My eyes are closing, I'll make it short! I wanted to post this chapter tonight! I just came out of the woods around 1pm, then drove home, watched the premiere (DIED FROM EXCITEMENT – Omg I forgot how much I loved this show!) then corrected this and now I am going to bed!
For this chapter I have the lovely lake at my cabin to thank! Uhuh… And the sun! And the beautiful view! Héhé! And like always, Stacy, because she's awesome!
I hope you like it! See you at the end!
Grabbing a cup of coffee from the little cart outside of the courthouse, Andy sighed. The trial had been going on all morning long and it was now 3pm; she was starting to get a little tired. It wasn't simply the tiredness actually; there was also the fact that it wasn't exactly emotionally easy either. At least everything was going pretty well according to her lawyer and he had hope that it would all be done by the end of the day.
Andy had been the first one to testify, and she was glad it was done now. She remembered the comforting presence of Sam while she was on the stand answering questions. He was looking straight at her, and every time she felt lost, she simply had to turn to him to find strength in the small smile he was giving her.
Her friend Traci, who was there more to support her than to testify to be honest, had also been called to the stand to give her version of the facts. The only person that wasn't there was her dad, but it was Andy's choice. After everything happened, she called him to tell him where she was and why, but she had been clear on that point. She didn't want to see him at least for a while; she wasn't emotionally ready for it yet, not with everything that was happening.
Even if this day was utterly exhausting, she was really grateful that it didn't take too long between the complaint she filed and the trial. It had been only about ten days since the whole thing went down, and she knew Sam had put some pressure to have it go in front of a judge before anything more could happen.
Putting some milk in her coffee, she smiled softly, remembering how nice Sam had been in the last couple of weeks. The morning after she spent the night at his place, she had the memory of him bringing her coffee in the living room, cooking her breakfast, and then driving her to Traci's. He also made sure that there was always someone not too far from her, keeping an eye on her friend's apartment so that Chris didn't randomly show up there.
She couldn't help but think back to the way they had spent the night on his couch. Even if she woke up the next morning with a sore neck and feeling pretty awkward at the time, she couldn't deny that it was the best night of sleep she had in a while. Andy couldn't even remember the last time she had slept like that. Between the hospital, the wrist accident and the hundreds of nights she laid awake at night, wondering what to do, she hadn't been sleeping very well.
Sam was also the perfect gentleman; she knew that he felt an attraction towards her, they both felt it, but he never pushed, never said anything to make her feel bad, he was just there for her when she needed it. He knew that she needed time and space to get back on her feet, and she was grateful that he was letting her go at her own pace.
Even though it hadn't been a long time since everything happened with Chris, Andy just felt it was right, probably even more right that it had ever been with her previous boyfriends. She remembered Traci telling her that it was probably a good idea that she took it slow, and to be careful not to make him the rebound guy, but that's definitely not how she felt about Sam, at all.
Yes, it was only a couple of weeks since she had officially stopped being with Christopher, but it felt like longer to her because during the last few months, even if she was still living with the guy, her heart wasn't in it anymore. Andy had to admit that the main reason why she was still with him until two weeks ago was because she needed a place to live. If it hadn't been for that reason, she most certainly would've ended it way before.
Someone put a hand on her shoulder and caused her to jump, spilling a few drops of her coffee on the ground and on her skin as she turned around to see Sam holding his hands up.
"I am so sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He said apologetically as he handed her a napkin to try and get the burning coffee off her arm.
"Oh it's okay, I'm just jumpy these last few days, it's nothing really." Andy told him as she shook her head, taking another napkin to sponge the top of her cardboard mug.
"How are you holding up?" He asked her as he looked at her with a concerned look on his face, leaning a bit closer to her.
"I'm okay, I guess." She began, not really looking at him. "I don't know… I just want this whole thing to be over so I can go back to my life." She said, raising her eyes to meet his.
"Yeah, that's normal." He told her with a small smile that showed his dimples and she couldn't help but smile back. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm the next witness to testify." He added, his smile dropping off his lips as he got more serious.
"I know." Andy simply said, lowering her head to stare at her coffee.
