The Wrong Side of Midnight

by Terri Marie

  Matthew picked at the bottle label. "I'm ticked off she lied to me. She tried to stoop to my level out of pity, that's what hurts the most. Can you imagine the audacity of someone pretending to be poor? That is mocking me."

  "You wouldn't have gone near her if you knew how rich she was. You couldn't look past the money, Matt. Maybe it's time to swallow your pride and realize she helped you out of love."

  "Love…" Matthew laughed, and out the door he went.

  John glanced at the clock and was grateful it was Sunday.

  He didn't feel like going back inside his apartment. The sound of oxygen hissing made him feel guilty. Matthew knew his father would feel better if he got the care he needed. He walked out to the parking lot, leaned against his old pickup, and looked over at the new red Chevy Silverado underneath the lights. If I ever see that fake salesman again, I'll break his jaw. I wonder how much humor they both got over me acting like an idiot. Memories of running down the hall yelling how he'd won came flooding back, making his face burn. I wish someone would set it on fire. But the old truck was on its last leg, and he feared that one day soon it'd break down and never start again. Then what? Matthew lost track of how long it'd been since he talked with Chloe. He missed her and hated her at the same time. He knew a relationship with that woman would mean being her project. She's probably told all her rich friends about how pathetic my life is, but my life was just fine until she showed up.

  At seven in the morning, Matthew went back home, got his father situated and made his breakfast.

  "Aren't you going to eat, son?"

  "No, I have something to do real quick." Matthew opened up the checkbook and wrote out his first payment to Chloe for two hundred dollars. That was the amount the hospital agreed upon to pay off his father's bills. He wrote on the bottom, "Reimbursement for medical bills," and tore out a sheet of paper from a tablet and wrote a message. "I'll configure the interest and give you back every cent. We were doing just fine until you put your nose where it didn't belong." Matthew sealed the envelope and walked down to Sherry's office. She was just starting a pot of coffee.

  "Good morning, sweetie. You're up early for a Sunday. Is everything okay?"

  "Yeah, it's all good. Could you give this to Miss Burlington?"

  "When are you going to stop this hate crusade you're on? I've gotten to know her, and she told me why she did what she did, and I believe her. You would too if you'd give her the time of day. Honestly, I love you dearly, but you're acting like a—"

  "Just make sure she gets it. Thanks, Sherry, I appreciate your concern."

  Sherry watched as he walked out of the office.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Chloe awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She ran and grabbed it off the kitchen table, then hurried back to bed and under the blankets before answering it.

  "Tell me you're not still sleeping at two in the afternoon."

  "No, it's freezing outside. I was just taking a nap."

  "Chloe, I'm on my way over. If you've allowed yourself to fall back into that sink hole…"

  "I didn't! Look, Beck, I worked until twelve-thirty and then came home for lunch. I had a tuna salad sandwich and scarfed down two brownies. I'm fine. You know I sleep if I get cold. Cleaning the hall with people coming in and out of the door didn't make a very warm environment to work in. I ran in here to get warm and fell asleep. Seriously, stop worrying about me."

  "Have you spoken with Matthew? Tell me you're still staying away from him."

  "The only communication I've received is a nasty letter with a check enclosed, so he can start paying me back. Your plan isn't working."

  "Give it time."

  "It's been months, and I can't wait anymore. I'm going to make some lasagna from scratch and take it down the hall. Conner won't be expecting me so maybe he'll open the door. All I need is a chance, Becky. One lousy chance…"

  "Uh, you're going to make it?"

  "I found a recipe online. I'll get up early tomorrow morning and get my work done for Sherry, and then run home and start cooking. He'll love it."

  "He will. One look at your beautiful face and he'll melt right on the spot." Becky didn't even believe that line. She cleared her schedule for tomorrow night, just in case she had to pull Chloe out of the pits of hell, again.

  Chloe quickly finished her tasks at work and couldn't wait to get to the store. Her happy mood didn't escape Sherry.

  "It's so nice to see you having such a good day, it's long past due."

  "I'm going to cook dinner for Matthew and Conner. I need to drop it off while Conner's alone at the apartment, because he'll be more accepting, I think. If I can have the chance to explain to him, he'll help me with Matthew. I want you to take this key for the new truck. If his old one stops working he'll at least have access to transportation."

  "I hope your dinner is a huge success, dear." Sherry took the truck key and put it in an envelope for Matthew.

  "It has to work. The holidays are just around the corner and I want to make sure theirs isn't miserable. One chance is all I need. Even if Matthew continues to hate me, but Conner forgives me and accepts my help, I can live with that."

  "You really aren't doing this just to get Matthew back."

  "I would love to be with him. He's the one I was meant to be with, and no one could convince me otherwise. But I love him enough to trade. I'm willing to stay far away from him if it means I could help them have a better life. I'm sure he'll never forgive me for lying and being so deceitful, but I really did have good intentions. I screwed up, Sherry, and I have to pay the consequences."

  Sherry would make sure she shoved the envelope under the Sharp's door.

