Aubrey looked over in time to see Beca run out the door she had just walked in. Chloe just stood there with a look of shock on her face.

"Beca!," Aubrey yelled as she jumped up to run after her. She looked back when she heard a thud and saw Chloe lying on the floor. "Shit!," Aubrey said as she ran back to Chloe.

Aubrey got to Chloe and pulled her into her arms at the same time she pulled out her phone. She dialed 911 and put the phone to her ear.

"Come on, Chlo," Aubrey said teary-eyed. "Wake up sweetie. Please?"

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?," a voice on the line said.

"Yes, I need an ambulance," Aubrey said quickly. "My friend fainted."

"Okay, ma'am," the dispatcher said. "I've got the paramedics on their way. Can you stay on the line with me?"

"Yes," Aubrey said.

"Is the door unlocked so the paramedics can get in?," the dispatcher asked.

"Um, I, I don't know," Aubrey replied. "I'll check."

"Good," the dispatcher told her. "Just unlock it and they will come in if that's okay."

"Yes, it's fine."

"Is your friend breathing?"

Aubrey rushes over and unlocks the door and then rushes back over to Chloe. "Yes, she's breathing. And she has a pulse."

"Good. Did she hit anything when she fainted? Is there any bleeding?"

Aubrey checked Chloe and saw a bump on her forehead. "It looks like she may have hit her head on the table. But there's no bleeding, just a bump. On her forehead."

"Okay. The paramedics are about two minutes away, okay?"

"Okay. Wait, I can hear sirens."

"That's probably them. I'll stay on the line until they get to you. Okay? Are you able to stay on the line with me?"

"Yes."

A minute or two later, the door opens. "Paramedics," a voice called. "We're coming in."

"In here," Aubrey called out. "They're here," she told the dispatcher.

"Okay," the dispatcher said. "I'm going to hang up now. I hope your friend feels better."

"Thank you," Aubrey said and ended the call.

The paramedics rush over to Chloe. They ask Aubrey what happened and she tells them.

"Has she been drinking?," one of the paramedics asked.

"Yes, but her drinking isn't why she fainted," Aubrey scoffed.

"I meant nothing by it," the paramedic said holding up his hands. "I was asking because I can smell the alcohol. She also appears to be dehydrated. She may have a concussion so we'll take her in and have the docs take a look at her. Okay?"

"I'm sorry," Aubrey said. "I'm just worried."

"That's okay," the paramedic said. "Do you want to ride to the hospital with her?"

"Yes, thank you," Aubrey said.

"Okay," the paramedic said. "Let's go."

They placed Chloe on the gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance. Once they had Chloe settled the ambulance drove off in the direction of the hospital.

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

Beca ran out of the house and jumped into her car, tires screeching as she pulled away. She couldn't believe she was right; that Chloe had cheated on her. Her vision blurry from her tears, she stopped a few blocks from home. She looked around and noticed she was in front of a bar. She parked the car and wiped at her face and went in. She ignored everyone who looked at her and walked straight to the bar where she sits on a stool and gets the bartender's attention.

"What can I get 'ya?," the bartender asked.

"Vodka and cran," Beca ordered.

The bartender made her drink and set it in front of her. Beca sipped at it at first and then downed it in two gulps. She ordered another. The bartender could tell something was bothering her so he asked her if she was okay.

"Just trying to get over a cheating wife," Beca said, raising her glass to him before downing it.

"Maybe you should slow down a bit," the bartender suggested.

"Maybe I should just have a shot of the strongest stuff you got," Beca said.

The bartender looked at her and could see she was hurting. He knew her pain, having been cheated on in the past. He also knew that if he didn't give her the drinks, she'd just go somewhere else. Somewhere that didn't have a responsible bartender. He decided to get her the shot and watch over her.

"What's your poison?," the bartender asked.

"Whiskey," Beca said.

The bartender set a shot glass in front of Beca and grabbed the whiskey bottle. He poured the shot and went to place the bottle back when Beca grabbed his arm. "Don't go too far away with that."

