Mercedes had been busy all day, by the end of it, she just wanted to be in Sam's arms. Heading out to his truck she grabbed her phone and dialed his number calling him as she started the car.

Sam was sitting at his desk, doing his best not to develop a headache, when his phone rang. His smile returned as Mercedes' face appeared on his screen and he let out a small sigh of relief. "Hey, you."

Mercedes smiled. "Hey you." She said pulling out of the parking garage. "How was your day?"

"Hmm, very long. And fairly anxiety ridden," Sam admitted, running his free hand through his hair. "But a little of that went away just now."

"Trust me I know." She said making a turn and noticing a black SUV following her. "Same for me. For an old truck it drives like a dream."

"Yeah, she's a trusty old gal," Sam chuckled. "Um... so this may not be great news, but the Sheriff had to take your car cause they've finally agreed to open an investigation. But he said the county could pay for a rental until they're done with it."

"Okay that works, I just want to figure out who is doing this." She looked back, the black SUV still on her tail. "Ummm hold on."

Sam stayed quiet for a moment, clicking his mouse through his contracts. "Babe? You okay?"

"Sam someone is..." she turned randomly and the car followed her. "Yeah someone is following me."

Sam popped out of the chair immediately. "Where are you?" he asked, already running inside to get the keys to his dad's truck.

"Hwy 12. I just...I am gonna.. pull off the highway." She was about to slow down but the SUV hit the back of the truck. She screamed trying to keep control of the truck. She hit the breaks and didn't slow down. She hit them again and they still didn't slow. "Sam I can't stop."

"Stevie!" Sam screamed into the house once he reached the door, still frantically searching for the keys. "Call 911!" he demanded when his brother appeared. "Tell them to look for my truck on highway 12 between here and the city. Try to keep control of the truck, babe. If you don't accelerate, it should slow down. I'm on my way, I'll stay on the line."

The SUV rammed her again and she screamed louder. "They are running me off the road. Sam there are cars ahead of me...I gotta turn off..."

Sam jumped in his father's truck and took off, wheels screeching as he pulled out of the driveway. "Be careful! See if you can coast into somewhere public."

Mercedes looked around and saw an open field. The person behind her had slowed and she exhaled glad about it. But seeing them speed up again she braced herself as they hit her full force and she lost control. The car sped off the road into the field crashing into barrels of hay.

Sam's heart leapt up into his throat at the sound, his head spinning in every direction. It took everything in him to keep control of his own truck. "Cedes?! Baby, are you there?"

Mercedes heard Sam and her eyes fluttered open. "I I I I'm...I'm okay"

"Listen to my voice, okay? I'm almost there." He was ignoring the speed limit at this point, but if a cop came for him he'd just lead them where they needed to be. "What happened to the other car?"

Mercedes couldn't really move so she looked at the mirrors. "They, they are still in the car..."

"Okay. Are you okay, baby? Does anything hurt?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm despite the panic he was feeling.

Mercedes tried to move but couldn't. "My legs, the are stuck, the dash is smashed...I can't move em." She looked back at the car. "Sam hurry they just opened their door!"

"I'm doing my best, love," Sam promised her. He was running on adrenaline at this point. "Do you know what exit you got off?"

She sighed..."No exit..Sam...someone's coming..."

"Hey! Are you okay?" A man and woman who'd car was a head of hers came to the door.

Mercedes looked back at the SUV as it . "I'm l...I can't move my legs."

"We saw everything that car ran you off the road. The front is smashed in but we called the police."

"Cedes? Who is it? Who's there? Talk to me," Sam requested frantically, his eyes scanning the road for any sign of her.

"I'm just a little tired..." she said softly.

The man nodded. "We are here just hold on."

She heard Sam and looked at the guy. "He wants to know who you are?" She said holding up the phone.

The guy to the phone and nodded. "Hello this is Pastor Clark from Greater Faith Church, we were driving by when we saw someone push her off the road."

