Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story and I'm making no matter off this. Make sure you have read parts one and two before you read this part or you will be lost.
The Innocent (Part 3): Rescue and Recovery
By: SparksJSH
John dropped into a chair at the pub. Marlena waited for him to say something, anything that would give her hope that Belle was okay. After a second, he shook his head. "Nothing. Roman said they searched every abandoned boat yard. Belle wasn't in any of them and there was so proof that she'd ever been there."
Marlena shut her eyes to keep from crying. "Oh, John, when is this nightmare going to end? I want my baby back."
John moved beside her and hugged her. Then he cupped her face in his hands. "We are going to get her back, Doc. I promise you that. I'm not going to let anyone hurt my little girl. You know that."
Marlena nodded. She did know that. But the look on her husband's face scared her. It reminded her of the way John had acted in the plane before it crashed and on the island. John would move heaven and earth to bring Belle safely home but at what cost to himself; she couldn't help but wonder.
Caroline approached their table looking worried. "Have either of you seen Shawn? I haven't seen him since right after he talked to Hope on the phone."
Marlena shook her head. "Maybe he went upstairs to get some rest. He's probably sore and exhausted from everything that's happened today. Not only that but he was also up all last night waiting for Hope to have the baby. The doctor told him to get rest."
"That's what I thought so I went up to check on him. He's not there. Part of me wants to call Bo and Hope at the hospital but I don't want to wake them up. Besides it would only worry them."
John raised an eyebrow. "Surely he wouldn't go out looking for Belle by himself. He would know how dangerous that could be for the both of them."
"I think he would. I've noticed the way Shawn and Belle act around each other. He cares for her a great deal. All afternoon and evening he has felt so guilty that he didn't, couldn't, do anything to help Belle. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was out there looking." Marlena theorized.
"I'll go call Roman and Abe to be on the watch for him." John excused himself.
"Marlena, has there been any word about Belle?" Nancy Wesley stopped at their table. "Chloe called me at the hospital earlier to tell me what had happened. I couldn't believe it. You and John must be beside yourselves with worry."
"No, Nancy, there's been nothing since the ransom note." Marlena glanced around the room. "Where is Chloe? I noticed her here earlier."
Nancy scanned the room as well. She frowned. "I don't see her. That's odd. She told me on the phone that she was going to stay until you knew something definite."
"I saw her talking to Shawn earlier." Caroline offered. Marlena's eyes widened. Caroline read her expression. "You don't think…?"
"That Chloe and Shawn are out there together looking for Belle? That is exactly what I think."
***
"Very peculiar." Rolf watched the monitor carefully.
Bart looked up at him. "What?"
"Young Belle Black isn't having the reaction to the drug that I thought she would. It is obvious that she is having hallucinations and is susceptible to suggestion of horrible things but it appears that the hallucinations her mind is producing on its own are benign."
Though he didn't say so, Bart was relieved. Belle was just an innocent victim in all this. She didn't deserve what they were doing to her. He shrugged. "She's probably led a pretty sheltered life. I can't imagine John Black telling his little girl about the things Stefano has done to him as bedtime stories. She probably doesn't have much of a frame of reference for anything too horrible."
"Yes, well this second injection will ensure that her hallucinations are far from benign." Rolf handed Bart a syringe.
Stefano's lackey shook his head. "Un uh, you give it to her. She's already heard your voice; it won't matter if she hears it again. There's no reason for us to continue to torment her like this."
"Bah." Rolf shook his head. "I forget you don't have the stomach for this. Fine, I will give her the injection. I will be right back." Grabbing the black ski mask Rolf left their hideout and slipped quietly down the warehouse where they had stashed Belle. Once inside, Rolf slipped the mask over his head and opened the door. Belle was still curled up shivering from his suggestion that it was cold. He smiled; the truth was the advent of night had only managed to cool the temperature down to a balmy 85 degrees.
Belle looked up when she heard him enter. Her eyes were red from crying and glazed from the drug in her system. She shuddered. Was he real or another false vision? She couldn't be sure. She did know that this was not the same person as before. She whimpered.
"What's the matter, Miss Black? You seem a little cold. I do hope the rats haven't bothered you." Rolf's smile widened under the mask as he saw her cut her eyes first to one corner and then the other. He had no doubt hat she was now seeing imaginary rats. He pulled out the syringe and was about to inject her when Bart's voice came over the intercom.
