Chapter 38
Sam sat up quickly, putting her face in her hands, as she took some deep breaths. She felt the bed move beside her before she felt Jason wrap his arm around her shoulders. She sighed, leaning back against his shoulder as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It had been a long time since she'd had a nightmare like that.
"Bad dream?" Jason asked concerned.
"Yeah," Sam said softly. She closed her eyes before opening them quickly as the last moments of the nightmare replayed in her mind.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jason asked uncertainly. He didn't know if she even remembered the time before she fell asleep. He'd held her crying in the shower until the water turned too cold to stand under any longer. He'd carried her into the bedroom, dressed her and held her 'til she finally fell asleep. There hadn't been any words. He'd just let her cry it out.
"Not really," Sam said shaking her head. She tried to look around him at the alarm clock to see the time but his body was in the way.
"It's barely six am," Jason said watching her intently. He didn't know what she needed from him. He wanted to demand that she talk to him but he knew that she would eventually confide in him, when she was ready.
"I need to check on Kristina," Sam said pushing the covers off her legs.
"She's probably sleeping," Jason pointed out. He held on to her wrist not letting her leave the bed. "Visiting hours start at eight."
"I need to call Mac," Sam said pulling on her arm.
"They have him in custody," Jason said knowing that would gain her attention. "Mac called me last night."
"He's in jail," Sam repeated slowly, drawing the words out like she almost couldn't believe them.
"It's over Sam," Jason said rubbing her back soothingly. "Kristina already pressed charges. Alexis is probably going to handle the paperwork early this morning."
"It's not over for Kristina," Sam said turning to look at him. "She hasn't even begun to deal with how her life will change from this."
"Sam-" Jason said scooting closer to her but she scooted away, almost falling off the bed. He moved away, letting her have the space she was asking for.
"You don't know Jason," Sam said her eyes still staring straight into his. "You have no idea how it feels to be smacked around by someone you trust. The shame you feel because you know it's wrong. But he somehow convinces you it's your fault. If you were just smarter or stronger he wouldn't have to hit you. After you go through something like that…it stays with you."
"Does it still bother you?" Jason asked tentatively.
"I'm still angry that I let myself be a victim," Sam admitted finally looking away. She stared down at the comforter and her hands that were clenched tightly together. "I was Kristina's age when I let a man hit me the first time."
"Was your…was Cody there?" Jason asked clenching his own hands into fists.
"No," Sam said shaking her head. "He had already split. I refused to pull cons for next to nothing and he didn't like to share."
"So you were alone," Jason stated.
"Yeah," Sam said nodding her head. "That's one thing Kristina has going for her. She's got a support system. She has so many people surrounding her who love her. She won't ever feel like she's all alone in the world."
"She's got you," Jason said simply. He waited until she looked at him and he smiled sadly, raising a hand to cup her cheek gently. "Kristina has someone who's been there and lived through it. Someone who actually turned out to be a strong, independent woman who will never let a man raise a hand to her ever again."
"I'm sorry Jason," Sam said a few tears falling down her face. She reached up to wipe them away but Jason beat her to it.
"Sorry for what?" Jason asked confused.
"For last night," Sam said her face turning red in shame. "I never should have said what I did about Michael. I know why you care for him so much."
"It's okay Sam," Jason said softly. "I know you didn't mean it. I wish I could have gone after Kiefer. Someone needs to teach him that you never hit a woman. But that's not the way Alexis or Kristina wanted it handled."
"I know," Sam said sadly. "Kristina is so much stronger than I ever was at that age. I never would have pressed charges."
"She has the strength because you were there for her," Jason said nudging her with his shoulder. "I could hear you telling her that it wasn't her fault. That she needed to turn him in for her and to get him help too."
"She thinks she's in love with him…still," Sam said feeling sick at the thought.
"She'll realize she doesn't," Jason said surprising her. He wasn't normally the optimistic one.
"Are you sure he's in custody?" Sam asked after a moment of silence had passed.
Jason reached over the bed to grab his phone off of the bedside table. He handed it to her without saying a word and sat back as she smiled gratefully and dialed the PCPD.
