Never Tear Us Apart
Chapter
Thirteen
(Four Days Later)
Brady sat down at the dining room table and wrapped his arm around Chloe's shoulder to bring her closer. They were listening in as Greta chatted with Jennifer all the way back in Salem. Brady and Chloe had already spoken to Wesley, who still had not learned how to say 'mama', but was otherwise doing well. Considering her situation, and knowing what was in her head, Greta seemed to be in good spirits as she spoke with Jennifer.
"Yeah, Jenn... I know... I will. I always am. Okay, give my love to Abby and Mrs. Horton. Right, I know... Yeah, tell Jack I said hey too..." Greta laughed softly and rolled her eyes at whatever Jennifer's reply was. "Okay, I'll give you back to your sister now."
Greta handed the phone back to Chloe with a smile and Chloe continued her conversation with Jennifer. "Hey sis..."
"So, tell me the truth... Is Greta really doing okay? I know she says she is... But, with everything that's happening... Stefano, the chip, all of that... Is she really?"
"Yes, she is..."
There was a pause of doubtful hesitation from Jennifer's end. "Really? Or are you just saying that because she's sitting in front of you?"
Chloe chuckled softly and replied. "No, it's the truth. I swear. By the way, I got the articles you faxed over. The ones that you and Jack wrote about Greta's rescue, and all of that. You guys did an amazing job..."
"Well, it helps to have a sister who is in the thick of things... I just wish I could do something more to help."
"But, you *are* helping... Besides, being my emotionally supportive and wonderful sister who is taking care of my son... Your articles do help too. More than you know... So, thank you..."
"No need to thank me. That's what family is for..."
Chloe smiled happily and nodded. "Yeah, I'm still kind of getting used to that... Anyway, I better go... We've got to make the next stop on our daily round of phone calls."
Jennifer laughed and questioned her. "Is your mother next?"
"Actually, she called us while we were still sleeping this morning... as she has the past four mornings... I think she forgets about the time difference. I love you, Jenn... Give my baby a kiss for me."
"Of course I will. Love you too..."
Chloe hung up the phone and handed it to Brady so he could call to check on his father. John's condition had been steadily worsening over the past few days, and while nobody said it, they all feared the worst deep inside. Stefano was stalling them, not giving them enough time to find John's cure, keeping them hanging until John was dead. Their group of four had found a small townhouse on the outskirts of town, a safe place that so far, Stefano was not aware of.
Brady began dialing just as Noah opened the door with his arms full of food. He laid all of the fixings of their take-out breakfast on the table in front of them and then sat down with a loud tired sigh. Chloe was starving, so she was the first one to start opening up containers and begin eating.
Greta began digging at her container of fresh fruit as she watched Noah began adding condiments to his own highly unhealthy breakfast. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as he poured hot sauce and ketchup on to his eggs, bacon and potatoes liberally. Noah could feel her eyes on him so he turned to gaze at her with one raised eyebrow.
"What ARE you looking at, Princess?"
"You and your daily heart attack on a plate. I've watched you eat the same thing four days in a row, and it gets more disgusting every day. Do you ever eat anything different?"
Noah dropped his fork with a laugh and rolled his eyes at her. "Do *you*? You eat that stupid fruit plate every single morning. Boring, boring, boring..."
Greta's jaw tightened and she glared at him in anger. "At least my breakfast won't send me to an early grave. I hope you have a cardiologist on call, cause you're going to need one."
"At least I'll die a happy man..."
Noah gave her a sly wink and Greta sank into her chair with a frown. Chloe had been watching their exchange with an amused glance, the same one she wore during all of their sparring. She knew this particular mating ritual very well, even though Greta and Noah had yet to realize it.
Chloe hadn't meant to say it out loud, but she muttered quietly under her breath. "You two... remind me..."
Greta looked at her expectantly, her well-shaped eyebrows raised curiously. "Remind you of what?"
"Of -- of nothing. Never mind... Forget I said anything..."
Chloe grinned and went back to her own breakfast. She was about to tell them that they reminded her of the way that she and Brady used to act around each other, but had decided it was for the best to keep her mouth shut. They were obviously attracted to one another, but as it was in most of these situations, they were in complete denial about it.
Chloe turned back to look at her husband, and noticed the paleness of his expression, his jaw hanging low as if he was getting bad news over the phone. She pushed her food aside and watched him quietly until he said goodbye and hung up the phone. Brady laid the phone down on the table and then put his head in his hands with a loud sigh.
Chloe scooted her chair closer to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Brady... What's -- what's wrong?"
There was a long pause and when Brady finally lifted his head to look at her, she could see all of the stress of the past days in every curve of his face. "It's my dad... He's getting worse. Belle said he's been coming in and out of consciousness all night. Craig and Dr. Murphy, they're afraid that if he gets any worse -- he won't wake up the next time he has a blackout."
