A/N: I thought that the return of The Throat Ripper could make you surprised, but wow... your reactions made me surprised! It really seems that you like my little story. I mean all 50 (!) reviews. That was just... wow.
The Volcanologist - have I already said I love your reviews? :) And a little thing I had to say you earlier, but if I can do it now... you really should to write Part Two of your story 'iSavingCarly', 'cause I'm waiting for it very much!
jimbo74 & JJ - calm down, it's not over and much things can happen. Just saying.
Kyle McShade - your review made me laugh, you're a great reader! :) I don't know how the Seattle Police could make The Throat Ripper able to escape, they have to be really inefficient!
iShipSeddie - don't cry, hun. :)
green aura - your idea is really interesting, I have to admit it...
iamfinethanks - I totally agree with you, emotions is the most important thing in stories. :)
Ella - an answer for your question is in this chapter, just read. :)
Woah, there were kind of much people to answer. I still can't believe that so much people are reading my story! Okay, I'm not grumbling anymore, I'm leaving you alone with the Chapter. Hope it'll be a nice meeting. ;)
Chapter Nine
Carly's pacing her bedroom nervously, holding the Pearphone in a hand and the worst thoughts are in her mind.
"Calm down," says Freddie in a certain moment. "Sam could just turn off or lose her phone..."
"Really?" Carly and looks at her friend ironically. "Sam's always got a phone with her, no matter what! She wouldn't lose it just like that. Something happened, Freddie," she says with worried face and starts pacing the room again.
"Why are you assuming the worst? Sam won't be pushed around, she's tough..."
"Look at the facts!" Carly runs up to him and grabs his sweater. "A serial murderer ran away from the arrest, and he was arrested because of us! Do you really think he doesn't want revenge? Sam can be his first victim!"
"So if you're so worried..." Freddie rolls his eyes, implying that Carly's overreacting. "Just go to her house."
"Okay," agrees Carly, calmer a bit. They leave the bedroom toghether.
Blurred faces, vague voices - just like she would be underwater, if not this blinding, bright light... Narrowing her eyes, she's looking around the room, where she is. She can see only the white walls. Is she in the heaven?
"Can you hear me?" she hears man's voice, vague and like from a distance. Is this God? "Can you hear me?" she hears again, but more clearly this time.
"Yes," she tries to say, but only something between whisper and grunt comes out from her throat. She feels something strange on her jaw, something what doesn't allow her open the mouth wider.
"Do you know your name?" She sees a man's face above herself. He's got dark hair, glasses, and he's wearing white clothes. He doesn't look like God. And, would God ask her about her name? He should know this kind of things... And maybe she's not in the heaven? So where the hell she is?
"Sam... Sam Puckett..." she mutters so far as it allows her to something strange on her jaw.
"Do you remember what happened?"
She frowns, tries to remind. She was coming home from Galini's Pie and she was about to talk to her mother and tell her about everything, when suddenly... he appeared, the serial murderer, she remembers his stinking breath, he hit her, at first in the face, then in the stomach and pain... overwhelming pain... suddenly she notices that she doesn't feel it anymore, it disappeared.
"I... I got attacked," she says faintly.
"Yes, you got mugged, you've got broken jaw, sprained wrist and you got stabbed, but damage of internal organs is negligible."
"Where am I?"
"In the Harborview Medical Center."
"Are you a doc?"
"Yes, I am." So I'm not in the heaven, and he's not God, Sam thinks. "Listen, we didn't inform anybody about your accident, because we didn't know, who you are. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"So we're supposed to inform your parent about your accident," the doctor says. "Can you tell me the name of your mom or dad?"
Dad? Of course, thinks Sam ironically. This doctor wants to phone her mother, but it's ridiculous, because she doesn't know anything... No, her mother can't learn out that Sam's in a hospital. The doctor looks at her expectantly and she's wondering frantically.
"My mom's out of town," she says quietly, playing for time. Has Carly already told Spencer about everything? Surely she has, she promised to do it right after school, before the interrogation. Have Carly and Freddie been on the police station already? By the way, what time is it? She asks the last question loudly.