"Yes I was just calling to see if Kiefer Bauer was still in custody?" Sam asked politely. She waited for a moment before she froze and looked at Jason with rage in her eyes. "He's out on bail. Thank you."
"Sam-" Jason said reaching for her but she was already off the bed and grabbing her clothes from the night before off the chair in the corner of the room.
"He's been out on bail for over an hour Jason," Sam said changing faster than he'd ever seen her do before. "He could already be at the hospital."
"Sam-" Jason said grabbing a change of clothes out of his dresser. "I have a guard in place at the hospital."
"I'm still going to check on her Jason," Sam said but relaxed slightly when she was reminded of the security Jason and Sonny had put in place. "How in the hell did he get a hearing so fast?"
"Aren't his parent's lawyers?" Jason asked grabbing his boots as he followed her out of the bedroom.
"I don't care if his parents are the freaking King and Queen," Sam said angrily. "You don't let someone who assaulted someone else out on bail that quickly. Without even giving anyone a chance to protest against it."
"Sam-" Jason said but cursed when his cell phone started ringing back in the room.
Sam paused on the landing and looked back up at him. "Who is it?" she asked after he came hurrying back out of the bedroom with the still ringing phone.
"Sonny," Jason said flipping open the phone. "This isn't a good time." Jason paused and tried to tell him again but Sonny interrupted him. "Sonny!" Jason wanted to throw his phone across the room when Sonny kept rambling. "Sonny…I'm on my way."
"I'm going to the hospital," Sam said running back down the stairs.
"I know," Jason said looking less than thrilled. He ran a hand through his hair before pulling his penthouse door open. He looked at Max and Milo who were talking out in the hallway. "You guys, take Sam to the hospital. Don't let her out of your sight." He didn't wait for a response before turning and pointing at Sam. "Do not go anywhere without them Sam."
Sam sighed and shook her head at him. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "I am going to straight to the hospital. I'll call you if my plans change."
"Be careful," Jason said their lips still touching. He stepped back and watched her hurry out of the penthouse, Max and Milo falling into step behind her. He hated not going with her. If Sam found Kiefer…who knew how she would react. He didn't want her to have to go through it alone. But Sonny didn't sound good on the phone. He looked up the stairs, debating on waking up Spinelli but finally at the thought of dealing with Maxie, he just left a note on the desk and left.
Kristina was jerked awake and froze when she saw Kiefer standing beside her hospital bed, pulling on her arm. She tried to pull away but the jerking motion hurt her ribs and she finally just laid there.
"Surprised to see me K?" he asked furiously.
"I thought…aren't you supposed-" Kristina stuttered.
"Be in jail?" Kiefer finished for her. "If it was up to you and your mom I would be. But my parents also happen to be lawyers and good friends with a judge. I'm out on bail."
"Kiefer-" Kristina said looking towards the door to her hospital room but he had shut the door. Her mom had promised to stay the night but obviously she had left. She was all alone.
"Shut up!" Kiefer said loudly. "How could you K? How could you turn me in to the police? You know I didn't mean to do this! I love you!"
"Please Kiefer," Kristina said as he started squeezing her arm tightly. She knew she'd have another bruise if he didn't let go soon. But then she looked into his eyes and knew he had something much worse in mind. "You need to-"
"I need you to tell them you lied!" Kiefer yelled.
"I can't-" Kristina said shaking her head.
"You are going to destroy my life Kristina!" he roared. "I'm supposed to be going to Harvard! They aren't going to accept me with a record!"
"Kiefer-" Kristina tried to say but he cut her off again.
"How could you?" Kiefer said glaring at her. He finally released her arm only to reach over and latch on to her neck. He saw her eyes widen and he squeezed her neck tighter. He couldn't even feel her nails digging into his arm as she tried to pull his hand away.
Kristina grew even more frantic as his hand just squeezed harder. She fought him, her ribs aching and her fingernails clawing at his arm drawing blood but he didn't even react. She could see the room already slipping away and even Kiefer's face was taking on a calmer look. She felt her eyes starting to close as her body grew weaker until all of a sudden the pressure on her neck disappeared.
