Chapter 11
Brady spent the next two weeks with Chloe, helping her to complete the list she had made. Craig was shocked as to how late her daughter was staying out, yet still being able to get up in time for school and stay awake in church.
Late one night, Craig watched from the kitchen window as Brady dropped Chloe off at the house, giving her a goodnight kiss on the lips. Brady disappeared down the street in his car and Chloe stared after him until he was out of sight. Turning around she jumped when her father was waiting for her on the porch.
"Chloe do you have any idea what time it is?" He asked, keeping the anger in his voice minimal.
"Yes Daddy. It's eleven thirty." Chloe said, looking down at the watch she had around her wrist.
"You were with that boy again."
"Yes."
"Chloe this isn't good for you. You're acting like--"
"Like I'm in love Daddy?" Chloe finished, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Pumpkin, you're not being fair to him."
"Yes I am." Chloe said defensively.
"You have to tell him, pumpkin. He has to know…"
Chloe was silent. Then she nodded her head slowly. "I'll- I'll tell him tomorrow."
Craig hugged his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Now I know you are probably going to sneak back out anyway, so I'll just let you go now. Mr. Black is probably already waiting for you at the cemetery." He winked then went inside, closing the door gently behind him.
Chloe shook her head. Her father had known all along? And he didn't say anything…Chloe shrugged and headed towards the cemetery.
Brady sat waiting on "Lincoln". Chloe walked up to him smiling and sat down on Hemsby.
"You're here early." Brady said, looking surprised.
Chloe nodded her head. Brady smiled and jumped off Lincoln, picking up two blankets and a thermos of coffee from the ground beside him.
"Do you think we can stay up long enough to watch the whole sunrise this time?"
"That's why I brought the coffee." Brady said, holding the thermos up in the air. Chloe nodded and smiled, following him into the ring of willow trees. They placed the blankets and thermos by the stream then Brady took Chloe's hand and led her to one of the tall willow trees.
"Look Chloe…I want to show you something." He said softly. He pointed to a spot on the rich brown bark on the tree. Chloe strained her eyes to see what he was looking at.
There, seemingly freshly carved into the bark was a little heart, containing the words 'B.B. and C.W. forever'.
Chloe stared at it in awe, then turned to Brady.
"It's wonderful…" She said, then kissed him.
"I'll love you forever." Brady said smiling, touching her cheek softly.
Then they spread out one blankets and sat down on it together, lifting the second over their legs.
"If I happen to doze off, don't be afraid to nudge me awake ok?" Chloe said, leaning back against Brady.
"I don't want to miss this."
"Sure thing. As long as I don't doze off first." He said quietly.
"How am I supposed to know when you fall asleep?" Chloe asked curiously.
"I'll stop talking."
Chloe giggled lightly and pulled Brady's arms around her.
"Alright then Black, start talking."
***
Amazingly enough, neither one of them nodded off before the sunrise. They both watched it silently as the sun made it's way over the horizon, the clouds above it tinted a light pinkish-blue.
Brady dropped Chloe off at her house later that morning.
"Will you pick me up again tonight?" Chloe asked, getting out of the car.
"Sure thing." Brady said.
Chloe smiled and closed the door, walking back into her house.
Craig was waiting at the table, a mug of coffee sitting in front of him. "Did you tell him?"
Chloe sighed. "Tonight."
***
Brady and Chloe walked hand in hand down the street that night. Chloe had decided to wear her hair down again, it was a nice change.
Mimi and Belle came tumbling out of a store laughing wildly. They stopped and cleared their throats when they saw Brady and Chloe, standing up straight and walking by them silently.
Chloe and Brady just continued on their way.
Mimi stuck her tongue out at Chloe's back, shooting daggers.
Belle just pulled her on down the street.
"It's just an infatuation. He'll get over it."
Brady and Chloe stopped in a back alley just off of the sidewalk.
"Brady, I need to tell you something." Chloe said, her features giving away nothing but the fact that what she was about to tell him was not something he probably wanted to hear.
She sighed deeply and looked up at him.
"Brady…I'm sick." She said quietly.
"Oh. Well, I'll take you home for a few days and you'll be all better soon." He said, a little confused as to why she looked so serious.
"No, Brady listen to me, I'm sick." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I have leukemia."
Brady froze. "What?"
"I found out a year ago, but it's a really rare form of the disease and I've stopped responding to treatments." She explained, hoping that Brady would understand. "I'm dying, Brady."
"Are you…scared?" He asked quietly, feeling the lump rising in his throat.
"Yes."
"Then why don't you show it? How come you never told me Chloe?"
Chloe paused, the tears still running down her cheeks.
"I didn't want everyone to act weird around me. The doctor told me to live life as normally as I could until the symptoms set in."
"Even me?"
"Especially you Brady!" She exclaimed.
"Why?"
Chloe took a step back from him and shook her head.
"Because I knew you would be scared too." Then she turned and ran off into the night.
Brady stood glued to the spot, staring after her.