"Half past six. Who takes care of you, when you're mom's out of town?"
"She will back soon... I'm spending nights in my friend's home, Carly Shay..." Sam's lying - her mother didn't drive out anywhere. But, who knows... "She lives with her brother, Spencer... Call him, please," she says.
Anxious, nervous and tired Carly comes back to the apartment. She worries about Sam more and more, because she wasn't home (there was only her mother). Sighing deeply, she takes off her boots and throws the purse on the couch. For a moment she observes Spencer talking on the phone.
"Yes... yes, I understand... of course... Yes, we'll came as soon as possible..." he ends up the call and put down the phone. When he turns around to Carly, he seems to be angry, what amazes Carly. "Can you explain me, why have I just gotten a call from Harborview with a information that Sam's there?" he asks coldly.
"Sam's in a hospital?" Carly is shocked. "What happened to her?"
"She got mugged." So I was right, thinks Carly triumphally, but her satisfaction disappears immediately, replaced by a scare. "They didn't want to tell me much, but apparently you've got something in common with it..."
"I don't know, what you're talking about," says the girl evasively, not looking at her brother. She rolls up sleeves of her sweater nervously.
"Carly." Spencer stands up. "For two weeks you've been looking like you'd seen a ghost, you've been behaving strangly, you've been trembling all the time and this!" He notices the scare after the stab and grabs Carly's wrist. "And now someone mugged Sam and she's asking the doctor to call me, not her own mother and in addition it turns out that you've got something in common with it. So, I please you very much, tell me finally, what the hell is going on here!"
"Fine!" A dam bursts in her heart, there are no inhibitions anymore. This moment had to come, sooner or later. "You wanna know, what's going on? So I'll tell you, what's going on!" she cries and tears appear in her eyes. "This murderer, who was operating in Seattle, The Throat Ripper, he found new purpose... us. Two weeks ago, after iCarly some unknown sender was sending me texts, but they were innocent, like 'nice webshow' or 'you're pretty' and I didn't give a damn actually, but he was sending more and more, so I got angry and I turned off my phone. On Monday Sam and Freddie started to receiving this messages too and we were wondering, who could do it, and we concluded it was Nevel, so we went to his house and we learnt out he'd been murdered... And then someone destroyed iCarly's studio and then we found out that is him, this killer, and we're his next purpose. And then Wendy got killed and I saw him in school, I saw him! Then he broke in our loft again and left a message on my computer, that he would kill all of us, and that message was sent from Freddie's e-mail adress and for a one terrible moment I thought he'd betrayed us... And this collision, when you got hurt... It wasn't an accident, Spence. It was him, he tried to kill you and then we already knew that he's able to hurt us and our loved ones, so we decided to meet up with him. This Saturday evening, when you had a date with Carrie, we were in the old factory in the suburbs and he was there too, he was waiting for us... He wanted to kill us, but we managed to run away and thus I've got this scar on my arm. Then he got caught and we really thought it was over, and in school we talked to detective and he told us to tell our guardians about everything and come to the police station give an official evidence. We didn't know how to tell you, what happened and the interrogation had to be today, but the murderer ran away and attacked Sam. He wants revenge that he called the police, he wants to kill us! I thought that it's over..."
When Carly finishes, she's shaking and the tears are streaming down her face. She embraces herself and looks hesitantly at Spencer, who's standing stock-still. She is relieved that she told him everything, she feels better, but on the other hand, she's scared of brother's reaction. For a long while they're keeping a full of emotions silence, when Carly tries to calm down and Spencer tries to set in order his thoughts.
"Carly..." he says uncertainly in some moment. "Carly why didn't you tell me this all on the very beggining?"
"I couldn't, don't you understand?!" she says in a loud and squeaky way. "He told us to not tell anybody, he threatened us that if we would tell anyone, he would kill our close people! I was protecting you, but without effect, because he almost killed you!" she burst into tears and lowers head. She feels exhausted, like she would've just finished a marathon, but she feels relieved at once.
