Jack waited impatiently for the coffee to finish brewing, poured himself a cup, turned around and ran smack into Sam. He managed to keep most of the hot beverage from spilling onto the child, the majority of it hitting the floor, but the part that hit the boy's forearm was hot enough to make him cry out in pain. Jack lifted Sam up to the sink and ran cold water over the burned area, his soft, delicate skin a bright, angry red where the hot liquid had singed him.
"I'm sorry Sam. You can't sneak up on me like that, especially when I think you're sound asleep." Jack awkwardly apologized.
"It's okay, it only hurts some." Sam said.
Jack pulled the child away from the water and sat him on the counter. The burn wasn't severe, but a blister was starting to form.
"Don't move." Jack told him and disappeared into the laundry room, returning a moment later with a first aid kit.
He applied an ointment to the burn and bandaged it.
"Does it feel better now?" Jack asked.
"Yes, it's better." Sam told him and attempted to leap off the counter.
Jack caught the boy and set him down.
"Go on into the other room and let me clean this mess up." Jack told him.
"I'm hungry." Sam objected.
Jack looked at the clock. It was noon and he guessed the child probably hadn't eaten since early that morning.
"Okay, let me clean this up and we'll go get some lunch." Jack said.
He watched the boy walk slowly to the edge of the room and stop, standing in the doorway refusing to go any further, studying him and as unsure of Jack as Jack was of him.
"What do you like to eat Sam?" Jack asked.
"Peanut butter and jelly." Sam answered.
"I don't have any of that. What else do you like?" Jack asked.
"Nothing." Sam replied.
Jack looked at the boy and chuckled more out of frustration than amusement. He stood, dropped the soiled towels into the kitchen sink, approached the child and placed a gentle hand on his back.
"I think it's time to broaden your horizons Sam. Let's go." Jack said stopping when he noticed Sam wasn't coming along.
"I want to go home." Sam said sadly.
Jack kneeled down in front of him, keeping his hands to himself.
"I know you do, but you can't and I'm sorry about that." Jack spoke softly to him.
"But what if mommy is looking for me and can't find me?" Sam asked his bottom lip puckering and his eyes filling with tears.
"She knows where to find you buddy." Jack assured him, not wanting to discuss death with a six year old, but not realizing he'd just given the child who really didn't understand what happened to his mother false hope.
"Can we go get chicken nuggets and play on the toys?" Sam asked satisfied with Jack's answer and hungry again.
It took Jack a few minutes to figure out where the child wanted him to take him and it was the last thing he felt like eating, but if it would entertain his new house guest for an hour he was willing to choke it down. He sat outside with the coffee he ordered, finding it to be the only thing on the menu he could realistically choke down, and talked with the now somewhat perkier six year old.
"Do you got games at your house?" Sam asked.
"What kind of games?" Jack asked.
"Video games." Sam told him.
"No, but we can go buy you some if you want. Would you like that?" Jack asked.
"It's okay, I have some at home." Sam said.
"Sam, that home is gone now. You understand that right?" Jack asked.
"But when mommy finds me we will go back." Sam said confidently.
Jack kicked himself mentally and searched his brain for words of wisdom, but came up empty.
"Tell you what Sam, since you're stuck with me right now and my house really doesn't have anything fun for a kid to do, we'll go ahead and get you some video games so you won't get bored." Jack told him.
Sam shrugged and ran off to play on the toys outside the fast food restaurant. Jack sat back and watched him play and tried to figure out what he was going to do with him. He had surgeries scheduled the rest of the week and rescheduling them really wasn't an option. He decided that he'd have to use the day care center at the hospital until he could figure something out, still not sure that the boy was his and even if he was, he was unsure about whether or not he was going to keep him.
He managed to pry the child away from the playground by promising a toy to go along with the video games, realizing that bribery probably wasn't the best parenting technique, but at this point he had no desire to be a parent, he was simply trying to survive until he figured something out.
