Under The Waves
Chapter
Twelve
Brady got on to the ambulance and remained at Chloe's side as the paramedics began hooking her up to various medical equipment. One second she had been okay, able to walk and talk clearly, and then she had passed out into his arms. The siren on the ambulance blared as they sped towards University Hospital.
The younger female paramedic spoke to Brady, as the male paramedic was working on Chloe. "I think she's just in shock, sir. Happens all the time when you've been through trauma..."
"She's going to be okay, right?"
The male paramedic looked at Brady and nodded. "She should be, the wound looks clean, and as long as we get the bleeding to stop, she'll be fine... I just hope we can get her into the E.R."
Brady's eyes widened as he remembered the view of the surveillance monitor that looked in at the Penthouse Grill. "The Penthouse Grill... Oh my God... The hospital must be packed."
"The whole place is filled up with the injured. A lot of lucky people to have hospital staff at the scene though."
"Lucky people? There were survivors?"
The female paramedic nodded reassuringly and smiled at him. "So far, everybody. But, there are a few who are still in critical condition. Most of the victims came away with some severe injuries, but nothing that can't be fixed."
Brady smiled and kissed Chloe's forehead. "Did ya hear that, Chloe? You were right... Lexie didn't get what she wanted."
He squeezed her hand tightly as the ambulance pulled into the hospital, halting near the doors. They pulled the gurney off of the ambulance and began wheeling her into the hospital. Dr. Colin Murphy met them at the doors and listened as the paramedics briefed him on the patient's condition.
"We've got a female, approximately 24 years old, GSW to the left shoulder, LOC due to severe shock."
"Alright, we'll have to find an open room somewhere... All of our trauma rooms are full..." Colin paused in his instructions when he got a good look at the young woman on the gurney. "Chloe? Chloe Lane? I can't believe it..."
His eyes darted up and met Brady's, his face contorted in surprise. "Brady? What happened?"
"Long story, Dr. Murphy. Just fix her, please."
Colin shouted as they ran through the hallway towards an empty room. "SOMEONE CALL DR. WESLEY NOW!"
Brady looked at him in confusion as they pulled Chloe into one of the only rooms in the hospital not containing a victim of the explosion at the grill. "Dr. Wesley... Where is he?"
"He was at the party. He's been treating victims at the scene... Brady, you have to go out in the waiting room now. I'll come and get you when I have news."
Brady nodded in understanding and walked through the swinging doors. He moved down the hallway past people who had obviously been victims of the blast. His eyes searched each face looking for someone familiar. He reached the waiting room and saw the back of a familiar blonde head, resting on the chest of Shawn Brady. He ran up to them and tapped his sister on the shoulder as Shawn stared at him in surprise.
"Tink?"
Belle turned around and threw her arms around him tightly. He could tell she had been crying by the sound of her voice. "BRADY! Oh my God... Where have you been? You weren't at the party... And, I was so worried..."
Brady stroked her hair reassuringly and nodded. "It's okay, Tink... I'm fine. What about you two? Are you alright?"
Belle slipped out of his arms and nodded, wiping a few tears from her face. "We're fine... Shaken up, a little scared, but okay... Where were you?"
"It's a long story, but I was kidnapped."
Shawn raised his eyebrows in surprise. "AGAIN?"
Brady rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes. Again... By Lexie this time. She had Chloe and I locked up underground the mansion for the past 24 hours. We saw the whole thing at the Grill on this surveillance monitor she put in our cell."
"So, this was set up by the DiMera family... the explosion..."
"Yes, it was. But, not Chloe. She had nothing to do with it. The real Chloe is back. She got all of her memories back. Lexie found out and locked us up in the basement. But, we escaped and..."
Belle waved her hands to get him to slow down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold on... Chloe got her memories back? How?"
Brady shoved his hands in to his pockets and shrugged. "I don't really know... But, yes, she's back. She's OUR Chloe again. There's a lot I still don't understand, including how the ISA showed up just in the nick of time, but I'm sure she'll explain everything when she wakes up."
"WAKES UP? What happened?"
"She saved my life, Belle... Stefano was going to shoot me, but Chloe pushed me out of the way. He shot her in the shoulder. The paramedics said she's probably in shock, that's all... At least I hope that's all..."
Belle's forehead creased with worry and she gave Brady a quick hug. "Oh my God, Brady... She really is back... It's just so unbelievable."
