A Fresh Start
Chapter Two Hundred Sixty Four
Jeffrey, Julien and Megan walk into Sam's room as Dr. Sedgwick is finishing up an exam. "How is she doing?" Jeffrey asks, walking over to Sam's bed. He sits down beside her, taking her hand in his.
"She's better. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep her overnight. I want to wait a little longer to see if her blood pressure will stay steady. Right now it's normal." Dr. Sedgwick replies, as Jeffrey nods.
"Maybe this will make you feel better." He says, looking at Sam. "Reva and Cassie both offered us a room at the Beacon for a couple days. So we both can relax."
"And I don't have to go back to the house and see where I killed my brother." Sam replies, looking at him.
"You are not responsible for Jeremiah's death." Jeffrey says, turning to her.
"Right now, you both need to put that on the back burner." Dr. Sedgwick says, stepping over to the bed. "You're blood pressure is fragile right now. Undo stress and it will jump and that will mean at least a night's stay in the hospital, maybe a couple, and then possible bed rest when you're released." She says, looking at Sam. Jeffrey nods while he idly rubs soothing patterns on the back of Sam's hand. "I'm going to check on another patient. I will be back in an hour to check on you. We'll decide then if we can send you home." She says, as Jeffrey and Sam both nod.
"How did Reva and Cassie know we were here?" Sam asks, looking at Jeffrey after the door closes behind Dr. Sedgwick.
"That's probably my doing. I ran into Marah as I was coming into the hospital and I told her about the shooting. She most likely called her mother after I left her in the parking lot." Julien says.
"Oh." Sam says, nodding once.
"Actually there was more than Reva and Cassie here." Megan says, stepping up to the foot of the bed.
"That's right. Billy and Josh came as well as Richard."
"Oh my, I forgot about the fund raiser. Richard must be upset that you're…."
"He's fine. He told me to stay with you and take care of you and not to worry about the fund raiser. Everyone would've stayed longer but they had to get ready."
Sam looks at Megan. "You were supposed to go with Frank. I ruined…."
"You didn't ruin anything." Megan says, shaking her head.
"But…."
"No, you didn't ruin anything. Jeremiah did." Megan says, walking around to the other side of the bed.
"I'm sorry Meggie." Sam says, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You've got nothing to apologize for." Megan says, slipping her arms around Sam. "Jeremiah made his choice."
"He wanted to take me back. He was going to…."
"Shush." Megan says, clearly seeing that Sam was getting upset again. "You can tell me this later. It's not important now." She says, softly stroking Sam's hair.
"Wait, what about the boys?"
"I'll call my neighbor and she'll watch them until you're released." Megan says, getting up from the bed. Sam nods, as she turns to leave and Julien steps forward.
"If you don't mind, I need to check in." Julien says.
"Of course, in fact if you want you can go back to Chicago." Jeffrey says, as Sam clinches her hand around his and he looks down. "On second thought, do you mind staying in town for a few more days?"
"Not at all, sir." Julien replies, nodding he turns to leave while Jeffrey turns his attention back to Sam.
Reaching up, he brushes her hair back from her face. Looking into her eyes, he says. "You know that you are safe."
"Am I?" Sam asks quietly, looking at him.
"Jeremiah's…."
"I know he's dead." Sam says, closing her eyes. "That doesn't mean that he didn't give orders to his followers if something should happen to him. They could come after me for killing him."
"You didn't…."
"I shot him Jeffrey. It was my shot that killed him."
"He bled out."
"Because I shot him in the stomach, instead of his leg or other shoulder, Julien shot him in the shoulder, why didn't I?"
"You are trained…."
"Julien has had the same training as I have and he shot him in the shoulder. I shot him in the stomach."
Jeffrey pauses for a moment and then looks at her. "Alright, let's talk it through. What were you thinking the moment you came upstairs from your office?"
"That I had to get to you because something was wrong. I felt it J, when I was at Megan's. I don't know how, but I knew you were in danger."
