Jason walked into the penthouse with a sigh of relief. He tossed his keys on the desk and pulled off his jacket, forgoing the closet and slinging it across the chair. He bit back a groan of pain as the throbbing in his head intensified. He knew Sam was upstairs and he didn't want her to worry. He hadn't told her about the headaches coming back or the fact that he had blacked out yesterday at the warehouse. Luckily he had been alone in the office so no one knew about his collapse and subsequent nosebleed. After checking the safety, he tucked his .45 in the desk drawer and headed for the couch. He made it a few steps before sinking to his knees, the pain too much to bear. Holding his head in his hands, Jason lay down on the floor and prayed for relief.
Sam heard the door close downstairs. Jason was home. Her brows furrowed in concern as she heard him sigh before throwing his keys on the desk. Jason thought she didn't know, but Sam had picked up on the change in him. She knew not to push, choosing instead to just watch and pay attention. It didn't take long for her to figure out that he was having headaches again. The bottles of aspirin, the moans in his sleep, the fatigue on his face – all signs pointed out that Jason wasn't okay. She knew he would tell her when he was ready, but it was killing her to feel so helpless. Sam rose from the desk in the office and headed downstairs. She stopped at the landing when she saw Jason crumpled on the floor, clutching his head as the pain overtook him. Before she could act Jason weakly pushed himself up. She breathed a small sigh of relief as he pulled himself into a seated position against the couch. She watched, tears streaming down her cheeks, as he wearily rested his forearms on his knees before leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
Jason fought the tears that threatened to spill out. He was so tired and he could feel himself getting weaker. How was he ever going to tell Sam? He couldn't bear to hurt her – not again, not when they'd finally gotten past everything. As long as no one knew, Jason thought he could pretend everything was okay. As he wiped away a rogue tear, he realized that it was time to let Sam in. He took a deep breath as the remnants of the stabbing headache faded to a dull pulsing.
Jason opened his eyes and was surprised to see Sam beside him in a position much like his own. He looked into her worried brown eyes and she managed a small smile. "Hi," she whispered as she reached over to take his hand. Jason tried to force a smile, but it didn't quite make it.
"Sam…" he began as his voice cracked and the tears once again threatened to fall.
"I know, baby," Sam said soothingly. "I know." She scooted closer and pulled him into her arms. Her heart clenched as she realized just how bad it was. Jason relaxed in her arms, sliding down to lay his head in her lap.
Sam carded her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss to his pale forehead.
"We're going to fix it."