The Gift

Part XXVIII

"I'll see you back at the hospital?" Sami asked as they exited the church, she was still holding EJ's hand as he walked her to her SUV, not wanting to let go of it, enjoying the feeling of security his touch seemed to provide for her after their encounter in the sanctuary.

He raised her hand to place a kiss upon it when suddenly he noticed that she wasn't wearing her wedding rings. EJ cast a puzzled look at her, "Samantha, what is going on? You aren't wearing your wedding rings."

Sami pulled her hand away from his grasp, torn between wanting to tell EJ that she had asked Lucas for a divorce, but also not ready to launch into a discussion of what her decision may mean for both of them in the future.

"Well I was going to talk to you about that sometime," Sami's brow wrinkled in indecision, she still wasn't sure that she was ready to talk about this to EJ. They had made strides in rebuilding their relationship with one another over the past few weeks, but everything was still so new and tentative that she was hesitant that the least little thing could drive a wedge between them once more.

"Oh really, because you seem a bit caught off guard by my mentioning the fact," EJ stated as he leaned back against the door of her SUV and folded his arms across his chest, his movement not allowing Sami a method of easy escape away from him.

"You know what? Everything I do isn't your concern," Sami huffed, wishing she could get past him, but he stayed exactly where he was and there was no way she could storm off from him without her actions raising more questions from EJ than she already had stirred up by her not wearing her rings upon her left hand.

"All I asked you was a simple question. You don't have to get so defensive about it," EJ started to smirk, he loved catching Sami off guard because he never knew what she would say or do and he enjoyed watching her reactions even when she decided to turn her fury upon him.

"I'm not," Sami shrugged her shoulders and narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out a way to make him move away from her vehicle door. He looked so smug that she wanted to scream. How could she go from wanting to erase his hurt from him to wringing his neck within a few moments time? The man was infuriating to say the least.

"Okay then, how about we talk about things over dinner?" EJ casually suggested as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to go out to dinner with one another, but in truth he was holding his breath to see what her answer would be to his question.

"Like on a date?" Sami asked before she thought about it, instantly wishing she could take back the words she had uttered when EJ broke out into a laugh.

"Look we both need to have something with a bit more sustenance to it than what we have been eating lately. I mean lukewarm coffee and snacks from the vending machine are wearing pretty thin upon us both, don't you think?"

"You do look like you have lost some weight," Sami commented as she took in EJ's frame that was still lounged against the door.

EJ straightened up and reached out to stroke her cheek, "You more than me, and that is why I'm asking you out to dinner."

"So that is the only reason you want to take me to dinner?" Sami took a step back away from his touch, wanting to see a bit of discomfort from EJ since he seemed to be trying to do the same thing to her.

"Maybe, maybe not," EJ gave her a quick peck on the cheek, opened her car door for her and began to walk away from her, leaving her to stand there in bewilderment in the wake of his actions.

"EJ, you better tell me the truth!" Sami refused to get into her car as EJ continued walking across the parking lot.

He turned around, a smile upon his face that Sami hadn't seen in a very long time and said, "All will be revealed in time, my darling, all in good time."

"EJ you are so aggravating!" Sami said as she stomped her foot to the ground.

"Why don't you take the day to relax, do something for yourself and I'll stay with Madison and tonight I'll see if Tony and Anna can come stay with her while we go out to dinner, then afterwards we can go back to the hospital to see Madison?"

"Are you sure EJ?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just come back to the hospital around seven and we'll go from there."

"Well, if anything comes up with Madison, you'll call me?"

"Always, now just go take some much needed time for yourself and I'll see you tonight."

"Okay, I do need to talk to Will anyway today so this would be a perfect opportunity to do that among other things," Sami said as she rummaged through her purse to find her car keys. She finally found them and started to get into her car as she heard EJ shout to her from across the parking lot of the church.

"Good, it's a date then," EJ gave her a devious wink as he got into his car, smiling as he drove back to the hospital because the look upon Sami's face when he told her it was a date was priceless.