25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020
Day 15 - Christmas Miracle or True Love?
Prompt from Author: Last Christmas, Beca lost her wife, the love of her life, to an accident. The loss isn't what you think; it's almost Christmas again and Beca can't stop thinking about Chloe.
It was the first week of December and Beca was out Christmas shopping for her three-year-old twin girls, Sophie and Sarah. Beca sidestepped yet another sidewalk Santa and the people who were dropping money into his red kettle.
"Idiots," Beca mumbled, unsure if she was referring to the money dropping people or the bell-ringing Santa. Whichever it was, she wished Christmas was over.
If it weren't for her girls, Beca would bury herself in her home studio and not come out until January. She definitely would not be out Christmas shopping. Beca didn't really hate shopping, especially for the girls, but Christmas was always Chloe's thing. And Chloe loved Christmas shopping and Beca had not wanted to take that away from her.
Thinking of her girls did bring a smile to her face. They both looked so much like Chloe that her heart ached every time she looked at them. Any thoughts of Chloe always left her with a hollow feeling in her chest.
Beca was frowning as she ducked into her favorite coffee shop. After taking her seat and placing her order, thoughts of Chloe took her brain hostage.
"Is Chloe okay?"
"Has Chloe regained any memory of me or the girls?"
"Has Chloe found someone else to love?"
The last thought brought a small sob from Beca. She looked around to see if anyone noticed and was glad to see that no one was paying her any attention.
"You okay, hon?" the waitress asked as she placed Beca's sandwich in front of her.
"I'm fine, thanks," Beca said, giving the waitress a small smile.
"Okay, then," the waitress said. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you," Beca said as the waitress walked away.
Beca took a deep breath and let it out. When she looked down at her sandwich, she realized she had ordered Chloe's favorite; tuna salad on wheat toast with tomatoes.
Beca let out a humorless chuckle as she picked up half the sandwich and took a bite. Her mind went back to that fateful day just a year ago.
"We're sorry, Mrs. Mitchell," the doctor said. "Your wife is in a coma."
"When will she wake up?" Beca asked.
"We don't know," the doctor said. "It could be a few hours, a few days, or weeks, or longer. Or she may not wake up at all."
Beca let out a sob and Stacie caught her as she slipped down to the floor.
"I got you, Beca," Stacie said, holding her best friend as she cried. "Brey and I are here for you and the girls. Okay?"
Tears flowed from Stacie's eyes as well. After a few minutes, Beca wiped her tears and slowly picked herself up from the floor.
"I need to be with Sophie and Sarah," Beca said and bolted out of the room.
Beca ran to the waiting room where Aubrey was watching over Sophie and Sarah. She ran to her two girls and hugged them.
"Mama, where's mommy?" Sarah asked, pulling away from Beca.
"Mommy's got boo-boos, baby," Beca said, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "She has to stay here so the doctors can make her better."
Stacie came in and made her way over to Aubrey.
"What did the doctor say?" Aubrey asked.
Stacie told her and Aubrey put her hand to her mouth as tears came to her eyes as well.
"So, they don't know when or if she'll ever wake up?"
"No, they don't."
"I need to take the girls home," Beca said, taking their hand in hers.
"We'll go with you," Stacie said.
"That's okay," Beca said. "I just need some time with the girls. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Okay," Aubrey said. "Call if you need anything."
"Thanks," Beca said.
"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked, bringing Beca out of her musings.
"Just the check, please," Beca said.
"Here you go," the waitress said, placing the check on the table.
"Thanks," Beca said.
Beca looked down at her plate and realized she had finished her sandwich with no memory of eating after her first bite. She shook her head and placed enough money on the table to cover her bill and a tip.
Beca gathered her bags and left the diner. As she walked to her car, her brain went back to thinking about Chloe.
It was two months after the accident that Chloe woke up. Beca left the girls with Stacie in the waiting room. She had a big smile on her face when she walked into Chloe's room.
"Look who finally decided to wake up," Beca said as soon as she saw Chloe sitting up in the bed, looking at Aubrey.
"I'm sorry," Chloe said, looking at Beca with a furrowed brow. "Do I know you?"
Beca's heart dropped and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
"What?" Beca mumbled.
"Brey, do you know her?" Chloe asked. "Oh, my gosh, is she the girlfriend you were telling me about?"
"Beca," Aubrey said, reaching out for her.
Beca put up her hands and stepped back from Aubrey. "Don't!"
Beca turned on her heel and ran out of the room.
"Beca!" Aubrey called after her. "Wait!"
Beca held it together until she was outside the room. The tears came as she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Aubrey knelt in front of her, again reaching out to Beca.
"No!" Beca screamed and shoved Aubrey away from her; Aubrey caught herself before her back could hit the floor.
Stacie heard Beca scream and ran out of the waiting to see what was happening. She walked over to Aubrey and helped her up.
"What happened?" Stacie asked. "I thought Chloe was awake."
"She is," Aubrey said. "But,-"
"But, what?!" Stacie asked.
