Chapter Sixteen

(In the middle of the night... Very late)

Chloe crept back into Brady's room after her middle of the night trip to the bathroom. She tiptoed quietly over to her chair and took her normal place at Brady's side. Chloe glanced around the room with a slight smile on her face. After her little pow-wow earlier, Chloe had convinced John, Marlena, Belle and Shawn that tonight was the night they should all sleep in Brady's room. Some nights they chose to sleep at home, but something inside her told her that tonight they should all be here. Craig had taken a little more convincing to allow what was virtually a pajama party in a patient's room, but Chloe had begged him, and he was powerless to resist his daughter's sad blue eyes.

She rubbed her eyes blearily and tried to glance at her watch under the faint bits of moonlight peeking through the window. It was 3:37 and everyone was fast asleep. Belle and Shawn slept in adjoining cots; his hand was lying on top of hers as they slept peacefully. Shawn had rarely left her side since this ordeal began, his parents even allowing him to spend some nights at the hospital with her. Marlena laid in the extra bed on the other side of the room, with John was sleeping in the chair next to her.

Chloe slipped her hand over and rested it on top of Brady's. She yawned, but stifled the noise that would go along with it, trying not to wake anyone. Chloe slipped lower in her chair resting her head on the back of it and closing her eyes, allowing sleep to engulf her quickly.

***

She was on the beach again, and she was all alone. The breeze had gone, and the skies above her were bright and clear. Chloe searched all around her, turning slowly in a circle. There was nobody else there, just the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the miles of sand and rocks on either side of her.

Chloe took a few steps forward, feeling the sand squish underneath her bare feet. She called out towards the empty spaces in front of her. "Brady! Braaaaaady! Are you out here?"

She sighed out of frustration and kept looking all around her, waiting for him to appear. Turning her back to the water, she called up the hill of sand that seemed to lead to nowhere. "Brady! Where are you? Are you here? Brady! Please! If you're here, give me a sign!"

There was a strange sound behind her, as if something was hitting the water. Chloe turned on her heel to see what had happened, and that's when she saw him. He was sitting, strangely enough, on a large yellow inflatable raft that was parked right where the water hit the sand.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled happily at him. "Brady... There you are. But, why the raft?"

Brady grinned mischievously at her and opened his mouth to speak. His lips moved as if he was forming words, but no sound came out. When he finished, Chloe stared at him confusion.

"Brady... I... I can't hear you."

Brady nodded in understanding and moved his lips again, but still Chloe could not hear him. She threw up her hands in frustration and shouted back at him. "Brady, what's wrong? I can't hear a word you're saying."

He shrugged, somewhat nonchalantly and moved one hand forward. He motioned to her, as if he was asking for her to join him on the raft. Chloe nodded and moved towards him quickly. She came just a few feet away from him when she felt like she hit an invisible wall. Chloe was thrown back instantly and nearly fell over. She caught her balance with a gasp and glared at Brady with fear written all over her face.

"What the hell is going on here?" Her voice rose along with the mixture of fear and anger that was rising within her. "Why can't I hear you? Why can't I walk any further? Please, ANSWER ME."

Brady smiled sweetly at her and shook his head. She could read the words on his lips this time, there were only two of them and they made her heart drop into her stomach.

"Goodbye Chloe."

Chloe shook her head and tried to run forward again, but the wall between them stopped her. This time it threw her backwards and on to the ground. She could feel her eyes well up with tears, and she screamed out at him. "Brady, don't say that! Don't leave... Stay here with me."

Brady mouthed the words; "I love you" to her, and Chloe felt her hot tears began to stream down her face. "I... I love you too. Please don't go. Tell me what's going on. I don't understand any of this."

Brady turned his gaze way from her and picked up an oar out of the floor of his raft. He pushed off of the shore into the waters of the ocean. He looked back at her and smiled again, waving as he drifted further away from her. Chloe's entire body became wracked with sobs as she sat on the shore and watched him go.

Chloe pulled her knees close to her chest and kept sobbing as she watched him. He quickly became nothing more than a tiny speck in the vast ocean before her, but her tears kept falling. None of this was making sense to her muddled brain. Aside from the location and the players, this dream was completely unlike her previous ones.

Her sobs had slowed down, and she muttered quietly to herself. "What are you trying to tell me now? I don't get it."

She sat there alone on the beach, crying steadily for at least fifteen or twenty minutes. Chloe's head suddenly lifted when she felt a strange tingling on the palm of her right hand. She lifted the hand from her leg and waved it in front of her, but saw no reason for the tingle. Chloe stared at it intently and it tingled again, making her eyes widen in surprise.

There was a whisper in her ear, and the soft breeze from her last dream returned again. And it carried a voice that called her name along with it.

"Chloe... wake up. Chloe. Chloeeeeeee."

She looked over her right shoulder and saw nothing.

"Hey Chloe... Wake up."

