Sam fluttered her eyes open and stretched her arms above her head gently. She surveyed the room and realized she was in the hospital. She tried to focus her thoughts to recall what had happened. Then she remembered! She had been trapped in the storage unit with Jo. Sam tried to focus further to recall how they had gotten out. The last thing she remembered; they had been resigned to never being free. She squinted her eyes and thought back. Drew. Drew had been there; he had come for them!
"Hey there, sleepyhead." Drew whispered in his low voice.
A wide smile crept across Sam's face. Drew was sitting in a chair next to her bed. From the looks of him, he had been there all night.
"Hey. I was worried you were a dream." Sam whispered back.
"Nope, alive and in the flesh," Drew joked.
Sam reached up and touched his face, stroking it gently.
"Thank you for rescuing me," she cooed.
"Don't mention it." Drew smiled and giggled softly. "How are you feeling? You okay?"
Sam stretched out her arms and placed them down in front of her, groaning softly.
"I feel great. Good enough to get out of this place. Did anyone say how long I have to be here?"
"That's right, I have a vague recollection that you hate hospitals." Drew chuckled and patted the bed. "Um, I've talked to Monica and I think you can be released today, they just wanted to make sure whatever drug Kim gave you was out of your system and you were dehydrated, so they gave you fluids." Drew reported.
"Oh yeah, Kim. What happened with her? Is she in custody?" Sam inquired, curiously.
Drew exhaled loudly, letting out a little groan.
"Uh, Kim, yeah, she's in custody. I don't know much more than that. I'm supposed to see Curtis later and he's gonna fill me in."
"Curtis, he was there last night too, right? Oh my God and Jo! Is she okay?"
"Yes, yes, everyone is okay. Jo is fine. She was brought here too. I'm kind of surprised to hear you ask about her, though. I know you two, uh-hum didn't have the best start." Drew replies flashing a crooked smile.
Sam smiles back sheepishly.
"Yeah, I know we weren't exactly getting along, but I don't know, it's something about being imprisoned in a storage unit with someone, you kind of bond." Sam jokes.
"Yeah, I guess you kind of would," Drew quips back.
"Plus, I know she's been a good friend to you over the years." Sam added, wondering if she would see something other than friendship in Drew's eyes when she mentioned Jo.
Drew smiled sweetly and brushed a stray strand of hair behind Sam's ear. Drew and Sam sat quietly staring at each other. Drew didn't know what he should say, him and Sam weren't exactly together and he still didn't know how she truly felt about him.
Sam, sat there in disbelief. She didn't die, she could actually tell Drew how she felt, that she had made her decision. Just as she was about to speak, Drew broke the awkward silence.
"Well, I better let you get your rest, so you can get out of here on time."
Drew stands up to leave and Sam gently grabs his wrist.
"Drew, wait, I was hoping we could talk."
"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" Drew questions.
"Us."
"Sam, I don't…."
"No just listen for a second," Sam interrupts. "I, I read your letter. It was beautiful. And I've had a lot of time to think, and not just when I was trapped. I've been doing nothing but thinking ever since…." Sam stops abruptly.
"Ever since my procedure?" Drew finishes her sentence.
"Yeah, since then, but also before then, since you left me that night in the penthouse, when I told you I still loved Jason."
Sam looked away from Drew. She couldn't bare to look at him when she remembered that heartbreaking night. She hated that it was one of the only memories of her that he had now. Drew began to feel a tightness in his chest. He had a feeling that Sam was about to tell him that she didn't want to be with him that she decided she wanted to be with Jason.
"Look, Sam, you don't have to…."
Just then the door opened and in walked the nurse ready to take Sam's vitals.
"Well, glad to see your awake." The cheerful woman said.
"Yeah, she seems to be on the road to recovery." Drew quips back. "I'm going to leave you to it and I'll just see you later Sam," Drew stammers as he walks backwards towards the door.
"Wait Drew, you don't have to…." Sam called after him but before she could get all the words out Drew was out the door.
Sam let out a loud sigh.
"He's handsome, is that your boyfriend?" The chatty nurse asked.
Sam looked up at the nurse, who was putting the blood pressure cuff on her arm, and rolled her eyes slightly.
"It's, complicated." Sam replied with a huff.
Drew walked down the corridor and into the main lobby area by the nurse's station. As he approached the desk, he saw Jo there signing some paperwork.
"JJ!" He cried from across the room.
Jo looked up from the desk to greet Drew with a smile. Drew quickly marched over to her and greeted her with a side hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Are you blowing this popsicle stand already?" Drew quizzed.
Jo giggled softly. "Yeah, I'm outta here." Jo finished signing the papers and handed the clipboard back to the nurse across the counter, smiling sweetly. She turned to pick up her bag off the floor.
"Wait, Jo, let me get that for you." Drew insisted as he reached around her to grab for the bag.
Jo quickly put her hand up to stop him.
"No, Drew, it's okay really. I got it." Jo replied, half annoyed.
A perplexed look came across Drew's face. What was going on with Jo? Why was she being so distant. She had pushed him away last night too, insisting that she was fine and only focusing on seeing Deke at the hospital.
"JJ, what's up? Did I do something?" Drew probed.
Jo took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew now was the time, she had to let Drew go.
"Drew, no you didn't do anything, It's just….It's been a long few days and I just want to get a decent shower and some good food."
"Well, you're in luck cause the Quatermaine mansion has both." Drew jokes. "Let me take you home."
"No!" Jo cries out, causing people to turn and look. Jo hesitates for a moment and collects herself. "I just mean, Deke is waiting for me downstairs and I don't want to leave him alone right now. We're going to go check into the MetroCourt."