"Brady... I don't know what to say..."
"There's nothing to say. We have to find that antidote, but we can't find it because we don't even know where Stefano is."
Noah sighed softly and interjected. "You know how the saying goes... hiding in plain sight. I don't think he went far, we just have to figure out where he could be hiding... He's probably right under our nose."
Brady stood up from the table, trying to control his emotions as he replied. "And that's the most disgusting part. He's laughing at us right now, and there is NOTHING we can do about it... Nothing. It's his move, his game, we're just... pawns."
Brady marched past them into the other part of the townhouse, his anger getting the best of him. Chloe looked at Greta and Noah with a sad glance and pushed her chair away from the table to follow her husband. Brady had gone into the bedroom that they shared and was sitting on the edge of their bed with his head in his hands.
Chloe stepped towards him hesitantly, unsure of what she could do or say that would help. "Brady... Are -- are you okay?"
Brady looked up at her and shook his head slightly. "No, I am not okay. My father is dying..."
"I know, Brady. But, we --"
"No, Chloe, there is no 'but'. My father is dying and there is nothing I can do about it. My sister and my stepmother are back there going through one of the hardest times in their lives, and I'm not there for them. I can't help Belle or Marlena, I can't help my Dad... I don't know what to do anymore."
Chloe frowned at him, a few tears welling up in her eyes but not falling yet. She sat on the bed next to him and grabbed his hand to squeeze it tightly. "We'll find a way, Brady. We will. We always have in the past. You can't give up..."
Brady entertwined his fingers with hers and looked into her eyes for a moment. "I'm not giving up... I'm just... lost. And, all I keep thinking is that if my dad was here he would know what to do. He always came through for all of us in these situations before, and now... I can't do the same for him."
"Yes, you can. Brady, I believe in you, I believe in all of us... Just like you have always believed in me."
"I just -- I want my father to be able to walk Belle down the aisle at the end of the summer. I want everything to be okay again... Everything."
Chloe nodded in understanding and propped her chin up on his shoulder. "I know, I do too... I just wish this would all be over with... all of it..."
There was a long silence between them, as Brady tried to shake off all of the thoughts that were weighing him down. It wasn't just his stress and fear over their current situation that was eating at him, it was something else. Something that had been bothering him for far too long.
"Chloe, I -- I need to ask you something."
Chloe sat straight up and looked at him with worry in her eyes. "Uhm... okay... what is it?"
Brady let go of her hand and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to gather the words to speak to her. "I -- I need to know... why you lied to me..."
"About Greta? I thought we went over this already... You forgave me. You said you understood... I told you why..."
"It's not about Greta. It's something else..."
Chloe's heart began pounding in her chest and she scooted down the bed away from him, her face scrunched up with fear. "What is it about?"
Brady hesitated for a moment, and she could see the pain in his eyes as he finally blurted out his answer. "It's about Phillip."
Chloe stood up, turning away from him long enough to try to maintain her composure. She turned to face him and frowned sadly. "The funeral... Right? You found out that I was there... That's it, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's it. I've known since that day. Shawn saw your car leave, saw you there... But, then you lied to me about it... So, I want to know why."
"I -- I don't really know why..."
Brady stood up and faced her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Damnit, Chloe - do NOT give me that. That's not an excuse. The day I told you that he was dead, you acted like it was no big deal. And, then you hardly acknowledged it in front of me after that. But, you went to the cemetery... And, I want to know why. I'm your husband, you owe me the truth..."
Chloe nodded in agreement and leaned up against the wall behind her. "You're right, I do... It's so hard to put in to words. But, when you told me about Phillip... I just put up a wall because, I didn't believe it. It didn't seem like it was real, like he was really dead. I had no plans to go to the cemetery that day, but you left, and something came over me... I just, I had to go. I had to see them lower his coffin into the ground. I had to know that he was really dead..."
"So, why didn't you tell me that?"
"I -- I wanted to... But, I thought you might think I was being silly. Believe me, it's not like I intentionally set out to lie to you and to hurt you... It just happened... And, I am sorry. You have to believe me..."
Brady walked closer to her and laid his hands on her arms gently. "Chloe, I know... I know that you would never intentionally hurt me. But, you have. You hurt me because you didn't trust me enough with your secrets. We have always been honest with each other, and told each other everything. And, even if you thought you were being silly, you still should have told me. I can't -- I can't -- "
As Brady hesitated, Chloe looked at him with worry and tried to get him to finish what he was saying. "Can't what? What can't you do?"
"I can't help you, I can't be there for you if you won't let me... You have to let me in. You have to be honest with me... Please..."
"I wanted to... I wanted to tell you, but then I just sort of forgot about it. I didn't even really think about it at all... And, then I was going to tell you at the hospital the other night, but Belle interrupted us and I never got to finish..."
