Prompt submitted by Rooney (Guest): Could you do one where Beca&Chloe are not dating because they haven't confessed their feelings. And it's early December and in the car driving home after a Bellas practice a deer comes out of the forest preserve or something causing Chloe to swerve and crash. Beca ends up in a coma and all Chloe & the Bellas want is to get their grumpy DJ back for Christmas.
"I can't believe it's already December first," Chloe says as she rips November off the kitchen wall calendar.
"And, I can't believe," Aubrey says, "that you've been walking around for 3 months like a lovesick puppy and haven't told Beca how you feel about her."
"I can't Brey," Chloe says. "I wouldn't even know how to bring it up."
They are interrupted by Aubrey's phone ringing.
"Hold that thought," Aubrey said as she answered the call.
Chloe sat there lost in thought. She really did like Beca. A lot. She was funny, smart, had a sarcastic sense of humor which Chloe adored, and, although she tried to hide it, she was one of the most caring people Chloe had ever met.
"I understand," Aubrey says. "I appreciate that. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"What was that all about?," Chloe asked.
"The heat is out in the Auditorium," Aubrey said. "It won't be fixed for several weeks because they have to have some part shipped in."
"What are we going to do?," Chloe said. "We have Sectionals two weeks after we get back from Winter Break. We need to get our performance nailed down now."
"The University is providing a place for us to rehearse," Aubrey said. "It's all the way across town, so we just have to figure out how to get everyone there and back."
"Well, you and I can drive," Chloe said. "We just need to find one more car and it will all be okay."
"Doesn't Ashley have a car here?," Aubrey asked.
"Jessica does," Chloe said.
"Are you sure it's not Ashley?," Aubrey asked.
"No, it's Jessica," Chloe said. "Let's send out a group text and have everyone meet here. Then we can work it out and get to practice."
"On it," Aubrey said.
Less than an hour later all the Bellas were at Aubrey and Chloe's and they divided up the girls between the three cars. Aubrey drove Stacie, CR, and Denise; Chloe had Beca and Amy; and Jessica drove Ashley and Lily. They arrived at their new rehearsal location. Aubrey showed them the area they were going to use for cardio and got them started. Chloe checked out the room and was able to work out the choreography to fit the space. Practice went fairly well.
"All right ladies," Aubrey said. "That's it for today. Now, since we have to spend extra time getting here to practice, I need you all to make sure that you arrive at our apartment on time so we can still get in a 2 hour practice every day. Now tomorrow is Saturday so we have extended practice. We should meet up at 8:30 so we can be here by 9:00 and can get done by Noon. Then if everyone wants, we can hit the diner for lunch on the way back. Is everyone okay with that?"
Everyone agreed and they went back to the university. The extra hour that was added due to their commute, wasn't a real problem until Tuesday night. That was the one night that they had a late practice. It was after 11:30 pm when they left the practice space and everyone was tired. Beca and Amy climbed into Chloe's car and Chloe told them they had to stay awake with her. Both girls moaned but they decided to turn up the radio and have a sing-a-long. They had been driving for about 10 minutes and singing along to Pink's new song.
"Chloe, look out!," Beca yelled.
Chloe turned the wheel sharply to avoid the deer that had come onto the road. She lost control and the car hit a tree. Aubrey and Jessica had been following Chloe and both pulled over. All the girls jumped out of the cars and ran over to check on their friends. Stacie called 911 to report the accident.
Amy was moaning in the backseat. Beca and Chloe were both unconscious. Aubrey was trying to open Chloe's door. Stacie and CR pulled her back.
"Let the emergency guys do that," Stacie tells her holding onto her to keep her back. "We don't want to move them. It could makes things worse for them."
All of the girls were visibly shaken. The police, fire department, and EMTs all arrived within seconds of each other. The girls all told the police what they saw while the firefighters worked on getting the girls out of the car.
Chloe woke up and started looking around. She shielded her eyes from all the bright lights. She looked over and saw Beca with her head dropped down so that her chin was touching her chest. She could see blood dripping off her nose and chin.
"Oh, my God," Chloe cried out. "Beca! Beca, can you hear me?"
She reached for the brunette but just then her car door was pried open. An EMT reached in and gently turned Chloe's head to face the front. He put a neck collar on her and Chloe kept trying to look over at Beca.
