The Rest of Our Lives (Read 101,578 times)

[meemz]

These two chapters did wonders to my phloe soul, i loved every detail!

The moment parker walked in was like a breath of fresh air, so glad they are reunited. The Kiriakises , oh how good that sounds.

I loved how he wants to run the chairman message by chloe, they are such a team. The part where he asks for her phone to put in the gate code!!!! So philip, i love such moments you adding them gives us that extra layer that really sets the scene and gives mee all the feels.

[mae00]

I know Maggie will be so happy to see Parker.

[meemz]

P.s i knew philip wouldnt be mad about chloe’s sudden visit

[Kpatch]

Chapter 28

Henderson opened the front door. “Welcome, Miss Chloe. And hello to you, Master Parker.”

“Hi Henderson. It’s good to see you,” Chloe said, even though it felt weird being back here.

“Likewise. Do you have luggage?” the butler asked.

“My overnighter is in the car along with Parker’s backpack.”

“I’ll have them brought to your rooms,” Henderson told her. “Why don’t you give me your car key and we’ll have it moved into the garage.”

“Thank you. It’s the dark blue SUV.” She handed him her key and stepped further into the house.

“Parker!” Maggie came rushing out of the living room into the foyer. She bent down and gave Parker a big hug.

“Hi Gramma Maggie.”

“Am I ever glad to see you!” She looked up at Chloe and gave her arm a squeeze. “He’s like a ray of sunshine.”

“How are you doing, Maggie?”

Maggie stood up straighter. “Oh. You know.”

Chloe smiled sympathetically. “I hope it’s okay we’re here.”

“Of course. This is your home too,” Maggie said sincerely. “Besides, I know a man who desperately needs you, despite the brave face he tries to show the world.”

“Well, thank you for telling me that,” Chloe said. “That’s why we came.”

Parker tugged on Maggie’s sleeve. “Can I see Grampa Victor?”

Maggie looked from Parker to Chloe.

“Is it okay if I take him to see Victor,” Chloe asked. She remembered Philip saying he’d take Parker to see Victor, but she felt it was only right for her to pay a visit to her father-in-law too.

“Of course, but you know Victor’s in a coma. He’s not going to react to—” Her words trailed off.

Chloe reached for Maggie’s hand. “I know, but we’d still like to visit with him.”