Brady squeezed her tightly and nodded. "I know, Tink... Where is Dad? And Marlena?"
Belle moved out of his embrace to reply. "They're fine... They're still at the Grill, helping out. Mom wasn't hurt thankfully... And Dad, well you could probably hit him with a bus and he'd still be fine."
"What about everyone else?"
Shawn interjected to give a report on everyone else. "Well, my dad is still there too. My mom broke her arm and a couple of ribs, but she's okay. Grandpa Victor was hurt pretty badly, but he's in stable condition."
Brady breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered something the paramedics had said. "What about the critical cases? I heard there were a few..."
Belle sighed softly and looked towards the floor. "A waiter from the restaurant, a couple hospital employees, and uhm... Sami... She's not doing very well. They have her in surgery and..."
Shawn wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "It will be okay, Belle... You know how Sami is... Nothing keeps her down for long."
Brady nodded in agreement and put his hands on his hips. "Sami is definitely a survivor... I just can't believe that every single person that was there survived... so far. I didn't see the actual blast, but Chloe did... and..."
"It was pretty strong but we all knew something was coming, so maybe that prepared us... We were on our way out to the stairs... And, that's when it happened. I don't know if it was luck, or divine intervention, or just a faulty bomb... But, by some miracle, we're okay..."
Belle looked at her brother curiously and questioned him. "So, Lexie set up a monitor so you two could watch what was happening at the Grill tonight? That's really twisted... even for her."
Brady leaned against the wall and nodded slightly. "Well, it's all over with now... Lexie's going to prison, and Stefano is dead."
"Stefano is dead?"
"As dead as dead can be. Thanks to Shane Donovan..."
Their conversation was interrupted when Brady saw Craig Wesley come running through the doors. He stood in Craig's path and stopped him.
Craig looked worn out from the ordeal at the Grill, but more than anything, he looked worried. "Brady... Is it true? Is what Colin said true?"
Brady nodded enthusiastically. "It's true. She's here... And, she's really Chloe... She's not under Stefano's control anymore, and she never will be again."
Craig shook his head in disbelief and started heading towards the E.R. "I've gotta go see her..."
Brady watched him jog frantically away and then turned back to Belle and Shawn. "So... Now... I guess we just sit and wait."
Brady leaned against the wall again and sighed deeply. He looked at his watch in surprise. It had been one hell of a night already and it wasn't even that late yet.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(A Couple of Hours Later)
Brady poured himself a cup of coffee and returned to sit in between his sister and father who had arrived earlier. They were all waiting on news about Chloe and Sami, just as the rest of the overcrowded room was waiting on similar news. The hospital was packed with people being treated for minor injuries, or people waiting on news about the more serious patients.
Brady had filled John and Marlena, along with everyone else, in on the events that had transpired at the DiMera mansion. It all seemed too unbelievable to be true, but it was. Stefano DiMera was gone forever and Brady swore that this time, the Phoenix would not rise again.
Colin Murphy came in, looking completely worn out, and Brady imagined that most of the hospital staff felt exactly the same. Brady stood to greet him with a look of anxiety.
"Dr. Murphy... How is she?"
"She's fine, Brady. She was in shock from the wound, and I imagine also from whatever else happened to both of you tonight. Her shoulder will heal, but she may need a little physical therapy due to a little nerve damage. Nothing serious though. But, I do have some bad news..."
Brady sat down and Belle laid her hand on his arm, wondering how Colin could have both bad and good news at the same time. Brady's forehead creased with worry as he stared up at the doctor. "Bad news? What do you mean?"
Colin sighed and rubbed his hands together nervously. "I -- I don't know how to break this to you, or how much you might already know... Especially with Chloe being a special case, being gone for so long... Did you know that Chloe was pregnant?"
Brady felt like a rush of hot air had hit him and he leaned back in his seat in complete shock. "Pregnant? What?"
"About two months, that's what we calculated. She was about two months along."
Brady ran his hand through her hair and shook his head in disbelief. He did the calculations in his head and realized that she was carrying his child. He couldn't remember any of this time on the sub, but now he understood. Chloe had turned him back into Stefano's pawn and seduced him. It made perfect sense, but Brady felt a little dizzy from all of the revelations that were hitting him.
He tried to form words, but when he couldn't, John questioned Colin in his place. "Wait a minute. You said *was*. Is that the bad news?"
