Chapter 13
The next day Chloe was OK to go back home, but the doctor had predicted that her hospital visits would become much more frequent. This is when Brady decided to put his plan into action. He arranged a personal hospital- like system in Chloe's home. She had a personal nurse and doctor, eliminating her need to go to the hospital for the time being.
Chloe didn't attend school anymore, the doctors fearing that even the tiniest amount of stress could cause her to faint again or even send her into a comatose state. Brady never failed to show his devotion to Chloe as he stayed away from school to keep her company. By now pretty much the whole town knew. Kids from Salem High who didn't really know Chloe in person were coming to her house to wish her luck and give her strength to keep fighting this disease.
After staying home from school for about a week, Chloe had four of the most unexpected visitors show up at her door. She sat on the couch as Brady got the door for her, insisting that she rest. Phillip and Jason stood on the porch with Mimi and Belle beside them in tears.
"Please let us in to see Chloe!" Belle wailed, Mimi clutching her arm for support, close to hysterics.
Brady considered it for a moment.
"Why do you want to see Chloe?" He asked finally, confused as to why they had shown up on their most hated enemy's doorstep.
"Just let us in! We're taking a major guilt trip here if you hadn't noticed!" Jason said, pointing to the two girls in front of him.
Chloe watched them curiously from where she sat, as thoroughly confused by their appearance as Brady was. She stood up and walked over to them quietly. Her hair was down again; she had shown Brady the joys of a curling iron and let him experiment on her hair for lack of anything better to do. Now the curls tumbled over her shoulder and down her back, making her eye color stand out as a bright blue.
"It's ok, Brady." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Though I hardly think they deserve it, forgiveness is right in the face of god. Right now I doubt I should do anything to make him the least bit upset with me."
Brady was about to protest but then decided against it. He opened the door fully and let the four teens in. Chloe led them to the living room, motioning for them to sit down. She sat down in the rocking chair by the window. It had belonged to her grandmother and she found it the most comforting place of all.
"Chloe! We're so sorry for everything!" Mimi cried out from her seat. "I'm so sorry for laughing at you and making those stupid flyers and putting that pudding in your desk in the fifth grade…"
Belle's eyes widened and she elbowed Mimi in the stomach.
"What she means to say is we're sorry someone but pudding in your desk."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I already know it was you. Eugene Landry saw you guys doing it before class."
"Oh…" Belle said quietly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Well in that case we are sorry." She said sincerely.
"Yeah, and we're sorry too." Phillip said, speaking for Jason.
"I really hope you'll get through this Chloe!" Mimi said sniffling.
"Well here, here's a card from everyone at school." Jason held out a large blue get well card. The front, back and inside of the card were completely filled with signatures and little notes from everyone who had the time to sign it.
Chloe smiled as she looked over the card.
"Thank you." She said quietly. And she meant it.
***
After that day, Chloe's condition worsened. She could no longer keep most of her food down and had to be put on an IV at night to keep her as properly nourished as possible. Chloe didn't like being confined to her room at night, considering the fact that she preferred night to day.
So one night, she was able to convince her doctor to let her step outside for a few moments. As soon as she was outside, Chloe ran down the street and to the cemetery, where she had not been for weeks. She found Brady sitting in their little clearing inside the ring of willows. He appeared to have dozed off. She smiled fondly and stepped into the clearing. The carving Brady had put in one of the trees was still visible. Chloe ran her fingers over the rough bark, tracing the outline of the heart. Then she walked over to where Brady was lying down in the grass. The blue nightgown she was wearing floated out gracefully behind her. Chloe had only thrown on a light jacket before leaving the house, as even in November the weather was still warm. She sat down beside Brady and moved his tousled blond hair off his forehead. He stirred a little and opened his eyes.
"Chloe?" He said quietly, looking up at her.
"It's me."
Brady smiled contentedly and put his head in her lap, dozing off again. Chloe sat still so as not to wake him again. She wasn't leaving him for some stupid I.V. tubes waiting for her back home. She gently played with his hair. Sometime that night, she had removed her jacket in the midst of a hot flash she was having. So she sat, in a blue satin nightgown with no sleeves, in the middle of the cemetery. Her hair was curled, the results of a permanent she had decided to get when Brady told her how pretty she looked when it was in ringlets.
Brady woke up a few times that night, but never for very long. Chloe didn't blame him for being tired as he had been over to her house so often making sure that she slept well, never minding the amount of sleep that he himself received.
The second time Brady woke up, he asked Chloe if she was an angel. Chloe had laughed lightly but not gotten a chance to answer before Brady fell back asleep.
Craig watched them silently from the gates of the cemetery. How had he known that Chloe would be there? It was father's intuition. But he had to admit that he and Brady were on the same brain wave that night. He too had thought her to be an angel when he had first laid eyes on her. The moonlight illuminated her skin in such a way that it appeared to be glowing. He half expected a pair of wings to sprout from her back at any moment. He decided to give his daughter some privacy Brady. He remembered a conversation he had had with the doctor. He gave her two months to live unless they were blessed with a miracle.
Craig turned and walked back to the house, remembering that Shawn would be returning home the next day. Chloe would be happy to see him. Yet Shawn had not yet heard the news that his sister was dying, and as far as he knew, neither did Nancy.
Soon, Chloe too had dozed off against a tree in the little clearing. Her moving around in her sleep had awakened Brady. He sat up and rubbed his head, looking around him and realizing where he was. He picked up Chloe's jacket from where it sat in the grass and turned around to find Chloe peacefully asleep against the tree. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and picked her up in his arms, not wanting to wake her as he carried her home.
