Chapter Twenty

(Two days later. And they were HAPPY days, I swear.)

Chloe looked through the window on the door to Brady's room curiously. He was sitting up in bed chatting with John, who sat comfortably on the other side of the bed. Chloe couldn't help but overhear their conversation and although she felt guilty for eavesdropping, she stayed at the door letting her curiosity get the best of her. She tried to stay out of sight, hoping John wouldn't notice her staring through the window and listening in.

John was nodding to whatever Brady had just said, and replied to him. "Are you sure this is what you want to do, son?"

Brady exhaled, his expression full of hesitation. "I don't think I'll ever be completely sure... And, it's not about wanting to do it. I HAVE to do it. I have no other choice. And despite all of my hesitation, I know it's for the best."

"Well, I've got most of the arrangements made, but you can back out at any time. You can change your mind whenever you want. So, how do you think Chloe's going to feel about it?"

"She's not going to be happy about it, I know that. But, I think... At least, I hope that in the long run, she'll understand."

Chloe shook her head in confusion. What on earth could they be talking about? She didn't mean to walk in, but her natural instincts overtook her and she marched in to Brady's room and laid the bag she was holding on the table.

She raised a suspicious eyebrow in Brady's direction and inquired, "Understand what? What am I not going to be happy about, Brady?"

Brady cringed in fear and shared a glance with his father. John knew what the glance meant and stood from his chair. "Brady, I'm going to go upstairs to Marlena's office... I will be back later."

John made a hasty exit, and Brady turned to Chloe. "Chloe, please sit down."

Chloe took her usual seat next to Brady and glared at him expectantly. "Well? What's going on? What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm... I'm going on a trip."

"A trip?" Brady nodded and Chloe continued her interrogation. "For how long?"

Brady averted his eyes and answered quietly. "I don't know."

"Where are you going?"

"California. My dad is renting a little house near the ocean for me to stay in."

Chloe nodded, her anger plainly written all over her face. "When are you leaving?"

Brady shrugged slightly. "I don't know yet."

"So... Let me get this straight. You're going to California, but you don't know when or for how long. And... You were planning on keeping it a secret from me."

"I was going to tell you eventually. But, I knew if I told you too soon, you'd convince me to stay."

Chloe threw her hands up in the air and glared at him. "Of course I would. Brady, I just got you back less than three days ago and now you want to leave me... Why? What's going on?"

Brady sighed softly and laid his hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I need to get away. Away from Salem, away from this hospital, away from the reporters that keep calling because they want my story on their front page..."

"Away from me."

"God, Chloe, no... I love you, and I don't want to leave you, but I have to. I don't need to be away from you, but I think you need to be away from me for awhile."

Chloe shook her head adamantly and grabbed on to his hand. "No, no, I don't. I need you here with me, Brady. Why would you think that I need time away from you?"

Brady looked downward sadly. "Because of Phillip, because of your guilt... You're not going to get over it, not any time soon, and especially not if you have to watch me go through all the pain of healing. I will heal, very soon, but until I do... I just don't want you to have to watch me do it. I know how much you're hurting, and I want to save you from that."

"If you want to save me from hurting, then don't go. Don't you think that you leaving might hurt me more than my guilt does?"

"No, I don't. And believe me, I don't want to hurt you, Chloe. It's the last thing I would ever want to do. And, if you let me finish what I'm trying to tell you, maybe you'll see that. I just feel like, as much as you're mad at me now, that in the long run..."

"I will understand..." Chloe pursed her lips together and sighed in frustration. "Yeah, Brady, I've heard that part already. What will I 'understand'? Please tell me."

Brady sighed and looked at her calmly. "Okay, listen to me for just a minute without being angry with me."

Chloe nodded and took a deep breath in, trying to calm her already frayed nerves. "Alright, I will be quiet... as long as you start making sense really soon."

"Thank you."

Brady paused and looked into her eyes. Chloe knew deep down that whatever Brady was trying to do was not done with the intentions of hurting her. She knew he wasn't capable of causing her that kind of pain. But, still, she wanted an explanation.

Brady smiled uneasily at her and continued. "I love you, Chloe, and I know that you know in your heart exactly how much I love you. And, this is just a beginning for us. A start of something new and wonderful. And, I know as sure as I know that the sun comes up every morning, that I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. That is a huge thing, Chloe; it's bigger than anything I've ever been a part of. So, I want to make sure that everything is right. I don't want us to start out our relationship with all of this baggage between us."

