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Chapter 9- Seeing is Believing.

Peck stood next to Collins, her arm wrapping around him in a show of affection. Who was he kidding? Andy and Collins? Never in a million years. He couldn't even fathom how he had considered that as a possibility.

"Swarek go, we've got this covered". Peck said nodding towards Andy's building still buzzing with uniforms and blue and red lights.

Collins nodded and Sam found the slight trace of a smile tug at his lips.

Maybe he should go see her, but he needed to settle something first.

When Sam arrived at the hospital he found Nash looking worried as he made his way over to her.

"I thought you weren't going to show". She mumbled, the doubtful look she had on her face slipping away.

"She asked if you were coming so I told her no, because she doesn't want to see you".

Sam nearly choked when Nash said those words, but he shouldn't have expected anything other than what he was getting. He had to admit that he was at least hoping that she would let him see her; just for five minutes to see that she was really okay.

"Sam, she's going through a tough time. She's back and there's Marlo. Then she had to deal with looking over her shoulder to make sure that Glass wasn't there".

Traci took a deep breath as she looked on as Sam hung his head in shame. He was pretty ashamed of his actions right now, but she wouldn't hold it against him.

She hadn't in the past, and she wouldn't in the future.

Sure, he had broken her friends heart and sent her running straight into a suicide mission, but he was there when she reached out to him, and he got her back when it mattered.

"Just don't hurt her again okay?" Nash gave him a hug and then left Sam in the hallway where he found her waiting for him.

Walking down the hallway Sam found Andy's room by looking through the windows until he saw her hair sprayed out across the pillow, her face turned away to face the wall behind her.

He watched her for a moment letting his eyes relay the picture to his brain that she was okay.

He took a deep breath and made his way to the door, his knuckles dusting over the wood in a light knock before he pushed it open and stepped inside the room.

Andy looked up at him just for a moment before her eyes closed again in an attempt to block the sight of him out.

He didn't say anything, but grabbed the chair at the foot end of the bed and brought it around to the side where he sat in it in silence.

If she wanted to talk, they'd talk. If she wanted to ignore him that was okay too, he'd just sit here until she was ready.

It took a while for her to acknowledge his presence, a low breath signaling that she was about to say something.

"Thank you". Her words surprised him, but they made him smile.

Sam was tempted to reach out and take her hand when more words flew out of her mouth.

"Just don't yell at me again".

That made him feel like crap.

"Andy..."

"Don't okay. I know I did something stupid but really? Are you that...". Andy clamped her mouth closed as quickly as it had opened when her brain kicked in.

"Andy, not now okay. You need to get some sleep". Sam diverted the conversation right into a dead end- this wasn't the time to hash it out.

Andy tried to hide a yawn as it took over, they had given her some stronger pain meds for her ribs and she didn't have a concussion so she would be allowed to sleep. She tried to move, attempting to roll over but only ended up sucking in a deep breath as she cringed in pain.

Sam's face creased up at watching her suffer and try and be so strong. She was brave and did a good job at faking it, but he knew her well enough to see the cracks she tried to hide from view.

"Breath Andy". Sam said leaning towards her. Her face had gone a bright shade of red as she breathed in and held it, the air filling her lungs and pressing against her swollen ribs causing more pain.

Andy let out a strangled breath, her eyes fluttering to Sam glistening with unshed tears.

Seeing that was worse than being punched in the stomach.

He couldn't stand watching her go through so much pain just because she was trying to protect him.

Giving in to temptation Sam reached out and took her hand closest to him in his, his fingers prying her clenched hand open as their skin met.

She didn't fight him on it, just willingly let him unravel her fingers.

Distraction was the first part, if her mind swayed off the pain it wouldn't be so bad, and so far he was distracting himself too by simply holding her hand.

The second part would be to get her to relax when his presence was probably a large part of her current state considering what Nash had told him.

Sam tilted Andy's hand palm up but kept it resting in his, the fingertips of his other hand running circles over her palm. His fingers worked their way up to her wrist and back down before retreating back up.

After a while Sam was tracing random patterns up to her elbow and back down to her palm along the flesh of the inside of her arm, when he noticed that her eyes had closed and her breathing began to regulate. She was drifting off to sleep and found his touch soothing.

He watched Andy sleep for a while, his hands both eventually resting over hers. He was content to just sit there and watch her, but knew that it would only last for now.

Later, it would be gone again.

When he left Andy's condo, he had headed over to Marlo's just to clarify where they stood. Sure she had been pissed about finding him at the hospital when Andy got shot, but they didn't end things clearly. So he went to make sure.

He expected that she would still be mad, but she wasn't. She told him that she understood, and that they had fun but there wasn't really a point in them carrying on with whatever it was they were trying to fool themselves into.

When Sam told her about Andy, she was genuinely concerned, but told Sam that he was wasting time trying to explain things to her when he should be with Andy.

It felt like a large portion of the burden he had been carrying was lifted, but he knew that the hardest part was still too come.

When he was sure that she wouldn't wake up, he gave her hand a light squeeze before extracting his hands from hers. He brushed the hair out of her face and bent down to kiss her forehead before leaving for the night.

Andy woke up to the smell of Sam surrounding her.

His freshly showered scent mingled with coffee invading her nose as she inhaled and sighed in contentment.

When here eyes fluttered open everything came rushing back and her smile turned to a frown as she remember everything up until how she landed up in this hospital bed.

"Andy?".

How could Traci be so cheery so early in the morning? It was just soooo wrong.

"Hey, how are you feeling?".

"The honest version, or the nice version?". Andy grumbled out, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"That bad huh?".

Andy nodded, she felt worse than she had yesterday.

"So, they're letting you go, but..."

Andy didn't even want to hear the rest of that sentence.

