A Place of Hope and No Pain

Chloe's POV

The first thing I did when I got home was pick up my baby, I'd missed her terribly and I couldn't wait to see her. My baby was my two year old Boxer, whose name funnily enough was Lucy. She had unlimited, unconditional love for me and I had the same for her. One thing about my Lucy, I knew she'd never hurt me, I knew she'd always be there.

I picked her up from the place she always stayed when I went away. It was a lady, she was a gem and she looked after Lucy for me in her own home. I just couldn't bare the thought of putting Lucy in a kennel, I couldn't do it.

Lucy was always happy to see me and she constantly licked and snuffled me as we drove home, to our home. My home wasn't huge or fancy, but it was my home. I'd brought my own place a little over a year ago. Working the job at rehab helped a lot with that, while it was hard work we always got paid well, very well and it hadn't taken me long to get enough money together to get Lucy and I our own place and we loved it.

It didn't take Lucy and I long to settle back in, get back into a routine, the only problem was I still had to have a few weeks off work. My knee wasn't healing as quickly as I hoped and unfortunately there was no way I could spend 12 hours in the ER on my feet.

"Wanna go out back?" I asked Lucy, grabbing my book and heading out to the pool. "Read?"

She of course followed, looking extremely excited and while I got comfortable, she ran around sniffing every blade of grass in the yard.

I settled back and started reading, trying not to think about Matt. It had been four days and I hadn't heard from him, not that I expected to. I hoped he was at home, getting his life together, getting his family back.

I closed my eye's, laying my head back. I hated that thought, Matt at home with his perfect little family and then I cursed myself for having those thoughts and I concentrated on my book. Matt was over and done with and I hoped he had a nice life.

I sat there for a little while, trying to read when my phone rang, interrupting me.

"Hello." I answered.

"Babe." Clay said. "It's me."

"Well hey." I said smiling, glad he called. "How are you doing?"

"So so." He told me. "So I'm going back in for another cycle next week."

"What?" I asked him frowning.

Clay and I always did cycles together, one on, then one off, together, now he was telling me he was going back for another twelve weeks.

"Yeah I'm going back." He explained. "You should come with me."

I sighed. "I need a break Clay, you know that, we usually have a break."

"I know Chloe, but god." He said, taking a breath. "Carmen left her husband for me and I just, I'm not sure how I feel about that."

I groaned. I knew it, I knew those two had something, "God Clay."

"I mean, it was fun, I just didn't realise she took it a whole lot more serious than I did." He explained.

I shook my head at his typical male response. "Well, what can I say?"

"Nothing I guess." He mumbled. "Oh wait, I gotta go anyway because she just got here. Do me a favour Chloe and think about coming in again, I'd miss you if you weren't there." And he hung up, without as much as a goodbye.

What a fine mess he'd gotten himself into and running away for twelve weeks wasn't going to help the situation in anyway. Relationships, they were so overrated and they caused nothing but heartbreak and hurt. God I was glad I avoided them.

"Hungry?" I asked Lucy, standing up and hobbling inside.

Of course she was, so we both ate lunch and curled on the couch together, watching movies. As long as I had my Lucy I was happy.

We were laying there, her snoring, when the phone rang again. No doubt it was Clay wondering if I was coming. Well I wasn't, I just couldn't handle another twelve weeks yet.

"What now?" I asked, not bothering with a hello.

"Chloe? Um." A voice I recognised replied.

"Oh um, sorry." I mumbled quickly. "I thought you were someone else."

"Oh." He laughed. "It's Matt anyway."

"Well yeah I realised that."

"So, how have you been?" He asked me.

"Pretty good." I said sitting up and getting comfortable. "What about you? How are things going with you?"

"Yeah, okay." He said softly. "It's different, but I'm getting there."

"It takes some getting used to, especially when you go out and stuff." I explained. "But it get's easier every time." And that was the truth.

"Yeah I guess." He said. "So anyway, the reason I called, feel like going to a meeting this afternoon?"

I looked at Lucy, who was watching me. "I guess so." And I mouthed sorry to her, smiling as she raised her puppy eyebrows at me.

"Okay good, give me your address and I'll come by, pick you up." He told me.

"Have you been to a meeting yet?" I asked him, curious.

"Not yet, but I think I need one today." He said softly and I didn't push it, he'd tell me if he wanted.

"Okay, well today will be your first."

I gave him my address, then we arranged a time before hanging up.

"Fuck Lucy." I told her, standing up. "What the hell am I doing?"

I didn't wait for her to answer me, well it's not like she would anyway, and I headed into the bathroom, showering, getting ready. I did my hair, put on my shoes and then went back to the living room to wait. Of course Lucy was in exactly the same position she was in when I left.

"I won't be long." I told her, kissing the top of her head and I swear she smiled at me. My dog smiled, I didn't care what anyone else thought, she smiled all the time.

I knew when Matt had arrived, Lucy trotted to the door, sniffing. I got up and followed her, opening the door as Matt climbed out of his Escalade.

Lucy did her usual and charged down the front path, greeting him like a long lost friend.

"I didn't know you had a dog Chloe." Matt said, smiling widely, leaning down to greet her.

"That's because she's not my dog, she's my child." I joked, only I wasn't really.

Matt walked to the door, followed closely by Lucy, who had decided that Matt was her new best friend.

"What's her name?" He asked me, walking past me, going inside.

"Lucy." I said quickly.

"How ironic." He muttered softly.

I bit my lip, trying not to smile.

That was my thought exactly.