AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the chapters coming singly like this for a bit, I've hit a bit of a snag with the system not letting me upload all of this section of the story for some reason. I've had particular trouble posting this chapter so there must be something hinky about it – no idea what though. I've had to remove the first couple of paragraphs to make it work – just EJ having a bad dream. That's why you haven't had updates for a little bit, I couldn't get my chapters to upload – VERY FRUSTRATING! Hopefully this is the last of the problems.
Hope you are still enjoying the story and I've enjoyed reading your reviews as always, love the EJami love. LOL
Chapter ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY EIGHT – Hell Hath No Fury
For love is as strong as death; passion as fierce as the grave
It's flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.
~Anonymous~
Nurse Mary Mahoney walked into the ICU room and tutted a little at the sight in front of her. The young woman she'd gotten to know as Sami was sitting in a very uncomfortable looking position by her patient's bed. She was half lying over the bed and her neck was at a strange angle. Sami reminded her of her youngest, Michelle and she had a somewhat maternal instinct about her. Mary walked up to Sami and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, carefully waking her.
"Sami," she said softly.
Sami's head snapped up and she looked around herself in confusion.
"EJ?" she said worriedly and then focused on the man in the bed and saw that he was still sleeping.
"He's asleep," Mary confirmed for her, "It's alright."
"What time is it?" asked Sami, looking disorientated as she looked around herself and at the growing light in the room.
"It's just gone seven," Mary informed her and when Sami still looked confused, "In the morning dear, seven in the morning."
"Oh," said Sami, looking over at EJ and then looked up at Mary anxiously, "He looks really pale this morning don't you think?"
"I think he looks exceptionally well for a man who lost the amount of blood he did and then underwent two rounds of surgery in quick succession," said Mary calmly.
"I suppose," said Sami hesitantly, "I'm just not used to seeing EJ so still for this long."
"A bit of a live wire is he?" asked Mary in amusement.
"You could say that," said Sami, her face brightening as she got to talk about EJ, "He drives me crazy sometimes."
"All the best ones do," said Mary, nodding knowingly as she began to do her obs on EJ.
Sami stood up and stretched, twisting this way and that. Mary looked over at Sami as she filled in some notes on his chart and saw how tired and dishevelled she looked after spending the night sleeping by EJ's bed.
"Why don't you go and freshen up a little honey?" she suggested in a tone she used with her children, "And I'll organise you some breakfast – I'll just steal one of the meals from the coma patients, they'll never know."
"NO!" said Sami sharply and more loudly than she intended by the look on her face.
"I was just kidding Sami," said Mary with a quirk of her lips, "We don't as a rule give meals to people in a coma."
"I know," said Sami hastily, "I meant I can't leave EJ."
Sami looked away as tears suddenly filled her eyes.
"I wasn't here when he woke up last time and I don't want that to happen again," said Sami, sounding very stressed now as she looked down at EJ again.
Mary looked at the young woman with compassion.
"Honey you'll only be gone for a minute," she reasoned, "Just long enough to wash your face, comb your hair and maybe brush your teeth. I'm sure EJ won't wake up in that time."
Sami put a self conscious hand to her hair and face.
"Do I look bad," she fretted, obviously concerned about what EJ would think.
"I think the young man in that bed will think you are the most beautiful woman in the world even if you had a bag over your head," said Mary in amusement at Sami's little fit of vanity.
"You think I should put a bag over my head?" asked Sami in horror, not really keeping on top of the conversation in her exhausted state.
"I think you should go and freshen up a little so you'll feel better," said Mary patiently as she completed her assessment of EJ, "And I'll have some food organised for you when I get back."
"But what if EJ wakes up when I'm not here?" stressed Sami.
"Then I'll knock him unconscious again so he doesn't realise," said Mary straight faced and then had to relent at Sami's horrified expression, "Again Sami, that was just a joke."
"I know," mumbled Sami, looking a little sheepish.
"Just go honey," Mary instructed her firmly, "I'll wait with EJ and in the unlikely event he'll wake up I'll stay with him until you get back."
"Alright," said Sami reluctantly.
She went over to EJ and gave him a lingering kiss on the forehead.
"I won't be long," she promised him huskily and then with a grateful smile at Mary she grabbed up the bag she'd packed for herself and quickly hurried off out of the room to find a bathroom.
