Those Three Little Words

Sami woke up from her restless sleep. Something was wrong and she could feel it. She got up from her bed and turned on the bedside lamp. Sami tiptoed to the twins and made sure they were breathing and fine. Her next thought was to check Will and the rest of the apartment for intruders. She didn't find anything out of the ordinary but the pesky feeling wouldn't ease. Sami found a phone and dialled EJs number in vain. He wasn't talking to her still. She walked around the room few times before returning to bed and trying to sleep again. She laid on her bed staring at the ceiling and counting the seconds going by. An hour later she gave up and got up again. It was nearly three in the morning. She was walking to the window to look what was going outside when the cell phone she was holding in her hand vibrated.

"Hello?"

"Sami, are you alone? Lock the doors and call John for help."

"Steve? Is that you?" Sami was abashed.

"Yes. It's me, it's Steve. Listen to me, did EJ tell you about-"

"Yes he did. Why?"

"It makes things easier. Sami lock the door and make sure that the twins can't be seen from any of the windows at your apartment."

"Steve, what's going on?"

"Just do what I tell you. Someone will be there to take you and the children to safety soon enough."

"Steve!"

"Look Sami, there's an assassin on the loose in Salem. EJs been shot and I fear you maybe the next target. Sami? Sami can you hear me?" Sami could feel the life draining out of her.

"Is he alive? Will EJ be all right?" she begged.

"I don't know", was Steves honest answer, "This is the worst I've seen with him."

"And you've seen a lot?" Sami demanded an answer.

"Yes."

"Take care of him and what ever you do, don't let him die or I just might start a feud of my own with you", Sami promised before hanging up. She had to call someone to be with the twins as she would go and look for EJ.

"John, how soon can you be here?"

"I'm on my way. Steve called. Sit tight Samantha Gene, daddy's going to make things all right." His words brought tears to her eyes but she wouldn't let herself spill them.

A day later she hadn't sleep an moment. Sami had rushed to the pier where Steve was tracking the person who had shot EJ. He had managed to call for an ambulance, which had picked EJ up right after he had hung up on Sami. Sami had continued to the hospital and pestered the nurses and the doctors until she was blatantly told to get out and stay out. She was painfully reminded of the fact that she wasn't his wife. Fortunately John had sent Marlena to the hospital to support Sami and help her to find out what was going on. EJ had been shot twice and both slugs had grazed his hear and some major arteries. He had gone through emergency surgery and the doctors were still working on him. Something had gone terribly wrong but they refused to tell her what. Sami couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, she could barely drink anything and she couldn't stay still. She kept going flipping through all the things she had gone through with EJ and every beautiful memory added to her pain. It had taken this long for her to realize how she really felt about him and she hadn't ever bothered to tell him.

Sami had spent months tormenting EJ with all the things he had done wrong and for the simple blood connection to Stefano and she had completely forgotten all the good things. Sami had forgotten EJs unwavering support when she had been blackmailed, when she had thought that marrying Austin would be the answer to her prayers and the thing that would make her happy. He had been her friend even after hearing all the bad things she had done never judging her, only offering his unconditional acceptance and admiration. He had wanted her the way she was, he had wanted the good with the bad and she had been foolish enough to turn away from him. Sami had once more fallen to the trap wanting to give Will the family which he had always wanted not realizing she would be giving it at the expense of her own happiness. Something that had gone irreversibly wrong so many years couldn't be corrected fourteen years later. Then someone new, handsome, dashing and loving had walked into her life and she had turned away. She had lied about their children and the way they had been conceived and tried to built a life on a slippery foundation with someone she never had really wanted to be with. Sami had always deserved more, something better and it had taken too long for her to see it. Now the man who had made it possible for her to appreciate herself was fighting for his life and possibly thinking that she wanted to marry him only because of her family and to end the feud between their families. Sami felt the tears in her eyes but refused to cry.

"He's out of the surgery", the doctor came to tell them, "He'll be in the ICU for few days and the following hours are critical. I can't promise you anything. He lost too much blood and his injuries were, severe, to say at least."

"Can I see him?" Sami asked and prepared to stare down the doctor. Fortunately he had been warned about her and he gave in without a fight.

Sami walked into the room and saw EJ. All the equipment and the tubes going in and out of him weren't enough to scare, but his lifeless face was. Sami reached out to touch his hand waiting for him to react. He didn't. That's when the tears started falling. There was so much she needed to tell him. Sami was there beside him waiting for him to wake up refusing to leave. She cried herself to sleep holding his hand and twisting herself into a uncomfortable position. She didn't wake up until the nurse came to shook her and whispered to her:

"He's awake now. Do you want to speak to him?" Sami got up forgetting her aching back and searched for his eyes with hers. When their gazes met she started shedding tears again or would have if there had been a fluid to spare in her body. Sami could see the sadness in EJs eyes as well as the worry.

"Dante and Sarah are fine. We weren't really in any danger and Steve delivered the culprit who took you two by surprise in a nice package to the Salem PD", Sami had to reach out for a drink to sound little more like herself. She sipped the water and met his eyes again.

"Don't ever do that again. I nearly died when I heard the news. I need you to be there for me and for our children for a long long time. I still intent to marry you and I wont let few gunshot wounds stop me. And there's something else I need to tell you", Sami stopped for a second, "As for this silly notion of me marrying you only because Stefano asked or demanded it to end this feud between our families, you'll just have to forget it. I'll start a new feud if nothing less will convince you. I want you to marry me because of me as I'm marrying you because of you. It has taken too long for me to say this so listen carefully now: I love you. I love you EJ Wells and nothing you do can ever make me stop. Did you hear me? I love you."