"Get out of there. There are a couple of kids nosing around. They just came in the outer room."
Rolf frowned. He wasn't about to let some nosy kids ruin his plans. Without bothering to swab her arm with alcohol, he jabbed her arm with the needle. Before he could push the plunger, Shawn and Chloe burst into the room.
"Get away from her." Shawn rushed him when he saw the needle. Rolf was able to inject half the contents into Belle's arm before Shawn tackled him. As Rolf and Shawn rolled around the floor trying to get leverage, Chloe went to Belle's side. Without wasting a moment, she pulled the syringe from Belle's arm. She didn't know what was in it but she didn't want to take any chances of the rest of the contents accidentally getting injected into her.
Rolf pushed Shawn aside and ran from the room. Shawn was about to follow him but Chloe called his name. "Shawn, let him go. Belle needs our help."
That stopped Shawn in his tracks. He tuned to the two girls. "How is she?"
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. Help me get her untied."
Shawn pulled out his pocketknife and his cell phone. He handed Chloe the phone. "Here I'll do it. You call 911. Tell them to send an ambulance as well as the police. " As Chloe dialed the number Shawn untied the gag. "Talk to me Belle. Are you okay?" He cupped her head tenderly in his hands, wincing as he noticed the bruises on her cheek and around her mouth. She wore a dazed expression.
Things were turning wild for Belle. The drug her captor had tried to give her was working faster than the first one. She could see Shawn but his face was all distorted like she was looking through a kaleidoscope. From somewhere she could hear maniacal laughter. She wondered if it was from the rats coming steadily toward her. But then she decided it must be coming from the tall man with dark hair standing in the corner. She recognized him as Stefano even though she'd only seen him once before. The strange thing was that he was dressed as Captain Hook.
Truly worried now, Shawn gave her a little shake. "Belle?" He leaned her forward against his chest while he cut through the ropes binding her wrists. He could already tell they were chafed and raw from the ropes. If only she would say something to let him know that she was aware of his presence.
"Help is on its way. The dispatcher is going to call Brady's pub and let her parents know she's been found. How is she?"
Shawn shook his head, tears in his eyes. "She won't talk to me."
Belle looked at Shawn and Chloe. They came back for her. This time she would make them take her with them. Her throat hurt from the lack of water and she wasn't sure if she could talk but she had to make sure that this time they didn't leave her behind. "Peter, Wendy, don't go away again. Take me with you."
Her voice was hoarse and almost inaudible. Shawn and Chloe had to strain to hear her. They gave each other an odd look. Who were Peter and Wendy and what was she talking about? Chloe touched her shoulder. "Belle, we aren't going to leave you. You're safe now."
Sirens cut through the silence of the night. Shawn was glad the police and paramedics weren't far away. He handed his pocketknife to Chloe to cut away the ropes that bound Belle's ankles. As she did, he pulled Belle protectively closer. Though her skin was warm to the touch, she was shivering like it was winter.
Belle clutched Shawn tightly. The rats were creeping closer and closer; they'd be crawling on her in no time. "Don't." She swallowed hard but couldn't produce enough saliva to make her vocal cords work beyond that one word.
Chloe saw a bottle of water lying nearby and offered it to her friend. At first Belle drank greedily but then a look of revulsion crossed her face and she knocked the bottle away spilling water everywhere. She coughed hard; gagging on the water she'd just swallowed. Fearful that she'd done something wrong, Chloe picked up the bottle and sniffed. Taking a tentative sip of what was left, she realized it was just what it appeared to be, a little warm but water never the less.
Hearing footsteps running into the building, Shawn was relieved. He didn't know what was wrong with his friend but he knew she needed to get to the hospital quick. With a yell he directed them in. "We're in here. Come quick."
Roman and Abe rushed into the room. Roman knelt beside his nephew giving the young girl he'd first believed to be his daughter a quick but careful once-over for injuries. Then he looked back at Shawn. "How did the two of you find her?"
"We just got lucky. Roman, the guy who had her was giving her something by injection when we came in. I don't know what it was or how much he'd managed to give her."
"Apparently not much." Chloe picked up the half full syringe and handed it to Roman.