"Yes, ma'am," the bartender said and set the bottle to the bar just out of Beca's reach.

Beca held the shot in her hand and looked down into the amber liquid. She holds the glass up and says, "Here's to the cheaters and the fuckers who fucked them." She downed the shot and made an 'O' with her mouth as she let out a breath. Her lungs burned and her body felt like it was on fire. She raised the empty glass and shook it around at the bartender. "Another," she shouts out.

The bartender poured her another shot. "Thank you," Beca said and stared at the second shot.

A man sitting with some friends saw the small brunette and thought she looked familiar. He walked over to the bar and when he got to her he realized she was a friend of one of his coworkers. He watched as she downed her fourth drink and waved her glass at the bartender again.

"Hey," the guy said. "Aren't you Beca Mitchell? A friend of Stacie Conrad? I'm Mike. I work with Stacie."

"Hey, Mikey,' Beca slurred, the four drinks getting to her. "Have a drink with me. Yo, bartender, get my friend here a drink."

Mike shook his head at the bartender, who just shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

"Thanks but I should probably be getting back to my friends," Mike said. "I just wanted to say hi. You enjoy your evening."

Beca just nodded her head and didn't say anything. Mike left Beca and pulled out his phone as he walked away. He dialed a number and when it was answered he said, "Hey, Stacie. It's Mike."

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Aubrey was shown to a waiting area and told someone would come talk to her after they examined Chloe. Aubrey held her phone and was getting ready to try and call Beca when it rang. She looked at the caller ID and answered.

"Why did I just get a call from one of the guys I work with saying that Beca was downing shots like candy?," Stacie asked as soon as she heard Aubrey's voice.

"Something's happened," Aubrey said. "I need you to find her or call her or something, just reach her somehow."

"Babe, what's going on?," Stacie asked, feeling Aubrey's anxiety and panic through the phone.

"I'm at the hospital with Chloe," Aubrey said. "She fainted after Beca ran out of the house."

"Mike told me where she was," Stacie said. "I'll get her and bring her to the hospital." She paused and waited to see if Aubrey was going to say anything. "Did Chloe-" Stacie ran a hand through her hair not really wanting to ask, or hear the answer to, her question. "Did she cheat on Beca?"

The 'yes' Aubrey provided was a mere whisper. "I'll explain everything, just please get Beca here."

"I will," Stacie said. "I love you, Brey!"

"I love you, too," Aubrey said and ended the call.

Stacie grabbed her keys and purse and ran out the door to her car. She drove to the bar where Mike said Beca was and parked. She rushed in and Mike ran over to her.

"That's the second shot she's ordered since I called you," Mike said. "I tried to get her to slow down but she wouldn't listen." Mike looked over at the bar and then back at Stacie. "This is going to sound weird but she propositioned me and when I said no, she started yelling and asking if there was anyone here who wanted to fuck her. I stayed close to make sure no one bothered her but you need to be careful, Stacie. Some of these guys wouldn't think twice about doing something to you and her."

"Thanks, Mike," Stacie said with a heavy sigh. "I appreciate the call."

"I'll be over there," Mike pointed to a table where his friends were still sitting. "Holler if you need any help."

"I will," Stacie said. "Thanks, again."

Stacie walked over to the bar and sat next to Beca. The bartender came over and Stacie asked for water for the both of them.

"Stacie!," Beca said when she finally realized who was sitting next to her. "Let me buy you a drink."

"That's okay," Stacie said. "I've already ordered one. So, what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?," Beca asked, sounding surprising sober in her speech. "I'm drinking cause my wifey wife cheated on me. See this? It's 150 poof, proof so I got 150 reasons to leave her."

Beca started laughing at her joke. "Get it?," Beca asked Stacie as she continued to laugh.

The bartender set two bottles of water on the bar in front of Stacie. "How many is that for her?," Stacie asked him.

