Chapter Nine
Chloe locked the bathroom door and slid to the floor beside the shower. Her entire body was racked with sobs, and her hot tears spilled down her face. She wanted to close her eyes, but all she could see was the man in the bathroom. He had kissed and touched her in the same places Brady had and she felt chills run up her spine at the memories of the attack.
Through her sobs, Chloe cried out. "It's not fair... oh God... it's just not fair."
She didn't realize that she had said that out loud until she heard Brady speak through the door.
"Chloe... what's not fair? Please talk to me... I didn't mean to hurt you."
Chloe sighed and tried to slow her sobbing. "Brady... Just leave me alone, please. Just for a while. I'm sorry... I just need to be alone."
"Alright, whatever you want. But, I'm out here if you need me."
Chloe nodded even though she knew that Brady couldn't see her through the door. "Okay..."
On the other side of the door, Brady sighed and placed one hand on the wooden door. He paused there for a moment hoping that when Chloe came out, she wouldn't hate him. He knew that it was too soon and that things were going too far, but it was hard to control himself when he was around her.
Brady moved away from the door and picked his jacket and tie off the floor and placed it on the chair. He decided to make a pot of coffee on the hotel's coffee pot and change into some more comfortable clothes. He noticed the light in the bathroom turn off as he settled into the chair at the small table with his coffee and a book.
Inside the bathroom, Chloe let her sobs flow freely until she felt she had nothing left inside her. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed to God for the strength to get past all of this.
Chloe was grateful that the attack in the bathroom had been stopped before it went any further, but deep down she felt like life had handed her another raw deal. Between the OperaGirl website and having a stranger grope her, Chloe felt like her body wasn't hers anymore, and it just wasn't fair.
She wiped the tears off of her face and reached one hand up to turn the light off. She kept her eyes closed and let the darkness envelop her. She felt emotionally drained inside, and let her weariness take over as she drifted off to sleep.
***
(About an hour later...)
Brady was still lying on the bed reading when Chloe stepped slowly out of the bathroom. She had changed out of her blue dress and was wrapped in the white terry cloth bathrobe.
Brady immediately looked up and tossed his book aside.
Chloe looked away from him but whispered a weak, "Hi."
"I uhm... made some coffee. It might still be warm if you want some."
Chloe nodded and walked over to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. She sat down on the bed and faced Brady as she sipped her coffee. "So, how long have I been in there?"
Brady quickly checked his watch. "About an hour."
"Brady..."
"No, Chloe... let me speak first. I'm so incredibly sorry. I shouldn't have let things go that far. It's too soon for us to go that far, and you're not ready. I will never push you into something that you don't want to do. I promise."
Chloe sighed deeply. "I agree, Brady. It is too soon and I'm not ready to make that step yet. But... that's not why I ran away."
Brady looked at her in confusion. "It's not?"
"No... You kissed me, and touched me in the same places that the man at the Quik-Stop did. It just all came flooding back... and I couldn't handle it. I thought I was stronger than that, but I'm not."
"Oh God, Chloe, I am so sorry... I didn't even think first. But, please know that you ARE strong, but you're not empty inside. It's perfectly natural for you to feel violated. Don't try to deny the feelings that you're having about the attack."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "I know... it's just so much more complicated than just that."
"Well... you can tell me anything. I'm here to listen."
Chloe closed her eyes for a second and swallowed hard. She opened her eyes and looked at Brady. "Okay... See, the only person in my life that I've ever been intimate with at all was Phillip. We never went all the way or anything, but we came pretty close once. You don't really need to know the all the details of that, but let me just mention that the only reason I let Phillip get that close to me was because of trust. I trusted him, and I gave him access to things that I have always kept private."
Brady listened intently and reached one hand over to rest on Chloe's. She gladly let him and continued. "But... then everything fell apart. I had nude photos taken of me without my knowledge. People logged into a website and paid money to see them, and then they were put up in front of my entire school. People that wouldn't even speak to me in the hallway have now seen parts of me that nobody else has."
Chloe paused and used her free hand to wipe the tears from her face. "Then, to really put the icing on the cake. This... I hate to even call him a man... because that's too kind of a phrase... this man... he hurt me, Brady."
Chloe broke off because she was unable to speak anymore. Brady moved to the bed beside her and placed one arm around her shoulder and let her head rest on his chest as she cried.
"Chloe... I know that you've been hurt, but... you fought back. You didn't let Jan and Mimi get away with their schemes, and it's because of your strength that the attack ended before it got worse. You fought back and you're going to keep on fighting."
Chloe lifted her head up and looked Brady in the eyes. "Thank you so much for believing in me... I couldn't make it through all this if I didn't have you. But... I don't know what else I can do. I feel like... my body doesn't belong to me anymore. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to you either. The only person who should be that intimate with me is someone who I care about and trust... you. But, I feel like I've been taken advantage of so a few people can get their sick twisted little rocks off."
