Author's Notes: Reviews make me write faster and are appreciated.

Part 7

Age: 12 Years 6 1/2 Months

Samantha bustled busily around Jack's room, straightening and dusting. Everything had to be perfect for his homecoming. After more than two weeks in the hospital they were finally releasing him and she couldn't wait. Smoothing the covers on his bed, Samantha readied it for Jack. Although she had visited him every day, the visits were short and they lacked the privacy the pair were accustomed to. Because of Jack's illness, Samantha hadn't even been allowed to kiss him except on the cheek.

The room had taken a while to prepare because every night after bed check Samantha had crept up to Jack's room and slept in his bed. She'd taken to showering in his bathroom and had taken to bringing a change of clothes with her each night. Looking around she surveyed for any remaining dirty clothes that she might have missed. While she was certain Jack wouldn't have minded her staying in his room, she felt slightly embarrassed at the idea of him knowing she'd been sleeping in his bed.

The faint aura of Jack had clung to the pillows and had given her such delicious and wicked dreams. Samantha wondered if Jack was really serious about them getting married, the idea both thrilled and terrified her. A blush stole across her cheeks as she imagined laying in the same bed with Jack and kissing him. One afternoon when the other residents were in lessons, Samantha stumbled across the staff watching a soap opera, there was a couple in bed on the screen and they said it was their wedding night. Would she do that with Jack? Apparently a wedding night was supposed to be a really big deal and Samantha turned even redder as images from her dreams flashed in her mind.

Shaking thoughts of weddings and wedding nights away, Samantha looked at the clock anxiously. In about half an hour, Jack would arrive and the time couldn't pass fast enough. Walking to the full length mirror, Sam stood and smoothed her dress and ran her fingers through her hair. Funny before meeting Jack she didn't care how she looked and now, she worried constantly. Satisfied at last, Samantha headed downstairs to watch for Jack.

"Why don't you go watch television in the rec room like the other kids?" Janice demanded as she walked up behind Sam who stood watching for Jack. "You're a pretty girl and if you would just act like everyone else, you could be friends with the other girls. No one else cares that Albert's coming back. Trust me if you keep hanging out with freaks like that you'll never have a boyfriend or be popular."

Samantha turned her head around slowly and regarded Janice with disgust. Tartly she responded, "I already have a boyfriend and I don't want to be like everyone else."

"I mean a real boyfriend. You could be a cheerleader and date a football player."

Samantha looked at Janice as though she'd suggested she become a prostitute and marry a pimp. Looking back out the window, she replied, "Jack is all I want. He's all I need."

"Don't you get it? He isn't going to live."

"Yes he will. I know he will."

"And how did you decide that?" Janice snorted in disgust.

"Jack promised me."

"Men promise things all the time, you'll learn it doesn't mean much," Janice informed her and walked away.

"Jack will always keep his word. He loves me," Samantha murmured confidently.

As a car stopped in front of the house, Samantha's face lit up. Jack had arrived. Although she longed to run outside and throw herself in his arms, she settled for walking out the the porch. The pair decided to avoid drawing attention and comment to their romance. In the hospital, Jack had told Samantha of his plan for them to marry and he didn't want to have anything arouse the staff's suspicions that was more than the usual crushes that the residents indulged in. Watching Jack walk slowly towards the house, Samantha's breath caught in her throat, she loved him so much and was so relieved that he was back.

Jack stepped onto the porch and wrapped an arm around her waist, burying his face in her hair, he whispered, "My Samantha. How I've missed you."

Shyly Samantha smiled and lead Jack into the house. They walked up the stairs very slowly, with Jack leaning on Sam and the railing for support. On each landing, they paused for Jack to catch his breath, the worst of the bronchial infection was over, but he was still very weak. On the last landing before they ventured up to the fourth floor where Jack's rooms were, Samantha's anger at Billy multiplied as she watched Jack struggle for air. Her heart ached seeing Jack so weakened.

At night when she wasn't having naughty dreams about Jack, she was plagued with nightmares imagining him in the cold and dark gasping for air. Looking at Jack, memories of dreams and nightmares flooded her and any reservations about getting married fled. She had nearly lost Jack and all that mattered was that their lives were bound together. Her heart belonged to him and Samantha wanted to belong to Jack in every way possible and have him belong to her in every way possible.

When they reached Jack's room, Samantha waited for Jack to change into pajamas in the bathroom and then helped him into bed. His head barely hit the pillow and he fell into an exhausted sleep. Samantha watched him contentedly, Jack had come back to her and they were together again. Feeling tired herself from the stress of the last two weeks, Sam started to walk over to the small settee to grab a nap herself when Jack's eyes snapped open. Often Samantha wondered how he always knew when someone was around. Jack moved slightly and pulled the covers back in invitation. Samantha climbed into bed with him and fell asleep with his arm around her waist.

Samantha roused much later when Jack kissed her awake. After blinking awake, she smiled and stretched contentedly. Moving against him, she kissed him deeply and wrapped her arms tightly around him. His hand strayed to her breast for a moment and she boldly put a hand on his thigh.

Jack's breathing became ragged and he told her, "You'd better go to dinner and show up for bed check."

