Ch 30:
Chloe tried to keep up with Anthony's fast pace through the clean, white-walled hallways, Motley keeping pace with her easily. She nearly collided with Anthony when he stopped at the front desk, who directed them to the correct room number. Then he was off again and Chloe was once more trying to keep up.
They finally came to the correct room number, and Chloe held back respectfully as Anthony peaked inside.
Anita must have caught sight of movement from the corner of her eye where she was standing in the room, chewing anxiously on her thumbnail. Her head snapped up to look toward them.
"Anthony!" she called, hurrying to him and hugging him tightly.
"Hi, Mom. Is she okay?" Anthony asked quietly.
Before Anita could speak, a quiet voice called from deeper in the hospital room, around a corner Chloe couldn't see. "Did he bring Chloe with him?"
Anita gave a small smile, shaking her head as Anthony stepped past her into the room. Anita turned to Chloe, smiling warmly in greeting, which Chloe returned with sympathy.
"I drive all the way here and all my baby sister has to say is 'Did he bring Chloe'." Anthony complained jokingly. "Not even a 'hello' or anything?"
Chloe stepped into the room, Anita's arm going around her to welcome her in as Aria's soft giggles filled the room.
"Hi, Anthony."
Chloe fully entered the room in time to see Anthony carefully sit on the edge of the hospital bed, where Aria was laying under the plain, white sheets. She looked mostly normal, just a bit pale and tired with what looked like a small rug burn on her cheek. Anthony reached up and gently ruffled his little sister's hair. Roger was sitting in a chair next to her bed, smiling at their interaction. Soot, Aria's black Lab service dog, was sitting on the floor next to Aria's bed, his chin resting on the edge of the bed and watching his girl intently.
Aria looked past Anthony's shoulder and her tired smile widened a bit. "Hi, Chloe."
"Hi, Aria. How're you feeling?" Chloe asked, smiling as she stepped further into the room.
Aria grimaced. "I'm perfectly fine, mostly tired. Tired to trying to convince my parents that this changes nothing and I am going to Auradon Prep next year."
Roger and Anita exchanged an exasperated look.
Anthony glanced between his parents. "What did the doctors say?" he asked.
"Well, they've run some tests and said there's no long-term damage. The seizure lasted about six minutes, so there was a lot of concern about brain damage, but so far the tests have been good." Anita explained.
"See? I'm fine. It was a one-time issue. I can still go to Auradon Prep." Aria pleaded with her parents.
"Do they know what caused this longer seizure?" Chloe asked hesitantly. She was by no means an expert on epilepsy, but Anthony had explained that the seizures were usually only a minute or two at most. Anything longer could cause serious damage and the patient should be rushed to a hospital to be safe.
Anita shook her head. "They're not sure. It's usually difficult to know what triggers a seizure. It could be stress, lack of sleep, flashing lights…"
"You were finally going to let me go to Auradon Prep." Aria pleaded, looking between her parents with big, blue eyes. "I've been getting straight A's in school. And my seizures aren't normally this bad. This was the first bad one I've had in years. And Soot was there with me. And the hospital in Auradon City is better than this one if I really need it."
Anita sighed in exasperation, and Roger gave his wife a mildly-amused smile.
"Maybe you two should talk with the doctor?" Anthony suggested to his parents. "He might have some professional insight on the issue."
A throat cleared from right behind Chloe, making her jump and look over her shoulder. A man in a white doctor's jacket smiled apologetically at her before looking past her at the family.
"I was actually just about to come give you all an update, if that's alright." he told them.
"I can leave, if you want this to be just family only." Chloe offered. "I don't mind." she added when Anthony looked ready to argue. "I don't want to intrude."
"Oh, wait, can I have a hug?" Aria asked, lifting her arms in a hugging gesture. Everyone exchanged amused smiles while Chloe warily approached the younger girl. She'd hung out with Aria enough times to know to be wary of seemingly innocent gestures. She could easily turn it into a chance to tease her or something.
Nevertheless, Chloe approached the bed and leaned down to hug the younger girl. Mid-hug, Aria whispered into Chloe's ear.
"Can you get me some chips from the vending machine? Hospital food sucks."
Chloe stifled a snort before whispering, "Sure."
Standing straight, she met eyes with Anthony as she exited the room. He smiled gratefully at her.
With Motley in a perfect heel, Chloe wandered down the hallway in search of a vending machine. This was a different hospital from the one she'd been in when she was first brought to Auradon. The hospital in Auradon City was much larger, so this smaller one in Stately Chateau should be easier to navigate.
Theoretically.