“Come. I’ll take you to his room.”

~~~

Chloe’s heart clenched at the sight of Victor—immobile, his thin skin pale, blotchy and wrinkled. Philip had described his condition to her, but the reality was far more difficult to handle. Tubes carrying fluids in and out, machines beeping at regular intervals, oxygen being pumped into his lungs. She held Parker’s shoulders from behind as they approached the bed. Her instinct was to scoop Parker up and carry him out, to shield him from this, but he specifically said he wants to see his grandfather, so she fought her instinct.

“He’s been like this since the first day,” Maggie said. “I can’t give up hope though.”

Chloe turned her head toward Maggie. “I wouldn’t be able to give up on my husband either,” Chloe said.

Parker walked closer to the bed. “He looks dead,” Parker said.

“He’s not dead, angel. More like a deep sleep. Why don’t you talk to him,” Chloe suggested.

“He can hear me?”

“We like to think he can,” Maggie answered.

Parker touched Victor’s arm with his finger. “Um. Hi Grampa Victor. It’s me, Parker. How are you?” He looked at Maggie. “Is that okay?”

“You can say anything you want, honey,” Maggie replied.

Parker turned back to Victor. “I’m sorry I kicked you. Everybody says it was a long time ago, but I still feel bad about it. Um. Get better, okay?” Victor’s eyelids fluttered briefly. “Mommy, did you see that?”

Chloe looked at Maggie who said, “Daniel says it’s involuntary. Like a twitch.”

Parker turned around and wrapped his arms around Chloe. Rubbing his back, she said, “That was very sweet, angel.”

Parker looked up. “Do you want to tell him something too?”

Chloe nodded as tears filled her eyes. She gently moved Parker aside as she approached Victor. “I bet you didn’t expect to see me here, but I wanted to see you,” Chloe told Victor. “See, there are two men who are very important to me and they really want you to get well. And because of that, I want you to get well too. So, please Victor, come back to us.” She lowered her head and wiped a tear away.

Maggie put an arm around Chloe’s shoulder and leaned her head against Chloe’s. “Thank you, dear.”

[heroicmuse]

Oh my gosh that was such an emotional scene. It brought tears to my eyes when Chloe talked to Victor.

[Trey]

I'm glad they let Parker say "I'm sorry". It's so important for his closure, too.

[André DiMera]

So glad Parker got to say that to Victor. And I like what Chloe said, as well.

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad Parker got to talk to Victor. Maggie appreciated Chloe having kind works for Victor.

Philip's reunion with Parker and Chloe was awesome. It's so good to have our Phloe family together.

[mae00]

I'm so glad that Parker got to say he was sorry to Victor. And I like that Victor's eyelids fluttered. I'm not sure that I believe that it's involuntary. I know that Victor can hear them and right now is responding the only way he can.

I'm not to keen on Chloe taking Parker to to see Victor without Philip the first time but I'm glad that she told Victor what she did. It was an emotional scene for sure.

[doolfan4life]

That was a lovely scene and I disagree with Daniel
I don’t think that was involuntary in the slightest
I hope victor starts showing progress soon

[Kpatch]

Chapter 29

When the three of them reached the bottom of the stairs, Maggie tapped Parker’s shoulder. “Parker, I have fresh baked lemon bars in the kitchen. Want to join me for some milk and lemon bars?”

“Yeah!”

Maggie led Parker into the kitchen.

Chloe wandered into the living room where Nicole was pacing back and forth holding her phone to her ear. “Well tell them they either have the dresses to us by tomorrow, or we’ll find another finishing house.” Nicole turned around and spotted Chloe. Her jaw dropped. “I’ll have to call you back,” she told the party on the other end of the line.

Tossing her phone on the couch, she rushed toward Chloe and the women embraced. Nicole took a step back and pushed on Chloe’s shoulder. “It’s about time you got here. I was getting ready to call the National Guard.”

“Nice to see you too,” Chloe laughed.

“Come here.” She grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her onto the sofa so the two of them could talk. “So what took you so long? I mean, Philip had a thousand excuses for you not being here, but they were all lame.”

“Well, we wanted to respect his need for space while he absorbed the situation with his father and with Titan,” Chloe explained. “Plus, we were hesitant to expose Parker to everything. But I just couldn’t stay away any longer.”

“I should think not!” Nicole patted Chloe’s stomach. “So, how are you feeling. You know.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “With the baby?”

Chloe touched her stomach too. “Good. Really good. Well, except for the stress and worrying about Philip. I think seeing him with my own eyes helped. It’s better than imagining the worst.”

“Well, I am glad you’re here. It’s been so boring. Daniel works ridiculously long shifts.” She touched Chloe’s hand. “Well, you already know about that. And Philip, well … he used to be fun, but he’s turned into a drip.”

“Nicole!”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Okay. Okay, I know he’s going through a lot.”

“Yes!” Chloe’s tone was harsh. “He is, and he needs our support.”

“Hey now, don’t you go turning into a drip too. I’m depending on you to add a little life to this mausoleum.”

“I’ll do my best,” Chloe said with a smile. “So, what did you think when you saw Victor?”

Nicole pointed to herself. “Me? I haven’t seen him and I don’t ever intend to. Do you?”

“Well, yes. I went up to see him with Parker a few minutes ago. I figured you would want to see him. You were married to the man once.”

Nicole got off the sofa and went over to the bar to pour herself a drink. “Probably the reason I don’t want to see him.” She took a sip. “Wait. I thought the whole reason you stayed away is because you didn’t want to expose Parker and all that jazz.” 

“I didn’t. But Parker’s been asking a lot of questions and in the long run, I think it would be harder on Parker if Victor dies without Parker having a chance to see him one last time. Parker had something he needed to say to Victor.”

“Aw. He’s such a cutie.”

Chloe looked around the room. “I hear you came to live here because of Daniel.”

“Oh, I did. Do you think I’d be here otherwise? But he’s so busy, between the hospital and looking after Victor.”

“That’s what you get for being involved with a doctor.”

“Or a CEO,” Nicole added.

Chloe pointed at Nicole’s phone. “If it’s so boring here, why are you working from home instead of going into the office?”

“With Brady in California, there’s hardly anyone at the office. Don’t tell Titan, but Basic Black is operating pretty lean.”

“What’s Brady doing in California?”

“Visiting Tate.” Nicole looked toward the doorway to the living room. “Daniel!” She set her glass down and rushed over to Daniel. She gave him a sensual kiss and ran her thumb over his scruff. “You look beat.”

Daniel stepped further into the room. “Good to see you, Chloe. Is Parker with you?”

Chloe nodded. “He’s in the kitchen with Maggie getting a sugar fix.”

“How long are you staying?” Daniel asked.

Chloe rose from the sofa. “As long as Philip wants us to. So, what’s your read on Victor?”

He sighed heavily. “His prognosis isn’t good. We’ve tried everything in terms of treatment and medication but he’s not responding. And I presume you heard about the health care directive.”

Nodding, she said, “Philip told me. Do they know what caused the stroke this time?”

“Strokes are hard to predict and harder to prevent than heart attacks. By the time you have any symptoms, it’s basically too late to stop it.” He turned to Nicole and held her shoulder. “Babe, I’m going to say hi to Parker. Then I’m gonna jump in the shower and probably take a nap before dinner.” He nodded at Chloe before turning and heading toward the kitchen.

“See what I mean?” Nicole said. “We see each other for three minutes at a time if I’m lucky.”

