My Hero, No Reward, Dreams, Resignations & Sam's Personal Motto


Hotel – Sam & Jules Room

Knocking at the door brought Sam out of his sleep. He looked at Jules who opened her eyes too. "I'll get it Jules" Sam said as he slowly eased himself up. Sleep had helped but he was still very sore and his slow movements advertised it to Jules.

Jules yawned and pulled the covers up to her chin. The loss of Sam's body heat sent a little chill racing through her. She glanced at the clock and said "Who would be knocking at 6:40 am?"

Almost to the door, Sam raked his hand through his hair and said "Not sure. Maybe it is the Boss or my Dad." Sam thought if it is Dad I've got a few words for him about breaking his promise to stay in bed until nine.

Jules cringed inside wondering if something could have happened to her father and she said "Or my brothers."

"One way to find out" Sam said putting his hand on the door handle and opening it.

Sam's eyes were assaulted with a multitude of flashes. He squinted as several people started yelling questions at him and shoving microphones at him. So many were talking at once, Sam could not distinguish one voice from another. Sam slammed the door closed. He stood there a moment with his eyes closed trying to get his vision back from the bright lights and hearing the horde on the other side of the door.

Slowly he turned to Jules "What the hell?"

Jules sat up in bed wincing at her movement "Vermin."

Sam headed for the chair at the table and sunk down slowly. He looked at Jules "What are we gonna do? We cannot stay here?"

Jules reached for her phone and dialed "Boss we need your help. The media located our room."

Sam's phone rang and he checked the caller ID first, he answered "Hey Uncle Mark."

Both Sam and Jules held conversation on the phone and hung up within moments of each other.

Jules spoke first "The Boss, Ed, Spike and Wordy are on their way up."

Sam nodded "Yeah that was Uncle Mark. He, Jeff, Scott and Mason are heading up too."

Jules reached for her pain pills and shook out a dose. She had slept through the night fine but her head was throbbing. She stood and made her way to the little fridge and got a water bottle. She took her pills and then said "I'll change in the bathroom. You take your meds. I see you are hurting." Jules grabbed an old soft t-shirt, a comfortable pair of sweats and clean under garments then headed into the bathroom.

Sam just sat in the chair not wanting to move. He eyed his pain pills. He reached out and grabbed the bottle. Sam tried to open it himself but was silently cursing the makers of childproof caps when he couldn't get it opened one handed. The rope burn on the other hand made it hard to use his hand, more so than if just his shoulder was hurting.

He sat there dejected thinking he should have asked Jules to open it for him before she headed into the bathroom. He heard Mason's booming voice in the hall along with Jeff's drill sergeant voice and Ed command voice. They were clearing out the media vermin.

Once the din outside the room abated Sam heard a light rap. He forced himself up once again and this time checked the peep hole. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door. Team One, his family and Mason all entered.

Sam turned and headed for the chair again, very slowly. It was apparent to everyone that entered that Sam was hurting. Sam was just sitting down when two pills appeared in front of him in the palm of a hand. He looked up to see Scott's face grinning at him.

Scott said "You look like you could use these."

Sam took them and popped them in without complaint. Then he found an opened bottle of water extended to him by Spike.

Spike remarked "Easier to go down with water."

Sam drank half the bottle and then looked at both and said "Thanks."

Jules came out of the bathroom fully dressed and Greg came over to her and offered his arm "Have you taken you meds this morning?"

"Yeah, my head still feels like a jackhammer is running in it though" Jules answered and leaned on the Boss as he guided her to a chair. She looked at Sam "You take your meds?"

Sam nodded "Yeah."

Jules looked to Greg and asked "So what was with all that?"

Mark answered with frustration "One of the idgets, Officer Brexton I think his name was, talked to the media last night. Let them know that it was no accident. That it was Nealy on that roof and not some actor."

Sam's eyes snapped to Mark. "Shit" burst forth before he could keep it in. His first thought was did his dad know and was it interrupting the rest he needed. His second was, what the hell impact would this have with the Committee? Then his eyes briefly flicked to Jules. Crap, he did not want to let her know about the Committee just yet.

