TITLE: Running
CHAPTER 22 of many chapters
AUTHOR: Daaasl
RATING: R for language, violence and some sex
DISCLAIMER: The characters from TFATF belong solely of Universal films. No profit is being made from this work, and any copyright infringement is entirely unintentional. All other characters created for this fiction are mine, and should not be used in other materials or websites without my permission.
ARCHIVE: You can find previous chapters at: http://www.realmofvindiesel.homestead.com Anyone else wanting to post my fanfic on their site, please check with me.
FEEDBACK: Please. I like to know what you think. But be gentle and constructive. =======================================
Running
by Daaasl
Chapter 22
********** Dom's POV ********** I heard the sound of engines around the corner and came out of the shop in time to see my sister and Leon walking up. It was earlier then I had expected to see either one. Mia came up first, stopping to plant a sweet kiss on my cheek before walking inside to look for Brian. I smiled as I watched her fade into the garage and turned back to Leon, only to be confronted with his solemn stare. My smile quickly faded.
"Let's talk." he said to me, looking away and down at the ground. I nodded and turned to head back to the office inside.
"No, Dawg. Just you and me private" he said in protest. So, I turned on my heel and we walked together out to Jesse's car. We both turned, and standing side by side, leaned back against the hood with our arms folded.
We were both quiet for a moment and then I began. "Look Leon I--"
"No let me go first." he interrupted me.
I looked over at him and nodded.
"Look, Dawg, I have been blaming you for everything that happened with Sarah, but it wasn't all your fault. It's my fault."
"But Leon, there was a---" I began, but he interrupted me abruptly again.
"Dom! Let me finish man."
I sighed but I said nothing and waited. I really wanted to tell him, but I knew how he was and I let him say his peace.
"I got too caught up, just like you said I was going to." Leon said. "I let her get to me.I let myself . get too close. I should have never brought her here." he said in a pained voice. For a long, quiet moment we were both silent.
"Are you done now?" I asked quietly. Leon nodded, still gazing at the asphalt.
"Ok, Leon. One -- You were right to bring her here. I can see how she gets to you, and that isn't a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. I don't think I ever saw you this serious about any female before, and I think she is good for you. You aren't as angry and hot headed as you were before she got here." I said. He looked over at me in surprise and let out a short bark of laughter, nodding in agreement.
"Two -- None of this shit was your fault Leon. We all knew we had to find out what she was bringing to the table. Just because our background search backfired doesn't mean we were wrong to protect ourselves. Besides, there's.something we haven't told you yet." I said, waiting for his reaction. All was silent for a brief moment again. I was ready for him to lunge at me, but Leon just waited silently to hear what I had to say.
"Umm, well, Vince.. he ah-" I began and then paused, searching for the right words.
"C'mon Dom." said Leon impatiently. "What is it now. I can't deal with any more secrets after all that has----"
"There was a truck hounding Sarah when he found her. She was running from it hard. V says that's what caused her to overshoot the corner and go over the embankment." I let the words fly from my mouth so fast it sounded like it was all one syllable. Leon just stared at me and I could see his anger building up again. His face started to shake involuntarily, and his fist were clenched tight.
"Leon man. Chill out. I've got Jesse, Brian, Hector, and Edwin on this. I put out the word, and I have everyone keeping an eye out."
Leon looked at me with anger and suspicion again his jaw clenched. "Why didn't you tell me before Dom?" he spewed between his teeth
"Leon. C'mon man, think. What would you have done if I had told you earlier?" I asked him in frustration.
The flicker in his eyes told me that he realized that I had made the best choice under the circumstances. He nodded, understanding my reasoning, and allowed the tension to be released from his jaw, and fists. He leaned back against the hood with a sigh.
"Who is it?" Leon asked me grimly.
"We don't know yet man. But Jesse is running the---"
"Dom I got a match!" Jesse yelled as he ran towards us from the garage. Before Jesse could reach me, Leon had snatched the slip of paper out of his hands.
"Who the hell is it?" Leon growled as he searched the paper for information.
"Tricky bastards. That's why it took me so long. I found a fake paper trail that took me all over the place and backa gain. I went through fake companies, to fake owners, and then back to fake parent companies---"
"Get to the point Jess." I said firmly.
"Oh, yeah. " Jesse said. "Anyways, it turns out Marco Scillieri was behind the whole trail!" Jesse paused, waiting for our reactions. "Marco Scillieri dudes! Hello? Don't you guys ever read the papers? He is one of the under bosses of the Caponi Crime family!" Jesse's eyes saddened when he realizes what he was saying. His voice trailed off as he said. "He's a real bad-ass..."
Knowing what Jesse was thinking, I looked over at Leon as the name registered with him too. I never saw Leon look like he did at that moment. So desperate, so afraid.
"Dom, what do we do now?." His face went pale.
"Nothing Leon. Sarah is safe in the hospital right now." I answered. "We will get ready for her to come home, and in the meantime, we have our own little army to alert."
********* Leon's POV ********* The bastards found her! My heart sank when Jesse told us who the truck really belonged too. How the hell can I protect her from an entire army of criminals. I know I'm no angel, but I never intentionally hurt someone. I'm not an animal like these guys are. Oh god what do I do.
"Dom, what do we do now?" I pleaded with him to know the answer. This wasn't just Sarah's life in danger. Those bastards know about all of us now. He was at OUR house.
"Nothing Leon. Sarah is safe in the hospital right now." I heard Dom say, but the rest of his words didn't register. All I heard were the words that Sarah was safe, and I realized that there wasn't much I could do right then anyway. When Dom turned to Jesse and began giving him instructions and orders, I walked to the garage, deep in thought. When I finally looked up, I stopped short when I saw my car.
"Oh yeah. Surprise!" Vince said with a devilish grin as he walked around me and swatted me on the back. The car was immaculate and had all the new decals I had been wanting. She looked better than ever. I stared at her and then I stared at Vince. V. grinned at me and jerked his head in Dom's direction saying, "Peace offering man."
I shook my head and glanced back at Dom who was still giving directions to Jesse as they walked into the garage from outside. As I watched him, Dom looked up to where I stood by my ride. We made eye contact for a brief moment, and I nodded to him in thanks. Dom tipped his head in acknowledgment in return. The amends we had needed to make to each other were now completed, and I felt a huge relief knowing that the team and I were back on nearly normal terms again.
It was still early, before lunch, but I didn't care. I walked over to Dom's office and grabbed a beer. I walked out back and sat down on one of the junk cars we use for parts. After a few swigs of the cool brew, I lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath. There were new demons out there, lurking and waiting for Sarah. As I worried about what it meant that someone like Scillieri was having Sarah followed, I decided that the best thing to do would be to not leave her by herself. I was just about to get up to return to the hospital, when Brian came out.
"Hey Leon. How's Sarah doing?"
"She's doing better. Got the tube out today, but she's still weak."
"How much longer is she gonna be there?" Brian asked me.
"Dr. Solomon said at least a week, maybe two, depending on how strong she gets."
Brian just nodded. We were silent for a minute, until Brian spoke up.
"Did ah-- Did Dom tell you about the---"
"Yeah. Jesse found out the owner is Marco Scillieri. Can you believe that shit?"
Brian hunkered down and spoke to me. "Well, I talked to some old connects down at the precinct in the Organized Crime Unit."