  Chloe wrote out her grocery list, threw her hair in a ponytail, called Becky, and then headed out the door. She couldn't wait to cook this dinner. If she was given the chance to talk with Conner, she'd be sure to leave Matthew out of the conversation as much as possible. They both had to believe she wasn't plotting to get Matthew to come back. Her words weren't going to have much clout, so she'd have to show them both. Beyond cooking the dinner, Chloe had no idea how she'd pull that off. One day at a time.

  When she reached the big intersection, the light was green. Chloe was hoping it'd be red so she could stop and visualize Matthew being there. The driver in the large, speeding Blazer had the red light but didn't even bother to break, let alone stop.

  The old blue Impala rolled twice before slamming into a telephone pole and coming to rest on its mangled side.

  Chapter 9

  Becky drove across the railroad tracks with a bouquet of assorted flowers, a bottle of red wine, and a box of cannoli. When Chloe told her about cooking the lasagna, she felt the need to help. Her friend would be scattered with nerves and would surely forget the small stuff. This was such an important evening for her best friend; a chance to be with someone she loved. She thought Chloe loved Edmund, but after witnessing her love for Matthew, Becky knew he was the one. She'd do anything to help give Chloe the life she more than deserved, more than paid for. Had she known how miserable Chloe was all these years, she would have yanked her from that house long ago. How it must have crushed Chloe to spend every moment of every day pretending she had loving parents, a great boyfriend, a happy life. Every time she thought about the whole picture, water filled her eyes.

  Construction. Great. Becky sighed heavily and looked for a way to get around the traffic backup. Afraid to leave the main road and drive on unfamiliar, and probably dangerous, side streets, she decided to wait it out. The thoughts of leaving this road and getting lost were terrifying her. She saw some cars turning around which would definitely give her a chance to do the same; she just had to move up some. Twenty minutes passed and finally Becky could see an officer directing traffic. The closer she got, the more police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks came into view. No construction workers. Oh God, an accident. A bad one. Becky said a silent prayer as she waited her turn to be directed by the officer. Hopefully she wouldn't see
any of the victims.

  One of the vehicles came into view. Becky stared at the totaled SUV, which had a white tarp lying over the driver's side of the smashed front end. Someone died. Her whole body began to tremble at the thought of it all. She hoped it wasn't someone young, or a mother, or….The officer began blowing his whistle louder, his arm moving more urgently in the 'turn around' motion. Becky's hands gripped the steering wheel, her mouth opened….The officer began yelling louder. "Ma'am, turn around please!" Her fingers wrapped around the door handle, sweat was making them slip off. "Stay in your car and turn around. Now!" She flung open the door, knocking the officer back some.

  "Nooooooo!!! No, no, no, no, NOOOOO!!!" Becky took off running and continued to run in midair as the officer wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifting her off the ground to hold her back. "Ma'am, they're getting ready to cut the victim out of the car. We don't know what kind of condition they're in. Do you know the driver?"

  "Chloe! Chloe Burlington! Oh, God!!!"

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Lois Shepherd fixed herself a warm cup of milk and sat down with the evening paper. Normally at this hour she'd be cleaning up the kitchen while talking to Chloe after their dinner. She missed that girl. Lois quietly laughed to herself at how they both managed to escape the estate. Even though she told Earl Burlington about the neglect his daughter was enduring, she doubted anything had changed. You either love someone enough to act decently on your own or you don't. The fact that she had to make the call in the first place was heartbreaking. Chloe was like a daughter to her, and she wished what any normal mother would wish for their child; happiness, love, and the freedom to be what she aspired to be. She checked the paper every day for updates about the Burlington's. It was the only way she'd ever find out if they cared enough to come home to their daughter.

  The society page was filled with celebrities. What some people wear…Lois laughed loudly at the old actresses who still dressed like they were eighteen. Who could walk in those shoes?! She turned the page and looked at celebrity homes, some in foreclosure or for sale. Rich couples involved in divorce disputes were always splattered on the pages. The photographs of their children were the worst offense. Putting the face of a child out there for every sick pedophile….God, they got a picture of Chloe! Lois immediately felt her blood boil. Leave that child alone! She looked at the article for a reporter's name, someone to yell at over this. Bastards!

  …Slowly, the paper dropped from her hands. With shaking legs, Lois held onto the armrests of the recliner while trying to stand. Bile rose to her mouth, adding a gurgling sound to her scream. The house suddenly seemed larger as she tried to make herself walk down the hall to the kitchen; it was taking forever. After dropping the phone three times while trying to dial, she could barely process the voice on the other end. "Hello, this is Chloe. Leave me a message and I'll call you back shortly."

  "You call me right back, Chloe! You call me!!!"

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Matthew walked in the door at seven in the evening feeling agitated and exhausted. There was an envelope sitting on the counter with his name on it. Ripping it open, he immediately recognized the new truck key. He shoved it in his pocket so he would remember to give it right back to Chloe. She's got a lot of nerve…Thinking about the truck fiasco really ticked him off, but it was the constant harping to forgive and forget that really sent him over the top. "You should talk to her…Give her a chance…She's only trying to help…She loves you...Matthew didn't have to be reminded of what he constantly struggled over. His pride was too big to admit he could use the financial help she tried to give. Men are supposed to take care of women, not the other way around. The anger he felt was eating him alive. The lies are what did it. If you love someone, you don't lie to them, especially about who the hell you are! He reached in the fridge and grabbed a beer before acknowledging his father. He loved the man more than anything, but also knew 'The Chloe' conversation was going to come soon. He better be ready for the repeated 'talk to her' argument, and a beer or two would help with that.

