Everything Changes

Chapter 9

It was a little after one in the afternoon when Roy pulled into his driveway, followed by Sammy. He got out of his car and walked over to Sammy's, opening the door for her.

"Well, here we are. It's nothing fancy, but it's home." Said Roy.

"Well, from the outside at least, I think it suits you." Responded Sammy.

Roy put an arm around his little sister's shoulders. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Sam shut the door to her car and together they walked up to the front door. As Roy unlocked the door Sammy said, "So, tell me about this niece and nephew you mentioned earlier."

Roy said, "Oh, they're great kids. Your nephew's name is Chris. He's 8, in second grade. He likes camping, hiking, and learning about first aid and field medicine. Katie, she's 5 going on 20! She's in kindergarten and she knows it all. At least, she likes to think she does!" Chuckling he continued. "She had a field trip the LA Zoo today and Joanne went along as a chaperone. They should be home soon enough though."

"So what does Katie like?"

"Barbies!" Roy shuddered and Sam noticed. Roy hated Barbies. * No, hate wasn't strong enough; secretly they really creeped him out. But it didn't matter. Being the good Daddy, he played Barbies with Katie more times than he cared to remember. But he still didn't like them.

Sam laughed. "Are you still afraid of Barbies?"

"Oh," he said turning red. "You remember that."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Sam laughed more and hugged her older brother. "Besides, I'm still afraid of worms!"

Roy grinned at that. "The guys will have a hey day if they find out. But your secret is safe with me!"

Roy took Sammy into the kitchen. "This is one of the best rooms in the house. My wife is a great cook!" Roy opened the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of iced tea. "Would you like some?" Roy asked as he went to the cupboard for a glass.

"Yes, please." Roy grabbed a second glass and poured the tea for both of them. They carried their glasses with them as they toured the rest of the house. When they had finished touring the inside of the house he took her to the back yard.

"Roy, you have a great home. It feels very comfortable here."

"I'm glad you feel that way. Now that I've found you… I mean, you've found me, I hope that you'll be spending time here often."

"I'd like that. I've really missed you, Roy."

Roy hugged her again, a long comfortable hug. When they released each other, Joanne was standing in the doorway staring at them. "Roy?" she said. It came out a little sharp, but she couldn't see whom his arms were wrapped around. Sam spun around to face her, startled by her presence.

"Annie, look who's here!" exclaimed Roy, oblivious to the sharpness in Joanne's expression.

Joanne stared for a moment and then her eyes flew open wide with the sudden recognition. "Oh my God!" Sam! Is it really you?" Joanne snatched her sister-in-law up in a giant hug.

"Joanne, it's so good to see you. I always knew he would marry you. It looks like you've taken very good care of my brother."

"He is well worth taking care of." Joanne answered as she stepped over to her husband and hugged him. "Sweetheart, now you know she's okay. You don't have to worry anymore." The relief in Joanne's voice was very apparent. She knew that Sam held a very special place in Roy's heart and that he still thought about her often, wondering if she was okay or not.

Just then Katie walked outside to see what all the commotion was. She saw Sam standing there with a single tear sliding down her face. She looked at her parents. "Daddy, is that lady okay? She looks sad."

"I'm okay, sweetheart," Sam said, squatting down to look her in the eye. "I'm crying because I am happy."

"Why do grown ups do that?" asked the confused little girl.

Before Sam could try to answer her, Roy squatted down next to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder. "Honey, I want you to meet someone that is very special to me. This is your Aunt Samantha."

Katie looked very confused by this. She looked at her father, questioningly and he told her, "She is my sister."

This took Katie by surprise and she scooted closer to her daddy and put her arm around him, sort of hiding under his outstretched arm. Suddenly she felt very shy.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked her softly. "You don't have to be shy. She's a very nice lady. You're going to love her just like I do." He pulled her out from under his arm and picked her up. He held her so she was half way facing her aunt. "Katie, say hello to your Aunt Samantha," he instructed her.