"The defense will probably make me look bad or something, but try and not worry about it okay? I'll have to keep everything very professional, so keep that in mind. " He explained her, trying to catch her eyes.
"Yeah, I know, it can't be worse than when I testified this morning anyway right?" She said with a sad smile, looking at him before she took a sip of her coffee.
"You were great up there; you said exactly what you had to say." Sam told her, remembering how the defense had tried to make it sound like she was exaggerating and having an affair with Sam to make her look bad.
"Thanks, hopefully it will go well and it'll be over by tonight." She said with a small nod of her head.
"It will. We should get back." He said to her a few seconds later, quickly taking a look at his watch.
"Yeah we should." Andy agreed before she threw out the napkins and walked towards the court house. Sam followed right behind her, resting softly his hand on the small of her back, only taking it off when they stepped inside.
They both went to sit in their respective seats and it was just in time, because the judge entered the courtroom only a few minutes later and before she knew it Sam was sitting on the witness chair across the room, the prosecution attorney standing in front of him.
"Officer Swarek, could you walk us through what happened the night of the events?" He asked before taking a few steps back, looking at the judge.
"I was on patrol with Officer Shaw when we got the call for a domestic disturbance at the victim's apartment. We got there in a few minutes and got up to the apartment in question. No one came to the door when we knocked, and we entered after hearing some loud crashing noises. We cleared the kitchen and the living room, and when I entered the bedroom, the accused was holding the victim, who seemed unconscious at the time, by the arm." Sam slowly explained on a calm and professional tone.
"What did you do after that?" The attorney asked him again.
"I didn't want him to hurt her, and so I took him by the arm and got him away from Miss McNally. My partner took care of him while I called the ambulance and stayed with the victim." Sam continued on the same calm tone.
Even though Andy knew he had to keep it professional, she couldn't help but cringe at the word 'victim'. She knew that's not all she was to him, but it was still weird to hear him talk about her with such a detached and cold voice. Especially now that she was used to the way he was calling her Andy with a much tender and soft voice.
"And did the accused show remorse after the events?" He asked Sam, looking at Christopher from the corner of his eye.
"No, he did not. He asked me where she was and the way he was acting made me believe that he didn't care at all about what had just happened. Well, apart from the fact that he got caught." Sam replied searching Andy's eyes in the crowd to see how she was holding up.
She had that neutral look on her face and Sam assumed that she was doing okay even though he couldn't really know it from just looking at her right now.
"Do you think that he would be a threat for Miss McNally if he was declared innocent today, Officer Swarek?"
"In my professional opinion, when someone is acting like Christopher is with her, he's likely to commit this kind of violence again. So in light of previous experiences, yes, I think he would be a threat." Sam continued, looking at the judge as he said those words.
"I have no further questions your honor; the defense can question the witness."
"Officer Swarek, you said that when you got in the room the accused was holding the victim by the arm. Did you see him hit her?" He asked Sam on a cold tone, getting up to stand in front of him.
"No, I didn't see him hit her, but I assumed that he did earlier considering that she was covered in bruises and lying unconscious on the floor." Sam replied, his voice still calm, but a bit more annoyed than he was earlier.
"So you assumed that he was being violent, but you didn't actually see him be violent is that correct?" The defense attorney asked and Sam tried to keep his calm knowing where he was taking this.
"No, I didn't." He answered on a cold tone.
"Officer Swarek, is it true that you drove Miss McNally here to her apartment and gave her your cellphone number before the night when they events occurred?"
"Objection your honor how is that relevant to the case? The prosecutor asked, standing up behind his table.
"Your honor, I'm trying to show the fact that the judgment of Officer Swarek might have been impaired by feelings he has for the victim." The other man replied only a second later, obviously knowing that this would happen.
"Overruled, get to the point quickly. Officer Swarek, please answer the question." The judge said before he motioned him to continue.
"Yes, I did drive her home and give her my phone number, but her wrist was broken and I simply wanted to keep her and the other drivers on the road safe. Driving a manual car with your right wrist broken can be pretty tricky and dangerous." Sam answered the question, trying as hard as he could to keep his calm in front of those questions he thought were ridiculous.
