Chapter 2: Now What?
Later That Morning. . .
Chloe sat down in the lounge a minute to rest her tired feet. Usually she wouldn't allow herself this tiny luxury but she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately and after a few hours of rounds, she was beat. For a few nights now, she'd walked around her house like a zombie, unusual for her because she usually slept like a baby and almost nothing could disturb her habitual sleeping pattern.
So, last night, she consulted a deck of tarot cards one of her best friends, Mimi, had given her last year for her birthday. Chloe would never admit to anyone she'd ever even used these things but she had been desperate. She got the feeling she seemed to be waiting for something, or someone, but she just didn't know what; it pissed the hell out of her. She hated all this paranormal crap but something was definitely up. Well the damn tarot cards were no help because she didn't know how the hell to read the damn things anyway. She kept coming up with the same card, some angel or cupid looking upwards, a slight smile on his face. . . whatever that meant. Chloe's mind whirled with possible meanings: love, death, a possible visit from some heavenly apparition. God, who knew? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She just wanted some peace. The only place she'd been able to find lately was work but that was nothing new. She loved her job.
She just needed someone to talk to. Belle, her other best friend, was working so that was out of the question; and Mimi, well, Mimi would just annoy her right now. 'Maybe the hospital chapel?' Chloe thought to herself. Chloe was by no means a religious person but maybe, just maybe she'd find what she was looking for there. But Chloe never made it to the chapel. Her father, hospital chief of staff, Dr. Craig Wesley stopped her as she bypassed the ER.
"Chloe, thank God I've run into you," he breathed.
"Craig, what is it? What's wrong?" She felt dread pooling slowly into her stomach.
"It's Belle," he shook his head.
"Belle! What's happened to her? Is she okay," Chloe pleaded with her eyes and voice to her father for answers. She'd met Belle Black in nursing school at Salem University. Funnily enough, considering practically everyone in Salem knew each other, they always found it odd that their first meeting had taken place in college. Belle Black and Mimi Lockhart were Chloe's lifelines. If anything ever happened to either of them, Chloe wasn't sure what she would do.
"No," Craig shook his head. "No, Belle's fine. Well, as good as can be expected. It's Brady. Brady Black."
"Brady Black?" Chloe's mind raced for recognition. She gasped. "Belle's brother?" Craig nodded. "He's a cop in Chicago, right? Don't tell me something happened to him there. Oh God, I have to find Belle."
"No," Craig began, as he sat Chloe down with him on a bench in one of the vacant hallways. "No, Brady was hit by a car. here in Salem. He and his partner were on some case that led them here and after surviving a pretty bloody gunfight," Craig almost laughed at the irony of it all. "Seems Brady managed to get himself hit by a car." Craig's face sobered. He'd gotten to know Brady pretty well when years ago Brady was ordered to do volunteer work at the hospital as punishment for shoplifting or some other petty crime Brady had committed. Craig had always been fond of Brady and to think he had turned his life around and was almost killed this morning. Craig found it all a little hard to handle, especially since he had gotten closer with the Blacks since Chloe had known Belle. "He's stable now but in a coma and I'm not certain when he'll be coming out of it. Belle's a wreck."
"Oh, God, well I'd bet she would be," Chloe shook her head sadly and thought about what her best friend must be going through. She had never met Brady but she'd heard a lot about him. Belle loved her brother, thought the world of him. Chloe's heart felt as if a great weight had suddenly hit it. "Where is she?"
"In the chapel."
Chloe nodded and made her way into the chapel, immediately spotting her scrub-clad best friend crying slumped over in one of the pews. "Oh Belle," she enveloped her friend into a hug.
"Chloe, my brother," she cried. "Oh God." Sobs shook her tiny body. "Chloe, I can't even. . . He looks so. . ."
Seeing Belle like this broke Chloe's heart. Belle was always the happy one, the perky one, the sane one, the smiling one. I mean Belle worked on the Labor and Delivery floor for goodness sakes. Seeing her like this was just weird. "Belle, where are John and Marlena?"
"Visiting him. But I can't bear it. I can't stand to see him like that. So quiet. . . not moving. . . so still. . . too still," Belle sniffled and wiped her face roughly with shaking hands. "Chloe, promise me. Promise me you'll stay with him."
"Belle, I don't understand," Chloe shook her head.
"Promise me, you won't leave him alone in that room, that you'll visit him. For me. . . I can't," Belle's sobs began to begin again. "I can't look at him like that. It's too much."
"Okay. Okay," Chloe sighed and hugged her friend reassuringly. "I'll check on him every second I get. Okay?" Belle nodded and even graced Chloe with a slight smile of relief. "Now, you need to get home. Get some rest."
"Shawn's coming to get me but I can't sleep," Belle frowned, thinking of her brother lying in that hospital bed, looking so unusually small and weak. "I won't be able to."
"Okay, Belle, that's okay. As long as you rest your body, so when Brady finally does wake up, he can see your smiling face. Okay?" Chloe grinned for her friend.
"Okay." Belle managed a small smile.
"Okay."
*************************
Several long hours later, Chloe was finally off her shift. She decided to head up and see Belle's brother. "Poor guy," Chloe sighed after asking the charge nurse for his room number.
"627." She stood in front of the door and couldn't explain the funny way her heart began to race and the suddenly flighty feeling her stomach experienced. Shaking off the funny feeling, she quietly opened the door and got her first real look at Brady Black. Her heart dropped.