Sam let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Oh, thank god. This is Sam, uh... Evans. From Evans Family Farms." Most people in the area knew of them if not knew one of them personally. "That's my girlfriend. Do you have an idea of where you are? I'm trying to find her."

Pastor Clark nodded. "I thought I recognized the truck. We are off of Highway 7 just past Martin's Vineyard."

"Okay, thank you so much. I'm almost there," Sam told him. "Could you please, please stay with her until I get there?"

"We aren't going anywhere son. I hear the sirens coming."

Mercedes closed her eyes. "I just wanna sleep for a bit."

"Yeah, I hear them!" Sam exclaimed, glad that he was close and that help was coming for her. "Thank you. So much. I'll be right there," he promised again before hanging up the phone and pushing his feet on the accelerator.

As the sirens grew closer, Mercedes saw a fire truck, Ambulance and Police car. They immediately began checking her vitals and seeing if she was okay but she wasn't fully aware of what was going on.

Sam followed the sounds of the sirens and finally saw the flashing lights as he pulled his car off the side of the road. He hopped out of his dad's truck practically before it had even stopped completely. Rushing up to the his own smashed truck, he was stopped by one of the policemen. "That's my girlfriend. I need to see her. Is she okay?"

The officer who was blocking off the scene looked at Sam. "Evans I thought I recognized the truck, your girlfriend hit her head, and her legs are stuck in the front of the truck. They are using the jaws of life right now to cut her out." Officer Marks said moving to let Sam through.

Sam moved to the passenger side while they were worked to open the driver's side. He leaned into the window like he had that morning when he'd kissed her. "Cedes? I'm here, baby. I'm right here."

Mercedes turned towards Sam and reached for his hand. "I'm okay they are getting me out." She said calmly, but the moment they started lifting the truck off her legs she screamed in pain.

Sam took her hand, wincing at the sound. He was filled with so many emotions ranging from fear to pure rage. "Look at me. Look at me, Cedes."

Mercedes looked at Sam, trying to remain calm.

"You're gonna be okay," Sam told her, holding desperately to her hand as tears filled his eyes. "I love you so much. I'm not leaving your side, okay?"

Mercedes tried to be calm but this was ridiculous, who did things like this? She had seen her share of drama but this was beyond anything she ever had to deal with.

They finally lifted the metal off her legs, they were bloody due to scratches and some pieces digging into her thighs. She let go of Sam's hand as they lifted her out of the car, then she heard it.

"Sammy?!" Someone screamed. She turned in time to see Jess running towards them. "Sammy are you okay?"

Sam spun on his heels and stared her down, his eyes practically burning with rage. "No! Fuck, no," he shouted, pointing a finger at her. "What is wrong with you?" He looked around until he spotted the sheriff. "Sully, do not let her near me."

"Sammy, what are you talking about?" Jess asked. "I was driving by and I saw you and your dad's trucks."

Mercedes shook her head. "She, she was in the car...I saw her in the passenger side."

"She's clearly out of her mind right now," Jess pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

Sheriff Sullivan took Jess' arm gently and guided her back. "Now is not the place for this. I'm gonna need you step away from the truck and come talk to me."

"Don't let her near me please..." She said trying to move. "She tried to kill me."

"Ma'am you need to calm down." The paramedic said pushing her into the ambulance.

Mercedes shook her head. "Its too much it's all too much...I can't... I can't."

Sam clasped his hands together and held them up to his face, trying desperately to keep himself together. He stood at the back door of the ambulance and looked at Mercedes with wet eyes. "Do you want me to come?"

She looked at Sam, part of her wanting him to come and the other wanting him far away from her. This wasn't his fault, he did nothing wrong and yet she was hurt by him. Shaking her head no she looked at him. "Can you, can you meet me there? Grab my phone and call my brothers...please."

Sam sucked in his bottom lip and just nodded in understanding. Once the ambulance pulled away though, all he could do was sit on the ground and stare at nothing. This couldn't be real. He had to be having some sort of nightmare.

