by Kylie Walker
“There you go. You’re doing great! I’m so proud of you!”
Derek blinked a few times. Jake’s face was beginning to take shape. He tried to say something, but nothing would come out still. His throat felt raw. It hurt like a son of a bitch too.
“You’re going to be okay, Derek! We’re all pulling for you. We all love you and have faith in you!”
Jake wasn’t usually one for sappy, flowery words. This must be really bad. Derek thought again. He tried to move his legs again. He thought he felt a twitch in the right one, but the left one wouldn’t move at all. His eyes were starting to burn and dry out again. He closed them and again, he slept. The next time he woke up it was even easier to open them. It took him another few minutes to get his focus.
“Hey there! You’re awake!”
Hi, Dad. Where am I? Where’s Chloe? And Jake? Derek was beginning to understand that they couldn’t hear him, but he kept trying. There was something getting in the way when he tried to talk.
The breathing tube? He thought that was probably what was making that annoying beep…swoosh…beep….swoosh noise too. As a matter of fact, there were all kinds of annoying beeping noises.
“Can you hear me, Derek?” His dad slipped his hand into his. Someone must have spread the word that he was squeezing hands. Derek squeezed it. For the first time that day…or had more than one day passed? Anyways, it wasn’t as hard as it had been before.
“Awesome! I’m so happy, son. You’re going to be okay.”
That’s what everyone keeps telling me.
“Mr. Stark?” A man’s voice.
“Hi, Doc. He’s awake.”
“Good. He’s been waking up off and on for the past twenty-four hours according to the nurses. That’s great.”
Twenty-four hours? How long have I been here?
“Are you going to take the breathing tube out today?” Derek’s dad asked him.
“Yes. I’m going to ask you to step out here for a few minutes while we do that.”
They’re going to take the tube out of my throat. Then I can talk. Take it out now! Derek turned his head slightly towards the doctor.
“Did you see that? He turned his head!”
Yes, I did. Dad’s as excited as if I just took my first steps. It’s cute and scary. This must be really bad.
“Yes, I saw,” the doctor said, indulgently. “Hello, Derek. I’m Doctor Browning. Welcome back. We’re going to have your father step out while we take that tube out of your throat. Hopefully, you’ll be able to talk to us then.”
Yes, please. I would love to know what happened. I want to see Chloe.
“Derek, I’m going to just be in the waiting room. As soon as they’re finished, I’ll be back, okay?”
Okay, Dad.
“I love you, son.”
I love you too, Dad.
CHAPTER NINE
August 12,
It’s been about a week now since Derek woke up. I thought every day when I was with him before the accident that I had never experienced such joy…but today he caused me to surpass that. His dad was visiting him and he asked for me. He actually said my name! It’s the first words he’s said out loud since they took the tube out. He was able to breathe on his own right away, which is fantastic news and he seems to remember who we all are.
He uses a tablet with text to voice to communicate and every morning when I go in to see him he says, “Good morning, I’m so happy to see you!” It’s a little strange that it’s in someone else’s voice, but still very nice to hear. His motor skills are shaky, but the doctor says that’s normal. The therapists have been exercising his legs and he’s starting to move them on his own now. That was another huge relief as they weren’t sure if he had any nerve damage or not that might cause him to not be able to walk. They’re going to get him up tomorrow and see if he can walk. They said most likely he’ll need to re-learn some things and walking might be one of them. That’s okay though; I’m staying positive…he’s alive. I never saw anything as beautiful as when he opened his baby blues and looked at me that first time about a week ago. My heart actually skipped. I thought that was just a wives tale for hopeless romantics.
When he asked for me today, Kevin came out in tears. At first, I was worried that he was upset because Derek was asking for me and not him. I quickly figured out that they were happy tears. He told me that hearing him ask for me was like hearing him say his first words all over again, thirty one years later. When I went into the room, he actually smiled. His facial muscles hadn’t seemed to be working at first. He lifted his fingers off the bed and I took his hand and he said, “Chloe.” His speech was slightly slurred and his voice sounded weak and shaky.
My name never sounded so sweet.
He arranged his letters on the board and asked me what happened. We knew that would be coming and we had decided as a collective group to only tell him there was an accident. The police called Kevin last week and told him that the brake lines had definitely been cut and all the fluid drained. We know it was Jesse…but he was careful.
No one saw him and there was not even a trace of the fluid in the driveway. There were no fingerprints or hairs or fibers like you see on shows like CSI. Jesse was too smart for all of that. It makes me wonder how elaborate his plan is for getting rid of my body once he finishes with me. If they ever do catch him, all he can be charged with is Chantelle’s attack. Kevin tells me that will be his word against hers because in that case there are no other witnesses or evidence either. Since she is my best friend the defense attorney would try and make the jury believe he was set up. It’s not likely a jury would buy that, but when your father is the D.A. and your mother is still pushing for him to help you…you just never know. I can’t wait around for that to happen.
