STRONGER
Chapter 11
Later that evening, Beca and Aubrey stood silently by as Chloe faced down Joe. They were discussing the best way to allow Chloe and the Bellas to continue rehearsals and keep everyone safe. Or actually, Joe was trying to convince Chloe to cancel the Bellas rehearsals until Roger Daniels was in custody.
"Miss Beale," Joe said beseechingly. "Our number one priority is your safety and those around you. I understand you need to attend classes, but any extracurricular activities will need to be put on hold until Daniels is caught. Surely, you can understand that."
Chloe stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Joe.
"No, I don't understand that," Chloe said. "We'll all be in one place and easy to keep an eye on. There are only two ways to get into the auditorium, and there are two of you assigned to follow me around. Why can't those two escort me to the Auditorium and then stand watch at the two entrances?"
"Beca, help me talk some sense into your girlfriend," Joe said, looking at Beca.
"Nope," Beca said. "I'm with Chloe on this."
"Come on, Beca," Joe said pleadingly.
"No, Joe," Beca said. "Chloe makes a very valid point, and all she's trying to do is keep things as normal as possible. And having Bellas rehearsals is as normal as you can get. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the Bellas if we cancel rehearsal with no end as to when we'd start up again. We have competitions to prepare for."
"Beca's right," Aubrey said. "We Bellas stick together, so if your guys are keeping an eye on things outside the Auditorium, we can keep an eye on things inside."
"Plus, we need the Bellas in one place so Chloe can tell them what's going on," Beca added. "They could be in danger by association. It doesn't feel right not telling them."
"She's right," Chloe said. "I don't want any of them to get hurt because this guy found out who my friends are."
Joe sighed. "I guess there's no point in suggesting that you invite them all here to tell them, is there?"
"None," Chloe responded, resolute in her stance.
"Wait a second, Chloe," Beca said, getting Chloe to look at her. "That might not be a bad idea. We were planning a dinner party for Saturday to celebrate your birthday. If Daniels is still at large, we'll have to cancel it or have it here. Instead, why don't we reschedule it for tomorrow and invite everyone over here? You can tell them about your stalker and let them decide if they want to cancel rehearsals until he's caught."
"That all sounds good in theory, Beca," Aubrey said. "But what if some of them want to cancel rehearsals and some of them don't?"
"We take a vote, and majority rules," Beca said. "And we'll reassure them that the police will be close by during rehearsals to make sure we're all safe, right, Joe?"
Joe sighed and nodded his head. "Okay. We can work something out to make sure everyone is safe if you choose to have your rehearsals."
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Chloe asked smugly. "I'm going to put together a group text to the Bellas, telling them of the change in plans. I'll just tell them we're having a Bellas meeting here instead of rehearsal and that dinner will be provided. How does that sound?"
"I'm Captain. I'll send the text," Aubrey said.
"And, you'll agree to do what the majority vote on?" Beca asked.
Aubrey clenched her teeth and gave Beca a squinty-eyed look. "I'm not a dictator, Beca."
"Could have fooled me," Beca muttered.
"Behave," Chloe hissed, smacking Beca on the arm.
"What?"
"We will vote, and I will abide by whatever the majority decides," Aubrey concluded.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Meanwhile, across campus, Stacie and Fat Amy were at a Frat party when the text from Aubrey came through. They both read the text, and Stacie looked at Fat Amy.
"I wonder why they're changing Chloe's birthday dinner to Beca's house," Stacie said.
"Probably has something to do with Chloe's stalker," Amy said.
"What?!" Stacie exclaimed, grabbing Amy's arm. "Chloe has a stalker?"
"Eh, um, yeah?"
"How do you know about him?"
"Chloe told us when we had Thanksgiving at Beca's mom's house," Amy said. "He's the reason why Chloe's staying at Beca's instead of her own place."
"He knows where…" Stacie said, her eyes widening. "I think I saw him. So that's why Beca got so upset with me."
"Where? When?" Amy asked. "Did you tell the police?"