"You are going to get past this, you will never forget it, but you CAN move on. You have to remember something though... those people only wanted to make themselves happy. They didn't care about you. When I'm with you, it's not because I want to make myself happy... it's because I want you to be happy. I never want to cause you unhappiness, Chloe."
"And you don't... ever. And that's why it's not fair. I can't separate the two. Any kind of sexual encounter is going to remind me of the bad things, not the good things."
Brady nodded silently, and Chloe continued. "So... what do I do now?"
Brady looked surprised. "You're asking ME?"
"Yeah... you seem to be pretty wise and all-knowing lately..."
"Well... Honestly?" Chloe nodded for him to continue. "Maybe you need to see a therapist..."
"So, they can tell me I'm crazy..."
"Chloe... you are NOT crazy. What you're feeling is to be expected. But, I can't fix you, and I'm not saying that a psychiatrist CAN... But, at least it's a place to go where an unbiased voice can listen to you, and maybe give you the tools you need to move past all of this."
Chloe nodded understandingly. "You're right... Of course, you're right."
"Listen... when we get back to Salem... if you want to talk to Marlena, I know she'd be glad to help. Or if you'd rather talk to another doctor that you don't know already, she can recommend one of her colleagues."
"Thanks, Brady... I'd really appreciate that. I just, try to remain in denial for so long sometimes and fix everything myself that I don't realize that I can't always do that. I need help. I can't do it all alone."
Brady gently brushed a piece of hair off of her face and smiled. "You're not alone, Chloe. I know you've felt that way for your whole life, but things have changed. You have me now, and Belle, and Shawn... and well, that basically makes you an honorary member of the Bradys, the Hortons and the Black family. That's pretty much everyone in Salem, you know."
Chloe smiled at first, but then broke into laughter. "Wow... you're right. That IS the whole town."
Brady grinned at her. "See... I knew I could get you to smile eventually."
Chloe looked at him with complete seriousness. "Thank you, Brady. I... I don't know what I'd do without you."
Brady smiled and rolled back on to the bed, bringing Chloe with him. He laid flat on his back and she rested her head on his chest. "You'd be sooooo bored, Chloe Lane."
Chloe chuckled. "But, probably a whole lot less aggravated all the time."
"Hey... I only pick on you because you're such an easy target." Brady kissed the top of her head and she smiled.
"Well, you're the ONLY person I let pick on me. I hope you feel special."
Brady gently stroked her hair. "You have no idea..."
They continued chatting on into the night about less serious subjects until Chloe drifted off to sleep in Brady's arms. He slowly reached over and turned the lamp off, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before settling in to fall asleep.
***
Chloe locked the bathroom door and slid to the floor beside the shower. Her entire body was racked with sobs, and her hot tears spilled down her face. She wanted to close her eyes, but all she could see was the man in the bathroom. He had kissed and touched her in the same places Brady had and she felt chills run up her spine at the memories of the attack.
Through her sobs, Chloe cried out. "It's not fair... oh God... it's just not fair."
She didn't realize that she had said that out loud until she heard Brady speak through the door.
"Chloe... what's not fair? Please talk to me... I didn't mean to hurt you."
Chloe sighed and tried to slow her sobbing. "Brady... Just leave me alone, please. Just for a while. I'm sorry... I just need to be alone."
"Alright, whatever you want. But, I'm out here if you need me."
Chloe nodded even though she knew that Brady couldn't see her through the door. "Okay..."
On the other side of the door, Brady sighed and placed one hand on the wooden door. He paused there for a moment hoping that when Chloe came out, she wouldn't hate him. He knew that it was too soon and that things were going too far, but it was hard to control himself when he was around her.
Brady moved away from the door and picked his jacket and tie off the floor and placed it on the chair. He decided to make a pot of coffee on the hotel's coffee pot and change into some more comfortable clothes. He noticed the light in the bathroom turn off as he settled into the chair at the small table with his coffee and a book.
Inside the bathroom, Chloe let her sobs flow freely until she felt she had nothing left inside her. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed to God for the strength to get past all of this.
Chloe was grateful that the attack in the bathroom had been stopped before it went any further, but deep down she felt like life had handed her another raw deal. Between the OperaGirl website and having a stranger grope her, Chloe felt like her body wasn't hers anymore, and it just wasn't fair.
She wiped the tears off of her face and reached one hand up to turn the light off. She kept her eyes closed and let the darkness envelop her. She felt emotionally drained inside, and let her weariness take over as she drifted off to sleep.
***
(About an hour later...)
Brady was still lying on the bed reading when Chloe stepped slowly out of the bathroom. She had changed out of her blue dress and was wrapped in the white terry cloth bathrobe.
Brady immediately looked up and tossed his book aside.
Chloe looked away from him but whispered a weak, "Hi."
"I uhm... made some coffee. It might still be warm if you want some."
Chloe nodded and walked over to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. She sat down on the bed and faced Brady as she sipped her coffee. "So, how long have I been in there?"
Brady quickly checked his watch. "About an hour."
"Brady..."
"No, Chloe... let me speak first. I'm so incredibly sorry. I shouldn't have let things go that far. It's too soon for us to go that far, and you're not ready. I will never push you into something that you don't want to do. I promise."
