Chapter Ten
Chloe was sitting on the couch in Craig's office next to Belle. Belle had an arm wrapped around her shoulder for comfort and Shawn sat in the chair across from them. Chloe had barely spoken two words since she had somehow managed to tell Belle and Shawn what had happened. Shortly after Shawn got on the phone with his father, Belle had returned with two security guards in tow.
The security guards kept Phillip at bay until Bo and the Salem police arrived to place him under arrest. Craig had shown up immediately after Phillip's attack and escorted Chloe, Shawn and Belle to his office. They had been sitting there for nearly thirty minutes, barely speaking to each other, still stunned from what had transpired.
Shawn sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "I can't believe this. I've known Phillip my entire life. I didn't think he was capable of something like this."
Belle nodded in agreement. "Me either. I knew he had a bad temper... but I never knew it was bad enough to do something like this."
Chloe looked away from them and spoke for the first time in the thirty minutes they had been sitting in Craig's office. "He's sick. It's a psychological problem... And I should have known. I pretended that his obsession with me wasn't dangerous, but I should have known better."
"Chloe... You had no way of knowing how far he could go."
"No, I did. I just chose to ignore all of the signs."
Shawn shook his head and interjected. "We have known Phillip a lot longer than you have, and none of us could have ever expected this. You're right, Phillip is sick... but NONE of us could have ever guessed that he was this sick."
Chloe sighed softly and looked towards the floor, her shoulders hunched in despair. "But, I should have guessed it. I was the object of his obsession... The catalyst for his illness. I should have made him get help a long time ago."
She didn't say it out loud, but she knew what the real truth was. This was all her fault. If only she had noticed the signs earlier, she might have been able to prevent all of this. And if Brady did not survive, the blame would be on her shoulders for the rest of her life.
Belle frowned at Chloe in disappointment. "Don't say that, Chloe. I know you think this is somehow your fault, but it's not. None of us blames you, and Brady won't either. The blame belongs to Phillip, and him only."
Chloe's eyebrows lifted in surprise, wondering how Belle could read her thoughts so well. It must be a skill that was passed down to her from her older brother. "I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel partly responsible for all of this. I could have stopped it, but I didn't."
"There was nothing you could have done, Chloe. You've tried, we've all tried, to talk sense into Phillip before, but he never listened. There was nothing more you could say, nothing that would have fixed him. The only good news about all of this is that maybe he'll finally get the psychiatric help that he needs."
Chloe nodded, but it wasn't necessarily out of agreement. Nothing good had come out of this, and nothing could have convinced her that this wasn't her fault.
She almost had to laugh at the irony of it all. "You know, it's kind of funny."
Shawn raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What is?"
"For most of my life, I saw the worst of what the human race had to offer. And, then I came to Salem and I finally saw the good that people had to offer... I met you two and you taught me how to look for the good inside people's hearts. So, that's what I did. I tried to believe in all of the good things about Phillip... when I should have been noticing how truly dangerous and evil he could be."
"Evil? You think he's evil?"
Chloe shrugged in confusion. "I don't know. What he did was disgusting. And, I know that sometimes people with mental illness can't control their actions... But, part of me thinks he knew exactly what he was doing. And, he might not have planned on going there to hurt Brady, but he sure didn't hold back. Did he?"
The question was left hanging in the air, unanswered. The conversation was interrupted when Craig came in holding three bottles of water. He handed one to each of them and took the seat on Chloe's other side. He glanced with concern at her and patted her on the knee.
"How are you holding up, kiddo?"
Chloe shrugged slightly. "I don't know. None of this makes sense."
"I know it doesn't. But it's over now. Phillip won't hurt any of you ever again." Chloe nodded slowly and Craig kissed the top of her head lovingly. "Your mother is on her way over. She's bringing you a clean pair of socks and shoes since your other ones are soaked with coffee."
"Oh no... Did she have a panic attack when you told her what happened?"
"Almost. You know how Nancy is. But, I told her you were okay, and that thanks to Shawn and Belle, nothing worse happened."
Chloe smiled weakly at Shawn and then made the same acknowledgement to Belle. "I know. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. If it wasn't for you two... I don't know what he would have done to me."
Craig nodded and looked at Chloe with complete seriousness. "I want to do a couple of tests though, make sure that head of yours is still in one piece. That way when I tell your mother that you are okay, I won't be lying to her."
