Youtubers & Drag

"Then don't pick a name," Aubrey said. "The envelopes will be put in place on Friday, so let me know before then if you won't be here to participate. For everyone else, the gifts should be no more than forty dollars, and you can place them under the tree anytime before the party. Any questions?"

Aubrey looked around to see everyone shaking their heads.

"No?" Aubrey said. "Great. Get back to work. Chloe, may I see you in my office?"

"Sure," Chloe said, standing and following Aubrey.

Stacie rolled her chair over to Beca's desk.

"You should try and get Chloe's name for Secret Santa," Stacie said.

Beca looked at her. "How do you propose I do that? I mean, if I wanted to do that, how would I? No one knows whose name is in the envelope.

"I'll find out who got Chloe's name, and you can offer to trade with them," Stacie said. "I can always figure out who got who."

Chloe came out of Aubrey's office, and Beca watched her walk over and stop in front of her desk. Stacie smirked and rolled back over to her desk.

"Can I help you, Chloe?" Beca asked.

"I hope so," Chloe said. "Aubrey just asked me to head up the party committee, and I need some people to help with food, decorating, and stuff. I'm having a meeting in the conference room at two today to get things started. Would you be willing to volunteer to help?"

"Um, sure," Beca said. "I can do that."

"How about you, Stacie?" Chloe asked. "Could you help as well?"

"Sure," Stacie said. "I'll help."

"Great!" Chloe said with a beaming smile. "I'll write down some ideas I have, and we can discuss them at the meeting. Later, girls."

Beca couldn't help but smile as she watched Chloe practically skip back to her desk.

~~ 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2022 ~~

Chloe sat at her desk and smiled when she saw Beca looking at her. She smiled, and Beca quickly looked away, causing Chloe to frown.

"What is it about Beca that makes me so nervous about asking her out?" Chloe thought. "She seems to like me, too."

Chloe sighed, woke up her computer, and got lost in the weekly report she needed to run.

Chloe was so engrossed in her work that she lost all track of time.

"Chloe, are you coming to the meeting?" Stacie asked as she walked past Chloe's desk.

"What?" Chloe said. "It can't be two o'clock already."

"Afraid so," Stacie said.

Chloe stood and looked around. "Is Beca already in the conference room?"

"She went to lunch late," Stacie said. "But she said she'd see us in the meeting."

The two women entered the conference room to find Fat Amy and Jessica waiting for them.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Chloe said. "I got busy and lost track of time."

"Can we hurry this along," Fat Amy said. "I still have to finish my report."

"Right," Chloe said. "First, I want to thank you all-"

"Sorry, I'm late," Beca said as she hurried into the room.

"It's okay, Beca," Chloe said. "We just started."

Beca stood nervously to the side.

"Is everything okay?" Chloe asked.

"I, um, I saw you were busy and hadn't eaten lunch, so I brought you a sandwich from the diner," Beca said, holding a bag out to Chloe. "It's your usual."

"Aww," Stacie said. "That's so sweet."

Beca glared at Stacie.

"Thank you, Beca," Chloe said, hugging Beca. "This is very sweet of you."

Beca blushed and patted Chloe on the back. "You're welcome."

Chloe pulled back from the hug and looked at Beca. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it," Beca said. "It's my treat."

"I'll get yours next time," Chloe said.

"Um, okay," Beca said.

Beca smiled as she went and sat down. She blushed and glared at Amy when Amy started making kissing noises at her.

"Okay, ladies," Chloe said, getting everyone's attention. "We don't have much time, so let's get started."

~~ 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2022 ~~

It was the day of the party, and Chloe was excited because "her party team" did an excellent job with everything. She called everyone over to her desk and handed them each an envelope.

"What's this?" Beca asked, looking at the envelope in her hand.

"It's just little something from me to say thank you for all your hard work on the party," Chloe said.

"You didn't have to do that, Chloe," Stacie said.