  "Hey, Dad, how're you feeling? Are you hungry?"

  Conner watched his son take the beer and sit on the sofa while he turned on the news. His clenched jaws were easy to see. Conner responded but doubted Matthew even heard him. He was watching his boy's life slowly fall apart and felt incredibly helpless.

  "Yeah, I could eat a bite," he repeated. "There're some hotdogs in the fridge." Conner thought it best to keep the conversation light, no matter how bad he wanted to talk about what was eating at his son.

  "Sounds good to me." Matthew got up and headed to the kitchen. He reached under the stove and pulled out a small pot to boil the hotdogs in, then searched around for something to go with it. Green beans. That'll work. "Green beans okay with you?" Matthew waited for a response before opening the can. No response came from the living room. "Dad, you want green beans?" Sometimes his father had trouble hearing. "Dad!" Matthew sat the can down and walked into the living room. He saw the shocked look on his father's face and his trembling finger pointing to the television screen.

  Matthew stared at the screen. "No, there's got to be fifty Burlington's around…No, her hair's a little longer than that…It's not her…Chloe is a pretty common name. She was probably named after another Chloe Burlington. Do you want green beans?"

  "Son—"

  "Those'll go good with the hotdogs."

  "Matthew—"

  "You want iced tea or lemonade?"

  "Come over to me, Matthew."

  "I can run up to the store and buy a bag of chips. Those'll be good too."

  Conner watched the tears begin to slide off his son's face and drip down the front of his shirt.

  "Heck, I don't have to cook. I can run and pick up some burgers. You wanna watch a game show? Here, let's watch a game show while we eat."

  Conner put the locks on the wheelchair and slowly stood as tall as he could. He opened his arms wide while his lower lip quivered. "Come to me, son."

  …The strong roofer let out a low, guttural sound while taking five large, fast steps towards the loving open arms before him. Matthew's knees gave out and he slumped to the ground in front of his father's feet.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  The officer sat Becky back on the ground but kept his arms wrapped around her so she wouldn't run. When the firemen began to cut away the metal, he pulled her into his chest and held the back of her head.

  "What's your name, miss?"

  "Becky. That's my best friend in there. Is she—"

  "Don't look in that direction. I promise to let you know everything that's happening, okay?"

  Becky kept her face turned away. The sounds of metal being cut and torn would stay in her mind forever. Please, God, please. The horrid sounds seemed to go on forever.

  "They're putting her in the ambulance. Mercy is the closest trauma center, so they'll take her there. I can drive you as soon as I'm finished with my report."

  Becky shoved him away from her, jumped in her Jaguar and revved up the engine. Throwing it in first gear, she squealed the tires and drove quickly on the shoulder of the road to get behind the ambulance. The siren was blaring. It ran red lights and so did Becky. When they pulled up at the emergency entrance, the driver quickly got out, ran to the back and opened the doors. Becky flew out of her car toward the driver but was stopped in her tracks by the view of Chloe's bloody body.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Matthew ran from the apartment without closing the door behind him. He went flying to his old pickup, and while reaching in his pocket, he felt the single key he meant to give back to Chloe. Without a second thought, he switched direction, jumped in the new Chevy, and sped to the hospital so fast he had a cramp in his calf muscle when he got out of the truck.

  He found Becky inside of the ER, leaning against a wall with her face in her hands.

  "Becky!"

  She looked up and then fell into Matthew's arms. Loud voice commands were coming from a room near
them. Doctors and nurses were running in and out with grim faces.

  "She's alive but barely. I saw her. I saw all the blood. Her car was mangled and she was trapped in there. They cut her out of it and—"

  "Shhh, slow down some. Come with me, Becky. Let's go sit over there and you can tell me what happened. I'm not going anywhere." Matthew wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to a bench by the nurse's station. He turned his body to face her and picked up her hands and held them. "Start from the beginning." Matthew didn't even bother to wipe the tear from his cheek.

  "Chloe was going to cook dinner for you and your father today, so she was on her way to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients…"

  "Why would she—"

  "She thought she could get you to give her a chance to explain why she lied to you."

  "Oh my God. She doesn't even know how madly in love with her I am! I have to tell her."

  Becky placed her hand on Matthew's shoulder to stop him from getting up. "Chloe is strong. After getting through everything she's had to get through in her life, she's not about to die. She'll be okay. She has to be okay. She has to…"

  Matthew looked up as Chloe's gurney was being pushed out of the room. The staff began practically running with it down the hall. He got up and ran down after it. A doctor was coming out of the room Chloe was in. Puddles of blood, bloody linen…Matthew gasped.

  "Are you looking for someone?" asked the doctor as he pulled the door closed behind him.