"Craig, I'm fine."
Shawn looked at her in surprise. "Chloe... I heard the sound your head made when it hit the wall. You really should get it checked."
Belle nodded and continued Shawn's thoughts. "He's right. You hit pretty hard. I'm surprised you didn't get knocked unconscious. Remember, you can't help Brady if you're sick or hurt, Chloe."
Chloe nodded, but she did it begrudgingly. "I know... I know. Run your tests, Craig."
Craig smiled in approval. "Thank you. Also... Bo Brady needs you to give an official statement about what happened. He said he could do it whenever you're feeling better, no rush."
"Can he do it here in the hospital? I don't want to leave."
"I don't think that will be a problem at all. There's one other thing I need warn the three of you about. There will probably be a lot of press and media here tonight..."
Chloe's eyes widened in surprised. "Really? To talk to us?"
Craig nodded and continued. "This is a big enough story with just the basic facts, but when you add in the Blacks and the Kiriakises... It's a HUGE story."
Belle sighed softly and frowned. "The press never quits, do they? They can't leave us alone and let us handle this without the spotlight."
Shawn leaned forward and rubbed her on the knee. "Just ignore it, Belle. Pretend that they aren't even there, and we'll get through this."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "I won't talk to them at all. I'm not ready for that. And if I ever do decide to talk to the press, it won't be to any of those disgusting tabloids or talk shows. I'd rather talk to Jennifer Horton."
"Well, as a member of Jennifer's family, I think I can vouch for how much you can trust her to do right by this story."
Craig stood and motioned for Chloe to join him. He looked at Shawn and Belle and addressed them. "I'm going to take Chloe for those tests now. You two feel free to hang out here as long as you need to."
Chloe stood and walked with Craig towards the door. She looked at him with worry on her face. "Brady's not alone, is he?"
"Of course not. John went to the police station with Bo, but Marlena is sitting with him right now."
Chloe smiled weakly and followed him out. Everything around her still seemed to move in slow motion as if she was dreaming all of this. She wished that this was a dream, and that she would wake up in the morning with everything the way it was before that night in the parking garage.
***
Chloe was sitting on the couch in Craig's office next to Belle. Belle had an arm wrapped around her shoulder for comfort and Shawn sat in the chair across from them. Chloe had barely spoken two words since she had somehow managed to tell Belle and Shawn what had happened. Shortly after Shawn got on the phone with his father, Belle had returned with two security guards in tow.
The security guards kept Phillip at bay until Bo and the Salem police arrived to place him under arrest. Craig had shown up immediately after Phillip's attack and escorted Chloe, Shawn and Belle to his office. They had been sitting there for nearly thirty minutes, barely speaking to each other, still stunned from what had transpired.
Shawn sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "I can't believe this. I've known Phillip my entire life. I didn't think he was capable of something like this."
Belle nodded in agreement. "Me either. I knew he had a bad temper... but I never knew it was bad enough to do something like this."
Chloe looked away from them and spoke for the first time in the thirty minutes they had been sitting in Craig's office. "He's sick. It's a psychological problem... And I should have known. I pretended that his obsession with me wasn't dangerous, but I should have known better."
"Chloe... You had no way of knowing how far he could go."
"No, I did. I just chose to ignore all of the signs."
Shawn shook his head and interjected. "We have known Phillip a lot longer than you have, and none of us could have ever expected this. You're right, Phillip is sick... but NONE of us could have ever guessed that he was this sick."
Chloe sighed softly and looked towards the floor, her shoulders hunched in despair. "But, I should have guessed it. I was the object of his obsession... The catalyst for his illness. I should have made him get help a long time ago."
She didn't say it out loud, but she knew what the real truth was. This was all her fault. If only she had noticed the signs earlier, she might have been able to prevent all of this. And if Brady did not survive, the blame would be on her shoulders for the rest of her life.
Belle frowned at Chloe in disappointment. "Don't say that, Chloe. I know you think this is somehow your fault, but it's not. None of us blames you, and Brady won't either. The blame belongs to Phillip, and him only."
Chloe's eyebrows lifted in surprise, wondering how Belle could read her thoughts so well. It must be a skill that was passed down to her from her older brother. "I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel partly responsible for all of this. I could have stopped it, but I didn't."