"How come didn't I notice it earlier..." Spencer starts pacing the room. "I should've realise the truth..."
"It's not your fault," Carly says, looking at him. She can't stand the thought that her brother could think that he's the guilty one.
"Yes, it is! I'm your guardian and my damn duty is protecting you, and in last two weeks you were in danger about million times, you could die, Carls! Can you imagine, what father or grandad would say, if you-"
"But I'm alive." The girl comes up to Spencer and grabs his hands, looking into his eyes. "It's not important now. Let's go to the hospital to learn out, how's Sam... please. Park the car out and I'll pick up Freddie."
"F-fine," Spencer agrees, still doubtful, comes in the elevator and rides down. Carly's shocked, seeing, how did he react. She thought he would panic, but not that he would think it was his fault. He could do nothing... Carly throws away this gloomy thoughts and leaves the loft.
She knocks on the 8-D door and after a while Mrs. Benson answers the door. She's pale and her eyes are red. When she notices Carly, her face winces in anger. "Oh, it's you," she strains. "The girl, who almost killed my son!"
"What are you talking-" Carly starts, but changes topic, not even wanting to understand complicated Mrs. Benson's thoughts. "Is Freddie home? I have to talk to him."
"I don't think so," the woman says coldly, "that you've got anything to talk to Freddie. It would be better, if you weren't talk to my son never again."
Carly frowns. Mrs. Benson has never liked her, but what does she mean this time? After a while she realizes. "Freddie has told you everything already?" she asks cautiously. "About The Throat Ripper and... about us?"
"Yes, he did," Mrs. Benson answers and her voice suddenly becomes higher and more squezzy. "I know about the man who wanted to kill my son! I can't believe that he didn't tell me it earlier! My little Freddie, he was so in dangerous... You caused everything, you and your stupid webshow, you hussy! If you weren't force Freddie to do it with you, it would never happened-"
"Mrs. Benson!" Carly yells and a second later she feels stupid - although Carly doesn't like Mrs. Benson and she called her 'a hussy', she's still an adult and Carly knows it's rude to yell at adults. She takes a breath and says calmer, "I really have to talk to Freddie. It's extremely important."
"Carly?" Freddie emerges from behind his mother, before she manages to say anything. "What are you doing here?"
"Sam's in a hospital." Carly would like to tell it Freddie face to face, but she doesn't want to waste time. "Spencer and me are going to the hospital to learn out what how is she, do you go with us?"
"What... in a hospital?" Freddie gets pale. "Of course I'm going with you."
"Freddie!" resents his mother. "You want to leave home? After this, what happened? No way!"
"Come on, mom, nothing bad will happen to me in a hospital, right?" says Freddie a little bit agressively, what amazes Carly. The boy grabs his jacket and ignoring Mrs. Benson telling him to stay, walks with Carly to the elevator. "What exactly happened?" he asks, when they're alone and riding down to the hall.
"Someone from hospital phoned Spencer and said that Sam had been mugged, but didn't say anything more."
"Why did they called Spencer and not her mom?" Freddie raises his eyebrows.
"I've got no idea." Carly brushes her hair by fingers nervously. "Is it important? The important thing is that we know, who did it. The Throat Ripper, he wants revenge!" she says, scared.
"Yes, it's possible," says the boy calmly, like he was wondering about some mathematic solution. "We caused his catching and he's looking for revenge, that's why he attacked Sam. He may attack us too," he realises and looks at Carly, frightened.
"I know..." the girls says, embracing herself. "I hope the police will catch him again soon."
"I wonder, how come he managed to escape from arrest," says Freddie. "I doubt he was left on his own, he probably had a guards...
Before Carly manages to answer (no logical respond comes to her mind, though), the elevator stops in the hall. They walk outside hastily, not wanting to wake Lewbert up (he's snoring so loud that it seems that even cannon shot couldn't wake him up). Spencer is already waiting for them in the car.
They ride shortly, maybe even too shortly. When they're riding Spring Street above I-5 highway, Carly looks at the car down below gloomily. How does Sam feel? What this scary man has done to her? What is his name? James Pitcain... A name, which will stay in her mind forever...