"We'll have it analyzed as soon as we get her to the hospital. Belle, are you hurt anywhere?"
But the distraught teen just whimpered and buried her head against Shawn's shoulder. It felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest with its frantic pounding. Without thinking about what the others would think, Shawn kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Belle. You're safe now."
He looked from Abe to Roman. "She's been like this since we found her. Either whatever is in that syringe was so powerful that just a little would do this or she was already drugged. Where are those paramedics?"
Belle glanced up just as they came in. In her drug-fevered mind she didn't see them as medics; instead she saw them as giant rats. Screaming as loud as her parched throat would let her, she tried to kick them away. Shawn held her tightly as she thrashed about. He didn't know what else to do. "Belle, it's okay, you're safe." He repeated. It was the only thing he could think of to assure her.
"Giant rats. Peter, don't let them take me. Hook sent them."
This frightened Shawn even more. Helplessly, he looked to Roman. His uncle touched his shoulder. "She's hallucinating. She seems to trust you. Talk to her. Convince her to let the paramedics examine her."
Shawn nodded. He looked at Chloe and saw she looked just as scared as he felt. "Belle, it's okay. They aren't rats. Look at them. It's only," He glanced at the medic's nametags. "Sam and Mike. They want to help you."
Belle reluctantly looked up. At first she still saw the rats but then the power of suggestion that Rolf had used to terrorize her worked in Shawn's favor. Slowly, they became human once more. She stopped thrashing but continued to hold on tightly to Shawn's shirt. She looked up at him. "What's happening to me?"
As Shawn cajoled his frightened friend into letting the paramedics examine her, Chloe stepped into the outer room. She didn't want to admit how shaken she was by what she'd witnessed. Abe followed her out. He touched her shoulder. "Chloe, are you okay?"
She nodded, once more the stoic. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
Abe wasn't convinced but he didn't press her. "When I called the pub to let John and Marlena know you and Shawn had found Belle, your mom was there. She is going to meet us at the hospital."
"ABE!" John and Marlena rushed into the building. They had to come here. They couldn't just wait at the hospital for Belle to arrive. Abe hugged Marlena.
"She's in the other room. Shawn and Roman and the paramedics are with her."
"How is she? Please, Abe, tell me. Was she hurt?"
Abe sighed. "She's got some bruises but she didn't look injured. She has been drugged though. We don't know with what but it is apparently causing hallucinations. Go on in there; she needs you two."
***
The hospital waiting room was full of people waiting to hear how Belle was. Eric was sitting next to Marlena, his arms wrapped around her. John was pacing back and forth. Alice Horton had arrived with a whole platter of doughnuts that she'd spent all afternoon cooking. Roman and Abe had Chloe in one corner questioning her. Shawn remained aloof from the rest of the crowd. He hovered near the exam room door, waiting for Dr. Wesley to let them know how she was.
When Craig finally emerged, everyone froze. He looked grim. Ignoring everyone else, he went straight to John and Marlena. "I'm still waiting on lab results from the blood samples I sent down. I don't know what she was given but it was apparently pretty powerful. That is my greatest concern. She's having hallucinations that are very real. I had to be careful of what I said to her. She's very susceptible to the power of suggestion. Her blood pressure and her pulse are high right now. I think that has to do both with the drugs and fear of what she's been through. I'm going to keep a close eye on that. Fortunately, she's seems uninjured with the exception of minor bruising. It does appear that she is slightly dehydrated so I did have the nurse start an IV of fluids. Other than that there would be no reason physically to keep her overnight. However, until we know the full effect of the drugs she was given, I'd rather have her here in the hospital where she can be monitored. I'm having her moved to a room now."
Marlena slowly digested everything he said. "Can we see her?"
Craig nodded. "You and John can. She's asking for you in fact. But I don't think she needs to see anyone else tonight. She's vulnerable right now. I would like to give her a sedative but I don't want to chance a bad drug interaction. Try to convince her to get some rest. It's the best thing for her right now."
Shawn started to protest. The way she'd clung to him while the paramedics examined her was still vivid in his mind. He'd never seen anyone that scared and upset. He wanted to reassure himself that she was okay. Marlena noticed. She touched his arm. "Shawn, it's almost 1:00. Why don't you go back to Shawn and Caroline's and get some rest. You can come see Belle in the morning. We appreciate what you did tonight more than we can say. Take care of yourself now. Okay?"