"But, I'm glad she did," Fat Amy said, holding up a gift card to the diner next door to their building.

"Did we all get the same thing?" Jessica asked, opening her envelope and looking inside. "We did."

"Let's plan to use our cards and have lunch together after the holidays," Stacie said.

The other girls agreed.

"As the party team's leader, Chloe should come with us," Beca said. Then, at Fat Amy's glare, Beca quickly added, "I'll pay for her lunch."

"In that case, you should join us, Red," Fat Amy said.

Chloe smiled and said, "I'd like that. Thank you, Beca."

Beca blushed, and Stacie grinned at her.

"Let's go, ladies," Chloe said, standing from her desk. "The party will start soon, and we need to do one more check to ensure everything's perfect."

The team made their way to the conference room where the party would be. Aubrey came in behind them.

"Chloe, you and your team did a great job," Aubrey said, looking around. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Aubrey," Chloe said.

Aubrey took Chloe's arm and led her to a corner where no one could overhear them.

"Are you ready for the Secret Santa?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah, I am," Chloe said, grinning. "I just hope Beca likes it."

"I'm sure she will," Aubrey said. "Especially when she learns your part of the present."

Chloe was kept from responding as the rest of the employees started arriving for the party.

An hour later, Chloe was making the rounds.

"Amy, stop adding liquor to the punch," Chloe chastised the boisterous blonde. "We want to make sure everyone makes it home safely."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n," Fat Amy said with a two-finger salute.

Chloe then made her way over to Beca, who was providing the music.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe said, smiling. "I love the music you've put together."

"Thanks," Beca said.

"Aubrey's waving at me," Chloe said. "I think we're going to do the Secret Santa exchange soon, so after this song, cut the music."

"Okay," Beca said.

Chloe squeezed Beca's arm before walking over to stand with Aubrey. The song ended, and Beca paused the music.

"Okay, everyone," Aubrey called out. "Gather around; it's time for the Secret Santa exchange."

Everyone gathered around the tree. Amy handed Beca a drink as she joined her.

"Thank," Beca said, taking a sip. She grimaced at the amount of alcohol in the drink. "Sheesh, Amy, are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Shhh," Amy said, causing Beca to look at Aubrey and Chloe.

"First, I want to thank Chloe and her team for putting together such a wonderful party," Aubrey said, lightly clapping.

The partygoers clapped and cheered as well.

"Okay, settle down," Aubrey said. "Chloe will now explain how were are going distribute the Secret Santa gifts. Chloe?"

"Thank you, Aubrey," Chloe said. "I'll call you up one at a time and hand you your gift. You'll open it and see if you can guess who your Secret Santa is. Okay?"

"This is going to take forever," Bumper Allen said. "Let's just get our gifts and open them. Then our Secret Santa can tell us who they are whenever they want."

"Yeah." several voices call out.

"Okay," Chloe said, chuckling. "If that's how you want to do it. Go for it."

Everyone rushed to the tree and, amidst laughing and shoving, grabbed their gifts. Beca stood back to wait for an opportunity to find hers.

"Out of the way, flat butts," Fat Amy said, pushing her way to the front. "Aha! Got it."

Fat Amy pushed her way out of the crowd and returned to the drinks table. She opened her gift bag and pulled out a bottle of Tequila. She waved it around, cheering.

The partygoers finally moved away from the tree, and Beca found her gift among the last few still under the tree. She picked up Chloe's as well and walked over to her.

"Um, I know we're supposed to wait until you open your gift," Beca said. "But, I, um, I'm your Secret Santa."

"You are?" Chloe asked, genuinely surprised. "I'm your Secret Santa."

"Really?" Beca asked.

"I'm excited to see what you got me," Chloe said as she gently removed the paper from her gift. Once the paper was removed, she held a box. She opened the box and took out what was inside. "You bought me a ticket to the New Year's Eve Party at the Hilton?"

