*Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Passions, NBC, or JER.  I don't own these characters so don't sue me!

CHAPTER 20

            Hospital

Sam sat back in one of the plastic emergency waiting room chairs and recounted the last couple of hours.  They had changed his life forever; there was no denying that.

The ride to the hospital in the ambulance had taken only a couple of minutes, but it had seemed like hours to Sam.  He had held Grace's hand the whole way there, whispering words of comfort to his unconscious wife.  When they had arrived at the hospital, they had ripped Grace away from him and told him to stay in the waiting room and that they would update him as soon as possible.  Not long after, Kay and Jessica had arrived with his parents.  He vaguely remembered them saying something about Charity losing it and being taken away after attacking a cop who tried to calm her down.  They waited with him for an hour and weren't updated.  Finally his parents had decided that it was too nerve wracking for the girls to be waiting there and had taken them home.  A half hour later, a very sober surgeon had come out to break the bad news.  Grace had numerous internal injuries.  They had done their best and tried everything, but it had been out of their hands.  She had slipped into a coma and flat lined on the operating table.  Sam had just nodded and watched the doctor walk away.  He had been to shocked to cry or move.  He just stayed in his chair and watched all of the people and life around him.

Sam had been sitting in his spot wondering what to do next for a half hour when he noticed a big commotion by the ambulance entrance doors.  To his surprise, Pilar rushed in with the paramedics who wheeled a gurney into the examining room, leaving a desperate Pilar behind.  Sam got up and walked over to her, then lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sam, what are you doing here?"  Pilar took a good look at Sam.  He looked terrible.  Was it possible that he knew…?

"It was Grace.  She was hit by a car.…  Pilar, she didn't make it.  She died."  There, he had said it for the first time, and he started to cry.

Pilar instinctively embraced him and let him cry for several minutes.  When he was finished she spoke, "Sam, I can't tell you how sorry I am.  Grace was a wonderful woman.  Is there anything I can do for you or your family?"

"No, but thank you," Sam wiped his eyes.  "I'm sorry, Pilar I didn't even ask.  I saw you come in with the paramedics.  What happened?  Was it one of your kids," Sam asked with concern.

Pilar hesitated.  She didn't see how she could not tell Sam about Ivy, but that was the last thing he needed right now.  He wouldn't be able to handle losing two women he cared about.  "It's no one you know, Sam.  I don't want to burden you right now.  You have too much to think about."

"Don't pull that with me, Pilar.  You were there for me, now I'm here for you.  Tell me who it is.  You know I'll find out anyway, I am the Chief of Police," he joked at an attempt to loosen her up.

Pilar finally relented.  "Sam, I don't know how to tell you this, but it's…it's Ivy."  Sam's face darkened.  "When I got to the mansion, I called for her several times and she didn't answer.  When I got to her bedroom, I found her on the floor again."

Sam's voice was barely audible as his eyes filled with tears again.  "How bad was it?"

"I'm afraid it was much worse this time.  It didn't look as though she had been violated, but her pulse was very slow and weak."

Sam began to cry uncontrollably again, "I can't handle this Pilar.  I just lost Grace; I can't lose Ivy, too.  I just found out about our son."

"I know this is hard, Sam, but right now you need to be with your family.  I'll call and let you know as soon as I hear anything.  And don't worry, I'll break the news to Ethan."

"You're right, Pilar, and thank you."  Sam slowly headed out the glass doors and Pilar walked over to the pay phone to call Ethan.  It was going to be a hard night.

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