Hi Kelly, thanks for your review the other day! Much appreciated!
Chapter Twenty-Six
Wednesday 25th December – 8.00am
A few days later, Chloe was outside the Kennedy house in their driveway in Elly's car attempting to install a baby capsule into the back seat of the car.
Chloe nearly jumped when she heard her brother and brother-in-law come up behind her when she was leaning into the car.
"Hey, Chloe," David greeted, "We were heading for a walk around the neighbourhood. Didn't expect to find you over here."
"Chlo," Aaron gently barked at her, "I thought you said after our Chrissy breakfast together you were going to Pierce's with Hendrix so he can pack for his flight in a couple hours?"
Chloe didn't look up at them, "Hendrix is over there at Pierce's packing the rest of his stuff. I'll get him shortly to take him to the airport so he can get his flight to Sydney to spend the rest of the day with Lisa and Alana."
Aaron glanced at David nervously, "Right…so…you're here…?"
Chloe frowned as she looked over at her older brother, "I'm playing soccer. What does it look like I'm doing Azza? I'm trying to install this baby capsule into Elly's car for her."
As Chloe turned back to the contraption, Aaron noted Chloe held the instructions for the capsule and was trying to safely secure it into Elly's car, "Okay…but why?"
"Weren't you listening to David and I when we told you this morning that Elly and the peanut are getting discharged this morning and are coming home? She needs this baby capsule installed into her car. Shaun was meant to do it for Elly…but he…you know…didn't get to it before…anyway Elly needs it in her car so she can be picked up from the hospital," Chloe answered.
Sensing a bit of weirdness from Aaron over Chloe's involvement with helping Elly, David interjected, "Elly and Elliot are pretty lucky to get to come home today. Elly probably did need an extra day to recover from the traumatic birth, lack of food and water during the kidnapping ordeal. But y'know, it's Christmas, the pair of them deserve to spend the day at home with her family. As long as Elly-"
"Takes it easy, spends most of the day resting…well as much as she can with having a newborn to take care of. Elly heard you and the other doctors. Karl's home today too so he'll make sure she's doing everything right," Chloe told the boys.
Aaron leant his hand on the rim of the car's roof, "So, Karl's home…and…you're the one trying to install this baby capsule? Why?"
"Because I'm helping Elly and I want to be able to show I can do this," Chloe answered vaguely.
Because if Elly, I and the peanut are going to make things work once Pierce returns and I end things with him then I need to be able to do things for Elly like…installing a flipping baby capsule that has instructions I swear make no sense! If I'm going to be a big part of their lives, I need to sort stuff like this for them.
"Do you want some help?" David offered.
"No, I got this," Chloe insisted.
I think I got this…
"How's Pierce?" Aaron suddenly interjected.
Chloe balked for a moment before turning to her brother, "He's good," before immediately turning back to the baby capsule, flipping through the instructions.
So…I still haven't told Pierce about the kidnapping ordeal…he'll rush home and I need time with Elly and Elliot to figure out how this will work between us. Can't tell Aaron that but Pierce is good…I've ignored the few calls he's made to me, responded to messenger texts with short, non-committal answers, given him the like button on texts I don't want to bother answering… Maybe by the time Pierce returns he'll have gotten the hint.
Aaron gritted his teeth at Chloe's lack of interest in her boyfriend, "What time will you be taking Hendrix to the airport? Will you be back for lunch at ours?"
Chloe glanced at her watch, still ignoring looking at the boys, trying to focus on the baby capsule, "I'll grab Hendrix in about half an hour, get him to the airport for his flight. I probably won't be home for lunch but we all know we'll be having a normal lunch. It's the big ol' Brenaka Christmas dinner celebration that we do better than most that I'm hanging out for. No way am I missing that. I'll be round for dinner and will even help you cook or cleanup after."
Aaron frowned, "Taking Hendrix to the airport shouldn't take you that long?"
Chloe ran her hand through her hair, "It won't but after I drop Hendrix to the airport…I'll be going to the hospital…to pick up Elly and Elliot to bring them home. The Kennedy's are putting on a lunch, I'll just get something quickly from them. I'm sure they won't mind."
David gave Aaron a look trying to get his husband to remain calm, knowing he was about to overreact.
And overreact Aaron did, "You're picking up Elly and her son to bring them home from hospital?"
"That's what I said," Chloe replied quickly, fearing Aaron pushing this.
"That…that kind of sounds like the…sort of thing a partner to the mother and parent of the baby does," Aaron said awkwardly trying to understand.
"Does it?" Chloe asked innocently.
"Why isn't Elly's family picking her up? Are they that busy on Christmas morning with their plans?" Aaron asked.
