Chapter 12
The following morning Chloe sat motionless on her bed, looking out the window. Her hair was back in a ponytail again, a pair of overalls following up the hairstyle.
Craig walked silently into the room, sitting down on the bed beside Chloe and putting his arm around her.
"You told him?"
Chloe nodded her head and continued looking straight ahead at the window.
"Good girl." He kissed her on the cheek and left the room. As soon as he had left, silent tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping off the end of her chin.
Suddenly, there was a smacking sound at the window. She hadn't see anything hit it for her vision was so blurred; yet there it was again. She watched closely and caught the small, distorted form of a pebble hitting her window. When she didn't respond, there was a shower of pebbles, hitting her window one after another. She stood up slowly and walked to her window. Just before she reached it, a pebble hit it just to the left of the very center and it cracked. Chloe's eyes widened. She looked out the window and saw the panicked form of Brady biting his lip and looking at the crack he had left in the window. Chloe carefully opened the window, afraid that if she opened it quickly it would shatter. She stood looking down at Brady, who was now running frantically around the yard. It was funny seeing him in such a state of panic that her soft laughter rang out. Brady heard it and went back to Chloe's window and looked up at her. Before he could say anything, Chloe undid the ribbon in her hair and let it drift out of her window. It floated gently down to Brady, where he caught it and put it in his pocket.
The smile disappeared from Chloe's face and her expression turned to one displaying intense pain. Craig came walking back into the room.
"What is that boy doing out th- " The expression on Chloe's face scared him. "Chloe what's wrong." He said, a note of fear in his voice.
Chloe turned towards him, clutching her left side. There were tears forming in her eyes, and her breathing became shallow. In one quick movement, Craig was right beside her as Chloe's eyes closed and she fainted, falling into her father's arms.
Brady watched in horror from the front lawn. As soon as he saw Chloe faint, he bolted through the front door of the Wesley household and ran up the stairs. Craig turned his head towards him when he ran through Chloe's bedroom door.
"Quick! Bring her out to my car." He yelled, urging Craig to follow. Craig's eyes wandered from Brady to his daughter then back to Brady. Then he nodded his head and carried Chloe down the stairs and into Brady's car.
***
Brady sat beside Chloe in her hospital room. She was still asleep; IV tubes hooked up to her arm. Craig walked into the room, looking at the sight before him.
"Son, you can leave her now."
Brady shook his head.
"It's alright. I'm here now. I need some time with my daughter." He said, standing at the end of Chloe's bed.
Brady kissed Chloe on the forehead, and stood up. Chloe stirred a little but resumed sleeping. Brady made way for the door, but Craig stopped him as he walked by.
"You really do love her don't you." He said quietly.
Brady nodded his head and left the hospital room. Craig sat down quietly beside Chloe and held her hand gently in his. He moved a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes. Chloe's eyes opened slowly.
"Daddy?" She whispered, focusing her vision on her beloved father.
"It's me pumpkin." Craig said, unable to hide the relief in his voice at the sound of his daughter's voice. She had been out of it for almost fourteen hours.
Chloe smiled at him warmly. Her face was a little paler than usual, and Craig could tell it was harder for her to breathe. "I love you." She said softly.
Craig kissed her cheek. "I love you too. You hang in there pumpkin. We're gonna beat this."
Chloe nodded her head slowly.
Then she let her eyes wander around the room. "Where's Brady?"
"How do you know he was here?"
"I was awake." She said smiling.
"Oh. Well he just left."
Chloe looked back over at her father. "What happened?"
Craig sighed. "You fainted pumpkin. It's progressing." Chloe and Craig always referred to the leukemia as 'it' though I know not why. Perhaps it was to soften the harsh reality of what it was that was actually happening.
"I knew it." Chloe said, turning her head and looking up at the ceiling. "I knew a while ago." She showed Craig the small bruises on the insides of her fingers. "Normal people don't get those." She said laughing. It surprised Craig that she could laugh at a time like this; but then again his daughter never stopped surprising her. She had been pretty brave through this big ordeal, and she wasn't letting her guard down just yet. Craig smiled lovingly at his daughter
***
Brady drove home, his eyes displaying the redness one could only get if they were crying. He stepped into his house and closed the door behind him. His parents John and Isabella came rushing out of the living room.
"Brady!" Isabella cried, throwing her arms around Brady's neck. "Where have you been?"
"Probably with Chloe, huh son?" John said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Brady shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't yet told them the news that Chloe had given him the night before.
"What's wrong?" Isabella asked, noticing that her son was disheartened. Brady met his mother's eyes and sighed, Isabella gasped at the redness around his eyes.
"Brady, spit it out!"
Brady's face lit up as he got an idea.
"Dad, can you do me a huge favor?"
"Only if you tell us what's going on!"
"Oh…" Brady's expression turned back to the one he had had when he walked in the door.
"She's dying." He said quietly, biting his lip to keep it from quivering.
"Who is?" John asked curiously, his one eyebrow raised.
"Chloe."
Isabella's eyes widened in shock. "What! How? What's happened!"
Brady sighed. He really didn't want to be the one who broke the news to everyone. "She has leukemia."
"No! She can't have leukemia! She is such a nice girl…John!" Isabella turned towards John, but his mouth was hanging open in a state of shock. "I…I…" Was all he could muster, shaking his head back and forth.
"Dad, can I ask you for that favor now?"
"How can you ask me for a favor at a time like this?"
"Just listen…"
Brady told John and Isabella his plan, and at the end Isabella was all tears saying how sweet it was of Brady to want to use his life's savings to do something like that for Chloe.