"Stay still miss," the EMT told her. "Can you tell me where you have pain?"
"Just my head. My head hurts," Chloe told him. "You have to help my friend. Please?"
"My buddy's looking after her," the EMT told her. "Don't worry. He'll take good care of her."
Amy was helped out of the car and was able to walk on her own to the ambulance. The EMTs are ready to remove Beca and Chloe from the car. The firefighters put a backboard on the the edge of the seat and the EMT gently lays Beca on her side on the board. He then pulls her legs out, with the help of a firefighter, slides her up so that her whole body is now on the board. They slowly turn her on her back and strap her down. They get Chloe out and strap her down on a board as well. Both girls are placed on gurneys and taken to waiting ambulances.
"No," Chloe says struggling to sit up. "I have to go with Beca. I need to be with her."
"I'll go with Beca," Stacie tells her. "You need to settle down. Okay? Do it for Beca."
Stacie's words get through to Chloe and she settles back and stops struggling. Stacie rushes over and asks to go with Beca. Amy is put in the ambulance with Chloe. Both ambulances take off. Aubrey is really shaken up so CR gets behind the wheel of Aubrey's car and drives Aubrey and Denise to the hospital. Jessica follows with Ashley and Lily.
When the girls arrive they rush into the Emergency Room and find Stacie pacing back and forth.
"They're all being looked after," Stacie tells them. "We just have to wait."
"I should call Chloe's folks," Aubrey said and pulls out her phone.
"I'll call Beca's dad," Stacie said and pulls out her phone.
A few minutes later both girls end their calls.
"Chloe's folks are going to drive up from Tampa," Aubrey tells them. "They should be here around 9:00. They asked us to keep them informed."
"Beca's dad's on his way," Stacie said. "He should be here shortly."
The girls are sitting around, all of them worried about their friends. Dr. Mitchell and his wife, Sheila, arrive. The girls tell them what happened and Dr. Mitchell goes up to see if there is any news on Beca. He comes back and says they're running tests.
"A doctor will come out when he can to update us," Dr. Mitchell says.
Several of the girls have fallen asleep. Amy comes out and the girls all hug her.
"Are you okay?," Stacie asks her.
"Yeah," Amy said. "They checked me out and I'll be sore from the seat belt but otherwise I'm okay. Have you heard anything about Chloe and Beca?"
"Not yet," Stacie tells her.
They sit and wait some more. Beca's dad gets up and starts pacing. Sheila goes over and says something to him. She then starts to lead him outside.
"Call us if the doctor comes out," Sheila said to the girls. "Ben just needs some air."
They assured her they'd find them if the doctor came out before they came back. Aubrey was sitting with her head in her hands. Stacie went over and sat next to her.
"Chloe will be okay," Stacie said. "She is a strong, stubborn young woman."
Aubrey looked over at Stacie and gave her a small smile.
"I know you won't believe this," Aubrey said. "But, it's Beca I'm most worried about. She looked bad when they got her out of the car."
"She does kind of grow on you, doesn't she?," Stacie said with a small laugh.
"Yeah, she does," Aubrey says and smiles.
"Chloe Beale family?," a doctor calls out.
All the girls jump up and gather around the doctor.
"I'm Aubrey Posen," Aubrey says. "Chloe's parents are enroute from Tampa and won't be here for several hours. If you check, you will find that I am listed as an emergency contact."
"Yes, of course," the doctor says. "I'm Dr. Michaels. Ms. Beale suffered a head injury. We ran some tests and she has a slight concussion but no other indicators or anything more serious. We want to keep her overnight for observation. She should be able to go home tomorrow. Any questions?"
"Can we see her?," Aubrey asks.
"She's in a room," Dr. Michaels. "She may be sleeping and it's late. If you want to see her, just do it quietly. Anything else?"
"No, sir," Aubrey says.
"What about Beca Mitchell?," Stacie asked. "She was brought in with Chloe. They were in the same car."
"I'm sorry, I don't know," Dr. Michaels said. "I'll see who she has attending to her and let them know you're waiting for an update."
"Thank you," Stacie said.
The doctor nodded and went back through the door he had come from. The girls all sat back down and continued their wait. Sheila and Ben came back into the waiting room.
