Going Nowhere At Full Speed

Three Weeks Later

Chloe sat in the living room of Dirk’s house, staring down at her bruised body. Ever since she had told Dirk that Brent was coming to take her today, he had been beating her every single night, telling her this is what she deserved for abandoning him, after what she had done to her mother.

Chloe had started to believe him, and she wondered if she really should leave. But, she knew there was no way that she could tell Brent that she wanted to stay even longer. He would for sure drag her out of the house himself.

The Blackhawks played the next night against the Vancouver Canucks, and she knew that Brent and his teammates would be arriving in Vancouver at any minute. She wondered when Brent would be coming for her. Part of her wished that it would be that night, just so she could get away from the beating. But, the other part of her still felt guilty for deserting Dirk, and she hoped that Brent would come after the game.

Her question was answered when she heard a knock on the door. Dirk had gone out drinking, and he told her that he’d be back late the following night because he didn’t want to be there when Brent arrived. She walked to the door, opening it to see Brent standing on the other side.

“Oh my God, Chloe!” Brent exclaimed, enveloping her in a huge hug, while at the same time trying to keep from hitting her bruises, which was impossible since they covered nearly her entire body. “Why did you stay here? Just so he could do this to you?”

“I deserved it,” Chloe said quietly. “I’m deserting him, and I deserve this,” she repeated, holding out her arm to look at the bruised.

“Chloe,” Brent said, looking into his sister’s eyes. “You don’t deserve this. No one does. Is there anything here that you want to take with you?” he asked.

Chloe picked up her small bag, holding it up. “This is it,” she told him.

“Come on, let’s go,” Brent told her, putting his arm around her shoulder as he walked her out of the house and down to the cab that was waiting for them in the driveway.

On the way to the hotel, Chloe suddenly broke down, all of her pent-up emotions coming out in her tears. Brent moved closer, letting her cry into his shirt, while the taxi drove to the hotel. Finally, they arrived, and Chloe tried to wipe her tears as Brent paid the driver. “Thanks” he said quickly, as he and Chloe walked into the entrance.

“Wait a minute,” Chloe suddenly said, stopping in her tracks. Brent turned around, looking at her.

“What?” he asked.

“Brent, I don’t have a room here. Where am I staying?” Chloe asked. “I mean, I’m sure this place is completely booked up already,” she continued.

“Chloe, don’t worry about it,” Brent told her, continuing to walk towards the elevator. When he realized that she wasn’t following him, he turned around. “Chloe, come on,” he said with a small laugh.

“Okay,” Chloe said quietly, catching up to Brent and getting on the elevator. She watched as Brent hit the button to go to the eighth floor. She followed him to his room, and when she walked in, she could see his bag on the far bed, while the bed closest to the door was empty. “Where’s Fraser?” she asked him.

“He’s staying with Steeger tonight,” he said, quickly glancing at her to gauge her reaction when he said Kris’s name.

“Oh,” Chloe replied. “Remind me to thank him later.”

“You know he’s fine with it,” Brent told her.

“Um, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go ahead and take a shower,” Chloe told him.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Brent said as Chloe walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He walked over and sat down on his bed while he dialed Ava’s number. “Hey,” Brent smiled after Ava had picked up. “She’s here with me,” he told her.

“How is she?” Ava asked worriedly.

“Well, he’s been beating her, that’s for sure. She looks worse than when she first come to Chicago. But she’s safe now,” Brent reassured her.

“Did Dirk give you any problems?” Ava questioned.

“Nope,” Brent replied. “Actually, now that I think about it, he wasn’t even there.”

“Well, that’s good,” Ava told him. “So, have you told her yet?”

“Have I told her what?” Brent asked, intentionally being dense. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Did you tell her about Steeger?” Ava clarified.

“Not yet,” Brent admitted. “I mean, she just got away from Dirk. Now, you expect me to hit her with that news?” he asked.

“She’s going to find out eventually,” Ava replied. “Wouldn’t it be better if she at least had a warning from you or something?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Ava joked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Brent laughed. “But, I think I’m going to wait until tomorrow to tell her. I mean, she won’t find out until the plane ride at the earliest, and why upset her tonight?”

“Okay, but make sure you tell her,” Ava said, just as Chloe walked out of the bathroom in a robe.

“Hey, do you want to talk to her?” Brent asked. “She just got out of the shower.”

“Yeah, if she wants to,” Ava said excitedly. It had been a month and a half since they had talked to each other, and Ava was happy to finally have the chance again.

Brent handed Chloe his phone, telling her it was Ava. “Ava, hey!” Chloe exclaimed into the phone, happy to talk to her friend once again.

“Chloe, oh my God! It’s so good to hear your voice!” Ava told her. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Chloe replied. “How are you? I haven’t really had the chance to talk to Brent about how the two of you are doing,” she told her, sitting down on the bed and crossing her legs, trying to get comfortable. Brent looked over at his sister and smiled. Figuring that she was going to be on the phone for a while, he decided to go take a shower.

“We’re good,” Ava told her. “We’ve had our fights here and there, but we’ve made it through,” she admitted.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Chloe smiled. “And, um…” she trailed off.

“What is it?” Ava asked, wondering why Chloe had stopped.

“It’s nothing,” Chloe assured her.

“No, Chloe, whatever it is, go ahead and say it. I mean, you’ve been gone for so long,” Ava continued.

“It’s just…I was wondering…how’s Kris?” she finally spit out.

“Steeger?” Ava asked, trying to figure out how to answer.

“Yeah, how’s he doing? Is he…happy?” Chloe asked.

“Chloe, I don’t know how to tell you this,” Ava began.

“What? Is Kris alright?” Chloe asked, concern in her voice.

“Kris has a new girlfriend.”