"So you drove her home, and gave her your number. Is that something you do with everyone?" He continued with this harsh tone, acting like he didn't hear the explanation he gave him as to why he acted like that.
"No, it is not, but those were particular circumstances. Andy McNally doesn't differ from the other victims I helped." Sam tried to explain; they had to understand that it did nothing to affect his judgment.
"Keeping in mind that you were clearly feeling something for the victim, is it possible that you may have been blinded by jealousy when you saw Christopher in the room with her?" The attorney asked, ignoring the last part of Sam's answer again.
"Objection, the defense has no way of knowing what Officer Swarek was feeling at the time." The prosecution said, looking just as annoyed as Sam by the questions that were directed to him.
"I'm sorry your honor, I'll rephrase that. Officer Swarek, were you jealous of Christopher when you entered the room that night, and did that affect your judgment?" He asked again, turning his question in a way that was more politically correct.
Sam took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice as calm and professional as he could when he answered the defense's question.
"No, I wasn't jealous. I saw a man, standing over an unconscious woman, and I did what every cop would've done in my place. My judgment was never impaired." Sam replied, hoping that he would leave it there and wouldn't bring up the fact that Andy had stayed at his place.
"No more questions your honor." The attorney said before he went back to sit behind his chair.
Andy closed her eyes and finally breathed correctly for the first time in the last ten minutes. She knew that something like that was most likely to come up, but she didn't realize the impact it could have on her case.
Since there weren't any witnesses left to testify, the judge declared a recess until 4pm when he would give the verdict and Andy got out of her chair quickly, making it out of the courtroom as Sam followed her.
"Come with me." He said as he walked towards the end of the hall, opening the door to a small empty office before he closed it behind them.
"What?" Andy asked as he closed the door and turned to face her.
"I just wanted to be sure you were okay." He told her, looking at her with a small smile as she frowned, wondering what the big deal was.
"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" She asked him, looking around her wondering why he felt the need to come hide here to ask her that, before it came to her mind that it probably wouldn't be good if they were seen together after that interrogation.
"I don't know, I just felt like I was being really cold up there, and I wanted you to know that even though what I said was true, I didn't simply do it because it was my job." He told her, trying to make her understand that even though he didn't really have feelings for her back then, it was something that was totally different right now.
"I know, but it would really be okay if it was just for your job you know." Andy said on a controlled voice.
She knew that he was just trying to keep it professional, and she was able to take care of herself anyway, she didn't need him to watch over her, but it still stung a bit when he said that she wasn't different from the others.
"I mean, yes, I would've done it for someone else too, because it's my job, but it wasn't just that for you. I wasn't doing it out of obligation, I wanted to help you; I still do. You're not like everyone else." Sam continued, smiling softly.
"And does that impair your judgment, Officer Swarek?" She asked him on a playful tone, mimicking the defense attorney.
"Oh please, he's just fishing, he knows that he has no chance and he's trying to make me look bad to create a doubt. We both know what happened that night, my judgment wasn't impaired." Sam replied on a half serious tone.
"Yeah, that's true. I just hope the judge knows it too." She said, lowering her head to stare at her feet.
"I'm sure he does, don't worry about it." Sam tried to reassure her, gently resting his hand on her shoulder.
Andy nodded and smiled softly; she was starting to get used to those physical contacts and she loved the warmth that was coming from Sam's body when he was touching her.
"Everything will be fine, Andy." He told her as he squeezed her shoulder softly.
She raised her head and locked her eyes with his; he was smiling and she smiled too. She was still feeling that pull towards him and she couldn't help but take a small step closer to him as he circled her shoulders with his arm. Letting her head rest in the crook of his neck, she sighed deeply, she couldn't wait for this to be all over.
"We should go back." She said after a few more seconds and he nodded, sadly dropping his arm from her shoulder and opening the door of the room.
They walked out quickly and went back to the small crowd that was forming outside of the courtroom. They still had over half an hour to wait before they went back inside to hear the verdict and Andy sat on one of the chairs near the doors while Traci came and sat beside her a few minutes later.
"How are you holding up?" She asked as she leaned, resting her elbows on her knees, turning her head to look at her.
"I'm good." Andy said, giving a reassuring smile to her friend.