"Alright, so you were thinking about protecting me. What else were you thinking about?"
"I didn't want this to be another Russia." She says quietly, as he looks at her surprised.
"When Sasha approached me outside that club, she took away all of our dreams. They ended that day and I wasn't going to let Jeremiah take them away from us again."
"So you were defending me, us. You didn't kill him."
"But I could've shot him in the leg, his other shoulder. I could've shot out his knee, but instead I chose to shoot him in the stomach."
"I think you chose the stomach because you couldn't out right shoot him. You wanted to disable him."
"I'm a doctor. If I wanted to disable him I wouldn't've shot him in his stomach. Do you have any idea how painful a stomach shot is?"
"That may be true, but you are a doctor. You know that being shot in the stomach has a higher chance of survival than a chest wound, especially with your marksmanship. You took a calculated risk." He says, with a smile.
"This isn't funny J. I killed my brother."
Sighing, he looks at her and then reaches for her hand. "I know it's not funny, but you killed him because you were defending me, yourself and our baby. He left you no other choice but to fire."
"I could've warned him or something, but I didn't say anything. I simply fired."
He sighs again. Reaching up, he gently caresses her cheek. "I know that it's going to be a while before you can accept that you really had no other option. And it's likely that you'll feel responsible for his death…."
She interrupts. "That's because…." He holds up his hand to silence her.
"You'll feel responsible for the rest of your life, but I hope that you can forgive yourself. He left you with no other option, baby. I promise you that. Just like every other person you've killed while on an op…."
"I wasn't on an 'op' J." She says, as he looks at her and she sighs.
"I want you to know that I'm proud of you and I love you, both of you." He says, laying his hand on her stomach, as he picks up her other hand and softly kisses the back of it.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. For the moment, they are swept away with the silence. A few moments later, Megan comes back into the room. Turning for the door, Sam sees her and asks. "Did you get in touch with your neighbor?"
"I did, but she's in Oakdale with her kids so I really need to go. I'm sorry…."
"No, go. I'll call you in the morning and we can start the process for his…."
"Don't worry about that right now." Megan says, walking over to the bed.
Sitting up, Sam reaches for her and they hug each other, clinging to one another for several seconds. Finally Sam pulls back, "I'm sorry about Frank."
"Again, don't worry about it. If we're meant to go out, there will be another chance." Megan says, standing up. "I'll come by tomorrow." She says, as Sam nods.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, getting up. They hug before she turns to leave. As she's walking out, Julien is walking in.
"Ma'am." He says, nodding to Megan as she leaves.
As the door closes behind Megan, Jeffrey looks to Julien. "Did you speak with your commanding officer?"
"Yes sir. And I informed him of the situation. He's agreed for me to stay on for a few more days before I must report back to Chicago." Julien replies as Jeffrey nods.
"That's fine. In fact, if you want to go to the Beacon that will be okay. I'm sure Sam and I will be fine here at the hospital and the Beacon later. We'll meet tomorrow morning to discuss things." Jeffrey says, as Julien nods.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry about your brother." Julien says, looking at Sam.
"Thank you." Sam says politely. "It didn't really matter if he was sorry. The fact remained that her brother was dead because she had shot him. His sympathy would not change that."
"I'll see you both in the morning." Julien says, looking at Jeffrey. He nods and then Julien turns to leave. Sam and Jeffrey both watch him go and when the door closes behind him, they settle into silence.
Shortly after Julien leaves, Dr. Sedgwick comes in and Jeffrey sets up. "How are you feeling?" She asks Sam.
"Better, I guess." Sam says as Jeffrey takes her hand.
"Well, we're going to check your blood pressure one more time and if it's still within a normal range, I'll release you." Dr. Sedgwick says, as Jeffrey releases Sam's hand and stands up. Moving out of the way, he lets Dr. Sedgwick in to take Sam's blood pressure. After a few minutes, she releases the blood pressure cuff and then tucks into the pocket of her coat.
