A/N: To: PCGirl, Bethany and Melody and anyone else I missed who has been waiting for Grant and Chloe to "get to a barn and fast." No barn - :( but I hope it'll do. :) To my long lost Nat - where oh where are you??? Hurry back!! Unitl 43! xox-G
Chapter Forty-two
Grant carried his sister upstairs and tucked her in, his heart breaking all over again when he heard her whisper, "Mommy…"
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and eased away, shutting out the light and closing the door behind him.
Running a hand over his face, he slowly walked back downstairs. As he reached the bottom he heard a soft knock on the door. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone, and practically everyone he knew was at the hospital anyway. He was sure it wasn't anyone special.
"Go away." He called out.
"Grant?" He heard her answer. "Grant. Please. Let me in. It's me…it's…"
There was no one in the world he wanted to see, except her. Even though he was still dealing with the fact that nothing would ever happen between them, she was still his best friend.
"Chloe." He sighed as he opened the door.
"Hi." She whispered. "I'm so sorry. I heard what happened. I went to go find you at the hospital. Your Aunt Abby told me you brought Becky home."
"She was asleep." He said sadly as he turned and walked back into the living room. He was suddenly exhausted himself.
"Are you OK?" She asked, already knowing the answer as she followed behind him.
He laughed bitterly. "No. Not by a long shot. My mother's lying unconscious in the hospital, she might die or lose the baby or worst of all both and speaking of losing - my father's about to totally lose it. He- Clo, I know for a fact he can't function without her. Top that off by the fact that Kate wants to run off with the son of his worst enemy and my baby sister thinks it's all her fault because she didn't put her toys away when my mom asked."
"Oh Grant." Chloe's eyes filled with tears. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Everything's so messed up and I don't know how to fix it." Grant turned to face her, his voice desperate.
"Who says you have to be the one to fix it?" Chloe asked as she laid her purse down on the side table. "As far as I can see, Kate and your dad are the ones with the problem. Grant. You have a right to be upset about all this too."
He shook his head at her. "No. I can't be. Someone has to hold it together."
"Well. OK. Hold it together when you see them then. You don't have to do that with me." She said as she took his hand in hers.
She was right, he knew. Here, with only her, he was finally able to let go.
"Clo.." Grant said softly, his own eyes filling up. "My mom. What if…"
"I know." She shushed him as she pulled him to her. His arms closed around her and held tight. "It's OK. I know."
"Chloe…" He whispered. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling the scent. Now he knew why she always smelled so amazing. His hands ran up her back and he couldn't help it. Whatever the circumstances, Grant was just glad to be this close to her.
"I…" He eased away and stared into her eyes.
"It's going to be alright." She promised him as her own eyes fluttered closed. Her heart began to pound. She titled her face towards his, desperate for him to finally kiss her. Chloe knew she might be taking advantage of the situation but she didn't care. She brought her hands up to frame his face and sighed as she closed the distance between them.
Suddenly, there was nothing filling his mind but her. His lips sought hers and as he kissed her it was just as he always imagined. She felt so incredibly soft. As Grant's mouth closed over Chloe's again and again he knew that this was exactly where he belonged. He belonged with her.
Her lips parted under his and as they did, Chloe sighed into his mouth, desperate to bring him closer. Her head was spinning and her stomach was doing flip flops. Her fingers clawed into the fabric of his shirt, holding on tight. Finally in his arms, she couldn't bear to be away from him for even a second.
"Chloe…" He murmured her name over and over between kisses. "Chloe…"
His hands moved to push her jacket off her shoulders, his fingers fumbled as he reached for the buttons on her shirt. He needed to feel her. There was too much in the way, too much keeping her from him.
Chloe arched against him, welcoming his touch. She smiled against his lips as she felt his hands move over her skin. This was exactly what she wanted.
Grant eased her gently back onto the couch until he was hovering over her. He tore his mouth from hers, placing soft kisses across her cheek, his breath warm on her neck. One of his hands tangled in her hair, releasing it from the clip she wore to hold it back.
"Grant…" She breathed his name as she felt his free hand skim down across her stomach. Every nerve in her body was screaming for him.
A soft sound carried down the stairs. "Mommy!!" Becky sobbed, her voice becoming more and more frantic. "Mommy!!"
Hearing her cry, Grant pulled back sharply. "Becky." He said, trying to focus.
Chloe fought to catch her breath as she ran her fingers through his hair, pausing to caress his cheek. "Go to her. It's OK."
"Clo?" He said as he pulled himself up, unsure of exactly what had just happened. It was so unbelievable that he thought he might be dreaming.
"It's OK." She said, sitting up herself and straightening her clothes. She leaned in and kissed him quickly. She smoothed back her hair and gave him a smile. "Go. I'll still be here when you get back."
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"What are we going to do now?" Kate whispered as she pulled Colin closer.