Scott had caught the almost imperceptible flick of Sam's eyes to Jules. He plastered on a smile and said "You're a media darling again Sam. The news reports are all abuzz. They are calling you a hero. Unarmed SRU officer tries to negotiate release of the love of his life from knife wielding cop gone bad but is foiled by a hitman's bullet and has to do a flying catch to save his love."

He looked at Sam trying to convey that the important stuff had not made it to the news and to take a deep breath and relax.

Sam caught Scott's drift and so he asked "Does Dad know? He promised to stay in bed until nine."

Mark reassured Sam "Will told me he made that promise to you. No he does not know, yet. Your Mom does but she has kept the TV off and made Will stay in bed."

A small sense of relief settled in but Sam knew the media would be a problem if they stayed here. Sam looked to Jules "Staying here seems to be out of the question now."

Mason stated "I can work on getting you two a secure location Blondie. Perhaps there is a safe house nearby."

Jules looked to Sam and softly said "There is always Brayden's offer."

"Do you really want to do that though?" Sam asked unsure where Jules' head was at in that regard since they had not talked since before she went into the bathroom yesterday.

Jules shrugged "Unless you want to be hounded I don't see much choice."

She thought that after her talk with the Boss last night that going to her childhood home to recuperate might be okay. Actually it was the Boss' gentle words that helped her to make the decision to take Brayden up on his offer to stay. He had asked her to describe her childhood home. She had described the physical appearance of the farmhouse but then the Boss asked her how home felt.

Jules found herself recalling that she always felt warm, secure and loved when she lived at home. The Boss had softly smiled and said sounds like a perfect place to recuperate. Much better than a cold impersonal hotel room. Jules had to agree with his assessment. And now with the added issue of the media it looked like the right thing to do.

Sam thought about it and knew that he had to leave in two more days and Jules was not allowed to travel yet. It could solve his worry. If they stayed at Brayden's home then Jules would have someone to look after her when he had to leave for Ottawa.

Speaking softly, knowing Jules' head was hurting by the way she was holding herself so stiffly and the crinkles around her eyes, Sam said "I'll leave the decision to you Jules. Mason can find us a safe house where we will not be hounded or we can go to Brayden's."

Jules nodded and then wished she hadn't as it set off a whole new round of throbbing. She whispered "I'll call Brayden."

Greg shook his head. Speaking very quietly he said "No, I'll call him for you. You and Sam need more rest."

Mason added softly "I'll stand guard outside and prevent anyone from bothering you two while things are arranged."

Sam nodded. He really did feel wiped out and aching still. He would leave it to the team and Mason to arrange things.

Wordy watched Sam and Jules. Both looked so wrung out. Wordy said "I think we all should go now and let them rest."

Ed looked at both of them and said "I leave it to you both if you want to go to the awards ceremony. Maddox pushed it back to today."

Jules looked at Sam. She saw in his eyes he did not want to go and answered for both of them "If it all the same I think we will pass."

Ed nodded "Fine by me." He was none too eager to go but felt Ed needed to put in an appearance like Greg did too.

Right about now Ed couldn't give a damn who won what. Jules was hurting in more than one way and so was Sam. His priority was them. But if they were settled comfortably into Brayden's home that would remove one of his worries; who would care for Jules when he, Greg, Wordy, Spike and Sam had to leave.

Ed knew they would all be here for a few more days. On Greg's suggestion, the City Council had contacted the RCMP to do a full investigation of the event and the breakdown in police procedures in Medicine Hat. As a result all the SWAT teams were required to stay on until they had been interviewed. That process was expected to take several days.

Spike said "I'll pack for Sam. Scott do you think Laura would come down and pack for Jules?"

Scott nodded.

Jules smiled "What you can't handle packing for me Spike?"

Spike blushed.

Wordy chuckled as he put his arm around Spike's shoulders "Been in Spike's shoes before Jules. I took Shel with me. Some things teammates just don't want to see. Just sayin'."

The room broke out in quiet snickers. Then they started to head out.

Spike went to Jules and lightly kissed her cheek "I'll be back later with Laura. You get back in bed and rest now."

Jules smiled gently at Spike and whispered "You're so good to us."

Spike grinned "You're my family. Gotta take care of my family."

