Scenes From a Soap Opera

A Mother's Grief

Esther Valentine was startled awake when she heard her phone ringing. Groaning, she leaned over to turn on her lamp, flinching when the light hit her eyes. "Hello," she answered sleepily. It was Chance saying that he needed to come over to talk to her. That he was sorry, but this news couldn't wait. Concerned, Esther immediately shot out of bed and raced to put on the first clothes she could find. A million thoughts raced through her head wondering what Chance could possibly need to tell her. The former maid ran to Chloe's room to get her daughter, she could really use her and Kevin's support. The couple had been staying with her at the Chancellor mansion while their house was getting repaired.

Esther knocked on Chloe and Kevin's door and waited. She waited for a few moments before slowly opening the door to find the room empty. 'That's weird, they should have been back by now' she thought to herself. The young couple had gone out to dinner, finally taking Esther up on her offer to watch the kids so they could have a date night. It suddenly clicked why Chance had to come over in the middle of the night to talk to her. Suddenly she could hear a deep, primal scream filling the air.

"Esther?! Why are you screaming in the hallway?" Jill yelled at her in a harsh whisper. Esther jumped; she hadn't realized that the screaming noise she heard was coming from her. "Esther! Answer me damn it." Jill spat at her, annoyed and angry. That anger melted when the former maid turned and looked Jill in the eyes. The look of pure devastation on Esther's face would haunt Jill until her dying day. The older woman quickly walked over to comfort the maid. Esther sobbed in Jill's embrace, though both would deny it if asked.

The two stayed like that until a knock at the door filled the silent house. Esther gathered up all the strength she could muster and walked down the stairs, Jill closely following her. She took a moment to collect herself before she opened the door to a solemn-looking Chance.

"Esther." Chance said as he walked into the house, his house. He had to treat this like any other death notification regardless of the fact that the two people were occupants of his family home. He was surprised to see his grandmother standing behind Esther. As far as he knew the two women could hardly stand each other, but he was glad that Esther had someone there with her. He nodded at his grandma before continuing with the notification.

"It's Chloe isn't it" Esther stated before Chance could resume speaking. They had moved into the living room. "Something's happened to her and Kevin." The grandmother's voice broke as she finished her sentence.

Chance nodded, "They were in a car accident tonight. Another car hit them head on, all three people were killed on impact." Esther collapsed onto the couch, deep sobs wracking her body. She had desperately been hoping that she was wrong, that her daughter wasn't dead. Having it confirmed was a devastating blow that Esther knew she would never recover from. Jill sat down next to her wrapping her arms around her. Chance moved to sit on the coffee table across from her. He grabbed her hands as he explained that death was instant, neither Chloe or Kevin would've felt anything.

The young detective gave the grieving mother a few minutes to process this news. He knew that life as Esther knew it was over and that there was no coming back from this. He would never admit it, but he also needed a few moments to wrap his head around the fact that Chloe was gone. Though they had broken up years ago and he was long over her, he was still devastated over the fact that she was gone. Chance had wanted to marry her at one point and that meant something to him. He thought about her two young children and how they were being forced to grow up without their parents. No child should have to suffer from that. He knew firsthand how painful that experience was.

"Chance?" He looked up to see Esther staring at him, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Where are Chloe and Kevin now? I need to see my daughter." She had to say goodbye to her baby.

"The morgue," he answered quietly. "I can take you if you want." Esther nodded eagerly and stood up to grab her coat.

"Esther, are you sure that's a good idea?" Jill asked gently. Seeing her dead daughter would be devastating and she wasn't sure if the former maid could handle it.

"Jill, I have to." Esther replied in a shaky voice. "You would want to if it was Phillip or Billy."

Jill sighed knowing she was right. "I'm coming with you. You shouldn't do this alone." Esther, too touched and emotional to speak, smiled in thanks.

Chance ran up the stairs to inform Abby about what was going on, just in case one of the children woke up. Abby choked back sobs as her husband explained the situation and pledged to be there for the kids. After thanking her, the detective ran back down the stairs to take the two women to the morgue.

The ride to the Genoa City morgue went by in a blur, for all three occupants of the car. Esther followed Chance down the hallway to the morgue in a daze. Chance's voice sounded muffled, and she could barely feel Jill squeezing her hand. The detective opened the door and let the two women into the morgue. Esther suddenly froze once inside the room; everything was suddenly so real. She stared at the sheet covered slab and knew that it was Chloe. Jill walked her over to the table and Chance quietly pulled the sheet down.

Esther stared down at her dead daughter and felt the sobs leave her body. She started to fall, and Jill caught her. Quietly thanking her, Esther leaned down to touch her daughter's face. She gave her a kiss and whispered her goodbyes. Jill was crying behind her still holding her other hand. Chance watched from the other side of the table and felt a few tears escape his eyes. He wasn't sure how long the three of them stood there, but eventually Esther stood up. She quickly walked over to Kevin so she could say a few words to him.

Pulling herself together, Esther straightened up and left the room. Jill and Chance followed her, amazed by her sudden burst of strength. She had said what she needed to and now she had to be there for her grandchildren. They would need all the support they could get once they woke up in the morning.