AN: I think this is where it ends. Well, as you know, it is never the end, just the stopping point in this story. Hopefully, by the end of this long chapter, resolution will have been reached to all that have read this. I tried something new at the end, a parallel of sorts, I think it turned out pretty good, however, that is simply my opinion. Anyways, thanks for reading, please tell me know what you think of my ending. Peace.
"Brooke, its morning," Haley informed her friend that the night really did end.
"Its morning, and Sam was out there all night," Sam walking away was the only thing that was on her mind, asleep and awake. Sam was the only thing that mattered. She was the only thing that mattered, and Brooke let her slip out the door. If Sam was gone, well then so was Brooke.
"I know, Sweetie," she said rubbing her arm. Haley wished she had the antidote for Brooke's newly broken heart. But she wasn't a doctor, simply a friend. "I'm going to look for her when I get to school. I will call you the second I spot her." She had to remain optimistic; optimism was the only positive thing Haley had left. Fear, guilt, and sorrow rid her mind.
"If you spot her," she did not want to speak so negatively, but at that moment she couldn't be optimistic. That is why she had Haley. For even in the pessimistic of times, Haley still had room for hope. Unfortunately for Brooke, she did not.
"She will be there. Sam is smart. She knows that if she doesn't show up at school, then things will be placed in someone else's hands. And she doesn't want that."
"What do you mean?" Not completely sure what her friend was getting at.
"If Sam misses a certain amount of days from school then Social Services will be involved, and they will take her away. Then it will be out of her hands and ours," she sighed at the thought. Sam was currently missing and unsafe. But if thrown back into the system she would be ignored. And Sam was the only thing on Haley and Brooke's minds. She might be missing, but she was not ignored. Ignorance was anything but bliss.
"Well, maybe that will be best for her. They can take her away from Marcus, I saw the bruises, Haley," almost tearing up again remembering the sight on Sam's frail back.
"If only it was that easy, Brooke. And if Social Services takes her away, it will be from you too. We don't want that," that would be the worst scenario possible.
"Like I said, maybe it will be for the best." She didn't know anymore. As much as she wanted Sam with her, away from Marcus would be even more feasible for her protection.
"Nothing will be better than Sam in your home."
"She doesn't want to be here," she looked up at Haley looking defeated.
"Give her time." Haley knew that Sam wanted to be with Brooke more than anything, she just feared other things, and that is what was keeping her away. Not Brooke, it was never Brooke. Haley knew this, and she just wished that Brooke would believe it as well.
"I gave her time, and look where we are now. I am not a big fan of time." She had never been; it only brought devastation and tears.
Haley's words would not suffice any longer. She bent down and gave Brooke a kiss on her forehead, "I will call you in an hour, no matter what."
As Brooke watched Haley leave, she realized that she needed to express her gratitude, not many would have come in the middle of night to her rescue, "Haley, thank you."
"You are going to have to stop doing that, Brooke."
"How come?"
"I am your friend, it comes with the territory," attempting the smallest of smiles. But even the normally cheery Haley James Scott heart pained too much for cheerfulness.
"Okay, well then I thank you for being my friend," it is not often one thanks a friend simply for being one. And unfortunately, when one does it is never in times of delight, only regret.
"I'll accept that. Wait for me call."
"I will," and she did. It was all that she could do. Functionality was not even a question; she could not function until she knew Sam was safe. Well the safest version she could be in the face of everything, everything that she seemingly could not prevent.
Haley was right, Sam was a smart girl, and she knew the system in which she had to abide by. So she showed up at school, again in yesterday's clothes. She had found refuge in an abandoned couch at Marcus' hangout location. It was the only option she had, so she took it. And surprisingly she had gotten more sleep than she had gotten in months. Brooke was finally released from the duties of caring for her; the weight of the world was released from Sam. She just had to figure out how to maintain this balance. What she didn't know then was that there was never going to be a balance, and she would continue to fight for it until she couldn't anymore.
Marcus was at their spot, and things were good at the moment. Things were good; this is how it was meant to be. Maybe Marcus' love would be worth the wait after all. What she didn't know was that when things were momentarily good, that things were going to get a whole lot worst later on, and let's just hope she was ready for it.
Haley was more concerned than ever, she had to find Sam, and she had to find her now. There was too much out in the open now, and Haley felt as if she betrayed the trust in which Sam had engrained in her. If Sam couldn't go to Haley, and she had ran away from Brooke, where could she possibly go from here? Haley didn't know, but she wanted to find out before there was no turning point back.
She figured that the spot in which she found the duo yesterday was their regular spot, so before she even brought her belongings in her classroom she went to that spot. Sure enough, there they were. Sam saw Haley first; those were not happy eyes in which she was looking at Haley with. She motioned to Marcus this time of Haley's approaching presence, "Bitch alert, let's go." There was nothing that Haley could say right now that would change anything, so she didn't even want to hear her attempt.