Colin sighed loudly and nodded, looking at them sympathetically. "I'm very sorry. We thought everything was fine, but then we noticed something odd... There was nothing we could do to save the baby. We tried everything..."
Brady felt a lump form in his throat and he fought back the tears he held inside. "Is it because of... Because of the shooting? The trauma... Why...? Why?
"It actually had nothing to do with the shooting or anything that happened tonight. Even if she had carried it to full term, the baby wouldn't have made it. It's actually much better for Chloe that she miscarried tonight instead of carrying it for seven more months."
Brady took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly. "Is she awake? Can I see her? I -- I have to see her..."
Colin nodded and motioned towards the door. "She's still asleep, but the sedative should be wearing off soon... Dr. Wesley is with her now, but if you want to follow me, I'll take you to her."
Brady stood and so did the rest of his family in the waiting room. He was hugged briefly by each one of them, and Belle squeezed his hand tightly before letting go of him. "Everything is going to be okay now, Brady. Chloe's home where she belongs... And, no matter what happened tonight, it's only going to get better from here."
Brady nodded and gave his sister a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, Tink... I think you might be right about that."
"I know I am... Now get in there..."
Belle let go of him and Brady followed Colin through the double doors towards Chloe's room. On the way up to the next floor, Colin explained the circumstances of the baby's death in detail. Brady thanked him for his help, as he planned on being the one to tell Chloe the news. He just wondered how long Chloe had known that she was pregnant without telling him.
The reached the door of her room and Colin motioned back towards the elevator. "I've got some other patients to check on, but I'll be back to look in on Chloe in a bit."
Brady shook his hand firmly and nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Murphy... Thank you."
Colin nodded and walked away. Brady opened the door and slipped inside quietly. Craig was sitting at Chloe's side, holding her hand tightly. Brady walked around to the other side of the bed, and Craig looked up at him with a smile, although it was obvious that he had been crying.
"She's really back, isn't she?"
Brady pulled up a chair and grabbed her other hand. "I spent almost 24 hours in that cell with her. It's definitely the real Chloe... No doubt about it. Have you... Have you told Nancy yet?"
Craig shook his head slightly. "Not yet... She's at home resting. I -- I don't even know how to tell her. She's waited for this moment for so long, Brady."
"We all have... So much time was lost..."
"The baby... It was yours?"
Brady looked at Chloe's face and sighed softly. She looked peaceful and content, something he imagined that she hadn't been in four years. "I guess so. I don't really remember what happened on that sub. All I know is that the timing for the conception is dead on... And uhm... That's the night she became the real Chloe again."
Craig stared at him in shock; this was information that hadn't been revealed to anyone yet. Nobody except Brady knew that Chloe's memories had been restored two months ago. "What? You're saying that's when she got her memories back?"
"It must have been... When they took me home, she said something to me that she didn't think I heard. Something that gave her away. I think whatever happened in those hours that I have missing; it must have triggered the real Chloe to come back. I don't understand it... But, I don't have to. I just have to be grateful that it happened. I don't care how or why."
Craig let go of Chloe's hand and stood from his chair. He looked at Brady sympathetically. "Brady... I'm sorry about the baby. I really really am."
Brady nodded and looked up at Craig thankfully. "It's okay... I don't how she's going to take it. But... We've got our whole lives ahead of us now. We can have ten more babies if we want to."
"I'm gonna... go home... talk to my wife and give you some time alone. I'll be back soon. When she wakes up, tell her I love her."
Craig headed towards the door and opened it, but before he could walk out, Brady stopped him. "Craig... Wait... I just thought you should know that no matter what happened with Stefano, Chloe loves you, and you are the only father she cares about in her heart. You always have been..."
Craig couldn't find a response without choking up, so he just nodded in appreciation and walked out the door. Brady lifted her hand up and kissed the top of it gently. He didn't know how to tell her about the baby. In fact, he wasn't even sure if the information had completely registered in his own mind yet.
Chloe could feel the stinging in her shoulder. It was mostly dull thank to the pain medication, but there was still a slightly painful reminder of what she had been through tonight. Her eyes opened slowly and she squinted as the light from above hit her pupils. She said the first name that came to her lips, her voice raspy and quiet. "Brady... Brady..."
"Hey Diva... I'm right here."
Chloe turned her head and saw him smiling at her. It was the most welcome sight she had ever seen. "I'm... I'm not dead."