~~~

Daniel entered the kitchen. “Someone told me my favorite little man is here.”

Parker was sitting on a stool at the marble counter with about a pound of powdered sugar on his face. “Daniel!” He slid off the stool and went running into Daniel’s waiting arms. “Uh oh. I got sugar on you.”

“I don’t mind.”

Maggie came over with a wet towel. “Let’s clean you up, Parker.” She wiped his face and hands. “There. That’s better.” She handed the towel to Daniel.

“Thanks Mom. So, Parker, how’s school?”

“It’s summer. There’s no school.”

“Oh that’s right. I work all year round so I sometimes forget. What about camp? Are you going to camp?”

“I don’t know about camp. But yesterday I went to Derek’s birthday party. And last week, we went to Disney World on Mommy and Daddy’s honeymoon. We had to cut it short on account of Grampa Victor getting sick.”

Daniel got to his feet and stroked Parker’s hair. “I’m sure you’ll go again one day. Meanwhile, I’m staying here too, so we’ll see a lot of each other while you’re in Salem.” He looked at Maggie. “I’m heading upstairs to take a shower, but I’ll check on Victor first.” Turning back to Parker, he said, “I’ll see you at dinner.”

[heroicmuse]

I'm glad Daniel saw Parker and that Parker seems to be handling things all right.

[André DiMera]

Glad Daniel got to see Parker.

[mae00]

Parker is most definitely a breath of fresh air for everyone.

Nicole better reign her pity party in. She knew what she was getting into when she married a doctor. I'm curious about her working from the mansion as well. I would think she could work from her and Daniel's place during the day if Basic Black is struggling that much and then be at the mansion at night.

[meemz]

So sweet that chloe wanted parker to say his piece to victor and not have any regrets. This matters more than trying to shield the boy from the reality of the situation. Chloe usually runs away so that was great to see she is not transferring the same habits onto parker. Annnd she is teaching parker to communicate his feelings , i see mary’s sessions coming to life

Parker’s finger on victors arm/hand? Such a sweet visual, circle of life “young and old “ , i think victor felt and heard parker. His heart knew, what grandad wont be moved by that sweet apology even in a coma.

LOL at Don’t tell Titan, but Basic Black is operating pretty lean .. when is it not ?

And i did not miss chloe coming to philip’s defense , loved it you’re the drip nicole read the room ! But tbh miss this nicole the one on canvas now is boring.