Sully walked over to Sam and bent down. "You should know the breaks were cut on the truck, looks like the fluid has been leaking all day so the moment she was rammed, she had no breaks. Whoever did this was targeting you. Do you really think Jess could have done this?"

Sam looked up at him with exhaustion in his eyes. "No one else would've known she was at my place last night," he insisted, shaking his head. "Or that she had my truck today. I..." He shook his head, still in shock over the whole thing.

The sheriff gave him a nod. "You shouldn't be driving like this. I called your brother. He's on his way. I'm gonna take Jess down to the station for questioning."

The ride to the hospital was too long for Mercedes liking, she wished she would have said yes to Sam, but her fear just outweighed her sense. She arrived to the hospital and was immediately admitted.

"Ms. Jones?"

Mercedes looked up as the doctor walked in. "Yes." She said hoarsely.

The doctor looked at her. "So we are going to run some tests and stitch up your legs."

Mercedes nodded. "Okay."

A little while later there was a soft knock on the door and Stevie poked his head inside before coming the rest of the way in. He tucked his hands awkwardly in his pockets. "Hey, there. How ya feeling?"

Hearing the knock Mercedes looked up hoping to see Sam but heartbreaking that it was Stevie. "Hey." she said sadly.

Stevie's lips quirked to the side as he stepped closer to the bed. "Sorry it's just me," he told her. "Sam's in the waiting room being stubborn cause... he's afraid you don't wanna see him. But he was worried so... he sent me instead."

Mercedes nodded. "Okay." tears filled her eyes. "I umm, I think I." she didn't even know what to think.

Stevie was so not equipped to deal with this, not that anyone was really. He moved to the side of the bed and took Mercedes hand. "I don't think there's really a right thing to say in this situation. But I can tell you that Sam loves you more than anything. We all love you."

Mercedes nodded. "I love him too, I love all of you." She sighed. "I need him Stevie,but I'm also scared to need him, scared to truly have him if this is our life."

"It won't be," Stevie insisted. "I mean, I know that's easy for me to say. I never could've guessed all this would happen. But if she did this, Sully will take care of it and she will not be able to hurt you ever again."

"Stevie she wasn't driving ,and the guy in the driver's seat was not Andy, if it's from my past then all this is in me. I don't know what is going on."

Stevie frowned. The fact that Jess was capable of this didn't entirely shock him, but he'd never believed Andy could've done any of it. He knew Andy was a good guy who got mixed up with the wrong girl, same as Sam had. "The Sheriff will figure it out," he assured her. "You have to trust him. Whoever it is, do you really want to let them win?"

"No, but I can't let Sam end up in the bed next to me. She will hurt him if we stay together. "

Stevie just shook his head though. "She won't hurt him. She wants him. She's trying to scare you off... or worse apparently," he admitted, looking down. "What she doesn't seem to get is that he wouldn't want her whether he'd met you or not."

Mercedes wiped her eyes looking away from Stevie, why was this happening? Why did it have to happen to someone she loved, and needed.

Stevie squeezed her hand gently. "You wanna see him?"

She nodded. "I do." She said truthfully .

"Okay. I'll tell him. But I want you to remember that you're not alone in any of this, okay?" Stevie told her. "And you don't just have Sam. You've got me, my whole family, and everybody at our farm looking out for you." He gave her a small smile before he went to talk to Sam.

The door opened a few minutes later and Sam came in, wariness still evident on his face. He was sure this was all his fault.

Mercedes nodded and smiled as Stevie left. When Sam came in the room she smiled. "Come lay with me but you gotta be gentle. I'm a little beat up."

Sam sniffled and nodded, walking over to the bed. He positioned himself so his top half could lay with hers and his legs could hang off the side of the bed. He rested his forehead against the side of her head and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much."

"You didn't do anything Sam, and who knows what is actually going on here." She linked her fingers with his. "I love you too."