I waited for him to continue. Picking up a stick and scratching random squares and figures in the ground, he spoke quietly, like he was just thinking aloud.
"See, they said, that the bosses, -- they usually they put all the vehicles in under one name, and then just spread them out over the country. So it could be anyone at all in that truck Leon. We really don't have any way of knowing. Don't jump to any conclusions yet." He looked across at me, catching my eye and began, "Now that we got the plates---"
"Thanks to your beautiful, smart girlfriend." Mia chimed in as she strutted around the corner to join us, with a big smile across her face.
"Thanks to my amazing, beautiful, talented girlfriend here." Brian stood and gave her a kiss. "We got the plates, and my inside at the station is working on it. He should call me back with any new info. So don't worry. Nine times out of ten, these guys are low level soldiers, just doing some spy work anyway." Brian said.
"Yeah man. But spying for who, and why?" I asked, duding out my cigarette.
"That's what we're gonna find out." Dom voice growled as he also came around the corner, joining us.
"I'm going over to the hospital to talk to your girl today Leon." he said to me.
Surprised by Dom's words, I opened my mouth in protest, but Dom had his hand up silencing me before I could speak.
"Relax, Leon. I ain't gonna upset her. I know that they don't want her upset, or stressed out. I also know that's why you an Mia got kicked out today." he said, looking at me, then over at Mia, who had her head down.
I knew she had explained to him why we were back so early. I stared at her until she looked up and we made eye contact. Our silent conversation consisted of me furrowing my brow, asking her if she told Dom about the baby; and a quick shake of her head, telling me she hadn't. A feeling of relief washed over me.
"You can give Jesse back his keys now that your car is ready." Dom called over his shoulder as he walked back through the garage and out the front to his car. I jumped down off the junk car and ran out to catch up with him before he took off.
"Thanks Dawg." I said to him as I caught up.
He turned to me. "This mean you're not going to throw me up against anymore walls?" he asked with a grin. I dropped my head, feeling stupid and guilty for losing control so easily like I had.
"I'm sorry man.I --" I began to apologize again..
"Don't even stress it. I would have done the same thing in your shoes." he said seriously. I looked up as he reached out and gave my shoulder hard squeeze. I nodded. I was glad that we were back to normal. Smiling, and giving me a final clap on the shoulder, Dom opened the door to his car and slid inside. I watched him pull out and then I turned back to the garage. I felt like doing some work.
I walked over and looked at the job board, but all the assignments were covered. So, I leaned back against the nearby work bench with my chin in my hand, to think about what I could do that could be useful. I pondered the situation for a few minutes, and had just about decided to do an inventory of our parts and supplies when a greasy rag smacked me in the side of the head with a soft thump. Startled, I reached down and retrieved the rag from the floor where it had fallen and turned to see that V was the guilty party.
Waving his arm at me, he barked, "Stop that damn pouting stuff and get your ass over here dude. I need a hand with the rebuild for this mother." Then he threw a second greasy, wadded up rag. That one I caught easily. Grinning at him, I faked throwing the rag back at his head; then pushed away from the bench, and walked over to where Vince was working.
We didn't talk about anything except the engine, and it felt good to have the distraction.
******* Dom's POV ******* I walked down the hallway to Sarah's room. I hadn't been back to the hospital since the day of the accident, and I really didn't know what to expect. I had just hung up after talking with Letty and she was coming up in another hour or so, to make amends with Sarah too. She had wanted to come up with me, but I told her I thought it would be better if I said my peace alone to Sarah. Letty didn't protest and agreed that she would come by in an hour. I walked on down the hall to Sarah's room and when I paused in her doorway, I saw her staring at the window across from her bed, and looking out at the sky. The day was warm, and the sky was the brightest blue it had been in a while. The clouds looked like cotton balls scattered throughout the sky. I hadn't even realized how nice the day was until I saw her transfixed by the vision. I smiled to myself, glad to see her looking peaceful and almost happy.
"Nice day out." I said as quietly as I could, so I wouldn't scare her. She still jumped. Then she turned to see me in the doorway. I saw her wince from the pain of her sudden movement.
"Dom?" she asked, wondering why I was there.
"Hey Sarah." I said, putting down some roses I had brought for her.
"Oh! Please bring them to me for a minute" she asked eagerly. I looked at her, a little bit confused, but obliged her request. Sarah's grip was very weak, but she held the bouquet and guided them to her face. When her the roses made contact with her nose, she inhaled as deeply as she could, before letting them go, returning them to my grip.
"I forgot how good they smelled." She smiled weakly. " I forgot how beautiful the sky was; I forgot, how precious life was. You don't think about things like that when you are just running crazy from bullshit" Sarah looked down at her hands before looking back at me. Tears glistened in her eyes, but they didn't fall.
I gently laid the white roses on the table next to her bed and then carefully stepped closer to Sarah's side. "Sarah, you and I -- we um. have to talk. OK?" She just nodded . I took a breath and looked her in the eye again. "Sarah, please don't blame Leon for all of this. I was the one who told him that we had to run the check on you. Leon was never very happy with the whole idea, but I told him we had to."
Sarah's eyes grew wide and she looked at me, perplexed.
"Why did you do that? I don't understand. What did I ever do to you?"
"You didn't do anything Sarah. It is just a rule we have that when someone new comes along and you are bringing them into the family and around the team --- Well, we always check them out first. Nothing major. We just check people out to see if they've ever gotten into any trouble or if they have any unusual or suspicious connections to other people who might create problems for us.
When we ran your name, your boyfriend --
"Ex- boyfriend!!" she quickly corrected me.
"Your ex-boyfriend, popped up, and -- well, we kept digging. I had to make sure you weren't bringing any trouble to the family Sarah. Especially cops." She looked at me even more befuddled.
"Why would you think I---" Cops?" she asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Has Leon talked much to you yet?"
"A.little. he was." her face grew pale, and she started to breathe a little more quickly, gasping slightly.
"Sarah! Sarah? Are you ok?." I asked.
For a minute, she stopped talking and tried to catch her breath. When her breathing had slowed a bit more, she looked at me again and said, "Yeah. just takes. a lot out of me" she said in a breathy whisper.
I just nodded. I sat down in a chair near the bed and scooted it closer to her. I took her hand and asked, "Are you in pain?"
"More then you want to know." she said half-smiling. She gave my hand a slight squeeze in reassurance, but I knew she wasn't exaggerating about the pain.
"Is Vince coming back?" she asked.
"I don't know, why?"
"I want to see him. I. need to thank..mmm." An unexpected stab of pain made her hiss and stopped her from finishing her statement, but I knew she wanted to see Vince again to thank him for saving her.
"I'll tell him to come see you Sarah. Please don't talk now. Just listen to me, ok?." I said. Sarah had already been through hell and I didn't want to create any more pain for her.
I continued quietly, trying to keep Sarah calm. "Just don't blame Leon please? He only did like I asked. It was for the team; for our family. The background check on you was my idea."
"But he .lied to me Dom. I trusted him --- and.. he lied." she said forcing out the words. I could see her pain was overwhelming her.
"You need a nurse Sarah?" I asked.