"We can't find you a front door".

What? Doors were a standard size. Yes she had a heavy wooden door, more of the sturdy expensive kind but seriously? Any hardware store would have one.

"Why not?".

"Did you know that your front door is a special order because it's a weird size?".

No, no no! This could not be happening.

"Traci what aren't you telling me?".

"Um... Okay, so I've moved and it's kinda cramped. Your dad moved so that's a no go, so what are we going to do with you until we get you a new door?".

The breakfast trolley arrived and Andy smiled at knowing she was about to get coffee. She would however forgo the food until she got- wherever.

"Nick's?". Then she remembered that his apartment had just been painted. Nick and Gail were staying at Gail's and that was the size of a matchbox.

"I'll get a motel, there's that nice one on..."

That damned smell was still lingering in the room, flaunting itself under her nose. He had been in here before she woke, she wasn't dreaming it.

"How do you do that?". Traci whispered when she saw recognition in Andy's eyes.

She had a front row seat viewing the entirety of the Sam/Andy saga since it started.

She had been witness to their chemistry, and their fire and had even watched them burn to ashes.

But still, the flames between the two flickered, and they each had this sixth sense when it came to the other. Andy knew that Sam had been in here recently.

"When did he leave?". Andy said trying to sit up and have her coffee.

"When you started smiling in your sleep".

"Funny".

"Cut him some slack okay, he's trying Andy".

That remark earned her a glare over the rim of Andy's coffee cup.

"Sorry, that was harsh but really? You need to let it go".

Andy nearly dropped her coffee all over herself in an attempt to put the cup down quickly.

"Don't say a word. Just hear me out?".

Andy's mouth was moving to offer a response when traci hushed her.

"This push and pull? It needs to stop. It's hurting you both. Yes, you took four bullets to protect him, but maybe tell him why you did it so that he can understand.

I saw him when you got shot Andy, and I saw him when he heard Glass was trying to kill you, and trust me; he was not taking it very well".

Andy almost rolled her eyes at Traci's description of Sam yelling at her like he did. She made it sound all sugar coated.

"You need to forgive him for what he did Andy, yes he was wrong; but so where you. You know that just after Jerry and I got engaged, he was watching you two one day, and I asked him why it made him smile so much. He said, 'You know they're next right'. He really believed it would happen, and seeing you guys now- that hurts me.

I know I'm selfish, but you're both here, but you're so far apart. I just want my best friend back because since you and Sam broke up you're not you anymore".

Sam stopped just outside the door when he heard Nash's broken words. She was having a tough time dealing with their issues because she was stuck in the middle as a spectator.

"Trace, he broke my heart. He completely destroyed what I felt, and he screwed with my head, and I ..."

"You?".

Just as Andy was about to answer Sam came into view in the doorway carrying decent coffee and a bag that smelled ridiculously delicious. Hospital food just didn't cut it in her books.

"Okay, so I'm gonna go, I'll see you later". Traci leaned in and gave Andy a soft hug ignoring her questioning looks. She passed Sam, grabbed the coffee he held out and left them alone in a awkward silence filled with tension.

Sam held back a little, his eyes taking in her appearance.

He eventually snapped out of it and walked over to Andy, handing her a coffee.

She tried to smile when she took it, but her heart wasn't really in it. Her lips curved up, but her eyes stayed dull.

Sam sipped on his own coffee, taking a seat in the chair that was still next to her bed.

Andy's head suddenly flipped towards him, her eyes wide as she just stared at him shaking her head. "No, uh-hu".

"Andy...".

"No! Not happening Sam. I'll just...".

"It's just..." Sam started, but she cut him off.

"Not happening. No way!".

How could Traci pull a fast one on her like this? Traci had obviously spoken to Sam about it while she was still comatose.

Sam let out a frustrated sigh. Andy was so damned stubborn.

There wasn't really much of a choice right now, her door would be installed in four days time so until then a makeshift door had been put up but it was not secure. It was merely a visual deterrent.

Nash had actually asked him if he thought Marlo would have a problem with it after explaining that the only other option was a motel.

Sam hadn't hesitated in answering although it wasn't quite how he pictured things turning out.

"No Sam, that's just going to make things awkward, and Marlo is not going to like it".

"Andy, Marlo's not your problem to worry about. My house, my rules".

That sounded like a part of a TO speech 'My car my rules'.

"Sam I don't want to get in the way or make things harder for you".

Like having her in his house, but not his wasn't going to be hard already.

"Andy it's been decided and that is all there is too it".

Andy was gaping at him, her brows furrowed in distaste. She really felt trapped right now with no other option available.

This was not happening!

How could they expect her to stay at Sam's until her new door arrived? Were they insane? Had they forgotten the history between her and Sam, and that Marlo was in the picture now?

"It just doesn't feel right". Andy mumbled.

Sam had forgotten that Nash had said Andy was trying to be friends and that he wasn't cooperating. So he was going to try.

"Andy, I'm trying to be a friend here. It doesn't have to feel right to happen, because it's going to happen".

Andy had the urge to scoff at his answer. She had extended the friendship card a few times to have Sam snuff his nose up at it like it wasn't good enough.

He had done the same, and she had refused to accept it, so they were just moving in circles.

And now he was extending the same hand again and she just didn't know if she wanted to face that; that was all they would be- Friends.

She also didn't want to get in between him and Marlo when it was so clear that she was what he wanted and that he was happy.

Andy also noticed Sam's possessive tone. It was one that didn't break, that wouldn't give in. It was useless to try and argue with him, because that tone told her that she wouldn't win.

"Ready to go?".

Andy slid off the bed her eyes settling on two bags next to the bed. Her bags.

Traci was in so much trouble right now.

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Jelly Bean Jenna©