"They know," Stacie said as she grabbed Fat Amy's arm and dragged her out of the frat house.
Once outside, Stacie told Amy about what happened with Beca and the stranger she had seen outside Chloe and Aubrey's apartment.
"The police told me if I saw him again, not to engage him in any way and to call them immediately."
"So, he is here?" Amy asked. "In Barden?"
"Looks like he is."
Both girls shivered and looked around. Stacie looked at her phone and started texting.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
"Stacie just texted asking if we changed the party because of Chloe's stalker," Aubrey said, looking at Beca. "I thought you said you didn't tell her anything."
"I didn't," Beca said.
"Then, how does she know about him?" Aubrey asked.
"I don't know," Beca said. "Maybe Ashley or Jessica or Fat Amy told her. Chloe told them at Thanksgiving."
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Also, across campus, Jessica and Ashley were studying in the library.
"I bet they changed it because of Chloe's stalker," Ashley said after reading the text.
"I bet you're right," Jessica said as another text came through. "Stacie seems to think it is, too."
"I wonder who told Stacie," Ashley said.
The two Bellas looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Fat Amy."
They both laughed and were shushed by those around them. They looked around apologetically and returned to their studies.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
"Chloe has a stalker?" Cynthia Rose mumbled, having read both Aubrey and Stacie's texts.
Cynthia Rose sent a new text directly to Chloe.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Back at Beca's, Chloe's phone pinged with a text.
"Aww," Chloe said, looking at her phone. "Cynthia Rose was checking to see if I was okay. I guess she read Stacie's text, too."
"Maybe someone should respond to Stacie's text to let everyone know we will fill them in tomorrow," Beca said.
"On it," Chloe said, typing out a text to the group. "How does this sound? Yes, I have a stalker. I will tell everyone about it at dinner tomorrow. Until then, don't worry, I'm safe at Beca's and am under police protection."
"That's good," Beca said.
"I agree," Aubrey said. "Send it."
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
The girls were sitting around talking about the next night's dinner when Beca stood and grabbed a hoodie and put it on, mumbling, "I'll be right back."
"Everything okay?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah," Beca said. "I just need to talk to Joe."
"Okay," Chloe said.
"I think I'm going to head up to bed," Aubrey said. "Goodnight."
"I'm going to go on up, too," Chloe said. "Don't be too long."
"I won't," Beca said, kissing Chloe. "Goodnight, Aubrey."
Beca walked outside and toward the car that Joe and Mark were sitting in. The two officers got out of the car and met Beca halfway.
"Is everything alright, Beca?" Joe asked.
"Everything's fine," Beca said. "It's just that with Daniels being seen at Chloe's apartment, I wasn't able to get to the grocery store like I had planned. So, I wanted to make plans to be able to go to the store in the morning. I have to get stuff to make dinner for the Bellas."
"I'll brief Trish and Lou when they arrive for the shift change in the morning," Joe said.
"I need to go early so I can be back here before ten," Beca said. "Our insurance guy is supposed to come by to check out the damage my dad did to my car."
"We can work that out," Joe said.
"Will you want someone to go with you?" Mark asked.
"I don't think so," Beca said. "Chloe has an early class, so Trish and Lou should go with her; I'll be fine on my own."
"Okay," Joe said. "Have a good night."
"Goodnight," Beca said and went inside.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
The next morning, Beca kissed Chloe as she and Aubrey left for classes. Beca then bustled around gathering everything she needed to go grocery shopping. Her phone rang just as she picked up Chloe's list of the things she and Aubrey wanted and needed. There was also some cash to help with the cost.
"Hey, mom," Beca said, answering the call.
"Hey," Sarah said. "I was just calling to remind you about the insurance adjuster coming by today."
"I remember," Beca said. "I was just on my way out to the store. I need to get the stuff for the Bellas dinner we're having for Chloe's birthday tonight."
"I thought that was scheduled for Saturday," Sarah said.
"We had to reschedule it since Roger Daniels was spotted here in Barden," Beca said.
