Chapter 14
The next day, Chloe sat in the living room with her father and the doctor. Craig had apparently agreed to let the doctor tell Chloe what he had told him.
"Alright, Chloe. Are you willing to hear what I have to say?" The doctor asked gently.
"What, do I need more tubes stuck in me?" Chloe asked, leaning against the arm of her chair.
"I'm afraid it's much worse than that, dear." The doctor looked over at Craig, making sure if he was really permitted to go on with this. Craig nodded his head slowly.
"In the past month, your leukemia has progressed greatly. I'm afraid that soon you will not even be able to walk anymore. Have you been experiencing any more pain than usual?"
Chloe shook her head in response.
"Good. We should be able to ward off all of these symptoms as best we can."
"Is that the bad news?" Chloe asked, catching the look that passed between Craig and the doctor. 'It's not is it…" She said quietly.
The doctor shook his head 'no'. "I'm afraid not Chloe." He sighed before he went on. "According to the rapid mutation of you cells and the progression of your illness, with treatment, our specialists give you only two months to live."
"Two months to live…" Chloe repeated, her spirits deflated, "Oh. Well I guess I can't do much about this can I?"
"Well, we are still working on it Chloe. We pray that there is some way that we can save you."
"Oh." Chloe said again. "Alright. I'll pray that you do find something." Then she stood up and left the room. Brady was waiting outside for her, but he had heard everything through the open widow.
Chloe stepped out onto the porch and looked over at Brady. He stood up and walked over to her, and as he did, Chloe broke down and started crying. Brady held her in his arms tightly, and he cried, too.
"Two months…" Chloe said again. "Two months to live…"
"Shhh, Chloe, you'll live. You'll live much longer than that."
"Brady I'm scared." Chloe whispered, sobbing into his chest.
"So am I." He sat down on one of the wicker chairs and pulled Chloe down on his lap. They sat quietly like that for a while, Chloe had her arms around Brady, and their heads were leaned into each other. Craig watched them through the screen door and sighed. Not only because his daughter was dying, but because Nancy had delayed Shawn's arrival in Salem by another two weeks and there wasn't really anything that he could do.
***
That night when Brady got home, he sat across from his mother on the couch and didn't talk very much.
"Brady? Wh-"
"Two months, mother. The doctors give her two months."
Brady lifted his eyes to face Isabella's, whose were already filling with tears.
"Brady, I'm so sorry…"
"Save it." Brady said angrily. "There's nothing anyone can do now. The stupid doctors can't do anything. She's dying mother! I don't understand this…"
Isabella quietly took a seat beside her son and put her arms around him. Brady leaned into her shoulder and immediately started crying.
"Mom, I can't do anything to help her!" He cried in despair.
"Maybe you are helping her." Isabella said softly. "Perhaps because you love her and she loves you…she has a reason to live and fight off this illness."
"It doesn't matter. I want to do more."
He stood up and walked around the room, biting his lip. He heard a slight crunch as he leaned up against the wall. He looked down curiously at the side of his pants, but there was no sign of anything that could have crunched. Then he dug his hand in his pocket and came up with a piece of paper folded into a square. He unfolded it and looked over it thoughtfully. It was Chloe's list of things to do. Now he finally realized why she had wanted to do them all so soon. How could he have not seen this coming? He looked down the list. All the things she had wanted to accomplish were checked off. All but one.
Brady looked up from the paper and met her mother's concerned gaze.
"Mother…" He started. "You know how there's a really fine line between a stupid thing and the right thing don't you?"
"What do you have in mind?" Isabella inquired, looking at the crumpled piece of paper in her son's hands.
***
Later that day, Chloe was lying down on a blanket with Brady in the clearing. Brady was lying one way, and Chloe was using his side as a headrest as she lay the opposite way.
"Brady?" Chloe said softly, feeling the rise and fall of his body as he breathed.
"Uh huh?"
"Hi."
Brady chuckled. "Hi." He said in return.
Chloe sighed deeply. "I love you, Black. Remember that."
"I will."
"Why are you so quiet? You're usually the one to carry on a conversation."
"Oh. Chloe, I was thinking. Remember way back when you made me promise not to fall in love with you?"
"Yes…"
"You knew all along didn't you? That I would fall in love with you."
"Of course I knew! What did you think I pray for every night?" She said giggling.
"I dunno. Peace and good will towards men or something like that."
"Oh."
Chloe sat up on the blanket leaning to one side and using her arm as a support. Brady sat up too, and faced her. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.
"Would you do anything for the one you loved Chloe?" Brady asked quietly, moving a curl off of her face.
"Pretty much." Chloe said, nodding her head.
"Good." Brady stood up and lifted Chloe to her feet.
"Marry me."
Chloe gasped at the proposal. Brady pulled a ring from his pocket and held it up to her, the moonlight glinting off of its polished surface. Brady paused.
"Now would be a good time to say something."
Chloe looked up into his eyes and nodded her head.
"Yes!" She cried, as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. Brady manages to get the ring on her finger before she threw her arms up around his neck.
"Oh god Brady I love you so much!"
Brady found her lips and kissed her, receiving the best response he could ever hope for.
The next day, Chloe sat in the living room with her father and the doctor. Craig had apparently agreed to let the doctor tell Chloe what he had told him.
"Alright, Chloe. Are you willing to hear what I have to say?" The doctor asked gently.
"What, do I need more tubes stuck in me?" Chloe asked, leaning against the arm of her chair.
"I'm afraid it's much worse than that, dear." The doctor looked over at Craig, making sure if he was really permitted to go on with this. Craig nodded his head slowly.
"In the past month, your leukemia has progressed greatly. I'm afraid that soon you will not even be able to walk anymore. Have you been experiencing any more pain than usual?"
Chloe shook her head in response.
"Good. We should be able to ward off all of these symptoms as best we can."
"Is that the bad news?" Chloe asked, catching the look that passed between Craig and the doctor. 'It's not is it…" She said quietly.
The doctor shook his head 'no'. "I'm afraid not Chloe." He sighed before he went on. "According to the rapid mutation of you cells and the progression of your illness, with treatment, our specialists give you only two months to live."
"Two months to live…" Chloe repeated, her spirits deflated, "Oh. Well I guess I can't do much about this can I?"
"Well, we are still working on it Chloe. We pray that there is some way that we can save you."
"Oh." Chloe said again. "Alright. I'll pray that you do find something." Then she stood up and left the room. Brady was waiting outside for her, but he had heard everything through the open widow.
Chloe stepped out onto the porch and looked over at Brady. He stood up and walked over to her, and as he did, Chloe broke down and started crying. Brady held her in his arms tightly, and he cried, too.
"Two months…" Chloe said again. "Two months to live…"
"Shhh, Chloe, you'll live. You'll live much longer than that."
"Brady I'm scared." Chloe whispered, sobbing into his chest.
"So am I." He sat down on one of the wicker chairs and pulled Chloe down on his lap. They sat quietly like that for a while, Chloe had her arms around Brady, and their heads were leaned into each other. Craig watched them through the screen door and sighed. Not only because his daughter was dying, but because Nancy had delayed Shawn's arrival in Salem by another two weeks and there wasn't really anything that he could do.
***
That night when Brady got home, he sat across from his mother on the couch and didn't talk very much.
"Brady? Wh-"
"Two months, mother. The doctors give her two months."
Brady lifted his eyes to face Isabella's, whose were already filling with tears.
"Brady, I'm so sorry…"
"Save it." Brady said angrily. "There's nothing anyone can do now. The stupid doctors can't do anything. She's dying mother! I don't understand this…"
Isabella quietly took a seat beside her son and put her arms around him. Brady leaned into her shoulder and immediately started crying.
"Mom, I can't do anything to help her!" He cried in despair.
"Maybe you are helping her." Isabella said softly. "Perhaps because you love her and she loves you…she has a reason to live and fight off this illness."
"It doesn't matter. I want to do more."
He stood up and walked around the room, biting his lip. He heard a slight crunch as he leaned up against the wall. He looked down curiously at the side of his pants, but there was no sign of anything that could have crunched. Then he dug his hand in his pocket and came up with a piece of paper folded into a square. He unfolded it and looked over it thoughtfully. It was Chloe's list of things to do. Now he finally realized why she had wanted to do them all so soon. How could he have not seen this coming? He looked down the list. All the things she had wanted to accomplish were checked off. All but one.
Brady looked up from the paper and met her mother's concerned gaze.
"Mother…" He started. "You know how there's a really fine line between a stupid thing and the right thing don't you?"
"What do you have in mind?" Isabella inquired, looking at the crumpled piece of paper in her son's hands.
***
Later that day, Chloe was lying down on a blanket with Brady in the clearing. Brady was lying one way, and Chloe was using his side as a headrest as she lay the opposite way.
"Brady?" Chloe said softly, feeling the rise and fall of his body as he breathed.
"Uh huh?"
"Hi."
Brady chuckled. "Hi." He said in return.
Chloe sighed deeply. "I love you, Black. Remember that."
"I will."
"Why are you so quiet? You're usually the one to carry on a conversation."
"Oh. Chloe, I was thinking. Remember way back when you made me promise not to fall in love with you?"
"Yes…"
"You knew all along didn't you? That I would fall in love with you."
"Of course I knew! What did you think I pray for every night?" She said giggling.
"I dunno. Peace and good will towards men or something like that."
"Oh."
Chloe sat up on the blanket leaning to one side and using her arm as a support. Brady sat up too, and faced her. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.
"Would you do anything for the one you loved Chloe?" Brady asked quietly, moving a curl off of her face.
"Pretty much." Chloe said, nodding her head.
"Good." Brady stood up and lifted Chloe to her feet.
"Marry me."
Chloe gasped at the proposal. Brady pulled a ring from his pocket and held it up to her, the moonlight glinting off of its polished surface. Brady paused.
"Now would be a good time to say something."
Chloe looked up into his eyes and nodded her head.
"Yes!" She cried, as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. Brady manages to get the ring on her finger before she threw her arms up around his neck.
"Oh god Brady I love you so much!"
Brady found her lips and kissed her, receiving the best response he could ever hope for.