Chapter Twenty-Three

Sunday 22nd December – 4pm

Chloe walked down the hallway after leaving Elly's hospital room, meeting Bea at the end of the hallway before the waiting room, "Hey, you ready to find Aaron and head home?"

Bea nodded as she strode in line with Chloe through the waiting room, "Sure thing."

"Oh, Elly told me that you've been through a lot with everything that Finn has done. She asked me to get you to stay at home for the evening with Karl and Susan and not to worry about getting her overnight bag. I'll get it for her and bring it to back here for you," Chloe told Bea.

Bea smiled shyly up at the blonde, "Can't stay away from your girl for long, can you? You'll be back here within the hour making eyes at my sister the way you two do."

Chloe raised her eyebrow at Bea, "'Your girl'? What are you talking about?"

Bea wiggled her eyebrow back at Chloe, "You and Elly? You're finally going to be together, right?"

"What gave you that impression?" Chloe asked gently.

Bea immediately frowned at Chloe before taking her right hand and swiftly slapping Chloe across the back of her head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Chloe complained but continued walking alongside Bea.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Bea demanded, her tone firm but annoyed.

"I'm sorry if you thought that talk with Elly meant we're going to be together," Chloe told Bea.

Bea rolled her eyes at the blonde, "What else was I supposed to think?" then glared at Chloe, "Did you just break my sister's heart cause I swear to God if you just-"

"What? No, it wasn't like that," Chloe assured.

"Then why aren't you two together?" Bea asked, "You've been in love with Elly for more than a year, now she loves you back and you don't want her? What cause you think Pierce is your great love? Or is this because of my nephew? You don't want to be with Elly because of him?"

Chloe stopped walking, turned abruptly to Bea, stopping her in her tracks too, "It's not like that, okay? But what it is, is complicated. That's what I told Elly, that I need time to think about this. Elly dropped a bombshell on me because I never thought she'd feel the same way."

"Elly does feel the same way, do you really need time to think it over? You still love her," Bea commented.

Chloe sighed as she looked away from Bea, "I don't know how to trust that Elly does love me, okay. Elly said it in a heightened emotional moment. She's vulnerable, last thing she should be thinking about is romance. What if this isn't how she really feels? What if she's just…substituting me for Shaun cause she wants a partner to help her raise her son and I'm just…here cause she knows how I feel about her? How am I supposed to believe Elly truly loves me? That this isn't just something that came over her last night? She says she's felt this way for weeks now, since my birthday, but this is all so complicated and I need…to know this isn't something Elly is responding to after our experience last night and giving birth to her son. Has Elly spoken to you about this?"

Bea relented to Chloe's need for assurance, "Okay…I get where you are coming from that you need to know Elly means it and perhaps the timing wasn't great as Elly should be putting all her focus into her son. I don't believe for a second Elly would even consider using you or anyone for that matter cause she doesn't want to be alone or raise her child alone. Elly never felt anything for Shaun, yes, she wanted him in the baby's life as the baby's father but that was as far as Elly would have taken things had he been alive. And no…Elly never spoke to me about the way she feels for you…but you said your birthday…Elly's been moody, crying herself to sleep some nights…since about that time. I get you needing more than that…but I know my sister and she would never declare her love for you unless she knew that's how she felt. If you need Elly to tell you she loves you every day until you finally trust her…my sister's gonna do that…she'll do anything to prove how she feels."

"I still need time to think about all this," Chloe mumbled.

"Do you love Pierce?" Bea asked tersely.

Chloe shrugged, "Pierce loves me."

"That's not what I asked," Bea pointed out.

No…

Chloe didn't answer Bea.

"Then this is about my nephew," Bea concluded.

"Of course, he plays a big part in this and that is why I need time to make sure whatever may or may not happen between Elly and I is also what's best for him. I don't know if I'm cut out to be a parent," Chloe admitted.

"Elly doesn't need you to be a parent," Bea pointed out.

"Elly told me when we were dating that whomever she does date she needs to make sure the person is right for her and her baby because that person will be a step mum or step dad. Being a role model to a child is one thing but I can't just rush into this with Elly," Chloe insisted.

Bea nodded, "I get this is a big decision but you need to trust Elly doesn't need you to be a parent, start with being a role model. You both love each other and because of that you can make this work."

Chloe sighed before she restarted walking with Bea towards the entrance of the hospital to meet Aaron, "I still need time, Bea, I can't rush into anything with Elly. Besides I'm still not sure this is really how Elly feels about me and this isn't some reaction to last night or not wanting to be alone."

"Fine, take your time. If I know my sister, then she's not gonna give up on proving how much she loves you just cause this is complicated and you need to be sure how she feels about you," Bea decided.

"Who feels about you?" Aaron suddenly interrupted the pair as they came upon him quicker than they realized.

"Nothing," Chloe answered quickly.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at the pair as he started walking in front of them out of the hospital, "But didn't Bea just say to you, Chlo, 'feels about you'?"

