Disclaimer: The following fiction is loosely based on characters currently and previously owned and operated by the producers and writers of NBC-TV's Days of Our Lives. I claim no affiliation. Gratuitous entertainment purposes only.
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter 22
by Fidomom
"Brady? What happened? What's going on? Did I pass out again?"
Brady's head shot up at the sound of her hoarse whisper,
"Oh thank God Chloe! Yeah Diva you passed out. You're at University Hospital. How are you feeling right now?"
She smiled weakly,
"I'm Mrs. Brady Black I'm the happiest woman on the planet. I'm kinda tired and thirsty though."
Brady hastened out of his seat at her bedside and fetched a drink of water for her. He sat on the edge of the bed and helped her hold the plastic tumbler to her parched lips. When she indicated she'd had enough he put the tumbler on her bedside table. Brady returned to her side and gently held her hand,
"Chloe I'm gonna go tell your Doct ..."
"Ahh, I see my patient has regained consciousness! How are you feeling Chloe?"
Chloe and Brady both turned to look at the Doctor. Chloe offered another weak smile,
"Okay I guess. Mostly just tired. When can I go home er I mean well umm tonight is my ..."
Chloe's doctor fixed her with a sympathetic look as he interrupted,
"I understand you were married earlier this evening Chloe and I'm very sorry to have to tell you this now, but I'm afraid you won't be going home or anywhere else for a good long while. Chloe your lab results from your last admission were compared to your labs from tonight and they indicated an alarmingly marked increase in your white blood cell count. There's no easy way to tell you this. You have leukemia."
Brady's heart stopped and time around him seemed to stand still. He met Chloe's worried gaze and his life purpose was clear to him. He turned to the doctor and said with more confidence than he felt,
"Just tell us what we have to do to beat this. Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."
Chloe's eyes spilled tears,
"No, Brady not we. Me. I'm the one who is sick. It's not too late Brady. You could have our marriage annulled. This isn't what you bargained for."
Brady almost got angry. Then his eyes filled with tears. He took her hand in his and squeezed gently,
"Yes, Chloe. This is exactly what I bargained for. You and me no matter what. You are never alone from this day forward. Whatever you face I'll be right here where I belong. By your side. Always. Maybe it's your body that has to fight the cancer but it's our love that will give you the strength to do so. Our love will grow stronger as we do battle. You will beat this. Now why don't we hear the good Doctor out so we know exactly what we are dealing with, hmmm?"
Chloe nodded and squeezed Brady's hand as she turned trepidatious eyes on the doctor,
"Leukemia. That means chemo right? Is my hair going to fall out?"
The doctor pursed his lips,
"Chemo yes. Hair not necessarily. There are newer drugs available now."
Brady nodded,
"Okay chemo then what? Will that cure her?"
The doctor raised his eyebrows and frowned,
"Well no. At some point Chloe will require a bone marrow transplant. Enquiries are already underway to find her a matching donor. But for now we need to put the leukemia into remission. The sooner; the better."
Chloe gripped Brady's hand tighter,
"When? When do I start chemotherapy?"
The doctor looked her in the eye and said gravely,
"Now. Tonight."
Chloe didn't even aim for stoicism. Her face crumpled in disappointed tears and she looked up at Brady,
"I'm so sorry, Brady!"
Brady frowned,
"Hey now, you have nothing to be sorry for. I don't want to hear anymore of that."
"But Brady, tonight was supposed to be our first night together as husband and wife!"
Brady's mouth opened in a mock gasp,
"You're right! It was supposed to be that! Guess what? It still is. This is our first night as husband and wife no matter where we are or what we do. I told you that weeks ago. I always mean what I say. Haven't you learned that by now?"
Brady moved to sit beside her on the edge of the bed and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head and whispered in her ear,
"I love you Chloe. We've come such a long way. I know we'll get through this." Chloe clung to him briefly then took a deep breath and squirmed gently out of Brady's embrace. She addressed the doctor again,
"If it's alright with you I'd like a few minutes alone with my husband before my first treatment. Then I'd like Brady and I to be the ones to tell my family and friends."
The doctor nodded in understanding,
"Of course. Of course. I'll just go make sure everything is ready for you."
As soon as the doctor left the room, Brady tilted her chin up and searched her eyes,
"What is it Chloe? Why do you want to be alone with me?"
She smiled through her tears and stroked his face,
"To tell you in no uncertain terms how very much I love you and that I'm so grateful for you. I'm so glad I won't be going through this alone because Brady I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm really scared."
He hugged her to him and rocked her slightly,
"That's okay Chloe. You're allowed to be scared. There's no shame in that. I'm here for you and I love you no matter what."
Chloe leaned back and looked into his eyes. Without another word their lips met in a loving reassuring brief kiss. When their lips left one another they rested forehead to forehead with their eyes closed. Brady took a deep breath and lifted his head,
"Your folks and some of our closest friends are out there waiting to hear word on your condition. So many people love you, Chloe. Neither of us likes this or is ready for this but we don't have much choice. We have to go out there and tell them."
Chloe nodded and wiped at her damp face,
"Okay. Let's go then. Just ... Brady? Let me tell them?"
