Disclaimer: I own nothing but a half-eaten box of crackers and a snowman statute. With the exception of Jules Archer and Max Shepard, the characters are the intellectual property of Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives.
Chapter 5: So We Meet Again
Brady looked over the proofs for the upcoming issue of Basic Black. A slight knock on the door drew his attention from a beautiful blonde leaning suggestively over a car. "Come in," he called.
The door swung open to reveal his sister. Belle was dressed in a delightfully cute light blue sundress. She had Little V balanced on her hip. Brady took a moment to admire how she managed to handle a squirming toddler while nearly six months pregnant. She smiled at her brother. "Hi Brady, are you busy?" she asked.
"No, not at all," he said coming forward to take Little V into his arms. His nephew was too interested in his toy car to pay any attention to his uncle.
"Are you sure you're not busy?" she asked again struggling to sit in one of the cozy chairs in front of his desk.
"No, just checking some proofs for the car buying article." He wondered suspiciously, "Why do you ask?"
Belle looked at her feet guiltily. "You caught me. I was wondering if you could give me a ride somewhere."
Brady just raised his eyebrow. Belle didn't like to drive after she reached a certain point in her pregnancy, and she didn't feel comfortable using the Basic Black limousine. "Sure, not a problem. Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Little V and I are going to visit Chloe," Belle replied.
Brady froze. His grip unconsciously tightened on his nephew. Little V let out a yelp in response. Brady immediately relaxed his hold. "So you talked with Chloe?" He hoped that Belle didn't notice the slight tremor in his voice.
"Yeah, today is her day off and she invited us over. She's really anxious to meet Little V. I'm sure she won't mind if you tag along. As I remember, you two used to be quite good friends," Belle explained.
"You could say that," Brady murmured.
"Let's get going then," Belle said. She fought to get up. "Why did I even bother to sit down?" She was saved when Brady rushed forward to offer his assistance.
Soon they were in the parking garage securing Victor in his car seat. While he drove, Belle read directions from a little piece of paper. As each turn brought them closer to Chloe, Brady felt his mood darken. It had been years since he had seen her or even heard her voice. He didn't want to acknowledge the nervousness in his stomach or the anticipation in his heart.
"That's it!" Belle shouted pointing towards a parking lot. "Turn here."
Brady dutifully turned left into a parking lot in front of an old brick building. The location and architecture of the place belied its past as a small warehouse. With recent rezoning of the area, it was obviously one of many properties that were being converted for other use. The lot had recently been repaved, and freshly planted flowerbeds lined the walk. By the entrance was an excavation that looked it might someday be a water feature. A new looking Art Deco style sign on the side of the building proclaimed, "Fantabulous."
"What is this place?" Brady asked as he helped Belle out of the car.
"It's a club owned by a couple of Chloe's friends. She lives upstairs and helps with their remodeling," Belle replied watching her brother expertly extract her son from his car seat.
With his nephew in his arms and his sister by his side, Brady walked up to the door prepared to face whatever was on the other side. He steeled up his will and knocked a little too hard on the door.
The woman who opened the door momentarily stunned Brady and Belle. She was dressed in a bright pink tank top and green polka-dotted caprice pants. Her electric blue hair was pulled up into a style a la Pebbles Flintstone.
Belle recovered her composure first. "Excuse me, we're looking for Chloe Wesley."
The woman's face broke into a brilliant grin. "Of course," she declared, "You must be Belle. Come inside and I'll try to hunt her down for you."
Brady recognized her voice immediately. "Jules Archer," he said with a grin, "I should have known it would be you."
Jules eyes widen. "Brady Black," she shouted punching him lightly on the arm. "I thought you were dead."
"No, not exactly," he laughed, "Just left the country for a few years."
"Well glad to see that you're back stateside. Chloe-zoey will be so happy. Come inside," she said holding the door for them.
Belle and Brady felt as if they had stumbled into another world as the door closed behind them. Just inside the doorway was a waiting area with comfortable looking but irregularly shaped, bright blue, green, and purple chairs on a fuchsia shag-carpet rug. Beyond the waiting area was the bar with its glass block base and chrome trimmed black top. Lined up along the bar were stools with chrome bases and brightly patterned cushions. The floors were covered with black tile except for random splashes of vividly colored tiles. The walls were still in the process of being painted with an exotic mural, so the total effect of the bar was not yet apparent. Beyond the bar and the waiting area, the club was in disarray. Boxes were haphazardly stacked in places, art was in the process of being created, and pieces of furniture were in various degrees of assembly. They could tell from the work already done that Fantabulous would live up to its name.
"Chloe-zoey," Jules called out into the chaos. "Your friends are here."
A muffled response came from somewhere in the rear of building. Soon a door swung open, and Chloe came through. She was dressed in overalls and a white tank top. She busily wiped her hands on a cloth before tossing the rag into pile of empty boxes. "Jules honey, I think you need to call the air-conditioning repair man," Chloe suggested.
