Chapter 18

"Phillip, " the doctor continued, "will have to stay in the hospital for a few months."
"But he's allright? He's not-" Victor asked.
The doctor shook his head and smiled a little. "No, he's as alive as me or you. There doesn't even seem to be any brain damage, miraculously. The bullet didn't go through his brain at all. It went right around it. I think he's going to be good as new, but with a head injury like this, we must keep him for observation at the least."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The next day, Chloe went to see Phillip, told him that she would never leave him again and that she loved him. He was ecstatic. Chloe left the hospital room and burst into tears. The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Phillip was released from the hospital, and Chloe had not seen Brady since that first day in the hospital. Brady hadn't been to see Phillip any of the time he had been in the hospital. Chloe was not surprised. She knew she had hurt Brady badly, and hurt herself in the process. Phillip complained of her being even more distant than before. Chloe didn't really care. As long as Phillip didn't kill himself. One night when Chloe was out with Phillip, seeing a movie, her cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Chloe-I need to talk to you." It was Belle.
"Belle? Hey, whats up?"
"Can you come over?"
"Belle..." Chloe said uncertainly, glancing at Phillip.
"I know your with Phillip but PLEASE! It's important. Its about Shawn and me."
Chloe noticed Belle was crying. "Oh, Belle, it'll be allright-look, I'll be right over."
She hung up the phone and turned to Phillip. "I have to go-that was Belle."
Phillip nodded. "I know. I think that her and Shawn are having some problems. Call me later, ok? I love you." He kissed her.
"I love you too, Phillip." Chloe lied. She went to Belle's."
Once she got there she could hear loud music coming from the house. Belle opened the door. Chloe could see she had been crying. "Belle..." Chloe said, giving her a hug. "What did Shawn do?"
Chloe saw Shawn stand up from the couch. "Hi, Chloe." He said sheepishly.
Chloe pulled away from Belle. "What's going on here?" She demanded.
Belle sniffled and Shawn put an arm around her. "Chloe, listen. Everything between me and Shawn is perfect, we just had to tell you that so you could come over here."
"But Phillip said-"
"Yeah, " Shawn broke in. "I told him that me and Belle might break up. I was just trying to get him to let you come over here."
Chloe sighed. "So what IS the matter, Belle?"
Belle started crying again. "Chloe you have to do something. He doesn't want me to know but I do. I do and it hurts me too-"
"Belle, what and who are you talking about?"
"You have to go talk to Brady." Shawn supplied.
"Brady? No-"
"Chloe, please! Don't you know why he's playing that music so loud? He doesn't want me to hear him crying. He wants to protect me. But he can't. I hear him at night, when he thinks everyone else is asleep. I hear him sobbing. It hurts me to see him hurting like this, Chloe. I can't stand it! He's my brother and I love him too much to let him waste away. He doesn't eat anymore. I bring food up to his room but he just throws it away. I saw it in the trashcan yesterday. Please, Chloe, go talk to him. Do SOMETHING! If not for him, then for me. I think you're the only one who can help him. He loves you so much, Chloe." Belle sniffled.
Silent tears ran down Chloe's face. Poor Brady. Falling in love with a bitch like me, she thought. "Okay." She said softly. "I'll go and talk to him."

Chapter 19

Belle pleaded with Chloe to talk to Brady. "He doesn't want to talk to me, Belle." Chloe protested.
"Oh yes he does, Chloe. Believe me. Just go!"
"Yeah, go!" Shawn added, picking her up physically and placing her on the bottom stair.
"Ok, okay, I'm going."
Chloe walked up to Brady's room, wincing at the sound of the music getting louder. She knocked loudly on the door. The music got a little softer. "Belle? Is that you?" Brady called.
"No." Chloe said softly. The music abruptly stopped.
"Chloe?" His voice was shaky.
"Yes. Can I-"
Brady flung the door open.
"Yes. Whatever it is, yes." He said hoarsely, his eyes hungrily searching her face.
"Oh, Brady..." He looked horrible. (like that would ever be possible lol) His handsome face was streaked with tears and his eyes were full of hurt and emotion. Brady suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He had missed her too much to just stand her and look at her. He swept her up in his strong arms. Chloe's feet came up off the floor. She put her arms around him. She heard the sobs break loose from Brady, and she felt his tears soaking her hair. "Oh, God, Chloe, I love you so much-" He whispered hoarsely.
Chloe didn't say anything. Her heart was breaking all over again for him. He finally put her down, but still held her in his arms, afraid that if he let her go she'd disappear. He looked down into her face. He suddenly realized that tears were streaming down his face, and he wiped them away. He let her go and backed off a little, running his hands through his hair. "I don't suppose you came here to say you changed your mind." He said, half-smiling sadly.
Chloe shook her head. "No, I didn't."
Brady nodded. "Of course not." He took a deep, shaky breath. "So why are you here, Chloe?"
"I'm here because Belle is worried about you." Chloe said.
"I don't want her to be worried. Tell her I'm okay."
"She knows you aren't okay, Brady."
Brady sighed shakily and sat down on the bed. He put his head in his hands. "I know she knows I'm not all right. I've tried so hard to keep it from her, she has her own life, and its not her fault that I can't get on with mine. I've tried to move on, but I can't. I just can't. Every day is worse. It's like I was at the top of the world when you loved me, and now that you don't , now that it's over-" His voice broke and he looked up at Chloe. "Now that it's over, " he continued brokenly, "its like I'm falling and there's nothing to land on. It's like every day it's a struggle to go on, to keep feeling the same way, to keep missing you and loving you and wanting you back." He looked down at his hands and Chloe saw his tears dripping onto the bed. "And when I opened the door and saw you standing there, it was like everything was all right again, and I didn't have to hurt anymore, because you were here. And you know what's funny?" He chuckled hollowly. "In my head, I know that the only reason you are here is because Belle made you come and talk to me; but my heart is soaring because you're standing right beside me, because I can look into your eyes." He looked at her.
Chloe began to cry because her heart was soaring too, just to be near him. He stood up and walked over to her. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "I thought that you never loved Phillip," he said. "But then, at the hospital, I could look at you and see your love for him shining in those beautiful blue eyes-" His voice broke again. For a minute he just looked at her, his eyes memorizing her face. Then he said hoarsely, "I guess I was wrong about you and Phillip, huh?" He turned away from her.
"No!" Chloe burst out. She couldn't stand for him to keep thinking that she had never loved him, and that she loved Phillip. It hurt too much to see him in pain.
"No, what, Chloe?" Brady turned around to face her.
Chloe sighed shakily. "No, you weren't wrong about me and Phillip. I don't think I'll ever love Phillip, because I'm too damned in love with you."