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Post by Kpatch on Mar 2, 2014 12:28:42 GMT -5
Stolen Moments is the sequel to Destiny's Child. If you haven't read Destiny's Child, you can do so here: Link to Destiny's Child
Or if you just need a quick refresher of where we left off, I'm posting the last four chapters here.
Destiny's Child Chapter 27
“This is beyond belief,” Philip muttered. “You’re saying you did all this because you wanted Daniel to think Parker was his again -- temporarily -- just so that he would eventually find out that Parker isn’t his?”
“By George, I do believe he’s finally got it. Bravo Philip,” EJ said sarcastically. “Yes. Precisely. I wanted Daniel to know the pain of losing a child, and I wanted to be the one to inflict that pain. The doctor’s heartache is just about to begin, and I intend to have a front row seat.”
“Wait. Wait a minute. What about the paternity test I ran. It proved that Parker isn’t my son.”
“Excellent question. And here’s my excellent answer. The test you had run -- it was performed at Cook County Hospital, correct? Pretty clever of me to engineer all of this so you’d be taking the test on a holiday when most doctors’ offices are closed,” EJ laughed. “And do you want to know the real beauty of this plot? ... I," he said pointing at himself, "don’t need to lift another finger. You’re going to do all the work for me.” EJ paused as Philip squinted at him. “That’s correct. Here. I'll explain. I presume you’ll be running another paternity test. And afterwards, you'll be the one breaking the news to Jonas. ... Let me give you a bit of advice, Kiriakis. Next time you run that test, I would advise you to do it at a rural hospital, or even outside the country. You see, all the hospitals and police departments in metropolitan areas in this state are on the Dimera payroll. Perhaps even a few in Europe.”
Philip’s eyes widened and his chest tightened. He was starting to believe EJ. “Jesus! You’re not kidding, are you?”
EJ shook his head. “No sir. And you needn’t call me Jesus.”
“But what about ... what about me, and the heartache you’ve caused me and Chloe and Parker? Did you ever stop and think about what your vengeance against Daniel would do to us?”
“Certainly, my man. I analyze everything. Where Chloe and Parker are concerned?” EJ shrugged. “I have nothing against them. Innocent bystanders and all that. Where you’re concerned, however,” he chuckled, “well, let’s just call it payback for killing my brother. Not quite an eye for an eye, but short of trying to have you killed again, it will have to suffice. ... Looks like you’ve dodged another bullet, old chap.” EJ looked up toward the ceiling and let out a belly laugh.
Philip clenched his hand into a tight fist and punched EJ in the jaw. EJ stumbled backwards and fell onto the sofa. He rubbed his chin. “Nice right hook.”
Philip grabbed EJ’s lapel and pulled him to his feet. “You freaking bastard. You’re a sick twisted bastard, you know that?”
“I expected a simpleton like you to resort to name-calling and physical violence.” EJ brushed Philip aside. “Seems my work here is done. Good day Kiriakis.”
EJ left the lounge and left Philip standing there stunned. Was EJ was lying? Or was he telling the truth?
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Destiny's Child Chapter 28, Part 1
Philip walked out of the lounge and tried to pull himself together. He was in a daze. Was EJ lying about Parker's paternity? Or was he telling the truth? If EJ’s goal was to drive Philip insane, he was off to a good start. Philip was so perplexed right now, that the chances of him losing his mind seemed high.
As he was heading back to the waiting area, Daniel, Melanie, and another doctor emerged from Chloe’s room. Brady joined them outside the door to Chloe’s room.
“Is there any news about Chloe?” Brady asked anxiously.
Daniel nodded. “This is Dr. Newman. He specializes in psychoses and psychological disorders.”
“Psychosis???” Brady was incredulous. “Chloe’s not crazy.”
“That’s correct, Mr. ...”
“Black. Brady Black.”
“Chloe isn’t crazy, you’re correct,” said Dr. Newman.