The doctor said they’re hoping to move Derek out of the ICU by the weekend and into a regular room. He’s getting better every day although he has some problems that the doctor says he’ll probably have to be transferred to a rehab hospital for. The speech is one of them. He can say my name and he’s trying to say other things, but the doctor says it’s likely the nerve that controls his speech was partially damaged but will repair itself over time. The brain is a remarkable beast. The doctor says that in time, the brain can incorporate a new nerve or a new pathway for his speech to follow. He did say it would be difficult and required a lot of hard work, but this was the most successful businessman on the east coast we were talking about. He’s starting out with more brain power impaired than most people have on a given day, I would be willing to bet. He can do this. I have no doubt.
I’m ecstatic about him getting out of ICU also because each time he passes a level of care that brings him one step closer to going home. Samantha and Trevor came into the city to see him a few days ago and Samantha talked to Kevin about taking him home to their house when he was ready. Kevin had been planning to take him to the mansion and hiring a nurse, but Samantha was offering to care for him herself and Kevin like that idea better. I like it too. I’ll be able to spend more time getting to know my family while Derek heals. Before any of that happens, I have to deal with Jesse. This has to end.
I have a semblance of a plan in my head. When I spoke to Lexi a few days ago, she told me that she and Brock were going to Arizona in a few weeks for his cousin’s wedding. They would be gone four days. Somehow, I need to make sure that Jesse knows that. I’m pretty sure that he’s still following me, so that shouldn’t be too hard. The hard part will be giving Kevin and Jake the slip. They keep a tight rein on me and I do appreciate it…but this started with me and Jesse and that’s how it has to end. At least once a week I still meet with Max. He referred me to a gym here in New York too, so I’m still working out every day. I’m strong and I’m ready…I hope.
Roxi called a few days ago to see how things were going with Derek and to tell me that they are having a going away party for Mike on Saturday night. Mike got an actual DJ job on the radio. I was really happy for him. He’s a great guy. S
he told me that they’re all meeting at her friend's bar Club 234 at ten. I haven’t talked to Jake about it yet, but if Derek continues to improve, I would like to go. I thought that when I finally got the chance to escape that nightlife, I would never look back. But I realized that most of the people working in those types of clubs, that they were just like me…doing only what they had to in order to survive. They’re good people at heart and although I don’t miss the disgusting, perverse clients even a little bit, I do miss my co-workers and my boss.
I’m headed back to the hospital now. I get to watch Derek’s therapy session today. His therapist thought me being there when he tried to walk would motivate him. I hope so. I want him back worse than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
**
Derek was taken to the therapy room by wheelchair. He was able to stand and transfer into the chair with the help of his therapist and his assistant. Chloe followed them, anxious to see how he was going to do.
“Derek, before we begin I want to just tell you what we’ve assessed so far about your condition. Your head injury seems to be located in the vestibular system. That’s a tiny little mechanism at the back of your skull here,” the therapist touched Derek’s head to show him. “That’s what shows up damaged on the MRI’s that you’ve had done. What this means is that you will very likely be strong enough to stand and walk and your body will likely remember how to do that. What you will probably have difficulties with is your balance. You’ll feel a little bit dizzy and like you’re going to fall. While we’re here in the therapy room, you don’t have to worry. We won’t let you fall. You can’t push yourself too hard either. Your body needs to be rested in order to recover so when you’ve had enough, let me know. If I see that you look exhausted or your limbs are trembling badly, or you look like you’re in pain, I’ll stop the session. Okay?”
Chloe almost danced with happiness when he nodded his head. That was the first time she had seen him do that.
“Good, okay. So, all we’re going to work on today is balance. I’m going to have you walking between the bars here so you can hold on in case you begin to fall, or you get too tired.” He wheeled Derek over to a set of bars that were hooked together on either side and a path stretched out through them.
“Okay Derek, you’re going to grab each side of the rails with your hands and pull yourself to your feet. Don’t worry if you can’t do it the first time; you’ll get stronger. Okay…go!”
It was both agony and ecstasy to watch him. His shaky arms reached for the rails and gripped onto them. Then with what looked like excruciating effort, he began to rise up out of the wheelchair. It took a really long time for him to stand up but he did. He stood there on shaking legs, gripping onto the bar. His face looked determined, but his eyes looked frightened. It was so hard for Chloe to stay where she was and not go over and try to help him. For the first time ever she realized what it must be like to be a parent. You have to let them do things for themselves in order to learn…but it must be so hard to sit back and watch them struggle. Derek was definitely struggling, but he completed his therapy session and never gave up. Chloe was as proud as a parent. This man is amazing she thought to herself.
After his physical therapy, they let him have an hour rest and then they took him to speech therapy. So far they just had him making sounds; vowel sounds, and consonants. He was doing well, but the best part was at the end of the session when he looked at me and said, “Chloe,” and then smiled at the therapist. She was impressed with him as well. After speech therapy, he needed another rest break. I sat at his bedside and held his hand.
He kept looking at me and I finally said, “You need to rest, baby. You worked hard today. Close your eyes.”