When he turned to see Haley coming towards them he was pleased, he had some words he needed to let Mrs. James Scott be aware of. "Not so fast, Babe. I think we can have a little fun," a huge, devious smile was plastered on his face.
Fun? What kind of fun was Marcus talking about? Haley betrayed her, but deep down she knew it was for her own security; she just wasn't going to admit it on the surface. No matter how betrayed she felt, she did not intend to cause harm to Haley. This was not part of the plan; her plan simply involved her walking away. She could only fear when Marcus' plan was the complete opposite.
"Sam," Haley said the second she was close enough to communicate with her.
But it wasn't Sam who spoke back, "Third times the charm, lady?" he said stepping in front of Sam ceasing any attempt of Haley's to speak with Sam.
"Mr. Haywood, move out of the way," she demanded. If she wasn't a teacher at the school, she would have accumulated all the force her small frame could muster and shove Marcus out of the way. Unfortunately, she knew better, but at the moment standing in front of a teenaged boy with a sly look on his face, all she wanted to do was kick his ass.
Apparently, Marcus did not follow any similar conduct of respect in school, "Not going to happen."
"Mr. Haywood, I am going to ask you one more time. Move out of the way."
"And if I don't?" his devious grin plastered his face.
"It is not an option," the woman knew how to stand her ground as she crossed her arms.
"Oh, I think it is," he said getting in her face.
Haley took advantage of his bent demeanor to look at Sam. She seemed indifferent, but at least the pain that had been mistakenly evident the day before was not as bright, "Sam."
"What is your deal with my girlfriend?" he said once again blocking her view of Sam.
"I really don't think this concerns you at all, Mr. Haywood," she looked right into his eyes, letting him know that the childish act would not scare her.
"Oh, I think it does. And you see I don't think that you need to be talking to her anymore. Just walk away lady, Sam doesn't want to talk to you."
"Like I said, it really isn't up to you."
"Okay, I'm not going to play nice any longer. You can walk away, or I can help you," giving her two options knowing that he was going to need to assist her with the latter.
"Is that a threat, Mr. Haywood?" ready to snap this boy if she could with her two hands for the pain he inflicted on Sam.
"I guess I am going to have to help you," he gave her a shove with enough force that she fell to the ground hitting her head.
Sam watched the scene unfold in utter disbelief. Haley was dazed on the ground, grabbing her head. Marcus knew that he would be in severe trouble, and Sam was now partly to blame, "Let's go," he said pulling at Sam to run with him.
She looked to Haley seeing if she was going to be all right, when she decided that Haley would survive, she started to run after Marcus. But Haley called her name, stopping Sam in her tracks. It was a long enough pause for Principal Turner to reprimand Sam. Nonetheless, Marcus got away.
Haley pulled herself to her feet, holding a hand to her head, still a little wobbly. She walked over to Principal Turner and Sam. "Haley, I will take care of this. How about you take the day?" he did not let go of the pleading girl.
Haley knew that it wasn't the pleading girl's fault. "Actually, I'm okay," she saw her boss' look of disbelief, "really. It is just a little bump."
"I don't know, Haley. I think it would be better if you just went home. I will take care of this one," indicating Sam.
"Okay, I will go home, but let me deal with Sam," there was no way she was going to leave Sam to be dealt with by any sort of system.
"Haley, she assaulted a teacher, this is means for suspension."
"It was Marcus Haywood, Sam was just a bystander."
"She was running away from the scene, Haley. I think she is involved, she contributed, and she needs to be dealt with accordingly." Sam stood there listening to the conversation trying to see which one was going to win the argument. Turner would not let go of her arm, but if Haley won the fight, the pain would be different than physicality.
"I insist that is not the case. Let me deal with her. Don't you worry, it is going to be worst than a suspension in her eyes." And in a way, it really would.
He finally gave in, releasing Sam to Haley. Still holding her head, Haley grabbed Sam so she could not escape just like her delinquent boyfriend had done. She did not let go of her grip on Sam until they made it to her classroom. She closed the door, and then sat down at her desk, rubbing her temples.
"Look, Haley, I'm really sorry," this was definitely not how she wanted things to turn out. She looked at Haley as she held her head and felt at blame for the pain Marcus had caused.
Haley put her hand up; she did not want an apology from Sam. She wanted Sam to open her eyes and see the damaging effect that Marcus had on his surroundings. "Stop, just stop it," her tone was too much for her brewing migraine. She calmed her voice for her own sake, "Please just stop it. Stop pretending that this is your fault, and open your eyes to the fact that you are taking the blame because there is this lingering guilt. You don't deserve this. No one does, Sam. He is volatile, and he doesn't care who is in his path, because he is going to hurt that person. And you are going to be that person over and over again. Is this what you want?"