"Hello Aunt Samantha." Katie said it quietly. "I'm Katie. I'm the sister and my brother is Chris, but he's still at school 'cause he didn't have a field trip today. Are you really my daddy's sister?"

"Yep, I sure am. And you can call me Aunt Sammy. It is very nice to meet you, Katie. I hear you like Barbies.

At the mention of her favorite toys, Katie's attack of shyness disappeared and she squirmed to get down out of her daddy's arms. Roy set her down and she took Sam's hand. "Come and I'll show you how many I got." She said, pulling on Sam.

"How many you have." Corrected Joanne, smiling. The two "sister's" disappeared into the house leaving Roy and Joanne alone on the deck. "Roy, how? When?" was all Joanne asked.

"Would you believe she showed up at the station yesterday morning?" He started. Joanne looked at him and slowly nodded one time as if to say, "go on."

"As our newest paramedic trainee!" he finished. Joanne was shaking her head.

"I don't believe it." She said. "Some of the other mothers said something about reading in the newspaper this morning that LA County had hired a woman. They said she had been a volunteer in Washington State or something. I never dreamed it would be someone we knew already. Let alone your long lost sister. How are you handling all of this?" she asked, suddenly concerned for her husband.

"I'm not quite sure," he admitted. "It's a lot to digest all at once. I found out some terrible things that have happened, including the reason she disappeared. I… I can't believe… our mother was so… awful to her. To us, but especially to her."

"I'm glad you have her back, Roy. I know how much you have missed her and how much you've worried about her. What are your plans the rest of the day?" she asked changing the direction of the conversation.

"I thought we could sort of just hang out and get reacquainted. What did you plan for dinner?

"Hamburgers, on the grill," she answered. And there is enough for Sam to stay, of course!

Roy stepped closer to his wife, wrapped his arms around her and bent down to give her a very tender kiss. "Mrs. DeSoto, I love you!" he said afterward.

"I love you too, Roy." She said smiling "Now, I think we had better go rescue our guest."

Joanne stepped into Katie's room to rescue Sammy. "Sam," she interrupted the Barbie play that was taking place. Sam looked up from the bet where she was sitting, a Barbie in her hand and a tiny pair of high-heeled shoes nearby that she was reaching for with her other hand. "Why don't you come to the kitchen and I'll refill that iced tea. I have to make some salads but I'd love to visit and catch up with you while I do it."

"But Mommy," Katie started to protest.

"Ah, ah, Katie. No arguing. You may play in your room or outside. As soon as your bother gets home I'll have a snack ready for you and I'll call you. Okay?"

"Okay," answered the little girl. The disappointment in her voice was very evident. She liked the idea of having someone new to play Barbies with.

Sam got up from Katie's bed, picked her glass up off of the windowsill and followed Joanne back to the kitchen.

"Sam, will you stay to dinner? Invited Joanne.

"I'd love to, Jo. Thanks for asking." Accepted the younger woman.

Joanne smiled at her. "I'm really glad you're here. Roy has never stopped worrying about you. He has really missed you. So did I."

"Thanks, Jo. I missed you both too. I'm sure Roy will tell you later about what happened and why I left. If I had known what mom was doing, I'd have handled things very differently. I'm sorry my absence caused Roy so much pain."

"Roy is a good man, Sam. He is kind, compassionate and understanding. Don't worry about him. Now that he knows you are well and safe, he'll be fine." It was the not knowing that was so hard."

The sound of a grumbly old diesel engine and tires on gravel caused Joanne to look up and out the kitchen window. "There's Chris's bus," she said. "I better get their snacks ready." She reached into a ceramic fire hydrant cookie jar on the counter and grabbed a handful of chocolate chip cookies. She set out two on each of two plates she had taken from the cupboard and set them on the table in Chris and Katie's usual places. She took a couple of napkins out of a drawer and set them along side the plates. She was just pouring two glasses of milk when Chris rolled into the kitchen, his wheelchair being pushed by Roy.

"Hi Mom!" he said, and then noticed the woman at the table. "Oh, hi. I'm Chris." He held out his hand to greet their guest formally.

