Ha! I'm back, my computer's fixed, well sort of. I still can't pen my windows media player, and I can't get rid of the damn panda virus. But I have internet. And you all have your long, long awaited update. Once again guys I'm sorry for the wait.

LJP- Lets see I update -or try to anyway- every three to four days. I'm guessing I have about sixteen chapters left. So 16 times 3.5 divided by 7 gives us eight weeks, or two months. But I might start posting a bit sooner once I get this story done. I think I have about two maybe three chapters left to type, and those just focus on the movies, and the kids during that time. One chapter will deal with Jeremiah, and another with Alex.

Crazyrussingal- Yeah Tommy's nice and sweet, to bad for him 'cause well he's gonna die soon. Oh well was never really that fond of him anyway. He's like the Pretender's version of Riley from Buffy. You kinda feel sorry for him but hate him at the same time.


CHAPTER 40

FAITH


February 27, 1999

7:56am

Blue Cove, Delaware

The Centre

"Sam!" Jen yelled out to the sweeper. The doctor was obviously out of breath.

"Jen what's wrong?" Sam asked.

"You need to get to the hospital now! Miss Parker just collapsed in the Sim lab and was rushed to the E.R." Jen told Sam. Sam looked over at his charges, the fourteen Black Files looked up at Sam worry evident on their faces. They all knew how much Sam cared about Parker.

"Jen can you get them straight. And as soon as I take care of Parker I'll be back," Sam asked. Jen nodded her head and Sam took off down the corridors running.

He arrived at the hospital a few minutes after the ambulance. He saw Broots and ran over to the technician.

"What happened?" Sam asked Broots.

"S-she just collapsed. We r-rushed her here. The doctors said she may have a perforated ulcer. They don't know if she'll be alright or not," Broots managed to say. Sam's face fell and for a few moments he stopped breathing.

'This can't be happening again' Sam thought. 'Please God I can't lose her too.' All of a sudden Parker was wheeled out of her room by a team of doctors.

"What's going on," Sam asks grabbing on of the doctors by the collar of his shirt.

"Sir, we can only disclose information to her family." The doctor replied.

"I'm her brother," Sam told the doctor.

"W-well she's being taken to surgery. She'll died if we don't stop the bleeding."

"Then you better stop it," Sam threatened. Broots look over at the sweeper amazed. Broots had known that Parker and Sam were close he just never realized just how close the two were.

After Parker was wheeled into the ICU Sam went in to see her. She was hooked up to various machines. The sight of which sickened Sam. Never before had he seen Parker look so weak.

"Hey Morgan," Sam said taking her hand and Sam had a sudden horrible flash back of watching Will and Alley in Alley's last moments. "It's me, Sammy. Listen Mor you've got to pull through this. I need you. You're all I have left. We promised Mom we'd look after each other. You can't keep me from making stupid mistakes if you die. So damn it Morgan I'm telling you that you can't die on me. You have too much to live for." Sam said tears blurring his vision.

A few moments later Sam unwilling left the ICU. He knew that he needed to get back to his charges, but he hated to leave Parker alone. Sam gaze fell on Broots, and Sam saw the same worried look on the techie's face that mirrored his own, and Sam realized that he wouldn't be leaving Parker alone. It was obvious how much Broots cared about Parker. Sam walked up to Broots.

"I have to go back to the Centre. Please watch over her. I'll be back as soon as I can," Sam told Broots.

"Y-you looked after my little girl. It's the least I can do to look after Miss Parker." Broots said. "She means a lot to you," Broots commented as Sam stared in on Parker.

"She's my sister," Sam whispered and left knowing that if he didn't leave then he never would.


February 28, 1999

7:45am

Blue Cove, Delaware

Blue Cove Memorial Hospital

Later that night Sam arrived back in the ICU around seven. He had learned of Parker's brush with death and chastised himself for not being there when she need him the most. Several times the nurses had tried to remove Sam from Parker's bedside, but the sweeper refused. Sam didn't want to leave Parker alone again.

Several times during the night Parker had awaken briefly but nothing she had said was truly coherent. Each time she had awaken she had mentioned Faith. At first Sam thought that Parker was telling him to have faith, but as Parker continued to talk Sam realized Parker was talking about the girl Parker had know briefly.

Sam heard the creek of the door. He looked up and saw Mr. Parker. The chairman had been out of town, Sam didn't know who informed the older man of his daughter's condition and didn't care. Personally Sam didn't want the chairman there but her knew that it would be what Parker wanted.

"How is my Angel?" Mr. Parker asked Sam.

"Better," Sam answered keeping the animosity out of his voice.

"Good, Good. I can as soon as I heard. And you've ah been with her all night?"

"Since a little after seven. I had to return to the Centre and tend to my charges. Broots and Sydney kept an eye on her," Sam told Mr. Parker.

"Thank you Samuel," Mr. Parker told the sweeper.

"I'll leave you two alone. I'll be out side in the waiting room call me if she wakes," Sam said and got up from his chair at Parker's bed side. He dropped a kiss on Parker's forehead and headed towards the door. Sam then paused and turned around to face the chairman.

"You know I'll never understand you. Some days it's so obvious you don't give a damn about her. But there are other days... Do you really love her?"