"We saw a doctor," Sheila said.
"He was telling us about Chloe," Aubrey said. "He was going to check to see who Beca's doctor was and get us an update."
"Thank you," Ben said. "How is Chloe?"
"She has a slight concussion," Aubrey told him. "She'll be fine and can go home tomorrow. Or later today, I guess. Her folks are on their way here."
"Let Mr. and Mrs. Beale know they can stay with us," Ben says. "We have plenty of room and we're close by. No sense in paying for a hotel room they won't be spending much time in."
"Thank you, Dr. Mitchell," Aubrey said. "I'll make sure they know. I'm going to go see Chloe."
"I'll go with you," Amy says.
The two blondes go to the desk to find out where Chloe's room is. They walk off together. The other girls are in various stages of sleeping and Ben has his head back with his eyes closed. Sheila was sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder, sleeping as well.
"Beca Mitchell family?," a voice calls out causing everyone to jerk awake.
"I'm Ben Mitchell, her father," Ben says as he walks over to the doctor.
Sheila walks over to stand by her husband. The girls all stand a respectable distance away but close enough to hear what is said.
"I'm Dr. Lawrence," the doctor said. "I apologize for the wait. We've been running several tests on your daughter. What we know is that she has a broken right arm. The break leads us to believe she put her hand on the dash to brace herself at the time of impact. She also received three stitches for a small gash on the right side of her head near her temple. What we are most concerned about though, is that she isn't awake yet. We've run a variety of tests and, except the fact that she obviously hit her head on the car window, we can't figure out why she hasn't woken up. I'm afraid she's in a coma."
The girls all gasp and look at each other.
"Do you know when she'll come out of it?," Ben asked.
"I'm afraid we don't," Dr. Lawrence said. "We will monitor her constantly. It's all up to her now. I wish I could give you something more definitive, but I can't. It could be days, weeks, or even months. I'm sorry."
"Can we see her?," Sheila asks.
"Yes," Dr. Lawrence says. "She's in the SICU, which is our Neuro Intensive Care Unit. Go to the fifth floor and check in at the desk. It's open for visitors 24/7 so you shouldn't have a problem getting in to see her now. We do prefer that there be no more than 3 or 4 visitors in the room at one time."
"Thank you, Dr. Lawrence," Ben said.
"Dr. Mitchell," Stacie said. "We'd like to see Beca if that's okay."
"Of course," Ben said. "Let's all go up. You can see her and then I think you should all go home and get some rest. Sheila and I will stay the night with her."
"Thank you," Stacie said turning back to the girls. "You guys go with Dr. Mitchell. I'm going to fill Aubrey in and bring her and Amy to see Beca before we leave. Okay?"
The girls all nod and everyone heads for the elevators. Stacie gets off on the third floor and goes to Chloe's room. Chloe is sitting up and talking to Aubrey and Amy.
"Stacie!," Chloe says when she sees her. "What's going on with Beca? Have you heard anything yet?"
"Um, yeah," Stacie said.
She told them what the doctor had said. Chloe had tears running down her face.
"This is all my fault," Chloe said.
"Chloe, it was an accident," Amy said. "I was in the car, too, and I don't blame you. Beca won't either. It's no one's fault. You shouldn't think like that."
Aubrey holds Chloe while she cries. Stacie tells them that the rest of the girls were visiting Beca before they head back to Barden.
"Stacie," Aubrey said. "CR has my keys. You guys take my car back to Barden. I'm going to stay with Chloe."
"Okay," Stacie said. "I'm sure they'll want to come by to say goodnight to Chloe."
All the girls make a quick stop to say goodnight to Chloe and Aubrey. After they leave, Chloe calls her mother to let her know what was going on and to tell her about the Mitchells' invitation to stay at their house while they were in Barden.
"You'll meet them when you get here," Chloe said. "I love you, too. Drive safe."
Chloe ends her call and Aubrey settles in the chair by Chloe's bed.
"I want to see Beca," Chloe says. "I need to see her."
"Wait until the morning, Chlo," Aubrey tells her. "After your folks get here and the doctor releases you. You need to rest. Beca will be upset with you if you don't take care of yourself."
Chloe sighs and quietly says, "Okay."
The next day Aubrey wakes up to find Mrs. Beale sitting quietly in Chloe's room.