Brady shook his head and chuckled softly. "No way. I just got you back. You don't think I'd let you go now. Do you?"
"No... You'd never let me down, Brady... Never..."
"Chloe... I've got some bad news. I don't know how to say it, but you have to know..."
Chloe nodded slightly and sighed. It was as if she had accepted her loss before she even knew about it. Just another product of four years of a lifetime of always expecting the worst. "I already know... I lost the baby."
Brady's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How did you know?"
"I could see it in your eyes... God, Brady... What happened? Was it my fault? Was it because of Stefano and Lexie?"
Thick tears started to run down Chloe's cheeks and Brady wiped them away with the pads of his fingers. "No, Chloe. It's not your fault at all. Dr. Murphy... He said that the baby had a birth defect. Its heart and lungs weren't forming properly. It's just one of those things that happens sometimes. It's nobody's fault. In fact, he said that it is for the best that they discovered it so early. If you had carried the baby the whole nine months, your life would have been at risk, and the baby could never have survived.
Chloe nodded in understanding but her heart still ached with loss. "He was ours, Brady. Our baby... And..."
Chloe sobbed softly and Brady leaned in to give her a brief kiss. "It's okay... I know it hurts. It hurts me too... But, everything is going to be okay now. We can have as many babies as you want. You're home now, and we're together."
Chloe looked up at him in surprise and used her hand to wipe Brady's own tears off of his cheeks. "Brady... Don't you cry too... That's not fair. You'll just make me cry more. Please don't be sad. Don't be."
"I'm not..." Brady smiled weakly at her and continued. "I mean, I am sad... But, I'm happy too. I'm all kinds of things right now. It's the entire gamut of human emotion packed into one night. It sure has been eventful, to say the least."
Chloe suddenly remembered what she had seen on the monitor tonight. "Oh God... Brady... The explosion. What happened?"
Brady brushed a piece of hair off of her forehead and replied. "It's amazing, Chloe. Everybody survived. My grandpa is here, but he's in stable condition. My stepsister wasn't so lucky. She's in surgery, but Sami is the most tenacious person I've ever met, so I have doubt that she'll be just fine."
"And Craig? Belle? Everyone else..."
"Fine, Chloe... They're all fine. Some broken bones, some bumps and bruises, but they're all fine. In fact, Craig left a few minutes ago to go tell your mother that you're home."
Chloe's eyes were swimming with tears as Brady's words soaked into her. "My mom... I'm gonna see my mom again... I just... God, you're right, Brady... I don't know whether to be sad, or angry, or happy, or scared... There's just so much going on..."
Brady nodded in understanding. Neither of them had really had much time to feel anything at this point. Everything was moving so fast, and every emotion was intensified. There was so much yet to come in their future. They had to grieve for their child, rekindle their relationship, and Chloe had to deal with her past as well as plan her future. It was going to be a long road, but they had the rest of their lives to travel it together.
"There are a lot of people who are going to be really glad to see you, Chloe Lane..."
Chloe smiled slightly and rolled the words over her tongue, enjoying the feel of them. "Chloe Lane... Chloe Lane..."
She had almost been Chloe Black before Stefano had taken that away from her. She looked at Brady and kept smiling. "It sounds good, doesn't it? It's good to be home... But, Brady... I don't really want any visitors right now. Just you, and my mom and dad... That's all for now. I need some time to kind of acclimate myself to Salem again... To my life."
"I understand... A lot has happened. And everyone else will understand too..."
"Please tell them all I love them though... Belle, Shawn, Mimi... Everybody..."
Brady kissed her hand and nodded. "I will..."
There was a soft knock at the door and both of them looked at each other curiously. Chloe sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Who could it be?"
"I -- I don't know. There's no way that Craig and Nancy could have made it here by now. If it was Dr. Murphy, he wouldn't knock, I'm sure. I'll go tell whoever it is to come back later... okay?"
Chloe nodded and watched him walk towards the door. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her friends; she just didn't want to be overwhelmed right now. They had all been through so much already tonight, that she didn't think any of them could handle a huge emotional reunion with half of the town in her hospital room.
Brady went to the door and cracked it open slightly, peering around it to see who was knocking. He took a step back in surprise and then turned to look at Chloe. "Chloe... You might want to change your policy on visitors."
Chloe stared at him in confusion. "What? Why? Who is it?"
Brady opened the door all the way and Chloe's jaw opened in surprise. "Oh my God... It's you."