Brady spent the next two weeks with Chloe, helping her to complete the list she had made. Craig was shocked as to how late her daughter was staying out, yet still being able to get up in time for school and stay awake in church.
Late one night, Craig watched from the kitchen window as Brady dropped Chloe off at the house, giving her a goodnight kiss on the lips. Brady disappeared down the street in his car and Chloe stared after him until he was out of sight. Turning around she jumped when her father was waiting for her on the porch.
"Chloe do you have any idea what time it is?" He asked, keeping the anger in his voice minimal.
"Yes Daddy. It's eleven thirty." Chloe said, looking down at the watch she had around her wrist.
"You were with that boy again."
"Yes."
"Chloe this isn't good for you. You're acting like--"
"Like I'm in love Daddy?" Chloe finished, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Pumpkin, you're not being fair to him."
"Yes I am." Chloe said defensively.
"You have to tell him, pumpkin. He has to know…"
Chloe was silent. Then she nodded her head slowly. "I'll- I'll tell him tomorrow."
Craig hugged his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Now I know you are probably going to sneak back out anyway, so I'll just let you go now. Mr. Black is probably already waiting for you at the cemetery." He winked then went inside, closing the door gently behind him.
Chloe shook her head. Her father had known all along? And he didn't say anything…Chloe shrugged and headed towards the cemetery.
Brady sat waiting on "Lincoln". Chloe walked up to him smiling and sat down on Hemsby.
"You're here early." Brady said, looking surprised.
Chloe nodded her head. Brady smiled and jumped off Lincoln, picking up two blankets and a thermos of coffee from the ground beside him.
"Do you think we can stay up long enough to watch the whole sunrise this time?"
"That's why I brought the coffee." Brady said, holding the thermos up in the air. Chloe nodded and smiled, following him into the ring of willow trees. They placed the blankets and thermos by the stream then Brady took Chloe's hand and led her to one of the tall willow trees.
"Look Chloe…I want to show you something." He said softly. He pointed to a spot on the rich brown bark on the tree. Chloe strained her eyes to see what he was looking at.
There, seemingly freshly carved into the bark was a little heart, containing the words 'B.B. and C.W. forever'.
Chloe stared at it in awe, then turned to Brady.
"It's wonderful…" She said, then kissed him.
"I'll love you forever." Brady said smiling, touching her cheek softly.
Then they spread out one blankets and sat down on it together, lifting the second over their legs.
"If I happen to doze off, don't be afraid to nudge me awake ok?" Chloe said, leaning back against Brady.
"I don't want to miss this."
"Sure thing. As long as I don't doze off first." He said quietly.
"How am I supposed to know when you fall asleep?" Chloe asked curiously.
"I'll stop talking."
Chloe giggled lightly and pulled Brady's arms around her.
"Alright then Black, start talking."
***
Amazingly enough, neither one of them nodded off before the sunrise. They both watched it silently as the sun made it's way over the horizon, the clouds above it tinted a light pinkish-blue.
Brady dropped Chloe off at her house later that morning.
"Will you pick me up again tonight?" Chloe asked, getting out of the car.
"Sure thing." Brady said.
Chloe smiled and closed the door, walking back into her house.
Craig was waiting at the table, a mug of coffee sitting in front of him. "Did you tell him?"
Chloe sighed. "Tonight."
***
Brady and Chloe walked hand in hand down the street that night. Chloe had decided to wear her hair down again, it was a nice change.
Mimi and Belle came tumbling out of a store laughing wildly. They stopped and cleared their throats when they saw Brady and Chloe, standing up straight and walking by them silently.
Chloe and Brady just continued on their way.
Mimi stuck her tongue out at Chloe's back, shooting daggers.
Belle just pulled her on down the street.
"It's just an infatuation. He'll get over it."
Brady and Chloe stopped in a back alley just off of the sidewalk.
"Brady, I need to tell you something." Chloe said, her features giving away nothing but the fact that what she was about to tell him was not something he probably wanted to hear.
She sighed deeply and looked up at him.
"Brady…I'm sick." She said quietly.
"Oh. Well, I'll take you home for a few days and you'll be all better soon." He said, a little confused as to why she looked so serious.
"No, Brady listen to me, I'm sick." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I have leukemia."
Brady froze. "What?"
"I found out a year ago, but it's a really rare form of the disease and I've stopped responding to treatments." She explained, hoping that Brady would understand. "I'm dying, Brady."
"Are you…scared?" He asked quietly, feeling the lump rising in his throat.
"Yes."
"Then why don't you show it? How come you never told me Chloe?"
Chloe paused, the tears still running down her cheeks.
"I didn't want everyone to act weird around me. The doctor told me to live life as normally as I could until the symptoms set in."
"Even me?"
"Especially you Brady!" She exclaimed.
"Why?"
Chloe took a step back from him and shook her head.
"Because I knew you would be scared too." Then she turned and ran off into the night.
Brady stood glued to the spot, staring after her.