When the room was just Sam and Jules they looked at each other and then both rose slowly and headed for the bed. Jules helped Sam find a comfortable position and tucked pillows under his shoulder and arm to support it. Then she went around the other side and crawled in. Jules snuggled close and closed her eyes.

She whispered "My hero."

Sam snorted "Not a hero, just a man in love." He kissed the top of Jules head.

Both fell back to sleep quickly. Neither woke when several hours later Spike and Laura slipped in and packed for them. Neither woke when Yvonne slipped in around lunch and delivered sandwiches.

They did wake around three in the afternoon and after another dose of pain meds and eating their sandwiches they were secreted out of the hotel and to Brayden's home. The camped out media was none the wiser that they had left.


Medicine Hat Police Station – Holding Cells

Turker Veli shuffled down the corridor. He had been held in processing in an individual cell by himself since his arrest. But he was being sent to the general holding now to await arraignment.

He had been tight lipped and didn't answer a single question the investigators hurled at him for hours on end. He knew his rights. Turker stayed silent. But apparently they knew about the contract. How, Turker did not know. Maybe they were just fishing. But he decided to keep quiet so that he did not jeopardize getting his reward from Reuben.

The cell door to the general holding cell opened. Turker walked in and the cell door closed. He stuck his hands through the opening and his cuffs were removed.

Turker turned to take in his cell mates. He needed to decide how to proceed. His eyes landed on a familiar figure "What the hell are you doing in here?"

Rueben smirked "You failed."

Turker strode over. "I did not fail. Nealy fell to his death. I ask again what are you doing in here?"

Reuben shrugged "Little bitch squealed on my whore business. Good thing she did not know about the rest of my business. I'll be outta here in no time. And you did fail. No reward."

Anger rising "I killed him. I shot him and he fell off a four story building. You better pay up when I get out of here or my next target will be you."

Reuben smirked "I'm not worried in the least Turker. The way I hear it, you suck. You can't hit the broad side of a barn. You shot an officer. You aided in Nealy's escape so I bet you will be charged with that and as an accessory to rape of a minor. Shooting Nealy on that roof resulted in two more officers being injured too. You're gonna be in here until you are old and gray. And you did fail. Nealy survived the fall."

Turker sat down heavily. He failed. There was no reward. He was in deep shit now. His gaze moved to the TV. God damned cops. If they had not bumped him it would have been a clean head shot and at least he would get his reward. But no.

He looked at Rueben and a surge of anger rose. He hauled off and punched him. The ensuing brawl left both men and several others bruised and bloodied. They were separated into different cells and glared at each other.

As Turker glared at Rueben a smirk crossed his face. He went to the door and called out "Guard, guard I need to talk to the detective. I have information he would find valuable."

Reuben growled "You better not say a damned thing Turker."

Turker turned "If I'm gonna be in here until I'm old and gray then so are you."

Officer Branson Kent approached the cells with Officer O'Dell and sarcastically said "It's always sad when good friends like Reuben and Turker turn on each other."

O'Dell laughed as Turker and Reuben continued to glare at each other.


Protective Custody – Safe House

Officer Skye Chambers enter the home and smelled something wonderful. She called out "Rena that smells delicious. What are you making?"

Rena popped her head out of the kitchen "Come see."

Skye entered the kitchen and went to the oven. She peeked in the window and saw chicken rolled with ham and gruyere cheese and surrounded by a flaky crust. She looked up at Rena "So you made the chicken cordon bleu roll-ups you were talking about. Looks good and smells heavenly."

Rena smiled. She was so happy. Skye Chambers had made her feel like a real person. Someone that could do something other than selling her body to eat. "Yeah it was really easy. I followed the recipe you sent me. It's almost done. Want to set the table."

Skye nodded and set the table for three, Rena, her and Rena's protection detail. She sat down at the table and said "Rena I have good news for you."

Setting the pan she just pulled from the oven down on the stove top Rena turned to face Skye "What news?"

"Remember that scholarship I told you about?" Skye asked.

Grinning Rena gripped her hands together trying to quell the excitement that was growing in her "Yeah, the MBH Scholarship."

Skye smiled seeing the excitement glistening in Rena's eyes "Well, I'm proud to say that you have been granted a full scholarship. You have earned the Louise Grace Hunter award."

