I Will Follow You Into the Dark
It was the smell.
The first thing he recognized was the overbearing sterile scent of antiseptics and latex gloves, so clean and pure that it was nearly sour. His vision remained fogged as it met the ceiling, a blank white slab of plaster. And then just as quickly the rhythmic beat of a nearby machine soon surfaced, tickling his ears. He silently grumbled.
He was in the hospital.
How or why didn't strike him right away. All he wanted was to escape the confines of the walls that contained him and the bed he was occupying. He quickly sat up, regretting the actions immediately. It felt as though his entire abdomen had ripped apart and his chest shriveled in pain. A grunt pushed out of his mouth as his forehead creased in agony.
"I would take it easy," a voice from nearby suggested. Once regaining his breath he spotted a doctor in a stainless lab coat. He had a thick accent and tanned skin, however his English remained flawless.
"Why am I here?" he managed groggily.
The dark eyes of the doctor shifted upward to meet his gaze. He looked tiered, more than likely absolutely exhausted from long shifts and countless patients. He licked his lips, looking away from the clipboard he had been scribbling on.
"You sustained two bullet wounds," he revealed and oddly enough his eyes were shining in awe. "It's a wonder you're still alive."
His body slumped. His brain squeezed in frustration. A single thought came to mind; Jerry. And following the quick thought came more: Michael, Kristina and Sam. In an instant his pale azure eyes trailed around the room and part of him felt relieved.
She was there.
Sleeping soundly at his bedside, her head slumped onto her tiny shoulder. She was curled up in the large chair, her short legs tucked under her. His heart lightened. The doctor followed his gaze and a small smirk touched his mouth.
"She saved your life," he told him. No matter how much he wanted to keep his eyes on her, to ensure that she was still there, still his, he looked to the doctor. He waited anxiously to hear more. His heart was racing now. "I don't know how she did it. Seems as though she must have carried you an entire two miles at the least . . . I mean look at the size on that one. Couldn't have been an easy task. She stumbled in here with you on her back though . . . just in time too."
His eyes slid over to her again, noticing now how weighed down with fatigue she seemed. He caught sight of a sling around her shoulder, cradling her left arm. A nasty gash grazed along the side of her face. It made him crumple to see her so broken; all for his sake.
"Is she okay?" he asked worriedly, his eyes still stuck on her.
"Yes. Dislocated her shoulder though. You're not the smallest fellow of course," the doctor nearly chuckled but he failed to see the humor. "We tried to get her examined but she has refused to leave your side."
That's just like Sam, he thought. Stubborn and absolutely ridiculous. Once she was awake he would make her get checked out. Of course he seemed to be in little condition to make anyone do anything. He looked anxiously to the doctor.
"When can I get out of here?" he asked.
"Well, considering your injuries it would be best if you were under our supervision for the next few days. Besides according to your friend here you're just vacationing and I do not suggest traveling under your condition," the doctor answered.
He nodded but that didn't mean he would oblige. If anything he planned to be gone as soon as possible, bullet wounds or not. He needed to get to Michael and Kristina. He wouldn't let Jerry get the best of them once more.
"I'll leave you to get some more rest," the doctor said, distracting him from his thoughts. He watched as he turned for the door, leaving the room silent once more. He rested back on the propped pillows, staring at Sam again. He longed to reach out for her. To hear her voice. To touch her skin and feel her alive. She seemed helpless curled up in the chair, beaten down and weak.
He watched her sleep for what seemed like hours, ignoring his own fatigue in order to see her. It was hard to concept all that had happened between them. The long stretch of romance and heartbreak that had dominated their lives together seemed to make it impossible to one day be normal again. To one day forget the rest and sacrifice safety for each other again. Watching her he knew the day had quickly come.
She struggled in her sleep, mumbling restlessly. "Jason . . ." she slurred out, her eyes still sealed shut in rest. "Jason . . ."
His heart squeezed and swelled at the same time. She was saying his name. But she was in so much horror. "Sam?" he managed. He carefully placed a hand on her knee and gently shook her. "Sam? It's okay, it's a nightmare."
"No . . ." she nearly cried. He waited for her to come to, wanting nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and tell her that it was okay. To take away her fear. "Jason?!"