Sam chewed his lip as he shook his head. "I should've known after this morning that it wasn't safe for you to go to the city by yourself," he insisted. "I told you I'd keep you safe."

"Sam I don't know if they knew it was me or thought it was you, but what I do know is that I don't blame you for any of this."

"I tried to get there," he insisted, closing his eyes as he collected himself. He took a deep breath and looked down at her legs. "Are they broken?"

Mercedes followed his gaze to her legs. "No but the metal dug into my left thigh so I had to get stitches."

Sam turned his head back and pressed his lips to her temple. He swore he could feel the pain jabbing into his own body as he looked at her. He didn't even know what he could say anymore, so he just held her.

She snuggled close to Sam, feeling safe in his arms. It doesn't matter what happened as long as they had each other.

All he could do was lay there, so that's what he did. He pressed kisses along her face every now and then and kept on holding her. There was another knock on the door after awhile and Sam looked up.

The sheriff stepped in, giving them both a nod. "Sorry to interrupt. Wondering if you were up to answering a couple questions?"

Mercedes loved being close to Sam, he made all things better. When the Sheriff walked in she tried to sit up. "Um sure."

Sully gave a nod and pulled his notebook out. "So, Stevie called me around six this morning regarding the vandalism to your car and Sam here told me you'd taken his truck to work. Did you notice anything at that time? With the truck or around you?"

Mercedes sighed thinking over everything he was asking. "I noticed when. I pulled out there was some fluid in the trucks spot... and after I left I really didn't notice anything... I'm sorry."

"That's not that unusual. The old girl's been through a lot," Sam explained. "The truck, I mean!"

"No need to apologize, ma'am. Every little bit helps," Sully assured her. "Do you know what time you left work in the vehicle?"

Mercedes sighed. "Umm about 6:30..."

Sully nodded, jotting down notes. "And you say you saw Miss Keen in the passenger seat of the vehicle that hit you. Were you able to see the driver at all?"

Mercedes closed her eyes trying to remember. "I think...I think so." She said... "I'm not sure now..."

"Take your time. Like I said, any detail can help," Sully encouraged. "Could you tell if they were male or female? Maybe skin color?"

Sam took her hand and gave it a squeeze to remind her that he was there with her.

She opened her eyes fill with tears. "I dont- I dont know." She looked at Sam. "I'm sorry." She hated feeling like this. Feeling like she failed.

"It's okay, baby," Sam told her, bringing her hand to his lips.

"It's more than okay. You're welcome to call me any time if you remember anything, day or night. I would suggest you don't stay alone tonight though," Sully told her.

"They arent releasing me until tomorrow. I have a hearing I have to postpone..." she said sadly.

"I'm sure they'll understand," Sam told her. "And she can stay on the farm once she's released. As long as she needs to."

Sheriff Sullivan nodded in understanding. "Sam has my number if there's anything you want to tell me. I promise I'm gonna work to find who did this."

Mercedes shook her head."I don't know if I can stay there Sam... i..." when it her bottom lip.

Sam sighed. "It's the safest place right now, Cedes. They put the security system in this morning. There's cameras everywhere. We've got a house full of people," he pointed out. "But I mean... I can come stay at your place too."

She sighed heavily finally nodding. "Okay, I trust you."

"We'll figure it out tomorrow. See how you feel then," Sam decided. "Right now you should get some rest."

She nodded. "Did you call my brothers?"

"Yeah. I talked to them while I was in the waiting room," Sam told her. "I was a little out of it though, so I'm sure they'd appreciate hearing from you when you're up to it."

Mercedes nodded. "Okay I will call them tomorrow... will you stay tonight?"

"Of course. As long as you want me with you, I'm not going anywhere," Sam promised her. Even if she didn't want him there, he probably would've parked his ass in the waiting room for the night. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt her anymore.

"I want you with me Sam." She said smiling softly. "Laying right next to me, holding me close."