"Good morning, Aubrey," Mrs. Beale says.
"Good morning," Aubrey says. "When did you guys get here?"
"A couple of hours ago," Mrs. Beale responds. "We met Beca's folks and they took us to their house to show us where we would be staying. They also gave us a spare key so we can come and go as needed. They are really very sweet. Carl stayed to get some sleep. He drove straight through and wouldn't let me drive at all."
"Did you see Beca?" Chloe asked.
"Hey, Chlo-bear," Mrs. Beale says. "Yes, we did. She's very pretty. And she looks pretty good. Ben said there's no change though."
"Can you get the doctor for me?," Chloe asks. "I want to get out of here so I can see Beca."
"I'll go," Aubrey said.
The doctor comes and Chloe is discharged after a bit. She immediately goes up to see Beca. She walks in and greets Ben and Sheila. She looks at Beca and the tears start.
"I'm so sorry," Chloe said. "I was the one driving. It's all my fault she's here."
"Chloe," Dr. Mitchell says walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. "We heard what happened. It wasn't your fault. It was just a stupid accident. Stop torturing yourself. I know Beca would tell you the same thing."
Dr. Mitchell hugged Chloe tigher as she sniffled and nodded her head although she still felt guilty.
Over the next two weeks, the days blend into each other. Chloe spends every minute at the hospital sitting and talking with Beca, until Ben or her mother forces her to leave to get some rest, or eat, or shower. The Bellas visit every day and sit with Beca. The all talk to her because the doctor said she could probably hear them.
Ben and Sheila tag teamed with Carl and Charlotte Beale in spending time with Beca. Ben was the head of the Literature Department at Barden Unversity and couldn't be away as much as he wanted to, especially with Finals and Winter Break coming up. Sheila worked as a realtor and had clients to deal with. So, when they couldn't be there to sit with Beca, the Beales were there.
On one of the days the Beales were sitting with Beca, Carl had gone to get them all coffee so Charlotte was alone with Chloe. She decided to have a talk with Chloe.
"You love her don't you?," Charlotte asked Chloe.
"She's one of my best friends, mom," Chloe responded not looking at her mother.
"I know that," Charlotte said. "But, I also see the way you look at her. Does she feel the same way about you?"
"I, I don't know," Chloe said. "I haven't told her how I feel."
"Maybe you should," Charlotte said. "Tell her now and then it will be easier to say when she wake ups."
"I don't want to ruin our friendship," Chloe said. "I want to keep her in my life. If I tell her I love her, and she doesn't feel the same way, she'll run. I couldn't bear that."
"Tell her," Charlotte said. "You might be surprised. She might just tell you that she feels the same way about you."
"I'll think about it," Chloe says. "Thanks, mom."
Charlotte just smiles.
"Oh, before I forget," Charlotte says. "Ben and Sheila have invited us to extend our stay and spend Christmas with them. They figure you aren't going to want to go home as long as Beca is here, and we won't go home without you, so we said yes. Your Aunt Madeline is shipping all our presents here and your Uncle Bud is taking care of the shop for dad."
"That's good news, mom," Chloe said with a smile.
Two days before Christmas and most of the girls have reluctantly gone home to spend Christmas with their families. They were all worried about Beca and wanted to be there for her. All the Bellas made sure to go to the hospital to visit Beca before they left. CR leads them all in a prayer asking for a speedy recovery for Beca. They all asked Chloe and Aubrey to give them daily updates on Beca's condition. Aubrey was supposed to go to Tampa with Chloe, so she was now spending Christmas with the Beales and the Mitchells. Beca had already invited Amy to her dad's for Christmas since she wasn't going home either.
It was Christmas Eve and Chloe, Aubrey, and Amy were in Beca's room. They had sent Beca's dad and Sheila, along with Carl and Charlotte Beale, home for the night to get some rest. It was late and Amy had fallen asleep in a chair in the corner. Aubrey and Chloe were sitting in chairs on opposite sides of Beca's bed.
"I wish she'd wake up," Chloe said. "I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't."
"Don't think like that," Aubrey said. "She's going to wake up and you're going to grow a pair and tell her you love her. She'll say it back because everyone can tell she loves you, too. She'll be the pain in my ass she always was and things will be back to normal."
