Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, form, or fashion own Without a Trace. If I did the show would be over because Sam and Martin would already be married.
A/N: This is really inspired by Spikey the Neon Blowfish (and you guys should check out Just a Little Bit More…it's awesome). I really liked the idea of taking what the show had and adding what I thought was happening. I got tired of having to think of new story lines when the TV show already has one going. So this is really my interpretation of what actually happens on the show…with some embellishments. Happy reading!
POV: Samantha Spade
Spoilers: Showdown
Chapter One: A Life Changing Phone Call
An ominous feeling overtook Samantha when her phone began to ring.
She couldn't really explain it, but for some reason when she saw Jack's number flash on the caller ID she did not want to answer. The only reason for a call would be if something had happened to Vivian or something had gone wrong during the transfer of Adisa.
"Spade," she said cautiously as she flipped it open and held it to her ear.
"Sam, something's happened. I need you down here now," came Jack's rough voice from the earpiece.
Her heart plummeted as she scribbled down the address and then bolted down the hallway, ignoring stares from fellow agents.
She jumped into the first cab she saw and yelled the address at the driver. She cursed under her breath when they encountered some minor traffic and tried to stop the horrifying scenes she was imagining from penetrating her thoughts.
She didn't think she could have felt any worse as she jumped out of the cab and walked as quickly as possible to the horrible scene that met her eyes. The ambulance and police lights and people standing around staring seemed almost surreal to her.
She spotted Jack and nearly sprinted to where he stood.
"Jack, how bad is it?" escaped her lips.
"Danny's okay but Martin's bad," Jack said in a voice almost void of emotion.
At that point Samantha felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She felt torn between screaming and throwing up.
She turned to keep from crying but instead saw the ground littered with blood stained clothing. His blood. Martin's blood.
Time seemed to stop as she stared at where he had been lying only minutes before, unconscious and fighting for his life.
She was brought back to reality by Jack's voice.
"Okay, what can I do?" she answered to cover for her momentary brain lapse.
Although the last thing she wanted to do was work, the thought of sitting around the office or her apartment, helplessly waiting would torture her. And if Martin did…die…though she hated to even consider that, the one shred of comfort she would be able to find would be knowing that she had helped to capture the man that ruined her life.
Back at the office, she knew that she should get started immediately but she couldn't even begin to concentrate without knowing more than "he's bad."
She picked up the phone receiver and dialed Danny's number without even thinking. The first word, "Taylor," she had expected to hear, but the shakiness in the usually cool and playful voice scared her.
She wanted to believe that Danny was telling her the truth and that the doctors were "positive" but she couldn't. Danny Taylor was always trying to protect her and because of that she had learned to read between the lines.
Martin was not doing well, that much she knew.
She spent every bit of her time in the office working or calling the hospital.
"I even looked up the word's origin," was a testament to that.
She didn't take coffee breaks, didn't casually check her e-mail, and bathroom breaks consisted of doing her business, washing her hands and running back to her desk.
She knew that if she slowed down she would either begin thinking of how she had acted towards him even before the break up, or worse, how her life would be different if he never came back.
And running into Director Fitzgerald was no picnic either. She could see Martin in him. His eyes, his jaw, the defiant way he wanted to find Jack on his own.
"Of course, Martin's told us about you," was the most uncomfortable bit of it all.
What had Martin told him? Had he told Victor about their relationship or simply that she was an agent he worked with?
And of course she would get no answer from him without prodding and she wasn't about to ask. No, she would simply pretend, as he was, that this was just an ordinary assignment.
She called the hospital right after that brief encounter to see if the reason Martin's dad was working was because Martin was out of surgery and stable.
But much to her surprise, Martin was still in surgery…still in danger.
The first few times she called, she left polite messages asking for information.
The next time was a bit more forceful but still polite.