This time she looked over her left shoulder and still saw nothing. She sighed softly and rested her chin on her knees, closing her eyes to shut out the light streaming from the bright sun in front of her.

"Come on, Chloe. Wake up and let me see those big blue eyes again."

Chloe's eyes snapped opened and she was back in the hospital room again. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her left hand, and that's when she felt it again. The tingling in her right hand had returned, but this time it had turned into a squeeze. Brady's fingers were intertwined with hers and he was squeezing her hand gently.

Chloe leaned forward in surprise and squeezed his hand in return. "Brady?"

Brady turned his head slightly and looked up at her, the moonlight reflecting off of his familiar blue eyes. She shook her head in shock, and a feeling of pure joy began to fill her from her head to her toes. She tried to speak, but could barely get the words out of her mouth. "Oh my God... Brady..."

Brady's voice was quiet and raspy from over twelve days without use. But, she could hear him clearly, and she knew this wasn't a dream. "I've been trying to wake you up. It's about time."

Chloe laughed through her tears and smiled at him. "I could say the same for you, you know."

A small smile crept on to his face as Chloe wiped her tears away. "Hey... don't cry, Diva."

"Oh, I can't help it. These are good tears though. I have never been more glad to hear you call me Diva than I am right now."

"Where is everyone? What's going on?"

Chloe sighed softly. "You don't remember?"

Brady shook his head ever so slightly. "Not really. I remember being in the garage... and that's all..."

"You got hit by a car. You've been asleep for twelve days and..." Chloe paused and checked her watch. "And about eight hours."

She smiled reassuringly, and decided not to tell him about Phillip. Not until she had woken up his family, and everything could be explained more clearly. For now, she was thanking her lucky stars just to have him awake again. She had so much to stay to him, and now she would finally have her chance, as soon as she found the right moment.

Brady coughed slightly and looked at her curiously. "Am I okay?"

Chloe chuckled and nodded. "I guess so. Now that you're awake, I guess you will be. How do you feel?"

"Like I need a glass of water."

"Alright, I'll get you one. And, your whole family is here you know... I'll wake them up."

Chloe smiled at him and let go of his hand. She quickly moved over to the cot that Belle was sleeping on. She crouched down beside her and gently shook her arm. "Belle... wake up. Come on, get up."

Belle groaned softly and slowly opened her eyes. "Chloe... What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Brady is awake. He's back."

Belle's eyes widened and she sat straight up. She quickly nudged Shawn and began shouting loudly. "Shawn! Wake up! Mom! DAD! WAKE UP!"

Chloe couldn't help but giggle. She knew if she woke up Belle first, the entire hospital would probably be woken up by her excited shouts. Belle jumped from her cot and started shaking her parents awake, as Shawn sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"WAKE UP! BRADY IS AWAKE! WAKE UP! GET UP EVEROYONE!"

Belle ran to her brother's side and grabbed his hand, as everyone else began to wake up and stand up slowly. She smiled happily at her brother and kissed him on the forehead.

"Oh thank God, you're awake."

Brady smiled weakly and retorted. "If you keep shouting like that, everybody in Salem will be awake, Tink."

Belle laughed and laid her head on his shoulder briefly. She lifted it back up and smiled at him. "Pick on me all you want, I've definitely missed it."

Chloe watched in bliss as John and Marlena went to Brady's side, happily welcoming him back. Shawn moved next to Belle and wrapped his arm around her waist. Chloe motioned towards the door and started to move away.

"I'm gonna go get Brady some water... I'll be right back."

Marlena smiled in appreciation and nodded. "Thank you, Chloe."

Chloe nodded and hurried out the door. She went to the nurse's station in the hallway, where the graveyard nurse was working on a crossword puzzle.

"Uhm, Excuse me... Could I use the phone? I need to call Dr. Wesley right away."

She nodded and put the phone up on the counter for her. "Absolutely, Miss Lane. Is everything all right?"

Chloe punched in the numbers to her house and nodded enthusiastically. "Everything is perfect."

She smiled at the nurse and waited for someone to answer. After three rings, Craig's voice came over the line, sounding very groggy. "Hello..."

"Craig, it's me."

"Chloe? Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Brady's awake... It just happened. He woke up and he talked to me.'

She could hear Craig breath a sigh of relief. "How is he? How does he seem?"

Chloe smiled happily, still feeling a few tears of joy run down her cheeks. "He's fine. He's talking, and he's alert... And, he's back."

"Good, good. Let me throw some clothes on and I'll be right over."

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

Chloe hung up the phone and had the nurse help her get a small pitcher of ice water, and a cup. She hurried back to Brady's room, but paused right outside the door. The bliss of those still in his room was so evident that she could practically feel it through the door. Chloe couldn't have found words to describe her happiness if she tried. She had embraced faith and hope in the past days, and her wish had been granted. Now she knew, with love and hope, they could overcome any obstacle in their way.

***