Disclaimer: The following fiction is loosely based on characters currently owned and operated by the producers and writers of NBC-TV's Days Of Our Lives. No implied affiliation. Gratuitous entertainment purposes only.
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter Five
by Fidomom
Dr. Craig Wesley was poring over hospital paperwork when he realised someone was watching him. He looked up and found Chloe standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry Craig I was just about to leave. I can see you're really busy. I'll see you at home."
Craig smiled and stood up. He came around the front of his desk.
"Chloe. Hold it right there. Come on back in here and tell me what's troubling you. Believe me the paperwork can wait and isn't nearly as important to me as you are."
Chloe turned toward him again, her chin trembling,
"Craig I don't know what to do! I just had lunch with John Black and he well what he thinks is just so hard for me to accept without confirmation from the source and I can't go to the source to find out because I promised I wouldn't. So now what do I do?"
Craig looked at her blankly,
"Chloe sweetheart I can only help if I know what you are talking about. After what you just said well I'm sorry but have you been taking explanation lessons from your Mother? I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about. Why don't you start with the promise you made."
Chloe laughed lightly in spite of her misery as she realised she HAD sounded an awful lot like Nancy just then. She took a deep breath.
"You know that Brady and I no longer associate with one another. That was my idea and he agreed to it. I told him in no uncertain terms that I would no longer be initiating contact with him and that he wasn't welcome in my life anymore. I walked away and he let me. From my point of view it was not a hardship for him. I didn't count on it being one for me. I miss him so much despite trying so hard not to. I know he has no room for me and my trivial teenage stuff in his life. He hasn't phoned me or come to see me in two weeks. I didn't expect him to and I was dealing with things the best I could. Then John Black invites me to lunch and now I'm more confused than ever!"
Craig's eyes began to twinkle with comprehension.
"I wondered what happened with you and Brady. Chloe you told Brady to stay away and he has. That tells me right there that he cares about you and respects your wishes. I'm surprised you're making such a grand assumption that it was easy for him to let you go. He loves you so much it must be just killing him being apart from you like this."
Chloe became agitated,
"See?! There it is again! Yet another person telling me Brady loves me! Well it simply cannot be true! If he loved me he wouldn't have been able to let me walk out of his life and he did! He just stood there and didn't disagree with anything I said! He thinks of me as an annoying little kid and that's all! Brady Black does not love me!"
Craig managed not to chuckle but just barely.
"Oh, Chloe sweetheart you have so much to learn about love and about how men think! I guarantee you Brady thinks you rejected him. What I'm very curious to know is why does it matter to you if Brady loves you or not? Is there something else you can tell me?"
Chloe hesitated. Her lips trembled, her hands shook, and tears spilled from her eyes.
"I care if he loves me or not because I'm in love with him, Craig. I'm in love with someone who'll never love me back. I'm in love with Brady Black and it's my own stupid fault that I've lost him for good!"
Craig went to Chloe and held her as she sobbed her misery. He waited for her sobs to subside before holding her away from him to look at her.
"Tell me about your lunch with John Black."
A remnant sob wracked her body, as she took a deep breath and stepped away from Craig.
"John told me he thinks Brady well he thinks Brady is in love with me and just too stubborn to admit it. That I shouldn't give up on him. That Brady will eventually come looking for me. I wish I believed that Craig but I just don't. Brady only thinks of me as a kid. I'll be sporting gray hair and pushing a walker and he'll still think of me as a kid."
Craig laughed out loud.
"Well, I don't know if he really thinks of you that way. He probably says it to tease you and maybe, if there's any truth to what John Black told you, he says it to talk himself out of his feelings for you. In any case, it's a cute scenario- you and Brady growing old together and him still teasing you!"
Chloe imagined it before she could stop herself and she smiled. She shook off the reverie.
"So what do I do now Craig? Do I go back on my word and call him, or visit him? Or do I just do like John says and carry on this way and wait to see if Brady will initiate contact? In either case Craig I'm clueless about what to say to him."
Craig gave her a sympathetic look.
"I wish I could tell you what to do. I think you already know that this is up to you and Brady to sort out. I trust that you will. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful sweetie."
Chloe smiled and hugged Craig briefly,
"No, really Craig thank-you. You did help. More than you know. I'm gonna go now and let you get back to your paperwork- even I can hear it calling you! Bye! I'll see you at home." Craig smiled shaking his head as he watched his beloved step-daughter walk out of his office, seemingly happier than when she'd arrived. It made him feel good to think not only had she turned to him but that he'd helped her in some way. He took a deep breath and dove back in to the mess of paperwork on his desk. The warm fuzzy feeling stayed in his heart for the rest of the day.
