Final chapter friends, and once again, I thank you for your continued interest and your continued support. I appreciate it.

I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own It Had to be You.


A slow, annoying beeping broke into Sam's consciousness first.

And then an antiseptic smell.

'Ah, shit! A hospital.'

He drew in a breath, and pain shot straight through his shoulder and chest, clogging the air in his lungs.

Getting shot hurt like a bitch, but oddly enough, he felt a heavy pressure on his good side. So he opened his eyes and blinked the room into focus.

The pressure was Mercedes, asleep in the chair at his bedside, her head pillowed on his good arm, wearing...a firefighter shirt.

On the other side of his bed sat Jake.

He was leaning back, his booted feet up on the bed, his hands casually linked on his belly, all relaxed, as if he were watching a ball game.

He was also wearing his firefighter uniform...minus the shirt.


"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Jake said.

"So I guess, that makes you the handsome prince," Sam said dryly.

Jake smiled.

"You caught Bethany with the stolen dough, got her confession recorded on your phone, got shot, had surgery...you're one lucky son of a bitch, by the way. Oh...and you're about to get the girl."

At that, Sam's eyes drifted to Mercedes.

Her hair was wild and crazy and in her face. Her mouth was open a little, and she was drooling on his forearm.

And he'd never seen her look more beautiful.


"Don't wake her," Jake said. "She had a rough night."

Immediately, Sam's heart kicked, and one of his monitors beeped a warning.

Jake leaned forward.

"Relax, man, she's fine. It's just, that when the cavalry showed up, she was holding a gun. And the call had gone out about a crazy lady with a gun, so…"

"Jesus!" Sam said, wishing she wasn't on his good arm, so that he could touch her. "Did they..."

"Drag her off you kicking and screaming? Yes. And took her downtown." Jake lifted a hand. "She's okay. Your phone made a great witness, and Bethany herself confessed everything. I came here first, saw you into surgery, then went down to the station to see what I could do, but by then, Mercedes was already being released. So I brought her here...where we've been ever since."

"So it's over?" Sam asked.

"The hard way, but yeah. You saved the day, man."

"Mercedes did," Sam said.

But Jake shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure it was you..."

"No, she saved me," Sam said. "She..."

He broke off, but couldn't tear his gaze off her.

"I've been pushing her away since the beginning."

"Trying to, you mean," Jake said.

Sam let out a low chuckle, then sucked in a breath of pain.

"Shit man, don't make me laugh," he said.

He inhaled very carefully, then let it back out again.

"I did try though. And she let me think I was getting away with it too," he added.

"She loves you..." Jake said.


Sam's gaze touched over Mercedes again.

She was his own miracle.

"Yeah. Go figure," he said.

"...with all that bad 'tude and surly grumpiness," Jake went on. "But, what's not to love? The question is, do you love her back?"

"More than my own life."

"Which became pretty clear, when you put your body between mine and a bullet," Mercedes said groggily, lifting her head.

Almost instantaneously, her eyes locked onto Sam's, searching.

He could see the worry, the strain, and the fear in every line of her face.

"I'm okay," he said, and then turned to Jake. "Right?"

"Well, your MLB pitching career is over, and PT is going to be a bitch," Jake said. "But your arm and shoulder will eventually be okay. As for your psyche, that's a whole different ball game. Oh and some other good news...Mike is coming back. Unlike you, he's all in one piece, no bullet holes."

He rose, stretched, and then bumped his fist very gently to Sam's hand, which was sticking out of the bandages.

Then, he walked around the bed, kissed Mercedes on the top of her head, just before walking out of the room.


Meanwhile, Mercedes never took her eyes off of Sam.

Last night had been the longest of her entire life.

Being held at the station while he had been here, and then sitting in that OR waiting room with Jake pacing through the hours, had been sheer torture.

And she couldn't help but feel, if Sam had gone to San Francisco when he'd planned on going, this wouldn't have happened.

He'd stayed to help straighten out her life.

And it had nearly cost him his.


"Stop!" Sam said, his voice gravelly and sounding tired.

But his eyes were knowing. It was as if he could read her mind.

"Stop blaming yourself," he said.

Mercedes felt her throat burn so much, she couldn't speak for a moment.

"You took a damn bullet for me, Sam."

He lifted his good hand and cupped her face.

"I'd do anything for you, Mercedes."

That was becoming quite clear, but she leaned over him, her face very, very serious.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Anything," he replied.

"Then love me," she whispered.

He slid his fingers into her hair, stroking it from her face.

"Done," he said softly.

Her breath caught and she was quite certain, her heart couldn't swell any more without bursting a rib.

"I want one more thing," she said.

Sam let out a small smile.

"You mean, other than my life, my heart and soul?"

She didn't return the smile.

She couldn't. Not with what she was about to challenge him with.


"Let me love you back," she said.

Sam's smile faded.

"Mercedes..."

