A dream comes true for Marty and Sam is responsible.
All characters from the show are the property of NCIS Los Angeles. Sadly, I will never own the show or the characters. I tried to get my minions to come out of their den and help me with this chapter, but they're ignoring me. I don't have a beta so any errors are mine alone.
Anything in italics are thoughts. Anything in bold type is a quote from one of the episodes of the show.
Reviews feed my soul. I would love to hear from you, my readers.
Enjoy.
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CHAPTER 9: Going Home With Sam
When Marty woke the next morning, it took him a moment to realize he was still in Sam's arms. He felt so safe and secure that he didn't want to move or do anything to have to leave the comfort he found there. It was the first time he had felt completely safe in as long as he could remember. Sam's head was back and he was snoring softly in the chair but he still held Marty firmly against his chest. Marty lay there quietly snuggling with him and listening to Sam's strong steady heart beat until the nurse came in to check on him.
Marty was startled when the nurse entered the room. He held onto Sam tightly as he looked at her with trepidation. He didn't know what was going to happen and he didn't want to leave the safety of Sam's arms. He felt safe with Sam but could feel his heart start hammering as he remembered everything that he had been through. The nurse could tell he was frightened and smiled at him to try to let him know she wasn't going to hurt him without coming right out and saying the words.
She waited a couple of minutes for him to calm down a little; then asked him softly if she could look at his arm and side. Marty thought it over and then nodded yes climbing carefully out of Sam's arms to sit on the bed. Even though he tried hard to be quiet so Sam wouldn't wake up, he did so as Marty climbed off him. Sam looked around and saw the nurse waiting patiently for Marty to sit on the bed. He gave both the nurse and Marty a smile and watched as she softly told Marty everything she was going to do before she did it and ask for his permission.
She waited each time until he either nodded his head or whispered "Okay" before she took his temperature and checked the wound in his side. She then checked his cast to make sure he had good circulation in his fingers. When she was finished, she asked Marty if she could sign his cast and waited again for his reply. He looked at Sam for reassurance, and when Sam smiled and nodded his head, he replied to her question with "Yes."
She then took a marker out of her pocket and spent a little time writing something on his cast. When she was finished, she said "There, what do you think Mart?"
Mary looked down at what she had written and blushed furiously.
The nurse noticed his blush and asked him "Do you like it? Is it okay?"
"Yes ma'am. You're a good artist. Thank you." Marty didn't know what else to say but his mother had taught him he should always say 'please' and 'thank you' to people and that he could do. The nurse had drawn two hearts, one with Marty's name and one with Sam's name side-by-side on his cast, signed her name 'Linda' and wrote 'To a very brave boy with a wonderful smile. Get better soon.'
The nurse continued taking his vitals while Marty kept glancing over at Sam for reassurance as she worked each time receiving a smile and a nod that everything was all right.
When the nurse finished with Marty's cast, she informed both Sam and Marty that breakfast was on the way. While they waited for it to arrive, Marty showed Sam what Linda had put on his cast. Sam asked "Can I sign your cast too?"
Marty just looked at him as if he was crazy and said "Of course you can Sam, you don't have to ask."
Sam went to work and spent a few minutes decorating Marty's cast. "I'm not an artist like Linda, but what do you think?" Sam asked when he finished. He had drawn a surfboard in the ocean with a stick-figure Marty on it along with his name. Marty looked at the drawing and actually giggled a little bit. Sam was surprised to hear the giggle but also very glad. It eased his fears about Marty's state of mind after his horrendous ordeal.
"Is that supposed to be me Sam? I'm kind of skinny don't you think?"
"I told you I wasn't an artist." Sam grumbled with a smile on his face so Marty would know he was teasing.
"I like it Sam, really. I do."
When breakfast arrived, Marty looked at the scrambled eggs, toast and juice but wasn't very interested in eating anything. Sam seemed to know what he was thinking and stated "Marty, if you want to get better, you need to try to eat something. You don't have to eat it all, but at least have a piece of toast and the juice, okay?"
Marty gave Sam a long look before giving a little smile "Okay Sam. Since you drew such a great picture of me, I'll try" He took a bite of the toast and then a drink of the juice. Sam was again surprised at Marty's comment, but again again knew it meant he was beginning to come to terms a little bit with everything that had happened. He realized Marty had a long way to go to recover completely but Marty's demeanor made it clear he was eventually going to be okay. Sam continued to talk quietly to him and before Marty realized it, he had finished everything on the breakfast tray. He looked at Sam "I guess I was a little hungry."
"I guess you were" Sam replied smiling to himself.
The breakfast tray was removed while Sam and Marty talked about music and playing the violin. Sam would tell stories about the trips he took while he was in the high-school band while Marty listened intently. They had been talking for about an hour before the doctor came into the room to check on Marty. David was with him. He had spent the previous evening and part of the morning getting all the paperwork in place to let Marty go home with Sam. The doctor looked over the nurse's results and examined Marty before informing him he could leave the hospital that morning since everything was looking good.
Marty was reminded of everything that had happened to him when the doctor said he could leave. Always before, those words meant going back to the hell he was living in with his father. All his fears came roaring back into his mind and he began shaking as the doctor's words penetrated his mind. He didn't know what to do when he heard the news. He had no family to take him in and he knew he wouldn't be allowed to be on his own at 11 years old. He was so scared of what the answer would be when he asked what was going to happen to him, but he asked anyway "But where will I go? I don't have anyone." He was stumbling over the words because he was having so much trouble getting them out. He was afraid he was going to be put in 'juvy'; a place his father had threatened him with numerous times telling the young boy all kinds of horror stories of what went on there and calling it a prison for worthless bastards like Marty who were no good.