She just nodded her head and gripped my hand tightly as the pain came washing over her. I reached over and hit the buzzer above her head, and held her hand, telling her to stay calm. The nurse came in and checked the monitors, walked over to the IV drip and added some kind of pain relief through the IV set-up. Then she walked to Sarah's side and checked her pulse and touched Sarah's arm as she waited to see the drugs take effect.
After a moment, she patted Sarah's arm in reassurance. "You'll feel much better in a minute." She checked the IV drip one last time and then quietly walked out. I watched Sarah's face relaxing noticeably as the medication slowly pushed her pain away into the background again.
"Thasssome..really powerful shit." she slurred as her eyelids fluttered, lifting and falling. I had to let out a small laugh. It must have been powerful, because I could literally feel the tension leaving her grip on my hand as she relaxed. Her half-closed eyes told me she was beginning to drift back into unconsciousness.
"Sarah, I'm gonna go." I said gently, and brought my other big mitt up to hold her small hand again, squeezing it gently..
"Nooo.. Please.. Stay here Dom. It's so lonely here by myself." Her voiced softened and slurred more. "I lost everything. I lost my life, my friends, my family. I've lost Leon. Can't you jus stay wit me?" she pleaded. She was rambling. Whatever the nurse had given her, had done its work.
"OK, Sarah. It's ok. I'll stay, but you haven't lost anything. You haven't lost anything." I told her. "We're all here for you. Mia and Letty are making a room for you at the house, for when you get home."
"Ssss nodmy home. I don hava home." She whispered mournfully with her eyes closed.
"Yes it is Sarah. You have a home with us now, if you want it. I need your help at the shop, and Mia and Letty want you with us too." I told her. "And you haven't lost Leon either, so just get well and come back to us again, ok?" Her eyes opened again and she looked at me through a haze of tears and the medication.
"Yesssh he did. He lied to me, ... broke.mah. heart... I." her eyelids closed once more and her head rolled to the side as the drug finally knocked her out. I petted the her hand calmly and softly as she slept. I hadn't gotten the chance to tell her everything about us yet, like I wanted to. But I knew her rest was more important than our story, at least for the time being.
******* Letty's POV ******* When I made it to the hospital I felt a twinge of dread in the pit of my stomach. As I made it to the main entrance I saw Dom coming out.
"Hey. Leaving already?"
Giving me a kiss on my forehead he told me, "She's sleeping right now. The nurse gave her something for pain and knocked her right out. I think she may be up again pretty soon though. I just got some---" I cut him off quickly with a kiss.
"What was that for!?" he said smiling, his hands around my waist.
"I'm glad you and Leon talked things out Baby. You'll feel better now. You will both feel better now." Dom just nodded.
"So I'm glad Dom. And now I'll take my turn and make peace with her. I owe her an apology for acting up like I did that day."
Dom gave me a quick hug of encouragement and then said, "She doesn't stay awake long. She might be up for about 15 minutes at a time because she is still in a lot of pain."
I nodded without answering and we parted with another kiss before I walked into the main lobby of the hospital. Taking the elevator up to her floor, I thought about what I needed to say to Sarah and hoped I could do it right. When I got off on her floor and made it to her hallway, I saw Sarah being supported by two nurses, with a third following her, moving slowly and awkwardly in my direction.
She was still attached by various wires and hoses to her monitors and the third nurse was keeping them from tangling as she made tiny little steps. Sarah was only 2 or 3 rooms down from her own, and as I got closer, I could hear her small whimpers of pain before I reached them.
"God damn it! Let me sit down for a minute! This hurts!" I heard her complain..
"Now, now Ms. Ippolito. We have to get your blood circulating again to prevent any blood clots from the surgery." said the taller nurse. "Doctor Solomon insists. It's for your protection, and the sooner you we can get you on your feet, the better. I know it hurts honey, but that's because you haven't moved anything in a week."
"Let me be.. please.. this..Ahhhhh!" I walked over quickly to the group and tapped one of the nurses on her shoulder. She looked up, recognizing me and stepped aside so that I could help.
"Now that's the attitude I wanna hear girl!" I said smiling as I supported half her weight. Sarah looked over at me in surprise and then started to grin.
"Letty? Where the hell did you---- ? FUCK!" she yelped as her knees began to buckle under her.
Holding on to her with all our strength to keep her from falling, I hollered, "Get her a goddamned wheelchair! She's not gonna make it back to her room this way!" Suddenly I realized a tall black man in whites and gold-rimmed glasses was right behind us with the chair I was yelling for. A shrill little cry of pain escaped Sarah as we set her into the chair, even though we'd been as gentle as possible. I looked up at the black man in thanks and saw his name on his whites. "Tom? Thank you for getting that damn chair here in time. Another minute and we woulda all been on the floor!" I told him. He just grinned and patted Sarah on the shoulder saying, "Can't let the star patient be landing on her butt in our hallway now." She looked up at me defeated, and shook her head. She was panting from the short ordeal, and could only nod when the nurse Tom asked her if she was o.k. now. The nurses all looked at me and I nodded to them that I could get her back to her room. They left to return to their other patients and I took the handles of the chair to take Sarah back to her room.
"This is so bad Letty." Sarah said as I carefully wheeled her back to her room, avoiding all the wires and hoses. There was a tray of food waiting for her. It consisted of a plain piece of toast, half an apple cut into small pieces, and jello.
"Really tempting stuff" I laughed as I helped her back onto her bed. She moaned softly as she got to her feet with my help. A couple of steps and she was soon sitting on the bed. I began to reach for her legs to swing them around, but she stopped me.
"Not yet please. I've been laying in this bed for a week now. I just want to sit up for awhile."
I looked at her, trying to gauge her energy level.
"Please Letty? Just for a minute? They wont even let me shower alone yet." she said pleading.
"OK. Five minutes chica." I said as I moved her table with the food tray to her. Sarah slowly picked up the fork and tried to lift a bit of jello to her mouth, but cried out again.
"Fuck! I can't.do..anything.." Sarah's breath began to get shorter and more labored as her frustration got the best of her. I could see her face wincing as pain hit her hard. I moved quickly and swung her legs around and onto the bed. grabbing all her pillows, I put everything behind her back and helped ease her back, and tried to get her comfortable.
"Thanks Letty. Just please don't leave ok? .I jus..need to rest." she said closing her eyes. I pulled her table with the food tray away and sat down on the edge of her bed. Taking one her hands, I smoothed her hair away from her forehead.
"Girl, I won't leave you. I promise." I assured her. Sarah half opened her eyes, and smiled before drifting off to sleep for a bit. After sitting quietly with her for 5 or 10 minutes, I went out to the nurse's station and asked them how long her doc had said she was going to be there.
The nurse Tom looked down at her chart and said, "Well, we started her on her bland diet today, and got her walking. That is excellent progress. The lady is still hurting, but if she continues with such good results she should be able to be released in a week to ten days." He looked up at me and smiled in encouragement.
"That's good to know. So what about when she comes home? What do we do for her then?" I asked.
"Keep her comfortable and make sure she takes her medications." chirped the smaller nurse. "The Dr. will give her some breathing exercises to rebuild the strength in her lungs. Those will be very important.
Tom nodded and added, "Doctor Solomon will go over all of this in better detail with all of you before she is released. Is her room at home upstairs or down?"
"It's upstairs. Why?" I answered.
"That might be good. Again, it depends on what the Doctor wants for her, but getting her to move a round a little bit every day will help with her recovery. Also." Tom paused thoughtfully.