"Actually," Beca said. "I bought two. I was hoping-" Beca swallowed and ran a hand through her hair. "I like you, Chloe, and I was hoping you would allow me to be your date to the party."

"Open your gift, Beca," Chloe said, smiling.

Beca furrowed her brow and opened the gift.

"You got me the same thing," Beca said, holding up the single ticket.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I like you, too. And I also bought two tickets, hoping I could be your date."

Beca laughed and pulled Chloe into a hug. "I'd love to be your date!"

"I'd love to be your date, too," Chloe said. Then, she pulled back from the hug and asked, "What are were going to do with the extra pair of tickets?"

Beca looked over to see Stacie flirting with Aubrey. She doesn't know how, but she guessed they had something to do with her and Chloe being each other's Secret Santa.

"I have an idea," Beca said, taking Chloe's hand. "Come with me."

Chloe let Beca lead her over to Stacie and Aubrey.

"How would you two like to go on a New Year's Eve double date with Chloe and me?"

"That's a great idea, Beca!" Chloe said, kissing her on the cheek. "What do you say, Aubrey? Are you finally going to grow a pair and ask Stacie out?"

"Yeah, Aubrey," Stacie said, smirking. "Are you finally going to grow a pair and ask me out?"

"Stacie," Aubrey said. "Would you-"

"Yes, I would!" Stacie said, pulling Aubrey into a kiss.

"We should-"

"Don't mind if we do," Chloe said, crashing her lips against Beca's.

Beca put her arms around Chloe and returned the kiss. Their kiss broke naturally, and Beca smiled at Chloe.

"I was going to say we should leave them alone," Beca said, causing Chloe's face to fall. "But I like your idea better."

The door opens and both Chloe and Beca look to see a new nurse step inside. Chloe doesn’t know her. But Beca appears to. And the nurse appears to recognise her in return.

“Hi Chloe.” the woman says in a kind voice while she gently closes the door behind her and takes a step closer, “My name is Ashley, I’m one of the nurses who’s been looking after you during your time here. I’m just going to counter-check your meds with Jessica.”

Chloe doesn’t really know what to say. She can imagine over the months there’s been a lot of people looking after her. But she doesn’t recognise them. Not even their voices. The only person she feels like she knows - though she doesn’t know how - is Beca.

“Hey Beca.” Ashley goes on to say with a continued kind smile to Beca, “Nice to see you here during daylight hours.”

Beca does nothing but grunt in response, but a small amused smile is on her face while she looks back down at Chloe’s hand. Chloe looks back at Beca while the nurse turns her attention to the medication cabinet, unlocking it then consulting some paperwork.

So another part of the puzzle has been provided: Beca has only been visiting her overnight? Or in the evenings? Why? Had it been due to her work? Or other commitments? What other commitments did Beca have??

The door opens again and Jessica steps back inside the room with an air of calm and serenity, closing the door behind her before approaching Ashley with a sigh. The two stand side by side, consulting the paperwork.

“It’s all kicking off out there.” Chloe hears Jessica mumble to Ashley. Beca hears it too and glances over her shoulder at them.

“Is it our lot?” she enquires quietly. The two nurses look over at her with expressions that confirm Beca’s suspicion. Chloe still isn’t used to hearing Beca’s voice. But each time she does, she feels a renewed rush of warmth blanket her body. She feels safe and calm here with Beca holding her hand.

The two nurses, content with the medication doses, turn to the bed and calmly make their way over, Ashley standing at the foot of the bed while Jessica brings a small tray of filled syringes to Beca’s side. Beca appears to know the drill, and releases Chloe’s hand so Jessica can access the cannula.

“Chloe can you confirm for me your name and date of birth?” Jessica tentatively asks while flushing the cannula with sterile fluid. Chloe’s not been asked this yet. She looks from the nurse up to the ceiling, and her eyes flutter closed for a moment. She feels a plastic tag or something around her ankle being moved slightly. She thinks. It’s hard, but she tries. And after a few beats, she attempts to answer as confidently as possible.