Reluctantly and only because he had no choice, Shawn nodded. He would go back to his grandparents' but he doubted he would rest. He wouldn't be able to do that until he knew for sure that she was okay. He watched Belle's parents walk down the hall behind Craig Wesley. Caroline put her arm around her grandson's shoulders.
"She's fine now, Shawn. Thanks to you and Chloe, Belle is safe. Now, come on, let's go home."
****
Belle pulled the blanket up close to her chin. The nurse next to her bed smiled at her, but Belle didn't trust her. Where was Shawn or her parents? Why weren't they with her? She trusted them. She knew they wouldn't hurt her. At least she was away from the warehouse she'd been held captive in. She felt safer here in the hospital than she had there but she wouldn't be completely comfortable until she had her parents nearby. She jumped when the cuff around her left arm suddenly inflated. The nurse glanced at her.
"It's okay, Belle, it's just the blood pressure cuff. Remember, I told you that it would take your blood pressure every fifteen minutes." The nurse wrote the numbers down on her chart as the door opened and Marlena and John entered.
"Mom! Dad!" Belle sat up as best she could as her parents hugged her. She clung to John for an extra minute before pulling away. She noticed that both of her parents had tears in their eyes. Marlena sat beside her on the bed and held her close.
"Oh, Belle. We were so worried about you. I'm so glad that you are all right. But you are safe now. Nothing is going to happen to you again. Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"My throat hurts." Belle admitted softly. It was still dry from the lack of water and irritated by all the screaming and crying she had done. Marlena smiled at her and pushed the hair away from Belle's eyes before turning to the nightstand to pour some water into a glass. Seeing that Belle's hands were shaking; Marlena held the cup for her as Belle drank.
As it had earlier, at first the water was a welcome relief to her parched throat. But then a horrible taste registered in her brain and she gagged. Marlena and John watched her worriedly. Shuddering hard, Belle rested her head on the pillow, tears in her eyes. "It tastes like blood."
Marlena tested the water but found nothing unusual about the taste. The nurse that was still in the room frowned at the statement and quickly checked to see if Belle might have a cut or open wound in her mouth that was still bleeding that the doctor might have missed. Finding nothing, the nurse made a note on Belle's chart. After once more recording Belle's vitals the nurse smiled turned to Marlena and John. "I'll leave the three of you alone. We will be monitoring her blood pressure and pulse from the desk. If you need me push the call button"
After the nurse was gone, John gently caressed Belle's cheek. "You want me to get you something else? I could run down to the vending machine and get you some juice or a soda."
Belle shook her head, her eyes obviously heavy. "Please don't leave me, Daddy. I know the bad things can't get me if you and Mom are with me."
John nodded. Exchanging a look with Marlena, he squeezed his daughter's hand. "Nothing else is going to happen to you, Belle. I promise you that I won't let anyone or anything hurt you again. You are safe."
"Your daddy's right, Belle." Marlena smiled reassuringly. "You are completely safe. Why don't you close your eyes and get some sleep. Dr. Wesley said that was the best thing for you right now."
Belle wanted to protest; her parents had no idea the images she saw whenever she closed her eyes for even just a moment. But the events of the day were catching up with her and pushing her eyelids down until she was finally asleep. Marlena moved away from the bed to sink into a chair. Her head lowered; the only sign that that she was crying was the shaking of her shoulders. In an instant John was at her side and holding her tight.
"Easy, Doc. She's okay now. She's safe."
"What did they do to her though? John, the look of fear in her eyes; I can't stand it. She's just as scared now as she was at the warehouse. Who could do something like that to such a sweet innocent girl?"
John sighed and looked back at his sleeping daughter. It was clear that her sleep was troubled but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that Marlena would be able to work with her and help her recover from the trauma but he couldn't do anything to help Belle recover. But he wasn't about to sit idly by and do nothing. "I don't know, Doc., but I'm going to find out. They won't get away with this; I can promise you that."
"NO!" John and Marlena returned to the bed at Belle's pitiful whimper. Her eyes were tightly scrunched together and a thin line of sweat stood out on her forehead. Her muscles tight, Belle thrashed about the bed fighting some imaginary, yet to her very real, threat. The machine connected to the cuff on her arms told them her blood pressure was 130/92 and that her pulse was 110.