"You looked kinda pale while Sam was testifying; I wanted to make sure you were okay." Traci told her, and Andy smile got wider, her friend knew her way too much.
"I can't get anything past you now can I?" She laughed, looking at her friend that was giving her an innocent look.
"That's why you love me isn't it?" Her friend said with a goofy grin and Andy bumped her shoulder with hers. "So how is the sexy officer?" She asked with a curious look and Andy felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Traci, don't talk about him like that, not here." She said, motioning around her to all the people standing up and talking in small groups, waiting for the audience to start again.
"What? He is an officer and he is sexy you can't disagree with that." She continued, shrugging as Andy was forced to agree with her.
"He's good, we're both good." The young woman told her friend, smiling as she remembered how his hand felt on her shoulder and how natural it was for her to just be close to him like they were earlier.
"Good to know." Traci said, smiling too. "I need to go to work girl, are you going to be okay?" Her friend continued as she looked at her watch; her shift was starting at 4.
"I'll be fine, thanks." She said before the other woman hugged her and walked away from the courtroom.
Andy rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes for a few minutes before she opened them back to see Sam looking at her from the other side of the hallway. His eyes were full of concern and she gave him a small smile, not wanting him to worry about her. He turned back to his conversation with the guy she recognized as Oliver Shaw, but he kept giving her a small look here and there.
As much as she wanted Sam to believe she was okay, she actually wasn't feeling that well. It was probably the exhaustion, the stress and the fact that it was pretty hot in the hallway but her head was spinning. Closing her eyes again, she tried to breathe deeply, concentrating on calming herself down.
"You okay miss? You look kinda pale." She heard someone say as she opened her eyes to find Officer Shaw looking at her.
"I'm good; I think I just need some fresh air." She said with a wave of her hand.
"Sam can stay here and hear the verdict, wanna go take a walk?" Oliver asked her, reaching for her hand to help her up.
"Yeah, that would be good." Andy said as she took the hand he was offering and stood up, closing her eyes again as the floor moved under her feet.
The officer's hand was behind her back immediately and he steadied her as she took a deep breath. "I got up too quickly." She said with an apologetic smile, opening her eyes to see Sam look at her.
He was standing near the door and she could see it was taking him a lot of strength not to come and help her, but she could also see the eyes of the defense attorney locked on Sam's every move, ready to catch anything that could help his client and Andy understood why Oliver was standing at her right and not Sam.
"Yeah, let's get you some air." He said as he took a slow step towards the door, Andy imitating him, still shaky on her legs.
They made their way out of the building just as everyone was going back in the courtroom. Oliver had strong arms, and even if she didn't feel as comfortable with him as she did with Sam, she was grateful for the support he was offering her. Taking a few more steps, he sat on a bench away from the courthouse; people getting out of it wouldn't even see it from there. It was under some trees and the soft breeze was already helping with the dizziness.
Sitting next to him, she put her head in her hands, inhaling deeply as she breathed in the cold end of November air. She had her vest, but her winter coat was still at her apartment since she hadn't been there since the fight, and soon she was shivering. As if he had read her mind, Oliver took the coat he was holding in his other hand and put it across her back. She frowned, wondering whose it was since he still had his own.
She slipped her arms in the sleeves, quickly feeling the warmth get back to her body as she snuggled in the piece of clothing. As soon as she had put it on she knew whose it was, and she couldn't help but smile at the fact that Sam had left her his coat.
"Sam thought maybe you would be cold with only your vest." Oliver said, confirming what the smell of the coat had already told her.
"That's nice of him." She said, sitting back on the bench, her head feeling clearer with every second that went by. The cold wind was definitely helping with the dizziness.
"He really likes you, you know." Oliver told her, looking away from her before he lowered back his eyes to his hands. Andy nodded. "It's probably stupid and unprofessional, but he really does." He continued, turning to his right to look at her.
"I didn't ask for it." She said, avoiding his stare. "It just happened. I don't know why, or how, but it did." She continued, admitting to herself for the first time that she really liked him too.
"I know. I know…" He agreed, giving her a small smile for a second. "I'm sure Sammy didn't ask for it either." He added, letting out a small breath before he continued, narrowing his eyes. "Just… Just don't break his heart."