Brady read the need in her eyes and nodded,
"Yeah, Chloe, of course."
He helped her off the bed and they left the room together.
To be continued ...
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter 22
by Fidomom
"Brady? What happened? What's going on? Did I pass out again?"
Brady's head shot up at the sound of her hoarse whisper,
"Oh thank God Chloe! Yeah Diva you passed out. You're at University Hospital. How are you feeling right now?"
She smiled weakly,
"I'm Mrs. Brady Black I'm the happiest woman on the planet. I'm kinda tired and thirsty though."
Brady hastened out of his seat at her bedside and fetched a drink of water for her. He sat on the edge of the bed and helped her hold the plastic tumbler to her parched lips. When she indicated she'd had enough he put the tumbler on her bedside table. Brady returned to her side and gently held her hand,
"Chloe I'm gonna go tell your Doct ..."
"Ahh, I see my patient has regained consciousness! How are you feeling Chloe?"
Chloe and Brady both turned to look at the Doctor. Chloe offered another weak smile,
"Okay I guess. Mostly just tired. When can I go home er I mean well umm tonight is my ..."
Chloe's doctor fixed her with a sympathetic look as he interrupted,
"I understand you were married earlier this evening Chloe and I'm very sorry to have to tell you this now, but I'm afraid you won't be going home or anywhere else for a good long while. Chloe your lab results from your last admission were compared to your labs from tonight and they indicated an alarmingly marked increase in your white blood cell count. There's no easy way to tell you this. You have leukemia."
Brady's heart stopped and time around him seemed to stand still. He met Chloe's worried gaze and his life purpose was clear to him. He turned to the doctor and said with more confidence than he felt,
"Just tell us what we have to do to beat this. Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."
Chloe's eyes spilled tears,
"No, Brady not we. Me. I'm the one who is sick. It's not too late Brady. You could have our marriage annulled. This isn't what you bargained for."
Brady almost got angry. Then his eyes filled with tears. He took her hand in his and squeezed gently,
"Yes, Chloe. This is exactly what I bargained for. You and me no matter what. You are never alone from this day forward. Whatever you face I'll be right here where I belong. By your side. Always. Maybe it's your body that has to fight the cancer but it's our love that will give you the strength to do so. Our love will grow stronger as we do battle. You will beat this. Now why don't we hear the good Doctor out so we know exactly what we are dealing with, hmmm?"
Chloe nodded and squeezed Brady's hand as she turned trepidatious eyes on the doctor,
"Leukemia. That means chemo right? Is my hair going to fall out?"
The doctor pursed his lips,
"Chemo yes. Hair not necessarily. There are newer drugs available now."
Brady nodded,
"Okay chemo then what? Will that cure her?"
The doctor raised his eyebrows and frowned,
"Well no. At some point Chloe will require a bone marrow transplant. Enquiries are already underway to find her a matching donor. But for now we need to put the leukemia into remission. The sooner; the better."
Chloe gripped Brady's hand tighter,
"When? When do I start chemotherapy?"
The doctor looked her in the eye and said gravely,
"Now. Tonight."
Chloe didn't even aim for stoicism. Her face crumpled in disappointed tears and she looked up at Brady,
"I'm so sorry, Brady!"
Brady frowned,
"Hey now, you have nothing to be sorry for. I don't want to hear anymore of that."
"But Brady, tonight was supposed to be our first night together as husband and wife!"
Brady's mouth opened in a mock gasp,
"You're right! It was supposed to be that! Guess what? It still is. This is our first night as husband and wife no matter where we are or what we do. I told you that weeks ago. I always mean what I say. Haven't you learned that by now?"
Brady moved to sit beside her on the edge of the bed and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head and whispered in her ear,
"I love you Chloe. We've come such a long way. I know we'll get through this." Chloe clung to him briefly then took a deep breath and squirmed gently out of Brady's embrace. She addressed the doctor again,
"If it's alright with you I'd like a few minutes alone with my husband before my first treatment. Then I'd like Brady and I to be the ones to tell my family and friends."
The doctor nodded in understanding,
"Of course. Of course. I'll just go make sure everything is ready for you."
As soon as the doctor left the room, Brady tilted her chin up and searched her eyes,
"What is it Chloe? Why do you want to be alone with me?"
She smiled through her tears and stroked his face,
"To tell you in no uncertain terms how very much I love you and that I'm so grateful for you. I'm so glad I won't be going through this alone because Brady I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm really scared."
He hugged her to him and rocked her slightly,
"That's okay Chloe. You're allowed to be scared. There's no shame in that. I'm here for you and I love you no matter what."
Chloe leaned back and looked into his eyes. Without another word their lips met in a loving reassuring brief kiss. When their lips left one another they rested forehead to forehead with their eyes closed. Brady took a deep breath and lifted his head,
"Your folks and some of our closest friends are out there waiting to hear word on your condition. So many people love you, Chloe. Neither of us likes this or is ready for this but we don't have much choice. We have to go out there and tell them."
Chloe nodded and wiped at her damp face,
"Okay. Let's go then. Just ... Brady? Let me tell them?"
Brady read the need in her eyes and nodded,
"Yeah, Chloe, of course."
He helped her off the bed and they left the room together.
To be continued ...