“Chloe Beale.” she croaks, her throat still sore, “June 20th...1990.”

“Correct.” Jessica confirms in a kind and impressed tone. Chloe opens her eyes to see that Ashley had been consulting an ID tag that is attached loosely around her ankle.

“Beca, your husband’s just asking for a quick word with you?” Ashley says in a calm voice. Beca hums slightly, as if confirming she’s heard what the nurse has just said.

Chloe’s stomach flips, but she isn’t sure why. Beca has a husband. She’s not sure why she hasn’t assumed that already. Do they have children too? Her eyes drift down to Beca’s left hand. Sure enough, the woman has a wedding band on, snugly set beside a beautiful large engagement ring. Whoever Beca’s husband is, he has money. The rings look expensive.

“Are you okay here for a couple of minutes while I speak to him?” Beca asks Chloe with caution, “Because if not, he can wait.”

Chloe knows she’s important. She must be if Beca is choosing her over her husband. He only wants a quick word and still Beca is willing to push him to one side if it means keeping Chloe happy. As she looks deep into Beca’s eyes, she feels her heart tug. She still doesn’t know why Beca makes her feel this way.

“I’ll be okay.” she confirms slowly. And she means it. She will be okay. She feels safe with the two nurses here. She watches as Beca hesitates.

“We won’t leave her Beca.” Jessica assures in a kind tone, having administered the final syringe of medication. “Take all the time you need.”

The last sentence is something that makes Chloe feel a little scared. What if Beca gets caught up and takes ages? What if she takes so long that she forgets to come back? What if Chloe has to speak to those people claiming to be her family instead? What if they persuade the nurses that they should take Chloe with them? What if Chloe never sees Beca again?

Her heart rate increases and both Jessica and Ashley seem to notice. As does Beca, who matches the nurses’ glances up at the monitor that Chloe is hooked up to.

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” Beca says, sharply rising to her feet, “Then I promise I’ll be right back.”

Chloe’s initial panic settles when Beca darts forward to place a snap of a kiss on her forehead before scuttling out of the room. She sees the two nurses give each other a knowing smile before they wander in separate directions to different sides of the room to do a couple of tasks.

“You know,” she hears Ashley say while the nurse gathers some bed sheets from a nearby draw, “Beca’s been here every night from the moment you were brought here.”

Chloe’s eyebrows rise. Beca’s been here? Every night? For seven months??

“Why the night?” Chloe croaked, wincing slightly before letting out a cough. She feels thirsty and her mouth feels dry. Jessica’s instincts seem tip-top, and she quickly sets to filling a small jug with a fresh bottle of water.

“Because your family wouldn’t let her visit so she had to do it secretly overni-”

“-Ashley!” Jessica hisses while rummaging through a draw.

“What?” Ashley responds innocently, but the smile across her face gives Chloe the impression she’s thrilled to divulge some gossip. “She was gonna find out at some point.”

“Yeah but she should talk to Beca about it.”

Chloe’s mind feels jumbled as she thinks about what Ashley has just said. Why had her family not wanted Beca to visit her? From what she’s seen of Beca, the woman seems devoted and wonderful. Hardly the type of person you’d want to keep away.

Jessica moves to her side, and pulls a small sponge lollipop from the jug of water. The sight of the drip alert’s Chloe’s natural instinct and the redhead opens her mouth. The nurse sweeps the sponge around Chloe’s dry lips and mouth, around her gums, the roof of her mouth, and over and under her tongue. Chloe automatically clamps down, desperate to suck the sponge dry, but as she does and tries to swallow she coughs. She panics.

Ashley is on the other side of her within seconds, smoothing her hand across Chloe’s back while Jessica puts the jug to one side. The two nurses speak calmly to Chloe until the redhead finally lets out a sigh of relief and sits back in bed again.

