Chapter 5

"Shawn," she croaked.

His eyes flickered, while shoulders only slumped.

In three fast strides, she embraced him. "Oh, Shawn, thank God." Her gentle hands held his face to get a better look at him. Somehow, those animated Irish eyes had lost their light. "Thank God, you're alright," she said, as she hugged him again, so relieved to have found her friend. "We've been so worried about you."

But his arms hung lifelessly at his sides. For over twelve hours, he'd wandered, running from the grief, only to find it engulfing his heart. Lost. He'd felt so lost and alone. Then, he found himself by the water, where he'd lived and played as a child with his father. Oh, how he wished for those days, when everyday was a carefree adventure. When baby brothers didn't die.

Finally, he'd huddled beneath the docks, trying to find peace in the rush of impending evening tide. Then, he heard her sing. About dreams and about injustices. And felt a glimmer of familiarity, of understanding, of empathy. So, he crawled out from under the moldy wood and followed her voice. And found a friend.

"Hey, Chloe," he managed through his haggard and dry throat.

She pulled back with tears in her eyes. "Come on, sit down," she instructed, as she led him to a short row of crates to rest. "You're probably exhausted." She took his cold hands in hers, instinctively somehow knowing that supportive contact was imperative. When he only sighed and looked down at their joined hands, she hesitantly asked, "Where've you been, Shawn?"

His shoulders moved in a jerky shrug. "No where." How else could one describe that limbo, when you felt like the world had ended?

"Shawn, everybody's been worried sick about you. Your family, Philip, Jason, Mimi. Belle."

At the mention of her name, Shawn stiffened and tried to pull away, but Chloe held on, trying to penetrate that wall, which she knew so well. "We were out searching for you for hours, even Victor Kiriakis. So many people care about you, Shawn Brady, do you know that?"

His eyes lifted to meet hers then and the depth of pain broke her heart.

"Why should they?" he spat. He did pull away then, roughly swiping the tears from his eyes.

Chloe almost reared back. Who was this? This wasn't the Shawn she knew. The charming boy, who good-naturedly dared her into singing, as he accompanied on piano, who laughed at Philip's lamest jokes, who danced disco then salsa before the whole school with Belle, all with a wide grin. That charming boy couldn't be found in those tortured eyes.

"Shawn, people care about you and love you, because you're an amazing person, who genuinely cares about other people." When he covered his face in agony, she reached out to him, "Shawn-"

"Yeah, I care about people," he scoffed, "I care about people? Yeah, a lot good that did." He kicked bitterly at a stone.

"Shawn, that was out of your hands. It wasn't your fault," said Chloe, appalled that he actually blamed himself.

"Oh, yeah?" His eyes angry now. "How would you know? You weren't there."

"Your brother died, because he was sick. There was nothing-"

"I was supposed to take care of him!" he screamed. "I was supposed to take care of him, but instead I was… I was… I was supposed to take care of him." He broke down then, falling to his knees with his anguished face buried in his hands.

Shocked beyond belief, Chloe quietly knelt before him, pulled him against her, and rocked. Oh, God, she thought. What should she do? Everyone had always comforted her in her times of crisis. She was no good at this, and Shawn needed someone who knew what to say, who could get through to him.

"It's going to be alright," she said, as Philip had said to her many times before, "It's going to be alright. You'll see. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met and a good person and a great brother." His sobs wracked his body. "Your brother knew you loved him, but… but what happened to him was beyond your control, beyond anyone's control," she said, remembering the egret caught in the waves. Ok, she thought, when his anguish didn't seem to lessen. She definitely was no good at this. "Now," she began slowly, as she dug into her pocket, "I'm going to call Philip and he's going to bring Belle-"

"No!" He tore from her arms. "Don't."

"Shawn, your family needs you now. Philip's going to pick us up and drive you home. Your parents have been going crazy, looking for you." And Philip would bring Belle and she'd know what to say. "And Belle can come with you-"

"No," he cried again, turning away from her.

Her eyes blinked wide, completely perplexed.