"What?!" Sarah gasped. "We hadn't heard about that. Are they sure he's there?"
"Yep," Beca said. "Stacie saw him at Chloe's apartment and positively identified him from a photo lineup Joe showed her."
"How's Chloe handling it? Is she okay?"
"She's handling it about as well as you'd expect," Beca said. "Mainly, she's scared, frustrated, and just wants him caught."
"I'll tell Charlotte and Carl," Sarah said. "They're going to be upset that no one contacted them to let them know."
"Tell them I'm sorry we didn't call," Beca said. "It happened early yesterday, and Chloe was overwhelmed and frightened, and then Aubrey returned, and things got busy. I thought the police would have called to let them know, so I honestly never thought of calling."
"It's okay," Sarah said. "As long as I can assure them that Chloe is safe, I'm sure they'll be fine."
"She's safe. I promise," Beca said. "There is a 2-officer team with her at all times. And Chloe and Aubrey are both staying here for their safety."
"That's good," Sarah said.
"I really have to go if I want to be back here by ten," Beca said.
"You be careful," Sarah said. "And, call me after the insurance agent is gone. Love you."
"I will," Beca said. "And, I love you, too."
Beca ended the call and rushed to the garage. She took a moment to look at her car and could only shake her head. Joe had told her heard the judge let her father go on bail, but she hadn't seen or heard from him. She got into the mother's car and left.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Beca put away the groceries and then sat on the sofa to wait for the insurance agent. She thought about prepping some things for dinner but didn't want to be in the middle of it when he showed up. So she sat and waited.
"I guess I can get some of my class reading done," Beca mumbled as she picked up one of her textbooks.
Beca started reading and used her highlighter to mark certain passages she thought were interesting. She suddenly heard a dog barking outside.
"Mr. Kidwell's lab," Beca mumbled.
She then heard a loud grinding, squeaking-type noise and thought, "I wonder when Mr. Jeffers is going to get the brakes on his wife's car fixed." She snickered. "He's probably hoping she has an accident so he can collect on the insurance."
Beca began reading again. Before she knew she was jerking awake when someone knocked on the door. From the sound of it, they may have already knocked once.
"I can't believe I fell asleep," Beca grumbled as she got up to answer the door.
"Miss Mitchell?" the portly man at the door said when the door opened.
"Yes," Beca said.
"I'm George Baxter," the man said. "With Barden Insurance. I'm here about a claim that you filed."
"Actually," Beca said. "My mother-"
Beca stopped mid-sentence after noticing a man across the street, staring at the house. She squinted her eyes because he was standing with the sun behind him.
"Miss Mitchell?" Mr. Baxter said, causing Beca to jerk her head back to face him.
"Um, yeah, sorry," Beca said, trying to look over Mr. Baxter's shoulder to see the man across the street. "Where'd he go?"
"Where'd who go?" Mr. Baxter asked, looking over his shoulder.
Beca shook her head. "It's nothing. Probably just a neighbor. What was I saying?"
"You said you weren't the one who filed the claim," Mr. Baxter said, looking at some papers in his hand. "Who is Sarah Mitchell?"
"That's my mother," Beca said. "I'm Beca, and it's my car that got damaged. Follow me, and I'll show you."
"Thank you," Mr. Baxter said, stepping inside.
"This way," Beca said, walking toward the kitchen.
Mr. Baxter followed as Beca went into the kitchen and over to the garage door. She opened the door and turned on the garage light. Mr. Baxted saw the car and whistled.
"Looks like they did a real number on it," Mr. Baxter. "I'm going to have to have it towed to a repair facility and have them look at it. My best guess is they'll consider the repairs to be more than the car is worth."
"What does that mean?" Beca asked.
"It means they won't fix it if it will cost too much," Mr. Baxter replied. "Instead, you'll get a check for the value of your car based on what the Kelly Blue Book says it's worth. Most people use the money to purchase another car."
"When will it be towed?"
"Right now. Can you open the garage door for me, please?"