"That one she's holding is shot number four," the bartender told her. "She started with two vodka and crans. But listen, I wasn't going to serve her anymore after this one. I just thought she needed to drink away some of what she was feeling. I've been cheated on and, believe it or not, the drinking helped. I was going to put her in a cab after giving her some water. I'm a lot of things, miss, but I'm not totally irresponsible. "

Stacie nodded and thanked the man. She opened the water bottle and tried to take the shot glass from Beca. Most of the liquid sloshed out as Beca tried to keep it away from Stacie. She finally got the glass to her mouth but barely any liquor was left in it. Beca looked down at the empty glass and started to cry.

"I love her so much, Stacie," Beca said. "And I trusted her. And she broke my heart and she broke my trust. She cheated on me, Stace. I heard her say it with my own two eyes. No, wait, that's not right. I heard it with my own two, um, hearing things. I hate her."

"No, you don't," Stacie said. "Beca, I need you to sober up. We need to get to the hospital."

"I do hate her!," Beca said, glaring at Stacie. "And I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Not for you," Stacie said. "For Chloe. Chloe's in the hospital."

"Chloe's in the hospital?," Beca asked.

"Yes," Stacie said. "Now drink this water and let's go. I'm going to drive you to the hospital."

"Fine," Beca said taking the water. "But, I still hate her."

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

"Chloe Mitchell family?," a doctor called out.

"I'm here," Aubrey said. "I came with her in the ambulance. She's my best friend. Her wife's on the way. Is she okay?"

"She will be," the doctor said giving her a small smile. "I'm Dr. Williams. Would you follow me so we can talk?"

Aubrey nodded and followed the doctor to a small conference room. The doctor indicated a seat and Aubrey sat down. The doctor sat and opened a file he had been carrying.

"Miss Mitchell is resting comfortably right now," Dr. Williams said. "She suffered from a simple fainting spell. It could have been due to anxiety, fear, pain, intense emotional stress, hunger, or use of alcohol or drugs. Most people who suffer from simple fainting have no underlying heart or neurological problems. Can you tell me if Miss Mitchell has been eating regularly?"

"I don't know," Aubrey responded. "I do know she's been stressed for the past month, and past experience tells me that she probably hasn't been eating like she should."

"Did something happen, something emotional perhaps, prior to her fainting?," Dr. Williams asked.

"Yes," Aubrey said but didn't elaborate.

"And she had been drinking," Dr. Williams said. It was not a question.

Aubrey looked down and nodded.

"Thanks for being honest. It helps," Dr. Williams said, smiling sympathetically. "Now, she's going to be fine. We want to keep her overnight to keep her on IV fluids because she's a bit dehydrated which is a contributing factor to her fainting. The emotional stress you said she encountered is another. And, her blood alcohol level was a bit high, just under the legal limit, which would also be a factor in her dehydration and fainting. Her heart sounds good, her lungs sound good, everything else checks out fine. We did a scan to make sure the bump on her head is nothing to worry about, and there's no concussion. She'll have a headache for a day or two but any pain reliever will help with that. So, short version, you're friend fainted from severe emotional stress and dehydration with alcohol as a major contributing factor."

"Thank you, Dr. Williams," Aubrey said with a huge sigh of relief. "I'll be sure and tell her wife when she gets here."

"That's fine," Dr. Williams said as he stood. "Have the nurse page me if you have any questions. Miss Mitchell will be in a room shortly. The nurse will be able to give you that information."

The doctor starts to leave but stops and looks at Aubrey. "I know it's not my place, but based on my examination and experience, I believe your friend has been drinking heavily for a while. She may have a problem and if it's not caught now, it will only get worse."

"Thank you, Dr. Williams," Aubrey said and went back to the waiting area to look for Stacie and, hopefully, Beca.

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

"I want to go home," Beca said as she sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed.

"I'm taking you to see you your wife in the hospital," Stacie said glancing over at the smaller brunette.

