Chapter 4

Back at the hospital, Bessie squeezed Stephanie's hand. The pink haired woman turned to her and smiled.

"It'll be ok. Uncle Milford is strong." Stephanie said.

"When he has to be." Bessie reminded her. "I just don't know what I'll do if…" Samantha cut her off.

"He'll pull through this. I'm going to see if I can find a nurse." She got up and walked down to the nurses' station. As Samantha approached she saw Dr. Rottenstein leaving.

"Is Great-Uncle Milford awake yet?" She asked.

"I was just about to come tell you. He's coming around but remember only one person in to visit him at a time." The doctor smiled.

"Thanks." Samantha smiled back. She quickly went down the hall and told Stephanie and Bessie.

"I'll help you to the room." Stephanie offered as she stood up.

"Thank you." Bessie smiled. Carefully, her 'niece' helped her get out her seat. Bessie leaned heavily on her walker while Stephanie helped her shuffle down the hall toward Uncle Milford's room. Samantha sat back down in the waiting room. She was glad to hear that the ex-Mayor was now awake and she hoped that everything would work out ok. A few minutes passed before Stephanie entered the waiting room. A heavy silence fell over the two as they thought about Milford and wondered where their men were.

Joshua and Sportacus walked into the waiting room about five minutes later. Immediately Samantha and Stephanie stood up and gave them hugs. They were about to tell the two heroes the good news when Samantha pulled back from Joshua with a sudden jerk.

"What is that on your back?" She asked as she looked at her hands.

"I don't know. I just thought it was sweat." Joshua said. He turned his head and tried to see what Samantha had felt. She stopped him and moved behind him.

"It looks like blood. Are you bleeding?" Concern crept into her voice.

"That's not mine. The man I helped was bleeding. I put him over my shoulder to carry him." Joshua explained.

"We should get that washed out. Blood, especially some that isn't yours, is a hazardous thing to not only your shirt but possibly your health." Stephanie interrupted them.

"Well it is your turn to go home." A familiar voice said. Everyone turned and greeted their friends, Trixie and Stingy. Quickly Stephanie filled everyone in on the situation before going down the hall to tell Bessie they were leaving and to see Uncle Milford. Sportacus and Joshua explained their little adventure to the others while they waited for Stephanie to return. She was back in a few minutes and the friends exchanged goodbyes and promised to talk later.

Leaving Trixie and Stingy, the four walked out and piled into Bessie's old car. She and the ex-Mayor hadn't been driving for years and they had given the car to Stephanie and Sportacus. Joshua removed his blood stained vest before sitting in the back seat with Samantha while his father started the car. The fourteen year old could now see his muscular chest and shoulders more clearly.

"Samantha are you ok?" Joshua asked as he caught her staring at him. This broke her concentration.

"I'm fine." She said slipping her hand into his. The twenty year old leaned across the seat and kissed her cheek. She was about to return the favor when the car's brakes squealed as the vehicle suddenly screeched to a halt.

To Be Continued…