“We need to help train your body to swallow again, Chloe.” Jessica said in a soft tone, “Your body’s getting all the fluid and sustenance it needs from your feeding tube.”

Feeding tube? Chloe brings her hand to her nose and that’s when she remembers she has something going up it. A strip of tape is across her nose and around the tube to keep it secure. And all of a sudden she feels overwhelmed. It’s not enough that she’s been asleep for seven months and has lost her memory of many many things. But it looks as though she has to stay in hospital for the foreseeable future until she’s learnt how to be human again..

The door to the room opens and Beca steps inside, closing the door behind her gently while giving Chloe an apologetic smile. Just her presence is enough to draw Chloe back down into a state of calm. She can do it. She can recover if Beca’s by her side.

“So it looks like I’ll be needing that fold-out bed tonight, Jess.” Beca says as she slowly approaches her chair by the bed. Chloe notices the amused expressions on the nurse’s faces.

“Seven months of nights in that chair, and now you’re going to finally try the fold-out bed?” Ashley replies with a grin, slowly heading for the door herself.

“Well Jesse’s heading home to sort the kids out and pick me up some pyjamas. If Chloe’s okay with me staying overnight of course.”

Chloe had momentarily paused all attention on the conversation the second Beca had mentioned that she has kids back home. Kids. Beca has kids. And a husband. And yet she still spends much of her time here by Chloe’s side. Why?? What was she to Beca??

“Of course.” Chloe replies in a voice just little over a whisper, and she sees Beca let out a gentle sigh of relief. The brunette takes a seat and takes Chloe’s hand again.

———

“Chloe?”

The distant voice is familiar. Or at least, Chloe thinks it is, as she rouses slowly to the sound of her name and a gentle shaking motion that a hand makes on her upper arm.

“Chloeee?” The voice nears gradually, until eventually Chloe wakes, and her eyes slowly open - a movement that takes a lot more energy than it should.

This time Chloe’s eyesight is much clearer than the previous time she opened her eyelids. The low light in the room is less harsh, and she doesn’t squint. Her eyes focus far quicker, and with the slightest tilt of her head, she looks at the figure on her right who let’s go of her upper arm.

She sees a nurse looking at her with a kind smile that matches the gentle tone of the voice that woke her. A nurse that matches the height and body shape of the blurred figure that had stood on her right when she had first woken up. And with those kind eyes and that kind smile, Chloe felt slightly calmer than she had when she’d first woken. Only slightly.

“Hey there.” the nurse said, her eyes momentarily flickering to something up and to the right of Chloe’s bed. A monitor perhaps? Whatever it is, it beeps loudly. Like an alarm of some sort. But it doesn’t seem to concern the woman, who glances back down at Chloe, unphased, with a soft smile still on her face.

Chloe opens her mouth with a wince, not enjoying the way her lips split apart as she prizes them open, her tongue and throat and lips feeling dry and sore.

“Whe-re...a-m...I?” she croaks in a quiet voice, and suddenly she coughs. One that causes her to scrunch her face up while her upper body shifts forward due to the force of the cough. The woman hushes her gently, just as Chloe sits her head back on her pillow. Chloe swallows uncomfortably, her throat feeling scratchy and sore.

“You’re in the hospital, Chloe. In Manhattan.” the nurse gently explains, keeping her eyes on the monitor that alarms differently since the cough, “You’ve been asleep for quite a long time so you’re going to find it a bit uncomfortable to speak for a couple of hours.” she adds, and Chloe lets out a tired sigh, her eyes drifting closed again. Those aren’t exactly the types of answers she needs. What she needs to know is: How did she get here? Why is she here? What happened? And how long has she been asleep for? Days? Weeks? Months??

As the nurse steps away from Chloe to fetch a doctor, Chloe drifts back off to sleep again. The alarms from the monitor are strangely soothing. As though they’re the most familiar thing about being in here. As though she’s heard them all before..

