Chapter Seven
Beige walls with blue trim. Off white tile floor with little flecks of color. It was all so bland, so muted. Aubrey grimly thought the room was in desperate need of a flash of red, just a glimpse of Chloe's vibrant hair. Or even a splash of blue, if Chloe would just open her eyes again.
That's all Aubrey was asking for. Just open your eyes Chloe.
The blonde had sat by her wife's bed, almost afraid to take her eyes off of her. Dr. Green had been by the night before, not long after the nurse had summoned her. The woman sadly confirmed that there was nothing more they could do for Chloe. They of course would continue doing what they were, antibiotics to treat the fever and the infection, IVs to keep her hydrated, and oxygen. Along with a few other things that Aubrey was angry with herself over forgetting.
"I'm so sorry I don't have better news for you." Dr. Green said softly.
Aubrey nodded and clenched her jaw. The doctor gave her one final sad smile and slipped from the room. And now, Aubrey sat. All night and all day she sat. Jesse, Cynthia Rose and Amy had been in the waiting room, rotating in and out one at a time to sit with her and Chloe as hospital regulations only allowed two people in her room at a time. Aubrey was grateful for their presence, even if she was too emotionally spent to convey it. They had at least let her order dinner in for them.
Beca had been in the room when Dr. Green explained the situation and had promptly left saying she was going for coffee. Aubrey suspected that in reality, the brunette simply didn't want her to see her cry. The blonde mused at the fact that the brunette had disappeared again a short time ago, probably for the same reason.
Aubrey reached and took Chloe's hand between her own. She squeezed. She sighed when she felt no return squeeze, not even a twitch from the woman on the bed.
The blonde glanced back over her shoulder when she heard Beca reenter the room. The shorter woman's eyes were bloodshot, confirming Aubrey's suspicions. She pulled a chair close to the bed opposite Aubrey. "Have you called her mom? I can do it if you want…"
Aubrey swallowed thickly. "She's on a flight out tonight. Thank you though."
Beca nodded and bit her bottom lip. She sighed and suddenly seemed unsure of where to look so she dropped her gaze to her hands clasped in her lap. "Ya know…my grandmother died of cancer."
The blonde clenched her jaw and felt her breath catch in her throat when she glanced toward the younger woman.
"Yeah." Beca continued before Aubrey uttered a word. "Of course that was like twenty years ago. I was just a kid and my parents made me go see her in the hospital. It was awful. They couldn't keep her comfortable and she was just screaming in pain."
They both blinked tears away as they allowed their gazes to settle on the sleeping woman between them.
"So…it could be a lot worse. At least she's sleeping."
Aubrey released a shaky breath and nodded. "She does seem peaceful."
"Yeah." Beca sighed in return.
Sadly, the thought did little to comfort them as they sat, seemingly just waiting until Chloe would draw her last ragged breath.
xxxx
Aubrey jerked awake at the sound of Beca's phone chirping. She immediately wanted to kick herself for falling asleep. A quick glance at the wall clock showed it was just after 4am. She shook her head hoping to clear away the cobwebs and once again let her gaze settle on her wife.
Beca slipped her phone back into her pocket and stood to her feet. "Jesse said he's about head out to pick up Mrs. Beale from the airport." she said softly. "I'm just going to run out and say goodbye. I'll be right back ok?"
Aubrey nodded, only tearing her eyes away from her wife long enough to smile grimly at her friend. She reached and rubbed tiredly at her eyes once Beca had faded from view. She had been sitting, keeping vigil over Chloe for two days. Two days since her wife had shown any sign of life other than the ragged sounds of her breathing.
The blonde snapped her head up as the realization washed over her that she couldn't hear the rattled breaths escaping as the sleeping woman struggled. She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing in alarm. But Chloe's chest continued to rise and fall rhythmically. Aubrey stood from the chair and stretched her arms over her head, appreciating the pull to her tired, stiff muscles.
Aubrey lowered her arms and stepped closer the bed. She gently eased herself down onto the side of the bed and reached for Chloe's hand. She lifted her wife's hand to her lips and brushed them against her knuckles. She blinked in surprise at the cool feel to Chloe's skin.
Even just that morning, she could feel the heat of the woman's fever radiating from her body, including her hands. Aubrey reached and cupped Chloe's cheek, turning to gauge her temperature with the back of her hand as well. She was indeed cool to the touch.
Aubrey was just about to call for a nurse when a soft sigh sounded from the woman. Chloe stretched slightly as her tired eyes blinked open. Aubrey's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the bright blue that she had previously been convinced that she would never see again.
"Hi." Chloe whispered.
A sob escaped from Aubrey's mouth and she flung herself across the surprised woman. The blonde was still muttering and crying as she peppered her wife's face with kisses. She finally simply gathered Chloe into her arms and held her tightly.
Beca came to a stop at the sight that met her eyes. Aubrey was sobbing and holding Chloe. She immediately thought the worst and felt her heart shatter. Until a pale hand lifted to clutch at Aubrey's arm. She gasped before she too rushed and launched herself at the woman on the bed.
Chloe chuckled as both women fretted over her, tears flowing freely. Aubrey finally lowered her back to the bed and pulled away just enough to once again press a kiss to her wife's forehead. She kept their foreheads pressed together and finally felt her own breathing beginning to settle.
Beca was still clutching Chloe's free hand tightly with tears streaming down her cheeks. Chloe squeezed her hand and smiled tiredly at her best friend, slightly confused as to their dramatic greeting.
"What happened?"
Beca hiccupped as she tried to control her breathing and squeezed the hand she was still holding tightly. "Jesus Christ Chloe, you scared the shit out of us! They said…they said there was nothing else they could…we thought..."