"What?" I said impatiently. "Also what?"
"Well, it will be important to watch out for any signs of depression she could develop. It can be pretty common with patients in her condition. She may feel helpless and frustrated; or like a burden. If you can just make her feel comfortable and encourage her, she should be fine."
I walked back to her room and walked up to her bed in time to see her stirring. I sat down in the chair next to her bed just as she opened her eyes.
"Hey slugger." I said with a sly smile.
She let out a small weak laugh and nodded over at her table with the food.
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "You really wanna eat that stuff?"
With a wry grin she said, "I haven't had any solid food in a week. I'm up for just about anything right now." she said. I moved the table with its tray over and helped her adjust her bed so that she was sitting completely upright. I stopped her before she could pick up the fork again. Taking the spoon instead, I slowly fed her the jello, a little bit at a time.
"Better not tell anyone I'm being nice and doing this. You'll wreck my reputation." I growled with a sarcastic grin. Sarah grinned, but it quickly faded into a sad look. She took my hand, stopping me from giving her another spoonful of jello.
"Letty I --- thank you for coming to see me." she said softly.
I slowly put down the spoon and then looked down at my hands before speaking. "Sarah. I'm really sorry for jumping down your throat like I did that day." With a sigh, I continued. "I have a problem with a real jealous streak in me and I let my emotions and my suspicions get out of control that day and took it out on you. I apologize for being such a bitch. It wasn't right and I am embarrassed that I did that in front of everyone. I try hard to not be that way, but when it comes to how I love Dom," --- and I broke off. Starting over again I said, "If I had just slowed down and thought carefully about the situation, I would have known better. I'd already seen the way you and Leon---"
"There is no me and Leon." Sarah stated bluntly and angrily.
I looked up startled. "But Sarah, you can't --" I began
"No Letty. I'm not going to let it slide. Leon lied to me." she said. Taking a slow breath, she continued. "I vowed to myself when I left NJ, that I wouldn't put up with anymore lies from any man. When I met him, I thought Leon was different. Her eyes closed in hurt and then opened again. "But I found out that Leon is just like the rest of them. Actually he's worse, because he pretended to be on my side. So, there is no me and Leon."
I had no answer for her. I just nodded and reached for her spoon again to continue feeding her jello. After a few more small bites, she said "Letty?"
"Yeah."
"I can't stay with you guys anymore."
"What!" I said shocked.
"I mean, I'll find some place to recover," she continued calmly. "Then I'm leaving California."
I could hear the strain in her voice, and looking at her closely, I could see uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.
Trying to be firm and sensible with her, I replied "Sarah, no. You can't just leave like that. Why would you---?"
"There's no reason for me to stay Letty. I'll just be in the way. The last thing any of you need is some invalid hanging around that you all have to take care of."
"Dom's not going to like hearing this Sarah. He already has all of us planning out how to help you recover, and Mia and I are fixing up the upstairs office into a bedroom for you!"
"Oh no Letty!" she said in dismay and stuttered, "I can't do that! I'm a liability to you all -- maybe even a real danger!"
I pushed the table with its food aside again and reached for both of Sarah's hands. "Stop Sarah! It'll be ok. You have to have a safe place to stay until you're recovered girl. You have to swallow that pride stuff and let us help. Dom and Mia will be so bummed if you don't let them help. Stay with us, please? Then once you're back on your feet, you can do whatever you want, ok?!" (Please God. Say 'yes' Sarah, please!)
Sarah looked at me in stunned silence and then out the window. After what seemed like forever, she returned her gaze to me. For long moments she still didn't speak, as she looked hard into my eyes, searching for something.
Finally, I wrinkled my brow in a silent plea for her answer and she spoke with a sigh. "Ok, Let. But, only until I'm well. Then I'll have to leave. I know Anthony is looking for me." Her shoulders rounded and she looked away from me. "Last time he found me by searching through hospital records. I'm afraid it will only be a matter of time before he finds me again."
I listened to her seriously and prayed that my face didn't betray my thoughts (If you only know how right you are Sarah!)
Instead I smiled with relief and happiness. "Hey girl. You're stuck with us for right now, and there's no way we would let anything happen to you."
"But Letty, that is what I'm the most afraid of. I don't want--- I can't allow anyone else to get hurt like this. I think Anthony. I think it was him that following me.when I crashed. I don't know for sure, but it defiantly fits his M O. I can't allow people to be hurt trying to protect me from him!" Her eyes squeezed shut in frustration, and she leaned her head back on her pillows.
"Sarah honey. We all know about the situation, because of the background search. And Vince already told us about everything that he saw; about the SUV; about it dogging you and everything.. Dom's already on it, and the family can deal."
Sarah's head jerked up and she leaned forward from her pillows. "No!" she exclaimed. "Tell Dom he has to back off! This is too dangerous. Tell him to back off, please Letty." she gasped. "I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me." Just as I began to worry about her breathing, a monitor's beeping went off in the background. As Sarah leaned forward watching me and pleading with her eyes, I saw faint signs of confusion in them and then her eyelids began to get heavy and drop slowly.
"Sarah?" I asked.
Grimacing in frustration, Sarah answered, "Its..the damn morphine feed. Don't worry." She re-focused her eyes and looked at me seriously again and said with great effort. "Dom. Just tell Dom I beg him to back off." Again her eyes lost focus and her words slurred and faded out until she succumbed to drug induced slumber. I waited quietly, but anxiously for a few minutes before I walked away from her bed and over to the doorway of the room.
God, was Sarah right? Or was she just paranoid about Anthony? I called Dom on the cell phone.
When Dom answered, I said, "Dom, I told Sarah about the truck."
"Letty! Why?! I thought we discussed ---"
"It's ok Dom. Relax. Sarah brought it up herself. But she was really determined about wanting the team to back off. She's says it is way too dangerous for us to get involved. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what happened here and what she said about it."
"Letty, I don't care about Anthony or his threats. Nobody ever messes with one of our own and gets away with it." Dom growled. Wow, Dom said one of our own. He hasn't been this determined to take care of something since the Tran incident.
"I know, you're right, but there's more. She said she didn't want to stay with us. She said she'd be a burden and wanted to stay somewhere else to recoup, and then leave California when she is back to normal! I think I finally convinced her to stay with us, but it was close!" Trying not to panic again, I took a deep breath and continued. "Dom, I talked to the nurses too and they said that depression is a common side-effect of surgery. And when I tried to talk to her about Leon she went off about him lying and all. Every time I mention his name, she ---"
"I know Letty. She keeps saying she doesn't want to have anything to do with him."
"I can understand her feelings, but Dom, Leon is mad for the girl and I know damn well she has feelings for him. What the fuck are we ---
*"Mira Letty, venga hogar." Dom interrupted me gently. "I'm going to send Vince and Jesse up there to see her. She was asking for Vince earlier anyway. Maybe our constant attention and presence will wear down her resistance, o.k?"
**"Bueno. Lo amo Dominic." I whispered.
***"Lo amo más, mi corazón." he replied and we hung up.
I turned and walked back to Sarah's side. Pulling her blanket up around her small shoulders, I kissed her forehead gently before leaving.
================================== * Look Letty, come home.
