Unchained Melody
Prologue: Chapter 4
Brady paced nervously around the lounge, He had thought about going in to see Chloe, but he noticed that neither one of the Wesley's had. That made him wonder if he would even be allowed in to see her. For the time being, he decided to stay put and wait until he was given the OK.
Craig and Nancy exited the Wesley office about five minutes after Brady had decided not to see Chloe. They were headed straight for her room. Brady immediately leapt to his feet and took off after them, but was abruptly stopped by Craig. Nancy shuffled past her husband to enter the room but Craig gently pushed her back.
"I need to speak with my daughter privately." He said in a business-like tone.
"Craig! Surely you don't mean that!" Nancy said, half-laughing but very panicked. Craig responded that he did in fact mean what he had said. Nancy's lips formed their natural frowning expression. "Let me in." She said in a low whisper.
"Nancy, go sit down in the lounge with Brady."
At this point, Brady could no longer hold his own words in. He brushed passed Nancy and faced Craig. "I need to go in to see Chloe, to see if she is alright. I'm sure it would do no harm to see her. After all, she is going to miss her audition. Don't you know how much that meant to her?"
"Yes I know." Craig answered simply. "But it is my duty as a doctor to speak with Chloe at this time. Please leave me for a few minutes."
Brady stood still alongside Nancy for a moment, then sauntered back to the lounge with Nancy tight at his heels, biting her lip and pulling at the sleeved of her shirt in a nervous way. It made Brady feel creepy, as if the woman was going insane. He put a fair distance between them as they chose seats in the lounge.
As for Craig, he slipped into Chloe's room and closed the door with a soft click. Chloe looked normal in her bed, but she seemed a little dazed, still watching the clock and looking at the bruises on her hand. Craig's mind was rushing. Should he tell her? Would it be a mistake? He pondered the thought, a mental battle raging in his head.
Chloe's eyes travelled from her palm to her step-father, standing off to the corner of the room with a clipboard in his hands. He eyed it suspiciously, as if searching for the tiniest mistake. Craig eventually must have felt her eyes on him because he lifted them slowly to meet Chloe's. He had no smile to give her though, which came as a bit of a shock to Chloe. It was seldom she ever talked to Craig when he didn't have a smile on his face. He seemed unusually grim, and Chloe really began to wonder if he knew anything about her health problems.
Craig looked over the clipboard in his hands, reading over the results one last time. He sighed and looked at Chloe.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news…" He said in the formalest way he could. "You are anaemic."
Chloe pulled a face. If anaemia caused all of this, then why was it that so many people had it without knowing? She looked at Craig in a strange way, trying to read his eyes, but they were quickly lowered to the clipboard again as he once again scanned the surface of his results paper.
"Then it's alright to leave the hospital and still make my audition?" She asked slowly, somewhat timidly, as if dreading the answer she was most likely to receive.
"Um…I'm afraid not, Chloe."
"Why not? If it's only anaemia…." She responded, trying to reason with him. It surely couldn't require a prolonged stay at the hospital or a huge medical treatment.
Craig bit his lip. Chloe knew immediately her was hiding something from her. "There's more, isn't there Craig? Don't lie to me, I can see right through you."
Brady glanced over at Nancy. She looked very stressed, as if sitting in the lounge while her daughter was talking to her step-father was more than she could bear. Then again, she probably knew something that he didn't know. That made him even edgier than before. If Chloe were to, presuming the worst of course, become very ill and perhaps even leave him, then what would he do? She knew nothing of his feelings for her, nor would she ever know to what lengths he would go to protect her. He would show her, he decided. He couldn't hide it any longer, not if reality set in and Chloe was facing a terrible fate. He would face it with her.
Nancy twisted a magazine into a roll, turning it in her hands over and over until they were red. The shiny surface squeaked beneath her fingers. She seemed somewhat detached from the world. Brady would not have expected less…if only he knew what she most definitely did. He wanted to help Chloe.
Chloe sat in shocked silence, perfectly still as if she had already faced her destiny. Craig was silent as well, watching her with utmost concern. Chloe needed to know what she was in for, and now that she did, Craig was not so sure he had been smart to tell her. He half-expected Chloe to laugh at his diagnosis, but she believed every word. It had to be true, why would Craig be lying about something as serious as what he had just told her?
Chloe moved her eyes to the door, the little glass square her only connection to the world. It reminded her of a time about half a day earlier when she had been in the testing room, so certain that her life was not going to be affected by her test results. How wrong she had been about that.
And as her blue eyes studied that little glass window in the door, though not letting hear the sound outside in the hall, gave her a strange feeling. Maybe, one day, someone who could save her would walk through that door and tell her what a huge mistake had been made.
As she kept watching the door, all things around her fading into oblivion, she saw Brady press his face against the glass and look in at her.