"So, is she okay?" Jeffrey asks.
"Your blood pressure is steady and within a normal range, so I'm going to release you. But I want you in a stress free environment. I know the situation, but let Jeffrey and your sister handle the details about your brother." Dr. Sedgwick says, as Sam looks away.
"I'll make sure she's stress free." Jeffrey says. "We'll be staying at the Beacon for a few days and Megan and I will handle the details for Jeremiah." Jeffrey says. Dr. Sedgwick nods.
"You can go since you were not admitted to the hospital. But please Sam, relax and let Jeffrey handle everything. You know the complications that can arise from high blood pressure and stress." Dr. Sedgwick says, as Sam nods.
"I could… we could loose the baby." Sam says, as Jeffrey looks at her.
"Yes, as well as your life." Dr. Sedgwick says, as Sam nods again.
"I know."
"And I'm reminding you. I know this is a painful time but you have to let things go. It's imperative that…."
"I know." Sam says with a small smile. It's the first one since that morning and it felt really weird."
"Alright, I guess I've stressed that enough. You can take her home." Dr. Sedgwick says, turning to Jeffrey.
"Thank you." He replies, as Dr. Sedgwick walks over to the door.
Stopping in the doorway, she turns back around. "Sam, I am sorry about your brother."
"Thank you." Sam says, this time it feels more genuine. Nodding, Dr. Sedgwick leaves, while Jeffrey turns to her.
"Are you ready to go?" He asks, walking over to her.
"Yes." She says quietly. Taking her arm, he helps her off the bed. They walk over to the door together and holding the door for her, he follows her out of the room. The hall way is empty when they leave the room. No one stops them as they pass the nurses desk and he leads the way to the elevator.
Pressing the button, he slips his arm around her. "Do you want to stop at the house…?" He feels her tense. "I'll go in, if you want to stop for some clothes."
"I didn't think about clothes, but can we not go. I… I can't really be there right now." She says, looking up at him.
"That's fine, I can stop by tomorrow and get us some clothes." He says, pressing his lips to the side of her head. A few moments later, they are in Jeffrey's car and headed for the Beacon.
Marah's walking across the lobby as Julien walks in. Spotting him, she stops. She waits for him to notice her when he does, he walks towards her. "Hi." He says, stopping in front of her.
"Hi." She watches him for a moment before she says. "You look tired."
"I feel tired." He says, sighing.
"How are Sam and Jeffrey?"
"I think they're going to be okay. She was shocked when he didn't make it."
"He died!"
"Yes, I figured your mom…."
"I haven't spoken with her. What happened?"
"Like I told you he was shot. When he reached Cedars, he was rushed in emergency surgery. After I left you in the parking lot and by the time, I reached them he was already gone. Sam took it hard, very hard. Jeffrey had to call in Dr. Sedgwick to calm her down."
"Did they admit her?"
"No, I don't think they were going to do that. Once Dr. Sedgwick arrived, they were able to calm her down enough that her blood pressure stabilized. They were going to monitor her for a little longer and then Jeffrey was going to bring her home."
"They're going back to their house?"
"No, he and Sam will be staying here at the Beacon at least for a couple days." He says, as she nods.
"Have you eaten anything today?"
"Umm, not since this morning, why?"
"Let's get you something to eat." She says, turning for Olivia's. He follows her. When she walks in, the hostess looks up.
Seeing her, she as a look of surprise on her face as Marah walks up. "Ma'am, is there something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine. But my friend hasn't eaten since this morning so we need a table."
"Of course ma'am." The hostess replies, picking up a couple of menus. She leads them to a table and then leaves as Julien and Marah get settled.
Jeffrey pulls up to the Beacon shortly after they leave Cedars. Pulling into a parking place, he turns the key off and then turns to Sam. "Are you ready?" He asks quietly. Neither one has spoken since they left the hospital. He felt her tense when they had passed their street but she relaxed again after they made it to the road leading to the Beacon. She looks at him and then nods. Getting out, he walks around the car and opens her door. Helping her out, he slips his arm around her as he closes the door behind her. Pushing the lock button on his key fob as they walk away from the car, he leads her inside.