**OK. I love you Dominic.
***I love you more, my heart.
CHAPTER 22 of many chapters
AUTHOR: Daaasl
RATING: R for language, violence and some sex
DISCLAIMER: The characters from TFATF belong solely of Universal films. No profit is being made from this work, and any copyright infringement is entirely unintentional. All other characters created for this fiction are mine, and should not be used in other materials or websites without my permission.
ARCHIVE: You can find previous chapters at: http://www.realmofvindiesel.homestead.com Anyone else wanting to post my fanfic on their site, please check with me.
FEEDBACK: Please. I like to know what you think. But be gentle and constructive. =======================================
Running
by Daaasl
Chapter 22
********** Dom's POV ********** I heard the sound of engines around the corner and came out of the shop in time to see my sister and Leon walking up. It was earlier then I had expected to see either one. Mia came up first, stopping to plant a sweet kiss on my cheek before walking inside to look for Brian. I smiled as I watched her fade into the garage and turned back to Leon, only to be confronted with his solemn stare. My smile quickly faded.
"Let's talk." he said to me, looking away and down at the ground. I nodded and turned to head back to the office inside.
"No, Dawg. Just you and me private" he said in protest. So, I turned on my heel and we walked together out to Jesse's car. We both turned, and standing side by side, leaned back against the hood with our arms folded.
We were both quiet for a moment and then I began. "Look Leon I--"
"No let me go first." he interrupted me.
I looked over at him and nodded.
"Look, Dawg, I have been blaming you for everything that happened with Sarah, but it wasn't all your fault. It's my fault."
"But Leon, there was a---" I began, but he interrupted me abruptly again.
"Dom! Let me finish man."
I sighed but I said nothing and waited. I really wanted to tell him, but I knew how he was and I let him say his peace.
"I got too caught up, just like you said I was going to." Leon said. "I let her get to me.I let myself . get too close. I should have never brought her here." he said in a pained voice. For a long, quiet moment we were both silent.
"Are you done now?" I asked quietly. Leon nodded, still gazing at the asphalt.
"Ok, Leon. One -- You were right to bring her here. I can see how she gets to you, and that isn't a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. I don't think I ever saw you this serious about any female before, and I think she is good for you. You aren't as angry and hot headed as you were before she got here." I said. He looked over at me in surprise and let out a short bark of laughter, nodding in agreement.
"Two -- None of this shit was your fault Leon. We all knew we had to find out what she was bringing to the table. Just because our background search backfired doesn't mean we were wrong to protect ourselves. Besides, there's.something we haven't told you yet." I said, waiting for his reaction. All was silent for a brief moment again. I was ready for him to lunge at me, but Leon just waited silently to hear what I had to say.
"Umm, well, Vince.. he ah-" I began and then paused, searching for the right words.
"C'mon Dom." said Leon impatiently. "What is it now. I can't deal with any more secrets after all that has----"
"There was a truck hounding Sarah when he found her. She was running from it hard. V says that's what caused her to overshoot the corner and go over the embankment." I let the words fly from my mouth so fast it sounded like it was all one syllable. Leon just stared at me and I could see his anger building up again. His face started to shake involuntarily, and his fist were clenched tight.
"Leon man. Chill out. I've got Jesse, Brian, Hector, and Edwin on this. I put out the word, and I have everyone keeping an eye out."
Leon looked at me with anger and suspicion again his jaw clenched. "Why didn't you tell me before Dom?" he spewed between his teeth
"Leon. C'mon man, think. What would you have done if I had told you earlier?" I asked him in frustration.
The flicker in his eyes told me that he realized that I had made the best choice under the circumstances. He nodded, understanding my reasoning, and allowed the tension to be released from his jaw, and fists. He leaned back against the hood with a sigh.
"Who is it?" Leon asked me grimly.
"We don't know yet man. But Jesse is running the---"
"Dom I got a match!" Jesse yelled as he ran towards us from the garage. Before Jesse could reach me, Leon had snatched the slip of paper out of his hands.
"Who the hell is it?" Leon growled as he searched the paper for information.
"Tricky bastards. That's why it took me so long. I found a fake paper trail that took me all over the place and backa gain. I went through fake companies, to fake owners, and then back to fake parent companies---"
"Get to the point Jess." I said firmly.
"Oh, yeah. " Jesse said. "Anyways, it turns out Marco Scillieri was behind the whole trail!" Jesse paused, waiting for our reactions. "Marco Scillieri dudes! Hello? Don't you guys ever read the papers? He is one of the under bosses of the Caponi Crime family!" Jesse's eyes saddened when he realizes what he was saying. His voice trailed off as he said. "He's a real bad-ass..."
Knowing what Jesse was thinking, I looked over at Leon as the name registered with him too. I never saw Leon look like he did at that moment. So desperate, so afraid.
"Dom, what do we do now?." His face went pale.
"Nothing Leon. Sarah is safe in the hospital right now." I answered. "We will get ready for her to come home, and in the meantime, we have our own little army to alert."
********* Leon's POV ********* The bastards found her! My heart sank when Jesse told us who the truck really belonged too. How the hell can I protect her from an entire army of criminals. I know I'm no angel, but I never intentionally hurt someone. I'm not an animal like these guys are. Oh god what do I do.
"Dom, what do we do now?" I pleaded with him to know the answer. This wasn't just Sarah's life in danger. Those bastards know about all of us now. He was at OUR house.
"Nothing Leon. Sarah is safe in the hospital right now." I heard Dom say, but the rest of his words didn't register. All I heard were the words that Sarah was safe, and I realized that there wasn't much I could do right then anyway. When Dom turned to Jesse and began giving him instructions and orders, I walked to the garage, deep in thought. When I finally looked up, I stopped short when I saw my car.
"Oh yeah. Surprise!" Vince said with a devilish grin as he walked around me and swatted me on the back. The car was immaculate and had all the new decals I had been wanting. She looked better than ever. I stared at her and then I stared at Vince. V. grinned at me and jerked his head in Dom's direction saying, "Peace offering man."
I shook my head and glanced back at Dom who was still giving directions to Jesse as they walked into the garage from outside. As I watched him, Dom looked up to where I stood by my ride. We made eye contact for a brief moment, and I nodded to him in thanks. Dom tipped his head in acknowledgment in return. The amends we had needed to make to each other were now completed, and I felt a huge relief knowing that the team and I were back on nearly normal terms again.
It was still early, before lunch, but I didn't care. I walked over to Dom's office and grabbed a beer. I walked out back and sat down on one of the junk cars we use for parts. After a few swigs of the cool brew, I lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath. There were new demons out there, lurking and waiting for Sarah. As I worried about what it meant that someone like Scillieri was having Sarah followed, I decided that the best thing to do would be to not leave her by herself. I was just about to get up to return to the hospital, when Brian came out.
"Hey Leon. How's Sarah doing?"
"She's doing better. Got the tube out today, but she's still weak."
"How much longer is she gonna be there?" Brian asked me.
"Dr. Solomon said at least a week, maybe two, depending on how strong she gets."
Brian just nodded. We were silent for a minute, until Brian spoke up.
"Did ah-- Did Dom tell you about the---"
"Yeah. Jesse found out the owner is Marco Scillieri. Can you believe that shit?"
Brian hunkered down and spoke to me. "Well, I talked to some old connects down at the precinct in the Organized Crime Unit."
