Chapter Five
(Somewhere in Ohio...)
Only minutes after they hit the highway, Chloe laid her head against the window and fell fast asleep. Somewhere in the back of her head she could hear the sound the van made as it sped along the road, but for the most part, she was out like a light. About an hour later, she awoke to a window spattered with raindrops. The van was parked outside a roadside motel, and she was completely alone for the moment. She sat up and stretched as she yawned.
Chloe tried to smooth her wrinkled clothes when the passenger door to the van opened suddenly. She jumped in fear and laid one hand on her chest.
"Oh Jesus, Brady... you scared me half to death."
Brady leaned against the door and grinned at her. "Sorry about that... I thought you might still be asleep so I was gonna carry you into the room. You know... now that I can walk without my canes, I can do things like that. So I was tempted to flex my muscles."
Chloe smiled at him and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Well, that's sweet of you... but I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it."
Brady clasped her hand and helped her out of the van. "I know... You have certainly proved that to me in the past, that's for sure."
Chloe grinned slyly at him. "Well, I'll let you flex your manly macho muscles by carrying the big suitcases if you give me the key to the room."
Brady kissed her on the forehead and slipped the key into her hand. "Here ya go... Room 104, right over there."
Chloe smiled at him, grabbed her small bag and headed towards the room. She unlocked the door and laid her backpack down. The room was quite small, but had two double beds and was very clean. She walked around the room for a couple of minutes, checking it out and getting a feel for the floor plan until she heard a noise which sounded like somebody throwing himself up against the door. Chloe ran to the door and opened it to an exhausted Brady who was weighed down by both of their suitcases. He stepped inside and threw the suitcases aside.
"Ughhhh... Chloe... what the hell did you put in here? You didn't bring the *entire* town of Salem in the suitcase, did you?"
Chloe cringed briefly. "Sorry about that... I forgot how heavy it was."
Brady shook it off and wrapped his arms around Chloe. "Don't worry about it... I don't mind."
Chloe smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Awww... you're such a sucker sometimes. I'm gonna go take a shower now, okay?"
Brady smiled back at her. "Take your time... I think I'm going to go over the map and the plans for tomorrow's driving."
Brady let go of Chloe and she grabbed one of the hotel bathrobes in the closet and made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She turned the water in the shower on and turned towards the mirror to look at her reflection.
"Geez... I look awful." Of course, that wasn't a surprise to Chloe. After what she had endured today, she had expected the worst. She frowned at her reflection and sighed softly. "Be strong... Forget about it. Put it out of your head. Focus on what you have to do." The words meant a lot but they couldn't entirely shake the hideous feeling that she felt throughout her body. No matter how strong she was, she had still been attacked and she couldn't just let it go that easily. But she knew she would hold on because of Brady... he would force her not to fall apart, and if she did, he would put the pieces back together for her.
Her glasses had begun to fog up and she took them off and laid them on the counter. She took the headband out of her hair, undressed the rest of the way and stepped under the hot shower. Chloe scrubbed every inch of her body, hoping to scrub out the memories of what had happened in that Quik-Stop bathroom. Deep down she knew that even a million showers couldn't do that, but Chloe was strong and although she would never forget, she would move on. She had to.
***
Chloe stepped out of the bathroom clad in the white bathrobe, with a matching towel wrapped around her head like a turban. Brady was sitting on the bed closest to the door with several maps and guidebooks spread around him. He looked up from his maps when Chloe opened the bathroom door.
"Wow... Chloe... did anyone ever tell you that terry cloth is a fantastic look for you?"
"Ha Ha, Brady. So what's the itinerary for tomorrow, Navigator?" Chloe sat down on the other bed and faced him.
Brady shrugged slightly. "Well... I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that we drove almost 400 miles today."
"And the bad news?"
"We still have 700 left to go. Which means... that if you want to make it to Boston tomorrow afternoon, we have to leave in like 5 hours."