When they reach the front desk, the night clerk looks up and then says. "Mr. Mayor, Mrs. O'Neill, welcome to the Beacon."
"Thank you." Jeffrey says.
"How may I assist you?" The man asks, looking at both of them.
"I believe that Mrs. Lewis was supposes to contact you about letting us have a room."
"Yes of course, Mr. Mayor. She's given you the Ambassador suite."
"That's the second largest suite in the hotel." Jeffrey says. "We can't…."
"Yes sir, she said that she wanted you both to be comfortable. She insisted that you be given that suite." The man says, watching Jeffrey.
"Alright, thank you." Jeffrey says, as the man begins processing the paperwork.
Several minutes later, he hands Jeffrey a couple of pieces of paper and says. "Would you please sign these?" He holds out a pen. Taking it, Jeffrey signs the papers and then hands them back. "The Ambassador's suite is…."
"I know which floor it's on, thank you." Jeffrey says, reaching for Sam.
As they are turning away, he says. "Sir, ma'am. We are sorry for your loss and…."
"Wait, are you accusing me…?" Sam demands, staring at the man.
"Sam, wait." Jeffrey says, as she turns and steps towards the desk."
"Did you hear him? He just accused me of…."
"No, he didn't. I'm sorry." Jeffrey says, looking at the man.
"Why are you…?"
"Sam, please. He's not accusing you of anything okay."
"Ma'am, I would never accuse…." Jeffrey looks at him and he quickly shuts up.
"Let's go." He says, taking Sam's hand again and turning her back around. "And again, I'm sorry." He says quietly to the man. Nodding, he and Sam walk away.
When they reach the stairs, Sam pulls her hand free. "You think I killed him?"
"Sam, do not do this. Not here and not now. I don't think you killed your brother. You were defending us, our family." He says, stepping around her.
For a moment, she watches him climb the stairs before she follows him. When she reaches his side, she whispers. "I still killed him."
Jeffrey looks up and then looks around before he replies. "Could you please stop saying that?"
"Why, it's the truth." She says, following him down the hallway to their suite.
Stopping outside two double doors, he slips the card into the lock and then pulls it out when the green light, lights up. Opening the door, he lets her walk in first, following behind her and closing the door behind both of them.
After the police and ambulance left Sam's house, the man that brought Jeremiah to her pulls out of his spot. Slowly he drives down the street, making sure to stay within the speed limit. He glances at the house and then drives past. Jeremiah might've still been in the house, but he doubted it. And if he was, he was back in police custody. As he makes his way out of Springfield, he tried to figure out if Jeremiah would give him up.
It takes him an hour before he makes it back to the compound. Pulling through the gate, several members follow his progress to the sanctuary. Most of the men would meet there once word spread that he was back. He only had to wait about ten minutes, before the first of the men arrive. "Brother Jonas." The man says.
"Brother Davis." He replies, nodding to him.
"Where is Brother Whitmere?" He asks.
"I'd rather wait until everyone is here." Jonas replies more than nervous about how everyone will react.
Twenty minutes later the sanctuary is filled with men. Once every one is present, Brother Davis asks again. "Where is Brother Whitmere?"
Jonas pauses for a moment before he says. "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Brother Ralph asks.
"I picked him up last night and we spent the night at a small hotel outside of Springfield. This morning he asked me to drive him to his sister's."
"You took him there. You were supposes to take him across the border." Brother Ralph yells.
"Ralph, calm down." Brother Davis says. "What happened next?"
"I took him over there. He had me park down from her house. We didn't know if she was there but he wanted to wait anyway. After sometime, he decided to go inside and he told me to wait for him. He didn't go into the clinic."
"If you were waiting for him, how do you know he didn't go into the clinic?" Brother Oswald asks.