———

By the time Chloe stirs awake again, she’s in the company of her nurse, and what looks to be two doctors, all of whom are looking at the monitor beside her bed. They don’t look too concerned, just serious. And Chloe is too exhausted to ask what’s going on.

“That should set her right again.” one of the doctors says to the nurse, “Take another blood sample in half an hour to check her potassium level and obviously let us know if her blood pressure spikes again.” The nurse nods in response, looking down at Chloe with a kind smile.

“Her family are in the coffee room.” the other doctor says just as Chloe’s eyes drift closed again. She tries to picture her parents, but she can’t. She tries to picture any siblings or grandparents. But she can’t. Her memory of any personal relationships feels like a blank slate. And in an instant, Chloe feels lonely. Alone in this scary room, in this scary state of being.

“It’s too soon to let them see her.” the nurse replies in a low tone that Chloe somehow manages to hear, “We don’t even know if she’ll recognise them.”

“Stranger things have happened.” the first doctor replies in a concerned voice.

Chloe feels a knot form in her stomach while tears sting her eyes beneath her lids. There was no way the hospital could possibly send her home with complete strangers. Surely? Were the staff here just going to take those people’s word for it? What if they weren’t her family?? Chloe wouldn’t know. The hospital wouldn’t know. The strangers might kidnap her and torture her..

———

“Chloe?”

The nurse’s soft voice and gentle touch on her arm slowly rouses Chloe from another light sleep. As she opens her eyes, the woman is stood by Chloe’s bed with a kind smile on her face.

“I just wanted to have a little chat with you about things that happened before you came here.”

The woman’s voice is so kind and soothing that it makes Chloe feel calm and comforted. So long as this nurse is here, Chloe feels certain nothing bad will happen to her. Even with the sound of hysterical conversations being held on the outside of her closed hospital door. Clearly being in the hospital was stressful for many people.

“Okay.” Chloe manages to croak, her voice sounding a little stronger than it had done when she’d first woken. She makes to sit up, looking down at her hands to reach for a side bar or something to help ease herself up the bed, but to her confusion she sees numerous lines connecting to cannula’s in the back of both her hands. The sight of them tangling as she moves her hands causes Chloe’s brain to feel a bit fuzzy, and she eventually eases her head back down onto the pillow after the nurse swiftly insists that she doesn’t need to sit up or make any sudden movements. Chloe let’s out a heavy and tired sigh.

“What did you want to chat about?” Chloe forces the words from her throat, ignoring the sound of an alarm that had begun bleeping for whatever reason when she’d moved her hands moments ago. The nurse, who had been untangling the medical lines, looks back at Chloe briefly before resuming the challenging task of untangling.

“I was going to ask if you remember why you were brought here?”

Chloe thinks it’s a silly question. Of course she remembers. So she thinks back to remember specifics. Except...as she thinks, she realises she doesn’t remember. She has no recollection. None whatsoever. And realising this causes Chloe to begin to panic.

The nurse appears to sense the panic, and places a calm hand on Chloe’s, looking at her in assurance.

“It’s okay if you don’t.” she adds, her eyes flickering to the monitor while the beeping increases in rate, sounding in time with Chloe’s increasingly panicky heart rate. “You’ve not been awake long, Chloe. There’s time. Plenty of t-”

The door of the room suddenly bursts open, slamming loudly against a small metal trolley that’s behind it, and the equipment on top of the trolley rattles on impact. Chloe feels her heart noticeably skip a beat, her heart rate and breathing increasing with panic as she watches a woman in her sixties striding into the room. She is closely followed by a man of similar age. Then another woman who certainly looks older than the two intruders, bringing up the rear.

All three look relieved to see her. All three look a little stunned by her appearance, however that may be. And Chloe, for the life of her, has no idea who they are. So she clings to the nurse’s hand, conveying silently her need for the woman to stay with her for protection. Because right now, Chloe only knows the nurse. Right now, the other three people look intimidating.