Marlena took Belle's clenched fist in her own hand and gave it a little squeeze. She whispered reassurances to Belle, who did not wake up. She glanced back at John, her face grim. The expression in her eyes reflected exactly what John was thinking. Belle might be safe but the nightmare was far from over.
***
Dr. Craig Wesley looked at the report he had just been handed with a frown. It had been a long night and he'd only gotten a few hours sleep in his office. He'd been waiting on this report since he first sent the blood sample to the lab. He didn't like what the results showed though. Picking up the phone, he punched in a few numbers and waited for someone to answer.
"Lab."
"This is Dr. Wesley. I just got the work-up back on Belle Black. Are you guys sure? There is no doubt?"
"We ran the blood through several tests to be sure. There can be no mistake. I would hate to have been her last night. Someone said she was just a teen. Why won't these kids learn to stay away from drugs."
"This is Dr. Evans' daughter that we are talking about. She was a kidnap victim. I trust I don't have to remind you not to discuss the results of the tests with anyone." Craig barked into the phone and hung up. He was not looking forward to telling John and Marlena what he had learned but he knew they needed to know. Looking at the results, he was sure that they had gotten even less sleep than he had gotten. He started down the hallway to the room Belle was in.
"Dr. Wesley." Shawn ran to catch up with him. Craig stopped and glared at him. In the brief break he had had last night, Nancy had filled him in on how Belle had been rescued. He wasn't happy with the teenager in front of him right now. Shawn took just a moment to catch his breath. "How is Belle?"
"I'm on my way to check on her now. Before I do, though, perhaps you would care to explain to me what you were thinking last night taking my daughter with you on a hunt for Belle and her kidnappers. Anything could have happened to Chloe in that warehouse last night. I thought you were supposed to be her friend."
Shawn held Craig's glare. He had already gotten the riot act from his grandparents and would probably get another one from his dad when he found out. But he knew that people were too relieved that Belle was now safe to be truly angry with him. "I tried to get Chloe to stay at the pub but she insisted on coming alone. Belle is her friend too and neither of us could just stand around waiting for someone to find her. I wouldn't have let anything happen to Chloe but after seeing Belle in that warehouse last night, I don't regret a thing I did. I don't think she could have survived much more, at least not mentally. I think Chloe would tell you the same thing."
"She already has. I know that this time nothing went wrong but if you ever put my daughter in danger again…"
"With all due respect Dr. Wesley, I hope nothing like yesterday ever happens again. I don't like seeing my friends in that much pain. Can I see Belle now?"
"Give me a moment to examine her. Then if her parents don't mind, I have no objections." Stopping at the nurses' station, he picked up Belle's chart and scanned the nurse's notes. He wasn't happy with what he saw but everything was what he had expected giving the lab results. He nodded to the guard stationed outside the door. Telling Shawn to wait outside, Craig lightly knocked on the door and entered the room.
He took a moment to observe before he said anything. Belle appeared to be sleeping peacefully at the moment but the sweat-drenched, twisted sheets indicated that her sleep hadn't always been so peaceful. John was sitting on one side of the bed tightly holding Belle's hand while Marlena was lying beside Belle on the bed gently stroking the young girl's hair. Neither parent looked like they had slept at all. Seeing Craig standing there, John and Marlena sat up and waited for him to tell them how Belle was.
"How long has she been sleeping?" Craig asked softly.
John glanced at his watch. "She's only been sleeping this well for about thirty minutes. Before that she was sleeping but I doubt she was getting any rest. She was tossing and turning and crying out in her sleep. There were a couple of times I thought she was going to pull out her IV. Tell me you have good news."
Craig checked the readout on the automated blood pressure machine and compared it to the notes on her chart. "Her blood pressure and pulse are still a little higher than I would like to see but both are considerably lower than they were when she was brought in last night. That added to the fact that she is now sleeping peacefully, I would think she is over the worst of the drugs in her system. I would have to do another blood test to be sure but I don't want to wake her if she's finally getting rest."
Marlena breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you know yet what she was drugged with?"
Craig nodded. "I do. I don't want to discuss it in front of her though. Even asleep, she may overhear and it could upset her. Why don't we step down the hall to the consultation room."