Prologue: Chapter 4
Brady paced nervously around the lounge, He had thought about going in to see Chloe, but he noticed that neither one of the Wesley's had. That made him wonder if he would even be allowed in to see her. For the time being, he decided to stay put and wait until he was given the OK.
Craig and Nancy exited the Wesley office about five minutes after Brady had decided not to see Chloe. They were headed straight for her room. Brady immediately leapt to his feet and took off after them, but was abruptly stopped by Craig. Nancy shuffled past her husband to enter the room but Craig gently pushed her back.
"I need to speak with my daughter privately." He said in a business-like tone.
"Craig! Surely you don't mean that!" Nancy said, half-laughing but very panicked. Craig responded that he did in fact mean what he had said. Nancy's lips formed their natural frowning expression. "Let me in." She said in a low whisper.
"Nancy, go sit down in the lounge with Brady."
At this point, Brady could no longer hold his own words in. He brushed passed Nancy and faced Craig. "I need to go in to see Chloe, to see if she is alright. I'm sure it would do no harm to see her. After all, she is going to miss her audition. Don't you know how much that meant to her?"
"Yes I know." Craig answered simply. "But it is my duty as a doctor to speak with Chloe at this time. Please leave me for a few minutes."
Brady stood still alongside Nancy for a moment, then sauntered back to the lounge with Nancy tight at his heels, biting her lip and pulling at the sleeved of her shirt in a nervous way. It made Brady feel creepy, as if the woman was going insane. He put a fair distance between them as they chose seats in the lounge.
As for Craig, he slipped into Chloe's room and closed the door with a soft click. Chloe looked normal in her bed, but she seemed a little dazed, still watching the clock and looking at the bruises on her hand. Craig's mind was rushing. Should he tell her? Would it be a mistake? He pondered the thought, a mental battle raging in his head.
Chloe's eyes travelled from her palm to her step-father, standing off to the corner of the room with a clipboard in his hands. He eyed it suspiciously, as if searching for the tiniest mistake. Craig eventually must have felt her eyes on him because he lifted them slowly to meet Chloe's. He had no smile to give her though, which came as a bit of a shock to Chloe. It was seldom she ever talked to Craig when he didn't have a smile on his face. He seemed unusually grim, and Chloe really began to wonder if he knew anything about her health problems.
Craig looked over the clipboard in his hands, reading over the results one last time. He sighed and looked at Chloe.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news…" He said in the formalest way he could. "You are anaemic."
Chloe pulled a face. If anaemia caused all of this, then why was it that so many people had it without knowing? She looked at Craig in a strange way, trying to read his eyes, but they were quickly lowered to the clipboard again as he once again scanned the surface of his results paper.
"Then it's alright to leave the hospital and still make my audition?" She asked slowly, somewhat timidly, as if dreading the answer she was most likely to receive.
"Um…I'm afraid not, Chloe."
"Why not? If it's only anaemia…." She responded, trying to reason with him. It surely couldn't require a prolonged stay at the hospital or a huge medical treatment.
Craig bit his lip. Chloe knew immediately her was hiding something from her. "There's more, isn't there Craig? Don't lie to me, I can see right through you."
Brady glanced over at Nancy. She looked very stressed, as if sitting in the lounge while her daughter was talking to her step-father was more than she could bear. Then again, she probably knew something that he didn't know. That made him even edgier than before. If Chloe were to, presuming the worst of course, become very ill and perhaps even leave him, then what would he do? She knew nothing of his feelings for her, nor would she ever know to what lengths he would go to protect her. He would show her, he decided. He couldn't hide it any longer, not if reality set in and Chloe was facing a terrible fate. He would face it with her.
Nancy twisted a magazine into a roll, turning it in her hands over and over until they were red. The shiny surface squeaked beneath her fingers. She seemed somewhat detached from the world. Brady would not have expected less…if only he knew what she most definitely did. He wanted to help Chloe.
Chloe sat in shocked silence, perfectly still as if she had already faced her destiny. Craig was silent as well, watching her with utmost concern. Chloe needed to know what she was in for, and now that she did, Craig was not so sure he had been smart to tell her. He half-expected Chloe to laugh at his diagnosis, but she believed every word. It had to be true, why would Craig be lying about something as serious as what he had just told her?
Chloe moved her eyes to the door, the little glass square her only connection to the world. It reminded her of a time about half a day earlier when she had been in the testing room, so certain that her life was not going to be affected by her test results. How wrong she had been about that.
And as her blue eyes studied that little glass window in the door, though not letting hear the sound outside in the hall, gave her a strange feeling. Maybe, one day, someone who could save her would walk through that door and tell her what a huge mistake had been made.
As she kept watching the door, all things around her fading into oblivion, she saw Brady press his face against the glass and look in at her.