Before the Crash Ch. 03

You may want to read parts 1 and 2 first.

- I'm not a native English speaker, so if there are mistakes, I apologize! I do check them. The best I can. I'll also switch between scripts and prose, so bear with me when I try to learn all the tricks.

- I'm accepting feedback; I'll just ask to keep it HELPFUL and CONSTRUCTIVE.

My apologies, it's been a little while until this chapter and anything new, really. Life happened.

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CH 3--She Wakes Up & The Truth Starts to Unravel

The soft beeping sound of the machines filled Chloe's hospital room as she rested. Sam was still sitting at her side. His fingers were still intertwined with hers, his thumb slowly brushing over her hand. He heard the door open once again.

"Good morning, I'm here to check Chloe's vitals and make sure everything is alright," Dr. Peter said as he walked to the other side of the bed.

"Good morning, doctor. How is she?" Sam asked, brushing his thumb over Chloe's hand. His voice was a little hoarse from the small amount of sleep he'd gotten last night.

"Everything looks good. Her vitals are stable. I think we're past the danger. But now it will be more emotional pain. I can recommend some therapists; it would be good for Chloe to talk about this." Dr. Peter said in a calm, professional voice.

Sam's breath quickened a little not because he was scared, but because he didn't know how Chloe would take this. "Okay, thank you. I'll talk to her when she's awake; I think it's better that way."

"Very well. I'll check in again soon," he replied, softly closing the door behind him.

Once again it was only Chloe and Sam in the room. The soft beeping filled the silence. He knew it was good that she was sleeping, but he missed seeing her eyes and hearing her voice. Maybe he could continue his investigation about her co-worker.

The security team hadn't found anything after his last report, and on the cameras, other than the fact that he'd been there, the only thing they saw was him touching Chloe's arm.

The thought of that man touching her without her consent made Sam's blood boil, sending a cold shiver down his spine. "He's not coming near you again. I promise, baby," he whispered, running his thumb over her knuckles.

He felt a small squeeze on his hand, and he lifted his head, searching for her eyes. "Baby?"

"Sam?" Chloe's voice was hoarse but steadier than last night.

"Hey, sweetie, I'm here. God, it's good to see you and hear you better. How are you feeling?" He leaned a little closer to her.

"Like, shit. But I'm here, so I guess that's something." She tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey, don't do that. It's okay not to feel okay right now. You're not in any pain, right?" He asked, putting his hand gently to her cheek.

"No, I'm not in any pain. Just... scared a little," Chloe replied, lifting her shaky hand to rest on top of his.

Sam's heart broke for her; she sounded so small and afraid, but he couldn't blame her. Hell, she'd woken up in a hospital bed with a broken arm and bruises. He stroked her cheek before speaking. "Hey, it's okay to be scared. I would be too. But you're safe now, babe. I promise."

"And babe? I hate to do this to you, but... do you remember anything at all from the crash? What happened before?" His hand stayed on her cheek, his thumb moving in slow, grounding circles.

"No... it's still all a little hazy." She closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to remember something-- anything at all-- but nothing came. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Hey, no, none of that, babe. Don't apologize. You're healing; it's normal your brain is shut down right now."

Neither of them spoke for a while; Sam just kept holding her hand, his thumbs are still tracing, slow circles over her cheek. The soft beeping filled the room enough. Right now, all he just wanted was to feel her, touch her however he could.

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"Babe? Can I ask something? It may or may not be upsetting," Sam said his hand tightening around hers as he braced for what he was about to ask.

"Yeah, of course you can. What is it?"

"It's about him... your coworker. The one who's been bothering you. I saw some things on your phone, and Sophie told me more. I know, you said you don't remember anything, but..." He stopped. He didn't want to push her.

The minute he mentioned *him*, Chloe's hand gripped tighter around his, and she tensed up. Her Brows furrowed as something seemed to resurface.

Chloe blinked slowly. "I... I remember him yelling." She paused. "It was dark... we were in the car. He was angry. I told him to stop. I was so... scared." Chloe turned her head away.

"Hey..." Sam spoke gently, grounding her. "You don't need to push it. If it's too much, that was already a huge help. You didn't do anything wrong. I've got you.

Neither of them talked for a while. They didn't need to. The only noise were the monitor's soft beeping and Chloe's quiet sniffles. Eventually her shaking eased. Sam kept holding her careful of her injuries.

Everything calmed. Chloe's breathing evened out a little. Then her phone beeped once, then again.

"You want me to check it?" Sam asked as he pulled back a little bit. He held the phone out to her, giving her the choice.

Chloe took the phone with her good hand and unlocked it. As soon as she did, her hand clambed around his, and her breathing turned ragged again.

"Hey, what's wrong, babe? he asked as he noticed the sudden shift. "Sweetie, easy... easy. You're still safe here with me. If you can't tell me, that's okay, but can I look? Just squeeze my hand if it's yes."

Chloe tried to take a deep breath, but it was too much. She just squeezes his hand. "I... I can't, so... yeah. You... you can take a look."

Sam kept his hand around hers as he took the phone and opened the message. He froze. Rage sparked in his chest. "How dare he text to her, like nothing happened..." I will show him... Soon. But not now. Right now she needs me more than ever."

"It's alright, babe. Try not to think about him right now. I know it's hard, but... you're here with me, and you're safe. Feel my hand on yours." As he spoke, he leaned closer to her ear. "Feel my breathing on your skin."

Her breathing began to steady, so he kept going, his voice low and steady.

"That's good, babe. Really, good. Keep breathing like that... in and out, match mine."

Chloe was still shaken, though calmer now. Sam set the phone on the nightstand and moved closer, holding her a little tighter but still carefully.

"It's okay, babe. You're safe; we don't need to look anymore," he whispered in her ear.

"I'm scared that he'll come back here." She whispered giving his hand a slight squeeze.

"He won't. I won't let him. You're safe. If you want, I can ask security to check the cameras again. Would that help?" he asked as he gently brushed her hair back from her face.

"Yeah... I think so."

"okay, I'll ask them. But now you rest, babe. Today was a big one, a hard one. You're still safe. He leaned in for a quick kiss before starting to hum softly and stroke her hair.

"What... what did he say? She eventually asked.

"Are you sure you want to know, babe?

When Chloe nodded, Sam picked up the phone again and unlocked it. Clearing his throat, he began to read.

"You know you shouldn't have run. I just wanted to talk."

Chloe's eyes filled with fresh tears--and new memories. "He... he wouldn't let me out of the car."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not there anymore. You're safe. Cry if you need to; let it out. I'm not letting go."

Sam started to hum again, knowing that usually calmed her. He held her close, feeling the lingering heat between them, but now wasn't the time for that. Even if they wanted it. When Chloe began to settle, he felt his own anger rise again. He took a few breaths to steady himself, pressed the call button, and waited.

*Tomorrow was a new day, and he would start his investigation.*