"Chloe doesn't know who I am," Beca said, wiping her tears and pointing at Aubrey. "But, she knows her."
"Mrs. Mitchell?" the doctor said, looking down at Beca still sitting on the floor.
Beca looked up at the doctor. "I'm sorry I wasn't in the room when you came in," he said. "I wanted to tell you that when your wife woke up she didn't know why she was in the hospital. Upon questioning her, we realized she is suffering from amnesia. Mrs. Mitchell, your wife thinks she's eighteen, and in her first year of college."
"How the fuck do you forget seven years of your life, but remember everything before that?"
"We don't know," the doctor said. "We have no explanation for why or how this happens."
"What have you told her about who she is?"
"Just that her name is Chloe and that she was in an accident," Aubrey said. "She remembered on her own that we've been best friends since we were in kindergarten."
"We didn't tell her anything else because we don't want to inundate her with too much information at once," the doctor explained. "It could severely damage her brain."
"So, when will the amnesia go away?"
"We don't know," the doctor replied. "Much like her coma, it could be days,-"
"Weeks, months, or years," Beca interrupted. "I've heard all that before when she was in the coma. Oh, let's not forget the best part about how she could never remember. Never remember me. Never remember our marriage, our life together We've got two kids together for fuck's sake!"
"I'm aware of that, Mrs. Mitchell," the doctor said. "But, your wife is not. And I think we should leave it that way for a while."
"What am I supposed to do?" Beca asked, her voice catching. "What do I tell my girls?"
Beca started sobbing and Stacie gathered her in her arms.
A horn blaring brought Beca back to the present. She got in her car and made the drive home.
"I'm back," Beca called out as she entered the house.
"Mama, mama," Sophie and Sarah cried out, running to Beca and wrapping their arms around Beca's legs.
"I missed you, mama," Sarah said.
"I missed you, too, sunshine," Beca said as she picked Sarah up
"I missed you, too, mama," Sophie said, holding her arms up to Beca.
Beca picked Sophie up in her other arm. "I missed you both," she said, kissing each of their cheeks. "Did you girls behave for your Aunt Stacie?"
"They were perfect little angels," Stacie said as she walked over to the trio.
"Perfect little angels?" Beca asked with a laugh. "Whose kids were you watching?"
"Of course they were little angels," Stacie said. "I told them Santa wouldn't bring them any presents if they weren't good girls."
"We wrote letters for Santa," Sarah said.
"You did?"
"Yep, Aunt Stacie helped us," Sophie said.
Beca looked at Stacie and Stacie nodded her head, mouthing "I'll give them to you later."
Beca nodded and set the girls down on their feet.
"Stacie, you want to stay for dinner?" Beca asked. "I'm going to order pizza or something."
"Can Aubrey join us?" Stacie asked. "She really wants to see the girls."
"I've never stopped her from seeing them," Beca said.
"No, but you never stick around when she does come over," Stacie said. "She wants to see you, too."
"I don't want to see her," Beca said. "It hurts too much."
"Come on, Beca," Stacie said. "It's been almost a year. You can't blame Brey for Chl-." Stacie stopped when she saw Sophie and Sarah looking at her and Beca. "You can't blame Brey for you-know-who remembering her, but not remembering you."
"I don't blame her," Beca said, running a hand through her hair. "It's just-. Do you know how much it hurts knowing that Aubrey gets to still be a part of her life, and we can't? She's a wife and a mother and she has absolutely no idea who we are."
"Please, Beca," Stacie implored. "Brey really misses you guys."
"Fine, invite her over," Beca said. "But, I'm staying in the studio while she's here. I'm sure the girls will love seeing her."
~~ Day 15 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~
Later that evening, Beca was in her studio when there was a knock on the door. She answered to find Aubrey standing there, holding out a plate with two slices of pizza on it in one hand and a beer in the other.
"I thought you might be hungry," Aubrey said.
"Thanks," Beca said, taking the pizza and the beer.
"I wanted to say how sorry I am that all this is happening to you and the girls," Aubrey said. "If it had happened to Stacie and she woke up not knowing who I was, I don't think I'd be handling it as well as you have."
"Well, I've got Sophie and Sarah to keep me from totally going off the deep end," Beca said. "So, that helps."
"Have you thought about what you'll do if Chloe meets someone else?" Aubrey asked. "And wants to get married?"
"I have," Beca said. "But it will never happen."
"You don't know that," Aubrey said.
"I do know that," Beca said. "We're still married. Which means we'd have to get a divorce if she wanted to marry someone else. Who's going to tell her she's already married? That she has kids? That could be more than her brain can handle. And who knows what could happen to her then?"
"I, uh, I hadn't thought about that," Aubrey said.
"I have," Beca said, as tears stung her eyes. "A lot. Everyone keeps telling me I should move on, but I can't, because it would feel like I was cheating on Chloe. I'm still in love with my wife, Aubrey. And nothing is going to change that."
Beca wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"Mrs. Beale has been giving Chloe bits and pieces of her life, hoping to get her memory back," Aubrey said. "She's been taking it slow and not giving her too much to think about at once."