"I watched him walk around to the back of the house." Jonas replies.
"Continue." Brother Davis says.
"Anyway, I waited for a while and then her car came by me. I slipped down into the car seat so that I wouldn't be seen. After the car passed, I set up and watched his sister walk into the clinic after she spoke to a man for a moment."
"Her husband." Brother Davis says.
"No, it wasn't her husband. It was someone else. They split up. The man went around the house, like Brother Whitmere, his sister went into the clinic. About thirty minutes passed and then I heard a couple of pops coming from the house. Shortly after that, police and ambulances arrived. They brought someone out, but I couldn't see who it was. I waited until they cleared out and then I came back here."
"Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Brother Davis asks.
"They didn't know I was there and I wasn't about to admit that I had been with him after he escaped. I've got a family."
"Your allegiance is to Brother Whitmere." Brother Ralph says.
"If you so into following him, why didn't you volunteer for this assignment?"
"This wasn't a volunteer situation." Brother Davis says. "Brother Whitmere asked for you when he made these plans."
"Why the hell would he do that? I have a family, my wife and my kids depend on me."
"I don't question his decisions. I only follow them." Brother Davis replies. "We need to find out what happened. Brother Maxwell, have your wife call the hospital and ask about Brother Whitmere."
"Yes sir." Brother Maxwell says, turning to leave.
Once he's gone, Brother Ralph looks at Jonas. "You should've gone with him."
"He didn't ask me too." Jonas says, defending himself.
"You should've insisted. He was your leader and he picked you to come for him."
"And I…."
"Gentlemen, we can't do this now. What else did you see Jonas?" Brother Davis asks.
"That's it." Jonas replies.
"Alright, we will have to wait till Brother Maxwell gets back."
Everyone mills around the sanctuary waiting. Finally after ten minutes, Brother Maxwell walks in. One look at his face and they all know something terrible happened at Sam's house. "What is it?" Brother Davis asks.
"There was a shooting." Brother Maxwell says, looking at Jonas. "Brother Whitmere was shot."
"He was shot! What the hell happened?" Brother Ralph says.
"She couldn't get the details."
"Did he survive?" Jonas asks.
Brother Maxwell looks at him. "He was rushed into emergency surgery but he had lost too much blood." He pauses for a moment. "He didn't make it."
"Who shot him?" Brother Ralph says.
"She wasn't able to get that information." Brother Maxwell replies.
"Alright. We know where we stand. I've got some calls to make." Brother Davis says as he turns to leave.
"That's it!" Brother Ralph says, staring at Davis.
"Yes, that's it Ralph. We need information that we're not going to be able to get without being family. I'm surprised she got that much information."
"She told them she was his cousin." Brother Maxwell replies.
"That's good thinking, but now I think it's time we send in his attorney. He'll be able to get more information for us." Davis turns to leave.
"This is your fault." Ralph says, walking up to Jonas.
Davis walks between them. "That's enough. He followed Brother Whitmere's instructions, which is probably why he was picked to help. You on the other hand Ralph wouldn't've, would you." Davis says, staring at the man.
"Hey…."
"That doesn't matter. We need information and Brother Whitmere's attorney will be able to get it for us. We're through with this for now. I'll let you know when I know something." Davis says, walking out of the room. The others slowly follow him.
The moment Jonas steps through his front door, he's calling for his wife. "I'm in the boy's room." She calls back.
He walks back to her. She's putting their clothes away. "I want you to go to the school and get the boys, now." He says, as she stops to look at him.
"But…?"
"Just do it Joann, don't ask questions, just go." She looks at him and then puts the clothes in her hand down and walks out of the room. He follows her. "When you get them, come straight back here."
"What's going…?"
"Just do this, I'll explain everything later but we have to go, now!" He says, pleading with her to go.
She grabs her purse and leaves. He watches as she pulls out of the driveway and then he goes to his room. Grabbing a bag for both or them he quickly throws in clothes and other things inside. Going into the boys' room, he does the same thing and then he carries the bags into the living room. He paces back and forth waiting for his wife to return.