To be continued ...
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter Five
by Fidomom
Dr. Craig Wesley was poring over hospital paperwork when he realised someone was watching him. He looked up and found Chloe standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry Craig I was just about to leave. I can see you're really busy. I'll see you at home."
Craig smiled and stood up. He came around the front of his desk.
"Chloe. Hold it right there. Come on back in here and tell me what's troubling you. Believe me the paperwork can wait and isn't nearly as important to me as you are."
Chloe turned toward him again, her chin trembling,
"Craig I don't know what to do! I just had lunch with John Black and he well what he thinks is just so hard for me to accept without confirmation from the source and I can't go to the source to find out because I promised I wouldn't. So now what do I do?"
Craig looked at her blankly,
"Chloe sweetheart I can only help if I know what you are talking about. After what you just said well I'm sorry but have you been taking explanation lessons from your Mother? I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about. Why don't you start with the promise you made."
Chloe laughed lightly in spite of her misery as she realised she HAD sounded an awful lot like Nancy just then. She took a deep breath.
"You know that Brady and I no longer associate with one another. That was my idea and he agreed to it. I told him in no uncertain terms that I would no longer be initiating contact with him and that he wasn't welcome in my life anymore. I walked away and he let me. From my point of view it was not a hardship for him. I didn't count on it being one for me. I miss him so much despite trying so hard not to. I know he has no room for me and my trivial teenage stuff in his life. He hasn't phoned me or come to see me in two weeks. I didn't expect him to and I was dealing with things the best I could. Then John Black invites me to lunch and now I'm more confused than ever!"
Craig's eyes began to twinkle with comprehension.
"I wondered what happened with you and Brady. Chloe you told Brady to stay away and he has. That tells me right there that he cares about you and respects your wishes. I'm surprised you're making such a grand assumption that it was easy for him to let you go. He loves you so much it must be just killing him being apart from you like this."
Chloe became agitated,
"See?! There it is again! Yet another person telling me Brady loves me! Well it simply cannot be true! If he loved me he wouldn't have been able to let me walk out of his life and he did! He just stood there and didn't disagree with anything I said! He thinks of me as an annoying little kid and that's all! Brady Black does not love me!"
Craig managed not to chuckle but just barely.
"Oh, Chloe sweetheart you have so much to learn about love and about how men think! I guarantee you Brady thinks you rejected him. What I'm very curious to know is why does it matter to you if Brady loves you or not? Is there something else you can tell me?"
Chloe hesitated. Her lips trembled, her hands shook, and tears spilled from her eyes.
"I care if he loves me or not because I'm in love with him, Craig. I'm in love with someone who'll never love me back. I'm in love with Brady Black and it's my own stupid fault that I've lost him for good!"
Craig went to Chloe and held her as she sobbed her misery. He waited for her sobs to subside before holding her away from him to look at her.
"Tell me about your lunch with John Black."
A remnant sob wracked her body, as she took a deep breath and stepped away from Craig.
"John told me he thinks Brady well he thinks Brady is in love with me and just too stubborn to admit it. That I shouldn't give up on him. That Brady will eventually come looking for me. I wish I believed that Craig but I just don't. Brady only thinks of me as a kid. I'll be sporting gray hair and pushing a walker and he'll still think of me as a kid."
Craig laughed out loud.
"Well, I don't know if he really thinks of you that way. He probably says it to tease you and maybe, if there's any truth to what John Black told you, he says it to talk himself out of his feelings for you. In any case, it's a cute scenario- you and Brady growing old together and him still teasing you!"
Chloe imagined it before she could stop herself and she smiled. She shook off the reverie.
"So what do I do now Craig? Do I go back on my word and call him, or visit him? Or do I just do like John says and carry on this way and wait to see if Brady will initiate contact? In either case Craig I'm clueless about what to say to him."
Craig gave her a sympathetic look.
"I wish I could tell you what to do. I think you already know that this is up to you and Brady to sort out. I trust that you will. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful sweetie."
Chloe smiled and hugged Craig briefly,
"No, really Craig thank-you. You did help. More than you know. I'm gonna go now and let you get back to your paperwork- even I can hear it calling you! Bye! I'll see you at home." Craig smiled shaking his head as he watched his beloved step-daughter walk out of his office, seemingly happier than when she'd arrived. It made him feel good to think not only had she turned to him but that he'd helped her in some way. He took a deep breath and dove back in to the mess of paperwork on his desk. The warm fuzzy feeling stayed in his heart for the rest of the day.
To be continued ...