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "Well... that's okay. I'd really rather sleep actually. I mean, I want to get there soon, but what's the point if both of us are too worn out to think? I vote for sleep."
"I agree. Oh yeah... while you were in the shower I brought in the sandwiches that Belle made for us. I already had mine, yours is in the fridge if you want it."
Chloe stood up quickly. "Well... now that you mention it. I'm starving."
She walked over to the small hotel fridge and pulled out the sandwich wrapped in plastic and took it back to her bed. She grabbed the file on her mother and once again opened it to skim the pages inside as she nibbled on her sandwich. She heard Brady fold up his maps, put them away and stand up from the bed
"I think I'm going to take a shower too..."
Chloe looked up and grinned at him. "Have fun... I think I used all the hot water."
Brady rolled his eyes and walked towards the bathroom. "Well that figures..."
Brady left her alone with her sandwich, as she pored through the files from the envelope. The words on the pages were exactly the same every time she read them, but each time she hoped that she could find something new. Chloe slid down further in her bed and rested her head on the soft fluffy pillows. She tried to read the documents and chew her sandwich at the same time, but her eyes grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute.
***
Brady stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts and a tattered old baseball shirt. He stepped towards the two beds and paused to look at Chloe. She had drifted off to sleep while he was showering. Her hair was still wrapped in the towel and her half-eaten sandwich was laid beside her on the bed. Brady quietly stepped towards her and moved the sandwich and the papers she had been reading to the table between the beds. He gently took off her glasses and removed the towel from her hair. He paused to take in how beautiful she was even now in sleep. Brady gently moved the covers on the bed and put them over her. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before settling into his own bed.
As he looked at her peaceful sleeping form, he smiled once more and softly whispered. "Good night, Chloe... I love you."
Brady had never told Chloe those three words before, at least not when she was awake. Just like Chloe, he was afraid of them... afraid to admit his feelings and be hurt by them in the long run. She knew that he loved her, and he knew that she felt the same but both of them were unable to speak the words out loud. At least for now.
***
(Somewhere in Ohio...)
Only minutes after they hit the highway, Chloe laid her head against the window and fell fast asleep. Somewhere in the back of her head she could hear the sound the van made as it sped along the road, but for the most part, she was out like a light. About an hour later, she awoke to a window spattered with raindrops. The van was parked outside a roadside motel, and she was completely alone for the moment. She sat up and stretched as she yawned.
Chloe tried to smooth her wrinkled clothes when the passenger door to the van opened suddenly. She jumped in fear and laid one hand on her chest.
"Oh Jesus, Brady... you scared me half to death."
Brady leaned against the door and grinned at her. "Sorry about that... I thought you might still be asleep so I was gonna carry you into the room. You know... now that I can walk without my canes, I can do things like that. So I was tempted to flex my muscles."
Chloe smiled at him and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Well, that's sweet of you... but I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it."
Brady clasped her hand and helped her out of the van. "I know... You have certainly proved that to me in the past, that's for sure."
Chloe grinned slyly at him. "Well, I'll let you flex your manly macho muscles by carrying the big suitcases if you give me the key to the room."
Brady kissed her on the forehead and slipped the key into her hand. "Here ya go... Room 104, right over there."
Chloe smiled at him, grabbed her small bag and headed towards the room. She unlocked the door and laid her backpack down. The room was quite small, but had two double beds and was very clean. She walked around the room for a couple of minutes, checking it out and getting a feel for the floor plan until she heard a noise which sounded like somebody throwing himself up against the door. Chloe ran to the door and opened it to an exhausted Brady who was weighed down by both of their suitcases. He stepped inside and threw the suitcases aside.
"Ughhhh... Chloe... what the hell did you put in here? You didn't bring the *entire* town of Salem in the suitcase, did you?"
Chloe cringed briefly. "Sorry about that... I forgot how heavy it was."
Brady shook it off and wrapped his arms around Chloe. "Don't worry about it... I don't mind."