“Melanie said you tested Chloe for epilepsy,” Philip noted. “Is that what happened to her? Is that why she had a seizure?”
“And you are ....?”
“I’m Philip Kiriakis. I’m Chloe’s ... um ... friend.”
Dr. Newman looked at Daniel, and Daniel nodded, letting the specialist know that it was alright to tell Brady and Philip about Chloe’s condition. “Chloe’s seizure isn’t uncommon in psychological patients,” Dr. Newman continued. “It’s not epilepsy, however, although her condition often mirrors its symptoms.”
“She’s not a psychological patient,” Brady said defensively.
“PPD is a mental illness, Brady,” Daniel explained.
“So what the hell is it, doc?” Philip was losing patience with the doctor’s roundabout explanations. “What happened to her?”
“She experienced what we call ‘PNES’ which stands for Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures. It usually presents in patients who have experienced severe trauma.”
Philip nodded. “It’s true. Chloe’s been through hell in the past few years.”
Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t we all?”
Philip shook his head. “Not the way Chloe has.”
“That would definitely explain her condition,” the doctor continued. “You see, in the past, behaviors like those exhibited in PNES were called “hysteria” or nervous breakdowns. Now they are often considered by psychiatrists as part of a ‘conversion’ disorder, in which the patient unconsciously converts emotional dysfunction into physical symptoms like spasms or seizures.”
“Well, what can you do about it?” Brady asked. “What’s the treatment?”
“Telling the patient the diagnosis is the first step in treatment. This should be done carefully and tactfully.”
“By who?” Brady wanted to know.
“Usually by the diagnosing physician.”
“So you,” Philip clarified.
“That’s correct.”
“Does she know? Are you going to tell her today?” Philip asked with anxiety in his voice. He wasn’t sure how she’d receive the news.
“No, she needs her rest today. And I want the sedative to be completely out of her system when we talk. She should be alert so she understands completely.”
“Will she need to be on any medication on a regular basis,” Philip asked. “I’m asking because she has a young son, a two-year old.”
“Yes, Dr. Jonas told me about that. That’s why I’m recommending she spend some time at our retreat, The Oaks of Salem.”
“Retreat! You’re not talking ‘retreat,’” Brady challenged. “You’re talking about locking her up in a mental institution! No, no, I won’t allow it.”
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Destiny's Child Chapter 28, Part 2
“It isn’t an institution the way you’re thinking of it, Mr. Black. It’s set up as a retreat, a hotel of sorts, a place where she can be stress-free. She needs to be away from the environment that created the stress.”
Philip’s heart clenched. He was right. It was his fault. He was the source of her stress. He was to blame. And EJ too for engineering this sadistic trick ... if it was a trick. Philip’s mouth was dry as he asked the doctor, “How long? How long will she need to be there?”
“Every patient is different. It could be a couple of months. Could be longer. I plan to explore with Chloe why events like this occurred. Often patients know why, and they need to discuss it with someone. These conversations alone have helped about 30% of patients control their distress. I will personally handle her case as a professional courtesy to Dr. Jonas.”
“Can she have visitors?” Philip wasn’t sure if she’d want to see him, but he knew she’d want to see her son.
The doctor nodded. “Not in the beginning, but eventually, yes.”
“I don’t know,” Philip said, touching his forehead. “I think she’d be better off in a facility in Chicago. No offense, but the doctors there are ....”
“Mr. ... um ... Kiriakis, I understand your concerns,” Dr. Newman said, “but Chloe will get lost in a big-city facility. She won’t get the personalized attention she needs. And I can assure you that the doctors at The Oaks are top-notch, trained at some of the world’s best medical schools.”
Brady looked at Philip. “It’s your decision, but I don’t like this.”
“I’m not crazy about it either, Brady,” Philip said, “but I want to do whatever is right for Chloe, whatever brings her back to Parker sooner.” He looked back at the doctors and nodded. “Okay. Okay, do it. And money is no object. I want to do whatever it takes to get Chloe healthy again.”