"Elly got told late yesterday she was being discharged this morning. Elly asked me to come and pick her up when I was there at the hospital with her and Elliot yesterday. What's the big deal?" Chloe challenged.
"Chloe's just being a good friend," David tried to claim but Aaron couldn't let it go, "The big deal, Chlo, is it seems like since your ordeal at the hands of Finn…you and Elly…have become inseparable. Instead of hanging at ours with Hendrix looking out for him like you promised Pierce you would, you've left Hendrix to David and I to spend time with whilst you…have spent almost the entire last two days at Elly's bedside. I'm sure you've spent way more time there than even the Kennedy's or Bea have. Why?"
Because Elly and I are in love with each other and we're spending time with one another to try and figure how this whole us being together with Elly having a newborn will work once I'm free to be with Elly.
Chloe turned to the boys again, "Because I've been handed unexpected time off work and Elly's stuck in hospital on her own with her son. We've kind of been apart since we broke up so we're just…getting to know each other again as…friends. I've been spending time every morning with Hendrix and getting dinner with him the last three nights. So, I haven't been around during the day. Guess I'm trying to get used to this…having a teenage boy in my life."
"Since you've been a bit absent with Hendrix the last couple days…why don't you take him to the airport and David and I can fit this baby capsule into Elly's car and we'll go pick her and Elliot up from the hospital for you?" Aaron offered.
"No," Chloe growled at her brother, "Go and enjoy your Christmas together, both of you. I can handle this on my own. Fitting the capsule into this car, getting Hendrix, taking him to the airport, picking up Elly and Elliot from the hospital and bring them back here."
I can multi-task and get everything I need to do done today without anyone else helping me…parents…I mean partners of someone with a baby…can do all that.
David placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder, "Look why don't we let Chloe do what she's gotta do and if she needs help then she'll ask for it?"
"Exactly, thank you, David," Chloe replied gratefully.
Aaron reluctantly nodded, "Okay, fine, we'll leave you to it. Are you sure you don't at least want us to get this baby capsule installed for you?"
Chloe held out the instructions, "I've got the instructions, Azza. I mean yeah, the font is tiny and barely reads like it's in English but…I can manage this. I can do all this and get everything organized that I need to this morning so I can make sure Elly has a good start to her first Christmas with her son."
Aaron put up his hands in defeat, "Alright, I get the message, you want to do all this on your own. Call us if you need anything."
"I will," Chloe replied, waving the two boys off as she held the instructions back up in front of her trying to decipher how to install the baby capsule securely, "I swear Finn brought Elly the most complicated baby capsule on purpose to send Elly bonkers trying to install this. I wish Elly had listened to me when I suggested she buy something else not related to Finn. I can do this, the quicker I get this done, the quicker I can see Elly."
As Aaron and David walked away from the Kennedy's down Ramsay Street, Aaron glanced at David, "Should I be worried by how much time Chloe is spending with Elly and how much she's doing for both Elly and Elliot…at a time in which Pierce is away and she should be paying more attention to Hendrix?"
David shrugged, "Well they did go through a pretty hefty ordeal together so it's understandable they might be connected by that and they were friends before they slept together. Chloe is more than capable of making her own decisions…and if the two decide…all I'm saying is nobody's going to be able to step in their way. Not you, not Pierce, not anyone. I know Elly messed things up terribly with Mark and really hurt him with lying to him that the baby was his…but Mark's moved on from that. It's time you let Chloe and Elly decide what they to each other."
"Okay," Aaron reluctantly agreed, "But what about Elliot? If…anything happens between Chloe and Elly again…do you really think Chloe…is remotely capable of having a newborn in her life?"
David took Aaron's hand in his own, "I think your sister might surprise you. Whatever happens is going to happen and if it doesn't…Chloe and Elly being back to being best friends might help them both."
"I'm still hoping that's all it is between them. I don't want to see Chloe getting hurt," Aaron decided.
An hour later, Chloe finally sighed with relief and accomplishment at finally installing the baby capsule securely into the back seat of Elly's car. Grabbing her mobile out of her handbag that was sitting on the passenger seat, Chloe saw a text from Elly that she hadn't heard the phone beep with nearly half an hour earlier:
"Got the all clear to be discharged with Elliot. Just getting changed, all my stuff together and some supplies the hospital have given me for Elliot. Can't wait to see you soon. Am I allowed to sign off with 'I love you'? Or is that too soon or not allowed until we're actually together cause we're still just friends for now? Let me know. xox"
Chloe smiled giddily at the message, unable to hide the feelings she felt with Elly's spiel about love. Chloe quickly messaged back:
"Sorry just saw your message, got the baby capsule installed. I'll see you soon. I love you, too."
As Chloe closed the passenger side door, she saw another text from Elly pop up:
"Great. Can't wait. I love you."