Sam glanced up at David and received a nod before gently pulling Marty to his side again and beginning to speak. "Marty, if it's all right with you, I'm taking you home with me. Would you like to come live with me?"
Hope and fear warred with each other in Marty's glistening eyes as he sat there looking at Sam. For minutes he couldn't say anything, then finally managed to blurt out, "You…you want me to come home…with you, seriously? You really want me to live with you?" He wasn't sure he believed what Sam had just said but was hoping with everything he had in him that Sam meant what he was saying.
"Yes, I do Marty, very much. But only if you want to. Is there someone else you would rather live with?" Sam knew there wasn't from talking to Dave the evening before, but he wanted Marty to make the decision of where he wanted to live. He knew how helpless Marty had felt for a very long time and knew it would do him a world of good to feel he had some control the decision on where he would live.
"I want to go home with you Sam" Marty whispered.
"Okay son, I have to go and sign some papers before we leave. I'll also get some clothes from your house with Dave here so that you have something to wear. I promise I'll come right back so we can go home together. Is there anything else you want me to pick up for you to bring home?"
Marty wasn't sure what he could ask Sam to get. He trusted Sam but everything that had happened had left him lost and confused. "Could I have my mom's violin? and my comic books?" he asked.
Sam looked at David and received another nod. "Yes you can. Where are they? I'll get them when I get your clothes."
"Everything is hidden in the crawl space behind my bed. I…I had to hide stuff there so he…he wouldn't find it and take it away or destroy it."
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Sam and Dave drove to Marty's house. When they arrived they were escorted through the police tape and allowed to get clothes for Marty. The police informed them that Mary had walked toward the bus stop on the corner after getting a few things of her own from the house.
Sam went into what was clearly Marty's room and began looking for the crawl space. While doing so, he noticed a picture of Marty and his mother that he thought Marty might like to keep so he put it in the bag with the few clothes he could find. It took him a few minutes to find the hiding space, but find it he did. The violin was there, safe in its case. Sam took a moment and removed it from the case to look it over. It was a beautiful instrument and it made him wonder where it had come from. It was something he would discuss with Marty once he was settled at home with him. He also found the comic books and smiled as he saw that Marty's favorites were DC and Marvel. He could tell that Marty cherished them because they were in pristine condition; they looked brand new.
Sam and Dave returned to the hospital with Marty's meager possessions. When Marty saw Sam coming toward his hospital room, his eyes lit up and he heaved a huge sigh. "Sam's here…Sam kept his promise. He came back for me…he came back" he thought.
Sam helped him get dressed and ready to leave before signing the necessary paperwork to take him home with him. Driving though the streets of Los Angeles, Sam could tell Marty was getting more and more anxious the farther away from the hospital they got. He was sure Marty was worried about what was going to happen once they arrived at his home. Trying to make things a little easier for the boy, he stopped at a fast food place and let Marty choose something for lunch for the both of them.
"Are you sure Sam. What if I choose something you don't like?" Marty didn't want to make Sam mad. In his experience, bad things happened when adults got mad.
"I'll like anything you get me Marty, promise" Sam replied with a smile.
"Would you like a barbecue burger and fries, Sam?"
"Sounds good, Marty." A big smile lit up Marty's face as he placed the order for Sam and himself and then paid for their lunch with money Sam had given him before they walked into the restaurant. The got their food returning to the car to finish the trip to Sam's house. While Sam was driving, he let Marty know that he had found the violin and his comics collection where he said they would be and had them in the trunk of his car. Marty didn't say anything but Sam heard him give a sigh of relief.
Sam pulled up in front of a small two-story bungalow painted white with dark blue trim. There was a small porch with a swing in front looking out on a small yard filled with flowers. Marty's eyes got huge with wonder as he saw all the flowers and the well-kept house. Sam led him up the stairs and through the porch to the front door. Opening the door, he ushered Marty inside and back to the kitchen where they ate their lunch at the small kitchen table. Marty was looking around the kitchen with undisguised interest while he ate his burger. He couldn't believe what a cheerful room it was. It was painted light yellow with white trim. The cabinets were light oak and there was a set of sliding glass doors that opened out onto a spacious backyard filled with flowers, trees, grass and a small patio. The glass doors let plenty of natural light flood the kitchen when the shutters were pulled back against the wall.
Sam and Marty took their time over lunch as they took turns asking each other questions. They had agreed that they could ask each other any question they wanted, but that the other person didn't have to answer the question if they didn't want to.
"Sam, do you have a family?" Marty began.
Sam took his time to answer. "I had a son, but he and my wife died many years ago. I miss them very much. My wife would have loved you."
"Why do you think she would love me Sam?"
Sam answered him quickly this time "Because she would see how special you are and she would have loved to hear you play. She and I were childhood sweethearts. We were in the band together and we always had music in our home."
"She sounds really nice."
"She was." Sam's first question was "Why do you like comic books?"
"I like the stories and the drawings are great. Besides Superman and Spiderman are my favorite heroes. DC writes Superman and Marvel writes Spiderman."
"That's good to know Marty…good to know. Do you have a special girl in school?"
Marty blushed and squeaked "Sam! I...I don't believe you asked me that! I don't have to answer right?"
Sam replied "Not if you don't want to Marty" and laughed at the look on his face.
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