"Hey, Beca," Stacie said from the door. "The girls are ready for bed and wanted to say goodnight."
"Thanks, Stacie," Beca said, leaving the studio to go tuck her daughters in for the night.
~~ Day 15 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~
It was a week before Christmas, and Beca received a call from Stacie.
"Hey, Stacie," Beca said, answering the call. "Did you tell Aubrey about spending Christmas with me and the girls?"
"I did," Stacie said. "She's looking forward to it. I'm glad you two talked and you're okay being around her again. And, I have something to tell you and I need you to stay calm and not freak out."
"Telling me not to freak out," Beca said. "Already has me freaking out. Spill it!"
"Chloe's in the hospital," Stacie said.
"What?!" Beca said, sitting up straight in her chair. "Is she okay?"
"She's in a coma again," Stacie said. "Mrs. Beale called Brey last night. Chloe told her she had a headache and passed out; they had to call an ambulance for her."
"This is too much," Beca said her voice breaking. "I feel like I should go to Tampa."
"That's probably not a good idea," Stacie said. "Nothing's changed and I don't think you need to put yourself through all that pain again."
"You're right," Beca said.
"Aubrey left for Tampa as soon as she got the call," Stacie said. "She's supposed to let me know what's going on once she gets there. Do you want me to keep you posted?"
"Yes," Beca mumbled. "No. Yes, please."
"Okay,' Stacie said. "I'll let you know if anything changes."
"Thanks, Stacie," Beca said, ending the call.
Beca went to throw her phone on her desk when her screensaver caught her eye. It was a picture of her and Chloe with their girls. She traced a finger over the image of Chloe's smiling face.
"God, she has the best smile," Beca whispered as she felt a tear slide down her face.
Beca took in a breath and wiped her face with the back of her hand. She was getting tired. Tired of crying, tired of hurting all the time. She just wanted it all to stop.
Beca looked down at her phone again and sighed. There were two really good reasons to keep going, staring at her from her phone. They had already lost one mother, they couldn't lose her, too.
Beca shook her head to clear it and went back to work.
~~ Day 15 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~
The next few days brought no change with Chloe. Every time Stacie called, Beca's heart broke more as test after test brought them no closer to figuring out what caused Chloe to lapse into another coma.
It was Christmas Eve and Beca tried to put on a brave face for her girls. This time last year, she had to play Santa all alone while Chloe was in Tampa with her folks.
"Deja vu," Beca mumbled as she put wrapped presents under the tree.
It was two o'clock in the morning and Beca was sitting on the back porch, staring out into the night when there was a knock on the door. Beca furrowed her brow and checked the time.
"What the fuck?" Beca muttered as she went inside to get to the door.
There was another loud knock and Beca yelled out, "I'm coming!"
As she passed the living window, she noticed Aubrey's car in the driveway. The knocking continued and Beca threw open the door.
"What the Hell, Posen?" Beca said as soon as the door opened.
"It's Mitchell actually," Chloe said just before she threw herself into Beca's arms.
Beca let out a sob and put her arms around Chloe, pulling her tight to her. "You remember?"
"I remember," Chloe whispered and smashed her lips into Beca's.
Beca put all the love she had into that kiss. They pulled back to catch their breaths.
"I want to see our girls," Chloe whispered, rubbing the back of Beca's neck.
Aubrey wiped her tears and cleared her throat. "I'll be back with Stacie in a few hours."
"Thank you, Aubrey," Beca said, just as Aubrey closed the door.
Beca and Chloe continued to hold each other as they listened to Aubrey's car start up and drive away.
"Do you think we can wake the girls?" Chloe asked.
"Can I be selfish and ask you to wait a little while?" Beca said. "I don't want to let you go just yet."
"Okay," Chloe said. "Can we wait in bed?"
"Sure," Beca said, taking Chloe's hand and leading her up to their bedroom.
~~ Day 15 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~
Beca woke to the sound of giggling outside the bedroom door.
"Mama, mama," Sophie cried out. "Santa came!"
Beca realized she was in the bedroom she shared with Chloe, but Chloe wasn't there.
"It was all a dream," Beca thought and flopped back onto the bed.
The bedroom door opened and Sophie and Sarah came running in.
"Look, mama," Sarah said. "Santa came and he brought mommy home!"
Beca sat up in the bed to see a smiling Chloe walk in with a tray.
"Mommy made Christmas pancakes," Sophie squealed.
"I see," Beca said.
Beca caught Chloe's eye and smiled.
"Merry Christmas, babe," Chloe said, smiling back at Beca. "Come on, girls, climb up on the bed next to mama so we can eat our pancakes."
The two girls squealed and crawled onto the bed. Chloe set the tray over Beca's lap and leaned down to kiss her. She then crawled onto the bed and pulled Sarah onto her lap. Sophie snuggled into Chloe's side.
"I'm glad the doctors made you all better, mommy," Sarah said, looking up at Chloe.
"Me, too, baby," Chloe said. "Me, too!"