No, this is not what she wanted. This is not any sense of what she wanted. But this is what she had. It was all she had, so she was going to have to deal accordingly. She could remain through the physical pains, just as long as Marcus still remained by her side. That is all she wanted, someone by her side. The pain was bearable; it had to be, if she wanted any chance – any chance at all to not be alone.
Haley watched Sam stuck in thought, "Is it?" she asked again breaking through.
"It isn't like that. He cares about me. You just made him angry."
"Oh, he cares about you? He has a funny way of showing it. As a matter of fact, he must care about me too. That must be the reason he shoved me to the floor. I am just glad he doesn't care about me as much as he cares about you. That would really hurt, doesn't it hurt, Sam?" Haley knew that the harshness of her voice was completely overwhelming to Sam, but it had to be. She had tried all that she could put out. But one of these times, Sam was going to ask for help. And when she does, Haley would be there, doing anything in her power to ensure that Marcus never touches her again. But until that point, she was going to try and push it out of her.
"You don't understand. No one will ever understand," she was the only one who ever knew the entire story, and her goal was to keep it that way. No one could possibly understand her reasoning. But it was her survival mechanism. And she couldn't give it up, for it has kept her going thus far.
"Then make me understand, Sam. Please just let me in, so that I can understand what you are going through," all she could be left to do was beg.
"Like I said, no one can understand. Now, I am really sorry about your head, but things are good right now, please do not ruin it for me."
"Oh don't worry, Sam. You just go on living this way, and you will do it yourself," there was nothing left to sugarcoat. Sam had been the unfortunate recipient of adulthood at an early age. Fabrications were for covering the harsh realities of the world. Sam already knew them all by name.
"Fine," she stood to leave. She had to find Marcus. Things had been good, but not after this. Not after she got trapped in the school while he ran away from the deviance he committed. But she also knew that she had to stay. So now the distance between them would be even greater once they did in fact reunite.
"I am calling Brooke," Haley threatened her.
"Good for you. I'm not of her concern anymore," she had to tell herself that this is what she wanted; but she was the adult Haley cited her as, and fabrications were for children.
"You are always going to be of her concern, Sam. Whether you go home or you go to Marcus. She is always going to worry about you. Don't be naïve enough to believe otherwise."
"Me naïve? I have seen more of this world than most adults. I am not naïve enough to believe in the hopes of the world. I am not naïve, don't call me it."
"But you are a child," correction, she should be a child. Though Haley called her one, she regretfully knew it was not the case.
"I was never a child."
"I am sorry, Sam," Haley should have known better, apologetic pleas would not repair a thing.
"I am not your problem, Haley. Go try and find someone willing to be saved," that is where the distinction lay, in the willingness to be saved.
Sam's last lines always seemed to silence the person trying to help, last time it was Brooke, this time Haley remained silent. It is extremely hard to save a life when the person holding the life wasn't willing. After all Sam was a smart girl.
When Haley finally realized that Sam was gone, she pulled out her phone. There was no way that she was going to make it home at this rate.
"Hello?"
"Hey, do you think you could come to my classroom?"
"Is everything alright?"
"I will tell you everything when you get here."
"I'll be right there, Hales."
She put down her phone, hands to her head once more, elbows on the desk. Marcus had really done a number on her. But this was only one occurrence. She sat there imagining all of Sam's occurrences. She must have been breaking underneath her skater clothes. Why, just why couldn't she let anyone heal her?
"Hales?" a voice interrupted her rambling thoughts.
She looked up and had to smile at his endearing concern, but it was a small, sad smile and this was a red flag.
"Hales, what's the matter?" he said getting closer.
"Do you think you can take me home?"
"Of course, I can. But the school day hasn't even started yet. Are you sick?" He was concerned, Haley would never miss a day of school purposely, even going back to her own years in academics.
"Something like that," she carefully pulled herself up, on shaky terms.
"Let me help you," he put a supportive arm around her waist.
All she could do was thank him with her eyes, as she turned off the lights and they were in the hallway. She glanced at the spot where she had fallen, but her eyes were more concentrated at Sam and Marcus' regular spot. She was concentrated on Sam.
"Oh, Coach Scott, I am glad you are taking Haley home. She hit her head pretty hard," Principal Turner revealing facts that Haley wanted to remain unknown.
"I wasn't aware," looking at Haley now, but she wasn't giving him anything.
"You didn't tell him what happened, Haley?"
"No, she didn't. What happened, Haley?" looking at her incredulously.
"It is not a big deal," it wasn't necessary to bring attention to what had happened to her. It was just a bump on the head.
"Principal Turner, since Haley is not letting any details slip, would you mind informing me?" he needed to know what had happened to his best friend.
