AN: I started to work on this like, a month ago, but it needed some editing. Just so you know chocolate kitty was my beta. Um, this is my first oneshot, so don't be too mean! Ok, I'll shut up now and let you read the story…….
Final Goodbye
Sam and Jake were on the range, looking for loose cattle they may have missed on the cattle drive. So far, they had found none, and so Sam started to look for the Phantom, but she couldn't find him.
"Sam?" Jake said.
"What?"
"There are some cattle over there. I'm going to go get them, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." Jake rode towards the cattle, which moved farther away.
Sam looked around, and then started fiddling around with Ace's mane, just so that she could have something to do. Sam suddenly heard a growl and so she turned in the saddle to see what had made the noise and saw a starved looking coyote.
"Um, Jake?" Sam whimpered. All at once, the coyote rushed towards Ace, a hungry look in his eyes. "Go Ace!!" Sam yelled, kicking him forward.
Ace took off at a gallop and Sam let him choose his own path. Sam glanced behind them and saw that the coyote was keeping up with her mustang, so she urged Ace to go faster.
Meanwhile……
Meanwhile, Jake was herding the cattle to where he had left Sam, but she wasn't there. Then he saw Sam and Ace being chased by a coyote. "Go Witch!" With that, Witch galloped towards Sam, Ace, and the coyote.
Ace started up a steep path, and as soon as they reached the flat top, Sam saw that there was no way down. She quickly turned Ace to face the coyote.
The only path down was now blocked by the coyote and for each step that it took forward, Ace took one back. Soon, there was no room left for the mustang to maneuver. The coyote lunged, and Ace reared back, screaming as the coyote barely missed his nose.
"JAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sam cried out, clinging to her horse's mane before tumbling over the side.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake arrived a moment too late. Just as he reached the top, he saw the coyote lunge at Ace, just barely missing his nose. He watched helplessly as Ace reared and went over backwards, falling down the steep slope, with Sam clinging to his back.
"NO!!!" When Jake screamed, the coyote ran. Jake sent Witch to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Sam was sprawled out on the ground and Ace stood next to her, holding up a dangling front leg. Jake quickly went down and around the slope to Sam.
"Wake up Sam, I can't lose you."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next hour passed in a blur for Jake. He had left Sam again and had ridden for help. It was just like the last time she had been hurt, except this time Ace had been hurt too, and Sam hadn't been hurt by Blackie. Now Jake sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands.
Dang it! How could I let this happen? Why is it always my fault? Why am I always around when she gets hurt? Jake looked up and looked around the now familiar room that he had spent countless hours in years ago when Sam had been hurt. The off-white sofas, the small card table in the center of the room, and the magazines stacked on another small table. Sam doesn't deserve this! Why couldn't it be me instead?
"Mr. and Mrs. Forester?" a doctor inquired.
Wyatt and Brynna immediately stood up and rushed towards the doctor who had spoken.
"I have some grave news. I'm not sure if Samantha will ever wake up. If she does, then she may never recover completely. We also aren't sure of the extent of her injuries at the moment. The only consolation I can give you is that there is a slight chance that she can completely recover, if she wakes up in the next 24 hours."
Jake had heard every word, and walked up to the three adults. Wyatt looked at the doctor. "When can we see her?"
"Um, I can take you to see her now." The doctor walked down the hallway with the three of them following.
When they reached the room, they saw Sam. She looked extremely pale and was hooked up to a ton of monitors and tubes. Worst of all, like the doctor had said, she was unconscious.
After a moment, the doctor left the small group alone. Wyatt walked up to the bed and cried, and Brynna went up to him and comforted him, with tears in her own eyes. The two of them left a few hours later because Brynna insisted that Wyatt needed some fresh air.
Jake then went up to the bed, "Sam, I—I don't know if you can hear me…. but you have to pull through. Sam, I know I've never told you, but I love you." Jake paused and wiped tears off of his face. Sam, you can't leave, you just can't."
Jake then stood there for a while, holding back his tears. "Sam, if you ever wake up, I promise you'll never leave my sight. If you're ever hurt again, I don't know what I'll do. I've failed you too many times already, in more ways than you'll ever know. I know you'll pull through Sam, and you'll be happy, I promi…." Jake was cut off as the machine monitoring Sam's heart stopped beating and instead droned the same sound. "NO!!!" Jake ran out of the room, into the hallway. A doctor and some nurses immediately rushed into the room. Soon after, Wyatt and Brynna came in too. But it was too late. Sam was dead.
They all stood there, tears pouring down their faces as they each went up to the bed, one by one, to say their final goodbyes. Jake went last.
"Sam, I'll never forget you. I'm sorry, this is my fault. If I hadn't left you to go get those cattle, you'd still be here." Jake paused and wiped tears from his eyes, "I'll never forgive myself, because I'll never get to see you again."
Then, as Jake turned to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Quickly, he turned to see who it was, but when he turned around, nobody was there.
Sam was dead, but still alive in spirit. She was an angel now as she touched Jake's shoulder. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there, watching out for him…………
Jake knew he had to forgive himself, and somehow he knew that Sam didn't blame him for what had happened. He took one last look around the room and then left. He was sad that he would never get to see Sam again, yet he knew that she would always be nearby whenever he needed her.
Yes I know, so sad!! But I had a sudden urge to make a story like this, so there you have it. Please review!!!! And don't be too mean please?