"I don't care that you'll be in San Francisco. I don't. Hell, I'd move there if you wanted me too. I love you, Sam. I have, from that very first moment you looked at me like I was a crazy, naked woman in your house."

"You were a crazy, naked woman in my house," he said.

He stroked a finger over her temple, then down her jaw.

"You need to think about this, Mercedes. Loving me isn't a day in the park. I'm stubborn and like to be right. I rarely make my bed. I can never find my keys. And last but not least, I love you so much it hurts. I might die of it actually, which makes me a short-term bet at best."


With her heart in her throat, Mercedes both laughed and cried, as she dropped her hand to Sam's good shoulder.

"I already know you're stubborn as a mule. And I can let you be right...half the time."

She felt his smile and lifted her head.

"And an unmade bed works for me," she said softly. "Because, then we can just get back into it whenever we want, without worrying about messing it up."

She felt his hand fist on the back of her shirt, holding her close.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said fiercely. "The very best."

Then, he nudged her in closer for a kiss.


"Ahem."

Mercedes broke away from Sam and turned.

In the open doorway, peeking around the curtain, was Sheriff Luke and the mayor.

"Sam," the sheriff said, nodding. "Mercedes."

The mayor, looking somber, greeted them as well.

Mercedes had seen both men briefly in the station last night, though neither had spoken to her.

The sheriff of course, had had his hands full with the night's activities. And the mayor, no doubt, had been called when his wife Bethany had been brought in, still sobbing about how she'd been framed by her 'own stupid life'.

Both men had looked exhausted and solemn.

Which was how they both looked now, too.


"I wanted to make sure you were still kicking," Sheriff Luke said to Sam.

A very small smile curved Sam's lips.

"Been through worse."

"I imagine you have. But I couldn't have figured this one out so fast without you."

"It was Mercedes," Sam said.

And the sheriff nodded.

"I know. I also know you missed your review. I called Commander O'Malley. They're proceeding without you, but your job is safe and intact."

He met Mercedes' gaze then.

"And you Miss Jones, you're a social media sensation this morning."

'Oh boy,' Mercedes thought, then asked,

"You mean like Hapless Florist Nearly Screws Up Investigation?"

The sheriff smiled.

"I believe they said something about, Calamity Jane meets Annie Oakley..."

Mercedes groaned. And Sam tried to laugh, but choked it off with a sound of pain, that had her whipping back to him.


"We'll make this short," the mayor said. "Obviously, I'm horrified at the part Bethany played in this."

He was careful not to claim her as his wife, Mercedes couldn't help but notice.

Maybe it was because, her days with that title were severely numbered.


The mayor looked at Mercedes.

"I wanted to do this right away."

He pulled out his phone and accessed a video.

It was the senior center, the room Mercedes used as a classroom. And all the seniors were there, crowded close to the screen, a sea of wrinkled, anxious faces.

"We never should have doubted you, Mercedes," Mr. Sheldon said.

"And we love and admire you," Millie said.

"Stay," Mr. Lester said.

"Please," Mr. Nelson said.

Mrs. Cartwright was sitting there tight lipped, so Millie smacked her in the arm. She glared at her, and then into the camera she said,

"I know you're smarter, than to let a bunch of nosy-bodies chase you away, Mercedes Jones."

Mr. Winter's face appeared.

"You're special," he said. "Special and amazing."

"So special and amazing, that I'm gifting you the first and last month's lease money for the shop Kurt vacated," Mr. Nelson said. "And now for the reward money..."


The person taking the video pulled back, to get all of them in the same shot.

And they all held a huge mock-up of a cheque, in the amount of five thousand dollars...written to her.

Mercedes' mouth dropped open.

The mayor slid his phone away and pulled out a piece of paper.

It was a cheque...for her.

"The reward money," he said.

"Oh," she breathed, a little stunned. She looked up at the mayor. "But I can't accept this. Sam..."

"It's all yours," Sam said.


Mercedes stared down at the cheque in shock.

"It's so pretty," she whispered reverently.

Sheriff Luke laughed, then, both he and the mayor left.


"Wow!" Mercedes said with a shake of her head. "I feel like I won the lottery."

"That's not all you won," Sam said.

She leaned in and kissed him.

"What else did I win? A trip to Disneyland?" she teased.

"If you want," he said seriously, "But not what I was thinking."

"Some lease money for my flower shop?" she asked, waving the cheque.

"Most definitely, but still, not quite what I was thinking. Keep going. You're getting warmer."

"Sam..."

"Need a hint?" he asked.

"Please," she said.

He tightened his grip on her.

"Me. Us." He kissed her. "This."

She couldn't breathe again, but this time, it was because hope and love and affection were tangled in her throat, vying for space.

"We're an us?"

"Yes," Sam said, "Which is a much better deal for me, than you, so be sure..."

Mercedes put a finger against his lips.

"I'm sure. In fact, I've never been so sure of anything in my life."


A short epilogue will follow this. Stay safe!