"Then that's exactly where I'll be." Sam leaned close again and kissed her softly. He pulled his phone from his pocket. "I should let Stevie and Blaze know we're gonna be here for the night."

"Are they here too? I can have them bring another bed in here and that sofa turns into one so they don't have to sleep in chairs."

"Do you run this hospital now?" Sam teased, shaking his head. "I think I'll let 'em go home though and take care of Ma and Dad. Want me to have 'em come in and say goodnight?"

"I mean I might have some pull." She nodded. "Please I wanna say goodnight to them.

Sam chuckled as he texted them. He looked back at her with a soft smile. "You might have the money, but we know the people. Bet I got more pull around here than you do," he teased.

"Oh?" She slowly sat up. "Let's just see how much pull you got. I'm hungry."

"You're kinda sexy when you're bossy," Sam told her a smile. "I'll see what I can do." He kissed her before getting up from the bed and heading out in search of food.

"Well, well. If it ain't the prettiest girl in the whole hospital!" Blaze exclaimed as he came in, Stevie trailing behind him and rolling his eyes.

Mercedes kissed him back, and sighed as he left. Seeing Blaze and Stevie she blushed. "Flatterer."

"Flirter is what he is," Stevie chuckled, glad to see Mercedes in slightly better spirits since he'd left the room earlier. "That's my brother's girl, you know?"

"Can I help it if I have a natural charm about me?" Blaze pointed out with a shrug. "Besides, I doubt she's too tempted."

Mercedes laughed. "Not tempted at all. Sorry to break your heart but I am a Sam Evans only kinda girl."

"As I suspected. I'll do my best to get over it though," Blaze promised her as he perched on the side of her bed. "But if you have any pretty lawyer friends, I am available."

"Please don't let him near Marley," Stevie begged.

"Pretty Sure Marls is a Stevie Evans kinda girl." She smirked. "But Santana...she's a good choice for you."

"Ooh, I love the sound of that already!" Nate let his usual personality settle as he looked down at Mercedes with genuine eyes. "Really though. How ya feeling?"

"I wanna say I am okay, wanna say that things are great but I am still worried about al this."

Blaze nodded in understanding. "I don't think anybody expects you to feel great right about now," he assured her. "I was there through every step of the security installation though. Been studying it all day and I can promise you that I personally will not let a damn thing happen to you on that farm. Sammy boy can handle everywhere else."

Mercedes looked down to her bandaged leg. "Who would do this? I think they thought I was Sam and if that's the case then he needs to be careful."

Blaze and Stevie looked at each other, both just as unsure as everyone else. Jess being involved in trying to hurt Sam just didn't make any sense. She was always one who preferred to use him to get her way. "Well, we're all here to look out for both of you," Blaze assured her. "We're a family around here and you're part of it now."

Mercedes nodded. "I'm sorry I just I am trying to make sense of all of this. Either someone is out to hurt me or him or both of us." Taking a breath, she frowned. "I am sorry I didn't mean to bring the room down."

Blaze just shook his head though. "It's been a helluva day for ya," he said in understanding. "Let the sheriff and his team do their job though. You get some rest tonight."

Sam reappeared with a brown paper McDonalds bag. "I have returned from the fields," he declared.

Mercedes nodded. "Okay, well I'm gonna stay at the farm for a few days so hopefully we figure it out then. When Sam returns ed she beamed. "I hope the big mac crops were good this year."

"We had an amazing yield," Sam confirmed. "I didn't get you guys anything."

"We love you too," Blaze replied sarcastically to Sam before leaning down to kiss Mercedes' cheek. "You, I actually love. Heal quickly. We'll see you tomorrow."

Mercedes nodded. "Thank you, love you guys too." She looked at Sam. "Love you most though."

"Come along, Baby Evans. Let them do their smooching." Nate wrapped an arm around Stevie's shoulders and led him out. Stevie gave Mercedes a wave before following along.

Sam just chuckled as he pulled their food from the bag. "Always good to end the night with a little comic relief."