Andy opened her mouth to answer when the doors of the courthouse opened and she turned towards them, seeing Sam walk in their direction. "I'll try." She simply said to him before she continued looking at the other man walking closer to them.
"We won." He said with a smile. "He was convicted, and he'll have to spend a while in prison." He added as he stared at her. "How are you feeling?"
Andy grinned at him and got up carefully, taking a step before she fell in his arms. His arms went instinctively around her as she held on to him for dear life, tears falling out of her eyes as he rubbed her back softly.
"I'll leave you two to celebrate." Oliver said, getting up off the bench before sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you at work Sammy." He continued, quickly walking away, feeling like he needed to give them a bit of privacy.
Sam waved discretely as his friend gave him a wink to which he smiled. Andy was still crying in his arms, and she didn't know why, but she couldn't stop even if she tried. The stress from the last couple of weeks was going all away, leaving her exhausted.
"You know it's a good thing right?" Sam asked her, one of his hands softly resting behind her neck.
She laughed and leaned back, looking at him through her teary eyes and offered him a smile. "Yeah, I know I'm sorry; I'm just so exhausted…" She said apologizing.
"Hey, it's okay." He said as he brushed off her tears with the tip of his thumb. It was the first time he saw her really lose control, and he was glad she trusted him enough to do this.
Taking a step back, she laughed again, running her hands across her face as she shook her head. "I am just so happy that it's all over." She said, still halfway between the tears and the smile that was now showing on her face.
"Oh, me too!" Sam told her, smiling too. "Do you need me to drop you somewhere or something?" He asked as she looked around her to the sun that was now almost gone, the air getting colder by the second.
"That would be really nice of you, but I don't wanna force you or if you have something else to do…" She started, realizing that she was still wearing his coat and trying to take it off.
"You can keep it." He said, motioning to the coat she was about to give him back. "And no, I'm all free." He continued, walking to his truck, before he started the engine. "So where are we going?" He asked as he went to get out of the parking.
"I need to get my things at the apartment before I do anything, I'll walk home from there." She told him, looking out the window.
"Traci's apartment is pretty far from your old apartment isn't it?" He asked, sceptic as to the distance she was ready to walk in this cold.
"Oh, yeah, I didn't mean Traci's apartment. I found somewhere else to live actually. I can't afford the apartment we had, and I don't really wanna stay there anyway." She said shrugging.
He raised his eyebrow. "You found some other place in the last week?" He asked, surprized that she would've been able to find another apartment in less than ten days.
"Actually, I had been looking for a few weeks now, but I just finalized everything yesterday. It's a small apartment, in the basement, but it's okay for now." She explained as he turned to smile at her.
"I'm impressed." He told her, as he turned right at the light, slowing down into the traffic that was starting to pack up in the streets on Toronto.
"Well, what did you think? That I would stay at Traci's and wait for time to pass by? I had to do something right?" She asked with a small laugh as she turned to look at him again.
"Yes, yes, you're definitely right." He told her with a proud smile, turning onto Carlton Street before he stopped in front of her apartment building.
"Well, thanks for the ride, Sam. I guess I'll see you around." She started with a smile before he took out the keys of the ignition.
"You need some help? I have nothing else to do actually." He proposed, not really knowing if he was doing it to help or because he wasn't ready to leave her just yet.
She started at him for a second, looking like she was struggling with the decision. "I really don't want to make you late or anything, but if yes I could use some help if you want to." She finally answered, getting out of her seat as he followed right behind her, going to open the door.
They got upstairs silently before she unlocked the door, getting in her old apartment. It wasn't clean anymore, and the kitchen looked like a complete mess. Sighing, Andy walked across the living room and got into the bedroom. Getting her bags out of the closet, she gave one to Sam and told him what he could pack.
Between the two of them, she quickly rounded up everything that belonged to her. The furniture wasn't hers, and she had rented her small 1 bedroom apartment already furnished so she didn't need any of it anyway.
About an hour and a half later, they were all ready to go. All of Andy's belongings had been packed in her few bags and couple of suitcases. It took them a couple of trips to the truck to get everything in, considering that Andy had only one hand she could use, and she was even more glad that Sam stayed to help her.
