New Conversations about Old Subjects

As Sam wandered to class she thought back to some of the conversations Harrison mentioned. One in particular came to mind. He'd been trying to focus on his homework and she'd poked her head into his room.

"Hey Harrison," she said, trying to sound perkier than she felt. Part of her wanted to shake him, but the better part knew he wasn't having an easy time of it. He'd finally gotten Brooke, only to lose her to a coma, only to get her back when she woke up, only to lose her again when she realized that she didn't want him after all.

"Hi Sam. I suppose you talked to Brooke." He was happy to see her, but was hoping for a chance to vent and a shoulder to cry on more than a lecture.

"Yes – yes, she did. Are you okay?"

Encouraged by the concern in her voice, Harrison relaxed. "Not really Sam, I'm feeling like crap."

"So's Brooke," Sam said, sitting on Harrison's bed, facing him.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Harrison rolled his eyes. "Sucks losing something you didn't want."

"She's been through a lot, you know."

"I know, I know, and I'm trying not to be a jerk about it but..." The boy stood up and began to pace. "...I thought that – finally – we were going to have our chance."

"She just needs some time," Sam said.

Harrison shook his head. "No Sam, she doesn't." Sam flinched as Harrison began to shout. She's trying be to all 'I'm not sure' but she knows. I'm not the guy." He punched the wall as he said it.

Panting with exasperation, he added, "Guess I made the wrong choice after all, huh?"

Sam stood up and walked over, putting her arms around her best friend. "No, you didn't. You made a choice and you were honest about it."

He leaned back from the embrace to look at her, arching his eyebrow. "And you're okay with that?"

"Well, I wasn't," she said, scowling at him, "but... you are my best friend, and you haven't cut me out of your life and you haven't assumed anything or tried to act like nothing happened."

"I just want us like we were before," he admitted, "before Brooke, before George." He pulled away and sat down.

"I love you, Sam. It's like I said, when I thought I was going to die, I realized that. I... I just didn't know... I guess I didn't know how I loved you."

Smiling, she sat down next to him. "And how do you love me, exactly?" She had a smirk that was a little too cocky for Harrison's taste at the moment.

Resisting the urge to be sarcastic, he answered, "Like... you're more than a friend – more than a girlfried, even. You're..." he searched for the right word, smiling when he finally found it.

"You're family Sam... and the whole thing with George, I just... I was afraid of losing that."

Sam's smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I feel the same way, you know? Except for me, it was you and Brooke." She laughed and leaned back, saying, "Guess we were both pretty stupid, huh?"

"Guess so," he replied. A moment later, he added, "I've missed us."

"Ditto." She looked at her hands, away from Harrison, before continuing... "You know, if you gave it a chance, it could be the same for you and Brooke.."

"Oh I doubt that!" he shouted, jumping up from the bed.

Sam couldn't help but laugh a little at her friend's theatrics. "I'm serious! She cares about you, just like I do. If you'd just give her a chance..."

"She doesn't want me to give her a chance Sam. She just wants me to go away."

"That is not true at all. Just because she's not ready for a relationship right out of a coma and learning to walk again, doesn't mean she's not interested in being your friend. You know, she could use some of those right now, especially ones who don't try and kill her with speeding cars."

"If I laugh at that, will you be mad at me cause it's horribly inappropriate?"

"Maaaaybe," Sam said as her eyes narrowed, "but I'll forgive you if you visit Brooke and be a friend instead of a wannabee boyfriend."

"You think that's what she wants, really?"

"Yeah, actually, I do." She took hold of his collar. "Like it or not, Harrison John, you're a good friend when you're not trying to date your friends, and – you know what? – you're lucky to have us."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "Well not actually have us, but..."

"I got it. I got it," he reassured her, holding up his hands in defeat.

"I am so gonna die alone," he sighed.

"Hey, if all else fails, we'll get a house together and be crazy old people with 80 cats."

"Oh great! That's my dream!" he laughed, shoving Sam playfully. They laughed for awhile over that. Then Harrison spoke, "So, what should I do?"

"Go talk to Brooke, and not about the two of you. Just be there for her," Sam answered, turning to leave the room.

Spinning around in the doorway, she added, "Oh! Let's not tell her about this conversation, okay? I don't want her to think I'm interfering. Besides, it'll look better on you if you figured all this out on your own."

Harrison nodded, saying, "Sounds good to me" as the girl left the room.

"And Sam?" he yelled after her.

"What?" she yelled back from the stairs.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

She couldn't contain her smile and she headed home.

Thinking back on that day, Sam was sure Harrison would be okay when he found out about her and Brooke.

Elsewhere, Brooke was also remembering conversations with Harrison. Particularly, the one that ended with him slamming the door to her room as he left and the one that followed it. She'd been so surprised to see him that she shouted.

"Harrison!"

"Hey, I just wanted to apologize for last time. I was acting like... Well, like a jerk."

"I'm sorry about what I..." Brooke started to say.

"Don't... worry about it, ok?" he said, waving his hand.

Brooke's head jerked slightly, surprised.

Harrison sat down on her bed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Brooke couldn't help smiling. "You're sorry?"

"Yes, I am. I know you're going through a lot and I shouldn't be so worried about myself and my little problems compared to what you're going through."

Still surprised, Brooke answered, "Thank you."

"So," he said, turning to face her, "are we friends?"

"Always" she answered.