Beca hit the button, and the garage door began rising. When the door was completely open, she saw a man in overalls standing on the other side; a tow truck was in the driveway behind him.
"Hey, Pete," Mr. Baxter called out, walking over to the man. "We're taking the car."
"On it," Pete said and went to his tow truck and moved it so that he could hook up the car.
While Pete did what he needed to do, Mr. Baxter wrote on one of the papers he had with him.
"Could you sign these, please?" Mr. Baxter asked Beca, holding the pen out to her.
Beca took the pen in her left hand. "What am I signing?"
"It's the receipt for your car," Mr. Baxter said. "It states that we took possession of the car, and you are signing to confirm that you were aware that we took it. There are two copies you need to sign. One will go with me, the other stays with you."
"Oh, okay," Beca said, signing the two copies where Mr. Baxter indicated.
"Thank you," he said, taking his copy and his pen from Beca.
"Is that it?" Beca asked, looking out at the tow truck pulling her car from the garage. Beca suddenly perked up when she saw someone standing across the street again.
Beca tried to see who it was, but the tow truck moved, blocking Beca from seeing them. The truck got Beca's car out of the garage and was now on the street.
Beca went out and looked across the street, but the person was gone. She then looked up and down the street but didn't see anyone. Shaking her head again, she said goodbye to Mr. Baxter and made her way back inside.
"I should call my mom," Beca thought. "Nah, maybe later."
Beca went to the kitchen and gathered a few things to start prepping for dinner.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
A couple of hours later, a car went flying past a Barden police car, careening all over the road. The officers flipped on their lights and siren and chased after the car.
They got about a block when the car ran a red light and careened into the Emergency entrance of Barden Hospital. The police car turned in just in time to see the car hit a corner of the building. A few people came running out of the hospital.
The two officers jumped out of their car and started ordering people to back away from the car. They drew their guns and slowly approached the vehicle. They saw some movement, and one officer yelled, "You in the car! Show us your hands! Now!"
Nothing happened, and suddenly the car horn started blaring. Both officers rushed to the car and looked inside.
The first officer opened the driver's side door and gently lifted the woman's head from the steering wheel, causing the horn to stop blaring. The woman moaned, and the officer yelled, "She's alive!"
A doctor and nurses ran over to the driver's door. The doctor reached in and place her hands on the woman's head.
"I got this," she told the officer.
The officer nodded and moved away so the doctor could position herself in the opening.
"I need a collar," the doctor called out.
A nurse opened the packaging and moved to stand behind the doctor.
"There's another body in the backseat," the second officer said, opening the back door.
Another doctor put his stethoscope to his ears and pushed the officer aside. He placed the stethoscope on the man's chest and listened.
"Heartbeat is faint," the doctor said. "But, he's alive. Let's get him out of there."
The officer looked down at the man's face and then over at his partner. He stood close by as the doctor, and two others worked to get the man out of the car.
On the other side of the car, several people were working on the female driver.
"I'll hold her head, and you put the collar on her," the doctor told the nurse. The collar was in place, and the doctor looked over to the gathering crowd. "We need a gurney over here!"
Two orderlies ran over to the car with a gurney.
"Okay," the doctor said. "I'm going to check her real quick to see what injuries she may have before we move her."
"Put him on the gurney," the doctor told the two men who were helping with the man in the back of the car. "Take him to Trauma Room One."
The second officer stopped the gurney and handcuffed the man's wrist to the gurney's railing. The doctor looked at him.
"He's a wanted fugitive," the officer told the doctor. "I'll remove them if you need me to, but they will remain on him until you're told otherwise. Understand?"
"Got it," the doctor said, placing his hand on the gurney. "Let's go."
Everyone stood silently by as the doctor checked the driver. She pulled aside the woman's shirt and looked back at the police officer. "She's been stabbed. We need to get her inside so that I can assess her injuries better. Get that gurney over here!"
After the doctor and nurse got the woman out of the car, they gently laid her on the gurney.
"Let's go," the doctor said, and they all rushed inside with their patient.