Chloe wandered the halls for a few minutes, peaking through several doorways as she passed until she finally found a waiting room with a couple vending machines. She put in some money and bought a bag of chips she was pretty sure Aria would like. Then she made the slow walk back toward her room. She wasn't sure how long Anita and Roger would be talking with the doctor, but she wanted to give them time to do so without her interrupting.
Turning a corner, Chloe's steps faltered slightly when she spotted another person with a dog. It was a much smaller breed than Motley, closer to Dude-size, though that was all it had in common with her brother's dog. The person and dog disappeared around the corner before she could contemplate more.
Curious, Chloe followed where they disappeared. By the time she rounded the same corner, they were nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Chloe considered hurrying down the hall to see if they'd rounded yet another corner. But then she heard the giggling of a child. Following the sound, she hesitantly peaked into a hospital room.
Inside, she found the lady with the dog. A young child with no hair on her head was giggling and petting the small dog, which was wearing a green vest. Chloe had never seen a dog like this one. It kind of reminded her of a small, brown pig. It had a curly tail, it was chunky, it's black ears were folded, and it's black face was scrunched up and wrinkly. And when the little girl scratched a particular spot on it's back, it started kicking it's leg and making a pig-like snorting sound, which renewed the girl's giggles.
Chloe found herself smiling despite her curiosity and confusion as she watched the interaction. When the girl stopped scratching, she leaned down and kissed the dog's nose. The dog returned the favor, licking the girl on the nose. The girl giggled again, wiping at her face.
Figuring she'd been nosy enough, Chloe quietly backed away from the room and headed back the way she'd come. It took about five minutes, but she eventually found her way back to Aria's room, seemingly just missing the doctor when he left.
She knocked before walking in, and she noted that the overall atmosphere seemed lighter than before. Not much, but it was an improvement.
Aria lit up when she saw Chloe, who smiled and held up the bag of chips.
"Yes! You're my favorite person in the world! When you grow up, you should marry my brother!" Aria beamed, holding her hands out expectantly.
Chloe blushed, Roger laughed, and Anthony complained, "Aria! Shut up!"
Aria grinned, taking the offered bag of chips from Chloe and immediately ripping it open. "What? It's a compliment!"
Anita sighed, shaking her head at them. "Kids, behave yourselves."
Chloe moved to stand by Anthony near the wall. "So, did the doctor have good news?" she asked.
Anthony shrugged. "As good as can be, I guess. The seizure didn't seem to cause any lasting damage. She just needs to take it easy for a couple days, stay here overnight just in case. And it sounds like the doctor thinks she'd be fine at Auradon Prep. They have the nurse's office, and he knows one of the nurses has some training to help students with epilepsy. And the local hospital is nearby if she needs it."
Chloe nodded. "That's good, at least. Hey, I have an unrelated question."
Anthony faced her. "Sure. What's up?"
"Well, I saw another dog on the way back here. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the girl's dog, but I don't think it was a service dog, even though it was wearing a vest. It was visiting a little girl, and she was laughing and petting it and everything." Chloe explained.
Anthony nodded. "It was probably a therapy dog. They're dogs that are certified to visit places like hospitals to see the patients and help them feel better."
Chloe nodded, thinking of the little girl that looked so happy while petting the dog. "So, they're certified, like service dogs?"
Anthony shrugged thoughtfully. "Yes and no. I don't know a lot about therapy dogs, but I think they need some level of training and certification, but not quite as much as a service dog. They obviously can't let just any dog into a hospital without some level of training."
Chloe nodded in agreement. That did make sense. The things dogs did and were capable of doing never ceased to amaze her.
They stayed and hung out with Aria and her parents for most of the afternoon, since Fairy Godmother had dismissed them from classes for the day. It was evening by the time they finally left, sure that Aria would be fine, and Anthony drove them back to Auradon Prep.
Chloe found herself repeatedly glancing toward Anthony as he drove, her hands distractedly playing with Motley's ears where the Dalmatian was curled up by her feet.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked quietly.
Anthony glanced toward her before returning his attention to the road. "Yeah, I'm good. I think spending the afternoon with Aria finally calmed me down. Despite being in a hospital bed after having a seizure and being poked and prodded by the doctors, she's still her normal goofball self."
Chloe nodded in understanding. He seemed much calmer now than when they had driven down earlier in the day.
"So, do you think today will effect if Aria is allowed to attend Auradon Prep?" she asked curiously.
Anthony sighed heavily. "It's hard to say. The doctors definitely calmed a lot of my parents worries, but I think they still have a lot to discuss about it. And really not a lot of time to do it." The end of the school year was once more approaching, and Aria was scheduled to attend the new school year at Auradon Prep in only a few months.
"Do you still want her to go to Auradon Prep?" Chloe asked gently.
