Chapter 4
One Year Later
The explosion had taken out several apartment complexes in the block. Everything was ridden with settling ash, the air thick with smoke. People could be heard yelling and crying out in pain. Michelle coughed as she walked through the house. Out of the corner of her eyes, half of the agents went left. In her ear, Nadia said something about one of the other field teams having apprehended the culprit cell before they could detonate the second. She pushed past debris, seeing littered bodies along the ground. Her ears pricked up at one particular cry. She followed it, innate sense taking over her.
When Michelle found the source, her heart practically stopped.
"Oh my god…" She whispered.
It was a toddler, standing amongst debris, screaming. She was alone in what Michelle could tell was once a nursery. Immediately, she ran over, feeling her heart sink into her stomach, its beat pounding in her ears. Taking a cursory glance, she seemed to be covered in soot. There was a gash on her arm, the blood dribbling down to stain the teddy bear in her hand. She coughed, presumably from the dust and ash she'd inhaled. But for the most part, she seemed okay. Shaken and distraught, but not visibly harmed other than the wound.
"It's okay…it's okay…" Kneeling down, the child's eyes were flitting about the room. Looking closer at the cut, she could see there was a large shard of glass embedded in the wound. There were smaller splinters along her arms. Even the slight pressure of Michelle's hand brushing against her hand caused her to howl out in pain.
"I need a medic!" She called, turning her head towards the hallway.
The child continued to cry, Michelle kept her eyes focused on this child's tearful green. "You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay…" She splayed her hand on the child's back, patting lightly as she coughed up more dust. For a second, she thought the child was calming down. That amongst the violence and disarray, Michelle's presence was grounding her. Her chest clutched at how such an innocent being could be caught up in such a horrific whirlwind of terror. But as she focused on Michelle's softened, concerned face, the hyperventilation slowing ever so slightly. Michelle couldn't figure out why this was. Maybe she had a resemblance to a family member or a friend? Maybe she was just the only living person this shellshocked child had been able to find? Whatever the case, Michelle felt this child was connected to her somehow.
EMTs came thundering into the room, the sudden influx causing the child to cry out louder, shake more violently, undoing all of the progress that had just been made. Michelle went to move out of the way, but was halted by the child grabbing at the fabric of her shirt. She looked up, her eyes imploring her to stay. One of the paramedics noticed this.
"Stay with her."
Nodding, Michelle continued to reassure the child, as they made initial assessments of her injuries. They were already taking a handful of other people, potential witnesses, back to the CTU medical ward instead of the nearby hospital. Michelle suggested the same for the child. They weren't yet able to communicate with the child properly, ask her things like her name, how old she was. The paramedics theorised the girl had suffered some hearing damage from the blast, but also that it could be temporary. Again, somehow amongst all this chaos, all this overwhelm, the child was able to stabilise and find trust in Michelle.
She rode with her in the ambulance all the way back to CTU, her wounds being wrapped and tended to, although there were things they wanted to check back in the ward. Once they got back to CTU, the change in environment caused the child to cry out again, especially given how full the ward had grown, with both injured agents and civilians alike.
"We can't do a saliva test or a swab, she's inhaled too many fumes and particles, I need you to keep her still so we can do a blood test."
"What?" Michelle raised her eyebrows. "She's in so much pain as it is, do you need to do that now?"
The doctor shook his head gravely. "None of the other witnesses know who she is, which means both of her parents are likely dead or weren't with her. A blood test is the only way we can identify her."
"Wait…just give me a minute."
She caught the doctor's bewildered expression from the corner of her eye as she ran out of the room. Barging into her office, she unlocked the tall cabinet. Michelle pulled out a box of stuffed animals and toys. The room that once was James' nursery had since been converted back to a holding cell. She'd been meaning to take the box of toys home, seeing as Jack and Audrey had plenty, but they'd sat collecting dust in her office. Walking back to the ward, she held one of the toys out to the girl, distracting her momentarily. Holding her wrist tenderly, Michelle cringed at the scream that escaped the child as the needle went through her tender skin.
"You're okay, it's over, you're okay, you've done so well, sweetheart, it's okay now."
The child outstretched her arms to Michelle. Instinctively, almost, Michelle scooped her into her hold, murmuring to her soothingly. She rocked her slightly, feeling the tiny heartbeat race against her chest. With the doctor's assistance, they gave her some antibiotics and painkillers for the wound, and eventually, to everyone's relief, the child fell asleep in Michelle's grip. The pang in her heart returned, as she laid the toddler down in a cot, laying a stuffed elephant beside her. She lingered at the door, watching the child sleep for a few moments, a worried look on her face.