Sammy shook the boy's hand. "I'm Sammy," she said. "It is nice to finally meet you." Chris looked quizzically at his mother. Roy had followed him into the kitchen so he explained.

"Chris, Sammy is my sister. This is your Aunt Sammy."

"Dad? I didn't know you had a sister." Chris was surprised.

"Well, I do."

Chris turned back to Sammy. "Hi Aunt Sammy." He said.

"Hey, Chris. Your dad tells me you're into field medicine and first aid."

Chris's eyes lit up. He loved talking about it. "Yeah, Dad taught me CPR and then I got to demonstrate it for my scout group. Dad was the victim and I got to do all the work. Then we taught the whole group how to do it," he said excitedly. "And I earned a badge for it."

"That's great! Maybe you could show me your badge some time." Sammy encouraged.

"Okay, sure!" Chris agreed.

"I'll take Christopher here to get washed up and we'll pick up a small passenger on the way back so you can serve snack." Roy volunteered.

Johnny and Sharon enjoyed a lovely hike together back at Frazier Mountain Park. They had been rather quiet while they hiked; yet the silence was not awkward. It was more like a means of bonding together and words would have only gotten in the way. When they reached Johnny's rover at the end of the hike Johnny unlocked it, reached in and grabbed two fresh bottles of water, ice cold, from the cooler. He opened the first one and handed it to Sharon. Then he opened the second one and took a long swig, almost drinking it all in one shot.

"That feels good going down," said Sharon. "Even in the shade, it's hot!

"And we're in the mountains! Imagine what it's like back in the city with all that pavement to reflect the heat back at ya." Johnny added.

"It's so beautiful here, I wish we didn't have to go back." Sharon said.

"Well, there's no hurry. Why don't we drive around a bit and find a place for that picnic. I don't know about you, but right my stomach is saying it wants food, and soon!"

"Johnny," Sharon chuckled. "I'm starting to think that you're always hungry." She stepped towards the passenger door of the rover but Johnny stepped faster and opened it, holding the door and offering a hand to help her in. When she was settled in the seat, he closed the door and stepped quickly around to slide in behind the wheel.

"I know a great place!" He put the car in gear and they drove through the woods on gravel roads for almost a half hour. When Johnny's hand wasn't on the gearshift, it was holding Sharon's. When he stopped the rover, they were at a small landing near a moderately worn trail.

Getting out of the rover, Sharon could hear the sound of rushing water and knew there must be a mountain stream nearby. She looked around in the direction of the sound and she saw the rushing water coming down the well-forged path in the hillside. It flowed into a culvert and under the road, dropping down the other side.

Johnny grabbed a blanket and set it on top of the cooler on the ground while he locked up the rover. Picking up the cooler once again he said, "Come on. There is a nice spot just about thirty yards up the trail. We can have our picnic there." He let Sharon take the lead and followed her up the trail. True to his word, Sharon quickly came upon a beautiful spot right next to the mountain stream. The streambed was all rocky and there were several huge boulders lining the edge of it that the water was flowing through. One of them was very flat and large enough to spread the blanket on and Johnny did just that. Before moving the cooler onto the blanket, Johnny stood in front of Sharon. He looked down into her soft green eyes and said, "I think you are so beautiful." Then he leaned down and kissed her softly. She readily accepted his kiss and found herself wanting more. She hugged her arms more tightly around his body, pressing her own body into his and they kissed more passionately. She felt her heart rate speed up and the two of them were breathing more and more heavily as the kiss progressed. She was completely lost in the moment until she felt Johnny's hand slide down her back and stop on her behind. Suddenly she realized she was sending him mixed messages. She started to pull away but being lost in the moment himself, he pulled her back.

Oh no. What am I doing? She turned her head to break the kiss and then turned her body slightly away from Johnny. "Johnny… slow down." She said, embarrassed. "I… I… I just need to slow down." She felt terrible about it knowing it would be very difficult for him to change gears.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Sharon put a finger up to his lips and stopped him.

"It's not your fault. It's me. I'm sorry if I am confusing you. I don't want to be a tease." She apologized.

