Chapter 36

Chloe's POV

A week had passed since i was reunited with Gary. Finally we've made it home, even if Mark hasn't really spoken to either of us, i guess he's just giving me and Gary time alone to try and sort things out. Every day Gary is slowly getting stronger and hopefully as time goes on, his memory will be fully restored. Setting the timer on the oven, i walk back into the living room to find Gary sprawled out on the sofa watching TV. "Hiya babe..." Kneeling down in front of the sofa, my hand rests on Gary's kneecap whilst he flicks through the TV channels.
"Uh? Oh hi love."
"How are you feeling now? Do you want another coffee?"
Setting down the remote onto the sofa's arm above his shoulder, Gary shakes his head. "Oh god...i've had enough coffees in the past few days, i'll never be able to sleep at this rate. Yeah, i'm ok. Just a bit sore here and there, but nothing major... how're you?"
Running my hand through his soft blonde hair, softly i breathe a sigh of relief. It still doesn't feel real that Gary's here, that he's actually alive. "I'm good..." Gently i take Gary's hand in my mine, placing it over my stomach. "...We both are..."
"Erh...g...good..." Slipping his hand from under mine, carefully he tries to sit up on the sofa. Taking hold of his hand i try my best to help him to sit comfortably, until he pulls his hand out of contact again. "I don't need help." He winces.
"S...S...sorry..." Quietly i whisper, whilst standing back to my feet. Since the whole accident, Gary's moods have changed, making him have less patience which means he can become a little angry now and again.

Sighing deeply once he's positioned himself onto the sofa, he gently pats the empty space beside him. "No...i'm sorry... i shouldn't keep snapping at you for no reason...i know you're only trying to help and i can't thank you enough for sticking with and supporting me." The corners of my mouth curl into a smile. "...I love you... and erh... the little one too...of course..." An arm coils around my shoulder, allowing me to rest my cheek against his steady breathing chest.
"Can you believe i'm almost coming up to two months?" My hand rests against my own stomach, whilst i stare up at Gary.
"Hmm...yeah... can't believe a lot of things at the minute." It's almost like he's acting as if he isn't interested in the baby, maybe the whole accident has changed his mind about fatherhood? Hopefully the memory loss will only be temporary.
"You are happy...aren't you babe?" Lifting myself up a little, my hand remains still placed on my stomach.
"Chloe, what have i said about the question overload? I'm not 100% and being fired with questions aren't making me feel any better." He speaks as if he's telling off his pupil in class. Feeling slightly embarrassed i now sit perched on the edge of the sofa.
"S...Sorry... Gary..."
"Anyway... enough chit chat... i'm starving...what's for dinner?" Smacking his lips together, his hands massage my shoulders, rubbing away the stress and tension in them.
"Erh... i've just put the chicken on... it should be ready in about 10 minutes it's one of those ready cooked ones so it doesn't need long, i was going to pack our belongs away whilst we were waiting, but there isn't any point by the time i'm up there i'll be back down to turn the oven off."

Gary's fingers skim along my knuckles, as he takes my hand in his. "I'll turn the oven off. You've set the timer, right?"
"Are you sure? Yes... i have."
Playfully he rolls his eyes. "Of course i'm sure, i've had a knock to the head. I can still work an oven, dear. Go and sort whatever you want doing and i'll turn the oven off once the alarms gone off, ok?"
"If you say so... i wont be long... 20 minutes...max." Maybe it isn't a good idea to leave Gary alone with an oven, but then again he's right, if he says he can do these things then i shouldn't smoother him as if he's a child.
"Take your time..."
Giving him a cautious smile, i do as i'm told...this time. "See you in a sec, babe." Pecking his cheek, swiftly i make my way upstairs to our bedroom. The quicker i am the quicker i can go downstairs again. Walking over to the suitcases, which are carelessly thrown onto the bed, i'm soon stopped in my tracks by the vibration of my mobile. Sitting onto the empty space on the bed, i take a deep breath by the sight of the contact name - Markie . If things couldn't get any worse, then they sure will now. Opening the message i glance at the short sentence. 'Are you free this afternoon?x'

