Chapter Twenty-Six

(One month later.)

Chloe stared across the desk as Marlena jotted something down on then notepad in front of her. She said a few words to the person on the other end of the phone and hung it up, turning immediately back to Chloe.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Chloe."

"That's okay..." Chloe motioned towards the clock. "I think our time is almost up anyway."

Marlena nodded and smiled sweetly at her. "You know, you've made great progress in just a month's time. It's almost remarkable how much better you're doing."

Chloe smiled bashfully and shrugged. "Thank you. Of course, I'm here practically every day, so that could be why my therapy is moving along at such a rapid pace."

"You can come here as often as you like, as often as you need to."

"Tell that to my parents when they get the bill."

Marlena laughed softly and winked at her. "Don't worry about that. You get a special family discount."

Chloe grinned at her and wiped her brow. "Whew... That's a relief."

"Have you taken my advice yet? The advice about your mother? You haven't mentioned anything about it lately..."

"I.. I want to. And, I'm going to. There's so much that I need to say to her. And, there are so many things I need to ask her. So, I am going to... very very soon." Chloe thought another sentence, but did not say it loud. She was going to do it today.

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear it."

Chloe paused and bit her lip nervously before asking Marlena a question. "I... uhm... I was just curious. Have you talked to Brady recently? On the phone?"

Marlena looked at her curiously and nodded. "Yes, I spoke to him this morning actually. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. That I know of. I just want to know if he's really doing okay. He writes me and says that everything is great, but it's really easy to lie to someone in a letter or an e-mail. But, you can't hide that kind of thing on the phone. So, is he really doing fine?"

"Yes, he is. He's healing quickly and his health is holding up very good. He's happy, but he misses you. He's always asking about you."

Chloe nodded sadly. "And what do you tell him? About me?"

Marlena smiled reassuringly and continued. "That you're doing really well. You're happy. But, that you miss him just as much as he misses you."

"Okay... Just checking. Thank you." Chloe stood and Marlena followed, walking her towards the door.

Marlena hugged her briefly and bid her farewell. "Take care, Chloe. I'll see you tomorrow."

Chloe nodded and grinned at her. "Same bat-time, same bat-channel."

She closed the door to Marlena's office behind her and waved goodbye to the secretary, quickly making her way out into the hallway. Chloe started to walk towards the elevators, but suddenly changed her mind. She turned on her heel and headed towards Craig's office.

Chloe took a deep breath in before opening the door and peering around it hesitantly. Nancy was sitting at Craig's desk, enthralled in the latest issue of Bella.

"Nancy..."

Nancy looked up from her magazine in surprise. "Chloe... Sweetheart, I didn't expect to see you after your appointment with Marlena. Come on in."

Chloe nodded and sat down on Craig's couch. "Nancy... I need to talk to you, and it's important."

Nancy closed her magazine and stood from her chair, walking over to join Chloe on the couch. She laid her hand on Chloe's knee and looked at her with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is okay. Or it will be very soon. You see, I've spent most of my life depending on myself, because I never had other people to depend on. So, it's been hard for me to give that up. It's not easy to ask for help, or to share my feelings with people because I've never been able to do it before. But, I'm starting to realize that it doesn't make me weak if I need to lean on somebody every now and then. I started learning that when I met Brady, because around him, I could be myself and I could share things that I've never shared with anyone else. And, he never rejected me or looked down on me because of who I was. Never... not even once."

Nancy nodded, beginning to realize where Chloe was going with her speech. "And you thought that if you opened up to me that I would reject you? That I would love you less?"

Chloe turned her head away from her mother and nodded slightly. "I... I'm sorry, Nancy. I just... I don't know if you know how hard it was for me to grow up feeling rejected by my own mother. And, then my foster mother even rejected me. It just made me so scared because every person that I ever loved, I lost. I thought it was my fault... that I wasn't good enough to be loved. That I didn't deserve happiness."

Nancy had tears in her eyes and she reached to pull Chloe into her arms. "Oh Chloe, my baby. I'm so sorry. You have no reason to feel that way. Not only do you deserve happiness and love, you deserve it more than any one I know. You are a wonderful person, Chloe, and I only wish I could take credit for it. But, I can't. And, I know that a lot of your problems are because of me, because I gave you away... And, I am..."

Chloe let go of Nancy and shook her head vehemently, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. "No, it's not you, Nancy. And, I am sorry for blaming you for all these years. You did what you had to do, and I know that you didn't think there was any other choice at the time. I also know that if you could change things, go back and fix them, you would. But, you can't. The past is in the past, and I want to leave it there. Maybe things would have been better if you would have kept me, but maybe not. Nobody knows for certain, and we never will."

"But, Chloe... I am so sorry. Not a day has gone by that I don't regret what I did." Nancy paused, becoming almost too choked up to continue. Chloe grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly, hoping to give her reassurance. "Every time that you do something that makes us proud, your grades in school, your music, the way you help people who need it, the way you took care of Brady... It makes me happy, but it also breaks my heart because I had nothing to do with making you into the person that you are. I was never there to watch you grow up and experience all of that with you. And, other times... when I see you in pain, and sad, and feeling like you are worthless... It breaks my heart again, because I wasn't there to give you the love that you deserve."

"I know. I know. But, you can't feel that way anymore. There's no way to change what has passed. We just have to accept it and move on. And, that's what I'm trying to do. I want to tell you... that I forgive you. Whatever mistakes you may have made, I forgive you. I'm working through the pain, and I'm going to be okay. I want to be your daughter, and I want you to be my mother. I really want to fix our relationship. I want us to be close, like a mother and daughter should be."