Rena squealed with delight. Her squeal was so loud her protection detail raced into the room looking for the problem. Rena was dancing around and grabbed Officer Ricky Compton's arm and danced him around with her "I got it. I got it. I got it."

Ricky looked to Skye "She got the scholarship?"

Skye nodded and then said "That's not all Rena."

Rena halted "There's more?"

"I never knew this before but I spoke with a friend of mine and he said that the scholarship is administrated by none other than Constable Braddock. He set the scholarship up with his army buddies. But the other thing is that Constable Braddock knew of a culinary school in Montreal and they have accepted you into their school beginning next week. Oh and the men that run the school also have a restaurant and you have a part time job waiting for you too" Skye relayed.

Rena was stunned. Her mouth hung open. Her voice squeaked "Why? Why would he do that for me? I'm nobody."

Ricky pulled Rena into a hug. She was such a sweet girl "You are not a nobody. You have shown yourself to be caring and thoughtful. You deserve this Rena. You earned it."

Skye nodded in agreement and added "Rena, go for your dreams girl. They are within your grasp now."

Rena's eyes teared up. Then she hugged Skye "Thank you. Thank you. I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me."

Skye smiled and said "Well the cordon bleu roll-ups might just be enough of a thanks. I'm famished."

Rena giggled then turned to serve the dinner. Her heart was bursting with joy. She knew she would go for her dreams with intense passion. She would open that restaurant and she would help other orphans trying to make their way in this world.

As she sat down to eat and heard the compliments on her food Rena smiled. Her life had changed so much in just a short period of time. The ways the world worked still astonished her sometimes.

In her head Rena whispered 'Mom and Dad you will be proud of me now. I'm gonna make something of myself'.


Medicine Hat Police Station – Chief's Office

Captain Black entered when the Chief responded come in. He never thought he would end his career like this. But he had messed up badly. This whole debacle was his responsibility.

He realized that he was so out of date technology wise. Why hadn't he thought to run a trace on Amber French's phone? That one would haunt him for the rest of his life. He could have saved that little girl if he had only been up to date on technology.

Black also realized that he was not the right one to make hiring decisions. He had given the wrong man a chance. He should have looked deeper and saw that there were problems with Nealy. Black felt he should have fired him much earlier instead of giving him a chance to redeem himself.

Because he did that many people were hurt. Black stood straight at attention in front of the Chief's desk with a piece of paper in his hand.

Chief Declan Marsh looked up from his typing. He was working on his letter of resignation. As the Chief of Police this was all his fault. He was in command and responsible for what his officers did and did not do. He had become too lax. He had allowed procedures to become outdated and not kept up with the times. The citizens of this city deserved a better Chief.

Marsh looked at Captain Black and asked "What can I do for you Ramon?"

Holding out the paper Ramon Black stated "My letter of resignation Sir. I am responsible for all that occurred."

Declan took the letter and read it through. Then he said "I understand your concerns but as the Chief of Police the responsibility lies with me."

"I beg to differ Sir. The day to day operations fall under my responsibilities" Black insisted.

Marsh sighed and said "I'll hand your resignation in with my own. Both require City Council approval."

Black snorted "Don't think that will be a problem. I screwed the pooch big time."

Declan nodded and agreed whole-heartily that they had become complacent and bad things happened. Things needed to change. He said "Before you leave today send in Officers Wiley, Brexton and Knowles."

Captain Black looked at him "Yes Sir. Do you mind me asking why?"

"My last act a Chief. Those men sullied the uniform in the way they behaved. They were under orders not to speak to the media but each of them chose to disobey and leaked details on an ongoing investigation that should have remained confidential. They are just lucky they stopped short of divulging what Constable Braddock said on that roof" Marsh stated.

Black nodded "They could not. They were not tied into the headsets. It's a good thing too. They probably would have leaked that too."

Marsh shook his head in wonder "Well if they had then they would have greater problems than me firing them. The Committee does not take breach of security lightly. I just hope that whatever it is that Constable Braddock said does not land him in prison. That would be a damned shame."

"Yes Sir it would. I'll send the officers in as my last act as Captain" Black stated in a defeated tone.