They turn into 9th Avenue, where is the Harborview Medical Center. Carly jumps out from the car as first, wanting to see Sam as soon as it's possible. She comes into the hospital along with her friend and brother. Freddie walks toward reception, Carly toodles behind him. They wait few minutes in a queue and then they talk to the receptionist. After a while they learn out, where Sam occurs.
"What, if they don't let us see her?" asks anxious Freddie, when they're in the right hospital flank. "We're not Sam's family, after all."
"But she told them to call us." Carly even doesn't want to think that she wouldn't be able to see her friend. She calls at doctors room, where two doctors are sitting. "Erm, excuse me... My name is Carly Shay and-"
"Hey, aren't you the host of this funny webshow, iCarly?" asks the younger doctor.
"Yes, I am." Carly doesn't want to talk about it now. "I would like to see my friend, Sam Puckett. Could you say me, where does she occure?"
"I'm her doctor," says the second man, dark-haired, with glasses. "I'm Freeman. You're Sam's guardian, right?" he asks Spencer, who shrugs.
"Kind of," he mumbles.
"Follow me." Dr. Freeman leaves the doctors room and Freddie, Spencer and Carly toodles behind him. "Sam is seriously hurt, the attacker broke her jaw, wrist and stabbed her, but her internal organs aren't damaged, fortunately. She's also battered, but I think that in a week the wounds should heal. Her jaw looks worse, but we're doing our job and it should be better very soon."
Carly shudders, hearing all these horrible things. Poor, battered Sam with broken jaw... They stop next to door with number 109.
"Here Sam occurs," the doctor says. "I wish only two of you coming inside. Don't make her tired, please, she should rest a lot. If there was any problem, I would be in the doctors room." He moves away in the direction they came from.
"Go to her," says Spencer to Freddie and Carly and sits on one of the chairs beside wall. The friends exchange looks full of fear and then Freddie opens the door.
The room is quite small, painted in cold blue. From everywhere they hear beeping machines controlling patients' vital functions. There are four beds here, two of them are occupied. On one of them sleeps a dark-haired girl with leg in a cast, and on the second one Sam lies. She's got a bandage on her jaw, her hair is disheveled and her right wrist is in a cast. She tries to give the friends a smile, but she only winces.
"Sam!" Carly feels incredible relieved, when she sees her friend. She runs up to her and can't restrain to hug her, but she tries to do it as gently as it's possible. "How are you?"
"Suckish," Sams mumbles, moving her jaw with effort. Every said word causes pain, but she doesn't to admit it. "Freddork, nice to see ya... Your mother let you out after this all?" she asks ironically.
"She had no choice," replies the boy rebelliously. "Do you remember... what happened?" he asks, lowering his voice and looking at her meaningfully. Carly pricks up her ears too.
"Not really," mumbles Sam. "And you... have you told? Have you been on the... police station?" she winces, feeling tears of pain in eyes. But even now, when she's laying on a hospital bed, battered, she doesn't tell it her friends, she doesn't show her pain.
"No, we haven't," Carly says, spinning her head. "When we learnt out that you had been attacked, we came here immediately and we don't care about any interrogation. But I have told Spencer about all and Freddie has told his mom. She got hysterical," she adds, looking at Freddie, and he smiles slightly. The boy smiles too and even on Sam's face a little smile appears. For a while they're feeling like before, when a Maths exam was their biggest worry. After a moment they realize that they're in a hospital, and somewhere outside there is a serial murderer looking for a revenge, who wants their deaths.
"Sam, but are you sure... are you sure it was him?" Freddie asks cautiously, looking at the girl with leg in a cast, but she's still sleeping.
Sam nods. "Yeah, him..." she mumbles. "He wants... revenge... so watch out..."
Before Carly and Freddie say anything, dr. Freeman comes in with two men in police uniforms. Detective Jones is one of them.
"I'm afraid you have to leave now," the doctor says, "the men want to talk to Sam."