Nancy smiled at her through her tears and began to wipe them away. "You forgive me?"

Chloe nodded and smiled back at her. "I do. All of the pain that we have put ourselves through in the past seventeen years; it's not doing us any good. There's no point in it, there never really was to begin with. It doesn't move us forward or help us grow as people; it only keeps us glued in the same place for an eternity. I forgive you... And, I hope that you can forgive me for the way that I have treated you since the day that you came back into my life."

Nancy reached forward and hugged Chloe again, gently stroking her hair as she cried tears of joy. "Of course, I can, Chloe. I love you so much."

"I love you too, mom." Nancy let go of her and Chloe smiled happily at her mother. "And, I hope this becomes a regular thing for us. I have so much I want to share with you, so much to talk about that I could never open up to you about before. And, I know that you must have things that you want to tell me, things that you are afraid of. But, you are my mother, and I love you, and nothing you can tell me will make me stop loving you."

Nancy turned her head away, and Chloe realized she had unwittingly hit the wrong nerve. "Chloe... I know that you want to know who your father is, but, I just don't know if I can tell you yet."

"I know, and you're right, I do want to know. But, I understand if you're not ready to tell me yet. Hopefully, in time, you will be ready. And, when that time comes, don't be afraid of what I might think. It doesn't matter how I was brought into this world, the only thing that matters is what I do with the time I have here."

"How did my daughter get so wise?"

Chloe shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not wise, believe me. I'm just as lost as every other teenager my age. The only difference is that I'm ready to find my way. I have so much to be grateful for, and that's how I want to live my life from now on. Without regret, and pain... only love."

Nancy couldn't help herself, she had been waiting for over two years to make a connection with her daughter, and she was beside herself with joy. She reached over and hugged Chloe tightly again. "I love you, Chloe. Promise me we'll keep this up. We'll be able to have talks like this more often."

Chloe nodded and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "I promise. That's why I came to talk to you today, so that things can always be like this. And, I love you too."

The door to the office open and Craig stepped inside. He was obviously taken aback by the sight of his wife and stepdaughter embracing each other in tears. "Nancy... Chloe... Is everything okay?"

They both laughed in embarrassment and separated from each other. Chloe looked up at him and nodded confidently. "Everything is... great. Really really great."

Craig nodded and sat in the chair across from them. "Alright then, if you say so. So, Chloe, how was your appointment with Marlena? And, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Wow, two questions in one. The first answer is very well. And the second answer is, meeting Shawn, Belle and Mimi at Dot.Com, and then going to the movies later."

"You said you felt like you were coming down with something this morning, though."

Chloe nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. "I know, but it's probably just a little cold. I promise I'll be home early enough to get plenty of rest and Vitamin C."

Craig smiled at her. "Alright then, have fun."

Chloe stood and smiled back at him. "I will... And, I better get going, I want to check my e-mail before my friends get there."

Chloe opened the door and walked outside, pausing for just a moment. She peeked her head back in before closing the door and winked at Nancy. "Nice talking to you, mom."

***

(A little while later)

Chloe slid into an empty booth at Dot.Com with plenty of time before her friends were due to arrive. She quickly logged into her e-mail account and waited for the familiar sound that she loved. Her mailbox loaded and binged at her, alerting to her one new message. She knew who it was without even looking. Each new day brought at least one new message from Brady, some were short and sweet, and others were longer and more detailed. Chloe opened the mail and smiled happily, not really reading it at first, just looking at the header contently before beginning to delve into its contents.

"TO: c.lane@dotcom.com
FROM: b.black@dotcom.com
SUBJECT: The ocean...

Hey Diva. I'm sitting here on my back porch with my laptop and thinking of you. I've got the ocean right in front of me. I wish you could see this place; it really has a relaxing and calming effect.

But, let me tell you the downside. The ocean is beautiful; it's blue and wide and goes on for hundreds of miles in front of me. The sound of the waves crashing on to the beach really soothes my soul. The skies are almost always blue and clear, and the sun shines every single day. The air is cool, and clear, and it never rains.

But wait... I know what you're thinking. How is that the downside? Right? Well, let me finish before you interrupt with your thoughts."

Chloe laughed softly and paged down for the rest.

"See... now you're laughing at me, aren't you?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, wondering how it was Brady knew her so well even when he was three thousand miles away.

"Alright, stop rolling your eyes at me and I'll tell you why that's the downside. All of that sounds perfect and beautiful, and in a way it is. But, the skies are less blue than they should be in my eyes, the ocean is relaxing but it makes me sad, and the sun doesn't shine as brightly as it should. And, all of that is because you're not here with me. All of the beauty that surrounds me pales in comparison to the beauty that you have inside your heart.

So, if you ever think that I don't miss you that much, you're wrong. I miss you every second of the day, and I see your face every place I turn. I love you, Diva.

Always,
Brady"

Chloe sighed softly and quickly tapped the reply button, hurriedly typing her response before the others arrived.

"Brady,

I only have a few minutes, so I have to make this short. I'm just reminding you that I've never spent much quality time near the ocean. Sure, I've seen it, most notably when we went to Puerto Rico on our rescue mission last summer. However, I've never had the opportunity to actually enjoy it. So, basically, I'm telling you that you owe me a really nice trip to the ocean after you're back here. And, don't you forget it.

I'm going to the movies with Shawn, Belle and Mimi. I'll write more when I get home later, I promise.

All my love,
Chloe"

Chloe hit send and sat back with a smile. The world was changing around her but one thing still remained constant. She loved him, and loved her. And, Chloe thanked her lucky stars every day for that one small favor.

***