Chief Marsh nodded and thought as Black left, I'm not so sure it will be your last act. He turned back to his computer and continued with his resignation letter. Then he started a new letter, a letter of recommendation to the Council; one urging them to keep Captain Black on but to remove him from the hiring process and mandate training in the latest technology.


Callaghan Farm – Family Room

Sam sat on the sofa sipping his coffee. Jules was lying in his lap. She dozed off after dinner and had been asleep since. It was getting late and he knew he should probably wake her to go to bed. But he couldn't. It felt too good with her lying close to him.

If she went to bed he would be lonely because they would be staying in separate bedrooms. Not because Brayden or Bayleigh disapproved of them sharing a room. It was just that the three spare rooms only had twin beds in them. If his shoulder was not so messed up he would have gladly slept in a twin with Jules. But it was, so he could not.

After sleeping nearly all day his mind was awake. He had seen some of the media coverage and was not sure what to make of it. The officers that spoke to the media had tried to make him look inept stressing he failed to clear the rooftop. But it backfired and the media somehow found out that they were the officers that failed to disarm the hitman. The media went after Wiley, Brexton and Knowles with a vengeance and he came out smelling like a rose.

He had spoken briefly to his dad about it just before the General and his mom left for Ottawa with the rest of his family just before dinner tonight. His dad said it only strengthened their plan. His face was recognizable and the public loved him. It would be difficult for some of the Committee with politic power agendas to crucify him to further their goals now. What public figure would want to be seen bashing a bonafide hero?

Sam did not see himself as a hero. Like he told Jules, he was just a man who did what he had to do for the one he loved. That didn't make him a hero.

He took another sip and set his coffee down. Sam knew he really should not be drinking coffee so late but Bayleigh made great iced coffee. And in reality he had been nursing this one since Bayleigh and Brayden headed off to bed a couple of hours ago. Brayden had offered to carry Jules to bed but he had declined saying that he and Jules would head off to bed in a little while and if they needed help Mason was around.

Sam looked down at Jules. She looked so peaceful in sleep. He hated that she hurt so much. This was a bad concussion for her. She was still taking the maximum dose of narcotic meds. One of the reasons she was conked out in his lap. Sam lightly caressed her arm in tiny circles. Just being close to her was enough right now.

He had to leave in a few days and he was not sure if he would ever see Jules as a free man again. He wanted to spend every second possible with her. Thinking about that possibility had a little part of his brain considering the offer his dad had made to secret him out of the country. Although he knew in reality he would never do that, it was tempting to think about running away with Jules.

But Jules deserved better than a life on the run. He could never do that to her. Sam knew that they could never bring children into a world if they were constantly looking over their shoulders waiting for him to be caught. No Jules deserved better. Much better.

She had just gotten her family back. Sam could never ask her to break away from them for him. Her brothers and their families meant so much to Jules. While they ate their sandwiches in their hotel room earlier today Jules had shared with him that she wanted to try to reconcile with her father.

Jules told him everything her father had said to her in the room yesterday. She told him that her dad thought she was her mother at first and then that she was dead and that she was an angel. Jules had wanted to stop by the hospital on the way here to check in on her father. But her head hurt so badly they came straight here instead. If she was up to it tomorrow they would visit him.

Over dinner she had also shared it with all her brothers. Jules didn't know yet, but Finley had visited their dad after dinner and tried to convince him that Jules was not dead. Finley had called Brayden after his visit and said Patrick did not believe that Jules was alive. Patrick insisted that Finley was just trying to protect him until he was stronger and his heart could take the bad news.

Sam hoped Jules felt well enough tomorrow to visit her dad and set his heart at ease. Jules needed that visit too. She needed to see that her father was doing okay.

Hearing the floor boards of the porch outside creak Sam looked up to see Mason entering the farmhouse. Sam grinned "Find any vermin lurking about?"

Mason chuckled quietly and shook his head "Nope the perimeter is secure. How ya doin Blondie?"

Sam sighed "Too awake."

"I saw a chess set in the den. I doubt Brayden would mind if we played a game or two" Mason suggested.

"Nah, my mind is not quite in the right space for chess" Sam answered.

Mason sat down in an overstuffed chair and relaxed. "Ah this chair is comfy."

Jules's sleepy voice said "My favorite."

Sam looked down "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Jules looked up at Sam and responded "You didn't, my head did. What time is it?"