Once the car was cleared, one of the officers looked to see if there was an ID for the woman. Looking in the glove compartment, he found the car's registration
"Sarah Mitchell," the officer read from the registration. "What on earth happened to you, Mrs. Mitchell?"
The officer went into the ER doors to find his partner. He saw him standing guard outside the trauma room, watching them work on the man from the car.
"Why's he handcuffed?" he asked his partner.
"That's Roger Daniels," his partner said.
The first officer looked closer and nodded his head. "According to the car's registration, the woman is Sarah Mitchell."
"No, it's not," his partner said. "I know Sarah Mitchell, and that woman is too small to be her. It might be her daughter, Beca."
"What the hell happened with them?"
"I don't know, but I'm calling the sergeant," the second cop said. "He was lead on the case with this Daniels guy."
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Joe ended the call and wiped his hands down his face. He pulled up a number and hit call. It went straight to voicemail. He went to his office door and looked around the bullpen. He caught Mark's eye and waved him over.
"What's up?" Mark said as he entered Joe's office.
"I need you to go check the Mitchell house," Joe said and then explained about the man and woman that arrived at the hospital with injuries and nothing and no one to tell them what happened.
Mark's eyes widened in shock when Joe said, "Roger Daniels is the man. The car he was in is registered to Sarah Mitchell, but she's not the woman who was in the car. I have a feeling it's Beca. Go see if you can find her or anything that might tell us what happened."
"You got it, Sarge," Mark said and ran out of Joe's office.
Joe sighed and sat behind his desk, dreading the two calls he knew was probably going to have to make.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Thirty minutes later, Mark called Joe.
"We searched the house, and there's no sign of Beca," Mark said. "We did find blood in the kitchen, leading out to the garage." Mark sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Joe, there is a lot of blood. We are trying to figure out where it started to see if we can piece together what happened, but I don't think we'll know anything until Beca or Daniels can tell us."
"Okay," Joe said. "Thanks. I'm going to call Beca's mother so she can come home."
They ended the call. Joe sat with his phone pressed against his forehead. He sighed and placed his first call.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Trish and Lou were escorting Aubrey and Chloe back to Beca's house when Trish's phone rang.
"Hel-"
"Donahue, you need to take Miss Beale and Miss Posen to the hospital immediately," Joe exclaimed through the phone.
"Hosp-?"
"Beca Mitchell's been hurt," Joe interrupted. "Don't tell the girls anything, just get them there. We don't yet know what happened, but it sounds bad, really bad. I'll meet you there as soon as I notify Beca's mother."
Trish swallowed and said, "Yes, sir!"
Trish ended the call and looked at Lou.
"What?" Lou asked.
Trish looked at Chloe, who was chatting with Aubrey and not paying any attention to the two officers.
"We need to get to the hospital," Trish leaned over and whispered.
Seeing the look on Trish's face, Lou turned toward the hospital without asking questions.
Aubrey suddenly looked around, asking, "Why are we turning here? This isn't the way to Beca's house."
Chloe looked up and around as well. "She's right. What's happening?"
"That was Sargeant Nichols on the phone," Trish said, turning to look at the girls. "He instructed us to take you to the hospital. He didn't offer any other explanation."
"Oh, my god!" Chloe said and immediately pulled out her phone to call Beca.
The call went straight to voicemail. Chloe ended the call as tears ran down her face.
"Beca's not answering her phone," Chloe said through her tears. "Something's happened to Beca, hasn't it?"
Trish looked at Lou and then back at Chloe. She nodded without saying anything.
Tears came to Aubrey's eyes as she put her arm around Chloe's shoulders.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
"I'll be on the first plane I can get on," Sarah said, ending the call with Joe.
Charlotte noticed Sarah's shaking hands and asked, "What's going on, Sarah?"
"Something's happened to Beca," Sarah said as tears fell down her cheeks. "I have to go home."
"We'll go with you," Carl said. "I have a friend at American Airlines. I'll call and see if he can get us on a flight out as soon as possible."
Sarah nodded, mumbling, "Thank you."
