"I tried to stop her from running out to the neighbor's to meet you. I'm guilty of seeing you as not being worthy based on your profession. I'm so incredibly sorry about that. This whole experience has changed me."
"She followed me to Detroit just to meet me?" Matthew grinned shyly.
"She wanted to meet someone on her own to see if she could have a chance at love. Chloe wanted to meet you that day, and felt awful when you left before she could introduce herself. I don't know the details, but Chloe ended up in Detroit. That's the night you both met. She started to fall for you the moment she learned of how you care for your father. She saw your heart, and that's all she needed."
"She wanted to help us out of love?"
"When you found out who she really was, she crumbled to nothing. There were a few times I was afraid to leave her side. She wasn't eating or drinking, and I had to force her out of bed. Chloe knew she lost you. That broke her heart. What hurt her the most was when you refused her help. Chloe wanted to be honest, but was afraid you'd want nothing to do with her, and then she wouldn't be able to help you."
"She tried to tell me. I wouldn't let her." Disgusted with himself, Matthew got up and walked into Chloe's room. Her father had left without saying a word to his daughter. How can they treat her like that? How could I have been such a pride-filled, arrogant ass? He walked in and kissed her bruised face. The swelling had gone down some, but she still didn't resemble the woman he knew. Her injuries are no comparison to the crushing blows she's endured her entire life, and I caused some of them.
Becky walked to the doorway and poked her head in. "Matthew? I've never gone this long without a shower in all my life. I'm going to drive home and get cleaned up and change my clothes. I'll be back in a couple hours."
"It's a long drive, Becky. Go on over to my apartment instead, and you can take a shower and make yourself at home. You'd probably feel more comfortable at Chloe's, but I don't have a key to her apartment anymore. In my top dresser are some t-shirts and sweats if you need a change of clothes. They'll be a little big but they're clean." Matthew paused when a painful thought came to him. "You wanna hear something totally pathetic? I was embarrassed when I found out an heiress was in my run-down apartment."
"Well I never in a million years would have taken you up on your offer before this. Thank you. I'll get your father whatever he needs while I'm there."
Matthew nodded and smiled, while watching Becky walk down the hall. She's good people. He realized that money doesn't mean you are or aren't a decent person. He looked down at the love of his life and gently placed his hand on top of hers. I promise we'll be alright. Come back to me.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Becky softly knocked on the door, and then put Matthew's key in the lock.
"Can I help you with something? How'd you get a key?" Conner reached for the phone.
"I'm Becky, Chloe's best friend. Matthew and I have been at the hospital around the clock, and to be honest, I'm starting to look and smell pretty gross. He said I could come here and shower and borrow a change of clothes. Is that okay?"
"Then that makes you family. Come on inside. The towels are under the sink."
"Can I do anything for you while I'm here? Do you need groceries or any cleaning done?"
"I'm kind of hungry, but I can have John fix me something when he gets home from work."
"You don't need to wait for John. I'm just as hungry as you are! What would you like?" Becky found herself feeling excited about helping this man.
"Is pizza okay with you? There's a grocery store a couple of miles from here. Next door is a little pizzeria, and they're not too expensive." Conner reached in his pocket.
"My treat, because I eat like a truck driver. I'll take a quick shower and be out the door in fifteen minutes."
Becky loved to smell like a girl. Washing her hair with shampoo that smelled like a man would never have entered her mind, even as a remote possibility before. There wasn't any beautifully scented conditioner either, but that was okay too. The ceiling paint was cracked, the tub was rust-stained, and not once did she feel like judging them, or her current surroundings. All she felt was warmth and gratitude.
Matthew's clothes were exactly where he said they were. She was surprised at how neat his room was. She threw on a pair of black sweats and a large t-shirt which came down to the top of her knees, and walked back out to the kitchen.
"Those don't look so bad."
"I've never worn something so comfortable in my life! I'm going now to get the pizza. Anything special you want on it?"
"I haven't had pizza in months. I usually only get cheese, it's cheaper, but I love all the toppings. Pick out your favorite."
"Be right back, Mr. Sharp."
"Conner, please."