"Pierce," Chloe lied, praying Aaron hadn't heard the pronoun and was pretending not to have.

Bea shook her head at Chloe, swiftly back handing the blonde across the back of her head once more. Aaron heard the sound but when he turned back to the girls, he saw them glaring at one another, couldn't work out why but decided it might be better to ask his sister later at home.

Chloe ignored the glare from Bea and the curious look Aaron had given her, "Bea needs a lift home and she's going to stay there as she needs to be with her family tonight. I'm going to their place to pick up a bag for Elly with all her stuff she needs over the next few days then I'm coming back here to drop it off to her."

"Do you need a lift back here with Elly's stuff?" Aaron asked, realizing that telling Chloe not to spend time with Elly when Pierce was away was hardly the way to get Chloe onside.

"I'll be fine, Azza, I need your help to sort out Hendrix staying at our place for a few nights anyway," Chloe reminded him.

Bea elbowed Chloe in the side, "Thanks for helping Elly. She's gonna appreciate seeing you again so soon…y'know after you've had some time to think things over."

"What things?" Aaron asked his sister.

"Christmas present for Elly's son now that I know it's a boy, I'll have to think about what to get them for Christmas," Chloe lied then before Bea could say anymore, Chloe pointed to Aaron's car, "Look, Aaron's car, let's get back to Ramsay Street as soon as possible."

Bea waited for Aaron to jump in the car as she stood on his side of the car with Chloe walking around to the passenger side, to add to Chloe, "So you can get back to Elly, as soon as possible right?"

Chloe sighed as she hopped in the car with Bea doing the same.

Maybe…

Ten minutes later, Bea led Chloe into the Kennedy's household. Pointing to the hallway that led to Elly's room as she herself headed to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, Bea instructed Chloe, "Elly's overnight bag for the hospital should be next to her dresser in her room."

"Thanks, I'll grab it," Chloe replied.

Bea put the kettle on, "Oh since Elly was only planning on staying at the hospital for a night when she gave birth and she's now going to be there a few nights, you might want to help her out by getting together some extra clothes…y'know…underwear stuff like that."

Chloe turned back to Bea, "You are not at all subtle, Bea. Good thing at least Aaron isn't here. I'm not going through Elly's underwear drawer. Can't you come help me grab the extra things Elly will need?"

Bea fake yawned, "Can't. Too tired after last night's kidnapping, might fall asleep in the middle of this water boiling for my tea. Be a grown up, Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes at Bea, "Fine, I'll be the grown up, if you could stop hassling me for five minutes and give me an actual chance to think about what Elly said about her feelings for me."

"The part where she loves you and wants to be with you?" Bea reminded Chloe, "Okay, fine, five minutes is just enough time to get what you need from Elly's room for her."

Chloe left Bea in the kitchen, heading to Elly's bedroom.

Why did you say 'five minutes'? It's going to take me a lot longer than that to find a way to trust that Elly really does have feelings for me or even if this is the right time to even think about starting anything romantic with Elly…when I'm with Pierce…and also cause Elly is probably not in the right space for this.

A few minutes later, Chloe had grabbed Elly's bag and added a few extra items of clothing. As she was about to head out, she noticed the book on Elly's bedside table, figuring Elly might need something to occupy her time, headed over to get it. Unzipping the bag, adding the book to it, Chloe suddenly remembered Elly telling her to get her Christmas present.

Right Christmas present…just what I need. Did Elly tell me to open it now? I think she did.

Chloe opened the bedside table drawer.

This isn't a Christmas present…it's a Christmas card…with my name on the envelope. I don't see anything else in here that resembles a present. Elly must've mistaken what she said…or there's a present inside. Oooh maybe a lotto ticket! If I win the fair thing to do would be to split the winnings with Elly…wait why would anyone get me a lotto ticket?

I'm dating Mr. Lotto…well some people would think that what with Pierce being a billionaire and they think he'd buy me anything in the world so there's no need to buy me something that will win money. Especially when I've got Pierce wanting me to quit my job so I'm not even making my own money…to go do something a little less slave like on his dime that is.

Ooh I bet it's a concert ticket!

…to a band that Pierce will hate and it'll be for a date several months from now when Elly will be settled with the peanut so I'll choose to take her instead…ooh Elly's good. I know she's going to have gotten me exactly what I need. She knows me better than anyone else.

And if Elly does love me, she'll have made sure it's the present I'll need.

Chloe hesitated for a moment, feeling bad that she was getting her present days earlier than Christmas, before finally taking the card out of the envelope.

Chloe leant against the edge of Elly's bed as she opened the card, holding it out, expecting a ticket or something to fall out of it but was disappointed to find nothing in the card. Flicking it back in front of her, Chloe raised her eyebrow as she realized there was only a handwritten message from Elly covering both sides of the card inside…