"There was nothing you could have done, Chloe. You've tried, we've all tried, to talk sense into Phillip before, but he never listened. There was nothing more you could say, nothing that would have fixed him. The only good news about all of this is that maybe he'll finally get the psychiatric help that he needs."
Chloe nodded, but it wasn't necessarily out of agreement. Nothing good had come out of this, and nothing could have convinced her that this wasn't her fault.
She almost had to laugh at the irony of it all. "You know, it's kind of funny."
Shawn raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What is?"
"For most of my life, I saw the worst of what the human race had to offer. And, then I came to Salem and I finally saw the good that people had to offer... I met you two and you taught me how to look for the good inside people's hearts. So, that's what I did. I tried to believe in all of the good things about Phillip... when I should have been noticing how truly dangerous and evil he could be."
"Evil? You think he's evil?"
Chloe shrugged in confusion. "I don't know. What he did was disgusting. And, I know that sometimes people with mental illness can't control their actions... But, part of me thinks he knew exactly what he was doing. And, he might not have planned on going there to hurt Brady, but he sure didn't hold back. Did he?"
The question was left hanging in the air, unanswered. The conversation was interrupted when Craig came in holding three bottles of water. He handed one to each of them and took the seat on Chloe's other side. He glanced with concern at her and patted her on the knee.
"How are you holding up, kiddo?"
Chloe shrugged slightly. "I don't know. None of this makes sense."
"I know it doesn't. But it's over now. Phillip won't hurt any of you ever again." Chloe nodded slowly and Craig kissed the top of her head lovingly. "Your mother is on her way over. She's bringing you a clean pair of socks and shoes since your other ones are soaked with coffee."
"Oh no... Did she have a panic attack when you told her what happened?"
"Almost. You know how Nancy is. But, I told her you were okay, and that thanks to Shawn and Belle, nothing worse happened."
Chloe smiled weakly at Shawn and then made the same acknowledgement to Belle. "I know. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. If it wasn't for you two... I don't know what he would have done to me."
Craig nodded and looked at Chloe with complete seriousness. "I want to do a couple of tests though, make sure that head of yours is still in one piece. That way when I tell your mother that you are okay, I won't be lying to her."
"Craig, I'm fine."
Shawn looked at her in surprise. "Chloe... I heard the sound your head made when it hit the wall. You really should get it checked."
Belle nodded and continued Shawn's thoughts. "He's right. You hit pretty hard. I'm surprised you didn't get knocked unconscious. Remember, you can't help Brady if you're sick or hurt, Chloe."
Chloe nodded, but she did it begrudgingly. "I know... I know. Run your tests, Craig."
Craig smiled in approval. "Thank you. Also... Bo Brady needs you to give an official statement about what happened. He said he could do it whenever you're feeling better, no rush."
"Can he do it here in the hospital? I don't want to leave."
"I don't think that will be a problem at all. There's one other thing I need warn the three of you about. There will probably be a lot of press and media here tonight..."
Chloe's eyes widened in surprised. "Really? To talk to us?"
Craig nodded and continued. "This is a big enough story with just the basic facts, but when you add in the Blacks and the Kiriakises... It's a HUGE story."
Belle sighed softly and frowned. "The press never quits, do they? They can't leave us alone and let us handle this without the spotlight."
Shawn leaned forward and rubbed her on the knee. "Just ignore it, Belle. Pretend that they aren't even there, and we'll get through this."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "I won't talk to them at all. I'm not ready for that. And if I ever do decide to talk to the press, it won't be to any of those disgusting tabloids or talk shows. I'd rather talk to Jennifer Horton."
"Well, as a member of Jennifer's family, I think I can vouch for how much you can trust her to do right by this story."
Craig stood and motioned for Chloe to join him. He looked at Shawn and Belle and addressed them. "I'm going to take Chloe for those tests now. You two feel free to hang out here as long as you need to."
Chloe stood and walked with Craig towards the door. She looked at him with worry on her face. "Brady's not alone, is he?"
"Of course not. John went to the police station with Bo, but Marlena is sitting with him right now."
Chloe smiled weakly and followed him out. Everything around her still seemed to move in slow motion as if she was dreaming all of this. She wished that this was a dream, and that she would wake up in the morning with everything the way it was before that night in the parking garage.
***