When she gets back, he walks out carrying the bags. "Pop the trunk." He orders walking to the back of the car. She does as he says automatically and watches as he throws both bags into the trunk before he shuts it. Walking over to the passenger side, he opens the door and gets in. "Let's go."
"Wait, where are we going? You said you would explain what was going on."
"I will later, but we need to go. We need to stop at the bank before we leave."
"Why are we leaving?"
"Joann." He looks at her. "I don't have time to explain everything to you but you have to trust me, we have to go. Can you do that?"
She looks at him and reaches for the ignition. Starting the car, she backs out of the driveway and leaves. She pulls up to the bank a few moments later, and he gets out. When he comes back, he says. "Let's go."
"Where? Where are we going?"
"North, drive north to Canada." He says. He would prefer going back home but they'll only get caught if they drive south.
"How are we going to get into Canada? We don't have pass…." He pulls out four passports. "Where did you get those?"
"I had them made before we left Georgia."
"Why would you do that?"
"It was a precaution. And now I'm glad I did." He says, moving to put them back into his pocket.
"Wait, can I see them?" She asks, holding out her hand.
Reluctantly he gives them to her. Taking them, she opens them up. When she reads the names, she looks at him. "These are not our names. Why would you want passports that aren't in our names?"
"I had them made as a precaution. I thought we might need a way out of the country that couldn't be traced."
"What is going on?" She asks, looking at him.
"I promise I will tell you everything when we get across the border." He says, taking her hand and squeezing it. She looks at him again and then reaches to start the car. Backing out of the parking place, she turns towards the highway, heading north for Canada.
For a moment, they both stand inside the room. Neither one know quite what to do. Sam turns to Jeffrey with a blank stare. He walks over to her. "Do you want to lie down for a bit?"
"I… I don't know what to do." She says quietly as she looks down.
Taking a finger, he lifts her chin. "You don't have to do anything. We are here to relax, as much as we can, okay." He says as she nods. "We can watch TV if you want. I can run you a bath. We can go out to the garden or the lake. Although, it s bit cold for a stroll outside."
"I don't want to go outside." She says, as he smiles
"Yeah, I didn't figure you would want to do that. So how about this. I'll run us a bath, we'll relax and then we'll lie down on the bed."
"I can't go to sleep."
"You don't have to sleep. We'll cuddle. I simply want to hold my wife and my child." He says, his voice faltering for a moment. She looks up and for the first time sees the pain in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. This has affected you as much as it's affected me."
"I could've killed him before any of this happened, but I didn't want to do that to you." He says, wrapping his arms around her.
"You didn't want to do what to me?" She asks, holding him.
"Make you choose, I know you would've accepted what happened and you wouldn't've blamed me, but I didn't want you have to choose. It could've all been over before you and Julien ever came home from Megan's"
"And it could've ended with you dead. Jeremiah was a good with a gun as I am. Dad made us both learn to shoot when we were barely into grade school."
"This weight you're going to carry, I could've taken it onto my shoulders. I just didn't want to hurt you that way. Now you're hurting even more because you were the one that had to take his life."
"I didn't have to take his life. I could've shot him in the leg or his other shoulder anywhere that wasn't lethal but I shot him instead in his stomach, effectively killing him with that decision."
"It as a decision he forced you to make."
"That maybe so, but I'm still responsible for his death, whether I was defending myself, you or our baby. I killed my brother." She says, as her voice cracks.
"Here, let's lie down and we'll see what happens." He says, leading her to the bed. Sitting down, he helps her with her shoes before he slips his off as well. She lies down and then he lies down beside her. Lifting his arm, he waits for her to move over beside him. Once she's settled, he lays his arm across her shoulder and softly kisses the top of her head.
Closing her eyes, she settles against him. During the last few moments, she could feel the energy draining out of her body and she wasn't sure how much longer she would've been able to stand up, let alone talk about what had happen.