Reluctantly Sam left and did as he suggested. After dinner she'd stopped at his room on the way to bedcheck and had asked if she should come back.

"Maybe you shouldn't tonight Samantha, they might actually check on me sometime since I've been in the hospital, maybe tomorrow night."

Samantha's face fell and she left. Her crestfallen expression had nearly undone him, but Jack needed a little time alone. After two weeks of nurses checking on him at all hours and waking up next to Samantha, Jack wanted to take care of his needs before he embarrassed himself while kissing Samantha. In the hospital it hadn't been too tempting because he'd felt so sick, but now that he felt a little better; his physical desire for Samantha had returned with a vengeance. When she'd put her hand on his thigh, it took every bit of concentration Jack had not to move her hand higher and find release.

After bedcheck was finished, Samantha couldn't sleep. Did she do something wrong? Normally, Jack couldn't see enough of her and tonight he seemed to want to get rid of her. Maybe he regretted asking her to marry him or perhaps he thought she didn't really want to marry him? For half an hour, she tossed and turned, then got out of bed and slipped on her robe. Quietly she crept out of her room and headed up the stairs to Jack's room.

Pausing outside his room, she was about to knock when she heard Jack call out, "Samantha!"

Had he heard her? Maybe he was having a nightmare, he'd had some horrible nightmares in the hospital. When he was there, she would wake him up and comfort him. Any time she had asked what his nightmares were about, he'd insisted they were too horrible to tell her, that one day he would tell her about his parents, but not yet. When he called out her name a second time, Samantha quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

Samantha was going to walk over to the bed, but froze as her eyes strayed to the bed. In the semi-darkness she saw Jack. The covers were pushed to the foot of the bed and he was completely naked. His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed as his hand caressed the flesh between his thighs. As Samantha watched Jack, she knew she should leave before he caught her, but her feet remained rooted to the floor. Inside her stomach she felt the strange fluttery feeling that she got when Jack kissed her. On the bed, Jack's entire body was tensed and his muscles quivered as his hand moved purposefully. At last he climaxed, moaning Samantha's name. Unable to stop herself, Samantha gasped, betraying her presence. Jack sat bolt upright and grabbed the covers over himself.

Angrily he snapped, "What are you doing here?"

"I-"

"You what? How long have you been there?"

"Jack, I-"

Embarrassed, Jack covered his humiliation with rage and bravado. Throwing the covers back he stood up and moved towards her. Samantha turned her head away, unsure how to react.

"You were staring at me before, so have a good long look Samantha."

"Jack, please put something on. I didn't mean to-"

"Must have been really amusing for you, watching me."

Confused by her feelings and upset that she'd angered him, Samantha's eyes started to tear up. Instantly Jack grabbed a robe and wrapped his arms around her. Leading her over to the bed, he tried to soothe her.

"I just had missed you and wanted to be with you," Samantha sobbed. "I heard you say my name and thought it was one of your nightmares."

Guiltily, Jack pleaded, "Please don't cry my Samantha."

Continuing to cry, she told him, "I'd never seen a boy naked before. Earlier I'd been thinking about what our wedding night would be like and I started feeling funny watching you and I'm sorry."

His embarrassment being pushed aside by self-recrimination, Jack hushed her. "Forgive me for yelling at you, I just was felt ashamed that you saw me like that and having you know that I thought those sorts of things about you."

Samantha mumbled into his chest, "If we're going to get married I would hope you think those things about me."

Jack laughed and Samantha raised her tear stained face and scowled. "Not funny."

"Wait here a moment," he told her.

Jack rushed up to the attic, despite the strain on his lungs. This was too important to wait. Moving to the far end he pried up the loose floor board and extracted the velvet box. Carrying it back to his room, Jack had to pause to catch his breath. Samantha through her tears tried to get him to lay back down, but he refused. Instead he sat her down and after a moment knelt down and looked up at her.

"I wanted to do this on your birthday, but didn't get to do it right, the hospital wasn't very romantic. Samantha, I love you and always will no matter what. Please marry me."

Nodding, she murmured, "Yes Jack. I'll marry you."

"Soon?"

"Yes."

They kissed gently to seal their engagement. Jack then pulled his pajama pants on under his robe and took the robe off and put on his pajama shirt.

"Stay with me? Please."

Samantha got into bed and allowed Jack to wrap her in his embrace. She felt badly that she had embarrassed Jack earlier, she hadn't meant to. Watching him had been one of the most erotic things she'd ever seen. Shyly she confessed, "Jack, sometimes I dream about you."

Not realizing what she meant, Jack answered, "That's nice. What sorts of dreams?"

"I dream about you kissing me and touching me. Sometimes I wake up-" Samantha trailed off.

"Samantha, it's okay, I'm not still mad. I never really was mad, I just felt embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be," she told him. Her voice lowered to a whisper, "I liked watching you. Maybe after we're married you would let me watch you."

Jack was mildly surprised at her suggestion, but happily surrendered his mouth to hers. It would be okay to do that maybe when they were married. Married to Samantha, Jack thought contentedly.

"So tell me about this plan of yours that will allow us to get married," Samantha ordered him playfully.

Happily, Jack obliged...