"You like her," Chloe says with a smile. "Admit it. You think of her as a friend."
"Maybe," Aubrey says and smiles.
"I knew it," Chloe says. "She considers you a friend, too. She respects you. She told me so. She also threatened to kill me if I told you, so pretend you don't know."
Aubrey laughed and smiled. Her phone pinged.
"Stacie said hi and was checking on Beca," Aubrey said after reading the text.
Aubrey texted back and put her phone away. Her phone pinged again and she checked it and smiled. She texted back. This went on for a few minutes before Chloe's eyes widened.
"You like Stacie!," Chloe said.
"I, we," Aubrey sighs. "Maybe."
"That's great, Brey," Chloe said. "I'm really happy for you. Stacie's a great girl."
Aubrey finally puts her phone away.
"Did you see that?," Chloe said excitedly. "She squeezed my hand. Beca squeezed my hand."
"Are you sure," Aubrey asked.
"Squeeze it again, Beca," Chloe was practically yelling. "Please. Beca? Can you squeeze my hand?"
Nothing happened. A nurse came in and Chloe said something about Beca squeezing her hand. The nurse got the doctor and he came in and checked Beca over.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Lawrence said. "It may have just been a reflex action."
The doctor patted Chloe on the shoulder and left the room.
"I felt it," Chloe said and tears streamed down her face. "I know I did. She squeezed it. She squeezed my hand."
Aubrey held Chloe as she cried. She had to smile when saw that Amy never woke up with all that had just happened. Chloe cried for quite a bit. She was tired. She wanted Beca to wake up. But, she was tired. Chloe's tears finally subsided and Aubrey noticed she had fallen asleep. She gently moved Chloe so her head was laying on the bed.
Aubrey moved over to the other chair and reached across the bed and took Beca's hand.
"I believe Chloe felt you squeeze her hand," Aubrey told Beca. "I'm going to hold on so I can feel it next time. So, feel free to squeeze away."
Aubrey held Beca's hand and sat there for a few minutes. She wiped a tear that had fallen and cleared her throat.
"Hey, God," Aubrey said softly. "I know most people ignore you until they want something, and I know I've been guilty of doing the same. But, this isn't a prayer for me. This is for my best friend, Chloe, and our friend, Beca. Beca is in a coma and I know you know when, or if- if, she'll come out of it. All I'm asking is if you could please find a way to bring her back to us. To Chloe. Chloe loves this girl so much. It will kill her if Beca doesn't come out of this. The Bellas, and I, um, we love her, too. She's a really good person. A really good friend. So, please God, bring her back to us. Please?"
Aubrey stops for a minute to compose herself and wipe away her tears.
"I just need to have my friend back," she continues, her voice shaky. "I know she's snarky, and sarcastic, and just likes to push my buttons, but, she makes me better. She makes us all better. We need her. Chloe needs her. I need her. We-. I'm just not ready to lose her yet. So, please, God, give us a Christmas miracle. In your name, I ask this. Amen."
Aubrey has her head down and she wipes tears from her face. She feels Beca's hand tighten in hers and she looks at Beca.
"I must be worse off than I thought if you had to call on the big guy," Beca croaks out.
"Beca?," Aubrey says. "Oh, my God! Chloe! Chloe, wake up."
"Brey, stop yelling," Chloe mumbles.
"Beca's awake," Aubrey says and jumps up to go get a nurse or a doctor or somebody.
"Beca's awake?," Chloe asks as she lifts her head and looks at Beca. "Beca! You're awake!"
"Beca's awake?," Fat Amy says and hurries over to the bed.
"Yeah," Beca says and tries to clear her throat. "Water?"
"Um, let's wait for the doctor," Chloe said. "I can't believe you're awake."
"You really had us worried, Beca," Amy says.
Aubrey comes back in with a nurse and Dr. Lawrence. The doctor looks at Beca and smiles.
"How are you feeling?," he asks.
"Could I have some water?," Beca asks.
"Sure," the doctor said.
"I got it," Chloe says and opens her water bottle and hands it to Beca.
Beca takes a drink and clears her throat. She takes another drink.
"Better?," the doctor asks.
"Yes," Beca says clearly.
"Okay, ladies," Dr. Lawrence says. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can do a thorough examination of Ms. Mitchell."