The last time, she was fed up. No one would tell her what was happening. She asked to speak to Dr. Rusio, although had he left the operating table to explain to her Martin's state should would have thrown a fit.
She just wanted to know if he was okay. She just wanted to know if she could begin breathing again or if she should keep praying.
As she was about to let the receptionist have it, she saw Danny walk up. She was even amazed at how quickly her wall went back up.
She attempted and failed to move the focus off of herself. Danny quickly foiled that plan.
"Sam…he's going to be all right." He was just trying to comfort her, she knew that. And she didn't mean to pull away from him but it happened involuntarily as the phrase "How do you know?" raced through her mind.
"I just…I just need a minute," and she stalked off, trying to hold herself together for the few moments it would take to get out of the office.
She sat herself on a bench in front of a building outside, hoping that some fresh air and the low rumble of New York traffic would help clear her mind.
However, it wasn't long before thoughts of an absent Martin were flooding her conscious. She saw another agent sitting at his desk; an empty chair beside her at the conference table.
Soon her thoughts drifted to what her life would have been like without him.
No one to take her out for drinks after the case with the missing bus. No one to rub her neck on the balcony during the Colleen McGraff case. No one would have decorated the Missing Persons Christmas tree and no one to wear that ridiculous Santa hat. No one would have taken her out dancing on her birthday or surprised her with 100 white roses on Valentine's Day strategically hidden for her to find as the day progressed (twelve of which were delivered to her desk the following Monday without a name card).
And then it hit her. Without Martin, she would be dead. He had saved her one year earlier, jumping the man who had his machine gun trained on her moments before he fired.
And with that thought, she began to cry. She didn't sob or shake but the tears fell freely from her eyes and it took her a few minutes to regain control and pull herself together before heading back into the building.
When Danny's call came in that they had Dornvald, she felt little of the relief she usually did when they found the person they had been searching for.
She was glad the case was over but immediately busied herself with paperwork.
It was another hour before her phone rang again, distracting her from her work.
Her heart stopped for the second time that day as she immediately recognized the number as the hospital's.
"Hello is this Samantha Spade?" came an unfamiliar voice over the phone.
"Yes," was all she could choke out.
"This is Dr. Rusio. I'm the doctor who's been working on Martin Fitzgerald."
"Do you have any news?" She knew it was impolite but it was all that she could focus on. Was he alive? Would he make it? Had he died on the operating table?
"Yes. Mr. Fitzgerald will be fine. His vitals are stable and though he is currently resting, he was conscious a few minutes ago."
Samantha felt immediately relaxed. The knot her stomach had been in all day loosened and she was torn between crying, jumping up and down, and collapsing.
"Thank you so much, doctor." She hung up and headed into Jack's office where he and Danny were discussing the case and announced the good news. Danny looked relieved and Jack, although it wasn't very visible, was obviously more at ease.
The second she stepped out of the office she grabbed her purse and headed to the elevator leaving everything behind: her paperwork and her computer and lamp on.
She stood frozen in the hospital room doorway for a moment, struggling to take in what she was seeing. He looked dead. Pale and lifeless, his chest barley rising as he breathed the oxygen flowing into him.
Once she sat down, she didn't even make a conscious decision to grab his hand, but rather did it out of habit.
She had always hated this scene in movies and television, someone talking to the unconscious man, spilling their guts, but she didn't feel like she had any other choice.
"I'm sorry I…didn't come to see you sooner…I uh…I guess I was scared to see you like…like this. I want you to know that I know…that I haven't been very good about…being there for you. But I'm here now and…I'm not going anywhere…until I know you're alright."
"What happens next is up to you," she thought.
A/N-Hooray! I like this. Leave me a review and tell me what you think…I'll be here all night.
Next up is Danny followed by Jack's perspective on what happened in Showdown. Then I'll try to hurry up and do Safe and hopefully get started on From the Ashes before Lost Time airs on Thursday. Hooray for no exams this week!
Hope you enjoyed it!