Carl made the call while Sarah and Charlotte packed. The two women were sitting in the living room with their suitcases when Carl came in.
"The three of us are booked on a flight that leaves at three," Carl told them. "We have to leave now to make it."
"We're ready," Charlotte said.
The three drove to the airport and were met by Carl's friend, Darren.
"Come with me," Darren said. "I have them prepared to hold the flight until we get you three on board."
They followed Darren, bypassing security and arriving at the gate in time to board.
"Please keep me posted on how things go," Darren said as Carl thanked him.
Carl rushed over to join Charlotte and Sarah; the three boarded the plane and found their seats.
Charlotte sat next to Sarah, holding her hand, offering what little comfort she could.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Lou pulled into the Emergency entrance and parked. Chloe jumped out and stopped when she saw Beca's car still sitting where it had crashed. She started to hyperventilate until Aubrey came up beside her and pulled her into a hug.
"Let's go inside," Aubrey whispered.
Chloe nodded and moved toward the entrance. Aubrey kept her arms around Chloe as they entered the Emergency area, with Trish and Lou right behind them.
Trish went to the desk with Chloe and Aubrey while Lou made his way over to the two officers who standing near the trauma room where Roger Daniels was still being worked on.
"Keith," Lou said as he walked over to him.
"Lou," Keith said in acknowledgment.
"What do you know about Beca Mitchell's condition?"
"She was taken into surgery about thirty minutes ago," Keith said. "I don't know what her injuries are, but I gotta tell you, it looked bad."
"What about this asshole?" Lou asked, looking through the window at Daniels. "Is he going to make it?"
"I don't know," Keith said. "They're trying to stabilize him to take him to surgery."
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
"May I help you?" the nurse asked.
"We're here for Beca Mitchell," Trish told the nurse. "Do you know her condition?"
"All I can tell you is that she's in surgery," the nurse told the officer. "Someone will be out to give you an update when they can."
"Thank you," Trish said. "Is there somewhere a little more private where we can wait?"
Seeing the shape Chloe and Aubrey were in, the nurse called out for another nurse.
"Alice, would you watch the desk while I show these ladies to the family waiting room?"
"Sure," Alice said and switched places with the nurse.
"Follow me, ladies," the nurse said.
Chloe continued to cling to Aubrey as they followed the nurse into a room just off the Emergency room.
"I'll let them know where you are when there is an update on Ms. Mitchell's condition," the nurse said before leaving the room.
Aubrey and Chloe took a seat; Trish stood near the door.
"Someone should call Sarah," Chloe suddenly blurted out.
"Joe was going to do that," Trish said. "He should be here any minute as well."
Just then, the door opened, and Joe and Lou walked in.
"Any word on Beca yet?" Joe asked.
Trish shook her head. Joe sighed and looked at Chloe and Aubrey.
"Sarah is on her way," Joe said. "I have Mark picking her up at the airport."
"Thank you," Aubrey said.
There was a knock just before the door opened, and a doctor stepped in.
Chloe jumped up, "Is Beca okay?"
"I'm sorry, miss," the doctor said. "I don't have an update on Ms. Mitchell yet. Officers, may I speak to you outside."
Joe and Lou stepped outside with the doctor. Joe came back a minute later.
"What was that about?" Trish asked.
"Roger Daniels just died," Joe said.
"Good," Chloe said.
~Stronger~ ~Stronger~ ~Stronger~
Sarah, Charlotte, and Carl exited the plane to find an officer holding a card with Sarah's name.
"I'm Sarah Mitchell," Sarah said. "And these are Chloe's parents, Carl and Charlotte Beale."
"I'm Officer Mark Franklin," Mark said. "Joe Nichols asked me to take you straight to the hospital."
"Have you heard anything about Beca's condition," Charlotte asked.
"Nothing yet, ma'am," Mark responded.
Mark pulled into the ER's emergency vehicle parking area, and Joe came hurrying over to meet them.
"Sarah," Joe said. "Mr. and Mrs. Beale."