Dr. Newman looked at the three men. “You? But I ... I thought Dr. Jonas was responsible for Chloe.”
“No, he’s not. I am,” Philip said.
Melanie, Daniel, and Brady all looked at Philip with surprise.
“Philip, you don’t have to do this,” Melanie protested.
“Yes. I do.”
“Can we see her?” Brady asked.
The doctor looked at Daniel again, and Daniel nodded. “You may,” Dr. Newman said. “We have the lights turned down low right now because that tends to keep patients calmer than harsh fluorescents.”
Brady started to open the door to Chloe’s room, but Daniel held him back. “Listen, Brady, she may still be sleeping. But if she wakes up, you need to be calm. You can’t appear to be worried because she’ll react to that.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep it under control.” Brady went inside to Chloe’s room.
“I’m going in too,” Philip said as he started to inch past the doctors.
Daniel grabbed his arm. “Not so fast. I don’t think you should see her.”
“What? Why not?”
“You’re the person she was fighting with when she had the breakdown.”
“Daniel, I’m not going to fight with her. I just want to make sure she’s alright.”
“Making sure she’s alright is my job, not yours.”
Philip took a deep breath. “Daniel, I don’t want to argue with you. I’m exhausted. But I’m going to see Chloe tonight with or without your okay. I promise not to upset her. That’s the last thing I want to do.”
Daniel thought for a moment. Then he nodded and let go of Philip’s arm. Philip looked at the doctors and Melanie before heading inside.
-----
Destiny's Child Chapter 29, The Finale
Philip’s eyes had to adjust to the low lighting when he entered Chloe’s hospital room. Brady was seated in a metal chair by her bedside. He was speaking so softly that Philip couldn’t hear what he was saying. Then it occurred to Philip that Brady was praying.
Brady looked up at Philip standing by the door.
“She was awake for a minute,” Brady told Philip, “but she’s asleep again now. We should probably let her get her rest.” Brady got out of the chair and started for the door. “You coming, Philip?” Brady asked.
But Philip didn’t answer. His eyes were now fixed on Chloe. He walked slowly toward her bed, pulled out the chair that Brady had just vacated, and sat down.
Brady got the message, and left the room.
Philip hesitantly reached for Chloe’s hand. He picked it up between both his hands and kissed it. Then he leaned his forehead against her knuckles and said a silent prayer of his own.
He spent the past month walking through the world in a fog, feeling nothing, nothing but numbness and a vague sense of grief and loss. Now, all the pain and sadness was flooding back ... but this time, the pain wasn’t for himself. It was for Chloe. It was for Chloe and everything she’d been going through, and everything she was about to go through.
How is it possible he had no idea she was so lost and desperate? He was supposed to know her so well.
He’d made a lot of assumptions. They both had. He was completely focused on himself and what he thought was best for Parker. He wasn’t thinking about Chloe, not at all. He never took her emotions into consideration, or the affect that all the upheaval had on her. He assumed that nothing changed for her. She was still Parker’s mother, after all. And she made the assumption that Philip didn’t want her if he couldn’t have Parker too.
How wrong they both were. They both screwed up big time.
More than anything, Philip wanted to turn back time, to have the fortitude to deal with everything differently, to ask more questions, to not shut down, and to handle the ordeal together as a couple, to support one another the way the were supposed to.
Chloe stirred and opened her eyes part-way. “Philip? Is that you?” She spoke softly and slowly, still experiencing the effects of the sedation.
Philip lifted his head. “It’s me, Chloe. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“What’s wrong with me, Philip? Am I dying?”
Philip stroked her hair. “No, no, nothing like that.”
“But I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath. ... I was so scared.”
“I know, sweetie, but you’re alright now. The doctors are taking good care of you and you’ll be healthy soon. I promise.”
“Then how come you look so worried?” Even in the dimly lit room, Philip couldn’t hide his furrowed brow and tension.
“I just want you to be okay. That’s all.”
