CHAPTER TWO
Victor stepped into his son’s room and followed the sounds of Chloe moaning. He pushed open the bathroom door, surprised to find her lying on the tile floor. She was turned on her side facing away from him, and obviously hadn’t noticed his presence.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Victor demanded.
Surprised, Chloe jumped, then groaned. The movement shook her and sent pain shooting down her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, the pain faded as she realized that she wasn’t alone. “Oh, Victor, thank God you’re here,” she cried, not moving.
Victor stared down at her. “Why are you on the floor?”
“I like the view of the baseboards,” she snapped. “Why the hell do you think I’m on the floor? I fell getting out of the shower.”
“Then get up.”
“Don’t you think I’d do that, if I could? I think I dislocated my shoulder.”
Victor sighed. “You always were a diva.”
“Thank you for that observation, Victor,” she snapped. Surprised that he hadn’t shot back a reply, Chloe listened for sounds behind her. She didn’t hear him. “Victor?” Silence. “Victor?”
Chloe realized that he had left. Squeezing her eyes shut to try to ignore the pain, she again tried to summon the strength to get up. She could probably roll onto her back. Then she’d figure out if she could sit up. Shifting her legs, she tried to roll over. Screaming through the pain, she landed heavily on her dislocated shoulder.
*
“Damn it, Victor,” Maggie exclaimed as her husband burst into the dimly lit bathroom. “You scared me half to death!”
“Get dressed and come to Philip’s room,” he barked, picking up a towel and holding it out to her.
Maggie looked up at him, her heart beating rapidly from his unexpected entrance. “What? Why?”
“Just do it,” he snapped.
Maggie stared up at him. “I’m not doing anything until you stop acting like an ass.”
Victor sighed. “Chloe is here. She is on the floor in Philip’s bathroom and needs help getting up.”
“You didn’t help her?” Maggie exclaimed, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around herself as she got out of the tub.
“I’m not laying a hand on that woman when she’s undressed.”
Drying off and dressing in the pair of pajamas she’d laid out as quickly as possible, Maggie followed Victor back to Phillip’s bedroom.
*
Lying flat on her back, Chloe watched as Maggie put a large candleholder down on the marble counter.
“Maggie!” she exclaimed, relieved. “Oh, thank God. Victor left me lying here.”
“I didn’t leave, you dolt. I went and got her,” Victor answered, moving a hand towel under the candleholder to avoid wax dripping onto the marble.
Chloe strained her head back to see Victor standing in the darkened doorway. The angle put pressure on her shoulder and she couldn’t take it. Closing her eyes, she tried to hold back the tears. “You can’t blame me for thinking you were leaving me here to die.”
Victor shook his head. “You’re the epitome of the word diva.”
“You’re one to talk,” she shot back.
“Enough!” Maggie ordered, frowning at her husband.
“Can you at least cover her with something?” Victor asked, motioning towards Chloe’s body.
“Are you staring at me?” Chloe asked, disgusted.
“Do you think I’d want it covered if I were enjoying the view?” he shot back.
“Screw you.”
“Believe me, that’s the last thing I want you to do,” Victor scoffed.
“I said enough,” Maggie repeated, angrily. She stood up, reaching for a bath sheet that was folded on the countertop, and draped it over Chloe. “Better?” she asked.
“God yes,” Victor replied.
“I wasn’t asking you,” Maggie eyed her husband as she bent over Chloe. “Do you think anything is broken?” she asked Chloe.
“No,” Chloe shook her head. “But, Maggie, there’s something you need to know,” she stated.
“Let’s just try to get you up first,” she suggested, stepping over Chloe so she was facing her.
“I can’t,” Chloe told her. “I tried. I can’t lift myself up. I’m too heavy.”
“You’ve always been top heavy,” Victor pointed out, “the baby weight shouldn’t make a difference.”
“So you were looking!” Chloe growled.
“It’s hard to miss given the minute amount of fabric you call clothing.”
“I always dress appropriately!” Chloe shot back.
“For a rave, yes,” Victor argued.
“A rave? What are you, ninety years old? Oh. Wait. You are.”
Maggie ignored their childish bickering, focusing on Chloe. “Let’s get you up, then we can figure out if you hurt yourself.”
Chloe heard Victor mutter something, straining her neck to look back at him. “I swear to God, Victor, if you can’t-”
“Will the two of you shut up?” Maggie sighed.
“Sorry,” Chloe mumbled, diverting her gaze from Maggie’s disapproving look.
“Why don’t you try to call for an ambulance?” Maggie suggested to her husband.
“The phone lines are down,” Victor reminded her.
“Try again,” Maggie suggested, “otherwise you can help me with getting Chloe up.”
Victor pulled out his cell phone and pushed a few buttons. “Nope, still out.”
“This can’t be happening,” Chloe muttered. “Not now.”
“Sweetheart, if it’s just a dislocated shoulder, we can handle that,” Maggie assured her, stroking her hair.
“Okay,” Chloe replied, biting her lip.
Maggie looked down at her. “I just need you to listen to me, all right?”
“Good luck with that,” Victor snorted.
“Why don’t you do as your wife suggested and shut up?” Chloe suggested.
“Very mature,” Victor uttered.
“You’re one to talk,” Chloe replied.
“Why don’t you both shut up?” Maggie warned.
“I will, if he will,” Chloe muttered.
“My pleasure,” Victor replied, turning to leave the bathroom.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Maggie asked, looking after her husband.
“I think you’ve got this covered,” he informed her.
“No, I don’t. I need your help.”
“You can’t be serious,” Victor stated.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
With a sigh, Victor stepped into the bathroom. “Tell me what to do.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “We need to get her up first.”
*
“Well, it looks like you boys are stuck here with me tonight,” Nicole jovially informed Brady and Philip, joining them in the Salem Inn lobby. “It’ll be like a family reunion.”
Philip glared at her, then looked back down at his phone.
“What’s his problem?” Nicole asked Brady.
“He’s worried about Chloe,” Brady informed her.
“She probably just went to pee. I swear that bladder holds like half an ounce of liquid when she’s pregnant.”
Philip kept staring at his phone. “She left an hour and a half ago.”
“Oh,” Nicole replied, looking at Brady.
“I need to go check on her.”
“How?” Brady asked him.
“Let me borrow your car, Brady.”
“They have a weather radio on in the ballroom. The roads are closed,” Nicole pointed out.
“Then I’ll walk.”
“Are you insane? Look at it out there. It’s a freaking blizzard!” Nicole exclaimed.
“It’s not that bad. It’s just snow,” Philip insisted.
“Freezing cold, quickly falling snow. The last thing Chloe needs is a frozen baby daddy.”
Philip glared up at her.
“Hey, Nicole, why don’t we go check on the latest weather report for Philip?” Brady suggested, wanting to separate them.
“No way,” she refused, “if we let him out of our sight for even five minutes he’ll be out in that mess. And I’m not going to be the one to tell Chloe that she has to co-parent with Jack Frost.”
But this one's got my attention. Great cliffhanger too!
