Chapter Ten
(Day Four...)
Chloe awoke before Brady. She was still wrapped in his arms with her head on his chest. One of her hands was on his stomach, but the other one felt strangely numb. She slowly lifted her head from his body and noticed that one of her hands was underneath Brady's back. She tried to slide it out, but it was completely asleep and his body weight was too much. She used her other hand to gently tap him on the forehead and whispered in a hoarse voice.
"Braaaady... Braaaaady... wake up please..."
Brady's blue eyes fluttered open slowly and he half smiled at Chloe. "Good morning, beautiful."
Brady leaned forward for a kiss but Chloe stopped him. "Can I please have my hand back now?"
Brady groaned and moved so Chloe could slip her hand out. She smiled happily at Brady and gave him the kiss that he had wanted. "Thank you."
The phone on Chloe's side of the bed began to ring and Chloe went to reach for it, but made the mistake of doing so with her numb hand. Instead of being able to pick it up she knocked it off the hook and on to the floor. Brady began to laugh uncontrollably as Chloe yelled out. "AHHHH! My hand is ASLEEP!"
She laughed with him at first, but then remembered the phone was still on the floor. She grabbed the handset off the floor and tried to contain her laughter.
"Uhm... hello."
"Chloe? Is everything okay?"
Chloe laughed again. "Oh geez, Belle... yeah. I just... my hand fell asleep and I knocked the phone off the table."
Belle laughed nervously on the other end. "Ohhhh ooookay... How's your trip going?"
"Fine... I talked to the woman who was there when I was born. It was so great, Belle. I really learned so much."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Chloe... that's such good news."
"Yeah, uhm... Brady and I are going to Newport today to kinda dig up what we can on Nancy's life."
"So, everything is going good then?"
Chloe paused. She so desperately wanted to tell Belle about the attack. Belle was her best friend and would want to know about it, but now was not the time. She didn't want to ruin Belle's vacation, and telling her over the phone wasn't a good idea either. "Uhm... yeah. Pretty much... so far. A few bumps in the road, but nothing to worry about."
Belle sounded skeptical. "A few bumps in the road? What happened?"
"Nothing, Belle... everything is fine. We'll talk about it when you get home..."
"Okay, Chloe... whatever you say. But take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will... I promise. Now, what about you? How is it down in paradise?"
Belle chuckled over the phone. "It's great... it's so beautiful here. I wish you could have come, but I know you had more important things to do. Anyway, I called to tell you that we're going to be away from phone contact for a few days now. We're heading out to the island in a few minutes, so I'm glad you left your number when you called yesterday."
"How's the little treasure hunt going?"
"Good actually. I think I've got this map and these clues all figured out. We just have to keep it quiet from the rest of the class."
"Well, good luck on your expedition but be careful, please. Something about this whole thing just doesn't seem right."
"We will... Shawn and I know what we're doing. I hope."
"Just be careful... you wanna talk to your brother real quick?"
"Yeah, put him on. Bye Chloe."
"Bye Belle." Chloe smiled and handed the phone to Brady, only half-listening to their conversation as she pulled some clean clothes out of her suitcase.
"Hey sis... how's it going?"
"Hey... I'm gonna be late for the boat, but I just wanted ask you if Chloe really IS okay. She doesn't sound like it to me."
Brady sighed and spoke softly, hoping that Chloe wouldn't overhear. "She is... or she will be eventually."
"Okay, if you say so. But Brady, please take care of her and take care of yourself too. She's one of my best friends, and uhm, don't tell Eric, but you are definitely my favorite half-brother..."
Brady laughed out loud. "Awww... don't be so hard on Eric."
"I'm not... it's just I grew up with you, and not him. But that's not my point. My point is... I don't want anything bad to happen either of you... so take care of yourselves. Please, Brady."
"I will, I promise. And, same to you, kiddo. Tell Shawn Brady that if you don't return from Puerto Rico in one completely unscarred piece, I will hurt him severely."
Belle laughed at Brady's overprotectiveness of her. "Okaaaay... you sound just like dad sometimes. Anyway, I gotta go. Shawn is freaking because I'm running late. Take care, Brady."
"You too, sis." Brady heard the click from Belle's end of the phone and he silently prayed that he could keep his promise to his sister. Please God, don't let anything else go wrong...
Chloe finished getting her stuff out of her suitcase and smiled at Brady. "Hey... I'm gonna go take a shower now... we gotta get going if we want to make it to Newport early enough to get anything done today."
Brady smiled and stood from the bed. "Go ahead... I'll make some coffee."
Brady walked over to the coffee pot and watched Chloe go into the bathroom and shut the door. He sighed thoughtfully and wondered if this trip to Newport would only cause Chloe more pain in her life. He hoped not, because he wouldn't be able to bear it if she got hurt again.
***
After Chloe had finished her shower, Brady took his turn. She finished running the brush through her hair and sat down in front of the phone. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before finally picking it up and dialing.
"Hello..."
"Nancy... It's me."
"Chloe, honey, I'm so glad you called. Craig told me that you called yesterday."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I missed you."
"That's okay... so how's your trip going?"