Later That Morning. . .
Chloe sat down in the lounge a minute to rest her tired feet. Usually she wouldn't allow herself this tiny luxury but she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately and after a few hours of rounds, she was beat. For a few nights now, she'd walked around her house like a zombie, unusual for her because she usually slept like a baby and almost nothing could disturb her habitual sleeping pattern.
So, last night, she consulted a deck of tarot cards one of her best friends, Mimi, had given her last year for her birthday. Chloe would never admit to anyone she'd ever even used these things but she had been desperate. She got the feeling she seemed to be waiting for something, or someone, but she just didn't know what; it pissed the hell out of her. She hated all this paranormal crap but something was definitely up. Well the damn tarot cards were no help because she didn't know how the hell to read the damn things anyway. She kept coming up with the same card, some angel or cupid looking upwards, a slight smile on his face. . . whatever that meant. Chloe's mind whirled with possible meanings: love, death, a possible visit from some heavenly apparition. God, who knew? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She just wanted some peace. The only place she'd been able to find lately was work but that was nothing new. She loved her job.
She just needed someone to talk to. Belle, her other best friend, was working so that was out of the question; and Mimi, well, Mimi would just annoy her right now. 'Maybe the hospital chapel?' Chloe thought to herself. Chloe was by no means a religious person but maybe, just maybe she'd find what she was looking for there. But Chloe never made it to the chapel. Her father, hospital chief of staff, Dr. Craig Wesley stopped her as she bypassed the ER.
"Chloe, thank God I've run into you," he breathed.
"Craig, what is it? What's wrong?" She felt dread pooling slowly into her stomach.
"It's Belle," he shook his head.
"Belle! What's happened to her? Is she okay," Chloe pleaded with her eyes and voice to her father for answers. She'd met Belle Black in nursing school at Salem University. Funnily enough, considering practically everyone in Salem knew each other, they always found it odd that their first meeting had taken place in college. Belle Black and Mimi Lockhart were Chloe's lifelines. If anything ever happened to either of them, Chloe wasn't sure what she would do.
"No," Craig shook his head. "No, Belle's fine. Well, as good as can be expected. It's Brady. Brady Black."
"Brady Black?" Chloe's mind raced for recognition. She gasped. "Belle's brother?" Craig nodded. "He's a cop in Chicago, right? Don't tell me something happened to him there. Oh God, I have to find Belle."
"No," Craig began, as he sat Chloe down with him on a bench in one of the vacant hallways. "No, Brady was hit by a car. here in Salem. He and his partner were on some case that led them here and after surviving a pretty bloody gunfight," Craig almost laughed at the irony of it all. "Seems Brady managed to get himself hit by a car." Craig's face sobered. He'd gotten to know Brady pretty well when years ago Brady was ordered to do volunteer work at the hospital as punishment for shoplifting or some other petty crime Brady had committed. Craig had always been fond of Brady and to think he had turned his life around and was almost killed this morning. Craig found it all a little hard to handle, especially since he had gotten closer with the Blacks since Chloe had known Belle. "He's stable now but in a coma and I'm not certain when he'll be coming out of it. Belle's a wreck."
"Oh, God, well I'd bet she would be," Chloe shook her head sadly and thought about what her best friend must be going through. She had never met Brady but she'd heard a lot about him. Belle loved her brother, thought the world of him. Chloe's heart felt as if a great weight had suddenly hit it. "Where is she?"
"In the chapel."
Chloe nodded and made her way into the chapel, immediately spotting her scrub-clad best friend crying slumped over in one of the pews. "Oh Belle," she enveloped her friend into a hug.
"Chloe, my brother," she cried. "Oh God." Sobs shook her tiny body. "Chloe, I can't even. . . He looks so. . ."
Seeing Belle like this broke Chloe's heart. Belle was always the happy one, the perky one, the sane one, the smiling one. I mean Belle worked on the Labor and Delivery floor for goodness sakes. Seeing her like this was just weird. "Belle, where are John and Marlena?"
"Visiting him. But I can't bear it. I can't stand to see him like that. So quiet. . . not moving. . . so still. . . too still," Belle sniffled and wiped her face roughly with shaking hands. "Chloe, promise me. Promise me you'll stay with him."
"Belle, I don't understand," Chloe shook her head.
"Promise me, you won't leave him alone in that room, that you'll visit him. For me. . . I can't," Belle's sobs began to begin again. "I can't look at him like that. It's too much."
"Okay. Okay," Chloe sighed and hugged her friend reassuringly. "I'll check on him every second I get. Okay?" Belle nodded and even graced Chloe with a slight smile of relief. "Now, you need to get home. Get some rest."
"Shawn's coming to get me but I can't sleep," Belle frowned, thinking of her brother lying in that hospital bed, looking so unusually small and weak. "I won't be able to."
"Okay, Belle, that's okay. As long as you rest your body, so when Brady finally does wake up, he can see your smiling face. Okay?" Chloe grinned for her friend.
"Okay." Belle managed a small smile.
"Okay."
*************************
Several long hours later, Chloe was finally off her shift. She decided to head up and see Belle's brother. "Poor guy," Chloe sighed after asking the charge nurse for his room number.
"627." She stood in front of the door and couldn't explain the funny way her heart began to race and the suddenly flighty feeling her stomach experienced. Shaking off the funny feeling, she quietly opened the door and got her first real look at Brady Black. Her heart dropped.