“You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”
Philip hesitated momentarily before answering, remembering what EJ told him, that he is Parker’s father, not Daniel. But he couldn’t share that news with Chloe, not now while she was in such a fragile emotional state. And definitely not until he got verification.
“Oh my god, you are keeping something from me,” she said, starting to panic. “Tell me.”
He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair soothingly. “Shhh. Shhh. Everything’s fine now, Chloe. There’s only two things you need to know.”
“What?”
He kissed her hand again. “First, that I love you.”
“Really? You still do?”
He nodded. “I still do. I never stopped.”
“But ... why? You’re not Parker’s father. You have no reason to still love me.”
Philip shook his head. “Parker has nothing to do with the way I feel about you, Chloe. There are a million reasons I love you, and being Parker’s father isn’t one of them. I’ve always loved you. Always.”
“A million?” She asked hazily, not quite comprehending. “A million is too many. I just want one reason.”
Philip choked back a tear. “Okay. How’s this for a reason? I love you because you’re Chloe and I’m Philip.”
With his thumb, Philip wiped away the tears that were rolling down Chloe’s cheeks. “And the second thing I want you to know is that we’re in this together, Chloe, for as long as it takes. I’m staying right here and I will never give up on us.”
The End of Destiny's ChildStolen Moments begins on Monday___________________ Copyright ©2014 kpatch. All rights reserved.
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Post by Kpatch on Mar 2, 2014 12:49:16 GMT -5
This is the theme song for the story. Please pay no attention to the visuals; they are not relevant.
The song is called Stolen Moments by Dan Fogelberg and it helped serve as inspiration while writing this story.
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Post by MrsM on Mar 2, 2014 13:02:49 GMT -5
Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by fluffysmom on Mar 2, 2014 15:32:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the reminder chapters Kpatch. Excited to read more of this story. |
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Post by melly on Mar 2, 2014 16:04:32 GMT -5
Yay! New story!!!!
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Post by terry on Mar 2, 2014 20:02:26 GMT -5
Well Philip has his son Parker back with him where he belongs
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Post by Kpatch on Mar 3, 2014 6:38:07 GMT -5
Chapter 1
The crickets croaked louder than usual tonight, and the breeze swaying the tree limbs outside the window sounded like a hurricane in his head. It was the middle of the night and Philip lay awake in his old bedroom at the Kiriakis mansion. His mind was racing in a million different directions. There’d be no sleeping tonight.
Instead, he was formulating his next steps. If Parker really was Philip’s son -- and it was still a big if -- he’d need to obtain definitive proof. Until then, he had to keep his excitement in check because he had no way of knowing whether EJ Dimera was lying or telling the truth.
Philip was afraid to get his hopes up. He knew all too well the pain of finding out that a child he loved and believed was his was in actuality fathered by another man. He’d been through it with both Parker and Claire and he didn’t want to go through it again. The lows he’d experienced after finding out the truth were too low to ever recover from.
But before he could even think about getting a new paternity test, he needed to make sure Chloe would be alright. Earlier tonight, he sat by her bedside as she drifted in and out of consciousness. He talked to her but he wasn’t sure she really understood what he was saying. It was clear from her comments that she wasn’t completely lucid. She was still under sedation. The staff kicked him out of her room once visiting hours were over.
He’d go back to the hospital in the morning. He wanted to be there before she got transfered to The Oaks in Salem Heights, about 30 minutes from downtown Salem. She was likely to be there for a while and the doctors said she wouldn’t be allowed visitors for quite some time. ... Quite some time. Philip didn’t know what that meant. Weeks? Months? Longer?
Not being able to talk to her when he had so much he wanted to tell her -- well that would be absolute torture. The last few months without her had been bad enough, but Philip had convinced himself that she and Parker were better off without him under the circumstances. And now that he finally realized what a stupid mistake he made, it could actually be too late for them. It was quite possible that they’d gone past the point of no return. There was so much he wanted to share with her now, so much he should have been sharing all along if he hadn’t been so self-absorbed for the past six weeks. But the one thing he couldn’t share with Chloe being in such a fragile state was the most important thing of all -- that he might in fact be Parker’s father after all.