Philip looked at the clock one more time. Almost two hours had passed and no word from Chloe. What if some maniac had attacked her and hauled her off to some dark alley… Running a nervous hand through his hair, he took a calming breath. Get a grip, Kiriakis. There was still daylight and Chloe knew how to take care of herself. Sometimes too well, he thought, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, thanks," said Jason and Mimi politely, when Dr. Evans offered something to eat. His friends rubbed their recovering bellies.

The teens all gathered in the living room with Mimi holding Belle, while the boys sat on the adjacent chairs. Dozing, Belle held the phone on her lap, desperate for news. They all jumped, when the phone rang.

Belle snatched up the receiver. "Hello, Shawn? Oh. Hi, Chloe. Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Yeah, sure." Dejected, she handed the phone to Philip.

"Hey, beautiful," he greeted, silently relieved, "Yeah, sure. Uh, ok. Be right there, ok? Bye." He set the phone down on the coffee table. "I'm going pick up Chloe, guys." He gave Belle's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Be right back."

After he grabbed his jacket and left, Mimi rolled her eyes and muttered, "She's got that boy wrapped around her finger."

"Mimi…" Belle chided weakly, before burying her face in her hands.

Instantly repentant, Mimi laid an arm around Belle's back. "Sorry, Belle."

"All that matters is Shawn," her friend whispered.

Philip's car pulled in beside the curb above the pier. He never liked Chloe coming here alone, but this place was special to her, so he tried his best to accept it. Running another hand through his hair, he scanned the sidewalk for his girlfriend. When he spotted her and a dark figure standing close to her, he cut off the engine and jumped out of the car.

"Hey!" he yelled, sprinting up to them, thinking all sorts of horrible possibilities of a beautiful girl in a dangerous place. As he recognized the dark hair and face from his childhood, he stopped in his tracks. "Oh my God. Shawn?"

His friend raised a wearied hand in greeting. "Hey, Phil. How's it hanging?"

Philip threw machismo aside, ran, and embraced his friend. "Man," he said with tears threatening, "You sure know how to get people's attention, Brady."

"Sorry, man," Shawn said, patting his friend's back in remorse and gratitude. "Hey, you're embarrassing yourself here."

Philip pulled back from the hug and swiped his eyes. "Whatever, man. Chloe's used to it." He managed a grin, before catching Chloe's hand in his. "Man, I should've brought Belle with me-"

Reaching for Shawn's hand, as well, Chloe said quickly, "Philip, we should really get Shawn home."

Philip felt her squeezing his hand. Confused, he looked back to his wary childhood friend. What was going on? he wondered. "Uh, ok, sure. Come on."

Philip led the way to the car and opened the back passenger door for Shawn. After his tired friend climbed in, Philip shut the door and turned to open the front passenger door for Chloe, when she pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks for being here," she sniffed. He wiped away her tears with his thumb, then tenderly kissed her forehead. "Oh, Philip," she whispered.

He pulled her against him again. "I know, baby. Thank God, you found him."

"He's really shaken up, Philip. We have to get him to his family."

"Come on," he said, opening the front passenger door.

After Philip settled into the driver's seat, Chloe tugged his sleeve. They both turned to look at their friend laying in the backseat, fast asleep. Philip started the engine, before reaching to grip Chloe's hand, as they headed toward Shawn's house.

Groggy and defeated, Shawn's shoulders slumped, as he stood before the Brady front door. He'd lost his keys along the way, which made this only more of a nightmare. An encouraging hand rubbed his shoulder.

"Go ahead, man. It'll be alright," said Philip.

So, Shawn knocked softly on his own door.

Hurried footsteps came. Then, the door swung open.

"Shawn?" gasped his mother, even before she looked at who was at the door.

"Hey, Mom," said Shawn softly.

"Oh, my God," she cried and pulled him into her arms. "Thank God, thank God, thank God."

"Hope?" asked his father, emerging from the kitchen, when he heard his wife cry. Then, he ran and embraced both his wife and son. "My boy. Thank God, you're alright."

Chloe leaned into Philip, as they watched a family reunite.