Chloe walked around the back of the car to the drivers' side of the car, smiling as she stared at the message from Elly before shooting off a final message:
"I'll never tire of hearing you say that."
Putting her phone back in her handbag, Chloe started the car and reversed out of the driveway, feeling excited at the thought of being the one to bring the new family home.
Chloe arrived at Elly's hospital room in no time, knocking on the door Chloe greeted, "Hey you, you two ready to go home?"
Elly who had been lying on the hospital bed, cradling her son, glanced up at Chloe and immediately broke into a smile, "Hey you, I'm so ready to get out of here and go home with my baby and you. I just got to set Elliot up in the pram, sign some discharge paperwork and then we can get out of here."
As Chloe walked into the room, Elly sat up from the hospital bed, holding Elliot against her chest.
I kinda just want to wrap my arms around Chloe and hug her but I don't know if that's allowed as we're only friends until Chloe can break up with Pierce. I know Chloe's given the okay to say we love each other in text messages but I feel like there is so many things we need to work out with the whole only friends' thing.
Chloe walked over to the pram, sitting in the corner of the room and brought it over to Elly's side of the bed, "Good thing Bea brought this from your place yesterday ready for you two to come home. Why don't you get the peanut in here and I will grab your bags."
Elly gently placed Elliot into the pram, tightening his blanket he was swaddled in, "How did the baby capsule installation into my car go?"
"Good, great...took me an hour. Those things need to come with better bloody - ahem not bloody cause I shouldn't say bad words in front of the peanut - um instructions," Chloe admitted.
Elly gently giggled at Chloe trying to change her language already with a newborn around, "I thought I told you to get Karl to help you install it. You would've had to hear him yarning on about how expensive all the baby supplies are nowadays but he'd have had gotten it done with you in less than that time."
"I know but I wanted to prove I could to it on my own without anyone's help," Chloe insisted, "David and Aaron found me installing the capsule. Aaron has already noticed our increased time we've spent together. I don't know how he's going to take the news after I...well that when Pierce gets back I'm breaking up with him and we're...trying to work things out between us."
"You're always very determined," Elly replied in appreciation, "As for Aaron...it's not up to him. It's your decision…and I'm pretty biased but I think you've made the right decision."
Chloe smiled at Elly as she picked up Elly's hospital bag, bag of baby supplies and handbag, "How's the peanut? You right to head home after we sign those discharge papers of yours?"
"We're all good over here. Here let me put the handbag on this hook thing just under the handle of the pram," Elly said, blushing as Chloe handed her the bag and they grazed hands.
A few minutes later, Elly had signed her paperwork, and the pair of them were walking down the hospital hallway. Chloe holding Elly's bags, with Elly pushing the pram with Elliot in front of them.
Elly smiled at Chloe as they walked, gently leaning towards her, "It's too bad you haven't broken up with Pierce, yet, cause if you had, I'd totally be holding your hand now."
Chloe blushed as she looked over at the brunette, "You would? Like…you wouldn't be afraid to…hold my hand in public like this?"
Elly shook her head, "I wouldn't be. I'm done being afraid of strangers judging me because of who I want to be with and how I intend on showing that when we are together."
"You really know how to surprise me," Chloe smiled.
"I do," Elly agreed, then as she spotted the hospital cafe up ahead Elly slowed down, "You know what, as soon as we get back to my place my family are going to be all over Elliot and I like they haven't spent hours with us here the last two days. Any chance you want to grab a quick bite to eat here even though it's far too early for lunch so we can just have a few extra moments alone? Or do you need to rush back home to have lunch with the boys for Christmas?"
"A quick bite to eat, more time alone with you and the peanut before the craziness of your family fawning over you and Elliot as soon as we walk through the door of your place sounds perfect. I was hoping to spend a bit of time with your family before I head home. Aaron and David have a massive dinner planned so I'm skipping lunch to prepare for it," Chloe decided, "Besides there is nowhere else I need to be, except with you two."
A little while later, as Chloe and Elly had finished their bite to eat at the hospital café and were sorting out getting Elliot in the car to take him home, Hendrix was chilled out on the couch at his Dad's house. Hendrix took his headphones off as he looked over at the clock on the wall.
"Oops, would you look at that? Guess I missed my flight to Sydney! Such a pity! Sorry, Mum, not really interested in being turfed back to you to spend the holidays just because Dad didn't want me around. Guess Chloe forgot all about me too. I really am surprised she didn't come back or text me or…anything," Hendrix said to himself.
Standing up, Hendrix headed to the kitchen to find something to put together for lunch, "Nothing I can do about it now. Missed my flight and now it's Christmas Lunch for one at the Greyson's."