"What? No," Chloe said. "She just woke up."
"Come on, Chlo," Aubrey said putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward the door. "We can come right back as soon as the doctor is done."
Chloe doesn't say anything but looks back at Beca.
"I'm not going anywhere," Beca said with a smile. "I swear."
Chloe nods as Aubrey leads her out of the room, followed by Amy. Once out of the room, Chloe calls Dr. Mitchell to let him know Beca is awake. He tells Chloe they'll be at the hospital as soon as they can. Aubrey sends a group text to all the Bellas letting them know. Her phone immediately starts pinging with messages of love and support for Beca.
The doctor comes out of the room and tells them Beca is fine. There should be no reason why she can't be home in a day or two. He called it a Christmas miracle. Aubrey grabs Amy before she can go back into Beca's room.
"Let's go get some coffee," Aubrey says to Amy and pulls her toward the cafeteria.
"And a scone," Amy said. "I'm hungry."
"And a scone," Aubrey says with a laugh.
Chloe enters the room and she is alone with Beca. She slowly walks over to the bed and just stands there looking around. Beca pats the bed next to her and Chloe smiles and sits down.
"Merry Christmas, Chloe," Beca tells her.
"It is," Chloe says. "Merry Christmas, Beca."
"You won't believe this," Beca says. "But, I had some weird dreams while I was out. It's like I could hear everybody. Amy talking about fighting dingos, your mom talking about spending Christmas here, and one of the nurses thinks Aubrey's hot."
"Better not let Stacie hear that part," Chloe said with a laugh.
"Stacie and Aubrey, huh?," Beca said. "Wow. That part wasn't a dream either."
"What else do you remember?," Chloe asked.
"Well," Beca said. "I heard my dad and Sheila, and the Bellas praying for me. I woke up to Aubrey saying a prayer for me. I also heard you. You were like the one voice that was always there. There were a few times when, I could have sworn you said something about being in love with me. Was I dreaming that? Did I dream that you told me that you were in love with me? Was anything I thought I heard real?"
Chloe is looking down at her lap. Beca lifts her head up by her chin so she can look at her.
"Was it a dream?," Beca asked. "The part where you said you were in love with me? Because, I'm seriously hoping it wasn't."
"It wasn't a dream," Chloe whispered. "I said it. My mom said I should tell you while you were in the coma, so maybe it'd be easier to say when you were awake."
"So?," Beca said. "I'm awake."
"I love you, Beca Mitchell," Chloe said with tears in her eyes.
"Good," Beca whispered with a smile. "Because I love you, too, Chloe Beale."
Using her good arm, Beca pulled Chloe to her and grabbed her lips in a sweet kiss. Chloe put her hand behind Beca's neck and pull her closer, deepening the kiss. They break the kiss and Beca put her forehead against Chloe's. They sit this way for a few minutes. Beca takes Chloe's hand and squeezes it. She leans in and give Chloe another kiss. Aubrey and Amy walk in to see Beca and Chloe kissing.
"Well," Amy said. "I guess Stacie won the bet."
"What bet?," Aubrey asks. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know."
Aubrey walks over to Beca and Chloe and says "I take it you guys used your alone time well."
"We totes did," Chloe said. "And, you get to give my girlfriend the whole 'hurt my best friend and I'll hurt you speech'."
"That's great news," Aubrey said and then turns to Beca with a mock stern look. "Beca, we will talk later."
"Yes, ma'am," Beca says with a smile. "I look forward to it."
The Mitchells and the Beales come hurrying into the room. Ben rushes over to the bed and pulls Beca into a hug.
"Ow," Beca said. "Watch the arm, dad."
"Sorry," Ben said. "I'm just so happy you're awake."
Everyone is smiling and laughing. Amy and Aubrey are standing by the window to allow the two families time with Beca. Beca hasn't let go of Chloe's hand. She announces that she and Chloe are a thing now. The Mitchells and the Beales are all happy for them. Charlotte pulls Chloe into a hug.
"I'm so happy you told her," Charlotte tells her.
"So am I," Chloe whispered with a big smile.
Aubrey watched all that was happening with a smile. She looked out the window and up into the sky. She wiped away a tear and mouthed "Thank you" to the heavens.