Drew was taken aback. He didn't understand what Jo was saying. He would definitely let Deke stay at the mansion with them, they didn't need to get a hotel.
"What are you talking about Jo, why a hotel, you know Deke is welcome at the mansion just as long as you both would like."
Jo knew she was going to need to lay things out more clearly for Drew. He wasn't going to understand why she suddenly was pulling back. Especially after she had told him she loved him and wanted to try with him. Jo touched Drew's arm and motioned for him to come with her and sit on a bench in the corridor. The two walked over slowly and sat down arm in arm. Jo laid her head on Drews shoulder. A single tear began to fall down her cheek. As she wiped it away, she began to speak.
"Look, Drew, I can never fully express how grateful I am that you gave me my brother back. I mean, your text was right, you have my Birthday AND Christmas covered from now until forever. And I know I said that I love you, but right now, it's just not a good time. Isn't that always the story with us." Jo chuckled a bit as she quickly continued. "Now that Deke's back, he needs me. He needs my help to recover from his torment over there and all his injuries. He's got a long road ahead and you, you have Sam and your life here and honestly, I'm the one who came barging into your life unannounced. You have a lot to deal with here and I have a lot to deal with back in D.C." Jo concluded.
"D.C.?" Drew questioned. "What are you talking about, JJ?"
"My old job there as a liaison is up for reassignment and I called and they want to have me back so, I'm taking it. It'll be a better gig for me with Deke, I'll be more available for him with his therapies and he has to go back there for his debriefing...it's just easier." Jo replies, woefully.
"But you told me you hated that liaison job, Jo. Why are you going back? And how did all this happen just this morning?"
Jo giggled softly and took Drew's hand.
"You're not the only one who can pull strings." Jo turned to face Drew. God, he had the bluest eyes in the world. Eyes it was impossible to lie to, eyes that could see right through to your soul. Jo caressed Drew's cheek tenderly and ran her fingers through his hair.
"You Drew Cai…I mean Quartermaine, are one very special man. You will always have a big piece of my heart. Hell, I will probably never love anyone as much as I love you. But you above anyone should realize, sometimes love is just not enough. Everything else is so complicated right now. You and Sam, and your family. Drew, you have a family now. And, thanks to you, I have mine back. You know if you really thought about it, I'm right. We can't just go back to the way things were and I don't have the energy right now, to figure out where I fit in your life now. Please understand, please, I have to do this."
Jo leaned over and softly kissed Drew's lips. He leaned into her and hugged her tighter. Their lips released and just when Drew was about to lean in and make the kiss deeper, Jo pulled back. She locked eyes with his and gently stroked his face and brushed his shoulder with her hand. Jo placed one quick kiss on Drew's waiting lips and then swiftly stood up and grabbed her bag.
"Goodbye Drew. I hope you get everything you have ever wanted." Jo quietly proclaimed and then turned and marched quickly to the waiting elevator before Drew could even protest.
Drew sat there, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his friend, the woman that was his lover, the woman that had been the mother of his child had just walked out of his life. Before he even had any time to process what had just happened, he heard a voice calling to him from down the hall.
"Drew! Hey man, I've been looking for you." Curtis' voice echoed in the hallway and brought Drew out of his daze.
Drew jerked his head around to see where the voice was coming from.
"Curtis, hey, what's up?"
"What is up is that, Kim is more cuckoo than we thought. Or maybe, at least as cuckoo as we thought." He laughed slightly.
A look of confusion fell across Drew's face.
"What are you talking about Curtis?"
"It's what I came here to tell you. The police, they searched Kim's apartment and they found a box of stuff."
"What kind of 'stuff?'" Drew asks, irritated.
"Well, remember that watch you told me about? She had that. She had the toy of Scout's and she even had a jacket that the police think belongs to Danny."
Drew rubbed his hands over his face. He thought back to the day he took Danny to the park and how they couldn't find his jacket. Drew also remembered, how that day he couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching him.
"Ugh, it was her." Drew blurted out.
"It was her, what?" Curtis quizzed.
"I took Danny to the park a little while back and we put his jacket down. When we went back to get it, we couldn't find it anywhere. I also had a feeling that day we were being watched. I'm sure now that Kim must have been following us." Drew explained. "So, what is happening with Kim, she's still in custody, right?"
"Oh yeah, I have a feeling she's going to be going away for a long while. Probably Ferncliff, if you know what I mean." Curtis motioned his finger with the 'crazy signal.'
Drew let out a slight groan and shook his head.
"Well, I guess I'll go let Sam know the news." Drew sighed.
"What about Jo?"
"Jo's gone." Drew flatly replied and walked in the direction of Sam's room, leaving Curtis with nothing but questions.
Drew burst back into the room he had left Sam in just a little while before.
"Hey Sam," he began before he had even entered. Drew looked up and saw the room was empty. He was turning to go when the cheerful nurse from before bounded back into the room.
"You're back."
"Uh, yeah. Where did she go?"
"She was discharged. Just a few minutes ago actually. You might still be able to catch her before she gets on the elevator."
"Thank you!" Drew calls as he races out the door.
Drew hurried through the corridor and into the lobby area where he had just come from. He could see Sam standing at the counter signing her discharge paperwork. Just as he was about to call out to her, he saw Jason step out from around the corner and lead her into the elevator.
Drew stopped in his tracks. Sam had called Jason to pick her up? Guess that feeling he had about Sam wanting to be with Jason was right. Being in danger must have made her see what she truly wanted and it obviously wasn't him.