"I think you've got a keeper there my dear," she said, patting EJ's shoulder and watching Sami go and if EJ had been awake he would have whole heartedly agreed.
oooOOOOooo
Tony sauntered down the halls of the hospital on the way to EJ's room as though he didn't have a care in the world which was pretty much how it was actually. His most taxing issue right now was what manner he was going to deliver the coup de grace to the thorn in his side that was his little brother. There were a lot of ways he could go with that and Tony was enjoying working his way through all of the options – he found it soothed him. Of course he was going to be careful seeing as this attempt hadn't exactly turned out as he thought it would, on any level but Tony was undeterred. Clearly the universe was culling out the weak and Tony was more than happy to help that process along. He walked into EJ's room and smiled at the woman who looked to be around his own age.
"Hello there," he said, his most charming smile firmly in place, "I'm here to see my little brother, I'm Tony DiMera."
"Oh yes," smiled Mary, "Nice to meet you Tony, I'm Mary."
"So Mary," said Tony easily, walking to stand by EJ's bed, "How's the patient today."
"Steadily improving," said Mary.
"Oh well that is good news," said Tony, keeping a careful mask covering his annoyance at EJ's continuing refusal to die.
Tony looked around and raised a surprised eyebrow.
"I did not expect to find Elvis alone actually," he commented.
"Sami spent the night but she is just freshening up," Mary told him, "I'm holding the fort."
"My brother is indeed lucky to have such a devoted woman by his side," said Tony evenly.
"They seem very much in love," agreed Mary happily.
"Mary you must be very busy," said Tony with an ingratiating smile, "I will wait with Elvis until Samantha returns so you can go back to your other tasks."
"Okay," said Mary readily, having no reason to know that probably wasn't a good idea, "I'm sure EJ will be happy to know his big brother is watching over him."
"I'm sure," agreed Tony smoothly, "We are very close."
"That's nice," said Mary with a smile as she went to go, "And tell Sami I'll organise her that breakfast I promised."
"I will indeed," nodded Tony and then Mary was gone.
Tony walked over to the bed and looked down at the sleeping EJ who looked pale and dishevelled, a smile coming to his lips.
"Well hello brother," he smirked, "You're looking a little peaked-"
Tony leant down over EJ to have a closer look.
"Very peaked in fact," said Tony in amusement, "You know it would save me a lot of trouble if you had the good sense to just die now Elvis. You clinging to life like this is extremely bothersome."
"Get away from him!" yelled Sami as she walked into the room, reacting to seeing him there.
Sami hurried over and grabbed Tony's arm, pulling him away from EJ's still body.
Tony gave her a vague look of surprise having not heard her come in. Sami looked down at him anxiously but all of the machines he was hooked up to continued to beep away reassuringly.
"I was merely kissing my brother hello," said Tony mildly, seeming to regard Sami's reaction with some amusement, "It is not uncommon in Italian families for people to be demonstrative about their affections Samantha."
"I'm brutally familiar with how you demonstrate your affections Tony," said Sami bitterly.
"Why I have no idea what you are talking about my dear," said Tony mildly.
"You did this to EJ!" she hissed.
"So you say," said Tony coolly.
"Don't even bother to deny it Tony," said Sami bitterly.
"What would be the use seeing as you've already convinced yourself of my guilt?" asked Tony in mock resignation.
"You told me that you were going to kill EJ unless I stayed away from him and then he ends up shot!" said Sami tightly, "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out what happened!"
"Just as well eh my dear?" he asked in amusement, "Because you are hardly that."
"Bite me," growled Sami, glaring at Tony with hate in her eyes for that dig and all the crimes she was accusing him of.
"Now there's an interesting offer I'm finding it hard to say no to," purred Tony, enjoying the look of disgust on Sami's face at his reply.
"You are vile," said Sami flatly.
Tony gave a little unconcerned shrug at that judgement from Sami.
"I know you did this to EJ Tony!" Sami spat out.
"Samantha you could fill a book with the things you don't know," said Tony with a quirk of his lips, "One thing life has taught me is that things are seldom as they seem and you would do well to remember that."
Sami just gave him a disgusted look and Tony quietly enjoyed the fact that Sami truly did have no idea what was going on around her.
"I'm not interested in listening to the philosophies of a mad man," she said darkly, "Just shut up Tony and get out of here."