"You shouldn't have come here," Sam said as she tossed Kiefer across the room. "Get a doctor!" she yelled at Max and Milo. She walked menacingly towards Kiefer and saw the cocky look on his face. "It's easy to pick on someone in a hospital bed…someone you've already beaten down. Why don't you try taking on someone who can fight back?"
"She shouldn't have told the police," Kiefer said clenching his hands into fists.
"No, her mistake was not doing it the first time you dared to lay your hands on her," Sam said shaking her head at him. She took another step towards him but he hauled back his arm and swung forward, trying to hit her first. Sam rolled her eyes as she grabbed his arm, pulling him towards her so she could knee him in the stomach. It felt so good that she did it again. And again. She watched him crumble towards the ground and glared at him. She felt hands pulling on her from behind and tried to jerk away but they held tight.
"He's down Sam," Max said pulling her towards Kristina's hospital bed. "Talk to your sister."
"Sam," Kristina said her voice hoarse. Her neck was all red and she had tears running down her face.
"Krissy," Sam said turning and running a hand over her head. "I'm so sorry he got to you again."
"Is he-" Krissy asked tearfully.
"He's breathing," Max said standing beside the teenage boy on the floor. He looked up at the two girls and pulled out his phone. "Should I call Jason?"
"No," Krissy said so quietly. She turned her head a bit, until she could see Kiefer gasping for breath on the ground. "Call the police."
"Move!" Patrick ordered running into the room. He winced when he saw Kristina's neck and turned around to look at the boy on the floor. He glanced at Sam before turning back to Kristina. "Does he need a doctor?"
"Probably," Sam said without taking her eyes off of her sister. "But Kristina needs you first."
"Kristina!" Alexis cried running into the room looking at Max and Milo who were standing over Kiefer and then Sam and Patrick who was shining a light into Kristina's eyes. She'd gone to the cafeteria for some coffee and everything had been fine. Kristina had been sleeping peacefully for the moment.
"Mom," Kristina said crying harder which seemed to cause her more pain
"You need to calm down Kristina," Patrick said calmly.
"What happened?" Alexis asked turning to look at Kiefer. "You're supposed to be in jail. Why isn't he in jail?"
"He's out on bail," Sam said from between clenched teeth.
"What…how?" Alexis said looking so confused. "Did you do that?" She asked once she realized Kiefer was moaning in pain and crying for his parents.
"Yes," Sam said clenching the bar of the hospital bed tightly. She wanted to turn around and hit him again every time Kristina tried talking and she could barely make a sound. "He was choking her."
"Did you call the police?" Alexis asked angrily.
"I did ma'am," Milo said still on the phone. "There's an officer on the way."
"I need you all to leave the room," Patrick ordered pointing towards the door. "I can't get her calm with all of you talking. Out!"
"You two stay here," Sam said pointing at Max and Milo. When Max opened his mouth to argue Sam glared at him. "Do not and I mean do not leave that asshole's side. Not until he is back in police custody."
"But Jason-" Max said stepping towards her.
"I'm not leaving the hospital Max," Sam said rolling her eyes. "I will be right in the hallway, with my mom, waiting until Patrick lets us back in here." She waited until Max finally nodded, still looking torn, but Kiefer moved gaining his full attention and Sam used that to push Alexis out of the room and followed her.
"Why didn't I know he was out on bail?" Alexis asked pacing in the hallway.
"I don't know mom," Sam said shaking her head. Her body was still vibrating in anger and she wanted five more minutes with Kiefer Bauer.
"Did you know?" Alexis asked turning to face her.
"I called the PCPD this morning and was informed of his release," Sam explained. "I had a feeling he was on his way here. An abuser's m.o. you know? He needed to intimidate Kristina so she'd drop the charges."
"What…you knew he'd come here," Alexis said staring at her. She didn't even need to see Sam's nod, the look in her eyes was answer enough. Sam had been through a similar situation in her past. "You saved her…stopped him from hurting her."
