2 Years Later
"Alfie! Lily! Hurry up Uncle Danny's here to take you to school!" Sam called from the bottom of the stairs before heading over to the front door and opening it, offering a small smile to her brother as he stepped inside. "Thanks for taking them to school for me Danny. It was the only appointment I could get and I don't fancy a stint in A&E."
Danny smiled to his sister before he pouted to the baby that was currently curled up in Sam's arms, head resting on Sam's shoulder as he slept away. "Hey don't worry about it. What's up? I thought he was just teething?"
Sam sighed as she gently rubbed her youngest son's back and looked to him. "So did I, but his temperature shot up in the night. I gave him some calpol but it's hardly touched him. He's been in with me since two this morning. Clingy as anything and grizzly."
Danny pouted gently rubbing his nephew's back. "Poor Reuben." He pouted before he looked to his sister. "Did you go on Sunday?" He asked looking to her.
Looking to her brother she then nodded a little. "I did. I didn't go until the evening though, didn't want people making a fuss of me or the kids." She mumbled as she gently rocked back and forth to sooth her son who started to fuss a little.
"They mean well." Danny commented to her.
"I know, but Alfie and Lily just wanted to see their dad on their own. They didn't want people fussing them."
"They're growing up too fast."
"Tell me about it." She mumbled with a sigh. "Alfie's going to seven in June, Lily is now five…he's fourteen months. Steve's been gone two years now…it's all going too fast for my liking."
Danny looked to her. "It's going to get easier." He whispered. He knew she was still struggling with Steve's death; hell she gave up work to be a full time mom!
Sam looked to him and shrugged a little. "I don't think it will." She admitted to him before she then smiled down to Alfie and Lily as they came down. "You two ready?"
"Yep!" Beamed Alfie before grinning to his uncle. "Let's go!"
Danny smiled to his niece and nephew before he scooped up Lily and smiled to her. "Are you looking forward to school today young lady?"
Lily grinned and nodded. "I get to see my boyfriend."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Joseph. He's my boyfriend." She happily told him.
"Okay say goodbye to mommy kids and Lily me and you will have a discussion in the car how you are not allowed boyfriends cause you are only five and your father would never forgive me if I let you have a boyfriend this young…"
Sam laughed a little and happily kissed each of her children's heads. "Be good." She told them. "Mommy will come and pick you up when school's finished."
"Love you." Alfie beamed as he looked to her before moving his hand to his uncles.
"Love you mommy." Lily mused to her before giving a wave to her.
"Love you guys too." Sam told them with a smile.
Happily holding onto Alfie's hand, Danny then headed out, turning back to look at Sam he smiled. "Let me know when you're back from the doctor's and I'll pop back over. Never know I might bring some sugary goodies." He beamed to her before heading out to the car. He was trying to be as positive as he could for her. Yes she was still dealing with Steve's death and a part of her always would be but he knew he had to try and at least make things easier for her.
Sam smiled and happily watched them go before she gently closed the door behind them before looking down to Reuben who was still sound asleep. "Right mister." She whispered as she went over to the travel cot in the corner of the living room and gently laid him down. "Let's get your stuff ready for the doctors." She whispered before she grabbed his bag from under the cot and opened it up before she started packing the essentials while they were out. As the door knocked, Sam sighed a little as she headed over; opening it she then raised an eyebrow at the tall figure in front of her. "Joe…"
Joe smiled to her. "Hello Sam."
Sam smiled. "Come in. I'm sorry you've caught me at a bit of a bad time, I'm just heading out…" She commented as she finished packing the bag up. "I didn't know you were coming. No Doris?"
Stepping inside, Joe watched her before smiling to her as he headed over to her. "It's a bit of a last minute thing if I'm honest. I wanted to run something by you. No Doris has been called on a job."
"Well are you able to wait a bit?" She asked as she scooped Reuben up and cradled him close. "This one has an appointment at the doctors."
Looking to Reuben he smiled as he gently stroked his arm. "He's gotten so big."
"Well he was only about three months last time you saw him." She commented with a chuckle to him before smiling to him. "Are you going to be hanging around? We shouldn't be too long."
Joe nodded and smiled to her. "Yeah course I will. Am I okay to hang here while you're out?"
"Yes of course, though you'll have to excuse the mess."
Joe smiled to her. "It's fine. Go, I don't want you to miss your appointment."
Sam smiled to him. "The coffee pot hasn't long been done so help yourself." She told him before she then gently rubbed Reuben's back as he started to fuss once more and headed out the front door and to the car. She wasn't expecting Joe to turn up; she hadn't spoken to him in…well months!