"She's my daughter," Mr. Parker replied. Sam frowned the chairman had not answered his question and both men knew it. Yet Sam left the room to wait outside.

Mr. Parker sat at Parker's bedside thinking of Sam's question. He did not answer the sweeper's question because he was unsure of how he felt about the young woman. Did he love the woman he called his daughter? Some days he couldn't stand the sight of her and all that she represented. But there were other days when he thought that yes, maybe he did love her.

Sam dozed uncomfortably in the waiting chairs outside of Parker's room. He woke up to Mr. Parker nudging him.

"She's awake and asking for you," Mr. Parker commented. "I'll have someone cover your shift today. Keep an eye one my angel."

"Put Reed on the Black Files. Abrahams on Phoenix. There the lest likely to screw up," Sam said. Mr. Parker nodded and left to go to the Centre. Sam entered Parker's room.

"Hey beautiful," Sam said sitting down next to Parker's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired," Parker admitted.

"Well that's understandable. After all last night you were fighting for your life."

"Are you okay?" Parker asked Sam.

"I think I should be the one asking that question," Sam replied.

"Sammy," Parker prompted.

"God Mor I thought I was going to lose you. And if I did I don't think..."

"Shush Sammy," Parker said placing a finger on his lips. "I'm okay. Everything's going to be okay. You didn't lose me."

"You remember how I told you a couple months back that one of my charges died?" Sam asked her. Parker nodded. "Well my charge had a brother. Kid lost it when his sister died, killed a couple of sweepers in the process. See he had gone looking for Raines, he had blamed Raines for his sister's death. Probably has every reason to Al's death has always been kind of fishy. Anyway I understand exactly how Will felt. Because the same thing that happened to him more or less happened to me last night."

"Sammy."

"I love you Mor. I don't say it enough, It always been something that's hard for us to say. I swear if I had lost you, I would have probably died along with you."

"No Sammy you wouldn't have. You're stronger than you think you are little brother," Parker told Sam

"You're even stronger," Sam replied.

"So after all the times I've gotten you out of the infirmary why don't you repay the favor and take me home," Parker told him changing the topic. Sam grinned, he knew just how much Parker hated the hospital.

"You know the doctors are going to make you stay so that they can run some test. But I'll see how fast I can get them in here. I'll call Thomas for you too if you want and let him know that you're in the hospital," Sam offered.

"No I'll call Tommy. He's on a business trip right now anyway I don't want him rushing back here to check on me," Parker said looking away from Sam.

"He'd want to know Mor. He loves you he has the right to know," Sam told her.

"It's a bit too early to be talking about love between me and Tommy. We care for each other yes but love..." She trailed off.

"You're the most stubborn person I've ever met. You know that right. After what has happen you would have thought that you would stop being so cautious with love Mor. For all you know Thomas could be your last shot at true happiness." Sam said.

"I know Sammy, and I'm not being cautious I just don't want to rush into anything I'm not prepared for. I have a lot of issues I need to deal with before I'm truly ready to take that next step."

"That next step being?" Sam prompted. Parker did not reply. "Well on a different note you aren't the only one who survived a brush with death last night." Sam said knowing that he wasn't going to get any further on the topic with Parker

"Oh?" Parker said raising an eyebrow.

"Yesterday Jarod's plane crashed, He was stranded overnight in the mountains."

"Not that I truly care but is the Lab Rat okay?" Parker asked. Sam suppressed a chuckle, Parker tried so hard to seem that she didn't give a damn about Jarod. But Sam could tell that she was worried about the pretender's well being. Over the past few years Parker's and Jarod's relationship border on the line of friendship/enemies. Yet the two were not true enemies. Jarod loved to drive Parker crazy, and vise versa. But it was obvious that Jarod cared about Parker. The pretender cared enough to help shine light on Centre secrets so that Parker -and Sam- learned the truth that surrounded their past. Jarod had even gone far enough to save Mr. Parker's life out of respect for Miss Parker.

Some days Sam wondered just what Jarod's intentions were towards Parker. Sometimes it seamed that Jarod was infatuated with his huntress. It was no secret that the two were quite close when they were younger. Sam would not have been surprised to learn that Jarod did care for Parker.

"Sam you didn't answer my question. Is Wonder Boy okay?" Parker asked again nudging Sam.

"What? Oh! I think so. They found him and he was alive. Don't be surprised to get a call from him," Sam answered. "So what did you and your Dad talk about?" Sam asked.

"I- we had a sister," Parker said softly. Sam stared at her unable to speak. "She was adopted. I met her with Angelo and Jarod when I was younger. We took you to met her before she died, do you remember?"

"Faith. Mom adopted her?"

"Yeah. She had found Faith in an orphanage. She was dying of Leukemia and Momma didn't want for Faith to be alone." Parker told Sam.

"Our Family gets bigger every year," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Yes it does. Can't wait to see who we shake loose next."

"Long as it's not another Lyle," Sam grinned and Parker out right laughed. "So let me go and see if I can find your doctor get him to run your test, so that I can get you out of here. Buy the way I have the next few days off to look after you."

"Oh goodie," Parker replied wryly as Sam left to find the doctor.


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