"Any word on Beca?" Sarah asked.
"She's out of surgery and stable," Joe said. "I'll take you to her."
Mark joined them as Sarah, and the Beales followed Joe into the hospital. He led them to the ICU, stopping just as they entered through the main door.
"It's family only from here," Joe told the Beales. "We made arrangements for Chloe to be in there with Beca for now."
"We'll wait here," Charlotte said. "Would you let Chloe know we're here?"
"Of course," Sarah said and followed Joe to Beca's room.
Charlotte saw Aubrey sitting in the waiting room and went over to her.
"Aubrey," Charlotte said, causing the young woman to look up.
Seeing Charlotte standing before her, Aubrey jumped up and hugged her.
"How's Chloe doing?" Charlotte asked.
"Not so good," Aubrey said, wiping her tears. "She thinks it's all her fault that Beca is in here."
Joe and Sarah entered Beca's room to find Chloe sitting next to the bed as a nurse checked on Beca. Chloe jumped up as soon as she saw Sarah walk in.
"Sarah," Chloe cried as she ran into her arms.
Sarah hugged Chloe to her as they both cried.
"I'll get her doctor," the nurse said and left the room.
Chloe pulled back and looked at Sarah. "I'm so sorry, Sarah. This is all my fault. I'm so so sorry."
Sarah looked Chloe in the eye.
"Stop it!" Sarah said. "This is not your fault."
"Mrs. Mitchell?" a doctor said from behind Sarah.
"Yes," Sarah said, turning to the doctor.
"I'm Dr. Anderson," the doctor said.
"How is she, doctor?" Sarah asked as they walked over to Beca's bed.
Chloe joined them and took Sarah's hand; Sarah squeezed Chloe's hand and gave her a small smile.
"She's stable," Dr. Anderson said. "I'm not going to lie, it was touch and for a while in the operating room. But, she made it through, and we expect her to make a full recovery."
"Thank god," Sarah whispered. "When will she wake up?"
"We currently have her in a medically-induced coma," Dr. Anderson said. "This will give her body some time to start healing. We plan to bring her out of it in a couple of days."
"So, um, what were her injuries?" Sarah asked.
"She was stabbed twice," Dr. Anderson said. "And had bruises and smaller cuts on her body and face. One stab wound was in her lower back, near the kidneys. There was a small nick, but we were able to repair it. The other stab wound was in her leg. No major arteries were hit, so we were able to stitch it. She'll have a scar but shouldn't have any residual complications from it. And she has a broken left ankle."
"What the hell happened?" Sarah asked. "And how did she drive to the hospital in that condition?"
"I can't answer to what happened," Dr. Anderson said. "And I can only guess that she was acting on adrenaline to drive to the hospital."
"Thank you, doctor," Sarah said.
"If you have any further questions, just have a nurse page me," Dr. Anderson said. "I'll be back later to check on her."
"Thanks again, doctor," Sarah said.
Dr. Anderson left, and Sarah looked at Chloe.
"How are you holding up?"
Tears sprang to Chloe's eyes. "I know the doctor said she was going to be okay, but I just want her to wake up."
"I feel the same way," Sarah said.
"I don't know if anyone told you, but Roger Daniels is dead," Chloe said. "Is it wrong that I'm happy he is?"
"No, it's not wrong," Sarah said. "At least not to me, because I feel the same way about that."
Chloe and Sarah didn't say anything else. They just stood there looking down at the young woman they both loved so dearly.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Sarah said. "Your parents are here."
"They are?" Chloe asked.
"Yep," Sarah said. "They're in the waiting room. Why don't you go out and see them? I'm sure your mom would like to know you're okay."
"Thank you," Chloe said and hurried out of the room.
Chloe didn't stop moving until she was in her mother's arms. Carl hugged the two of them and held them both while they cried. He saw Aubrey wiping tears from her eyes and held out his arm toward her.
Aubrey jumped up, taking him up on the invitation to join the hug.
A/N: I know, I know. I'm late again posting, but on the plus side, it's the longest chapter so far.