Hope pulled back with eyes ravaged by endless tears. "Oh, Shawn D.," she said, as she ran her hands up and down his beloved face, "Where-Oh, thank God, you're home." And she pulled him into her arms again and cherished holding her son. Her only son.

Her own eyes, welling with tears, Chloe tugged on Philip's arm. He nodded and held her to him, as they silently turned to walk back to the car. The family needed some time to themselves.

Firing the ignition, Philip backed out of the driveway and turned onto the road.

"Oh, man," he exclaimed, suddenly remembering, "We gotta call everybody, especially Belle. She's been going crazy."

"Philip, wait. We can't tell Belle yet."

Stopping at a traffic light, he turned to look at Chloe, his eyes wide with shock.

"What do you mean?"

"Shawn can't handle seeing her, right now," she explained slowly, "That's why, when I called you, I told you to come alone to pick me up."

"You mean, you didn't just find him on the side of the road just then?"

"No. I was down on the pier, when I turned around, and there he was. I tried to talk to him, to make him feel better, but…"

Philip pulled to the curb and parked. "But what?"

She looked down at their linked fingers and remembered Shawn's trembling hands in hers. "He blames himself for what happened to his brother."

"What? That's crazy."

"I don't know what happened, but that's why he ran away. He thinks he's responsible for J.T.'s death."

"Man," exhaled Philip, "Then, his family and his friends are just going to have to make him understand that it wasn't his fault."

She placed both her hands in his in agreement.

"But," he began, studying her long fingers, "I don't get it. What does this have to do with Belle?"

"I don't know. Every time I brought up her name and suggested he see her, he flipped out. He was sort of ok with seeing everybody else, but not Belle."

"I don't get it. They've known each other since diapers. They're like best friends, and crap, we all know they have the hots for each other. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," she said again, shaking her head in confusion. "But now, what are we going to tell Belle and the others?"

"Well, they have to know that he's alright, so they can rest a little easier."

"But we know that Belle's going to either jump on the phone to call him or race over to his house to see him. I don't know what Shawn would do, if he actually saw her."

"Man," huffed Philip. He rubbed a tired hand over his face. They should be ecstatic that their friend was at home and ok. Instead, the crisis continued. "Something is seriously up with Shawn, beyond what happened to his brother, you know?"

Chloe nodded. "So, what do we do about Belle and the others?"

Belle jumped into Mimi's arms at the great news. "Shawn's okay! Oh, thank God."

Philip and Jason exchanged a warm hug, as well.

"Well," said Belle, eyes shimmering in glee, "Let's go. We gotta go see Shawn." She grabbed her bag and was about to run to the coat closet, when Chloe spoke.

"Maybe we should wait, Belle. I mean, Shawn's been up for almost thirty-six hours. He was so tired that he fell asleep in the car. He's probably sleeping right now."

"Yeah," continued Philip, "Plus, his family needs some time with each other, after everything that's happened."

Though thoroughly disappointed, Belle admitted that her friends had a point. "You're probably right. Then, I'll just call him tomorrow, like after school, to check on him."

"Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea," said Philip.

"How come?" asked Belle, confused. Jason and Mimi leaned in, wondering as well.

"Well," began Philip, trying to pick his words carefully, "Shawn needs some space, you know, to be alone and get his bearings."

Belle's eyebrows drew together. "But he's been out there all alone this whole time. I think now he needs the people who care about him to be there for him. That's why he came back."

"But…he really needs to be with his family right now," said Philip, exchanging an uncertain glance with Chloe.

Belle looked from Philip to Chloe. "Hey, is something going on? Did something happen to Shawn and you're not telling me?" she asked, her hysteria rising.

"Something like that," said Chloe softly, "Belle, just give him some time. He'll ask for you, when he's ready.

The sparkle in her eyes faded. "Why wouldn't he want to see us?" Then, she saw another look passed between Philip and Chloe. "Or is it just me?"

"Of course not, Belle," assured Mimi, putting a supportive arm around Belle and shooting an angry glare at Chloe. "We all know how important you are to Shawn."

But Belle's eyes continued to plead with Chloe's. "It is, isn't it?" Shrugging Mimi off, she walked up to Chloe to grip her by the arms. "Chloe, tell me."