Chloe sighed softly and looked away from him. Brady gently stroked her hair with his hand and continued. "This relationship we have... our future together... It's built for the two of us. Me, and you. And, not Phillip Kiriakis. We need to get him, and what he did, out of our lives before we can have the happiness we deserve."

Chloe nodded as he spoke, just the two words 'Phillip Kiriakis' were like daggers stabbing at her heart. She was beginning to understand Brady's motives, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "What if I told you not to go? What if I begged you to stay here with me?"


"I... I would still go. I'm sorry. But, you know I never back down, and I wouldn't this time. But, I don't want to leave until I know that I'm not breaking your heart when I step on that airplane."

"As long as you don't stay away for too long."

Brady smiled and gently brushed her cheek with his hand. "I could never do that. We've waited too long to be together, I'm only going to stay away for as long as necessary. We both need to heal, physically... emotionally... mentally. I've got a physical therapist that will come to the house every day, and I will work as hard as I can to get better. And you... do whatever you have to do to get past your guilt. I know you can do it. And when we're both all healed up... Trust me, the wait will be more than worth it. Because once we get past this one last obstacle in our way, it's nothing but smooth sailing after that."

Chloe shook her head uneasily. "Don't say that. Because... There is always some surprise, something bad around the corner, to try and screw things up."

"I know... Because, life is very mysterious. But, you and I can be in control of our own destinies... There will always be events that are out of our control, but we can choose how we deal with them, and how we learn from them. We've been through so much already, and we will get through anything else that stands in our way."

"So what do we now? Until you have to leave? You know, since I can't convince you to stay."

Brady leaned forward and gave her a long sweet kiss. He grinned at her as he broke his lips away from hers "We enjoy every second of every minute that we're together."

Chloe smiled back at him. "Mmmmm... That's the best idea I've heard all day."

Brady motioned towards the bag she had thrown on the table upon her entrance and looked at Chloe in curiosity. "So, what's in the bag?"

"Oh, yeah, the bag. I brought you a little present."

"I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you."

Chloe laughed and grabbed the blue gift bag off the table. "You love me because I bring you presents? How materialistic of you..."

"Well, I love you for the presents... and a million other things."

"Oh okay, just checking." She placed the bag in front of him with a smile. "Well... Go ahead. Open it."

Brady smiled at her like a small child on Christmas morning. He excitedly pulled the white tissue paper out of the bag and slid out the plain black shoebox. He inspected it closely and then grinned wickedly at Chloe. "This... wooooo... This is a *nice* shoebox. I mean, wow... I have seen a lot of shoeboxes in my twenty years, but this one really is the best one I've ever seen."

Chloe rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him on the arm. "Oh, cut it out, you pain. Take the lid off the box, please."

Brady winked at her and did as she had instructed him. He lifted the lid of the box and smiled when he saw its contents. "Chloe... Wow..."

"I know, it's kind of silly..."

"No, no, it's not silly at all. I love it." Brady pulled her gift out of the shoebox to admire it more closely. She had gone out early this morning and bought him a brand new pair of black and white bowling shoes.

Chloe smiled bashfully and replied. "I just thought that, you know, when you get back on your feet and you're all healed... We could go bowling again. I had so much fun the last time, and it's been far too long since we went."

"I think it's a great idea. I love the shoes. Thank you, Chloe."

She winked at him slyly and pointed at him with her index finger. "Hey... If you play your cards right, there could be a bowling shirt to match in it for you later."

Brady grinned at her and scooted over, patting the place beside him. "You are too good to me, Diva"

Chloe gladly slid into the bed beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know, I know. I'm just a sucker for you, Brady Black."

"That's because I'm so irresistible."

Chloe sighed softly as Brady wrapped her in his arms. "As much as I usually love to burst your bubble... in this case, you're right. You are irresistible."

Chloe lifted her head up enough to kiss him passionately. Of course she didn't want him to go, but she knew that his decision was made and would not be changed. So, instead of thinking about it, she decided to savor every moment they had together until he had to walk away from her.

***

(Next two chapters are guaranteed happy-Broe-chapters. I promise. I hope that I made Brady's reasons for leaving justifiable enough to warrant a separation. The last thing I wanted was for him to come off as a jerk. It sucks and all, but it makes sense to me. I hope it makes sense to you too.)