Chapter 3:
~2009~
Sam sat at her desk, her feet curled underneath her. Her head tilted wedging the phone between her shoulder and ear, she listened to the person on other end. Her fingers flew over the keys typing down the important details. The adequate responses left her lips when they were supposed to, but her mind was focused less and less on what she was hearing.
"Ok, Mrs. Walter. I understand. I will happily take the case. I will be in touch when I have something to report on. Try and relax. Bye."
Sam sighed as she hung up the phone. Here was a decent paying case, and yet it had been really hard for her to take it. It hit too close to home; it was like looking into her own past. However, Sam knew that the PI business needed whatever cases they could get.
Reviewing the notes she had typed up, Sam chewed her bottom lip. It wouldn't be easy, this case. The wife suspected that her husband had cheated with a family friend and that her child was her husband's. The wife felt that the husband knew the baby was his and was sneaking around to see the baby and the friend.
The similarities between her past and the woman's present were glaringly apparent. She was going through the same thing that Sam herself had suffered through. However, it might not be true. That was the fact that Sam clung to as she imagined the things she would need to do.
Her mind however would not stay focused. Her thoughts shifted away from the Walters and their problems to those of her own. She still felt the hurt when she thought about the day she found out about Jake's true paternity and the fact that Jason had known for a long time. It had been a knife to her heart, and the pain was still just as sharp.
She rarely thought of it though. It didn't help to dwell on the past. She and Jason both had moved on, both to others and now both single. They work friends, or she would like to think they had reached that point. Lately he had taken to confiding in her and her depending on him to help her if she needed. Life was overall better since those days.
However, on days like today, she thought reviewed everything from that time. She just hoped that if the info came back bad news, that the wife handled it better than Sam had. Guilt and sadness marred her face. She was truly sorry about everything she had done, but she truly felt that she would never really make up for it.
One memory ran through her mind, both bringing a smile and a tear to her face. The day Jason threatened her life made her both happy and sad. A weird combination if you thought about it. It made her happy because she had stood up to him; she hadn't just let him walk away with that threat in the air. It also made sad though for it was the day she knew her and Jason were done, not a few months, but for good.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Sam wasn't expecting anyone. Rising, she smoothed her blue pleated button up shirt. One never knew when it might be a client. They had been advertising, so maybe it paid off. That was the thought playing in her head as she opened the door with a big smile.
"Jason?"
Jason smiled. He looked her up and down noticing her bare feet. A smirk played on his lips. He quirked an eyebrow up in question.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure."
She stepped aside and quickly went to her desk, slipping her heels back on. She had been more worried about comfort than fashion while she worked in the office. She never thought to put them on when she answered the door.
"What can I do for Jason?"
"I was actually here to see Spinelli."
"Oh, well he is out on a case."
"Out?"
Jason's face immediately got tense. Spinelli was not capable of field work, and it made Jason nervous to think of Spinelli not behind a desk or computer somewhere. He had made Sam promise to make sure she did all the dangerous stuff. She may be a woman and small, but she definitely knew how to land on her feet. Spinelli barely managed to stay upright without being in danger.
Sam saw Jason's alarm and heard it in his voice. She thought briefly of letting him wonder, but decided to have pity on him. From where she had been pacing around, she stopped and went to him. She smiled a bright smile and laid a hand on his arm.
"Calm down Jason. He went to set up some surveillance cameras for a client. He thinks someone has been stealing company secrets. Since he cracked the Crimson case, I let him have that case as well. Nothing dangerous, I promise."
Turning, she walked back and again kicked the shoes off. No point in wearing them, if she wasn't needed. Sam sat in her chair and spun it to face him. The smile was still on her face. The thoughts from earlier were firmly filed away for later examination.
"I will let him know you came by. Was there something you needed?"
"I was, ah, just checking on him. Since Michael's recovery, I haven't seen him much."
"Oh Okay. Well, he is fine as far as I can tell, but I will definitely tell him you came."
Jason stood there staring. He enjoyed this easy comfort. He had come here to check on Spinelli, but also because she seemed to just sooth him. She didn't ask a million questions. She didn't look to him for answers. She didn't expect anything at all from him. She was just quiet.
The thought made him smile. No one who knew her would think Sam was quiet. When they were together she would constantly make him talk or try to make him talk. She was ceaseless in her chatter in those days. He hadn't minded much, but now the quiet was definitely a plus in his eyes.
Realizing was he was thinking, Jason shook himself out of his reverie. Him and Sam were finally on decent footing. They were friends, and he certainly appreciated all that she had done for him recently. Without her, he probably would have gone mad and would have definitely not found Fredo.
Shuffling his feet Jason walked to the door, turned to watch her as she returned to her paper work, pen in hand. He watched her for a second and then on impulse, something new to him, decided to stay for a minute.
"Sam?"
She turned as she heard him call her name.
"Yeah?"
He walked over to her desk and sat for a second.
"I just wanted to tell you 'Thank You'."
"For what, Jason?"
"For everything. For Spinelli, for the whole hospital incident, for listening. The list goes on. I just wanted to thank you. Without you and your calm perspective, I would have lost it several times. You helped me so much. I will never forget that."
Sam smiled. A little of the guilt she felt earlier faded away. She was making amends and it meant something to her. She might one day believe that she had paid for her actions if she kept up the good deeds. Cocking her head to the side, she sighed and looked up at him.
"You're welcome."
Her voice was soft and warm, like melted butter. He felt it all the way to his toes. For the first time in months and months, he felt desire. What shocked him was that he felt it for Sam. Staring down at her, he knew he wanted her, that he had been wanting her.
The thought spurred him into action. It scared him. He wasn't supposed to feel that towards her anymore. She had done horrible things to him, albeit that he had tried to forgive her of those things. Forgiveness and forgetting are two complete separate things. He couldn't go down that road.
Standing up, he smiled tightly. The thoughts had ruined his mood. He wanted something that was uncomplicated, and that's what Sam was with a big capital C. Not that it's her fault you feel this way, his mind rationalized. She had no idea what he was thinking.
Sam noticed the change in Jason. She was confused. All she had said was 'You're welcome.' There was no way she had offended him with that. He had been the one thanking her. Her eyes followed him as he walked to the door and again turned to look at her.
"You okay?"
The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She had been so good about letting him come to her with whatever was bother him. She didn't want to get into old habits of pushing him until he told her what was bothering him. It would lead to other habits. They were hard to break, but she was determined to break them.
"I am fine. Just tell Spinelli I dropped by."
"Sure."
Sam couldn't help but look a little sad that he hadn't chosen to confide in her. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but as sure as she was breathing, she felt sad. Not wanting to admit that, she smiled up at him for a second as he turned to go out the door.
Looking down at her shoes she heard him open the door. The phone rang, and she automatically turned to answer it. Picking up the phone, she looked toward the door again. He was gone. She sighed and said 'Sam McCall' into the phone.
She listened for a few seconds, her face draining of color. The phone fell to the desk. The sound of it clattering to the desk forced her to move. Grabbing her keys and gun in one hand, she bent and carried her shoes in the other. Sam took off at a full run, not bothering to notice Jason on the phone at the other end of the hall.