"He still hurt her," Sam said the first moments of when she'd entered the hospital room flashing through her mind. She would never get the sight of Kiefer choking Kristina out of her mind.
"But you stopped him…before it went too far," Alexis said slowly. She walked towards Sam and pulled her into her arms. "Thank you. I know you don't want a thank you and you were just protecting your little sister but thank you. You're always looking out for them."
"I always will," Sam said tucking her face into Alexis' neck. They hadn't had many embraces since finding out they were mother and daughter. Mostly because so much had happened before they'd found out. But it was nice, having Alexis reach out to her and hug her. Thanking her for once instead of blaming her.
Elizabeth rounded the corner and froze when she saw Sam standing outside her sister's hospital room hugging Alexis Davis, her mother. She looked around and didn't see Jason or the guards Johnny Zaccharra had warned her about. Sam was alone, unprotected and obviously upset about something. It was the moment Johnny had wanted her to be on the lookout for.
She hurried into the nearest room and sighed in relief when it was empty. She pulled her cell phone out of her scrub pocket and sent the text message that would alert Johnny that the moment he'd been waiting for was here. And it was a lot sooner than they'd planned on.
Elizabeth took a deep breath when her phone almost vibrated instantly with his promise to be there in ten minutes. Now it was her turn to get Sam away from her mother and into the agreed upon stairwell. The one that led straight to the parking garage. Johnny also needed her to make sure there would be no witnesses. He needed time to get Sam away before anybody went looking for her.
She took one last second to prepare before opening the door and walking calmly back into the hallway. She'd thought about how to get Sam alone when she was given the chance many times. Should she be upset or should she be calm? Which one was Sam more susceptible too? She'd decided on calm.
"Sam?" Elizabeth asked as she approached the two women tentatively. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Not now Elizabeth," Sam said wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked back towards the hospital room.
"Please…" Elizabeth said biting her lip. "It's important."
"Elizabeth…" Sam said drawing her name out like she was annoyed.
"It will only take a couple minutes," Elizabeth pleaded. She wanted to laugh as Sam finally nodded. She watched as she squeezed Alexis' shoulder and turned to face her. She led the way down the hallway before opening the door to the stairwell and motioned for Sam to go first.
"Why-"
"There are no empty rooms," Elizabeth explained quickly. She crossed her arms across her stomach and put a pathetic look on her face as she started to beg earnestly. "Sam…I need you to talk to Lucky for me."
"Elizabeth-" Sam said already shaking her head no.
"Please!" Elizabeth begged. "He won't let me see the boys. He's threatening to take them away from me permanently. I know I've lost Lucky…for good. But I can't lose my boys. I just can't."
"Lucky isn't going to take them away from you for good Elizabeth," Sam said wanting to roll her eyes at the theatrics. "He's just concerned for them right now."
"I know I shouldn't have hit you," Elizabeth said even though her hand was itching to hit her again. "I was just…so upset that day."
"I know you were," Sam said. "But hitting me…blaming me…isn't going to change anything Elizabeth. You are in this mess because you were sleeping with Nicholas and making plans to marry Lucky. Did you think Lucky would never find out? Even if I never said anything, he would have fond out eventually."
"I know!" Elizabeth said loudly but took a calming breath when Sam took a step back. She didn't believe what Sam was saying for a single second. But she had to sell it. "I know…Sam. I don't know what I was thinking. I love Lucky. I don't know what I was doing with Nicholas."
"Well you need to figure it out," Sam said holding up her hands. She made a move to turn around but Elizabeth grabbed her wrist. She looked down at her wrist before looking up at the nurse. "Let go of me."
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said releasing her. She raised a hand to her head as she started pacing back and forth. "I just…I don't know what to do Sam. I don't know how to explain everything to Lucky…and Nicholas! He's been so sweet to me. He thinks he's in love with me but I…I'm not in love with him. It's such a mess. Nicholas wants to help but if he goes to Lucky you know that will never end well. You're Lucky's….closest friend and-"
Sam opened her mouth to try and calm her down but something struck her head before she could say a word and as she was turning around but was struck again and everything went black.