"Speaking of keeping mouths shut," said Tony, unfazed by her request, "Have you been opening your pretty little mouth and voicing these absurd accusations to anyone Samantha I have to wonder? Enquiring minds would like to know Samantha."
Tony looked at Sami and saw the struggle on her face and knew she would have loved to throw a yes in his face but also saw the truth there.
"No," she tersely admitted at last.
"Ah," said Tony with a smirk, "So nice to know you can make some sensible decisions once you get off your back and onto your feet again."
"You bastard!" hissed Sami in indignation.
The insult rolled off Tony as he cocked his head and regarded her steadily.
"And you're not going to say anything to anyone now are you Samantha?" he asked her calmly.
"What's the matter Tony?" she taunted him and he saw the flash of fiery defiance in her eyes and he knew why his brother was so fascinated by her, "Scared?"
Tony couldn't help but laugh at even the suggestion of that.
"I hate to be vulgar Samantha," he said, enjoying playing with her like this, "But basically you're my bitch until I say otherwise my dear. When I want you to jump your only question is going to be how high."
Tony loved seeing the outrage on her expressive face at how he was talking to her and couldn't help but continue to goad her. It was probably beneath him to taunt her like this but it was just so much fun. She really was his to do with as he pleased and it pleased him to make her squirm for having delusions above her stations and imagining she and Elvis would be wrestling control of the kingdom from him. Sami Brady deserved this and much worse, as did his brother.
"How dare you speak to me like that?!" asked Sami furiously, "You're nothing but murdering scum!"
"But no one is dead," pointed out Tony calmly, "Yet anyway, I guess only time will tell if things stay that way."
"You leave EJ alone!" said Sami in horror, "Don't you dare come near him again or-"
"Or you'll do what?" he sneered down at her, "You're alone Samantha – no one is coming to your rescue. The man you love is as helpless as a newborn and no one else knows your dirty little secrets so you can hardly go to your family and ask for help now can you? They'd shun you faster than a leper in a swimming pool. I know you're used to being a pariah in this town but even if you did run to your daddy do you really think he'd be in the slightest bit interested in protecting a DiMera – particularly one that defiled his daughter."
Tony sighed, giving her a mock patient look, as though he was doing this all for her own good.
"I'm just trying to help you Samantha," he said steadily, "You have no one and you are no one so there is no chance at all in this world that you could go up against me and have even the slightest hope of winning. This is the natural order of things and I suggest you simply stop fighting me on this and succumb to your fate."
Sami's flushed cheeks and snapping eyes told Tony that she had a lot of things she wanted to say to him but he also saw to his satisfaction a look of fear in those some fiery blue eyes as well. It looked like Sami was at last coming to understand just how helpless she was in the face of all the power he held in this situation.
"You'll get yours Tony," she spat out finally, "One day you're going to get everything that is coming to you!"
"Oh I'm banking on it," said Tony cheerfully, "I've worked very hard and I fully intend on getting everything that is owing to me, make no mistake."
oooOOOOooo
Sami by EJ's bed, stroking his hand absently as she waited for him to wake up, her thoughts on the conversation she'd had with Tony. She was still shaking a little from their encounter, partly from fear but also with rage. He really did think he had her right where he wanted her and that she was now just a pawn in the game he was playing. Sami was just so angry at him and at herself for letting all of this happen. If she'd been honest with EJ from the first moment Tony had made the threats to her then maybe they could have avoided all of this. But she'd been so frightened of EJ getting hurt and what he might do to protect her that Sami had hesitated and that hesitation had nearly cost EJ his life.
It broke her heart to think of him never walking again and was unhappy that EJ didn't know yet but Stefano might be right in waiting for a little bit until he was stronger. At the moment he could barely stay awake for a few minutes at a time so it almost seemed pointless. Just like Sami ached to tell EJ everything about Tony but she knew it would drive him crazy to be stuck in a hospital bed and unable to do anything about his brother. Sami knew that she'd caused this mess and that she was the one who was to shoulder the burden of getting them out of it. Right now all Sami wanted EJ to concentrate on was getting better and she would handle the rest. She owed him that at the very least.
"Hey."
EJ's croaky voice brought her attention back to the here and now and she looked over at EJ, her face lighting up to see him awake.
"Hey," she returned emotionally.