"Near midnight. Everyone else headed off to bed hours ago" Sam shared quietly. Then he asked "You need more pain meds?"

Hating that she did Jules said "Yeah, I should go get them."

Mason popped up "Stay where you are. I'll get them. Second door on the left, right?"

Jules responded "Third, second is Sam's room."

Grinning Mason hurried off to get the meds. He returned with them and a glass of water. Jules sat up and took them and then laid back down. Sam was glad to have her back in his lap even though sitting here all night had left him very stiff and sore from not moving around.

Yawing Jules asked "Did the Boss or anyone from the team call and say who won?"

Sam yawned because Jules had, it was catching. "Yeah, Ed called. And Spike. And Wordy. And the Boss. They should have just done a conference call. But I guess they were all surprised and wanted to tell us."

"Tell us what?" Jules asked stifling another yawn.

Sam shared "That Toronto did not win. Well not at first. Ed was funny when he recounted how all the other SWAT teams became incensed that we did not win. The head judge tried to explain that we did not complete the scenario so were not awarded points. The other teams insisted that real life outweighed a make believe scenario any day. That we should be scored on how we performed once Nealy showed up and put a wrench into things."

Jules sat up "I agree with them. Real life outweighs practice. And Sam you were good. You connected with Nealy."

Sam nodded slightly "I know that. It shouldn't have worked. I have no idea why it worked."

Jules' voice was matter of fact "Sam that's what I think many, many times. Negotiation is not black and white. That's why it scares me. I like things clear cut. But that is not the world in which we operate. It's like our cool pants, gray. In fact, every time I put my uniform pants on it reminds me that we constantly deal with the gray. Humanity is all shades of gray and the human mind is a mysterious thing. You did well Sam."

Mason nodded "Sure as hell impressed me Blondie. I'm thinking your own personal motto should be 'Words and Deeds' since you have combined both Special Forces and SRU thought processes so effectively."

Sam grinned. It was true he had come a long way. He was changing and as far as he could see it was for the better. Sam no longer felt like just the point and shoot guy. He had learned how to negotiate, how to use his words and not his bullets to effect change. Sam knew that negotiation would never be his strong suit. But given the right situation he could do it and possibly end situations peacefully.

Jules asked "So how did they determine Toronto won then?"

Sam explained what Ed had told him "Commander Maddox decided to put it to a vote of all the SWAT teams except us. The vote was unanimous. The trophy is going home to Toronto."

Jules and Mason grinned. They both knew who had won it for Toronto. They were looking at him.

Sam yawned again.

Jules patted his thigh "Time for you to be getting to bed Sam. Have you taken your meds?"

Sam shook his head "No but I will when I get to my room." He leaned over and kissed her gently.

Then all three rose and headed for Sam's room. Mason stood in the door while Jules fussed with Blondie making sure he took his meds and then tucked him in. Mason smiled at that. It was good to see both of them so content together. He called out "Goodnight. If ya need anything just holler." Then he turned and left the room.

Jules put another pillow under Sam's arm to support it then kissed him deeply. She pulled back and said "Goodnight."

Sam found himself nodding off quickly, even as Jules had kissed him. He must be more tired than he thought. "Goodnight. See you in the morning sweetheart" Sam mumbled sleepily.

Jules looked down at Sam, he must have been exhausted to nod off so quickly. As she looked at his handsome face she thought that Mason was right. Sam's own personal motto should be Words and Deeds.

There were parts of Sam that would never change and she could accept that. Sam would always take risks to protect others. He would always downplay his aches and pains and resist meds. But she saw many positive changes in him too. Sam was opening up and he was learning to trust in his ability to talk.

Jules smiled and leaned down to lightly kiss his forehead. She whispered "Samuel Braddock you will always be my hero whether you think you are one or not."

.


AN: Dear Readers: updates will be slower in the next week or so. I'm moving into a new house and will be very busy with that over the next few weeks. I am focusing solely on YHABL to get it wrapped up though. Hoping that next chapter will be the long anticipated Jules/Patrick talk but don't hold me to that if my muse decides to tackle a different area first.

As always I love hearing what you think. Drop me a review if you want to tell me what you liked or didn't like in this chapter.