When Faye awoke, she was in the hospital bed and her head was pounding. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, her eyes landing on Chloe sitting in the chair on her left side, looking at something on her phone.
"How long have I been out?" Faye asked, licking her dry lips.
"It's about midday, so about twelve hours. Silas gave you something to help you sleep." Chloe said as she stood and walked towards her. "How do you feel?" she asked, her eyes glancing at the machines behind her that were recording all her vitals.
"Thirsty," Faye responded, nodding to the pitcher of water next to the bed. "What's happened since I've been out?"
Chloe poured her some water and sat on the end of her bed. "The bad guy was taken into custody, Silas told the police that you would talk to them later today if you felt up to it, and the ER is business as usual." Chloe watched Faye as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the pillow.
"You know it's ironic after everything Silas did to keep you out of danger, none of it mattered because, in the end, it was some random crazed psycho who held your life hostage." Chloe stood up and crossed her arms as she walked to look out the small window that looked out over the parking lot. "I need to explain about Silas and me, what happened."
Faye felt her heart rate accelerate with the knowledge that what was going to come next was going to be important to her and Silas's future.
"Have you been watching the news, do you know of Valentine Juric and the country he is fighting for?" Chloe asked, looking over her shoulder at Faye.
"Sort of, I have heard of it a few times on the news," Faye said with a frown as she tried to recall exactly what it was that she had heard. "Something about a coup and the UN?"
"Yes, a very long war has ravaged his country, a ten-year war to be exact, but I should start at the beginning." She turned to look out the window as she started to talk. "I met Silas when I was a young girl, he worked alongside my father in the field hospital in Valentine Juric's country. Many doctors trained with my father, but Silas, Valentine, and my father had a special bond. Valentine was in medical school when his father died and his uncle assumed power. Valentine had to make a decision. His father was a dictator, and his uncle was set on the same path. Valentine loves his country and he has dreams for it, he wishes for it to be a democracy. So, he gave up practicing medicine and went to war, and instead of healing people, as he had always dreamed, he had to heal a country." Chloe turned to Faye with a self-mocking smile. "It sounds dramatic, doesn't it? But it is true, Valentine gave up everything, his dream to be a doctor, his anonymity, me." Chloe's voice broke and she stopped talking as she stared at the window.
"You?" Faye encouraged after a few moments of silence. Trying to absorb what she was hearing, that Chloe was in love with Valentine Juric.
"Yes, when my mother died, I was sent to my father and I was happy with him, I had a talent for languages, and the best place to learn them was with him. I met Valentine and Silas who went to school together when I was fifteen. They were both kind to me, but I had a crush on Valentine. Silas finished his studies and eventually left, but Valentine was already home. I grew up with Valentine, it was a hard road to get him to see me as a woman, but eventually, he did and we fell in love, everything was perfect, even my father approved." Chloe laughed at what must have been a private joke.
"But? I hear a but in there?" Faye encouraged once more.
"But the war started, and Valentine sent me away, saying it was too dangerous. My father agreed, and I ended up back here, waiting for news from either one of them. When news did come it was only from my father and never about Valentine. It was always too dangerous to be associated with him, especially at the beginning of the war when his uncle had control."
Chloe cleared her throat of unshed tears, Faye could hear them in her voice.
"I came home and became a nurse, convinced that I would somehow make my way back there and be with my father and Valentine once more. Then, about a year ago, it looked as if Valentine had won, but there was still too much upheaval for either him or my father to allow me back in the country. Six months ago, I had word from my father that Silas was coming to Savannah. When Valentine found out he saw it as a chance to reconnect with me once more. Valentine agreed to help with a chapter in Silas's book and Silas asked me if I wanted to sit in on the video meetings. I did, and at first, I was only in the background as a supposed secretary." Chloe turned to Faye and smiled, and Faye had never seen her so happy as she remembered seeing Valentine after ten long years of absence.
"In the beginning, I just listened, watching the screen, and to hear his voice and see him was enough, but then it wasn't, and Silas would leave us for a few moments so that we could talk. That's why I was always with Silas so late, because of the time difference."
Chloe walked back toward Faye and sat on the end of her bed taking her hand. "There was nothing between Silas and me, ever. I have always loved Valentine. I know very little about Silas personally because I have never particularly cared about him personally. He was a friend but only because of mutual friends."
Faye recalled Silas saying something very similar to her in the past as well.
"When Valentine's uncle tried to take control again, we had to do a lot of backtracking. His uncle was looking at anyone he could use against Valentine. Silas and my father thought it best if Silas and I acted like we were together so that anyone watching wouldn't be suspicious of me or Valentine. Silas was also concerned about you and Lia, he said that there was a chance that someone might come after you or her to get to me, so I had to back off our friendship, and the two of you had to believe that there could be something between us."
Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath.
"I am so sorry that I did that to you and to him. I didn't know about you two otherwise I would have called the entire thing off and told you the truth," she insisted.
"But you couldn't could you," Faye insisted quietly. "You wouldn't have done it when it was safe to see Valentine because you wanted to see him more than anything, and afterward the damage had already been done so you had to cover your tracks. Silas knew that so he had to follow through with the plan no matter how much it hurt."
Suddenly, everything that Silas had ever said to her about trusting him all made sense and she took a deep cleansing breath.
"You love him, don't you?" Chloe asked as her eyes filled with tears.
"Yes, I do, as much as you love your Valentine." Faye squeezed her hand and they both laughed.
The door opened and Robin came breezing in to check on her which meant that Faye was on the ICU ward. "Well it sounds as if you are in good spirits after everything that happened to you," she said as she started to check all of Faye's vitals.
"I am," she looked at Chole and smiled, everything seemed wonderful.
"Dr. DeGraff said that the police would be by later today to ask you some questions and that I was only to let them in if you were feeling up to it," she warned her.
"How is Dr. DeGraff?" Faye asked, leaning back against her pillows. "He wasn't hurt, was he?"
Robin smiled. "No, he was magnificent, you should have seen him. He arrived and just sort of took over, and everyone listened to him, even the police. He was calm and knew exactly what to do. You were lucky he was there to help."
Faye nodded with a smile and closed her eyes.
"He said he would be by later to check on you," Chloe said softly, in case Faye was worried.
Faye wasn't worried, now that she had heard the reason why Silas had been so distant in the past she understood. He still hadn't said he loved her, but he had to care for her a little since he had been so worried for her.
Robin patted Faye on the shoulder then left, letting the door close slowly behind her.
"Oh, and he told me to tell you that the Baroness will have a fight on her hands. Do you know what it means?" Chloe looked at her questioningly.
Faye's smile grew, she could guess, but she wanted to hear it from Silas himself. Then she sat up quickly with a hiss of pain as she had a thought.
"I don't want to be a Baroness!" she cried, her eyes wide.
"Why would you be?" Chloe asked confused.
"Because Silas is a baron!"
Chloe looked at her with shock then started to giggle. "I think you will make an awesome baroness! Does it come with a castle?"
Faye looked at her and her eyes grew even larger. "Lord, I hope not!"
Then they both fell over laughing as their topsy-turvy world suddenly righted itself.
"Wait until Lia finds out!" Chloe hooted.
It was amazing how in six short months so much had changed for all three of them.