Absolution
By Midnight Caller
I have not now, or ever owned these characters...
Eolivet – thank you for the read-throughs and comments, and thanks to everyone who took the time to write feedback and support – it really means a lot to me. :)
**
Chapter 10
Karen sat by the side of her sister's hospital bed, her face buried in her hands, her mind too overwhelmed to form a cohesive thought.
Horrified by the number of tubes connected to her daughter's body, Patricia Feldman stared at the sight before her, one hand covering her mouth as her eyes traveled up and down each piece of medical equipment keeping Andrea alive.
David kept his distance, leaning against the opposite wall, but even a cursory glance into his eyes would've shown how terrified he was, remorse washing over his features as his eyes began to fill with tears.
**
Outside the room, Samantha watched, pleased that they'd found Andrea alive, but saddened by the ordeal she would still have to endure.
After another moment, she turned, looking down the hallway to the familiar man sitting in a chair, head in his hands.
As Samantha approached Jack, he stood.
"They have her stabilized," she told him. "But she'll be unconscious at least until tomorrow."
Jack cleared his throat. "And the family?"
Sam looked at him for a moment before answering, "They'll be okay." She held his gaze, wordless, until she closed her eyes and said, "I think I'm ready to go."
**
Outside, the air was crisp and biting, the buildings and cars bathed in the blue/yellow light of early morning. Another cold front was on its way, blocking most of the rising sun behind a thick layer of gray clouds. Some straggling birds flew overhead in a makeshift pattern, their scattered vocalizations echoing quietly in the frigid air.
Compared to the bustling city less than an hour south of them, everything seemed so... still.
Despite the cold, Samantha seemed to be comforted by how quiet it was, and she paused outside the car for a moment to watch her breath puff out of her mouth.
Jack observed her from only a few feet away, the cold air nipping at his nose and ears. He saw the crinkle in her brow, and the circles under her bloodshot, glazed eyes, but he still thought she was just as beautiful as the first time he saw her.
She caught him staring at her, and was slightly taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. But then she looked away, shaking her head in irritation, and turned around to unlock the car.
The door opened a few inches and then stopped as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She shut the door and spun around to face him, her hands moving back into her coat.
"What, Jack?" she said, not really wanting to hide the frustration in her voice.
Acknowledging her discouraged expression, he leaned back against the car next to theirs and imitated her stance, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Another moment passed and he still kept quiet. Her patience was wearing thin, and she was ready to drive back to New York without him at this point.
Just as she was about to tell him her plans, he spoke.
"I ran away once," he admitted softly. "A week after the day I... found my mother."
Sam glanced briefly at the ground, slightly uncomfortable, and then looked back over at him.
His eyes glazed over as they seemed to take him back to that day. "My father and I had gotten into a fight and... I think I just wanted him to feel what I was feeling -- what it was like to be completely alone..."
A slight hint of moisture began to gather in his eyes, and Sam suddenly felt a tug at her heart, a heavy sadness weighing it down as she watched him remember.
"I came back the next day, and I could tell he hadn't slept, but... there was no welcome from him. We didn't speak for days. I could see it in his eyes – I'd left him when he needed me the most. It was..." he paused to swallow, his voice suddenly cracking. "It was exactly what I'd done to her."
Samantha's heart shattered, watching him unravel like this, but as much as it hurt her and hurt him, she stayed where she was, her hands reluctantly digging deeper into her pockets.
He looked toward the hospital as a tear clung to his eyelid, poised to fall down his cheek.
"And I thought finding that poor girl in there would somehow... help... but it didn't. And neither will the next one." He blinked, and the tear broke free.
He quickly wiped the moisture from his skin, and it was when his hand dropped back into his pocket that he felt the heavy silence in the air, the look in Samantha's eyes the only comfort she was able to give him.
Jack's eyes fell to the pavement as his hand reemerged from his pocket, his left thumb restlessly rubbing against the ring on his finger.
"It was almost thirty years ago... I know I have to let it go. But I just... I wish I could've told her..." He looked up, his eyes filled with sadness as he grieved for his mother, for Doris Lovitt, for a son's betrayal of his father.
Sam felt pressure at the back of her throat, and the air stung at the moisture gathering in her eyes. Slowly, she stepped toward him, her cold fingers coming to rest on top of his. They both looked down at their hands before their eyes met again.
It seemed like an eternity before he said anything.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, so quiet that she probably would have never heard it were it not for her proximity.
Watching her expression carefully, his other hand left his pocket and reached over to brush across her jaw. She closed her eyes, and her hand tightened around his.
Momentarily, she feared that he would stop and walk away, just like before, but when he only continued to make lethargic circles on her skin, she brought her other hand up to meet his, her fingers sliding lightly across his wrist.
Their eyes connected, and he slowly moved his fingers up toward her cheek, his thumb sliding over the corner of her mouth.
She swallowed as he leaned forward, and just as he was inches away she whispered, "She knows."
His fingers slid toward her ear, grazing against her neck as they moved to cradle her head, and then he pulled gently, bringing their lips together almost chastely for a warm, comforting kiss.
Their mouths parted, and he met her eyes briefly before pulling her into an embrace, his arms wrapping around her as he rested his head on top of hers. She hugged him back, her head easily falling into place against his chest as if no time at all had passed since they had last done this.
Closing his eyes, he released a quiet sigh, and for that moment, he finally let go.
(fin.)