Marlena and John both looked at Belle. Though she was sleeping well, neither of them wanted her to wake up alone. Craig sensed their hesitation. "Shawn Brady is waiting outside, anxious to see her. He could sit with her while we talk if that would make you feel better."
Marlena nodded. Craig opened the door and motioned Shawn in. Leaving Belle's side Marlena hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "We owe you so much Shawn. Because of you Belle is safe. No words can tell you how much we appreciate what you have done."
Shawn blushed. "I'm just glad she's okay. She is okay, isn't she?"
John nodded. "Craig seems to think she's over the worst. Can you stay with her for a few minutes while we talk to him outside? Doc. and I don't want her waking up with nobody here."
Shawn nodded. "Don't worry about her. I watch out for her."
John squeezed his shoulder. "Yeah, I know you will. We'll be back real soon. Have the nurse come get us if you need us."
Once he was alone with Belle, Shawn sat next to her and watched her sleep. He knew that in reality she'd only been missing for about 5 hours but it had seemed like a lifetime. He could only imagine what it had been like for her. It was amazing what a few hours had done for her. Those moments in the warehouse before John and Marlena had arrived were perhaps more terrifying for him than waiting at the pub if only because he could see how scared she was and was unable to really help her.
The cuff on her arm began to inflate. As it squeezed her upper arm, a grimace crossed her face and her eyes slowly opened. Shawn smiled at her. She blinked the sleep from her eyes. For a moment she eyed him in confusion. Why was her mind still doing this to her? Then it hit her that he was wearing regular clothing and not the tights he'd worn in her visions. Maybe this was really Shawn. "Shawn?"
***
Craig waited until John and Marlena were sitting before talking to them. "I just got the lab results back. We now know what drugs Belle was given. The lab techs found two separate drugs in her blood. One was an Opium derivative that causes hallucinations. It appears that that was the first drug she was given. Addicts use it because it tends to take images from the mind and make them seem real but it also has a high reaction rate to the power of suggestion."
Marlena nodded. "I've heard of those drugs. If you tell someone on these drugs that they can fly they really believe they can actually jump out of a building and not fall. What was the other drug?"
"Tricrystaline. It's a new psychedelic drug that we're just learning about. It's a horrible drug. Where the other drug would take things already in Belle's mind, say a horror movie, and make it real; Tricrystaline will plant images of its own."
***
"Is that really you?" Belle asked tentatively, not sure whether or not to trust her eyes.
"It's me. Your mom and dad just walked down the hall to talk to Dr. Wesley. How are you feeling?"
"Kind of out of it. Everything that happened is still fuzzy. I don't know what's real or not after we were pulled into that alley." Reaching out Belle gently touched one of the bruises on his cheek. She blinked. "Did that happen when we were attacked?"
Shawn smiled. "Yeah, but don't think about that. I'm just sorry I didn't stop them from taking you."
Belle blinked sleepily. "Are you kidding? You saved me, didn't you? I remember you and Chloe being there. Or did I imagine that?"
"We were there. You had us worried. You weren't saying much and what you were saying didn't make sense. You called us Peter and Wendy."
"You told me too. You were dressed like Peter Pan and you wouldn't take me to Never Never Land because I was tied up. Then you came back and said you were taking Chloe instead. She was beautiful. I mean she's always been beautiful but this time she was a total knock out in a red dress, without her glasses, and her hair all pulled up." She grimaced as the talking hurt her parched throat.
Shawn quickly got her some water. "Here, drink this."
***
"Tricrystaline doesn't just cause visual hallucinations like the opium derivative. It also can cause hallucinations of the other senses as well." Craig Wesley went on to explain.
John looked confused but realization dawned on Marlena. "Such as when she drinks ordinary water she tastes blood instead."
Craig nodded. "I read that in her chart. Fortunately Shawn and Chloe prevented Belle's captor from giving her a full dose of the drug. She doesn't appear to be experiencing any of the touch sensitive hallucinations this drug has been known to produce. I really think that if she's received the full dose on top of the opium derivative, the combination of the drugs would have caused her to have a heart attack and die."
John held Marlena tight. He said a silent prayer of thanksgiving that Belle had been rescued in time. "So what can we expect from this drug, Craig?"