"A student shoved Haley to the ground after an argument. She hit her head pretty hard. The boy ran away, but I restrained the girl. However, Haley didn't want her to deal with any of the consequences."
"She didn't do anything," Haley did not want any blame put on a girl that neither men standing beside her knew anything about.
"She may not have pushed you herself, but she was part of it."
"She is not to blame," she was adamant about her words.
"Haley," he began.
"Lucas, it was Sam," when she told him that the looks of anger in his eyes subdued. He understood now. Sam had become like an adoptive part of the Tree Hill clan, Haley was simply defending one of their own.
"Let's get you home," he said securing his grip, acknowledging his gratitude to Principal Turner and then leading Haley to his car.
"It was Sam," she told her friend again once they had gotten into his car.
"It looks like she is hanging out with the wrong crowd. Assaulting a teacher? Sam doesn't seem like the type."
"She isn't."
"You seemed overly involved in this, Haley. Is everything okay?" He looked over at her, and it appeared Haley was dwelling on something. And Lucas knew that this dwelling would not end until something was resolved. It would not end until someone was saved.
"Not really." She couldn't lie to her best friend; it hurt too much in the end. It hurt too much now.
"What is going on? You can tell me."
"It is really complicated, Luke. And I need to protect Sam right now. You can understand that, right?" she said as she looked over at her friend's concerned look for her.
"Yeah, I understand. I don't want to, especially when you were hurt, but I understand. Let's get you home."
"Actually, do you think you could take me to Brooke's? I need to talk to her."
"Are you sure you don't just want to go home? Sleep it off?"
"Brooke needs me right now, Lucas. She needs us all."
"Okay," he accepted her words. He would always.
Lucas parked the car, and ran to Haley's side to open the door for her. He gently supported her again, "I am going to need a lot of Tylenol," she had to laugh. But when she saw that Lucas was not accompanying her laughter, she stopped. He was so broody.
Lucas knocked on the door; he heard a voice from inside summoning him in. Then he saw her; Haley wasn't exaggerating when she said that Brooke needed them right now.
She was a mess. There had been so many days in which she hadn't wanted to put her face on for the world, but succeeded in doing so nonetheless. Today was not one of those days. She had remained in her place on the couch since Haley had left over an hour ago. She was just waiting, simply waiting for anything remotely comforting. But she had heard nothing. So she waited. She waited until there was knock on her door.
When the knocker came in, she did not know what to expect. She certainly did not expect to see Lucas Scott. And she didn't expect to see him keeping Haley from falling. If not for those two scenarios she would have remained. But that wasn't the case; they both were there. She wanted to know the reason behind it.
"What happened, Haley?" The last time she had seen Haley she was on two stable feet, now Lucas was helping her down onto the couch.
Lucas was going to answer, because last time he allowed Haley to do so she had failed to tell the truth, "A student, one of Sam's friends," he didn't know anything about Sam's back story, he liked her, but after what had happened with Haley, he was getting second thoughts, "shoved her to the ground, and she hit her head pretty hard."
"I'm fine," she said trying to avoid Brooke's immediate apprehension.
"Don't listen to her. Principal Turner sent her home," he was going to ensure the full factual story was brought to light.
"Haley, what happened?" she wanted to know the reason her friend had been injured.
"I tried to talk to Sam, Marcus didn't want me to. I insisted anyways, and then he pushed me. That is it." It was one small altercation in her opinion.
"You could have a concussion," Lucas informed her.
"Luke, stop. I'm fine," she hated the unnecessary attention brought about concerning her. She was not the one in need; a little bump on her head should not bring this much attention.
"You are not fine," he was angry that she was so insistent that she was fine; when it was evident she was not. But Lucas unfortunately did not know anything that was going on in these girls' lives right now. And comparatively, Haley was doing pretty well.
"A bump on my head is not going to kill me."
"I know who I want to kill for doing this to you."
"Me too," Brooke admitted, partly for Haley, but even more so for the infliction of pain that Marcus had caused her foster daughter.
"Okay, I think it is time for you to leave, Luke," Haley couldn't argue with him much longer, she just was not going to be able to sustain the conversation with the pain that was looming in the back of her head.
"I'm sorry, Hales. I just don't like to see you in pain."
"I know, and I love you for that, Luke. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. I just need you to be okay with this right now. We will tell you when we think it is best."
"I think we should tell him now. We need as many people on our side as we can. Maybe if we have enough, there will be no where else to run."
"Brooke, I don't know if that is the best idea," she said, as Lucas was more perplexed than before, he wanted to know now.
"Haley. Sooner or later, if we have some one at every corner, she is going to be trapped."
"That is her greatest fear."
"You have to face your fears at some point," she felt like a hypocrite stating this fact.
"Its your call, Brooke," trying to tackle Brooke's thought process.
"Can one of you please tell me what is going on?" