Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 23
A couple of days passed. Chloe continued to take it easy, spending a great deal of time in bed. Brady visited her often, to keep her company and also because the time he spent away from her was pure torture. The bruises had mostly faded by Monday, though there is still some tenderness. She went back to the hospital and had her stitches removed. The swelling in her brain was gone and her jaw had healed completely.
The Wesleys had decided to press charges and so Phillip was arrested on Thursday evening, the day after the attack. Victor used his money and influence to strike a deal with the D.A. Phillip was placed on probation and his extracurricular activities were suspended. The Wesleys were furious at this arrangement, but Chloe just wanted it to be over. She didn't tell them about the phone calls; she didn't want to ruin Phillip's chances for his future, especially since they were halfway through their senior year. However, something happened to change her mind.
Friday morning which was two days after the attack, her doorbell rang when she was home alone. It was a delivery of red roses for her. She smiled as she smelled the wonderful fragrance. These must be from Brady! The thought filled her with a sudden, inexplicable joy. She read the card and her heart stopped. The card was typed and read:
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
THESE ROSES ARE RED
SOON I WILL FIND YOU
AND YOU WILL BE DEAD
Chloe dropped the vase. She barely registered when it crashed into the floor shattering into thousands of crystal shards. She watched as the water flowed over the crimson roses, water running red like blood. She stood in numbed horror while the accumulated traumas of the last several days finally broke through her barrier of shock to pierce her fragile center. She collapsed to the floor without a sound.
Brady stood on the Wesleys' front porch and rang the doorbell again. No answer.
"Chloe!", he called. No sound.
He knew she should be home. He tried the door to find it unlocked. He walked through the doorway and froze in cold terror. Chloe was lying on the floor motionless beside a large puddle of water and broken glass. He carefully stepped around the glass and knelt beside Chloe's body. He felt for a pulse. It was strong and steady.
"Chloe," he called softly, looking for any sign of injury. With the exception of some small scratches due to the glass, he couldn't find any.
Chloe moaned softly and fluttered her eyes open. "Br-Brady," she said weakly. She sat up and became more alert.
"Chloe, are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened?" She asked dazed.
"I don't know, I just came in."
Chloe looked at the card that was still in her hand and it all came flooding back to her. "I fainted. Someone gave me these roses." She said slowly.
"Someone gave you flowers and you fainted?"
"It was the card - Here." She gave the card to Brady. The color drained from his face as he read the message.
I'm going to kill him. With effort, Brady pushed the fury out of his mind and focused on Chloe. She was shaking uncontrollably. He cleaned the small cuts on her arms, and lifted her up in his arms. He carried her to her room and put her into bed. Chloe immediately curled up into a ball and stared blankly out in front of her. After an hour, she eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Brady cleaned up the glass and the roses and stayed with Chloe until her mother got home. He showed Nancy the card and told her about the threatening phone calls. The Wesleys put a restraining order out against Phillip, and the D.A. tightened his probation. The only place he was now able to go was school, and even there he would have to keep his distance.
From Friday morning on, Chloe was never alone in the house. Someone was always with her. At times when Nancy and Craig were needed on the same shift at the hospital, then Brady would come stay with Chloe.
The events of the last week had taken their toll on Chloe. She was healing physically, but emotionally she was unraveling. First, Saturday night she was attacked and almost raped. Monday night there was the drama with Phillip at the Dimera party. Wednesday, she broke up with him, only to be attacked by him that night. Then there were the phone calls and the flowers on Friday. All of this combined with the fact that since Saturday, she hasn't had a decent night's sleep and her black outs - Well, it was all too much for Chloe.
Friday night, her night terrors began.
It was 2 am and Nancy and Craig were enjoying a rare deep sleep. They were totally exhausted from worrying about Chloe and extra patients at the hospital. Unfortunately, their rest would not last.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Chloe's piercing scream shattered the quiet stillness.
Craig was up in a flash - years as an on-call emergency doctor had made him able to go from deep sleep to fully alert in seconds. Nancy was close behind; as a mother and a doctor's wife, she had similar abilities.
They raced down the hall and Chloe continued screaming. They were horrified by the sight that met their eyes. Chloe was tossing and kicking, clawing at the air eyes wide open and unfocused. She managed to scream and cry at the same time.
Craig grabbed hold of her and tried to wake her, but she was completely unaware of his presence. Through her choking sobs, they made out the words, "No..... don't.....please.....No". Endless minutes passed and her screams ceased. She just cried. Her entire body shook with the force of her sobs. Nancy and Craig were rocked to their very core by her cries. The sound was heartbreaking. Craig held her and rocked her until she finally calmed down thirty minutes later. She soon drifted back off to sleep.
Craig and Nancy went down to the kitchen and talked about what happened. They stayed up the rest of the night.
Chloe's nightmare episode repeated Saturday and Sunday nights with the same results. Chloe screaming in her sleep unable to wake up. Crying and struggling only to eventually go back to sleep.
Every morning was the same. Chloe woke up with no memory of what the nightmare was about or even having one at all. Craig vowed to talk to Marlena on Monday.
Chapter 23
A couple of days passed. Chloe continued to take it easy, spending a great deal of time in bed. Brady visited her often, to keep her company and also because the time he spent away from her was pure torture. The bruises had mostly faded by Monday, though there is still some tenderness. She went back to the hospital and had her stitches removed. The swelling in her brain was gone and her jaw had healed completely.
The Wesleys had decided to press charges and so Phillip was arrested on Thursday evening, the day after the attack. Victor used his money and influence to strike a deal with the D.A. Phillip was placed on probation and his extracurricular activities were suspended. The Wesleys were furious at this arrangement, but Chloe just wanted it to be over. She didn't tell them about the phone calls; she didn't want to ruin Phillip's chances for his future, especially since they were halfway through their senior year. However, something happened to change her mind.
Friday morning which was two days after the attack, her doorbell rang when she was home alone. It was a delivery of red roses for her. She smiled as she smelled the wonderful fragrance. These must be from Brady! The thought filled her with a sudden, inexplicable joy. She read the card and her heart stopped. The card was typed and read:
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
THESE ROSES ARE RED
SOON I WILL FIND YOU
AND YOU WILL BE DEAD
Chloe dropped the vase. She barely registered when it crashed into the floor shattering into thousands of crystal shards. She watched as the water flowed over the crimson roses, water running red like blood. She stood in numbed horror while the accumulated traumas of the last several days finally broke through her barrier of shock to pierce her fragile center. She collapsed to the floor without a sound.
Brady stood on the Wesleys' front porch and rang the doorbell again. No answer.
"Chloe!", he called. No sound.
He knew she should be home. He tried the door to find it unlocked. He walked through the doorway and froze in cold terror. Chloe was lying on the floor motionless beside a large puddle of water and broken glass. He carefully stepped around the glass and knelt beside Chloe's body. He felt for a pulse. It was strong and steady.
"Chloe," he called softly, looking for any sign of injury. With the exception of some small scratches due to the glass, he couldn't find any.
Chloe moaned softly and fluttered her eyes open. "Br-Brady," she said weakly. She sat up and became more alert.
"Chloe, are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened?" She asked dazed.
"I don't know, I just came in."
Chloe looked at the card that was still in her hand and it all came flooding back to her. "I fainted. Someone gave me these roses." She said slowly.
"Someone gave you flowers and you fainted?"
"It was the card - Here." She gave the card to Brady. The color drained from his face as he read the message.
I'm going to kill him. With effort, Brady pushed the fury out of his mind and focused on Chloe. She was shaking uncontrollably. He cleaned the small cuts on her arms, and lifted her up in his arms. He carried her to her room and put her into bed. Chloe immediately curled up into a ball and stared blankly out in front of her. After an hour, she eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Brady cleaned up the glass and the roses and stayed with Chloe until her mother got home. He showed Nancy the card and told her about the threatening phone calls. The Wesleys put a restraining order out against Phillip, and the D.A. tightened his probation. The only place he was now able to go was school, and even there he would have to keep his distance.
From Friday morning on, Chloe was never alone in the house. Someone was always with her. At times when Nancy and Craig were needed on the same shift at the hospital, then Brady would come stay with Chloe.
The events of the last week had taken their toll on Chloe. She was healing physically, but emotionally she was unraveling. First, Saturday night she was attacked and almost raped. Monday night there was the drama with Phillip at the Dimera party. Wednesday, she broke up with him, only to be attacked by him that night. Then there were the phone calls and the flowers on Friday. All of this combined with the fact that since Saturday, she hasn't had a decent night's sleep and her black outs - Well, it was all too much for Chloe.
Friday night, her night terrors began.
It was 2 am and Nancy and Craig were enjoying a rare deep sleep. They were totally exhausted from worrying about Chloe and extra patients at the hospital. Unfortunately, their rest would not last.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Chloe's piercing scream shattered the quiet stillness.
Craig was up in a flash - years as an on-call emergency doctor had made him able to go from deep sleep to fully alert in seconds. Nancy was close behind; as a mother and a doctor's wife, she had similar abilities.
They raced down the hall and Chloe continued screaming. They were horrified by the sight that met their eyes. Chloe was tossing and kicking, clawing at the air eyes wide open and unfocused. She managed to scream and cry at the same time.
Craig grabbed hold of her and tried to wake her, but she was completely unaware of his presence. Through her choking sobs, they made out the words, "No..... don't.....please.....No". Endless minutes passed and her screams ceased. She just cried. Her entire body shook with the force of her sobs. Nancy and Craig were rocked to their very core by her cries. The sound was heartbreaking. Craig held her and rocked her until she finally calmed down thirty minutes later. She soon drifted back off to sleep.
Craig and Nancy went down to the kitchen and talked about what happened. They stayed up the rest of the night.
Chloe's nightmare episode repeated Saturday and Sunday nights with the same results. Chloe screaming in her sleep unable to wake up. Crying and struggling only to eventually go back to sleep.
Every morning was the same. Chloe woke up with no memory of what the nightmare was about or even having one at all. Craig vowed to talk to Marlena on Monday.