Joe smiled as he watched her go before he then looked to the house, picking up a few toys, he popped them away before he then looked to the pictures that were on the wall. So many of Steve and the children and Steve and Sam. They were truly a beautiful family. Sighing to himself he headed into the kitchen and poured himself a coffee before he moved and sat at the table, grabbing the morning paper as he flicked through it as he waited for Sam to return.
"Joe?" Came Sam's voice an hour later.
Looking up from his phone Joe smiled to himself. "In the kitchen." He called back as he got to his feet and headed into the living room and smiled to a now awake Reuben, happily resting on his mother's hip. "Hey buddy." He mused to him before looking to Sam. "Everything go okay?"
Sam smiled and nodded as she closed the front door. "Yeah, doctor said he's got a viral infection so she's given him some all-purpose antibiotics. Said he should bounce back in a few days." She told him with a smile before kissing Reuben's head and popped him down to his feet, smiling as he clung to her jeans.
"He walking yet?" Joe asked looking to him then back up to Sam.
"He'll walk if someone's holding his hand but he's refusing to walk alone. He crawls knowing he'll get there quicker." Popping the bag down she then scooped up Reuben once more and headed to the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'm good thank you, Sam." He mused as watched her with the baby. He looked so much like Steve. Both Alfie and Lily were a perfect mix of both Sam and Steve, but Reuben? It was like looking at a baby Steve!
Popping Reuben into his highchair, Sam got his juice cup and passed it to him before looking to Joe. "What did you want to run past me?" She asked as she made herself a cup of tea before moving to sit down in the chair next to Reuben, taking a sip of her tea before glancing to Reuben who was happily drinking his juice.
Sitting down opposite her, he looked to her. He didn't know how to bring this up. "A couple of days ago I went to my home near Mexico. I pop back now and again to make sure everything is okay and the house is still in one piece." He paused and looked to her as he pulled out a small envelope from his pocket and passed it to her. "This was waiting for me on the doorstep when I arrived…"
Sam looked to Joe. As he pulled out the envelope she looked to him and frowned a little as she took the envelope, looking to the front first before opening it. "Do you know anyone in Japan?" She asked noticing the Japanese postage stamp.
"I have a few contacts there...not sure which one of them sent it, or if it was one of them."
Sam looked to him before she then pulled out of the contents. Looking to the picture she instantly felt sick. She looked to Joe. "This is a very sick joke."
"That's what I thought." Joe replied. "Until I noticed the time stamp in the corner."
Sam frowned before looking to the picture once more. "Four days ago…" She looked to him. "You don't seriously think that this is real do you?"
"I don't know Sam."
"Yes you do Joe. Steve is dead. He practically died in my arms. He had four rounds shot into his chest as he left work! We buried him. You were there. This is tampered with or photo shopped. This isn't real."
"Then why was it sent to me?"
"To mess with your head, Joe. To make you think he's alive and send you on a wild goose chase. I mean if this was real, why would Steve fake his own death? He wouldn't do that to us. And this?" She gestured to the photo. "This looks like he's in a prison. It's not real. Why would Steve be in a Japanese prison?" She shook her head as she put the photo down. She felt quite wound up about it. It was a sick joke.
Joe looked to her and sighed. "Look…I know it's a long shot, but I still think it should be investigated."
Sam shook her head. "How many prisons are in Japan Joe? You're wasting your time. Steve is gone."
"Don't you think you deserve to know for sure? Don't your children deserve to know?"
Sam looked to him. "Don't bring them into this. They've accepted he is gone. Reuben will never know him. I'm not putting them through even more heartbreak."
Sighing Joe got to his feet. "I'm sorry to have bothered you…I just thought you ought to know about the photo."
"That's very considerate of you Joe but this is someone's idea of a very sick joke."
Gently stroking Reuben's cheek he then looked to Sam. "I'll leave you to it…if you need anything…just give me a call." He whispered before he then left her to it. He didn't want to upset her.
Sam just nodded a little to him as she kept her eyes locked on the picture in front of her as he left. As Joe left she grabbed her pocket and quickly text Danny.
To: Danny
I need you here. Now. X
Sending it she then looked to Reuben before looking back down to the picture once more. Surly this had to be someone's idea of a sick joke. Steve had no reason to be in a prison! Especially a Japanese prison. It just didn't make sense. He couldn't have been alive all this time. They would have found out sooner if he was still alive. She had so many questions and thoughts running though her head right now but the main one was, was this really her husband in the picture? Was Steve alive?