He gestured for his tablet. I rolled my eyes, but then I smiled and handed it to him. He typed in something and hit send. The robotic voice said, “I love you. Thank you for everything.”
My heart stopped for a few seconds. I squeezed his hand and said, “I love you too, and thank you for everything.”
CHAPTER TEN
Derek was excelling at everything. No one was surprised that by the end of that first week he was walking to the end of the rails and back twice at each session. He never complained and they always had to make him quit because he wanted to keep going. The speech therapy seemed to be harder for him and Chloe could tell that he was frustrated. She was so thankful for his tablet though, that way she never worried when they had to leave him alone that he would be able to get his point across and his needs met.
Tonight was the night that Chloe was going to meet Roxi and the rest of her friends at a club for the going away party for Mike. She was, surprisingly, really looking forward to it. Jake wasn’t thrilled about it and neither was Kevin when she first told them about it.
“I don’t care for that idea,” Kevin told her. Clubs are notoriously packed and it would be really hard to know if Jesse was lurking inside or not.
“I don’t care for it either,” Jake said.
“I wouldn’t mind if you sent one of the security men with me so that you didn’t have to go.”
“That’s not what we’re worried about, Chloe. It’s harder for whoever is with you to watch you in such crowded places,” Jake told her.
“I know and I’m sorry. I know this has been a huge imposition on your lifestyle.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “I work, Chloe, that’s about all I do.”
Kevin nodded and said, “I can confirm that. He has no life at all.”
Jake narrowed his eyes at his dad and Kevin laughed. Jake looked back at Chloe and said, “I’m so frustrated with the dating scene and meeting the wrong woman over and over that, I’ve practically given up going out all-together. Making sure you’re safe is not an “imposition.” But, it is a necessity because like I told you before, I’m not going to be the guy who has to tell my brother something happened to you.”
“Neither will I,” Kevin said. “But it’s not just about that either, Chloe. We care about you too.”
“I understand,” Chloe told him. “I can never tell you how grateful I am, or pay you back for all that you’ve done for me. But, I miss my friends and after I leave Derek at the hospital, I just sit there alone in that apartment every night. I’m going a little bit stir-crazy.”
Kevin and Jake looked at each other and Jake finally said, “I’ll go with you, but if it looks like you’re in any danger, we’re leaving.”
“Fair enough,” she said.
Jake picked her up at nine forty-five that night and they headed for the club. It was simply called “Club 234” because that was the address it sat at on a posh Manhattan Blvd. It was the kind of place that made Chloe really nervous. It was the kind of place that Jesse might have taken her when they were together and then beaten the hell out of her when they got home for “bumping up against” one too many guys, or because she didn’t want to dance. Back in those days, the idea of dancing in front of a bunch of people she didn’t know would have practically given her a heart attack.
She was glad Jake was with her tonight because even though they were on a list that Roxi left at the door, the place was so crowded that they still had to wait in line. Chloe looked around at all of the happy, carefree looking young people. She was the same age or even younger than most of them, but life had made her feel so far removed from most of these people. She had never felt a moment of ‘carefree’ in her life. She wondered enviously what that must be like. Jake held onto her elbow as she was ogled and “brushed” up against. A few times Chloe was worried that he would end up getting in a fight, but it seemed that he owned a look that only took once to intimidate and send the young perverts scurrying in the opposite direction. He was certainly protective. He gave her a sense of security, the way that Derek did.
When they finally reached the front of the line, the huge bouncer found their names on Roxi’s list and lifted the rope at the far left of the door.
“The party is upstairs in the “lounge area,” he told
them. “Pass the downstairs dance floor and you’ll come to the stairs. Give the guy there this,” he handed Jake a red ticket.
Jake thanked him and led her in down a long walkway, past a dance floor with white booths lining both sides. There was a live band and it was so loud that Chloe could actually feel the beats of the music inside her head. She was beginning to regret that she didn’t bow out. She tried concentrating on the ambience of the place. The chandeliers overhead moved in time with the music and the lights flickered and changed color every so often.
They found their way to the velvet covered stairs and Jake gave the big guy there the ticket. The big man stepped aside, moving the rope so they could go in. Chloe found herself impressed once again by the beautiful art work on the walls. When they reached the top, they were in a much smaller place where the music was loud here too, but instead of live, it was being piped out of speakers in the room. The walls were covered with beautiful tapestries and there were plush, comfy looking couches arranged around the perimeter of the small dance floor. There was a bar in one corner and small tables with candles burning in the center set up here and there. Chloe was confused however because although there were about fifteen or twenty people here and there, she didn’t recognize any of them.
“He said the party was here, right?” she asked Jake.
“That he did. Maybe the balcony?”
“There’s a balcony?”
“If I remember correctly,” he said, leading her towards the bar.
“You’ve been here?”
“Once, a long time ago. I didn’t care for it. The crowd is really young and by the end of the night it’s a vomit fest amongst the girls in skimpy clothing in the parking lot.”
She laughed. “Classy.”
“I know, right? Nothing turns me off faster than vomit breath.”