Brady walked around the cramped hospital room, he needed a break from the
smell of hospital and the really bad food, the smell of death. He punched
the call nurse button on Chloe's bed. "Can I help you?" the nurse called
into the room. "Can you call Dr. Wesley, please, ask him to come to his
daughter's room?" Brady asked. "I'll do that." the nurse signed off.
Craig came rushing into the room "Brady" he asked breathless "is everything all right?" Brady nodded "I think she is waking up, she moved her fingers." Craig walked over to the bed, and began to test Chloe's vitals and check her irises with a small light. "Chloe" he called taking her hand into his "can you hear me?" he asked. "If you can squeeze my hand." Just as she had done with Brady, she moved her fingers a little bit. "good girl" Craig praised "just relax now, honey I'm going to call Nancy."
Craig called Nancy, who promised to come right over from his office. "What does that mean?" Brady asked anxiously. "She is probably going to come out of her coma, but Brady it may not happen overnight" craig cautioned. "But she'll be okay, right?" Craig chuckled "calm down, Nancy" he looked at Brady pointedly. Brady rolled his eyes "sorry, I just want her to be okay."
"I know Brady" Craig put an arm around his shoulders "and I think she will be, but give it time,okay?" Brady nodded in agreement, "would it be okay if I went for a ride or something?"
"Getting tired of the hospital smell, huh?" Craig asked knowingly. "Oh yeah" Brady agreed " i just need to get some fresh air."
"Go for it" Craig encouraged "Nancy will be more than happy to stay with Chloe." Brady grabbed his jacket and car keys "Call me, if she wakes up" he pleaded. "I will, go get a break and get some fresh air." Nancy came in as Brady went out, "Where's he going?" she asked. "Brady decided he needed some fresh air" Craig answered.
Nancy's attention was soon diverted by her daughter "Oh Craig" she clutched his hand "She looks so helpless in that bed, is she awake yet?" Craig held his wife closer "Honey, she is far from helpless I assure you" craig chuckled "and no she is not awake yet, but she can hear because she responds to voices."
"Chloe, honey, it's me can you hear me?" Nancy took her daughter's hand. Chloe didnt respond, but Nancy held her hand and continued to talk softly to her daughter. "Honey, please just a sign, any sign,just so I know you're in there." Chloe bent her fingers slightly "Oh Craig she did it" Nancy shrieked excitedly. "How long is Brady going to be gone?" Nancy asked.
Craig chuckled "I dont know, but I am sure the two of you can get along if you have to, after all you probably will see a lot of him after she is released." Nancy frowned "I know that, but I dont like the idea of it." Craig's pager went off "I gotta go honey, have a good visit with Chloe."
"Oh Chloe, darling" Nancy gushed "I am so happy to finally have a part of you back, but it would be even better if all of you would come back." Nancy stroked Chloe's dark tresses, "such beautiful hair, I wonder what it was like controlling that as a kid."
"I suppose I'll have to get used to seeing Brady Black around the house,huh?" Nancy commented. Nancy could understand why Brady needed to get away, he'd been sitting in this chair for the past 5 days "It's like talking to yourself and hoping yourself doesn't answer back" she spoke out loud.
From the bed, Chloe began to move her hand and make small noises "Chloe" Nancy stood up"honey, are you okay?" Nancy pressed the button on the bed "Get Dr. Wesley in here STAT" she spoke into the microphone.
Once again, Craig came rushing into the room "Chloe" he called out taking her hand "Are you awake?" Taking her hand, Craig spoke softly "Chloe, open your eyes." Nancy stood at the foot of the bed "Craig?" she questioned. Slowly, as if in a time trance, Chloe began to open her eyes. She looked around the room, "Brady?" she called out searching for him.
Craig looked at Nancy, who wore a sad expression at her daughter wanting to see someone else when she first awoke. "Chloe" Nancy walked around to the other side of the bed "oh honey, I am so happy to see you." Chloe looked around confused, trying to sit up. "Whoa" Craig put a hand on her shoulders "first things first, let me make sure you're okay."
Chloe patiently waited while Craing poked and prodded at her, before helping her to a sitting position. "How long have I been here?" she asked "Where's Brady?" "You've been here for almost 6 days" Nancy answered. "And Brady went for a drive" Craig chipped in, "He wants me to call if you wake up."
Chloe reached for the phone "please, can I call him?" she asked. Craig smiled "Sure, but don't wear yourself out, okay?" he cautioned.
Brady was happy to be out of the hospital, and took some time to stop in at Basic Black to check the stack of papers on his desk. "Hi son," John Black greeted. "Hey dad" Brady replied "I needed to get out of the hospital for a while." John nodded, "I know that feeling" he agreed "how's Chloe?"
"She was still the same when I left" he shrugged "Craig will call me if anything changes."
John hugged his grown son, "She'll be okay" he assured Brady "she's a tough one, that girl, reminds me a lot of your mom." Brady looked down "Speaking of mom" Brady began "Do you ever, ya know see her, mom I mean?"
"What do you mean, see her?" John asked. "You know like in a dream, only not really." Brady spoke softly. "I did once, right after she died" John admitted "I almost didnt believe it, but she told me it wasn't strange because she would always live in my heart and mind." Brady looked at him "That's wha she told me" he looked shocked. "Really, when did you see her?"
"Today, in Chloe's room. she made me understand that she really had a choice in dying, because in dying she gave me a chance to live." John sat in the chair opposite his son "Is it true dad, did she have a choice?" John nodded "Yes, she did and she chose to spend the rest of her time with you, then live without you."
Brady was quiet for a moment "Dad, did you hate me for that?" he asked. "Never Brady" he looked at his son "not for one second, even when you were most obnoxious." Brady began to stare off into space again, but this time he was interrupted by his cell phone. "Hello" he answered quickly, it could be Craig.