As they left the apartment for the third time, they had all of her things, and Andy turned to lock the door, giving one last look at the 202 Carlton Street, where she had spent the last years. She was prepared to feel some kind of nostalgia, but as she turned the key in the lock, sliding it under the door after, all she felt was freedom, and she smiled at Sam.
"Ready?" He asked as he put a bag on his back, taking the other one in his left hand.
"I was ready more than a month ago." She told him as she grabbed the last bag on the floor with her left hand, sliding it on her back.
"Let's go." He said as he walked towards the elevator, softly sliding his right arm behind her back as they walked next to each other.
Everything was in the truck a couple of minutes later, and she sat in the passenger seat, Sam taking his place a few seconds after. They were silent as he drove off to her new place that was just a couple of blocks away.
Her stuff was rapidly all inside, and Sam looked around the place. It was small but cozy. There was a small bedroom with a queen bed standing in the middle of it. The kitchen was combined to the living room, and was big enough to be practical, but not too big.
"It's a nice place you found here." He said after he saw everything.
"Yeah, it'll be okay for now anyway." She agreed with a smile, looking around the apartment with a smile; this was a new chapter of her life that was starting, and she couldn't wait to dive into it.
He was getting ready to leave, and she moved to the door with him, searching a way to keep him with her, but she couldn't think about anything at the moment, so she just looked at him.
"I'll see you soon Andy." He told her, putting his hand on the doorknob, smiling at her as he did.
"Definitely." She answered, smiling back. He was getting ready to get out when she stopped him. "Sam? Can I ask you a question?" She said, making him leave the doorknob and turn back to face her.
"Yeah of course." He simply said, looking at her with a curious glance.
"Why are you doing all this?" She asked, and he looked at her, frowning. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I am very grateful, and I couldn't have done it without you. I can't even start to thank you for everything you did but… Why? You've barely known me for a little over a month now… Why are you so nice with me?" She added in front of his perplex face.
He took a second, look at his feet than looked back at her, smiling as he found the answer he wanted to give her.
"I just feel the need to take care of you." He said, and then added as she opened her mouth. "I know you can take care of yourself, I know that, Andy. But I feel like no one has ever really done it, and I just think you deserve more." He told her, still smiling as she tried to keep her eyes dry. She couldn't cry again today.
"Thank you." She said genuinely, hoping that he knew she really meant it, but she was pretty sure he did.
"You're welcome." He replied with a smile, taking a small step towards her. Resting his hand softly on her shoulder, he gently leaned in and laid a small kiss on her cheek, backing off to see her eyes close and a smile on her lips.
He turned away and placed his hand back on the door, opening it before he turned back to her one last time. "Take care of you, Andy." He said in a low voice, making her shiver as he closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the middle of her apartment.
Raising her hand, she brushed her cheek where he had kissed her and she smiled a little more, the invasion of butterfly in her belly fluttering again as she remembered how it had felt. If this is what a kiss on the cheek made her feel, she wondered what it would be if they ever got really together.
As she lied awake in her bed that night, she thought back to everything that had happened this last month. She felt like her whole universe had been turned upside down, but it was a good thing, and she was actually pretty happy with how everything had turned out. She had a new apartment, a great best friend, and a new friend that would maybe end up being more, one day, when she would be ready to let him.
Thinking about what he had told her before he left; she wondered if she could be able to let him do that. Let him take care of her. She was so used to looking after herself, she didn't know any other way. She took care of herself when her mom had left, then she took care of her dad as he drank to forget about it. And it didn't change when she left home, living with Chris, but still feeling like she was on her own.
Even though she didn't really know how to let him do it, she wanted to… She wanted to let him in, wanted to believe that he would take care of her. She really wanted to believe Sam Swarek could take care of her, and she wanted be able to let him do it.
Like I said, I was at my cabin, so I wrote a lot there! I have the next (and last) chapter lined up, and after that the epilogue! I'll try and correct it and post it soon, but I'll have a busy week! I'm starting a new job on Tuesday so that'll take up some of my time! Anyway, hope you like it! Please drop a line to tell me what you think! :)