I waited for him to continue. Picking up a stick and scratching random squares and figures in the ground, he spoke quietly, like he was just thinking aloud.
"See, they said, that the bosses, -- they usually they put all the vehicles in under one name, and then just spread them out over the country. So it could be anyone at all in that truck Leon. We really don't have any way of knowing. Don't jump to any conclusions yet." He looked across at me, catching my eye and began, "Now that we got the plates---"
"Thanks to your beautiful, smart girlfriend." Mia chimed in as she strutted around the corner to join us, with a big smile across her face.
"Thanks to my amazing, beautiful, talented girlfriend here." Brian stood and gave her a kiss. "We got the plates, and my inside at the station is working on it. He should call me back with any new info. So don't worry. Nine times out of ten, these guys are low level soldiers, just doing some spy work anyway." Brian said.
"Yeah man. But spying for who, and why?" I asked, duding out my cigarette.
"That's what we're gonna find out." Dom voice growled as he also came around the corner, joining us.
"I'm going over to the hospital to talk to your girl today Leon." he said to me.
Surprised by Dom's words, I opened my mouth in protest, but Dom had his hand up silencing me before I could speak.
"Relax, Leon. I ain't gonna upset her. I know that they don't want her upset, or stressed out. I also know that's why you an Mia got kicked out today." he said, looking at me, then over at Mia, who had her head down.
I knew she had explained to him why we were back so early. I stared at her until she looked up and we made eye contact. Our silent conversation consisted of me furrowing my brow, asking her if she told Dom about the baby; and a quick shake of her head, telling me she hadn't. A feeling of relief washed over me.
"You can give Jesse back his keys now that your car is ready." Dom called over his shoulder as he walked back through the garage and out the front to his car. I jumped down off the junk car and ran out to catch up with him before he took off.
"Thanks Dawg." I said to him as I caught up.
He turned to me. "This mean you're not going to throw me up against anymore walls?" he asked with a grin. I dropped my head, feeling stupid and guilty for losing control so easily like I had.
"I'm sorry man.I --" I began to apologize again..
"Don't even stress it. I would have done the same thing in your shoes." he said seriously. I looked up as he reached out and gave my shoulder hard squeeze. I nodded. I was glad that we were back to normal. Smiling, and giving me a final clap on the shoulder, Dom opened the door to his car and slid inside. I watched him pull out and then I turned back to the garage. I felt like doing some work.
I walked over and looked at the job board, but all the assignments were covered. So, I leaned back against the nearby work bench with my chin in my hand, to think about what I could do that could be useful. I pondered the situation for a few minutes, and had just about decided to do an inventory of our parts and supplies when a greasy rag smacked me in the side of the head with a soft thump. Startled, I reached down and retrieved the rag from the floor where it had fallen and turned to see that V was the guilty party.
Waving his arm at me, he barked, "Stop that damn pouting stuff and get your ass over here dude. I need a hand with the rebuild for this mother." Then he threw a second greasy, wadded up rag. That one I caught easily. Grinning at him, I faked throwing the rag back at his head; then pushed away from the bench, and walked over to where Vince was working.
We didn't talk about anything except the engine, and it felt good to have the distraction.
******* Dom's POV ******* I walked down the hallway to Sarah's room. I hadn't been back to the hospital since the day of the accident, and I really didn't know what to expect. I had just hung up after talking with Letty and she was coming up in another hour or so, to make amends with Sarah too. She had wanted to come up with me, but I told her I thought it would be better if I said my peace alone to Sarah. Letty didn't protest and agreed that she would come by in an hour. I walked on down the hall to Sarah's room and when I paused in her doorway, I saw her staring at the window across from her bed, and looking out at the sky. The day was warm, and the sky was the brightest blue it had been in a while. The clouds looked like cotton balls scattered throughout the sky. I hadn't even realized how nice the day was until I saw her transfixed by the vision. I smiled to myself, glad to see her looking peaceful and almost happy.
"Nice day out." I said as quietly as I could, so I wouldn't scare her. She still jumped. Then she turned to see me in the doorway. I saw her wince from the pain of her sudden movement.
"Dom?" she asked, wondering why I was there.
"Hey Sarah." I said, putting down some roses I had brought for her.
"Oh! Please bring them to me for a minute" she asked eagerly. I looked at her, a little bit confused, but obliged her request. Sarah's grip was very weak, but she held the bouquet and guided them to her face. When her the roses made contact with her nose, she inhaled as deeply as she could, before letting them go, returning them to my grip.
"I forgot how good they smelled." She smiled weakly. " I forgot how beautiful the sky was; I forgot, how precious life was. You don't think about things like that when you are just running crazy from bullshit" Sarah looked down at her hands before looking back at me. Tears glistened in her eyes, but they didn't fall.
I gently laid the white roses on the table next to her bed and then carefully stepped closer to Sarah's side. "Sarah, you and I -- we um. have to talk. OK?" She just nodded . I took a breath and looked her in the eye again. "Sarah, please don't blame Leon for all of this. I was the one who told him that we had to run the check on you. Leon was never very happy with the whole idea, but I told him we had to."
Sarah's eyes grew wide and she looked at me, perplexed.
"Why did you do that? I don't understand. What did I ever do to you?"
"You didn't do anything Sarah. It is just a rule we have that when someone new comes along and you are bringing them into the family and around the team --- Well, we always check them out first. Nothing major. We just check people out to see if they've ever gotten into any trouble or if they have any unusual or suspicious connections to other people who might create problems for us.
When we ran your name, your boyfriend --
"Ex- boyfriend!!" she quickly corrected me.
"Your ex-boyfriend, popped up, and -- well, we kept digging. I had to make sure you weren't bringing any trouble to the family Sarah. Especially cops." She looked at me even more befuddled.
"Why would you think I---" Cops?" she asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Has Leon talked much to you yet?"
"A.little. he was." her face grew pale, and she started to breathe a little more quickly, gasping slightly.
"Sarah! Sarah? Are you ok?." I asked.
For a minute, she stopped talking and tried to catch her breath. When her breathing had slowed a bit more, she looked at me again and said, "Yeah. just takes. a lot out of me" she said in a breathy whisper.
I just nodded. I sat down in a chair near the bed and scooted it closer to her. I took her hand and asked, "Are you in pain?"
"More then you want to know." she said half-smiling. She gave my hand a slight squeeze in reassurance, but I knew she wasn't exaggerating about the pain.
"Is Vince coming back?" she asked.
"I don't know, why?"
"I want to see him. I. need to thank..mmm." An unexpected stab of pain made her hiss and stopped her from finishing her statement, but I knew she wanted to see Vince again to thank him for saving her.
"I'll tell him to come see you Sarah. Please don't talk now. Just listen to me, ok?." I said. Sarah had already been through hell and I didn't want to create any more pain for her.
I continued quietly, trying to keep Sarah calm. "Just don't blame Leon please? He only did like I asked. It was for the team; for our family. The background check on you was my idea."
"But he .lied to me Dom. I trusted him --- and.. he lied." she said forcing out the words. I could see her pain was overwhelming her.
"You need a nurse Sarah?" I asked.
