AN: Thanks for the helpful reviews guys - I'm thinking the last chapter will stay then since the input for it was good. Bacccck to the story.
Sam should have just gone to his post. But something had drawn him to the van.
Seeing Jules leaning against the van for support like that, that thing she did with her breathing when she got upset, the way she'd always try and block her tears by staring into the sun. Yeah – that's what had drawn him to the van. Because he was a sucker for the girl who'd broken his heart just months before – and if he could help prevent her any more pain today, he would try. She'd already been through the emotional wringer once today.
"You okay?" He asked gently. "You know, the team can handle this without you. You don't have to do this."
She was so mad at herself for letting him catch her like that. "And let you have all the fun." She scoffed, trying desperately to cover the hitch in her voice. "I'm fine."
"It's been a rough day for you." Sam said.
"And I'm fine." She emphsized, sucking in another deep breath. She was fine. Or she would be once this day was over.
"Jules, I need you at command post." Greg called over the com. Jules skirted around him. What Sam wanted to do was step in front of her. She was in no condition to work. It wasn't that he didn't think she could do it – she could do anything. She was Jules Callaghan. It was something she shouldn't have to looked so tired. But she wouldn't understand – and she'd get angry and they'd be back where they were this morning.
Sam gave a frustrated bark of a laugh. Yeah. He was definitely over his head on this one.
He eased open the doors to the van. Leah sat in the back at a computer monitor, speaking over the earpiece with Wordy, who was attempting to set up the video cameras. Laura sat silently beside her.
"Leah – I'm just going to borrow Laura for a minute." He said, motioning for the woman to follow him. Leah nodded, occupied by her own task.
"Listen, Laura. I don't know what happened between you and Robbie and Jules back in Alberta." Sam started.
"No. You're right – you don't know." Laura interrupted coldly.
"I will tell you something though. Jules' phone has been vibrating non-stop for the last 15 minutes because her brother is worried about you. He cares enough to phone me – a man he barely knows – in the hopes that maybe I can get Jules to talk to him. So she can tell him that you are okay. To tell him where you are." Sam continued, building up steam as he went along.
"I don't know Robbie that well – but I do know Jules. She's a good person. She's the best person I know. And I can't imagine her loving anybody who wasn't the same. You say your daughter is the light of your life? You never let her be the light of his, though. You never let him know. I don't know what he did to hurt you so badly that you wouldn't even let him know about the child you made together. But I think you know that he deserves a chance to be there for his daughter."
"At the end of today, when we close this case and Jules goes home, she's going to have to call her brother. And, officially, she can't tell him that he has daughter and that Emma isthe reason you called on her phone today. And that's going to burn her inside, but she'll do it because she thinks she owes you and because it's her job not too."
Laura stayed silent. But Sam felt like he was getting through to her.
"That little girl deserves a father and he deserves a chance to be that father. Take it from me. You can't hold onto the past forever – you just have to let it go and move on. You'll never heal if you can't at least come to terms with whatever happened."
Sam held out his phone. "He's listed under Callaghan Brother One." Laura reluctantly took the mobile.
He swung open the van door, motioning her to go back inside and rejoin Leah. She watched as he strode away, hitching the rifle over his shoulder. Jules was one lucky girl.