Chapter Seventeen

Chloe returned to Brady's room and poured him a glass of water, inserting a bendy straw in the small pink cup. He had been helped into a sitting position, and he held the cup with his uninjured hand gratefully and sipped through his straw.

"Thanks, Chloe... You're the best."

John smiled gratefully at Chloe, but directed his comment to Brady. "You have no idea, kid. Chloe has been here every second of every day. She's never even left the hospital once, not even for a breath of fresh air."

Brady looked at her with surprise. "For me? I didn't know you cared that much, Diva."

Chloe grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't, I just like the hospital food. Plus, with the constant flow of new patients, it's a good way to meet new people. Sick people, sure... but new."

Brady laughed, which quickly turned into a gentle cough. He took another sip of water and smiled at her. "Well, no matter what the reasons are, I appreciate it. And, I'm sure once somebody decides to inform me of what's been going on the past twelve days, I'll appreciate each and every one of you."

The five standing around the bed looked at each other awkwardly, waiting for one of them to break the ice. Somebody had to explain all of the events of the past days to Brady, but none of them wanted to do it.

John laid a hand on Brady's shoulder and looked at him sternly. "Brady, we will tell you everything. But, you need to stay calm, and don't get angry. Getting too upset would not be good for you right now, not in your condition."

Brady stared at him in confusion and nodded. "Alright... I will keep my cool. I promise. Please tell me everything."

John looked briefly at Marlena, and she nodded for him to continue. "You were leaving the office, and you were in the parking garage getting ready to get in to your car."

"And that's the last thing I remember."

"I figured as much. You got hit by a car, and the person who hit you left the scene. A security guard found you and called 911. Shawn, Belle, Chloe came here right away, and Marlena and I flew in from New York as soon as we got the call. You had a collapsed lung, and some internal bleeding. You've got some pins in your left knee, and you hurt your left arm and your right leg. You'll be able to use it all normally again after some therapy and some time to heal. The worst part was the head injury. We didn't know if you would ever wake up, but now you are. So, everything is going to be fine."

Brady nodded but still looked confused. "Okay... Then tell me the part that's going to make me so angry it will be bad for me. Because, while everything you just said is bad... it doesn't quite make me want to get out of this bed and hit somebody."

Chloe turned her gaze away from him, feeling a lump forming in her throat as her tears ran slowly down her cheeks. She had been so focused on Brady waking up, that she had never thought about how he would react to the news about Phillip. She had been so worried about him, and trying to bring him back, that she had almost forgot to feel terrible about what Phillip had done. There was another awkward silence, and Belle decided she would have to be the one to do it. She sat down in Chloe's usual chair and took Brady's water cup from him.

Belle held on to his hand and smiled reassuringly. "See, Brady... Everybody knows about your famous temper, and the way you might react to what I'm going to tell you. But, I know that you can handle it just fine, and you will. One of us HAS to tell you, so I'll do it."

"Then tell me, please. The suspense is worse than anything you could possibly tell me."

Belle sighed softly and began. "A couple of days after you got hit, mom, dad, Shawn and I had left to go home, sleep, shower and so on. Chloe was here, but she went to the cafeteria for a few minutes to have breakfast. When she came back to your room, Phillip was here. He was talking to you, and she overheard him. He confessed... He's the one that did this to you. He said he came there to talk to you that night, to tell you to stay away from Chloe. And, then something in his brain just snapped... He said he didn't go there meaning to kill you, it just happened."

Brady kept his cool, but his anger was obvious in his clenched jaw. "Phillip? That son of a... Chloe, what did you do?"

Chloe turned back to him, her face tracked with tears, and her voice shaky when she replied. "I told him... I begged him, to turn himself in. But he refused. And then I told him how he was sick and he needed help. And, when he refused to do anything, I tried to call the police. And, he attacked me..."

Brady expelled air slowly through his clenched teeth, trying to hold down the anger inside him. "Oh God... Chloe, are you okay? What the hell did he do to you?"

Even though she was clearly upset, she waved a hand to reassure him. "I'm fine, Brady. I had a little bump on my head for a few days, but I'm fine now. It could have been worse, but thanks to Shawn... I'm just fine."

Shawn patted Chloe on the arm reassuringly and turned to Brady. "We were lucky. Belle and I were just getting here, and I pulled Phillip away from Chloe before he had a chance to cause any damage."

Brady let his anger slip away and smiled at Shawn. "Well, thank you. Thank you for taking care of Chloe for me."

Marlena smiled at him and interjected. "It goes all around, Brady. Chloe took care of you this whole time. And we all took care of each other."

