"Good shower?" Ange asked as Chloe made her way into the living room. Chloe leant against the door frame and nodded, she decided not to tell her Mum about the panic attack she had had when in the shower. "I've got some of that hot chocolate powder you like in the kitchen, do you want one?" Ange offered. Chloe nodded again, and Ange got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen, Chloe stepped aside to let her past, it was then that Ange noticed that her eyes were red and her cheeks were slightly blotchy. "Hey" She said gently, placing her hands on her daughter's arms comfortingly. "You ok?".
Chloe bit her lip. "I am now, honestly" she replied, since 'letting it out' in the shower, surprisingly Chloe felt a lot better than she had before.
"You sure?"
Chloe nodded. "I'm sure"
"As long as you're sure. Now you go sit down, I'll bring it through" Ange told her, Chloe did just that as Ange headed into the kitchen.
Ange returned shortly thereafter holding two cups, she put them both on the coffee table before sitting down next to Chloe. She took a deep breath. There was no time like the present. "You were right" Ange began, her voice wavered slightly, giving away her nervousness. "I have been hiding something from you"
"Mum" Chloe stopped her. "You don't have to-"
Ange shook her head, the action interrupting her. She took Chloe's uninjured hand in hers. "I've not been honest with you for a long time, and for that I'm sorry"
Chloe turned so she was facing Ange. "Mum? What is it? You're worrying me now" She asked, her earlier anger had disappeared upon noticing how down her Mum looked.
"There's no easy way to tell you this" Ange started.
"Mum? What is it? Please don't tell me your ill? Mum?" Chloe was becoming frantic.
"I'm not ill. No one is ill. Don't worry" She comforted. "Just let me say this, then I'll answer all your questions because you will have them" Chloe nodded her understanding, a worried look was etched on her face. "The truth is you have a brother, well a half-brother"
"Through my Dad?" Chloe asked frowning.
Ange shook her head "No".
Chloe understood what this meant. "Oh" she remarked; this wasn't what she was expecting to hear.
"He was adopted" Ange told her with a saddened expression. "He's older than you"
"Wait" Chloe stopped her, "You were only 17 when you had me, how much older is he?"
"I was 14" Ange said.
"God, Mum!" Chloe exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I had no idea"
"I know you didn't" Ange replied. "There's more to it though" Chloe returned to her previous state of concern. Ange paused, she had gone over this conversation numerous times since she had found out Dom was her son, and now she was having the conversation, she couldn't find the right words. "See, the thing is. Well, he's here. In Holby"
"Is that why we moved here?" Chloe asked softly, "So you could find him?"
She shook her head. "I actually had no idea he moved here too, the last I heard was that he was living in Scotland, I've only known for a couple of weeks, we both just needed time to get our heads around the shock"
"So, you've met him?" Chloe asked, "What's he like?"
"He's amazing, the best I'd imagined" Ange smiled briefly before her expression fell. This was the bit that was going to make Chloe hate her, run away back to London. This was the part of the story she was most afraid to say, she was so afraid of losing both of them, and this truth could have just that effect. "You've actually already met him"
"Wait, who?"
To Ange's surprise, Chloe had remained calm, her concern combined with shock had resolved her previous anger and she was now just worried for her Mum. 'Maybe this wouldn't go so badly after all' Ange thought. "You know you said that there was something going on between me and Dom?" Ange was trying to find the right way of breaking the news.
Chloe wasn't understanding what Ange was trying to get at. "What has it got to do with him? I don't understand"
Ange took another composing breath. "It's him, Dominic. Dom is my son and your brother"
"What?" Chloe was still confused; the news hadn't made sense to her yet. "As in Dominic Copeland?"
Ange nodded. Chloe went silent, the shock of what she had just been told had caused her to be speechless. Ange allowed her a few moments for her brain to catch up and process the information.
"Sweetheart, please say something?" Ange was worried, the pure fear of her daughter leaving and not speaking to her again consumed every fibre of her being. Tears escaped from Ange's eyes, she moved so she was now on her knees on the sofa and cupped her daughters face in her hands before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Chloe, please"
The only sounds that Chloe could hear were the repetitive ticks of the clock that hung on the wall and her Mum calling her name.
"Chloe?" Ange was becoming frantic, tears were running down her face, she still knelt on the sofa, she put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "Chloe, sweetheart, please, just say something?"