He placed a kiss on her hair and hugged her tight. "Let's go back and make sure your mom is OK."
Kate's face was full of fear. "She has to be, Colin. I can't…"
"I know. Shh. I know." He pulled her back to him.
She suddenly moved away and stared into his eyes. She shook her head no and whispered. "Wait. I'm sorry. I can't."
"Katrina?" He asked, confused.
"I can't." She insisted. "I can't do this anymore."
"What are you saying?" Colin was beginning to panic.
She backed away - needing to put more distance between them. "No. I did this to her."
"Katrina?"
It all came crashing down around her. Despite how much she loved him she knew what she had to do to begin to make things right again.
"She asked me to stop and think. She asked me to…" Kate was sobbing. "She wanted me think first and my temper got the best of me. And now she's lying there Colin. She's the one who got hurt."
He looked at her, his eyes pleading with her to stop.
She had to choose and knew that she needed to put her family first. "I did this. It's my fault. I love you Colin - I do, but choosing you can't be the right thing if everything else is going this wrong."
Colin moved closer to her and managed to grab her hands in his, "Don't do this. Don't make a decision like this tonight, OK? Let me take you inside."
She twisted away from his grasp and begged him. "Please. Don't fight me on this. I have to. It's the only decision I can make." Her heart shattered as she saw his face. She could barely speak she was crying so hard. "I'm sorry, Colin." She began to walk back towards the hospital.
He shook his head and pleaded with her. He couldn't let her do this. "Katrina. Please..."
"I love you. I'm so sorry..." Kate said softly as she ran back inside, leaving him more alone than he'd ever felt before.
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A half hour later, he walked back down to find her calmly curled up on the couch. She had fixed her shirt but had taken off her shoes and jacket.
"Poor kid." She said as she looked up at him. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah." Grant replied. "She's back to sleep. Finally"
He was so sweet, taking care of his sister like that. He never ceased to amaze her. Every second she fell more in love with him.
"You should get some too." Chloe said, her voice full of concern.
He ignored her suggestion and moved to sit beside her. He still couldn't believe it was true.
"Chloe?" His hands were shaking with nerves. He was afraid of the answer, but asked anyway. "What just happened here?"
She sighed as she gazed lovingly at him. "What I've been waiting to happen for years."
Grant swallowed the lump that was lodged in his throat. He didn't dare hope. "What do you mean?"
"Grant." She began, for once, completely unafraid. "I've been waiting for you to notice me forever. And tonight - I can't believe it. You finally did."
She shook her head and looked deeply into his eyes. "I know it might have a lot to do with the stuff about your mom - but you know what? I don't care. I'll take it." She tentatively took her hand and ran it over his hair. "I'll take any second that I can to be this close to you."
"What are you saying? You've been waiting for me to notice you!?" Grant was nearly speechless. He took a deep breath and decided he had nothing more to lose. "Are you kidding me? Chloe."
He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "You had to have known. I've never noticed anyone else. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Whenever I tried to look anywhere else, I could only see you."
Upon hearing his words her eyes filled up. He pulled her close and kissed her again. She sighed as she kissed him back, all the love she felt for him almost visible around her.
Grant lay back down on the couch, bringing her with him. He was so exhausted, he couldn't keep his eyes opened. That was fine with Chloe. She wasn't in a rush anymore.
She knew now that they had plenty of time. They had their whole lives ahead of them. "Grant. It's OK. Go to sleep." She whispered as she lay her head on his chest, her hand moving to rest over his heart. "You can worry about taking care of everyone else and I'll be here to take care of you."
Despite all the things that were wrong in his life at the moment, nothing could be more right than the way he felt right now.
His arms tightened around her. "I love you, Clo…" He whispered as he drifted off.
Tears of joy spilled from her eyes as she was finally able to reply, "I love you too."
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She gave his hand a squeeze, the pain in her head too intense for her to actually open her eyes.
"Rafe…" She whispered. "Katie…" She said on a sob.
He was overjoyed to hear her voice. "Shh. I'm here." He said softly. "I'm here."
"Katie…" Alison said again.
Rafe didn't know what to say to her. He wasn't sure where Kate even was at the moment.
"What happened?" Alison asked.
"You fell, Angel." Rafe replied, his voice full of guilt.
"The baby…" Her eyes flew open despite how much it hurt. She began to panic. "Rafe…"
He ran a hand over her hair. "Shh. You're both OK. They're watching you. It's going to be alright." He prayed what he told her was true.
She closed her eyes again. "Rafe. Where's Katie?" She asked.
"I'll go get her." Rafe promised as he reluctantly let go of her hand and moved towards the door. "Let me tell the doctor you're awake first OK?"
"OK." Alison said softly as she leaned back into the pillows.
He'd been gone mere seconds but when Rafe got back he realized it was too late.
She had fallen under again.