Chloe shot Philip a restraining look, when he took a protective step toward them. Then, her eyes focused on Belle. "Calm down, Belle. You've been through a lot and you're reacting to that."

"Don't tell me what I feel!" cried Belle, "Tell me why Shawn doesn't want to see me!"

"Please, Belle," said Chloe, as soothingly as she could, "Just sit down for a minute-"

"What happened to Shawn? Why won't you tell me?" Belle pleaded, shaking Chloe. For endless hours, she'd wept and prayed for Shawn. Now, he was back but didn't want to see her. Her. His best friend since childhood. The girl he'd kissed in his living room. She couldn't take the roller coaster ride of emotions anymore and just wailed and shook the person, who kept her from Shawn.

Unable to just stand by, Philip tried to pull Belle off Chloe. "Belle, stop! You're hurting her!"

"Hey, what the hell is going on down there?" shouted Brady from the upper level. "Hey, get your hands off my sister!" He ran down the steps and pushed Philip away.

No one knew who threw the first punch. Suddenly, Philip and Brady rolled onto the floor, fists flying. Chloe pushed Belle aside, screaming for them to stop.

Jason tried to pull Brady off, but anger made Brady five times stronger and beyond reason. Mimi gasped, when Brady elbowed Jason in the face. Jason went flying back, crushing the coffee table.

Terrifyingly numb, Belle backed slowly against a wall, unable to comprehend the chaos before her.

"Oh God, please stop!" cried Chloe, seeing the bloody knuckles and lips.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted a deep male voice. Belle's father, with her mother behind him, returned home to screams and a brawl in the living room. In measured strides, he yanked his son off the other boy and held Philip off, when he was about to launch himself back at Brady. "Philip, I think you should take care of Chloe."

Chest still heaving from the adrenaline, the violence slowly began to die at the mention of her name.

"Oh, Philip," whispered Chloe, when he turned, so she could see his battered face. She got to him, before he could stumble to her. His eye was nearly swollen shut and his lip was bleeding.

"I'm sorry, beautiful," he said softly and hung his head.

She found a kleenex and dabbed at the cut on his brow. Lifting his face, she lovingly kissed his forehead.

"About time we had this out, eh, Kiriakis?" taunted a bruised and bleeding Brady from across the room.

"Ok, that's enough from you," said his father sternly.

"Please," whispered Chloe, when she felt Philip tense again. His shoulders slumped, as he relented.

"Mimi, how's Jason doing?" asked Belle's mother.

Jason let out a moan, as Mimi helped him to the sofa. "I think he hit his head pretty hard, but he's coming around."

Dr. Evans had held Belle next to her, while her husband had broken up the fight. She looked down at Belle now and noticed her pallor. "Honey, are you ok?"

Belle cried freely then and buried herself in her mother's embrace.

Concerned, her mother looked to her father in confusion.

"Ok, kids," he said, "What happened? The quick version, so we can cart the sluggers off to the hospital."

When no one answered him, John sighed. "Ok, maybe this'll be easier with your parents here-"

"We were worried about Shawn, Mr. Black," said Jason, while holding his throbbing head in his hands. "Shawn came home tonight but isn't acting himself. So, we all got upset and things kind of got out of hand."

"'Kind of?' We come home and find you almost unconscious on our flattened coffee table and your friends punching the daylights out of each other. I think this was a little more than 'kind of' out of hand."

"John," admonished his wife. "Now, we all understand that Shawn is a dear friend and this whole ordeal has been hard on all of you. But he's home now and safe. We should be all grateful for that. Honestly, would he want his dearest friends attacking each other because of him?"

The teens exchanged looks and hung their heads.

"Now," said Dr. Evans, "We are going to call your parents, because Philip, you'll definitely need stitches for that eye and lip, and Jason, you seem to have hit that table pretty hard and your eye is swollen, as well."

"And our boy isn't looking so great either," commented John, as he took in the purpling, swelling cheeks, and busted lips.

Philip sighed, as Chloe pulled him gently into her arms and ran her hands up and down his back to soothe.