A confused expression crossed Jules' face. "I thought Max didn't think that there was anything wrong with it?"
"Well if it there wasn't before, there is now," Chloe sighed.
"He didn't?" Jules demanded.
"Oh, he did," Chloe drawled.
"Maxwell Shepard," Jules shouted storming towards the back of club, "I'm going to make you eat that air conditioner."
Chloe simply laughed, a delightfully haunting melody. She turned back towards Brady and Belle with a huge grin on her face that reached all the way to her baby blue eyes. Brady was taken aback by how different she looked. After the cancer treatments, her hair had come back in a couple of shades darker than before. She had kept her hair short throughout college, but she must have let it grow out in medical school. It was almost as long now as she had worn it in high school. Today, she had it held back in two childlike braids. Her heart shaped face had lost its baby fat and had a serene, mature countenance to it. Her smooth skin glowed, and her cheeks were rosy from the heat. She looked healthy.
"Belle!" she exclaimed reaching forward to embrace her friend. "How are you feeling?"
"As big as a boat," Belle replied patting her stomach.
"Don't be ridiculous," Chloe chastised, "You look fabulous!" She turned towards Little V and Brady. Brady desperately searched her face for any hints towards her thoughts, but he could only see her delight in their presence. "Oh, this must be Little Victor. Hand me that beautiful boy right now," she demanded outstretching her arms.
Little V, who tended to be shy around strangers, surprised his mother and uncle by immediately reaching out his arms in response to Chloe. Chloe settled him on her hip. "Hi Victor," she said to the little boy, "I'm your Aunt Chloe."
"Chloeeeeee," Little V squealed. He threw his chubby arms around her neck and squeezed. Relaxing his grip, he discarded the toy car he was playing with in the upper pocket of her overalls and grabbed one of her thick braids.
Chloe laughed with delight then turned all her attention to Brady. An unnamed emotion danced across her features, and Brady felt his heart slam against his rib cage. "Brady Black," she murmured, "This is a nice surprise." Impulsively, she reached forward with her free arm and caught him in a firm hug. Before he could even react to return her embrace she pulled away. "Why don't we go up to my place?" she suggested, "We'll leave the work to Max and Jules."
With Little V firmly settled on her hip, Chloe led Brady and Belle through an obscure door at the back of the club and upstairs to her apartment.
Brady was secretly delighted by Chloe's residence as she led them on a mini tour. The hardwood floors and exposed brick reminded him of his old loft, but Chloe's place was bigger and more open. The majority of the apartment was one large room that incorporated a kitchen, dinning, and living room space. Off the main room was a small hallway that opened up to two bedrooms and the bathroom.
Chloe had decorated in a light and comfortable way. Most of her furniture was natural wood and solid colors. She seemed to favor tranquil blues, pale lavenders, and clean whites. It was feminine without being too "girly." Ansel Adams style photographic prints were leaned up against various spots on the walls ready to be hung. The only wall adornment that had made it off the floor was a large bulletin board hanging in the kitchen by the phone. It was covered with brightly colored notes, pictures, and a calendar with red ink scribbled all over it.
"Please, have a seat," Chloe said gesturing towards her living room area. She let Little V down and dutifully handed him his car from her pocket. Victor unceremoniously plopped down. He seemed to enjoy the sounds of his car's wheels on the smooth, warm oak flooring. The width of the floorboards was just perfect in his mind for a little street.
Belle sat on plush looking blue sofa while Brady favored a plaid patterned chair with a knit blanket thrown over it's back. He realized belatedly that he had managed to choose Chloe's favorite chair. It smelled strongly of a mix of wildflowers and cinnamon, a scent he would go to his grave associating with Chloe Wesley. Further evidence lay on the little round table beside him where a stack of thick books with titles like Principals of Internal Medicine and Physician's Desk Reference sat with an empty cup and saucer perched on top of them. Brady suddenly had a pleasing vision of Chloe curled in the chair with the knit throw around her shoulders sipping tea and reading about conditions of liver.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Chloe asked politely interrupting his thoughts, "I have lemonade, iced tea, cranberry juice, water…"
"Lemonade will be great," Belle replied. Brady nodded in agreement.
When Chloe returned, she sat down beside Belle on the sofa with one leg curled underneath her. She had cleverly positioned herself where she could talk easily to Brady and Belle while keeping an eye on Little V.
"You're place is wonderful Chloe," Belle commented. A previously unnoticed wrought iron staircase that spiraled up from one corner of the room drew her attention. "Where do those stairs lead?"
"Oh those," Chloe said following her gaze, "They go up to the roof. We're planning on putting a garden up there, but right now there's just a rusty BBQ and half a picnic table."
"Half a picnic table?" Brady asked dubiously.
Chloe laughed, "Yeah. Max swears that it was in one piece when he picked it up, but one leg and a bench were missing by the time he got home. Personally, I think he's just too proud to admit that he got swindled."
Belle chuckled at the image of the poor, incomplete table. "Mom said that you started your residency at SUH."