Three hours, one game system, four games, two movies, two action figures and a few clothes later, Jack and Sam were home and Jack was working diligently to hook up the game system.
"That lady was nice." Sam said.
"What lady?" Jack asked.
"The clothes lady." Sam said.
Jack nodded and grinned slightly as he recalled how the woman had been flirting with him the entire time she was helping him figure out what size clothes Sam wore and then proceeded to help him pick a few things out.
"Yeah, you would've come in handy when I was in my 20s and on the prowl." Jack chuckled.
"Huh?" Sam asked.
"Nothing Sam, get your game ready." Jack answered and moved back, turning the television on and allowing Sam to do the rest.
Jack left Sam to play and spent the next few hours going over his schedule with Dana, his personal assistant and right arm most days, and talking with his attorney about his options where Sam was concerned. He was busy making notes for the next day when the doorbell rang. He looked at his watch, saw that it was after six and became a little unnerved that he'd left a six year old unattended for that long, the same six year old that managed to get to the front door before he did, opening it without fear of who or what could be on the other side.
Vicki, Jack's current girlfriend, stood in the doorway with a bag of groceries and a smile that quickly faded when she saw Sam.
"Did we have plans?" Jack asked and pushed the boy behind him.
"We were going to stay in and cook dinner together. Remember?" Vicki answered.
"Sorry, it's been a little crazy today. Sam, go back to your game." Jack said feeling the boy peeking around his legs at the woman.
Sam left the two adults at the entry way and Jack backed up so she could enter the home, closing the door and landing a soft peck on her lips.
"Who's your little friend Jack?" Vicki asked.
"That is Sam. He's going to be staying here for awhile." Jack said.
"Long lost love child?" Vicki giggled.
"Something like that." Jack replied minus the giggle.
"Are you serious?" Vicki asked.
"Let's make dinner and I'll explain." Jack sighed.
Jack explained the situation to Vicki who he had been dating for the last six months, but as was typical with Jack and relationships, it wasn't serious, not for him anyway. He liked her, enjoyed her company when he made time for fun and the sex was good, but that was as deep as the feelings ran for him and she, a busy caterer, seemed to not be anymore invested in him than he was in her.
They prepared a spaghetti dinner complete with salad, breadsticks and wine and sat back and tried to enjoy it, the six year old sitting in the chair across from them refusing to eat and looking depressed killing the mood.
"Sam, just take a few bites and you can get down." Jack coaxed.
"It's yucky, it gots chunks of stuff in it." Sam whined.
Jack sighed and rubbed his temples, his patience wearing thin, the events of the day taking its toll on him.
"Fine, go get ready for bed." Jack said.
"I'm not tired." Sam continued to whine.
"Well I am, so go, get your stuff picked up and get in bed." Jack told him.
They watched the child scoot out of his chair and walk away sadly.
"I should go Jack. Do you want some help cleaning this up?" Vicki asked.
"No, leave it, the cleaning lady comes tomorrow. You don't want to stay?" Jack asked and leaned in, kissing her deeply and then pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.
"Mmm….that's tempting, but this is too weird, uncomfortable. Maybe after your little house guest moves on." Vicki said.
"He's going to bed Vic, it'll just be the two of us the rest of the evening." Jack tried to persuade her, landing soft kisses over her jaw and then down her neck, his hand moving gently over her breast, pinching the nipple through the fabric of her shirt.
"God you're impossible to say no to, but you have to set an alarm, I need to be up and out of here by 5 AM." Vicki told him.
They wasted no time getting from the dining room to the bedroom, neither thinking about closing and locking the door, both too hungry and eager to get the other's clothes off, coming together quickly in the center of the room before he carried her to the bed and found a very quick release, the tension of the day pouring out of him, thrusting slowly through his release and bringing her off with him.
They lay cuddled together in the center of the bed, talking softly and recharging for the next round that would be less frenzied and he hoped would last much longer and it was and it did, her finally rolling on top and rotating slowly over him. She lifted herself straight up, driving him in deeper and stopped, covering her breasts with her arms.