Chloe smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Awww... you're such a sucker sometimes. I'm gonna go take a shower now, okay?"
Brady smiled back at her. "Take your time... I think I'm going to go over the map and the plans for tomorrow's driving."
Brady let go of Chloe and she grabbed one of the hotel bathrobes in the closet and made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She turned the water in the shower on and turned towards the mirror to look at her reflection.
"Geez... I look awful." Of course, that wasn't a surprise to Chloe. After what she had endured today, she had expected the worst. She frowned at her reflection and sighed softly. "Be strong... Forget about it. Put it out of your head. Focus on what you have to do." The words meant a lot but they couldn't entirely shake the hideous feeling that she felt throughout her body. No matter how strong she was, she had still been attacked and she couldn't just let it go that easily. But she knew she would hold on because of Brady... he would force her not to fall apart, and if she did, he would put the pieces back together for her.
Her glasses had begun to fog up and she took them off and laid them on the counter. She took the headband out of her hair, undressed the rest of the way and stepped under the hot shower. Chloe scrubbed every inch of her body, hoping to scrub out the memories of what had happened in that Quik-Stop bathroom. Deep down she knew that even a million showers couldn't do that, but Chloe was strong and although she would never forget, she would move on. She had to.
***
Chloe stepped out of the bathroom clad in the white bathrobe, with a matching towel wrapped around her head like a turban. Brady was sitting on the bed closest to the door with several maps and guidebooks spread around him. He looked up from his maps when Chloe opened the bathroom door.
"Wow... Chloe... did anyone ever tell you that terry cloth is a fantastic look for you?"
"Ha Ha, Brady. So what's the itinerary for tomorrow, Navigator?" Chloe sat down on the other bed and faced him.
Brady shrugged slightly. "Well... I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that we drove almost 400 miles today."
"And the bad news?"
"We still have 700 left to go. Which means... that if you want to make it to Boston tomorrow afternoon, we have to leave in like 5 hours."
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "Well... that's okay. I'd really rather sleep actually. I mean, I want to get there soon, but what's the point if both of us are too worn out to think? I vote for sleep."
"I agree. Oh yeah... while you were in the shower I brought in the sandwiches that Belle made for us. I already had mine, yours is in the fridge if you want it."
Chloe stood up quickly. "Well... now that you mention it. I'm starving."
She walked over to the small hotel fridge and pulled out the sandwich wrapped in plastic and took it back to her bed. She grabbed the file on her mother and once again opened it to skim the pages inside as she nibbled on her sandwich. She heard Brady fold up his maps, put them away and stand up from the bed
"I think I'm going to take a shower too..."
Chloe looked up and grinned at him. "Have fun... I think I used all the hot water."
Brady rolled his eyes and walked towards the bathroom. "Well that figures..."
Brady left her alone with her sandwich, as she pored through the files from the envelope. The words on the pages were exactly the same every time she read them, but each time she hoped that she could find something new. Chloe slid down further in her bed and rested her head on the soft fluffy pillows. She tried to read the documents and chew her sandwich at the same time, but her eyes grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute.
***
Brady stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts and a tattered old baseball shirt. He stepped towards the two beds and paused to look at Chloe. She had drifted off to sleep while he was showering. Her hair was still wrapped in the towel and her half-eaten sandwich was laid beside her on the bed. Brady quietly stepped towards her and moved the sandwich and the papers she had been reading to the table between the beds. He gently took off her glasses and removed the towel from her hair. He paused to take in how beautiful she was even now in sleep. Brady gently moved the covers on the bed and put them over her. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before settling into his own bed.
As he looked at her peaceful sleeping form, he smiled once more and softly whispered. "Good night, Chloe... I love you."
Brady had never told Chloe those three words before, at least not when she was awake. Just like Chloe, he was afraid of them... afraid to admit his feelings and be hurt by them in the long run. She knew that he loved her, and he knew that she felt the same but both of them were unable to speak the words out loud. At least for now.
***