Becky smiled and headed towards her Jaguar. She had to pull the sweats up when she walked so she wouldn't trip, but the string on the waist stopped them from sliding off her body. She never once felt embarrassed about the way she looked. The people in the parking lot turned to stare when she climbed in her expensive car. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Becky smiled at her plain face and messy hair.
Traffic was a steady flow on the way to the pizzeria. Without even thinking, she stopped at the red light where she saw Chloe's car lying mangled on its side. Becky took deep breaths and tried to stay focused. Luckily, the light soon turned green and she was able to continue driving.
The pizzeria didn't have any other customers inside. An older Italian man took her order. Four large supreme pizzas, breadsticks, soda, salad, and cinnamon bread was her first purchase. The one hundred dollar gift certificate to the pizzeria was the other.
"While you fix that, I'm going to run to the grocery store. I'll be back in a few."
"Give us thirty minutes."
Becky walked in, grabbed a cart, and started down the first aisle. She'd never grocery shopped on her own before in her life. Heck, she'd never stepped foot inside a small pizza place either. After the third aisle, she ran back down to the entrance, left her first cart with the manager, and then grabbed a new cart. She was having so much fun, but even better, Becky was helping Matthew and Conner. I'm covering for ya, chica. Hurry and get better. I'll take care of them, don't you worry.
Becky paid for the groceries and then purchased a five hundred dollar gift card to the store. When she got to the car, she realized there was no place to fit that many groceries, let alone the pizzas.
"Hey!" Becky waved to the cashier from the back of her car.
The cashier walked outside with a concerned look on her face. "Did I forget to bag something?"
"Do you guys deliver?"
"We can deliver groceries, but there's a fee."
"I'll pay double if these can be delivered right now. The driver can just follow me. Can I buy the service for a year for someone?"
"You sure can."
Becky had to make two trips to carry all the food from the pizzeria up to the apartment. Conner's face lit up.
"Aww, you didn't have to get all that food. How much was it? I can pay you back next week."
"Nope. No way, this is my treat. I'll put the groceries away for you."
"Groceries? I don't-"
The grocery delivery guy began carrying in the bags and setting them on the kitchen counter and stove top.
"Becky!"
"When you love someone-"
"You don't even know us."
"I love Chloe, and she loves you. Matthew has become like a brother to me. That makes us family, just like you said."
Conner's cheeks glowed red. "It's hard for me to accept help."
"Pride has caused so much destruction between us all. It's time for that to stop." Becky reached in her bag. "You have John deposit this tomorrow in your account. I won't take no for an answer." Becky wrote out a check to Conner Sharp for twenty-thousand dollars.
"That's a lot of money. Thank you for your offer but I can't accept this … "
"I spend that easily just shopping for clothes." She handed him the gift cards and wrote down the grocery store and pizzeria phone numbers." Both will deliver anything you need for free."
Conner took the check and reached up to wipe at a tear. Becky hurried and filled both their plates so he'd change his focus and not lose his composure and feel even worse. When they were done eating and the groceries were put away, she wrapped up the leftover slices and put some in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. She fixed up a big plate of food to take to the hospital for Matthew.
"You've been so kind, Becky … "
"Here's my number. You call me for anything you need … especially for company. I'll see you again soon, I promise." She bent down and kissed his stubble-covered cheek and then went out the door, never feeling so happy, worthy, and free in her entire life.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The doctor told Becky and Matthew that Chloe could come off the ventilator and that they'd be reversing the drug induced coma. He warned that she'd be in a lot of pain and was still facing another surgery, possibly more.
"That's great news, right? So she's out of the woods now?" Becky felt such an enormous relief.
"She could still develop infections and pneumonia. We'll also need to watch her for blood clots, but barring any of those things, she should do okay. Before we take her off the ventilator, I'd like to get Chloe back in surgery to fix her nose. She won't be able to breathe correctly if we don't. Her jaw fracture isn't as bad as we first thought. It's not dislocated and should heal properly. She won't be allowed to use it fully while it's healing though. Her hand has a few breaks, and her leg has a serious fracture as well. Those'll take longer. When her hand heals more, we'll remove the pins. Do you have any more questions?"