She just nodded her head and gripped my hand tightly as the pain came washing over her. I reached over and hit the buzzer above her head, and held her hand, telling her to stay calm. The nurse came in and checked the monitors, walked over to the IV drip and added some kind of pain relief through the IV set-up. Then she walked to Sarah's side and checked her pulse and touched Sarah's arm as she waited to see the drugs take effect.
After a moment, she patted Sarah's arm in reassurance. "You'll feel much better in a minute." She checked the IV drip one last time and then quietly walked out. I watched Sarah's face relaxing noticeably as the medication slowly pushed her pain away into the background again.
"Thasssome..really powerful shit." she slurred as her eyelids fluttered, lifting and falling. I had to let out a small laugh. It must have been powerful, because I could literally feel the tension leaving her grip on my hand as she relaxed. Her half-closed eyes told me she was beginning to drift back into unconsciousness.
"Sarah, I'm gonna go." I said gently, and brought my other big mitt up to hold her small hand again, squeezing it gently..
"Nooo.. Please.. Stay here Dom. It's so lonely here by myself." Her voiced softened and slurred more. "I lost everything. I lost my life, my friends, my family. I've lost Leon. Can't you jus stay wit me?" she pleaded. She was rambling. Whatever the nurse had given her, had done its work.
"OK, Sarah. It's ok. I'll stay, but you haven't lost anything. You haven't lost anything." I told her. "We're all here for you. Mia and Letty are making a room for you at the house, for when you get home."
"Ssss nodmy home. I don hava home." She whispered mournfully with her eyes closed.
"Yes it is Sarah. You have a home with us now, if you want it. I need your help at the shop, and Mia and Letty want you with us too." I told her. "And you haven't lost Leon either, so just get well and come back to us again, ok?" Her eyes opened again and she looked at me through a haze of tears and the medication.
"Yesssh he did. He lied to me, ... broke.mah. heart... I." her eyelids closed once more and her head rolled to the side as the drug finally knocked her out. I petted the her hand calmly and softly as she slept. I hadn't gotten the chance to tell her everything about us yet, like I wanted to. But I knew her rest was more important than our story, at least for the time being.
******* Letty's POV ******* When I made it to the hospital I felt a twinge of dread in the pit of my stomach. As I made it to the main entrance I saw Dom coming out.
"Hey. Leaving already?"
Giving me a kiss on my forehead he told me, "She's sleeping right now. The nurse gave her something for pain and knocked her right out. I think she may be up again pretty soon though. I just got some---" I cut him off quickly with a kiss.
"What was that for!?" he said smiling, his hands around my waist.
"I'm glad you and Leon talked things out Baby. You'll feel better now. You will both feel better now." Dom just nodded.
"So I'm glad Dom. And now I'll take my turn and make peace with her. I owe her an apology for acting up like I did that day."
Dom gave me a quick hug of encouragement and then said, "She doesn't stay awake long. She might be up for about 15 minutes at a time because she is still in a lot of pain."
I nodded without answering and we parted with another kiss before I walked into the main lobby of the hospital. Taking the elevator up to her floor, I thought about what I needed to say to Sarah and hoped I could do it right. When I got off on her floor and made it to her hallway, I saw Sarah being supported by two nurses, with a third following her, moving slowly and awkwardly in my direction.
She was still attached by various wires and hoses to her monitors and the third nurse was keeping them from tangling as she made tiny little steps. Sarah was only 2 or 3 rooms down from her own, and as I got closer, I could hear her small whimpers of pain before I reached them.
"God damn it! Let me sit down for a minute! This hurts!" I heard her complain..
"Now, now Ms. Ippolito. We have to get your blood circulating again to prevent any blood clots from the surgery." said the taller nurse. "Doctor Solomon insists. It's for your protection, and the sooner you we can get you on your feet, the better. I know it hurts honey, but that's because you haven't moved anything in a week."
"Let me be.. please.. this..Ahhhhh!" I walked over quickly to the group and tapped one of the nurses on her shoulder. She looked up, recognizing me and stepped aside so that I could help.
"Now that's the attitude I wanna hear girl!" I said smiling as I supported half her weight. Sarah looked over at me in surprise and then started to grin.
"Letty? Where the hell did you---- ? FUCK!" she yelped as her knees began to buckle under her.
Holding on to her with all our strength to keep her from falling, I hollered, "Get her a goddamned wheelchair! She's not gonna make it back to her room this way!" Suddenly I realized a tall black man in whites and gold-rimmed glasses was right behind us with the chair I was yelling for. A shrill little cry of pain escaped Sarah as we set her into the chair, even though we'd been as gentle as possible. I looked up at the black man in thanks and saw his name on his whites. "Tom? Thank you for getting that damn chair here in time. Another minute and we woulda all been on the floor!" I told him. He just grinned and patted Sarah on the shoulder saying, "Can't let the star patient be landing on her butt in our hallway now." She looked up at me defeated, and shook her head. She was panting from the short ordeal, and could only nod when the nurse Tom asked her if she was o.k. now. The nurses all looked at me and I nodded to them that I could get her back to her room. They left to return to their other patients and I took the handles of the chair to take Sarah back to her room.
"This is so bad Letty." Sarah said as I carefully wheeled her back to her room, avoiding all the wires and hoses. There was a tray of food waiting for her. It consisted of a plain piece of toast, half an apple cut into small pieces, and jello.
"Really tempting stuff" I laughed as I helped her back onto her bed. She moaned softly as she got to her feet with my help. A couple of steps and she was soon sitting on the bed. I began to reach for her legs to swing them around, but she stopped me.
"Not yet please. I've been laying in this bed for a week now. I just want to sit up for awhile."
I looked at her, trying to gauge her energy level.
"Please Letty? Just for a minute? They wont even let me shower alone yet." she said pleading.
"OK. Five minutes chica." I said as I moved her table with the food tray to her. Sarah slowly picked up the fork and tried to lift a bit of jello to her mouth, but cried out again.
"Fuck! I can't.do..anything.." Sarah's breath began to get shorter and more labored as her frustration got the best of her. I could see her face wincing as pain hit her hard. I moved quickly and swung her legs around and onto the bed. grabbing all her pillows, I put everything behind her back and helped ease her back, and tried to get her comfortable.
"Thanks Letty. Just please don't leave ok? .I jus..need to rest." she said closing her eyes. I pulled her table with the food tray away and sat down on the edge of her bed. Taking one her hands, I smoothed her hair away from her forehead.
"Girl, I won't leave you. I promise." I assured her. Sarah half opened her eyes, and smiled before drifting off to sleep for a bit. After sitting quietly with her for 5 or 10 minutes, I went out to the nurse's station and asked them how long her doc had said she was going to be there.
The nurse Tom looked down at her chart and said, "Well, we started her on her bland diet today, and got her walking. That is excellent progress. The lady is still hurting, but if she continues with such good results she should be able to be released in a week to ten days." He looked up at me and smiled in encouragement.
"That's good to know. So what about when she comes home? What do we do for her then?" I asked.
"Keep her comfortable and make sure she takes her medications." chirped the smaller nurse. "The Dr. will give her some breathing exercises to rebuild the strength in her lungs. Those will be very important.
Tom nodded and added, "Doctor Solomon will go over all of this in better detail with all of you before she is released. Is her room at home upstairs or down?"
"It's upstairs. Why?" I answered.
"That might be good. Again, it depends on what the Doctor wants for her, but getting her to move a round a little bit every day will help with her recovery. Also." Tom paused thoughtfully.