"Sharon, no. I just got carried away, that's all," the handsome paramedic explained. "I don't want to scare you away. I promised I wouldn't rush you into anything and I meant it. This was my fault and I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise." He really didn't want to make her uncomfortable and he was afraid she would break things off completely if he pushed her too far.

"Johnny, I'm sorry." She said, taking his hands in hers and looking into his liquid brown eyes. She could see the concern he had for her and she was humbled by it. "I liked what we were doing. Don't get me wrong. I just want… I want to take things slowly. I don't want to make a mistake. And I am not ready to go any further right now. I just don't want to start something that we can't stop." Being a pom-pom girl in high school, Sharon had dated more than a few testosterone and adrenaline filled boys and she knew first hand the consequences that could come from not stopping soon enough.

Johnny took his hands away from hers and gently cupped her face in them. "Sharon, we're okay." He reassured. "We have plenty of time. Don't worry about me, I can take it. I just want to make sure you are happy." He kissed her on the forehead then led her to the cooler and the two enjoyed their picnic together. Conversation was a little slow and awkward for a short time, but they recovered well enough to enjoy each other's company. They ate their meal and for the next hour as the stream rushed on by they sat talking with Johnny's arms around her from behind as she leaned up against him. She wished they could stay like this forever. She felt wonderful in his arms. Johnny was just glad they had moved past the awkwardness and was enjoying her closeness, happy for whatever they could share together.

Around six forty five they decided they should start heading back to town. They packed up the remains of the picnic and Johnny carried it back down to the rover. On the ride back, Sharon and Johnny talked pleasantly until Sharon nodded off, in mid sentence, while talking about how she decided to go to nursing school. When Johnny noticed she was asleep he smiled and turned the radio on softly. He let her sleep the rest of the way home.

It was about a quarter to nine when Johnny pulled into the parking lot of Sharon's apartment complex. From his seat, he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Sharon… Sharon honey, wake up now. We're home." He brushed the hair out of her face and his touch helped her become more awake.

"Johnny? Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep." Her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, sweetheart, you did, but you're home now and I think it is time for you to go inside and go to beddy-bye in your own bed. Let's get you inside."

Sharon sat up straighter and yawned as she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "I didn't realize I was so tired."

"You've had a long day with lots of exercise and lots of fresh air. That'll do it to ya." Johnny said.

Sharon smiled at him and reached for the door handle. Johnny noticed and stopped her. "Wait, let me do that." Quickly he exited his side of the rover and went around to her side, opening the door for her and offering his hand to help her out. Sharon seemed pleased with his efforts. When she exited the Rover she did not let go of his hand and they walked up the stairway together.

Once at her door Sharon had to let go so that she could get her keys out. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, but she did not immediately go in. She looked her handsome suitor in the eye and said,

"Johnny, I had a wonderful time today."

He smiled his typical crooked grin. "Yeah? I did too. We'll have to do this again sometime soon."

"I'd like that… Johnny?" She looked shy and nervous again.

"Sharon, what is it?" he asked her, concerned.

"I just wanted to apologize again…"

He put his hand to her lips. "Stop. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm glad you told me how you feel. I can wait for as long as you need me to. I already love you so nothing you do or don't do is going to change that. Do you understand?"

Sharon smiled a wide smile and the shyness in her eyes was replaced by a happy twinkle. She nodded and reached up around his neck, pulling him down for a hug. The two shared a long hug and then he kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, Sharon. Sleep well. Have a great day at work tomorrow."

"Good night, Johnny. I will. You have a great day too. Call me, okay?"

"Count on it." He said. Then he turned and walked back to his rover, listening to make sure she locked the door after she closed it. That's one chick who's worth the wait.

*Roy's hatred of Barbies is a reference to a story "Terror of the Barbies" posted by Waikiki23, used with permission. (Thank you Waikiki23)

*As always, thanks for reading and I really appreciate those of you who take the extra minute or two to leave me your comments. Especially when you are logged in so that I can respond and thank you personally. Special thanks to Waikiki23 and Black-Angel-001 : Hotflash