Chloe paused and twirled the phone cord between her fingers. "Fine... Great really. I just wanted to check in real quick. We're getting ready to get on the boat to the island, and I'm not going to be able to call for a few days."
"Well, be careful out there."
"I will..."
"I hope you're taking lots of pictures."
Chloe chuckled. "Not as many as Belle..." Or at least that's what Chloe would guess, Belle will probably have 25 rolls of film to develop when she gets home.
"And everyone is behaving themselves?"
"Yessss... of course. Hey... I gotta go or I'm going to be late for the boat. Sorry to cut things so short." Chloe didn't want to spend any more time on the phone lying through her teeth like that.
"It's okay... I'm glad you called. Have fun, Chloe."
"I will... Thanks, Mom."
Nancy paused before saying a final goodbye, and as Chloe hung up the phone she realized why. She had called Nancy 'mom', something that didn't normally happen for any reason, but this time it just rolled off the tongue. Chloe didn't know why it happened, but she imagined it was because she was finally staring to accept Nancy as her mother. She could only hope that Nancy wouldn't hate her once her lies were found out.
Chloe stood up as Brady was leaving the bathroom.
"Hey... did you call your mom?"
"Yeah..." Chloe paused and sighed deeply. "So, how mad do you think she'll be when she finds out that I've been lying to her?"
Brady stuffed a few things into his suitcase and looked back at her. "I don't know... Your mom is pretty crazy about that stuff sometimes."
"I know she's not going to be keen on the fact that her 17 year old daughter basically ran away from home. I just hope that she'll understand why I did it."
Brady stood up and walked towards her. "Chloe, I know there are a lot of things that she doesn't want you to find out. But, if she really does love you then she'll understand. Sure, she'll be mad... really mad... but in the long run, she'll know that you did the right thing."
Chloe looked unsure for a moment. "Am I really doing the right thing?"
"Of course you are. It's perfectly natural to want to know your where you came from."
"I hope you're right, Brady. Because, no matter what, she's the only mother I've got."
Brady pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair with one hand. "Don't worry... everything will work out."
Chloe looked up and smiled at Brady. "Well... if you say so... But, if it doesn't I'm blaming you."
Brady looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I can accept that."
Chloe laughed out loud. "So, you all packed and ready to go?"
Brady clasped her hand and smiled. "You bet..."
They gathered their luggage and loaded it into the van. Chloe sat in the passenger seat as Brady went to check out in the lobby. She fastened her seatbelt and glanced out the window at the bright morning sky. While Brady's words usually eased her mind, she felt her insides churning at the prospects of what she might find, or might not find, when they reached Newport.
***
(Day Four...)
Chloe awoke before Brady. She was still wrapped in his arms with her head on his chest. One of her hands was on his stomach, but the other one felt strangely numb. She slowly lifted her head from his body and noticed that one of her hands was underneath Brady's back. She tried to slide it out, but it was completely asleep and his body weight was too much. She used her other hand to gently tap him on the forehead and whispered in a hoarse voice.
"Braaaady... Braaaaady... wake up please..."
Brady's blue eyes fluttered open slowly and he half smiled at Chloe. "Good morning, beautiful."
Brady leaned forward for a kiss but Chloe stopped him. "Can I please have my hand back now?"
Brady groaned and moved so Chloe could slip her hand out. She smiled happily at Brady and gave him the kiss that he had wanted. "Thank you."
The phone on Chloe's side of the bed began to ring and Chloe went to reach for it, but made the mistake of doing so with her numb hand. Instead of being able to pick it up she knocked it off the hook and on to the floor. Brady began to laugh uncontrollably as Chloe yelled out. "AHHHH! My hand is ASLEEP!"
She laughed with him at first, but then remembered the phone was still on the floor. She grabbed the handset off the floor and tried to contain her laughter.
"Uhm... hello."
"Chloe? Is everything okay?"
Chloe laughed again. "Oh geez, Belle... yeah. I just... my hand fell asleep and I knocked the phone off the table."
Belle laughed nervously on the other end. "Ohhhh ooookay... How's your trip going?"
"Fine... I talked to the woman who was there when I was born. It was so great, Belle. I really learned so much."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Chloe... that's such good news."
"Yeah, uhm... Brady and I are going to Newport today to kinda dig up what we can on Nancy's life."
"So, everything is going good then?"
Chloe paused. She so desperately wanted to tell Belle about the attack. Belle was her best friend and would want to know about it, but now was not the time. She didn't want to ruin Belle's vacation, and telling her over the phone wasn't a good idea either. "Uhm... yeah. Pretty much... so far. A few bumps in the road, but nothing to worry about."
Belle sounded skeptical. "A few bumps in the road? What happened?"
"Nothing, Belle... everything is fine. We'll talk about it when you get home..."
"Okay, Chloe... whatever you say. But take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will... I promise. Now, what about you? How is it down in paradise?"
Belle chuckled over the phone. "It's great... it's so beautiful here. I wish you could have come, but I know you had more important things to do. Anyway, I called to tell you that we're going to be away from phone contact for a few days now. We're heading out to the island in a few minutes, so I'm glad you left your number when you called yesterday."