"No, let them stay," oppose detective Jones, raising his hand. "They're implicated in this too and they had to be questioned today, so let's it at one time." He comes up to Sam's bed and Carly and Freddie step aside automatically.
"But," says Freddie uncertainly, "you said that our parents need to be while interrogation, and my mom and Sam's mom aren't here..."
"The situation is exceptional, so we can turn a blind eye," the detective answers.
For a next fifteen minutes Freddie and Carly are telling their story connected with The Throat Ripper and detective Jones' assistant are noticing their words. Then Sam unclearly tells everything she remembers from an attack. There's not much, but every her word is carefully written down.
"You're free," states detective Jones, when Sam finishes, not being able to hide her pain no more. The tears stream down her face and worried Carly grabs her friend's hand.
"Will you catch him?," she asks by trembling voice. "Do you understand, sir... he wants a revenge now, and we don't feel safe..."
"You'll get a safeguard," detective Jones promises and Carly and Freddie exchange surprised glances.
"I think that we all should leave now," says dr. Freeman. "Sam really needs taking a rest and you can visit her tommorow morning."
Policemen comes out with dr. Freeman. The friends saying their goodbyes hastily and comes out too. Spencer's still waiting. He talks on the phone, looking at the policemen anxiously. Seeing his sister and Freddie he ends the call and hides his phone in the pocket.
"How's Sam?" he asks.
"She looks bad," says Carly gloomily. "Did those cops talk to you?"
"Yeah... They asked if I'm your guardian, if I agree to question you and et cetera. They mentioned a safeguard...?" He looks at them uncertainly.
"Sam was attacked by The Throat Ripper. Apparently he wants a revenge, so we have to be protected," Freddie explains.
Spencer doesn't answer, still disoriented by this all. It's too much for him, he wants to go back home and think over it all in peace.
"I'm fed up with this day, go back home." Carly says loudly his thoughts. They walk the hallway toward the exit. "Who were you talking to?" she asks in a certain moment.
Spencer wonders if he should tell her. Surely yes, but at once he know that Carly won't be happy - despite this, she would be delighted in every other situation. "To dad," he admits finally. "He has just learnt out about the serial killer in Seattle, he didn't have a connection with world before. He asked, if we're okay..."
"You didn't tell him, what's going on, right?" Carly looks at her brother with anxiety and anger.
"Actually, I did."
"What?!" the girl yells. "Why... You shouldn't tell him-"
"Carly, it doesn't matter now!" he cuts her off. "Protecting you is the most important thing now, nevermind, how much people will know about it. And dad is a person, who should've know from the very beginning." So do I, he wants to add, but he refrains.
"How did he react?" Carly has no power to make Spencer a scene. To be honest, she's happy she'll see dad.
"I'm not sure... I think he got panicked and angry at once... Anyway, he told me that he's stationed near Queen Charlotte Islands, so he takes a small airplane and he'll be here in a hour."
"Oh, man," moan Carly. She's happy she'll see dad, but on the other hand she knows that dad is scared of this situation (and who's not?) and he'll play hell. Even thinking of it, she feels more tired.
They come out of the hospital. It's almost 7.30 and a dark twilight is fallen already, it's colder too. Carly buttons her denim jacket and behind Freddie and Spencer she goes to the car. Her friend sits on the back seat and Carly takes a seat next to driver.
"Poor Sam," Freddie says, when they leave a parking place and ride through 9th Avenue. "She got hit so hard. Then this psycho even nearly hit her by a car, then she smashed her hand, when we were running away from him and she's so battered now..."
"Oh yeah, I remember, when she told us about this car," Carly answers. "I've seen her so nervous never before. And Pitcain was driving this same car who cause the collision on Union Street?" She gazes at Spencer, who doesn't answer, just stare at the rearview mirror with anxiety. "What?" she asks.
"I don't know how that car looked exactly..." he says, almost all the time looking at the mirror. "But could it be black Audi with darkened windows?"
"Yeah, it was a car like this," agree Freddie and Carly. "But how do you know?" the boy adds.
"Because it's following us."