Anthony pursed his lips for a moment, seeming to contemplate how to answer. "I want her to be happy," he finally answered, "which would mean attending Auradon Prep. But I also want her to be safe. Unfortunately, that one's a bit more difficult to figure out. She could have a seizure anywhere at any time. I don't know if she'd really be any safer at home or not, but it would make our parents feel better."
Chloe nodded without answering, knowing it wasn't her place to respond. And she wouldn't know how to respond anyway. There was no right answer. She would love to have Aria at Auradon Prep, as it would mean another friend, and one with a service dog. But she could understand why her family was wary, especially after today.
They were silent for a few minutes before making casual small talk the rest of the drive, talking about classes, their upcoming final exams, Motley's training, and their summer plans.
Unlike last summer, Chloe and the VKs weren't staying in the royal family's cottage, since they had at least twice as many kids as they had last summer. Instead, Ben's family had rented out a slightly larger property near the beach and ocean at the edge of Auradon City. Freddie, Celia, Dizzy, and Eddie planned to return to the Isle for most of the summer to spend time with their families, but that still left ten kids who needed a place to stay for the summer. And even though they could have made the five bedroom cottage from last summer work, Ben and his parents didn't want them to feel too crowded in. Plus a few of them had travel plans for the summer, anyway. Evie was going to visit Doug's family, who she'd gotten close with. Mal was going to be helping Ben out with some royal duties and trips over the summer. Jay was going to visit Lonnie's family in Northern Wei. And the Radcliffe's had invited Chloe to visit the Plantation over the summer to hang out and maybe help out with the dogs if she wanted to.
Soon they were pulling into the school parking lot and started making their way toward the dorms. Unfortunately, before they reached the dorm they were intercepted.
Chloe stopped, eyeing Big Murph warily. In the week since he and the others arrived in Auradon she'd been avoiding him like the plague. The few times she'd caught a glimpse, or saw him approaching her, she'd nearly fallen into a panic attack. She knew she needed to actually talk to him, as her friends kept insisting that he was different now, but she hadn't gotten up the nerve to do so. Well, it looks like he was doing that for her.
He didn't look as arrogant or smug as he normally did. Actually, he looked kinda nervous as he glanced from her to Anthony.
"Um, Chloe, could I talk to you for a moment, please?" he asked politely. Even his tone, and his manners was different. It was like talking to a completely different person.
Chloe glanced at Anthony, who met her eyes reassuringly. Swallowing nervously, she nodded to Anthony, letting him know he could leave them alone.
Anthony nodded back, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll see you later." he told her before walking past Big Murph toward the dorms.
Chloe crossed her arms nervously, Motley's leash in one hand as her loyal dog stood at her side. "What would you like to talk about?" she asked politely.
He scratched the back of his head and Chloe just realized he wasn't wearing his eye patch. Both eyes were on display and they were staring down at his feet awkwardly.
"Look," he started abruptly, "I know I treated you like crap on the Isle. You didn't deserve any of the things I did to you on the Isle. And I'm honestly sorry for what I put you through."
Chloe chewed her lip, looking down at her own feet. She could tell his apology was sincere, but could she really just forgive him on the spot?
Something appeared under her nose and she looked up to see Big Murph holding a tattered old backpack out toward her. She glanced at his face before staring at the backpack for a long moment. When she recognized it her eyes went wide.
"I couldn't find everything I stole from you, but I got as much of it as I could." Big Murph rambled nervously as Chloe hesitantly took the backpack from him. "I know it probably doesn't mean anything, I mean, it's mostly trash, but, well,…" he trailed off as Chloe peaked into the tattered backpack.
It was an old backpack he had stolen from Chloe ages ago back on the Isle. There wasn't any sort of emotional attachment to it necessarily, it was just something she'd used to carry things from point A to point B. Inside was a hodgepodge of things she'd gathered on the Isle, which Big Murph had stolen from her at some point. Things like clothes, books and journals, phones and a laptop, tools, and trinkets of any kind. He was right, most of this would be considered trash here in Auradon, and she already had nicer, newer versions of just about everything in this bag. But it wasn't about the worth of the items. It was the worth of the gesture.
Holding the bag a bit closer, she peaked up at him from under her bangs.
"Thank you." she told him quietly. She took a deep breath before adding, "And I accept your apology. I've been working on trying to leave the worst of my past in the past, and that requires forgiveness. Forgiving you should be the easiest." she admitted. There were many people who'd done more harm to her than Big Murph. The worst, obviously, being her mother.
Big Murph smiled uncertainly. "Thanks. You don't have to forgive me, but I appreciate it."
It wasn't all okay, but it was a step in the right direction.
AN: For the record, I am not an expert on epilepsy. Anything I've learned is from the internet, so if it's wrong, blame the internet. Same thing about service animals and emotional support animals.