Realization dawned on her and she snapped her gaze to the blonde still leaning close to her, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh…how long have I been asleep?"
"More than two days." Aubrey whispered. Chloe blinked at the sight of all the pain and sorrow from the last few days and relief and happiness flashing across the blonde's face. She reached a shaking hand up to cup Aubrey's cheek.
"That explains why I'm so hungry then." Chloe said softly, a small grin teasing at her lips as she once again tried to ease the tension around her.
Aubrey choked out a relieved laugh as she sat, staring lovingly at her wife. She reluctantly broke the gaze and glanced over her shoulder when she heard someone rush into the room.
"I heard the commotion…" Dr. Green said, her voice trailing off at the sight of the three women blinking back at her.
"She's hungry." Aubrey said, a wide smile splitting her face.
A relieved grin spread over Dr. Green's face and she nodded. "We'll feed her anything she'll eat! I'll even approve takeout if we have to."
xxxx
Epilogue – Six months later
Chloe stared into the mirror and quirked a brow. She lifted a hand and mussed her freshly grown hair. It was growing in even curlier than it had been before chemo and at the moment it was at a rather unflattering length. She sighed.
Seconds later, sun kissed arms snaked their way around the redhead's waist and Aubrey pressed a wet kiss to the side of her neck. Chloe giggled. When Aubrey lifted her head and also gazed back at their reflection in the mirror Chloe smirked. "I look like little orphan Annie."
Aubrey laughed. Her eyes crinkled and Chloe could feel the vibration of it throughout her entire body where her wife was pressed snuggly against her back. The sight and feel of it wiped away any lingering feelings of awkwardness at her own appearance.
"Sexiest orphan I've ever seen." The blonde whispered.
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled before she sighed again. "Would it be wrong to shave it off and try again? Total helmet hair…"
"Don't you dare." Aubrey replied with a low growl, once again pressing a kiss to her wife's neck. "I love it."
The redhead's breath hitched and a breathy moan escaped when Aubrey eased her hand into the waistband of her yoga pants. Aubrey continued to plant hot kisses along Chloe's neck as she set a steady rhythm between her wife's legs.
"Oh…god. Bed, come on!" Chloe cried, somehow managing to gather her senses enough to convince her feet to propel her toward their bed, dragging Aubrey along behind her.
They wasted no time shredding their clothing and dropped to the bed, seeking the other's mouth and body almost frantically. Chloe found herself flat on her back with Aubrey draped over her, skin pressed to skin. When the blonde pulled away from her assault on her neck, the redhead whimpered at the loss of contact.
But as her vision focused and she gazed up at Aubrey, her breath hitched for an entirely different reason. The blonde was staring down at her with such an intense look of love, Chloe felt tears spring to her eyes.
"I love you." Aubrey whispered, barely audible.
Chloe nodded as tears trailed from the corner of her eyes down her temples and into her hairline. "I know…I know you do. I love you too. Aubrey I love you…I love you."
A short time later they were lying contentedly tangled in the sheets, limbs intertwined. Chloe lazily grazed her fingers down Aubrey's bare back, the blonde clutching her tightly in return and resting her head on her wife's shoulder.
"So…" Chloe whispered, her lips twitching up into a grin. "You going to make your orphan Annie breakfast or what?"
Aubrey groaned and turned, burying her face in Chloe's neck. "Ugh. I should have left you when I had the chance."
The redhead chuckled and wrapped her arms tightly around Aubrey. "Too late now. You can't leave now that I'm finally strong enough for sex. And I want waffles by the way."
Aubrey laughed and Chloe felt her nodding against her shoulder. The blonde finally lifted her head, a wide grin on her face. "Fine. I'll cook you breakfast. But just you wait until I'm pregnant…I'm getting a bell and I'll expect you to be at my beck and call. In one of those sexy French maid outfits…"
"Little Orphan Annie in a sexy French maid outfit? You are one sick, twisted woman Aubrey Posen-Beale."
The blonde barked out another laugh before pressing their lips together once again. "And you love me."
Chloe reached and brushed Aubrey's blonde hair back from her face with both hands, cupping her wife's cheeks after. She smiled widely and nodded. "I do." Tears once again unexpectedly pooled in her eyes. "I do love you Aubrey and I…I don't think I could ever thank you enough for-"
"Sshh." The blonde whispered, pressing a finger to her wife's trembling lips. "There's nothing to thank me for, you know that. I don't need thanks…you're healthy in remission…I have a great job at GenWare with reasonable hours. This is all I need. Besides, I'll probably go senile first and you'll have your hands full then."
The redhead chuckled, still sniffling slightly, and nodded. "Don't worry…I'll pick out a good old folks home for you, one where they change your diaper at least twice a week." Aubrey quirked a brow and smirked. "Now how about those waffles?"
Aubrey pressed a chaste kiss to Chloe's lips before pushing herself to a seated position, her legs dangling from the side of the bed. She reached and stretched her arms over her head to work the kinks out of her body. Chloe's eyes trailed down her wife's toned form and just as the blonde was about to stand, she reached and tangled their fingers together.
Aubrey glanced back in surprise. She once again quirked a brow and smirked at the look on her wife's face. "I thought you wanted waffles? I'll actually have to get out of bed for that…"
With a devious grin, Chloe pounced, effectively flipping their positions. Aubrey squeaked in surprise at suddenly finding herself flat on her back with the redhead's nude body pressed tightly against her own.
"We have plenty of time for that…later." Chloe replied with a wide smile. "We have all the time in the world."
Aubrey's smile widened to match her wife's as Chloe lowered her head to press their lips together once again.
The End.
A/N – So there you have it. I know life and stories can't always have a happy ending but I tend to prefer it when they do! Thanks so much for sticking with me!