The next day Chloe was OK to go back home, but the doctor had predicted that her hospital visits would become much more frequent. This is when Brady decided to put his plan into action. He arranged a personal hospital- like system in Chloe's home. She had a personal nurse and doctor, eliminating her need to go to the hospital for the time being.
Chloe didn't attend school anymore, the doctors fearing that even the tiniest amount of stress could cause her to faint again or even send her into a comatose state. Brady never failed to show his devotion to Chloe as he stayed away from school to keep her company. By now pretty much the whole town knew. Kids from Salem High who didn't really know Chloe in person were coming to her house to wish her luck and give her strength to keep fighting this disease.
After staying home from school for about a week, Chloe had four of the most unexpected visitors show up at her door. She sat on the couch as Brady got the door for her, insisting that she rest. Phillip and Jason stood on the porch with Mimi and Belle beside them in tears.
"Please let us in to see Chloe!" Belle wailed, Mimi clutching her arm for support, close to hysterics.
Brady considered it for a moment.
"Why do you want to see Chloe?" He asked finally, confused as to why they had shown up on their most hated enemy's doorstep.
"Just let us in! We're taking a major guilt trip here if you hadn't noticed!" Jason said, pointing to the two girls in front of him.
Chloe watched them curiously from where she sat, as thoroughly confused by their appearance as Brady was. She stood up and walked over to them quietly. Her hair was down again; she had shown Brady the joys of a curling iron and let him experiment on her hair for lack of anything better to do. Now the curls tumbled over her shoulder and down her back, making her eye color stand out as a bright blue.
"It's ok, Brady." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Though I hardly think they deserve it, forgiveness is right in the face of god. Right now I doubt I should do anything to make him the least bit upset with me."
Brady was about to protest but then decided against it. He opened the door fully and let the four teens in. Chloe led them to the living room, motioning for them to sit down. She sat down in the rocking chair by the window. It had belonged to her grandmother and she found it the most comforting place of all.
"Chloe! We're so sorry for everything!" Mimi cried out from her seat. "I'm so sorry for laughing at you and making those stupid flyers and putting that pudding in your desk in the fifth grade…"
Belle's eyes widened and she elbowed Mimi in the stomach.
"What she means to say is we're sorry someone but pudding in your desk."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I already know it was you. Eugene Landry saw you guys doing it before class."
"Oh…" Belle said quietly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Well in that case we are sorry." She said sincerely.
"Yeah, and we're sorry too." Phillip said, speaking for Jason.
"I really hope you'll get through this Chloe!" Mimi said sniffling.
"Well here, here's a card from everyone at school." Jason held out a large blue get well card. The front, back and inside of the card were completely filled with signatures and little notes from everyone who had the time to sign it.
Chloe smiled as she looked over the card.
"Thank you." She said quietly. And she meant it.
***
After that day, Chloe's condition worsened. She could no longer keep most of her food down and had to be put on an IV at night to keep her as properly nourished as possible. Chloe didn't like being confined to her room at night, considering the fact that she preferred night to day.
So one night, she was able to convince her doctor to let her step outside for a few moments. As soon as she was outside, Chloe ran down the street and to the cemetery, where she had not been for weeks. She found Brady sitting in their little clearing inside the ring of willows. He appeared to have dozed off. She smiled fondly and stepped into the clearing. The carving Brady had put in one of the trees was still visible. Chloe ran her fingers over the rough bark, tracing the outline of the heart. Then she walked over to where Brady was lying down in the grass. The blue nightgown she was wearing floated out gracefully behind her. Chloe had only thrown on a light jacket before leaving the house, as even in November the weather was still warm. She sat down beside Brady and moved his tousled blond hair off his forehead. He stirred a little and opened his eyes.
"Chloe?" He said quietly, looking up at her.
"It's me."
Brady smiled contentedly and put his head in her lap, dozing off again. Chloe sat still so as not to wake him again. She wasn't leaving him for some stupid I.V. tubes waiting for her back home. She gently played with his hair. Sometime that night, she had removed her jacket in the midst of a hot flash she was having. So she sat, in a blue satin nightgown with no sleeves, in the middle of the cemetery. Her hair was curled, the results of a permanent she had decided to get when Brady told her how pretty she looked when it was in ringlets.
Brady woke up a few times that night, but never for very long. Chloe didn't blame him for being tired as he had been over to her house so often making sure that she slept well, never minding the amount of sleep that he himself received.
The second time Brady woke up, he asked Chloe if she was an angel. Chloe had laughed lightly but not gotten a chance to answer before Brady fell back asleep.
Craig watched them silently from the gates of the cemetery. How had he known that Chloe would be there? It was father's intuition. But he had to admit that he and Brady were on the same brain wave that night. He too had thought her to be an angel when he had first laid eyes on her. The moonlight illuminated her skin in such a way that it appeared to be glowing. He half expected a pair of wings to sprout from her back at any moment. He decided to give his daughter some privacy Brady. He remembered a conversation he had had with the doctor. He gave her two months to live unless they were blessed with a miracle.
Craig turned and walked back to the house, remembering that Shawn would be returning home the next day. Chloe would be happy to see him. Yet Shawn had not yet heard the news that his sister was dying, and as far as he knew, neither did Nancy.
Soon, Chloe too had dozed off against a tree in the little clearing. Her moving around in her sleep had awakened Brady. He sat up and rubbed his head, looking around him and realizing where he was. He picked up Chloe's jacket from where it sat in the grass and turned around to find Chloe peacefully asleep against the tree. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and picked her up in his arms, not wanting to wake her as he carried her home.