"Brady" Chloe spoke into the phone. "Chloe?" he spoke softly, eyebrows raised.
Craig came rushing into the room "Brady" he asked breathless "is everything all right?" Brady nodded "I think she is waking up, she moved her fingers." Craig walked over to the bed, and began to test Chloe's vitals and check her irises with a small light. "Chloe" he called taking her hand into his "can you hear me?" he asked. "If you can squeeze my hand." Just as she had done with Brady, she moved her fingers a little bit. "good girl" Craig praised "just relax now, honey I'm going to call Nancy."
Craig called Nancy, who promised to come right over from his office. "What does that mean?" Brady asked anxiously. "She is probably going to come out of her coma, but Brady it may not happen overnight" craig cautioned. "But she'll be okay, right?" Craig chuckled "calm down, Nancy" he looked at Brady pointedly. Brady rolled his eyes "sorry, I just want her to be okay."
"I know Brady" Craig put an arm around his shoulders "and I think she will be, but give it time,okay?" Brady nodded in agreement, "would it be okay if I went for a ride or something?"
"Getting tired of the hospital smell, huh?" Craig asked knowingly. "Oh yeah" Brady agreed " i just need to get some fresh air."
"Go for it" Craig encouraged "Nancy will be more than happy to stay with Chloe." Brady grabbed his jacket and car keys "Call me, if she wakes up" he pleaded. "I will, go get a break and get some fresh air." Nancy came in as Brady went out, "Where's he going?" she asked. "Brady decided he needed some fresh air" Craig answered.
Nancy's attention was soon diverted by her daughter "Oh Craig" she clutched his hand "She looks so helpless in that bed, is she awake yet?" Craig held his wife closer "Honey, she is far from helpless I assure you" craig chuckled "and no she is not awake yet, but she can hear because she responds to voices."
"Chloe, honey, it's me can you hear me?" Nancy took her daughter's hand. Chloe didnt respond, but Nancy held her hand and continued to talk softly to her daughter. "Honey, please just a sign, any sign,just so I know you're in there." Chloe bent her fingers slightly "Oh Craig she did it" Nancy shrieked excitedly. "How long is Brady going to be gone?" Nancy asked.
Craig chuckled "I dont know, but I am sure the two of you can get along if you have to, after all you probably will see a lot of him after she is released." Nancy frowned "I know that, but I dont like the idea of it." Craig's pager went off "I gotta go honey, have a good visit with Chloe."
"Oh Chloe, darling" Nancy gushed "I am so happy to finally have a part of you back, but it would be even better if all of you would come back." Nancy stroked Chloe's dark tresses, "such beautiful hair, I wonder what it was like controlling that as a kid."
"I suppose I'll have to get used to seeing Brady Black around the house,huh?" Nancy commented. Nancy could understand why Brady needed to get away, he'd been sitting in this chair for the past 5 days "It's like talking to yourself and hoping yourself doesn't answer back" she spoke out loud.
From the bed, Chloe began to move her hand and make small noises "Chloe" Nancy stood up"honey, are you okay?" Nancy pressed the button on the bed "Get Dr. Wesley in here STAT" she spoke into the microphone.
Once again, Craig came rushing into the room "Chloe" he called out taking her hand "Are you awake?" Taking her hand, Craig spoke softly "Chloe, open your eyes." Nancy stood at the foot of the bed "Craig?" she questioned. Slowly, as if in a time trance, Chloe began to open her eyes. She looked around the room, "Brady?" she called out searching for him.
Craig looked at Nancy, who wore a sad expression at her daughter wanting to see someone else when she first awoke. "Chloe" Nancy walked around to the other side of the bed "oh honey, I am so happy to see you." Chloe looked around confused, trying to sit up. "Whoa" Craig put a hand on her shoulders "first things first, let me make sure you're okay."
Chloe patiently waited while Craing poked and prodded at her, before helping her to a sitting position. "How long have I been here?" she asked "Where's Brady?" "You've been here for almost 6 days" Nancy answered. "And Brady went for a drive" Craig chipped in, "He wants me to call if you wake up."
Chloe reached for the phone "please, can I call him?" she asked. Craig smiled "Sure, but don't wear yourself out, okay?" he cautioned.
Brady was happy to be out of the hospital, and took some time to stop in at Basic Black to check the stack of papers on his desk. "Hi son," John Black greeted. "Hey dad" Brady replied "I needed to get out of the hospital for a while." John nodded, "I know that feeling" he agreed "how's Chloe?"
"She was still the same when I left" he shrugged "Craig will call me if anything changes."
John hugged his grown son, "She'll be okay" he assured Brady "she's a tough one, that girl, reminds me a lot of your mom." Brady looked down "Speaking of mom" Brady began "Do you ever, ya know see her, mom I mean?"
"What do you mean, see her?" John asked. "You know like in a dream, only not really." Brady spoke softly. "I did once, right after she died" John admitted "I almost didnt believe it, but she told me it wasn't strange because she would always live in my heart and mind." Brady looked at him "That's wha she told me" he looked shocked. "Really, when did you see her?"
"Today, in Chloe's room. she made me understand that she really had a choice in dying, because in dying she gave me a chance to live." John sat in the chair opposite his son "Is it true dad, did she have a choice?" John nodded "Yes, she did and she chose to spend the rest of her time with you, then live without you."
Brady was quiet for a moment "Dad, did you hate me for that?" he asked. "Never Brady" he looked at his son "not for one second, even when you were most obnoxious." Brady began to stare off into space again, but this time he was interrupted by his cell phone. "Hello" he answered quickly, it could be Craig.
"Brady" Chloe spoke into the phone. "Chloe?" he spoke softly, eyebrows raised.