Stolen Moments (Read 15,848 times)

[Kpatch]

Chapter 23


Another day, another visitor, Chloe thought, as she walked languidly toward the visitor’s room. She was a little tired of these visits. She really didn’t have anything to say to anyone. Anything she did say got questioned, challenged, making her feel like she was deranged, which she definitely was not. No wonder she preferred her solitude. The only visitor she welcomed was Daniel. He never pushed her. He was just patient and loving. He made her feel safe.

She entered the solarium and found a woman waiting for her.

“Wow, what happened to you?”

Chloe squinted and tried to focus on her visitor. “Nicole?”

“Well duh. Yeah it’s me.” Nicole touched Chloe’s hair. “I hope you’re just having a bad hair day because this is not a good look for you.”

Chloe took a step back. “What do you want, Nicole?”

“Me? Nothing. Well ... Daniel said you wanted to see me, so I squeezed you in. But I only have a few minutes. I’m getting a mani-pedi and Heidi is impossible to get an appointment with, and I can’t be late. So talk quick.”

Chloe knit her brow. “Um. I have nothing to say. Just surprised to see you here.”

“Hmmm. Daniel said you wanted to apologize to me.”

“For what?”

Nicole sighed. “Well this is like pulling teeth. For treating me like dirt, remember?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Nicole.”

“I see. ... I gotta tell you, girlfriend, when I heard about your breakdown, I wasn’t too surprised. I saw it coming from 10,000 feet. Just wish I’d been there at ringside. So jealous that Jennifer and Lucas were there to witness your meltdown on New Year's Day, and I wasn't.”

“Same old Nicole. You never mince words, do you?”

“I heard you and Philip were in the middle of World War 3 when you flipped out.”

“Philip? Philip who?”

“Very funny,” Nicole said. “Philip Kiriakis. Who else?”

“Philip ... Kiriakis. Wow, I haven’t thought about him in years, not since high school. ... How do you know Philip?”

There it was, that look that everyone gave her. Nicole was eying her like she was crazy. “How do I know Philip? Well, for one thing,” Nicole answered, “he was my stepson ever-so briefly. I married his father, remember?”

“That’s insane. Only lunatics like Kate and Vivian married Victor Kiriakis.”

“Yeah, I guess I was kind of out of my mind when that happened. Oh well, water under the bridge, yesterday’s news and all that.” Nicole looked at her watch. “So listen, you’d better give me that apology in the next 60 seconds, ’cause I gotta scoot.”

Chloe just looked at Nicole but didn’t say anything.

“Hokay. I guess that’s my cue to leave. I am definitely gonna thank Daniel for a royal waste of my time. Take care Chloe. Hope you get to keep at least some of your marbles.”

[fluffysmom]

I hope Nicole tells Brady or Philip how weird and confused Chloe was acting. Not sure if Daniel would question it or not.

[gapeach]

This is getting weirder and weirder! kpatch, you better fix it SOON!!!

[Kpatch]

Chapter 24


“Thank you for making time to have lunch with me today, baby.”

Philip looked up at his mother as he counted out cash to pay the Pub bill. “I don’t need the sarcasm, Mom.”

“I know. But I see you so seldom these days. And if I come to the mansion, the guard dog keeps me out.”

“Guard dog?”

“Maggie, of course. The queen of the castle.”

“Maggie’s fine, Mom. Just a little over-protective. I’m sure you can relate.”

“Well I expect her to be protective of Daniel, but not of my son. That’s my job.”

Philip chuckled. “Maybe she didn’t get the memo.”

“Very funny,” Kate took a tube of lip gloss out of her purse and applied it. “You know you look like hell.”

“You’re always so good for my ego,” Philip said rolling his eyes.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately? I’m concerned about you,” she said sincerely. “You have dark circles under your eyes. You look like you haven’t slept in days. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Philip shook his head. “You don’t need a degree from Smith to figure out what’s on my mind.”

“It had better not be Chloe again.”

Philip stood up next to the table. “And this,” Philip said, emphasizing the word ‘this,’ “is why you don’t see me more often. Goodbye Mom.”

“Baby, wait.” Kate rose from her seat. “I’m sorry. It just hurts me to see you like this, to see you in knots over someone like Chloe. She’s not worth it. She’s not worthy of you.”

Philip closed his eyes for a moment, then he looked at Kate again. “I know you think you mean well, but frankly, I’m not interested in your opinion. Try all you want, but you’re never going to change the way I feel about her.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Bye Mom.”

“Bye sweetie. Love you.”

Philip left the pub and headed toward Titan’s offices, taking the now-familiar shortcut through the Square. “Philip!” He heard someone call his name and looked around. Oh great, he thought to himself as his eyes rested on the person calling his name -- first my mother, now Nicole. Who’s next? Vivian?

“Hey stranger,” Nicole said. “I’ve hardly seen you since you’ve been back in town. Whatcha been up to? No good, I hope.”

Philip chuckled. If nothing else, Nicole was good for a laugh. Generally speaking, he liked Nicole. But the last time he saw her, she gave him a hard time about Chloe, and if she so much as mentioned Chloe today, he might blow a fuse. “Always,” he replied with a fake smile.