"You're here," EJ sighed happily.
"You bet I am," said Sami with a tremulous smile, "You are never going to get rid of me now EJ."
"Because you love me?" he asked hopefully.
"Because I love you," she agreed warmly, her smile widening.
"And you can't live without kissing me?" he asked, looking particularly hopeful now.
"And I can't live without kissing you," Sami agreed huskily, leaning indulging in a lingering kiss.
"You're shaking," whispered EJ as they finally broke the kiss.
"I'm just so happy to see you awake EJ," said Sami, fresh tears burning her eyes.
"Don't cry sweetheart," he implored her, a hand cupping her face and brushing a wayward tear from her cheek as she stroked his cheeks as well.
"I'm just so grateful that I've gotten this second chance to be with you EJ," said Sami unevenly, "I was so scared that I'd lost you forever."
"Samantha," he tutted, a little impish smile on his lips, "Don't you know by now that I am simply impossible to get rid of?"
"Yes you are thank god," she sighed happily, "My impossible and stubborn man."
"Mm," EJ said, closing his eyes and a big smile coming to his face, "I'm Samantha Brady's man."
Sami had to giggle at how pleased with himself he looked at that statement. He opened them again and looked up at her, studying her face intently then.
"Are you alright sweetheart?" he asked her huskily, "You look so tired."
"I'm alright EJ," she said quickly, "Don't worry about me."
"I want you to go home and get some rest," he told her firmly.
"No," said Sami, looking back at him unflinchingly, knowing she couldn't leave him until she'd resolved the Tony problem because it wasn't safe to do so.
Besides, she simply didn't want to leave EJ period.
"Samantha I really must insist that you go and get some proper food to eat and sleep in a bed rather than beside mine," said EJ, giving her a determined look, "You have to take care of yourself darling."
"You can insist all you like EJ," she said calmly, "But I'm not going anywhere."
She gave him a cheeky smile and arched an eyebrow.
"That was our first fight as a couple," she informed him, looking at him in a very serious fashion, "And in case you're not sure – I totally won it."
She leant over and gave him a quick teasing kiss at that declaration.
"Shades of things to come no doubt," said EJ, trying to look annoyed but it was pretty hard when he was grinning like a loon.
"Can I get you anything EJ?" she asked him, settling more comfortably on her chair.
"I'm assuming you naked in my arms in this bed isn't on the menu?" asked EJ regretfully and Sami was just so happy that he was feeling well enough to flirt with her like this.
"You assume correctly," she said, attempting a censuring look but doubting she managed it.
"My mouth is dry," conceded EJ, smacking his lips together, "Could you pour me a drink of water sweetheart?"
"Of course," said Sami getting up to do just that.
She walked over to the pitcher of water and frowned.
"Oh," she said, turning back around, "I forgot, I drank it all – I'll go and get you some more."
"Don't bother," said EJ with a wave of his hand.
"Don't be silly EJ," said Sami firmly, "The last thing you need right now is to be dehydrated."
EJ pouted a little and pulled a face.
"I don't want you to leave me," he confessed, sticking out his bottom lip in a rather endearing fashion.
"I'll only be gone a minute," she laughed, walking over to him and bending down to give him a quick kiss, "And I'm never going to leave you so you can put that thought out of your head okay?"
EJ's face broke out in a smile at that vow and Sami stroked his cheek lovingly before straightening up.
"Hurry back," EJ begged of her longingly.
"I will," she said, thrilling to the way he was looking at her.
Sami hurried down the corridor with the empty pitcher in her hand, intent on finding a water fountain to fill it up with. She found one and began to fill it but as she did she noticed Tony out of the corner of her eye. She looked over at him and their eyes met, Sami wondering what he was still doing here and feeling again how vulnerable EJ was at the moment which she supposed was the point. Tony gave her a knowing smirk and Sami knew she'd hit the nail on the head. Tony was intent on showing her just how easy EJ was going to be to get at right now. He gave her a little inclination of his head before sticking his hands in his pockets and sauntering off. As soon as Tony had turned around the corner and was out of eyeshot Sami let the expression of angry and fearful resignation drop from her face that she'd put on for his benefit and as she straightened up a calm calculating look coming over her face.
"Okay Tony," muttered Sami, her course of action decided now, "I guess we're about to see who the real bitch is going to be."