Copyright ©2014 kpatch. All rights reserved.
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Post by jc20886 on Mar 3, 2014 7:41:10 GMT -5
Loved the start of Stolen Moments looks like a great Philip and Chloe story love it
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Post by MrsM on Mar 3, 2014 8:50:34 GMT -5
Great start!! Not being able to talk to Chloe has got to be so hard for Philip!
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Post by djm on Mar 3, 2014 9:29:08 GMT -5
Love the start. It is going to be a long road for Philip and Chloe. Looking forward to every minute of it
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Post by wendylou on Mar 3, 2014 13:49:06 GMT -5
Yay! Phillip and Chloe are back. Looking forward to the continuing story. Great start.
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Post by gapeach on Mar 3, 2014 18:29:38 GMT -5
Am so glad this story is continuing. Great start as always!
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Post by fluffysmom on Mar 3, 2014 21:22:27 GMT -5
It must be so hard for Philip not knowing if EJ was honest with him. And he can't talk to Chloe about it yet. Looking forward to what happens next. So glad the story is continuing.
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Post by Kpatch on Mar 4, 2014 6:44:36 GMT -5
Chapter 2
The next day at the hospital, Philip arrived at the nurse’s station and it was Chaos Cental. A multi-car crash required all available hands in the emergency room, including Daniel and Maxine, and the less experienced staff was handling Chloe’s transfer, shouting information, throwing paperwork at Philip. He scanned the transfer and admission papers. They were just copies, not the original. Philip’s jaw tightened when he saw that Daniel had already signed them. Figures. Philip said he’d take care of everything, but as usual, Daniel butted in where he wasn’t wanted or needed.
Philip was so busy being resentful of Daniel that he almost missed Chloe being wheeled out of her room and into the elevator. He tossed the paperwork back on the counter.
“Wait!” he called, pushing open the elevator doors and stepping inside. Dr. Newman was holding Chloe’s wheelchair. She still looked confused, as if the sedatives hadn’t left her system. Philip kneeled beside her wheelchair and took her hand as the elevator headed downward.
“Chloe? How are you feeling?”
Chloe nodded without saying anything. She was looking at Philip, yet not looking at him at the same time.
Philip looked up at Dr. Newman. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing is wrong, Mr. Black.”
“Kiriakis,” Philip said, rising to his feet.
“She’s merely under a mild sedation to make it easier to transport her to The Oaks.”
“Transport her?" Philip was livid at the impersonal terminology. “She’s not a dog visiting the vet.”
“It’s standard operating procedure,” the doctor said coldly.
Philip was getting a little tired of hearing that everything was standard operating procedure. Well, it wasn't standard procedure for him, and Chloe wasn't just any patient. Didn't they know that?
Philip turned his attention back to Chloe. He kneeled next to her chair again and brushed her hair from her face with his fingers. “Chloe, sweetheart, Dr. Newman is taking you to a place where you can recover. I’m going to come see you as soon as they let me, okay?” He looked up at the doctor. “When can I visit her?”
“Very soon. No more than a few weeks.”
Philip’s heart clenched. A few weeks seemed like forever. They’d already been apart for too long.
Chloe looked at Philip hazily. “Parker?”
Philip nodded. “He’s fine, Chloe. He’s great. I read him a story last night and had breakfast with him this morning. So you don’t need to worry. He’s with Dad and Maggie and lots of people who love him. We’ll take good care of him until you come back and can do it yourself again.”
The elevator stopped and the doors opened on the lobby level. “Time to say your goodbyes, Mr. Black.”
Philip looked at Chloe with tear-filled eyes. He kissed Chloe’s cheek. “Get well fast, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I need you.”
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Post by melly on Mar 4, 2014 10:07:40 GMT -5
Wow...this doctor is something else, isn't he??
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