“Hey, have you seen Chloe lately? I mean I know you two are on the outs and you made it clear last time we talked that you guys are over, but ... I was just wondering.”

Here it comes. Philip squinted at Nicole. “I have a feeling you’re taking the scenic route on the way to making a point.”

“Oh my god,” Nicole gasped. “You just sounded so much like your father when you said that. Scary!”

Philip shook his head. He was losing his patience and resolved to give her one more minute of his time and no more. “Nicole....”

“Oh right. My point. I visited her today.”

“You visited Chloe?” Now Nicole had his full attention. He wondered how she got on the approved list when he couldn’t. “How did she seem to you?”

“Well that’s just it. It was super-weird,” Nicole explained. “Like Twilight Zone weird.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Well, Daniel told me that Chloe wanted to see me to apologize for some of those awful things I told you she said to me.”

That explained the approved list. Daniel cleared it. “Uh huh.”

“And I got there and there was no apology. She didn’t seem to even know I was her friend,” Nicole mused. “More like an acquaintance. Oooh, and she said the weirdest thing about you.”

His eyes widened. “She talked about me?”

“Not really. I brought up your name.”

“Why?” Philip was growing tired of playing twenty questions.

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Can I please finish my story?”

Like I’m stopping you, Philip thought. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to be nice. “Sorry. Continue, please.”

“When I mentioned you, she said she hasn’t thought about you since high school.”

“Hasn’t thought about me?” Nicole’s words just punched a hole in Philip’s gut. How can she not remember him? They lived together. They had a child together. They were planning to be married.

“I know. That’s just wrong. Right? I mean, it’s like her memory has been short-circuited or something.”

Philip nodded. “Did you ... did you tell Daniel?”

“You better believe I did. I called him from the car as soon as I left. He got quite the earful from me. ... I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it. I mean, you all are living under the same roof, aren’t you?”

Philip gave Nicole another fake smile. “One big happy family. ... Daniel and I don’t talk much.”

“Yup, just like most families I know,” Nicole said.

“What did Daniel say about it?”

“Oh you know, some medical mumbo-jumbo,” Nicole related. “He said that memory lapses were common with PENS or PNES or whatever disease Chloe has.”

“Daniel’s the king of the stock answers these days.”

“I gotta tell you, Philip. I left The Oaks feeling pretty creeped out. It wasn’t a fun visit.”

“I know exactly what you mean, Nicole. Hey, thanks for letting me know.”

“No biggie.”

After Philip and Nicole parted ways, Philip could barely remember what he was doing in the Square or where he was heading. All he could think about was that he had to see Chloe again right away. He was right in his belief that she wasn’t getting well. He couldn’t leave her languishing in The Oaks a minute longer. He had to get back in and try to figure out what was going on with Chloe. And this time, he would bring some touchstones with him for back-up.

[gapeach]

I am so glad that Nicole told Phillip what is going on with Chloe and that he KNOWS that she is not getting better! Sure do hope he finds a way back in to see her and SOON!!!

Am surprised Nicole didn't pick up on Phillip's comment "I know exactly what you mean, Nicole."

[melly]

Yay for Nicole! Nice to see her doing something (kind of) helpful here...

[fluffysmom]

I'm so glad Nicole told Philip about the weird encounter with Chloe. I hope he can help Chloe.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 25


The next day, Chloe was brushing her hair slowly, dreamily. The nurse told her she was having company today. Unless it was Daniel, she didn’t really care. He was the only person she wanted to see.

She put her hairbrush down when the nurse came in. “Is it Daniel,” she asked.

“No dear, it’s Brady Black, the nice man who came last week.”

Chloe nodded and followed the nurse to the solarium. Chloe liked Brady, although she wasn’t quite sure why. She guessed they were friends from before, but her memory wasn’t quite clear.

When the door opened, Chloe saw someone standing near the window. The nurse left the room, closing the door behind her.

Standing in front of the bright window, Chloe could only make out the silhouette of a man. When he stepped forward out of the shadow, Chloe gasped. “You’re not Brady.”

“No, I’m Philip,” he said with a huge smile on his face.

Philip? Chloe wasn’t even sure she knew a Philip. “What do you want?”

She watched his smile fade away. “Just to talk. Just to catch up. Sit with me?”

Chloe waited for him to sit down, then she took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa. The silence that ensued for the next few moments was almost unbearable. Even though she wasn’t looking at him, she could feel his eyes on her. What did he want from her? “Staring,” she said. “I can feel your eyes boring a hole through my head.”

He chuckled. “That’s because I’d rather study you than Charlemagne.”

Oh god, he’s crazier than me, she thought to herself. “Huh?”

“Nothing, sorry, just a memory,” he said wistfully. “Oh, before I forget, Parker asked me to give you something. He asked me to give you this.” He stood up and leaned over her, kissing her forehead.

Chloe pushed him away and recoiled. “What are you doing? Who’s Parker, and more importantly, who are you?”