"What's wrong?" Jack panted.
"You're kid is standing in the doorway watching us Jack." She said, grateful that the room was dark enough that the boy could see little more than two silhouettes moving on the bed.
"Sam, go back to bed." Jack ordered.
"Can I sleep in here?" Sam asked.
"No Sam, now go." Jack said sternly.
Sam ran from the doorway and Vicki attempted to move off of him.
"Whoa, where are you going? Let's finish." He said, his tone close to begging.
He sat up and kissed her, pulling her closer their bodies getting back into rhythm, him thrusting up into her slowly, deeply, both moaning at the contact and getting closer and closer to release with each thrust.
"Jack." The small voice called from the hall again, killing the moment and frustrating her right off of his lap.
"This is too weird Jack. Go take care of your kid. I'm going to get dressed and go home." Vicki said.
"Sam go wait for me in your room." Jack said.
"I'm sorry Vicki, just let me get him settled down and I'm sure he'll sleep for the rest of the night." Jack offered.
"Forget it Jack. I really like you, but kids aren't my thing, but if you get things worked out give me a call." Vicki told him.
"Yeah, sure. You want me to walk you out?" Jack asked.
"No, I'm fine." Vicki said.
Jack slipped on a pair of jeans, kissed Vicki goodbye and walked toward the room where Sam was supposed to be sleeping. He found him sitting in the hallway halfway in-between the bedrooms. He was frustrated, tired and none too happy about not getting to finish getting laid, but the sight of the scared, lost little boy sitting all alone in the hallway softened him and made him forget how frustrated, tired and horny he was. He kneeled beside him and the boy flinched away from him.
"You don't like me." Sam accused.
"That's not true." Jack said.
"You maked me go to bed by myself and I'm really hungry." Sam told him.
"Do you not usually sleep by yourself Sam?" Jack asked.
"No, I don't go to bed by myself!" Sam reiterated with a frustrated squeal.
Jack thought about it for a moment and finally understood what the boy meant. He held his hand out and after a few seconds Sam put his hand into Jack's and they both stood up.
"Come on, I'll fix you something to eat." Jack said and led the boy to the kitchen.
Jack had next to nothing in the house to offer the child so he put him in the car and drove to the store for milk, bread, cereal, peanut butter and jelly. Once back home he fixed Sam a sandwich with a glass of milk and felt sharp pains of guilt stab at him as he watched him hungrily woof it all down.
"Do you want another sandwich Sam?" Jack asked.
"No, I want to go to sleep now." Sam said and looked up at Jack with hopeful eyes.
"Come on, I'll tuck you in." Jack offered feeling stupid for having not considered earlier that you just don't send children this young to bed, especially in a strange house with a strange man who was failing miserably at being a suitable caregiver.
"Will you read me a story?" Sam asked as he climbed into the bed that was so large it swallowed him.
"I don't have any children's books Sam." Jack said and covered him with the comforter.
Sam didn't respond, he just rolled onto his side and grabbed his stuffed toy.
"Goodnight Sam." Jack said and turned the lamp beside the bed off.
Jack looked at the small figure in the bed and he felt a twinge of sadness as the considered how frightened the little boy must be, but he didn't want to be a father to him, he couldn't. He walked out of the room and into his own bedroom, stripped out of his clothes and climbed into his bed. He could still smell her and the sex and considered that if it were a normal night he'd be sexually satisfied and sleeping with a soft, beautiful woman wrapped around him, but as it stood he felt frustrated and stressed. He mostly felt angry though, angry that a woman he trusted had committed the ultimate act of betrayal and because of it had managed to turn his life upside down. He was pissed off that he was going to be forced to make difficult decisions that would decide the fate of a six year old child and that he was going to have to live with those decisions, good or bad, for the rest of his life.
"God damn you Carrie." Jack mumbled and closed his eyes.