Michelle walked slowly back to the bullpen, wiping a stray tear with the heel of her hand. Edgar seemed to perk up at her entrance.
"Michelle? I've got the results from the little girl's blood test. Thought you might want to see them."
She looked down at her watch. It seemed she'd lingered at the door longer than she'd thought.
Her footsteps picked up the pace, walking over to his monitor. Nadia followed, having overheard.
He let out a sad sigh. "Her name is Chloe. Chloe Parker."
Michelle furrowed her brow, Edgar's voice fading in her mind. The name had stuck out to her, of course, but one of the first details she'd read in the file was concerning her more. And slowly it occurred to Michell just how similar this child's position was to where she was a few years ago. Both of them had been left completely alone, their families both taken from them in one fateful explosion. Michelle wondered how much this child would remember. She at least hoped given how young she was that the memory wouldn't be prominent. After all, it took Michelle a long time to adjust to hearing explosions again, something that she'd forced herself to get used to again when she started back at CTU.
The corners of his mouth downturned. "What'll happen to her? Her parents were probably killed in the explosion, right?"
Nadia pressed her lips into a thin line, her voice also sorrowful. "If we can't find a next of kin, she'll go to Child Services, most likely end up in foster care."
Tears pricked the back of Michelle's eyes. Briskly, she walked away, the door to her office shutting audibly. Nadia looked up, chewing her lip. She stayed with Edgar for the minute, working on expanding their search for a family member that could take custody of the child. But her mind kept flitting back to Michelle. Scaling the stairs to the office, she knocked.
"Michelle? It's me, can I come in?"
"Yeah…" The voice was even, but weak.
Michelle's knuckles were white, bracing the desk beneath her. The rest of her looked equally pale and exhausted.
Nadia shut the door behind her. "It was the name, right? Edgar seemed pretty upset too, couldn't figure out why, then I clicked. I'm sorry, I know the two of you and Chloe O'Brian were close."
Her head shook slowly. "I-it wasn't just that."
She made a confused face. "What?"
"Her date of birth…it…it was around the same time as my due date." Michelle wiped under her eyes. "If me and Tony…if our son was alive, he would have been about the same age."
A quiet 'oh' left Nadia's mouth. "I'm so sorry, Michelle."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Michelle sat on the couch, Nadia joining her. She pulled her into a hug, squeezing her shoulders. They'd grown closer over the last year, working together to run CTU, knowing each other's expressions and tells so well by this point. After some time, Michelle leaned back and Nadia watched the logical, objective side of Michelle return.
"Did they find a guardian for her?"
Nadia huffed. "No. Only an uncle interstate, but he's not answering his phone. We'll have to call Child Services."
"Damn it…" Michelle took in a shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Michelle…just hear me out."
She looked up in confusion.
"This is going to sound insane but…why don't you take her?"
Michelle narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"I know you care about her and that you're worried. I know you understand exactly how she's feeling, to have your whole family taken away in one hit. And think about it…you've got all the correct clearances and checks, both from working at CTU and for taking custody of James. Child Services certainly wouldn't have an issue with it, even if they continue to search for a guardian. And given how drawn and attached she seems to you, maybe it's…maybe it's meant to be? If they can't get ahold of this relative, it only makes sense that she goes with you."
Her face screwed up in thought. "What about CTU? What about things here? Trying to raise James and work at CTU really took its toll on me, you know that. I can't run CTU and raise a child, Nadia, I don't have the energy-"
Nadia let out a soft laugh. "Milo and I will take care of things. Division allowed one husband and wife to work to run CTU once, I'm sure they won't mind letting another."
Michelle snickered. She remembered seeing Milo propose to Nadia in the middle of the CTU bullpen. It wasn't a total surprise. They'd discussed marriage and their future seriously like proper adults. But the grandiosity of the gesture of him professing his love for her, albeit cliché, had brought a smile to everyone's face that day. It made Michelle smile in general to see them together. They captured the gleeful innocence that she had felt with Tony in the early days of their relationship too.
"And honest to god, Michelle? As much as I know your work and your purpose is important to you, you haven't taken a single day off since Bill gave you his job. You left CTU in the first place to start a family. Then you only came back because you thought you'd lost your only chance, so you figured CTU was going to be your main focus for the rest of your life. But I'm sure you'll have enough money from working to get your private business up and running again."
She still looked hesitant.
Her hand rested on Michelle's shoulder. "Please, Michelle. As your friend, I'm telling you, I think this is the right thing to do. For you and for Chloe. In some strange way…it's like fate brought you both together."
Michelle looked down, smiling slightly at one of the stuffed animals she was still holding. "I-I think you might be right."