"Nice performance," Johnny said bending down to grab Sam. "She didn't even hear me coming up the steps."
"Just get her out of here," Elizabeth ordered looking through the door to see if anybody was coming.
"Do you know what you're going to say when they ask you where she went?" Johnny asked hefting Sam over his shoulder.
"Yes," Elizabeth said rolling her eyes. She wasn't about to get rid of Sam only to make herself look guilty after her disappearance. She had an entire story worked out and knew that she could sell it. She peeked out the window one last time before looking back at him. "You know they are going to come looking for you."
"I'm counting on it," Johnny said knowing his fate was already set after this moment. He was okay with it. He had thought about getting rid of Sam the same way she'd gotten rid of Claudia and then running. He had enough money at his disposal to disappear. But then he wouldn't get to see the look on Jason's face when he was told Sam was gone…forever. He wanted that moment. So he would die. But not before Sam.
Jason strode into Sonny's home and tried to calm the anger pulsing through his veins. He didn't want to be here. He should be with Sam. He should be holding her hand at the hospital, helping her through her family crisis. She was always there for him. Even after everything that had happened, when Michael had been shot, Sam had come to him at the hospital. She'd known how destroyed he'd feel. He wanted to do the same for her. But his job seemed to always interfere when it was his turn to be there, to be her rock.
"Sonny," he said pushing the double doors open. He paused for just a second as he took in the broken glass and saw the drink cart across the room. Sonny had taken his anger out on his barware once again.
"Jason," he said from behind his desk. He was looking at a picture of Kristina while he rubbed his forehead. The room smelled like a brewery.
"What are you doing?" Jason asked frustrated.
"My daughter," Sonny said setting the picture down on his desk as he pushed back his chair. He wobbled latching onto the desk 'til he gained his balance. "My daughter is in the hospital."
"Sonny if this is about going after Kiefer…" Jason said carefully.
"Don't!" Sonny barked. "Do not say his name in my house." He made his way around his desk glaring at Jason the entire time. "It's bad enough that…that…punk's parents were in my house…threatening me and my daughter. My beautiful little girl."
"What" Jason asked confused. "The Bauer's were here? This morning?"
"They're going to sue," Sonny said picking up the closest thing to him, his phone, and threw it across the room. "They told me my daughter is the son of a criminal and is lying….covering for some other boy and blaming their son. Their perfect never done anything wrong son."
"Did you call Diane?" Jason asked staring at Sonny's broken phone across the room.
"She didn't answer," Sonny said running a hand through his hair. "Her biggest client and she didn't answer."
"I'm going to call her now," Jason said pulling his phone out. He hit Diane's speed dial and sighed in relief when she answered almost right away. "Diane listen, we have an issue." He listened and rolled his eyes as she went off on one of her tirades. "This is about Kristina." He listened again before finally interrupting her. "Kristina's boyfriend put her in the hospital last night and after she got to the hospital…she pressed charges. The police arrested him but he's out on bail. And now his parents are threatening to sue Sonny for his daughter's lies."
"Why didn't she answer the phone?" Sonny asked reaching for Jason's cell.
Jason backed away and shot his friend a dirty look as he sighed. "No…she's not lying Diane. Kiefer Bauer is the one who put her in the hospital." He paused. "Yes Kiefer Bauer. So you know his parents?" He listened for a moment before he sighed again. "Great…well Sonny needs you here…right away." Jason looked at Sonny and added, "Thirty minutes Diane."
"Thirty minutes," Sonny said glaring at him. "I need her here now."
"No, you need a shower now," Jason said rolling his eyes. "You need to sober up. Diane said Warren Bauer is a shark in the courtroom. You need to be alert when you are dealing with him." Jason had just tucked his phone into his pocket when it started ringing. He pulled it out and froze when he saw Max's number flashing across his screen. He wouldn't be calling unless something happened. Jason whipped open his phone. "Where's Sam? What's happened?"