"How's the little treasure hunt going?"
"Good actually. I think I've got this map and these clues all figured out. We just have to keep it quiet from the rest of the class."
"Well, good luck on your expedition but be careful, please. Something about this whole thing just doesn't seem right."
"We will... Shawn and I know what we're doing. I hope."
"Just be careful... you wanna talk to your brother real quick?"
"Yeah, put him on. Bye Chloe."
"Bye Belle." Chloe smiled and handed the phone to Brady, only half-listening to their conversation as she pulled some clean clothes out of her suitcase.
"Hey sis... how's it going?"
"Hey... I'm gonna be late for the boat, but I just wanted ask you if Chloe really IS okay. She doesn't sound like it to me."
Brady sighed and spoke softly, hoping that Chloe wouldn't overhear. "She is... or she will be eventually."
"Okay, if you say so. But Brady, please take care of her and take care of yourself too. She's one of my best friends, and uhm, don't tell Eric, but you are definitely my favorite half-brother..."
Brady laughed out loud. "Awww... don't be so hard on Eric."
"I'm not... it's just I grew up with you, and not him. But that's not my point. My point is... I don't want anything bad to happen either of you... so take care of yourselves. Please, Brady."
"I will, I promise. And, same to you, kiddo. Tell Shawn Brady that if you don't return from Puerto Rico in one completely unscarred piece, I will hurt him severely."
Belle laughed at Brady's overprotectiveness of her. "Okaaaay... you sound just like dad sometimes. Anyway, I gotta go. Shawn is freaking because I'm running late. Take care, Brady."
"You too, sis." Brady heard the click from Belle's end of the phone and he silently prayed that he could keep his promise to his sister. Please God, don't let anything else go wrong...
Chloe finished getting her stuff out of her suitcase and smiled at Brady. "Hey... I'm gonna go take a shower now... we gotta get going if we want to make it to Newport early enough to get anything done today."
Brady smiled and stood from the bed. "Go ahead... I'll make some coffee."
Brady walked over to the coffee pot and watched Chloe go into the bathroom and shut the door. He sighed thoughtfully and wondered if this trip to Newport would only cause Chloe more pain in her life. He hoped not, because he wouldn't be able to bear it if she got hurt again.
***
After Chloe had finished her shower, Brady took his turn. She finished running the brush through her hair and sat down in front of the phone. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before finally picking it up and dialing.
"Hello..."
"Nancy... It's me."
"Chloe, honey, I'm so glad you called. Craig told me that you called yesterday."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I missed you."
"That's okay... so how's your trip going?"
Chloe paused and twirled the phone cord between her fingers. "Fine... Great really. I just wanted to check in real quick. We're getting ready to get on the boat to the island, and I'm not going to be able to call for a few days."
"Well, be careful out there."
"I will..."
"I hope you're taking lots of pictures."
Chloe chuckled. "Not as many as Belle..." Or at least that's what Chloe would guess, Belle will probably have 25 rolls of film to develop when she gets home.
"And everyone is behaving themselves?"
"Yessss... of course. Hey... I gotta go or I'm going to be late for the boat. Sorry to cut things so short." Chloe didn't want to spend any more time on the phone lying through her teeth like that.
"It's okay... I'm glad you called. Have fun, Chloe."
"I will... Thanks, Mom."
Nancy paused before saying a final goodbye, and as Chloe hung up the phone she realized why. She had called Nancy 'mom', something that didn't normally happen for any reason, but this time it just rolled off the tongue. Chloe didn't know why it happened, but she imagined it was because she was finally staring to accept Nancy as her mother. She could only hope that Nancy wouldn't hate her once her lies were found out.
Chloe stood up as Brady was leaving the bathroom.
"Hey... did you call your mom?"
"Yeah..." Chloe paused and sighed deeply. "So, how mad do you think she'll be when she finds out that I've been lying to her?"
Brady stuffed a few things into his suitcase and looked back at her. "I don't know... Your mom is pretty crazy about that stuff sometimes."
"I know she's not going to be keen on the fact that her 17 year old daughter basically ran away from home. I just hope that she'll understand why I did it."
Brady stood up and walked towards her. "Chloe, I know there are a lot of things that she doesn't want you to find out. But, if she really does love you then she'll understand. Sure, she'll be mad... really mad... but in the long run, she'll know that you did the right thing."
Chloe looked unsure for a moment. "Am I really doing the right thing?"
"Of course you are. It's perfectly natural to want to know your where you came from."
"I hope you're right, Brady. Because, no matter what, she's the only mother I've got."
Brady pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair with one hand. "Don't worry... everything will work out."
Chloe looked up and smiled at Brady. "Well... if you say so... But, if it doesn't I'm blaming you."
Brady looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I can accept that."
Chloe laughed out loud. "So, you all packed and ready to go?"
Brady clasped her hand and smiled. "You bet..."
They gathered their luggage and loaded it into the van. Chloe sat in the passenger seat as Brady went to check out in the lobby. She fastened her seatbelt and glanced out the window at the bright morning sky. While Brady's words usually eased her mind, she felt her insides churning at the prospects of what she might find, or might not find, when they reached Newport.
***