Brady nodded slightly and as much as he wanted to be angry with her, he couldn't. They still had spats like they had since the day they met, but it was more verbal foreplay than anything. In all their time as husband and wife, they had yet to have a serious fight, especially since they rarely had anything to fight about. It seemed they could always find a peaceful solution to their problems without having to scream at each other.
Brady pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, his hand gently stroking her hair as Chloe felt a few tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Brady, I am so sorry... I made a huge mistake, I know that... I will never ever keep anything from you again... I promise..."
Brady wiped her tears away with his thumbs at smiled at her. He knew that she would keep her promise, that her secrets this time had been out of necessity and confusion, and that it would never happen again. But, his mind reached back to something she had said only moments ago.
He narrowed his eyes intently, his tone of voice curious as he questioned her. "Chloe... Do you -- do you think he's dead now? Did the funeral give you the closure that you needed? I mean, you acted so weird when you saw that picture of Noah's brother..."
Chloe sighed softly and averted her eyes, turning her head to look away from him. "Brady... I don't think you want to hear my answer."
"I think I *have* to hear your answer."
Chloe slid out of his embrace and walked slowly across the floor, never looking at him as she did. She paused and kept her gaze towards the ground. "I think -- I think Phillip is alive."
She looked up at Brady and waited for his response. He looked at her doubtfully and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's -- that's not possible. You know it's not. Phillip is dead and buried. Gone. Out of our lives forever..."
"No, I don't think he is. I think somehow -- somehow he faked his death, arranged all of that to make us believe he was gone... It does sound ridiculous, I know that, but come on -- stranger things have happened. How many times now has Stefano DiMera 'died', just to come back later...? Only the good die young, Brady, and Phillip was never good..."
"Chloe, we were both at his funeral. Phillip is DEAD."
Chloe shook her head in denial and frowned at him. "Did you ever see a body? Did Victor? Did anyone besides people at the prison see Phillip's body? No, they didn't. God, maybe it DOES sound crazy, I realize that... But, there's just... something inside telling me that he's still alive... Please trust me, trust my instincts on this... I wouldn't be saying all of this if I didn't think there was some sort of truth behind it."
Brady groaned in frustration and shook his head. "I -- I want to trust in you. But -- it's just too much to handle. With everything else that we're dealing with, a surprise visit from Phillip is -- too much. It's just not possible, Chloe... He's dead, and I have to believe that."
Chloe threw her hands up in defeat, the volume of her voice rising with each word. "Fine. Don't even open yourself up to the possibility of what I'm saying... That's fine. But, when Phillip pops up for a surprise visit to ruin our lives, don't say I didn't warn you."
Chloe turned on her heel and began to march out of the bedroom as Brady shouted after her. "Chloe, where are you going?"
"To get some air... and a bottle of aspirin. I'll be back soon."
Chloe walked through the townhouse and grabbed her purse off the table, heading straight for the front door. She left behind a completely stunned and confused Noah and Greta, both of them still sitting at the dining room table with their breakfasts in front of them.
~*~
Chloe had taken a walk down the street from their rented townhouse, just around the corner, there was a small drug store. She took her time perusing the shelves, trying to keep her mind off what had happened back at the house.
She knew what she had been saying sounded unbelievable, but she had relied on Brady to at least consider the possibility. But, he had vehemently denied it instead, and now Chloe was beginning to wonder if she was crazy after all.
Chloe purchased a bottle of aspirin and shoved it into her purse as she walked out of the drug store. There was a small flower stand next to the store, and she couldn't resist taking a moment to look at the colorful spread of flora in front of her. Her eyes traveled over the various breeds of flowers, until she found her favorite, white lilies.
She was leaning in to pick up one of the flowers when a voice beside her interrupted. "Chloe Lane?"
Chloe turned to look at the stranger in front of her, a tall man in his thirties wearing a baseball cap with dark hair underneath and dark eyes to match. "Excuse me?"
"You are Chloe Lane, aren't you?"
Chloe dropped the stem that was in her hand and shook her head as she walked around the man in front of her. "No, no, I'm not."
She started moving up the sidewalk, but he pursued her, walking close behind. "I'm sorry -- Chloe Black... Of course you wouldn't answer to Lane anymore..."
Chloe kept walking, trying to increase her pace without breaking into a full run. "Do I know you or something?"
The man laid his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "No, but I know you."
Chloe's heart froze in her chest and she began running up the hill towards the row of townhouses where they were staying. She didn't want to take the time to turn around, but she knew the man was still running behind her. All she could think about was how she wished she had brought that gun with her.
She was out of breath by the time she reached the outside of her townhouse, and she was about to scream for help when she felt something solid slam into the back of her head. She felt herself falling towards the ground as everything around her went completely black.