"I was shocked when I found out that I had been matched there. It's either an act of God or an act of Craig. Either way it worked out well. I'm on rotation in the ICU now, but I will be moving to pediatrics next month," Chloe explained, "My residency is in internal medicine, but I'm planning to specialize in hematology-oncology."
"So you'll be able to treat people with leukemia," Brady commented softly. His heart was beating with so much pride that he was afraid that it would break his chest.
"That's the general idea," Chloe agreed, "I've got the whole 'been there, done that' experience to help patients. I think it's the specialty where I have the most to offer, and although it may seem a little crazy, I feel like I have some kind of debt to repay."
"That doesn't sound crazy at all," Belle quickly said, "I, for one, am very proud of what you've accomplished."
The group lapsed into silence, each overcome by their thoughts. Finally, Chloe asked, "What about you two? How are things at Basic Black?"
"Great," Belle chirped, "Although I think Dad and Brady are too indulgent, I hardly work anymore and most of my job can be done from home. On the other hand, I don't think Brady ever leaves that place."
"Now that I can relate to," Chloe sighed thinking of her 100 to 120 hour workweeks.
"It's all right. I have the time to spend." Brady regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. It was too telling a statement. He quickly tried to judge his companions reactions. Belle was looking at him with a confused expression, and Chloe had a look of pity and quiet understanding on her face.
Changing the subject, Chloe asked, "Have you guys had anything to eat yet?"
"No," Belle answered, "I was thinking we could go out somewhere."
"Go out? No way! I'll whip us up something," Chloe declared standing.
"That's not necessary," Belle began.
"Too late," Chloe insisted, "my mind is made up."
Chloe immediately busied herself in the kitchen opening cupboards and pulling things out of the refrigerator. As she worked, her and Belle chatted easily back and forth about a number of different topics. Brady withdrew himself from the conversation and wandered absently around Chloe's apartment. He browsed her library and CD collections. Just as he remembered, she had a broad taste in both literature and music. For some bizarre reason, she had three different styles of Monopoly boards. He turned and watched his nephew navigate a toy car through the maze of roads in his imagination. Finally, Brady ended up absentmindedly reading her bulletin board.
Besides the usual grocery lists and phone numbers, a little round robin of messages was posted there. The first message he read was written on a hot pink post-it note. It said, "Chloe, you smell. Love, Max." Below it on a bright yellow post-it was, "Max lies. Love, Jules." The last note in the series was on white paper. It read, "You three are crazy. Love, Nancy." Brady couldn't suppress his chuckle. Another series went like this: "Chloe, your dishwasher isn't working properly. Love, Nancy." "I looked at your dishwasher. Love, Max." "What the hell happened to your dishwasher? Love, Nancy." "I called the repairman. Love, Jules."
"Something wrong with your dishwasher?" Brady asked.
"Oh the notes," Chloe said looking over his shoulder. "No it's fixed, but a hard freeze would have turned my kitchen into a nice ice rink last Wednesday."
Brady chuckled following her back over to the counter. "Is there something I can help with?"
"Sure," Chloe replied handing him a colander of rinsed tomatoes, "You can dice these."
Brady caught a glimpse of the massive amount of food she was preparing. "Good God," he muttered, "Are you planning of feeding an army?"
All Chloe did was laughingly shake her head and say, "You'll see."
Right before they were going to sit down for lunch, Chloe's apartment door swung open and Jules strolled inside. "How are things going in here?" she asked nonchalantly looking around.
Chloe shook her head with disgust, but a smile spread across her face. "Yes, Jules you can join us for lunch."
"I thought you'd never ask, Chloe-zoey," Jules beamed. She poked her head out the door and shouted for Max. Almost instantly, a man wearing a bright blue bowling shirt and black jean shorts appeared.
"Jules and Max, this is Belle, Brady, and Little Victor," Chloe introduced.
Hellos were murmured and handshakes exchanged. Extra place settings were added to the table, and everyone took their seats. Max and Jules sat on one side of the table, and Brady and Belle sat on the other side. Since Chloe didn't have a highchair or a booster seat, she sat with Little V on her lap at the head of the table. Belle had protested, but Chloe just waved her off.
The rest of the afternoon melted away in whirl of fun and laughter. Any misgivings Brady had held about being around Chloe again were gone by the time he and Belle left her apartment. While the awkwardness between them was not entirely gone, their old camaraderie overshadowed it. The old desire was back as well. Brady felt himself focusing on her every movement. He longed desperately to discover with his lips and hands exactly how time had changed her body. No, he was not done with Chloe Lane Wesley yet.
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Author's Note: In case anyone is wondering about Chloe's schedule, medical residents do indeed work an average of 90-120 hours per week (out of 168 possible hours) depending on their specialty. The American Medical Student Association is leading the fight to pass legislation to limit resident work hours to 80 hours per week with a shift limit of 24 hours. Read more at http://www.amsa.org/.