"That is true... and a kiss I hope..." she said shyly.

"Always," Sam promised her with a smile. He leaned down and kissed her gently. The last few days had been an absolute roller coaster of emotions to say the least, but through it all, they'd stuck together. No one was going to change that. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said with a smile. "I'd love you even more if there is sweet and sour sauce for the fries."

"What do you take me for?" Sam teased as he set the sauce packets on her rolling table. "Anything else you need?"

"You know me so well." She said pulling him closer. "Just another kiss."

"How are you gonna eat anything with my mouth attached to yours?" Sam asked, raising one eyebrow. He wasn't about to deny her of anything she asked for right now though. Or any other time if he was being honest.

"I can eat in a minute." She said softly. Pulling him closer she kissed him deeply. "I am so glad you are okay."

Sam hummed softly against her lips, looking at her curiously when he pulled away. "Me? You're the one who was in the car that got smushed," he reminded her.

She kissed him again and pulled back. "Yeah well it could have been worse. You could have been hurt."

Sam shook his head slightly. "Maybe in your opinion, but I'd much rather it be me laying in this bed."

Mercedes placed the food on the hospital tray and moved to let Sam lay with her. "Agree to disagree."

Sam sighed as he fit himself onto the small bed, careful to leave Mercedes plenty of room. "Fine. But we can both agree we're gonna do everything we can to make sure neither of us ends up back here."

Mercedes nodded taking a bite of her sandwich. "I can agree with that. We gotta be careful but right now I don't want to think about any of this."

Sam nodded in understanding, popping a couple fries in his mouth. "Good idea. Let's talk about something else. You think you'll still be up to going to the game?"

Mercedes nodded. "Gotta let my brothers see I am good. I know they are pretty upset right about now."

"I would be too if someone tried to hurt Stacey," Sam admitted. "And if it involved the guy she was dating, I might... question how smart dating that guy was."

Mercedes looked at Sam. "We don't know they are from you, it could be someone from my life too."

"Honey, you saw Jess," Sam reminded her with a sigh. "She's clearly involved somehow. And that... is my fault."

"Maybe, or maybe it was someone who looks like her. All I know is that their actions have nothing to do with you or me."

"Yeah, but then she just showed up right after?" Sam pointed out, feeling himself get worked up again, his anger coming to the surface. Which is exactly what Mercedes didn't need right now, he silently reminded himself as he took a deep breath. He took her hand in his and interlocked their fingers. "Sorry."

Mercedes leaned into him laying on his chest. "Okay that was suspect but we still don't know everything so right now there is no need to get over worked up for this. I am fine, I mean i can't walk in heels or without my crutches for a few weeks so I can heal but I am fine. We are gonna go to the game and have fun okay? My brothers love me and like you even if they haven't fully met you yet that means something."

Sam lifted his arm up and wrapped it around her, kissing her temple as he held her close. "Want me to carry you everywhere? Cause I will!" he told her. "I'm happy to meet them though. And Blaze and Stevie are real excited about the game."

"Ohh my personal Sammy mobile? Yes." She said excitedly. "They are excited too. I have never been in love so they want to get to know you and like i told them they will love you."

"Mmm, so you're in love with me, huh?" Sam teased, brushing her hair back from her face.

"Yes. Very much so baby."

"I'm pretty sure that makes me the luckiest man alive," he decided, leaning down to kiss her.

Kissing him back she smiled. "Ditto."

"Oh yeah? You're the luckiest man alive too? Interesting." He stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

Mercedes yawned shoving him. "You know what I meant."

Sam chuckled as he collected their garbage and tossed it into the trash. He pushed the tray away from the bed to give them more space before settling beside her again. "Get some rest, baby girl."

She nodded. "Anything for my daddy." she hummed tiredly.

Even if Sam didn't get much sleep that night, he stayed by Mercedes side without fail and she was safe through the night. That was what mattered to him. And he'd do everything he could to keep it that way from now on.