"So, what happens to Phillip now?"

John exhaled slowly and replied to his son. "He's in jail. There's going to be a trial eventually. His lawyer wants him to plead temporary insanity."

Brady nodded and practically growled in angry. "So they can put him in a psychiatric hospital, right?"

"He is very sick, Brady. It's a mental illness. What drove him to do what he did, none of us will ever really understand it..."

Chloe locked eyes with Brady, and she wondered if he could tell what she was thinking. She knew exactly what caused Phillip's illness. It was obsession, so-called love, anger and jealousy that drove him to madness. And it was all because of her, something she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

Chloe sighed and frowned at him, the guilt of what Phillip had done weighing heavily on her shoulders. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Brady."

"Chloe, you don't have to say that..."

But she did. She knew that she would have to talk to Brady alone very soon. She had so many things she needed to say to him, and so many questions she wanted answered. But, not now, not in front of everyone. Instead, she just nodded in reply and sniffled quietly.

Belle smiled at her brother and squeezed his hand gently. "See, I figured you'd be able to take this news well. You're not going to go all Incredible Hulk on us or anything, so that's good."

Brady nodded slightly and sighed. "Well, I know one thing for sure. I'm just happy to be alive right now. Everything else... is less important. Then again, you might not want to put me in a room with Phillip any time soon. Especially not after I'm up and walking again."

Shawn nodded in agreement and interjected. "We all feel that way sometimes. Phillip has caused a lot of pain to a lot of people. So much that Victor doesn't even want to have anything to do with him."

"What? His own father?"

"You know what Victor has always said. Nothing is more important to the Kiriakises than their family. And, Phillip did the most unimaginable thing there is. He tried to kill a member of his own family. Victor is heartbroken and ashamed. He's paying all of Phillip's legal bills, but I don't think he has even been to visit him in jail once."

Brady shook his head mournfully. "It's weird. Part of me can't believe that what you guys are telling me is true. But, another part of me isn't surprised at all."

Everyone turned in surprised when the door behind them opened and Craig walked inside. He quickly hugged Chloe and she smiled contentedly at him, her tears already drying. Brady peeked in between Shawn and Belle and greeted him.

"Dr. Wesley... That was quick."

Craig smiled and moved closer to Brady's bed. "Well, I was in a hurry to see how miraculous your miraculous recovery really is."

Brady shrugged slightly. "I feel pretty good for a guy who's been out cold for quite a while."

"That's good, but I'll be the judge of just how good you're doing." Craig turned away from Brady and addressed the group. "Do you all mind stepping outside for just a few minutes? I need to examine my patient alone, please."

John nodded in understanding and laid his hand on his wife's back. "Absolutely, Craig. We'll be right outside."

John and Marlena exited first, but Belle stopped to give her brother a hug and kiss. When she leaned into him for the hug, Chloe noticed her whispering something in his ear. When she finished, Brady just grinned at her and nodded. Chloe couldn't hear what Belle had said, but Brady replied to her with two words. "I know."

Belle let go of him and grinned happily. She walked past Chloe, with Shawn in toe, and winked at her as she passed by. Chloe stared at her in confusion as she exited the room and then turned back to Brady. "What the heck was that about?"

Brady shrugged innocently. "Nothing important."

He held his hand out towards her, and she gladly slipped her hand into his. Chloe smiled slightly as he entwined his fingers with hers.

Brady smiled back at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Everything is going to be fine now, Chloe. Everything is going to be the way it's supposed to be."

Chloe nodded slightly as he slipped his hand away from hers. She spoke no words in reply, but the answer was clear on her face. She believed his words without even the slightest doubt. Chloe turned and left, joining the others in the waiting area.

Belle hugged Chloe tightly, the smile on her face unable to be wiped away as she spoke to her. "Chloe... You did it. I don't know how, but you did. All of this has to be because of you. Thank you so much for bringing my brother back to me."

Chloe smiled and hugged her back, letting Belle's head rest on her shoulder. "It wasn't me, Belle. It was Brady, all along... Everything I did, was because of him. And, he's only here with us now because he was strong enough to fight. And strong enough to inspire me to help him fight."

Belle let go of her and nodded, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "Then you two together are a pretty unstoppable team."

Chloe nodded slightly and leaned against the wall with a sigh. She still felt responsible for Brady even being here in the first place. But, part of her wondered if Belle was right. She wondered if somehow she could be responsible for Brady's sudden awakening. Chloe stared at the wooden door in front of her intently, anxious to finally be able to tell Brady what she had planned to say over twelve days ago.

***