His eyes widened. “Chloe, you know me. I’m Philip. And Parker is your ... he’s our son.”

Chloe jumped off the sofa. “You’re insane! I don’t have a son. I don’t have any children!”

Philip rose to his feet looking rattled. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please, calm down. Please. Everything’s fine.”

She was feeling more and more uncomfortable with this man. Why doesn’t he just leave? “Where’s Daniel? I want Daniel.”

Philip nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” he said quietly.

“Good. You can go now. And don’t come back,” she spat.

“Okay, if you want me to leave, I will. But not before I give you something.”

“Not another kiss.” She held her hands up to protect herself. “If you touch me again, I’ll scream.”

Philip reached into his back pocket and took something out of his wallet. He tucked his wallet back into his pocket and took a step toward Chloe. “Don’t come any closer,” she warned.

“Please don’t be afraid of me, Chloe. I won’t hurt you. I promise. I won’t ever hurt you.” He took her hand and pressed something into her palm and held it there for a moment. He looked into her eyes, but she turned her head and pulled her hand away.

“Take care, Chloe,” he said.

When he left the room, Chloe took a deep breath, relieved he was finally gone. She looked down into her hand and touched the two objects Philip placed there. One looked like a dog tag on a chain, something worn by men in the military. How weird. What a weirdo, Chloe thought.

The other item Philip gave to Chloe was a wallet-sized picture of a man, a woman, and a little blond-haired boy. Chloe began to cry but she wasn’t sure why. “I should know these people.” She sank into a chair and held the picture to her chest. “Why don’t I know these people?”

[fluffysmom]

Poor Chloe doesn't even remember Parker. Now Philip knows without a doubt that Chloe is far worse than he ever imagined. He needs to get her out of The Oaks immediately.

[gapeach]

Apr 3, 2014 10:26:03 GMT -5 fluffysmom said:

Poor Chloe doesn't even remember Parker. Now Philip knows without a doubt that Chloe is far worse than he ever imagined. He needs to get her out of The Oaks immediately.

I totally agree!!!

[melly]

I'm gonna need a happy ending pretty soon....please???

[Kpatch]

Chapter 26


Dinner at the Kiriakises was a pretty uncomfortable affair. The only reason Philip ate with the family was so he could see Parker. He knew that Daniel hated it. He knew he made Daniel uneasy by interacting with Parker. Philip just couldn’t take his eyes off his son and he didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with him anymore. He also knew that Daniel could easily say “no more” at any time and decide not to eat at the dining room table.

But it was important to Maggie that they give Parker some semblance of a home life, and dinner with the family was a critical element, she said.

It was an odd group of adults that young Parker had to put up with, but not too much more unusual than the family Philip grew up with. Victor, Kate, Vivian. For a while Bo and Hope lived at the mansion when he was a kid, then Lucas and Nicole. Philip could write a book about the weird ducks that flew through the mansion over the years, and now it looked like Parker might have to endure a similar fate. This was a far cry from the condo in Chicago where Parker had just two loving parents doting on him. That may be the closest to a normal home life Parker ever knew. Philip too.

Philip was out of it tonight, thinking about today, one of the worst days of his life. Chloe was afraid of him, she didn’t know him, and that wasn’t right. He wasn’t so much concerned about himself at the moment, but about Chloe. She was unreachable today. He tried, but he couldn’t make a connection with her. She was getting worse by the minute and it seemed like he was the only one who cared.

After dinner, Brady excused himself to make some phone calls. Daniel took Parker up to bed and Maggie went with them to read the boy a story and tuck him into bed. It was unreal how much Philip wanted to be part of that simple little process. Someday, he kept telling himself. Someday soon.

Now, the only two people left at the dining room table were another father-and-son combination. Philip had been lost in thought when his father addressed him.

“You doing alright, son?”

“What??” Philip looked up at his father. “Oh. ... Yeah, I’m fine, Dad.”

“You don’t look it, but then again, I’m getting used to seeing that permanent grimace on your face.”

Philip chuckled. “Mom used to tell me that if I frown, my face will freeze that way and no one will ever get to see my dimples again.”

Victor nodded. “I remember her telling you that.”

“I saw Mom the other day. We had lunch.”

“How unfortunate for you,” Victor said. “Why do you put yourself through that kind of torture?”

Philip shrugged. “Sense of obligation, I guess. Didn’t you always tell me that family comes first.”

“Ah yes indeed. Didn’t know you were paying attention. ... Speaking of family," Victor leaned in slightly, "Philip, did you get the results of those paternity tests you sent in?”

Philip thought for a minute before answering. He wasn’t ready to share the news, not even with his father. So he just shook his head no and didn’t elaborate.

“I’m sorry, son. I was afraid that might be the case.”

Philip got up out of his seat. “Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’ll be fine, eventually.”

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad Philip gets to have dinner with Parker. It has to be so hard watching Daniel take his place as daddy.

I like the reminder of all of the people who lived at the mansion during Philip's childhood.

[gapeach]

Sure hope that Victor didn't take the 'no' as no Parker is not Phillip's son.

[melly]

Nice nod to the dimples....