"I don't want to see her," Beca mumbled and looked out the window.

"Too bad," Stacie said. "We're here." She parked the car and looked over at Beca. "Beca, look at me." Beca continued to stare out the window. "Please look at me."

Beca slowly turns her head to look at Stacie. There is a tear falling down her cheek. Stacie sighs and reaches out to wipe it away. "Please talk to Chloe before you do anything you'll regret. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca said softly. "But, I do hate her right now."

"I know," Stacie said. "But, it's Chloe. And I know that she loves you more than anything else in this world."

"She cheated on me, Stacie," Beca snapped.

"I'm well aware of that," Stacie snapped back. "I think you should give her a chance to explain. I'm sure whatever happened wasn't something she actively sought out to do. I think you can at least give her a chance to tell her side of things. Talk to her. Listen to her."

"Whatever," Beca said.

The two women walked into the Emergency entrance and saw Aubrey talking to a nurse. She hurried over to Stacie as soon she saw them. She kissed Stacie and pulled Beca into a hug. Beca stood stiffly in her arms.

"Sorry it took so long," Stacie said. "I was trying to get this one somewhat sober before we came here."

"Beca," Aubrey said. "Chloe's in a room now. The nurse said we could go up whenever we want." Beca just stood there, arms crossed over her chest. Aubrey sighed. "Before we go up I need to tell you something."

"You don't need to tell me anything," Beca said. "She cheated on me. I heard her say it."

"I know, but there's more to it than just that," Aubrey said. "Let's go to the cafeteria and get some coffee in you. I'll tell you everything."

Beca stood there looking down at the ground. Her heart was shattered and she truly wanted to hate Chloe. But a piece of her was worried about her.

"Why is she even here?," Beca asked, trying to hide the full extent of her concern.

"She fainted," Aubrey said. "She hit her head when she fell. The doctor said she's okay but they want to keep her overnight. She apparently hasn't been eating and has been hitting the liquor pretty hard so she was dehydrated and the emotional stress of seeing you standing there when she said...those words, was too much for her body to handle. She's also been drinking. A lot."

Beca let out a breath and followed Aubrey and Stacie to the cafeteria. Once they got their coffee, they found seats away from most of the people and sat. Beca sat with her brows furrowed and she looked at Aubrey.

"What do you mean she was dehydrated?," Beca asked.

"That's what the doctor said," Aubrey said. "They have her on IV fluids to help with that. Have you noticed if she's been eating and drinking regularly? What about her alcohol consumption? Has it increased lately?"

Beca looked down somewhat ashamed. She had been thinking more about Chloe being cold to her that she didn't notice whether she had been eating or not. She hadn't noticed her drinking either.

"I, uh. I don't know," Beca said teary-eyed. "I hadn't noticed. She's been crying a lot. Whenever I tried to comfort her, or find out why, she pushes me away and says to leave her alone. So, I have been spending a lot of time in my studio. I just leave her alone like she wanted."

Aubrey and Stacie look at Beca with a mix of pity and concern. Aubrey clears her throat.

"Beca, I need to tell you what Chloe told me before you walked in on us," Aubrey said.

"I don't want to hear it," Beca said sitting up straighter, her body tense.

"You need to," Aubrey said. "Chloe said she got really drunk and doesn't remember what happened. She just remembers waking up the next day with that girl Sarah. She didn't want to believe that she had sex with her, but Sarah videotaped it."

"She taped it?," Stacie asked angrily. "What the Hell?"

"She's using it as blackmail," Aubrey said. "Chloe's been trying to figure out how to tell you about it all. She feels guilty because even if she wasn't aware of what was happening, it did happen. She had sex with someone who wasn't you and she hates herself for it. Sarah threatened to send you the tape if Chloe didn't hook up with her again."

"What?," Beca said. "Chloe went back to her?"

"No!," Aubrey said quickly. "Chloe has been avoiding Sarah, but she knows she can't keep doing it. She knows you'll be sent the tape. She apparently has been drinking to try and forget it."

