I can to make sure that you stay together. I am always here
for you if you need to talk. But, can I ask you one favor?"
"Uhm, sure, anything you want..."
Marlena looked at her cautiously and placed a hand on her arm. "Please, let
your mother in, Chloe. I know that the two of you haven't always gotten along,
and there's still a lot of pain to work out before you can have the kind of
relationship that a mother and daughter should have. But, she's there, and she
wants you to open up to her. Your mother loves you, and you need to open your
heart to that."
Chloe sighed heavily and looked away. "I just... I'm afraid. I'm scared to
talk to her. She's hidden a lot from me, and I do the same to her. I hide
myself, because I'm afraid of getting hurt again. I'm afraid of losing her
love."
"Chloe... She's your mother. She will love you no matter what you say or
do. Parents don't just love their children when it's convenient or when they're
behaving the way they want them to. Parents love their children every second of
the day for their entire lives, no matter what. And, I'd wager a guess that
she's probably just as afraid as you are."
"You're probably right, I know. And, I want a good relationship with her.
I... I look at the way you and Belle are, and it makes me jealous. It makes me
sad that I don't have that with my mother."
Marlena rubbed her arm comfortingly. "But, you can. Just be open and honest
with her, talk to her. That's all it takes. Don't just be her daughter, be her
friend. And, I would give Nancy the same advice too. The reason why Belle and I
are so close is because we're not just mother and daughter, we're friends. She
can talk to me about anything, and she always has been able to."
Chloe nodded and smiled at her. "You're right, I know you are. I may not
show it very often, but I do love my mother. I always have, even if I don't act
like it sometimes."
"I know you do. And Nancy knows it too, but you need to tell her that, and
show her." Marlena looked at the clock on the wall out of the corner of her
eye and then looked back at Chloe. "Now, I'm sorry I have to cut this so
short, but I do have a patient coming in a few minutes. I should have some time
free tomorrow, if you want to come back and we'll talk longer. Just schedule it
with my secretary, okay?"
Chloe stood from her chair and Marlena stood with her, walking her towards the
door. "I will do that. Thank you for listening, and talking, and for
wanting to help me."
Marlena hugged her again and smiled. "Chloe, you really have become a
member of this family, especially over the past few weeks. It's really not a
problem for me, I want to help you because I care about you."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me."
"You're welcome. And, I will see you tomorrow."
Chloe nodded and exited quickly, closing the door behind her. She stopped at the
desk and made an appointment for the following afternoon. And although it made
her nervous to be starting therapy, she realized deep down that it was a step
she should have taken over two years ago. She knew she had to do this, and not
just for Brady, but for herself and for her future.
***
(Which reminds me... Whatever happened to Jennifer going to see Marlena for
therapy? She had like two appointments last year, and that's the last we heard
of it. Considering recent events, that girl needs to get her ass right back to
Marlena's office because her therapy is NOT done.
Heck, half of Salem needs a therapist. And with a past like Chloe's, that girl
should be seeking some professional help too.)