The Chief of Staff sighed. This was the part he hated to admit. "I really don't know, John. This drug is too new for us to know exactly what to expect. Once the drug is fully out of her system, she may never experience another problem. On the other hand, she may experience flashback hallucinations for the rest of her life. If you like, I can recommend a few really good drug counselors. Marlena, I'm not dismissing your qualifications as a psychiatrist but the ones that I'm thinking of can help Belle learn to recognize a hallucination from reality in case she does experience flashbacks. Besides, we both know that as doctors we lose all objectivity when it comes to dealing with our own family members."
Marlena nodded. "Thank you. We would appreciate the recommendations. For now, though I think I want to go back to my daughter. I know that Shawn is with her and there is a guard outside her door but I'd feel better having her in sight."
Craig nodded. "I can understand that all to well. Do the police have any leads on who kidnapped her?"
John shook his head. "Not yet. Roman said last night that he would come by and question Belle as soon as she felt up to it."
***
Belle knocked the glass aside. Tears filled her eyes. "Am I crazy or what? Everything I drink tastes so horrible."
Shawn eased onto the bed beside her and held her close. "Shh, no, Belle, you aren't crazy. You've been through something completely horrible. I bet it has something to do with the drug you were given. Just give it time and everything will taste normal again. So, I was Peter Pan, huh? I guess you got that from our conversation on the island. Please tell me I wasn't wearing tights or anything like that."
The change in subject actually brought a little smile to Belle's lips. "Actually, yeah you were. Green tights under a green tunic."
Shawn was glad to see her looking a little more relaxed. "We don't have to tell anyone else about that, okay? It can be our little secret. I wouldn't have minded seeing Chloe all dressed up though. We better not tell her about that one either. She'd have a fit."
When Belle didn't answer, Shawn looked down. Safe in his arms, she'd promptly fallen back asleep. He smiled at her. He didn't move lest he would wake her. He figured she probably needed all the rest she could get right now. He didn't want to admit to himself or anyone else how good and reassuring it felt just sitting there holding her.
The door opened and Chloe stepped into the room. She stopped when she saw Shawn holding Belle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She started to leave.
"Wait, Chloe. Don't go. Belle will be glad to see you when she wakes up." Shawn smiled reassuringly.
Chloe allowed herself a moment of hesitation before crossing the room to sit in a chair. "So, how is she doing? Nancy talked to Craig this morning but he didn't know much yet."
"She's better than she was last night in the warehouse. I don't know about you but I never want to see anyone go through what she was going though."
Chloe watched him carefully. "You care about her don't you?"
Shawn shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I mean she's my friend. Of course I care about her. Don't you?"
"I mean as more than a friend. You are falling in love with her." Chloe smiled.
Shawn glanced down at Belle, sleeping so peacefully in his arms. Could what Chloe was saying be true? He shook his head. "What makes you think that?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Every since I came to Salem, you and Belle are the only two people at Salem High to give me a chance. I've often wondered why but I think I finally figured it out. The two of you are just nice people. You don't look at me and see Ghoul Girl or Vampira. You see me and you accept me for who I am not what you think I should be. I don't know how I would have gotten through all these months of school if it hadn't been for you and Belle."
Neither teen noticed that John, Marlena and Craig were standing at the doorway listening in. Craig hadn't realized just how rough school had been for Chloe. He turned to John and Marlena. "I don't know what to say. I knew Belle was a good friend to Chloe but I never realized just how good a friend both Belle and Shawn have been to her."
"Chloe, you are a great person. Of course Belle and I befriended you. If the others would just give you half a chance, they'd see what we see in you as well. But I don't understand what this has to do with you thinking I'm in love with Belle."
"If it had been you and I together in that alley yesterday afternoon and I had been kidnapped instead of Belle, you would have worried about me and felt bad for what had happened. I know that because you are nice guy but it would have been different. You wouldn't have taken it so personally. I saw the way you were looking at Belle last night in that warehouse. I saw the way you were looking at her when I came in. You look at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to you and that if you look away too long you might lose her." Chloe glanced down at the floor. "You look at her like I saw Craig looking at Nancy after she was hit by that car. You can deny it to her and you can deny it to yourself but you can't deny it to me. You love Belle."
To be continued…