Chloe sighed deeply. "I agree, Brady. It is too soon and I'm not ready to make that step yet. But... that's not why I ran away."
Brady looked at her in confusion. "It's not?"
"No... You kissed me, and touched me in the same places that the man at the Quik-Stop did. It just all came flooding back... and I couldn't handle it. I thought I was stronger than that, but I'm not."
"Oh God, Chloe, I am so sorry... I didn't even think first. But, please know that you ARE strong, but you're not empty inside. It's perfectly natural for you to feel violated. Don't try to deny the feelings that you're having about the attack."
Chloe nodded in agreement. "I know... it's just so much more complicated than just that."
"Well... you can tell me anything. I'm here to listen."
Chloe closed her eyes for a second and swallowed hard. She opened her eyes and looked at Brady. "Okay... See, the only person in my life that I've ever been intimate with at all was Phillip. We never went all the way or anything, but we came pretty close once. You don't really need to know the all the details of that, but let me just mention that the only reason I let Phillip get that close to me was because of trust. I trusted him, and I gave him access to things that I have always kept private."
Brady listened intently and reached one hand over to rest on Chloe's. She gladly let him and continued. "But... then everything fell apart. I had nude photos taken of me without my knowledge. People logged into a website and paid money to see them, and then they were put up in front of my entire school. People that wouldn't even speak to me in the hallway have now seen parts of me that nobody else has."
Chloe paused and used her free hand to wipe the tears from her face. "Then, to really put the icing on the cake. This... I hate to even call him a man... because that's too kind of a phrase... this man... he hurt me, Brady."
Chloe broke off because she was unable to speak anymore. Brady moved to the bed beside her and placed one arm around her shoulder and let her head rest on his chest as she cried.
"Chloe... I know that you've been hurt, but... you fought back. You didn't let Jan and Mimi get away with their schemes, and it's because of your strength that the attack ended before it got worse. You fought back and you're going to keep on fighting."
Chloe lifted her head up and looked Brady in the eyes. "Thank you so much for believing in me... I couldn't make it through all this if I didn't have you. But... I don't know what else I can do. I feel like... my body doesn't belong to me anymore. It's not fair to me, and it's not fair to you either. The only person who should be that intimate with me is someone who I care about and trust... you. But, I feel like I've been taken advantage of so a few people can get their sick twisted little rocks off."
"You are going to get past this, you will never forget it, but you CAN move on. You have to remember something though... those people only wanted to make themselves happy. They didn't care about you. When I'm with you, it's not because I want to make myself happy... it's because I want you to be happy. I never want to cause you unhappiness, Chloe."
"And you don't... ever. And that's why it's not fair. I can't separate the two. Any kind of sexual encounter is going to remind me of the bad things, not the good things."
Brady nodded silently, and Chloe continued. "So... what do I do now?"
Brady looked surprised. "You're asking ME?"
"Yeah... you seem to be pretty wise and all-knowing lately..."
"Well... Honestly?" Chloe nodded for him to continue. "Maybe you need to see a therapist..."
"So, they can tell me I'm crazy..."
"Chloe... you are NOT crazy. What you're feeling is to be expected. But, I can't fix you, and I'm not saying that a psychiatrist CAN... But, at least it's a place to go where an unbiased voice can listen to you, and maybe give you the tools you need to move past all of this."
Chloe nodded understandingly. "You're right... Of course, you're right."
"Listen... when we get back to Salem... if you want to talk to Marlena, I know she'd be glad to help. Or if you'd rather talk to another doctor that you don't know already, she can recommend one of her colleagues."
"Thanks, Brady... I'd really appreciate that. I just, try to remain in denial for so long sometimes and fix everything myself that I don't realize that I can't always do that. I need help. I can't do it all alone."
Brady gently brushed a piece of hair off of her face and smiled. "You're not alone, Chloe. I know you've felt that way for your whole life, but things have changed. You have me now, and Belle, and Shawn... and well, that basically makes you an honorary member of the Bradys, the Hortons and the Black family. That's pretty much everyone in Salem, you know."
Chloe smiled at first, but then broke into laughter. "Wow... you're right. That IS the whole town."
Brady grinned at her. "See... I knew I could get you to smile eventually."
Chloe looked at him with complete seriousness. "Thank you, Brady. I... I don't know what I'd do without you."
Brady smiled and rolled back on to the bed, bringing Chloe with him. He laid flat on his back and she rested her head on his chest. "You'd be sooooo bored, Chloe Lane."
Chloe chuckled. "But, probably a whole lot less aggravated all the time."
"Hey... I only pick on you because you're such an easy target." Brady kissed the top of her head and she smiled.
"Well, you're the ONLY person I let pick on me. I hope you feel special."
Brady gently stroked her hair. "You have no idea..."
They continued chatting on into the night about less serious subjects until Chloe drifted off to sleep in Brady's arms. He slowly reached over and turned the lamp off, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before settling in to fall asleep.
***