“Chloe.” the first woman bursts with an exhale of relief. She looks exhausted and tears are already streaming down her cheeks. But she’s smiling the most brightest dazzling smile. And while Chloe has no idea who this person is, she feels a small sense of a connection. Though what that connection is, she’s unsure.

The woman surges towards her, reaching out to take her hand, but Chloe flinches and pulls her hand away before it can be taken. She cowers slightly. She’s confused. And so is the new woman to her left, who looks from her to the nurse with a frown.

“Wha- What’s going on?”

“Mrs Beale, you’ve been told to wait in the coffee room for a reason-” the nurse replies calmly. All the while Chloe is looking at ‘Mrs Beale’ in confusion. Beale. That’s her name. Chloe Anne Beale. But...this isn’t her mother. Chloe can’t remember who her mother is or what she looks like, but Chloe is almost certain it isn’t this woman.

“-I’m her mother.” Mrs Beale hisses in a harsh voice, clearly becoming distressed, “I should be here!”

“Mrs Beale, your daughter sustained a very serious head injury which resulted in her having to be sedated for seven months.” the nurse replies firmly, and Chloe feels a whole world of horror overwhelming her body while she comprehends what the nurse has just said. “Coming round after a long sleep is traumatising for even the best of patients. So please do not add to that trauma by barging in here.”

Chloe watches ‘Mrs Beale’ the entire time. Watches the woman’s drained expression turning sour. Watching her lips purse and her jaw shift from side to side while she bites the inside of her cheeks.

“Come on, love.” the man says, reaching out to smooth his hand across the woman’s back, “Let’s give our girl some space.”

‘Our girl’. Chloe swallows loudly at the way the man says the pet name with such ease. Seeing how hurt both he and ‘Mrs Beale’ look brings tears to Chloe’s eyes. She glances over to the oldest woman, looking back at her in concern. Something about her causes Chloe to tremble. But she isn’t sure if it’s because she’s afraid of the old woman, or if she was once comforted by her.

Either way, she’s locked with the woman’s bright blue eyes. All until another figure appears in the doorway. A slim blonde, peering in with an anxious expression on her face. Again, Chloe isn’t sure who this person is, so assumes it’s another ‘family member’ she can add to the list of family members who she doesn’t recognise. It doesn’t fill her with much hope or happiness. Just more sadness and confusion.

What had caused her such a horrific head injury that she no longer knew these people? And what now?? Who can she trust beyond the nurse who is now ushering the strangers from her room?

A tear slips from Chloe’s eye, rolling down her cheek while she closes her eyes. She wishes she could just go back to sleep again. She imagines it’s easier that way. To just sleep forever and not feel confused anymore..

———

“I’m sorry.” Chloe croaks, trying to bring her hand to her face and remembering that she’s attached by lines to several medicine pumps. She brings her hand down to her side with a sigh, not enjoying the feel of the oxygen being pumped into her nostrils through the nasal specs attached around her head. But she’s been told she has to keep them on. Apparently her oxygen levels aren’t stable enough without them. “I really don’t know who they are.”

“It’s okay, Chloe.” her nurse - Jessica - says kindly, “Do you want to know who they are to you? Or at least...the you that you were before you were brought here?”

Chloe takes a breath, thinking back on the look on Mrs Beale’s face. The look on the man and the old woman’s faces too. Thinking back on the brief conversation the blonde had had with Chloe. Her name being ‘Aubrey’ apparently. Aubrey who seemed to be devastated that Chloe couldn’t remember who she was or any of the moments they’d shared together over the past years as best friends. Chloe had apologised of course. Had actually felt really guilty for making Aubrey so upset.

But as the nurse has said over and over again: it isn’t her fault.

Chloe shakes her head slowly. She doesn’t want to know. Not yet anyway. Her head hurts and her eyes hurt and her back hurts. She’s still trying to get her mind around the fact that both cannula’s in her hands are hooked up to pumps administering pain medication and medication to keep her body’s levels balanced.