"Well, this is a nice little story," Beca said, walls going up. "But, the fact is she cheated on me. And, I actually do hate her right now."

"That's all you can think of?," Aubrey snapped at her. "Beca, Chloe was caught up in a situation that she's not proud of and hates herself for, and is now being blackmailed to force her to do it again. She's been drinking a lot for the past month and you hadn't even noticed. She needs you to be her wife, or at least her friend. All this drinking is not good for her. Can you at least acknowledge that she may have a problem?"

"No," Beca responds.

"I can't believe you right now," Aubrey said and gets up and storms out of the cafeteria. Stacie debated with herself on whether to go after Aubrey or stay with Beca. Hoping to get through to Beca, she opts to stay.

"Beca," Stacie said. "You need to stop saying you hate Chloe. I know you hate the situation but I don't believe that you actually hate her. If you go in there like this and say that to Chloe, it will do irreparable harm to her and to your marriage." Stacie puts a hand up when it looks like Beca is going to speak. "Don't give me that same old bullshit about how she cheated on you. Yes, she had sex with someone who wasn't you. We'll come back to that later. For now, let's work on helping Chloe with something that is obviously traumatizing her and causing her to use alcohol to try and forget. If you want to leave her or whatever, fine. Just do it after we get her through this. Because if you walk out now, we may lose her permanently and I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for that."

"Why do I have to suck it up and help Chloe?," Beca asked petulantly.

"Can you honestly tell me that if you left her now," Stace said looking directly at Beca, "and something happened to her, that you would be okay with that?"

Beca looks down at the table, again not saying anything. She knows she couldn't stand it if anything happened to Chloe, but why does she have to be the one to help her. Chloe cheated on her and she was in pain. She wasn't even sure she wanted to be in the same room with her.

"Look, I know that her cheating on you is a big deal," Stacie said. "Especially after what happened with your father. But, I think the bigger issue that needs to be addressed is that Chloe is drinking so much. It's not good for her. Are you going to allow her to continue down this destructive path she set off on, or are you going to try and help her through this? Because you and I both know that you are the only one she really listens to."

Beca sits and glares at Stacie. She doesn't say anything and Stacie sighs.

"Fine," Stacie said. "Let me know if you change your mind. Aubrey or I will get Chloe's stuff from the house. She'll be staying with us."

"How can you take her side in this?," Beca asked as Stacie stood to leave. "She cheated on me."

"I'm not taking her side regarding the cheating," Stacie said. "I hate what happened but I don't hate her. Just like I wouldn't hate you if the roles were reversed. I'd be there as your friend no matter what. Just like I'm being there for Chloe, who really needs someone in her corner right now. You seem to have your mind made up on what you are going to do and I will respect that. But I'm not abandoning Chloe. You're both still my friend, whether you're together or not."

Stacie got up and left the cafeteria, leaving Beca alone with her thoughts.

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

Stacie walks into Chloe's room to find Aubrey sitting next to her bed. Chloe is sleeping and Stacie walks over and kisses Aubrey. She pulls the second chair closer and sits.

"Has she woken up at all?," Stacie asked quietly.

"Just once," Aubrey said. "She opened her eyes for a minute or so and looked around. When I told her she was in the hospital, she just said she needed a drink and went back to sleep."

"I'm anxious about her drinking," Stacie said. "It's not like her. In all the time I've known Chloe she's never shown any signs of addictive behavior. Well, except where Beca is concerned."

Aubrey gave a small chuckle. "That's true," she said. "Where is Beca? Is she coming to at least see Chloe?"

"I left her in the cafeteria," Stacie said. "But, I don't think she's coming. All she can think about is that Chloe cheated on her. And, I get that, I do. But, I thought she'd have enough compassion to at least try and help Chloe with the drinking. It's so unlike her. I told Beca we'd be there for her no matter what, but that we would also be there for Chloe as well."