Even though the conversation is lacking explanation, i know exactly what he means. He's after a chat from the recent experiences we've had during the holiday. 'I'm looking after Gary, i can't leave him alone at the minute.' Once i've typed a message back to his question, i start to unzip the cases. Within a few seconds my phone begins to vibrate again. Wow. Someone's desperate for this chat. (1) new message- Markie - 'Oh come on, he's not a child. We need to talk and obviously i can't come round to yours. On the other hand...maybe Gary will be interested to know what exactly went off whilst he was fighting for his life?' Mark's new reply has left me with a slight heart rate increase. He wouldn't do that to me... or the baby, surly? I guess he's just trying to scare me, to make me agree to go and meet him... well i hope that's what he's doing anyway. Suddenly i feel my entire body freeze, preventing me from typing back another message. The smell of burning swirls around my nostrils. Dropping my phone in shock, i make a dive for it out of the bedroom. "Gary?!" Calling his name at the top of the stairs, i'm greeted by a small cloud of grey smoke. "Gary?!" Running down the stairs, a figure catches my eye who sits on the sofa.
"Chloe? You alright?" A voice speaks through the smoke.
"Gary?! I told you to turn the oven off?!" Covering my mouth from the smoke, i open the back door and windows in the kitchen, trying to get as much smoke out of the house as i can. Gary walks into the kitchen as i'm turning off the oven.
"Woah." Loudly he coughs, waving away the smoke in front of his face. "What happened in here?"

Using a tea towel to remove the remaining smoke from the kitchen, i look at him surprised. "What?! I told you to turn the oven off once the alarm went off? I even heard the alarm going off whilst i was upstairs! What on earth was you doing?"
"Oh so that's what that noise was!" He releases a quiet giggle. "I was searching through the TV channels thinking the noise was coming from there. I didn't even know you were cooking anything?"
Stepping backwards i study his face. "Are you kidding me? I'm not in the mood for jokes, Gary."
"And i'm not joking? You went upstairs to toilet whilst i was watching TV, then you come flying downstairs yelling my name and here we are standing in a smokey kitchen, because you forgot to turn the oven off."
Words fail to leave my mouth. Did i just imagine telling Gary to turn it off? No. Of course i didn't, he's forgotten. "I knew i shouldn't of left you alone." Shaking my head, i pull down the oven door to reveal the now charcoal chicken which is burnt to a crisp.
"Excuse me?" Gary folds his arms whilst frowning his eyebrows at me.
"It's too soon after your accident... i shouldn't of left you alone... and i shouldn't of given you a hard task...i'm sorry."

"Hold on a minute." Gary tugs my shoulder, not hard, but enough to make me flinch. "Why are you acting as if i'm a child? You didn't tell me to do anything, so don't you dare blame me." His voice rises.
"I told you Gary. I told you i was going to go upstairs to unpack and you offered to keep an eye on dinner."
"Will you stop with the lies? I'm not some sort of...senile old man. I do have a brain so stop fucking acting as if i haven't got one!"
Reaching a hand out to his bicep, gently i stoke it. "I'm not acting like you haven't got a brain, Gary. I'm just telling you what hap-"
"And i'm telling you the truth! What is it? You don't listen to me, because i'm not fucking Mark Owen?!" Taking hold of the tray with the burnt chicken on, he throws it across the kitchen, missing me by a couple of inches.
"Gary!"Almost being hit by the tray, it causes me to scream from the shock.
"Ughhh my head!" Angrily, Gary rubs his forehead whilst closing his eyes firmly. "J...Just leave me alone."
Breathing faster, again i reach my hand out into his direction. "G...G...Gary...are you...ok?"
"Leave me alone!" His voice bellows, as his fist hits against the worktop, causing me to flee back upstairs. For the first time of actually being with Gary, i'm scared. I'm actually scared of my own boyfriend. The tears stream down my cheeks, as i curl up onto the bed next to the still unpacked suitcases. Things can't get any worse than this, right? He was just upset... he wouldn't hurt me. I know he wouldn't "...would he?" I ask myself in a shaky breath. Footsteps creak along the floorboards in the kitchen, followed by the sound of the TV being switched back on. He's settled again. Looking around the bedroom, my eyes fix onto my mobile which is still in the same position i had dropped it in. "M...Mark..."