"What?" I said impatiently. "Also what?"
"Well, it will be important to watch out for any signs of depression she could develop. It can be pretty common with patients in her condition. She may feel helpless and frustrated; or like a burden. If you can just make her feel comfortable and encourage her, she should be fine."
I walked back to her room and walked up to her bed in time to see her stirring. I sat down in the chair next to her bed just as she opened her eyes.
"Hey slugger." I said with a sly smile.
She let out a small weak laugh and nodded over at her table with the food.
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "You really wanna eat that stuff?"
With a wry grin she said, "I haven't had any solid food in a week. I'm up for just about anything right now." she said. I moved the table with its tray over and helped her adjust her bed so that she was sitting completely upright. I stopped her before she could pick up the fork again. Taking the spoon instead, I slowly fed her the jello, a little bit at a time.
"Better not tell anyone I'm being nice and doing this. You'll wreck my reputation." I growled with a sarcastic grin. Sarah grinned, but it quickly faded into a sad look. She took my hand, stopping me from giving her another spoonful of jello.
"Letty I --- thank you for coming to see me." she said softly.
I slowly put down the spoon and then looked down at my hands before speaking. "Sarah. I'm really sorry for jumping down your throat like I did that day." With a sigh, I continued. "I have a problem with a real jealous streak in me and I let my emotions and my suspicions get out of control that day and took it out on you. I apologize for being such a bitch. It wasn't right and I am embarrassed that I did that in front of everyone. I try hard to not be that way, but when it comes to how I love Dom," --- and I broke off. Starting over again I said, "If I had just slowed down and thought carefully about the situation, I would have known better. I'd already seen the way you and Leon---"
"There is no me and Leon." Sarah stated bluntly and angrily.
I looked up startled. "But Sarah, you can't --" I began
"No Letty. I'm not going to let it slide. Leon lied to me." she said. Taking a slow breath, she continued. "I vowed to myself when I left NJ, that I wouldn't put up with anymore lies from any man. When I met him, I thought Leon was different. Her eyes closed in hurt and then opened again. "But I found out that Leon is just like the rest of them. Actually he's worse, because he pretended to be on my side. So, there is no me and Leon."
I had no answer for her. I just nodded and reached for her spoon again to continue feeding her jello. After a few more small bites, she said "Letty?"
"Yeah."
"I can't stay with you guys anymore."
"What!" I said shocked.
"I mean, I'll find some place to recover," she continued calmly. "Then I'm leaving California."
I could hear the strain in her voice, and looking at her closely, I could see uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.
Trying to be firm and sensible with her, I replied "Sarah, no. You can't just leave like that. Why would you---?"
"There's no reason for me to stay Letty. I'll just be in the way. The last thing any of you need is some invalid hanging around that you all have to take care of."
"Dom's not going to like hearing this Sarah. He already has all of us planning out how to help you recover, and Mia and I are fixing up the upstairs office into a bedroom for you!"
"Oh no Letty!" she said in dismay and stuttered, "I can't do that! I'm a liability to you all -- maybe even a real danger!"
I pushed the table with its food aside again and reached for both of Sarah's hands. "Stop Sarah! It'll be ok. You have to have a safe place to stay until you're recovered girl. You have to swallow that pride stuff and let us help. Dom and Mia will be so bummed if you don't let them help. Stay with us, please? Then once you're back on your feet, you can do whatever you want, ok?!" (Please God. Say 'yes' Sarah, please!)
Sarah looked at me in stunned silence and then out the window. After what seemed like forever, she returned her gaze to me. For long moments she still didn't speak, as she looked hard into my eyes, searching for something.
Finally, I wrinkled my brow in a silent plea for her answer and she spoke with a sigh. "Ok, Let. But, only until I'm well. Then I'll have to leave. I know Anthony is looking for me." Her shoulders rounded and she looked away from me. "Last time he found me by searching through hospital records. I'm afraid it will only be a matter of time before he finds me again."
I listened to her seriously and prayed that my face didn't betray my thoughts (If you only know how right you are Sarah!)
Instead I smiled with relief and happiness. "Hey girl. You're stuck with us for right now, and there's no way we would let anything happen to you."
"But Letty, that is what I'm the most afraid of. I don't want--- I can't allow anyone else to get hurt like this. I think Anthony. I think it was him that following me.when I crashed. I don't know for sure, but it defiantly fits his M O. I can't allow people to be hurt trying to protect me from him!" Her eyes squeezed shut in frustration, and she leaned her head back on her pillows.
"Sarah honey. We all know about the situation, because of the background search. And Vince already told us about everything that he saw; about the SUV; about it dogging you and everything.. Dom's already on it, and the family can deal."
Sarah's head jerked up and she leaned forward from her pillows. "No!" she exclaimed. "Tell Dom he has to back off! This is too dangerous. Tell him to back off, please Letty." she gasped. "I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me." Just as I began to worry about her breathing, a monitor's beeping went off in the background. As Sarah leaned forward watching me and pleading with her eyes, I saw faint signs of confusion in them and then her eyelids began to get heavy and drop slowly.
"Sarah?" I asked.
Grimacing in frustration, Sarah answered, "Its..the damn morphine feed. Don't worry." She re-focused her eyes and looked at me seriously again and said with great effort. "Dom. Just tell Dom I beg him to back off." Again her eyes lost focus and her words slurred and faded out until she succumbed to drug induced slumber. I waited quietly, but anxiously for a few minutes before I walked away from her bed and over to the doorway of the room.
God, was Sarah right? Or was she just paranoid about Anthony? I called Dom on the cell phone.
When Dom answered, I said, "Dom, I told Sarah about the truck."
"Letty! Why?! I thought we discussed ---"
"It's ok Dom. Relax. Sarah brought it up herself. But she was really determined about wanting the team to back off. She's says it is way too dangerous for us to get involved. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what happened here and what she said about it."
"Letty, I don't care about Anthony or his threats. Nobody ever messes with one of our own and gets away with it." Dom growled. Wow, Dom said one of our own. He hasn't been this determined to take care of something since the Tran incident.
"I know, you're right, but there's more. She said she didn't want to stay with us. She said she'd be a burden and wanted to stay somewhere else to recoup, and then leave California when she is back to normal! I think I finally convinced her to stay with us, but it was close!" Trying not to panic again, I took a deep breath and continued. "Dom, I talked to the nurses too and they said that depression is a common side-effect of surgery. And when I tried to talk to her about Leon she went off about him lying and all. Every time I mention his name, she ---"
"I know Letty. She keeps saying she doesn't want to have anything to do with him."
"I can understand her feelings, but Dom, Leon is mad for the girl and I know damn well she has feelings for him. What the fuck are we ---
*"Mira Letty, venga hogar." Dom interrupted me gently. "I'm going to send Vince and Jesse up there to see her. She was asking for Vince earlier anyway. Maybe our constant attention and presence will wear down her resistance, o.k?"
**"Bueno. Lo amo Dominic." I whispered.
***"Lo amo más, mi corazón." he replied and we hung up.
I turned and walked back to Sarah's side. Pulling her blanket up around her small shoulders, I kissed her forehead gently before leaving.
================================== * Look Letty, come home.
**OK. I love you Dominic.
***I love you more, my heart.