"What are we going to do if Beca does leave her?," Aubrey asked, brow furrowed in concern.

"I don't know, babe," Stacie said taking Aubrey's hand. "But, we'd better be ready for it. You know how Beca feels about cheating and that's all she's focused on right now."

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

"Brey?," Chloe said, voice cracking as she tried to wake up. Her eyes focused and she saw Stacie and Aubrey sitting next to the bed. She starts looking around the room. "Is Beca here?"

Aubrey and Stacie looked at each other. "I'm sorry, Chloe," Aubrey said.

Chloe just flopped back onto the bed and put her hand over her eyes. "Is she divorcing me?"

"I honestly don't know," Aubrey said. "We told her you'd be staying with us for a while."

"I'll go get some of your stuff before you get out of here tomorrow," Stacie said.

"She hates me doesn't she?," Chloe asked softly, wiping the tears that were sliding down her face and onto her pillow.

Stacie sat forward and took Chloe's hand. "I really don't think so," she tells Chloe. "I know she's hurting and says she does, but I don't believe her. I think she hates what happened but I don't think she could ever hate you."

"Yeah, well, I hate me," Chloe said. She looked around again and asked, "What happened? Why am I here?"

"You fainted," Aubrey said. "The doctor said it was a combination of not eating, alcohol consumption, dehydration, and severe emotional stress. He's worried about your drinking. Thinks it might be an issue we should address."

"My drinking is not 'an issue'," Chloe scoffs. "I drink to forget. And it's not that bad."

"Not that bad?," Aubrey practically yells. "You had five drinks of hard liquor in the span of about sixty minutes when you were with me. I'd say that's bad."

"Brey, calm down," Stacie said placing a hand on her arm. "Let's take a breath. Okay?"

"Fine," Aubrey said and folded her arms across her chest. "How did you drink without Beca knowing about it?"

"I just hid bottles around the house in rooms she didn't bother going into," Chloe said "The house is so big we spent days not seeing each other, so it wasn't that difficult. Plus, Beca was either at her work studio or holed up in her home studio. I, um, also took the rest of the school year off for personal reasons."

"You haven't been working?," Stacie asked.

"No," Chloe said. "A week after I got back from the conference, Sarah cornered me and tried to get me to have sex with her in a classroom. I got away from her and couldn't stand the idea of going back so I talked to the principal. He said he'd noticed I didn't seem to be well, so he gave me a sabbatical. If things are better, I can start back up in the Fall."

"What about Sarah?," Aubrey asked. "Why didn't she send Beca the video?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "I ignored her calls and texts hoping she'd just drop it. I've been living in fear every day that Beca was going to get the video. I guess it doesn't matter now."

"Do you still have her texts or voicemails?," Stacie asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I didn't listen or read any after the first few. I should have deleted them but thought I could show them to Beca to prove Sarah was threatening me."

"It might just be enough evidence to at least file charges against her," Stacie said.

"Really?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Stacie replied. "California has a two-consent law when it comes to taping anyone. I'm assuming she did not get your consent?"

"Even drunk I would never have agreed to it," Chloe said.

*oOo*oOo*oOo*

Beca sat in the cafeteria going over everything that Aubrey and Stacie had said. She can't believe she hasn't noticed how much Chloe has been drinking or that she hasn't been eating. But, then again all she's been thinking about is why Chloe had suddenly started shutting her down. Plus, she'd been hiding out in the studio. Now that she knows the truth, it doesn't make her feel any better. She knows at some point that she will talk to Chloe and get her side of the story. But, for now, she really does feel some hatred towards her. Chloe knows what happened with her dad and also knows how much Beca hates cheaters in general.

"God, my life sucks," Beca mumbled. She got up and threw her coffee cup in the trash and walked out of the cafeteria. She stopped as soon as she was outside the doors. If she went right, she could exit the hospital and call a taxi or an Uber and just go home. If she went left she'd be able to find out what room Chloe was in and could go see her.

Beca went right.