The following morning Chloe sat motionless on her bed, looking out the window. Her hair was back in a ponytail again, a pair of overalls following up the hairstyle.
Craig walked silently into the room, sitting down on the bed beside Chloe and putting his arm around her.
"You told him?"
Chloe nodded her head and continued looking straight ahead at the window.
"Good girl." He kissed her on the cheek and left the room. As soon as he had left, silent tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping off the end of her chin.
Suddenly, there was a smacking sound at the window. She hadn't see anything hit it for her vision was so blurred; yet there it was again. She watched closely and caught the small, distorted form of a pebble hitting her window. When she didn't respond, there was a shower of pebbles, hitting her window one after another. She stood up slowly and walked to her window. Just before she reached it, a pebble hit it just to the left of the very center and it cracked. Chloe's eyes widened. She looked out the window and saw the panicked form of Brady biting his lip and looking at the crack he had left in the window. Chloe carefully opened the window, afraid that if she opened it quickly it would shatter. She stood looking down at Brady, who was now running frantically around the yard. It was funny seeing him in such a state of panic that her soft laughter rang out. Brady heard it and went back to Chloe's window and looked up at her. Before he could say anything, Chloe undid the ribbon in her hair and let it drift out of her window. It floated gently down to Brady, where he caught it and put it in his pocket.
The smile disappeared from Chloe's face and her expression turned to one displaying intense pain. Craig came walking back into the room.
"What is that boy doing out th- " The expression on Chloe's face scared him. "Chloe what's wrong." He said, a note of fear in his voice.
Chloe turned towards him, clutching her left side. There were tears forming in her eyes, and her breathing became shallow. In one quick movement, Craig was right beside her as Chloe's eyes closed and she fainted, falling into her father's arms.
Brady watched in horror from the front lawn. As soon as he saw Chloe faint, he bolted through the front door of the Wesley household and ran up the stairs. Craig turned his head towards him when he ran through Chloe's bedroom door.
"Quick! Bring her out to my car." He yelled, urging Craig to follow. Craig's eyes wandered from Brady to his daughter then back to Brady. Then he nodded his head and carried Chloe down the stairs and into Brady's car.
***
Brady sat beside Chloe in her hospital room. She was still asleep; IV tubes hooked up to her arm. Craig walked into the room, looking at the sight before him.
"Son, you can leave her now."
Brady shook his head.
"It's alright. I'm here now. I need some time with my daughter." He said, standing at the end of Chloe's bed.
Brady kissed Chloe on the forehead, and stood up. Chloe stirred a little but resumed sleeping. Brady made way for the door, but Craig stopped him as he walked by.
"You really do love her don't you." He said quietly.
Brady nodded his head and left the hospital room. Craig sat down quietly beside Chloe and held her hand gently in his. He moved a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes. Chloe's eyes opened slowly.
"Daddy?" She whispered, focusing her vision on her beloved father.
"It's me pumpkin." Craig said, unable to hide the relief in his voice at the sound of his daughter's voice. She had been out of it for almost fourteen hours.
Chloe smiled at him warmly. Her face was a little paler than usual, and Craig could tell it was harder for her to breathe. "I love you." She said softly.
Craig kissed her cheek. "I love you too. You hang in there pumpkin. We're gonna beat this."
Chloe nodded her head slowly.
Then she let her eyes wander around the room. "Where's Brady?"
"How do you know he was here?"
"I was awake." She said smiling.
"Oh. Well he just left."
Chloe looked back over at her father. "What happened?"
Craig sighed. "You fainted pumpkin. It's progressing." Chloe and Craig always referred to the leukemia as 'it' though I know not why. Perhaps it was to soften the harsh reality of what it was that was actually happening.
"I knew it." Chloe said, turning her head and looking up at the ceiling. "I knew a while ago." She showed Craig the small bruises on the insides of her fingers. "Normal people don't get those." She said laughing. It surprised Craig that she could laugh at a time like this; but then again his daughter never stopped surprising her. She had been pretty brave through this big ordeal, and she wasn't letting her guard down just yet. Craig smiled lovingly at his daughter
***
Brady drove home, his eyes displaying the redness one could only get if they were crying. He stepped into his house and closed the door behind him. His parents John and Isabella came rushing out of the living room.
"Brady!" Isabella cried, throwing her arms around Brady's neck. "Where have you been?"
"Probably with Chloe, huh son?" John said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Brady shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't yet told them the news that Chloe had given him the night before.
"What's wrong?" Isabella asked, noticing that her son was disheartened. Brady met his mother's eyes and sighed, Isabella gasped at the redness around his eyes.
"Brady, spit it out!"
Brady's face lit up as he got an idea.
"Dad, can you do me a huge favor?"
"Only if you tell us what's going on!"
"Oh…" Brady's expression turned back to the one he had had when he walked in the door.
"She's dying." He said quietly, biting his lip to keep it from quivering.
"Who is?" John asked curiously, his one eyebrow raised.
"Chloe."
Isabella's eyes widened in shock. "What! How? What's happened!"
Brady sighed. He really didn't want to be the one who broke the news to everyone. "She has leukemia."
"No! She can't have leukemia! She is such a nice girl…John!" Isabella turned towards John, but his mouth was hanging open in a state of shock. "I…I…" Was all he could muster, shaking his head back and forth.
"Dad, can I ask you for that favor now?"
"How can you ask me for a favor at a time like this?"
"Just listen…"
Brady told John and Isabella his plan, and at the end Isabella was all tears saying how sweet it was of Brady to want to use his life's savings to do something like that for Chloe.