Her brown eyes fluttered open and a gasp for air sounded from her open mouth. It took her a short moment to regain her senses but as soon as her gaze landed on him it seemed as though all the terror and fear was gone. "Oh you're awake," she said with a smile. Her face fell though. "How do you feel? Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jason nodded. "Thanks to you . . ."
She shook her head, ignoring his praise. "Jerry nearly got us both . . . sick bastard."
Jason ignored her, his blue eyes mesmerized by her presence. "The doctor told me what happened," he continued on his own train of thought. "You saved me, Sam."
Her head lowered modestly and she swallowed hard. "I learned from the best," she chuckled. "About time I paid you back, right?"
"You've never owed me anything," Jason said. Her eyes pulled up to meet his and for a moment silence enveloped the space. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. It was perfect.
"The doctor said you're going to be okay?" she asked carefully. He nodded. "Michael and Kristina just went back to the hotel to get some sleep. They were both worried about you."
"They're both okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, they're fine. A little scarred but fine," Sam answered. "I don't think either of them want to go home. I can only imagine the punishment they'll be receiving."
"Unfortunately I think they're worthy," Jason replied. His face turned more grim. "What about Jerry?"
A sigh escaped her lips. "He ran off."
"He's still out there somewhere?" he nearly barked.
"He's wounded Jason and on foot. He can't do much damage. At least not tonight," Sam told him. He remained unconvinced and she groaned. "Or at least that's what I've been telling myself."
"We need to get back to Port Charles," he said.
"Not with you like this," Sam replied.
"Sam - - -"
"Jason," she countered. "I am not letting all my hard work go to waste and let me tell you, it was hard work. You are not the lightest man, you know that? And the whole time you were hallucinating about god knows what."
He tried to suppress a smile as she continued. "I was tempted to just drag you but I had a feeling that would only worsen the situation."
"Well, thank you," he chuckled. "I appreciate it . . . but what I would appreciate more is if you let the doctors here take a look at you."
"I'm fine, Jason," she replied.
"You dislocated your shoulder - - -"
"Then I'll see a good chiropractic when we get back to the states."
"All the more reason to get out of here."
"We'll be out of here soon enough . . . and you can pay for my appointment considering it's your brawn body that got me all out of shape," she quipped.
"You didn't have to carry me - - -"
"Like I would have left you there. Come on Jason give me some credit. There is nothing I wouldn't do to save you . . ." she spoke, trailing as the words escaped. The strong front that had marked his face suddenly melted and his eyes softened.
"I would do anything for you too, you know that?" he said gently.
"I know," she whispered. Her voice broke away and she hid her face. "I was so scared when I thought that . . . that something had actually happened to you. That you were . . ."
His hand carefully reached out, tenderly caressing the side of her face. She shivered under his touch. There was something genuine about it. Something that said everything that needed to be said without making a single sound. "Sam . . ." he began slowly. The word lingered on his lips, echoing through the room and sinking into her. He was going to say more, she could see it in his face, and all she wanted was for him to spill it.
Instead the sharp ring of her phone interrupted.
She scrambled to yank it from her pocket, anxious of who may be calling. There were a number of people who could be interrupting the tender moment. Spinelli, Alexis, Maxie, or whom she feared most to be on the other line; Michael and Kristina.
Jason watched worriedly as she held the phone to her ear, listening as her sweet face fell and her eyes clouded with distress. The phone call seemed to last days and he itched to know exactly what was going on. What was being said. If it had been him he wouldn't have trusted Michael and Kristina to be alone but then again he probably wouldn't have left Sam's side either if the roles had been reversed.
"What was that about?" he asked as soon as Sam snapped the phone shut, already moving from her seat.
"Kristina is gone."
okay so i'm still kind of inspired by jasam and the reviews to keep writing! i'm doing it a little different though. most of the entries or chapters will be kind of set up like one shots. just little bits and pieces of scenes that kind of go in sequence with each other. for one thing it makes it a lot easier to write and also keeps me from getting writers block. most of the chapters/shots will be jasam or just sam and jason with other characters. i'd love to hear what you guys think, your reviews obviously really have an effect on what i choose to do! thanks!