“Alright.” Jessica says calmly, a kind smile on her face again.

“I wish I did.” Chloe adds, swallowing again, desperately wanting the ache in it to leave. Apparently having a tube stuck down your throat for seven months causes a fair bit of trauma that makes recovering from it a lengthy process. “I wish I knew something.”

“It’ll come in time.” the nurse assures for the millionth time, smoothing a hand gently across Chloe’s arm for comfort. Chloe doesn’t notice it though. She’s too distracted with the feeling of loneliness. Too distracted by the hushed bickering still going on outside her hospital room. Those people claiming to be her family still clearly stubborn about wanting her to know them. But she doesn’t know them. She doesn’t know anything or anyone.

Suddenly a light knock is heard on the door and Chloe turns to look opposite her, at the square window of the door. She sees little more than the hair and forehead of a woman. A short woman if the height that the window is set at is anything to go by.

Chloe hears the nurse tut, muttering under her breath about how ridiculous this family was becoming. Just as Jessica leaves her bedside, Chloe watches as the door opens slightly and the new woman steps inside. She’s petite, with long brown hair in loose waves down her back. But that’s all Chloe can tell about her, because the woman closes the door gently back over with a click, and faces it for several beats, as though trying to compose herself.

All that Chloe can hear is the sound of her own breathing, the sound of the oxygen rushing through the nasal specs into her nose, and the methodical bleep of her heart rate on the monitor. All that Chloe can do is lay upright in her bed, watching the woman. Waiting. Wondering who she is or what she wants.

“I’m sorry Beca-” Beca. Chloe knows that name. Why does she know that name? “-I know you’re keen to see her but I turned her parents away. I can’t allow you in any further.” Jessica tries to insist in a reluctant tone that suggests Beca has been far more present in the hospital over the past several months than any of the other people the nurse has turned away.

“It’s okay.” the woman says, and each word reverberates in Chloe’s body, as though playing a familiar melody she hasn’t heard in a long time, “I just wanted to see if-”

“-She doesn’t remember anyone.” Jessica interrupts in a sympathetic tone.

But Chloe finds tears springing to her eyes as she watches the woman turn slowly on the spot to look directly at her with a nervous expression. Dark blue eyes and dazzling white teeth. Eyebrows that knit perfectly together. Chloe remembers. She finally remembers.

“Beca.” she forces out with an air of recognition. A tired smile sweeps onto her face as Beca releases a huge sharp exhale of relief before dashing forward, while Chloe bursts into tears. But they aren’t tears of upset. They’re tears of joy. Of happiness. Of relief.

She raises her arms just enough to welcome Beca into as tight a hug as she can muster, her eyes closing while she lets out a shaky sigh of relief. She finally feels calm. She no longer feels lonely. Because Beca is here, holding her, crying with her.

“I was so scared you wouldn’t remember me!” Beca mumbles into the nook of her neck, her warm breath feeling like a comfort blanket across Chloe skin.

“I remember you.” Chloe blubs, opening her eyes as Beca leans back from her. She feels Beca’s soft hands cupping her cheeks, holding her face and caressing her skin so gently with her thumbs. Tears run down the brunette’s cheeks. Her eyes flicker from Chloe’s left eye to right eye and back again over and over.

To Chloe, Beca feels like home. She just isn’t sure how.

“I don’t know how I remember you.” she eventually admits, and she sees Beca’s expression lower. That doesn’t appear to be something Beca wants to hear. But Beca doesn’t step away. She stays. And that assures Chloe that she’s still not alone. That Beca will keep staying. So she finds the confidence to continue, “I don’t know what we are to each other but...I know that you mean something.”

A sad smile sweeps onto Beca’s face as she nods gently, bringing her right hand from Chloe’s cheek to gently sweep her fingertips through Chloe’s red hair.

“That’s okay.” Beca assures affectionately, “I can answer whatever questions you have. But there’s no rush. All that matters is you’re okay.”