A/N - Hey everyone! These are the last few chapters of the story. I hope you all enjoy how it ends. I wanted to say Thank you to all of you who have stuck with the story this whole time. This took way longer to finish than I ever anticipated but it was super fun to write and everyone was so supportive and had many nice things to say. Thanks so much for making my first experience with fanfic so enjoyable! Please, let me know your thoughts about the ending!
Help!" Sam weakly cries out, while she pounds on the small window. As she opens her mouth to let out another scream a cough comes out instead. Suddenly, her position at the window becomes unstable. Sam looks down at Jo, who held Sam on her shoulders. "Jo! You've got to keep me steady!" Sam chides.
Jo crooks her neck to look at Sam out of the corner of her eye. "I'm trying. It's not that easy you know." Jo claps back. "I need a break." She says as she leans down to let Sam down onto the floor.
Jo walks over and leans against the wall. Slowly she slides down to a seated position. She lets out a loud sigh and brushes her disheveled hair out of her face. Jo reaches over next to her and grabs the box of crackers Kim had left the women days before.
"Empty." Jo whispers to herself.
"What's that?" Sam, who was sitting against the opposite wall, inquires.
"The crackers, they're all gone. That was the last of the food." Jo announces meekly. Scanning the room, she spies the empty water bottles scattered across the floor. "And we are out of water."
"Yeah, thanks for the newsflash." Sam snaps back.
Jo rolls her eyes and straightens her legs out in front of her.
"I'm just saying. We haven't had that much to eat for days. We're out of water. I'm tough but even I can't run on no food or water for long. I'm trying, but I'm weak, I don't know if I can hold you up to the window anymore."
"Fine then, I'll lift you up there. I'm still strong." Sam scoffs loudly. As she placed her hand down against the floor and went to raise herself up to stand a wave of dizziness washed over her. Sam tried to hide the episode from Jo, but Jo was watching her like a hawk.
"Yeah, sure you will." Jo mocks. "Sam, be realistic. You've been in this box longer than I have, you're weaker than me. And also, logistically, how would that even work. I mean, I'm just saying I'm about 6 inches taller than you, I have a bigger frame, I'm definitely more muscular than you."
"Pffftt, I could totally take you." Sam interjects.
Jo let's out a little chuckle. "I'm not saying this to boast." She looks over to Sam with a smile. "Okay, maybe I'm boasting a little. But what I am really saying is that we have to face the fact that..." Jo pauses and looks at Sam with sadness on her face. "That we may not be getting out of here."
Sam jerks forward and slaps her hands on the floor.
"We are getting out of here!" She exclaims. "Drew will come for us. I know he will."
Jo looks down at the floor and inhales deeply. She brings her knees up to her chest and lays her head down on them briefly. She knew she now had to tell Sam that Drew may not have come back from the mission. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about her brother really being dead this time and Drew sacrificing himself trying to right the wrong. Jo cleared her throat and blinked back the tears. She didn't want to break down telling Sam the news.
"Look, Sam. There's something I need to tell you." Jo lifted her head from her knees and scooted her body across the room to sit next to Sam. Jo placed her hand on Sam's. "It's about Drew and why he went out of town."
"Okay?" Sam responded with curiosity. "What's going on?" Sam asked drawing her head back.
"Drew, he went on a very dangerous mission." Jo began calmly.
"What, what are you talking about? He's not in the Navy anymore. How could he go on a dangerous mission? And didn't you tell me he just had brain surgery?"
Jo began shaking her head and patting Sam on the arm.
"Yes, yes, I know. That's all true. But the mission was to retrieve my brother from hostiles in Afghanistan."
"Why Drew? Why was he the one to go? Because it was your brother? Did you use your relationship with him to guilt Drew?" Sam blasts.
Anger immediately washed over Jo. How dare Sam imply she would guilt Drew into anything! If Sam only knew Jo was planning on stepping aside for HER!
"You are some piece of work, you know that? You know nothing about my relationship with Drew or ANYTHING about my brother!" Jo angrily spouts. "For your information, my brother was in Drew's unit when they were deployed to Afghanistan! The unit got caught in a firefight and my brother was pinned down and hurt in a hostile area! Drew tried to get to him but they were bombarded with artillery shells! The next thing Drew saw, my brother was being shot in the head by the enemy! Or at least that's what we thought." Jo had now calmed down some and was speaking much quieter.
Sam breathed in deeply. She knew she had been wrong and needed to apologize. Hearing the story and knowing Drew, Sam knew that there was no way anyone would have stopped him from going on that mission.
"Jo, I'm really sorry. You're right. I had no idea. And, I do know Drew and nothing would have kept him from making that wrong right. Not even brain surgery." She chuckled.
The two women looked at each other and began to laugh.
"Oh my gosh that man is stubborn," Jo muses smooshing her hands into her cheeks.
"Yeah, it's nice to know some things haven't changed." Sam concurs. She gets a far off look in her eyes and starts thinking about her kids and how she may never see them again. Her eyes begin to tear up. Sam's thoughts are interrupted by Jo snapping.
"What about that other guy of yours. Jason? Isn't that his name?" Jo quips.
Sam thought back and remembered how she had told her mom that she was going out of town for a few days. She knew Jason would never think anything was up and would give her space. He was probably too busy with Sonny and Carly to even notice she was gone. She wondered if he had even been visiting Danny.
"Umm, yeah, Jason, he's not really an option. He's not going to think anything is up with me being gone." Sam concedes.
"Why not? Aren't you the mother of his son? Wouldn't he be curious why you haven't been around?" Jo questions.
Sam pushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and exhaled loudly.
"Jason isn't really that involved with Danny right now and besides I had told my mom I was going to be out of town for a few days. Jason won't think anything different." Sam squeaks out softly.
Jo lets her head fall back and closes her eyes. There last chance for a rescue was dashed. Jo suddenly realized how heavy her eyes were. She was tired. She looked over at Sam. She was sobbing silently. Jo put her arm around Sam and pulled her in close. Jo stroked her hair and tried to soothe her. Soothing her seemed pointless. The situation was bad. There was no way out of this hellhole, no one was coming to help them and God only knew if Kim was ever coming back. Jo doubted it. Kim wanted them out of the way so she could have Drew. There was no way she would come back, even if Drew was dead. Sam and Jo could identify her and turn her in to the police. Kim would never risk that. A tear rolled down Jo's cheek. She hadn't realized she had begun to cry too. She wiped the tear away and inhaled slowly. She knew what she had to do.
"Hey, Sam you know what? I need to tell you something." Sam quietly hummed her reply. "Drew loves you, you know that? He really loves you and I know in the end you two would have ended up together."
"You think so?" Sam muttered.
"I know so. I've known Drew a really long time and I don't think I have ever seen anyone with more of a hold on his heart than you." Jo winced as she spoke the words, knowing that she had once had the same hold. But it wasn't likely that they were going to make it out of this, so with what was left of her life she wanted to do this good thing. Ease Sam's pain just a little. She knew she still loved Drew and honestly the only thing she wanted at that moment was for Drew to come bursting through the door and grab her and hold her, but she knew that even if Drew did rescue them, she would not be the one going home with him.
"You and his daughter and even Danny, I have never seen Drew smile bigger than when he sees you all." Jo continues. "A family is all Drew has ever wanted and you gave that to him. I know that means a lot to him. It means more than a lot. It means everything to him."
After a few moments Jo didn't hear Sam responding any longer. A little panicked she reached over and put her hand against Sam's mouth to feel for her breath. Thankfully, Sam was still breathing.
"Just sleeping. Good." Jo said, relieved. Jo rested her head against the wall and looked up to the window. The moon was shining and she could make out a few stars. She thought about Drew and Deke. She silently prayed that she was wrong and that they had made it out alive. She prayed that if they were alive that Drew would find them in time. She prayed that she would see her brother again. Jo's final thought before she succumbs to sleep were of Drew. She hoped she would see him again. Even if she knew she would have to keep her distance. She wanted him to have his family, the family he had always longed for. She put up one final prayer for it and then drifted off to sleep.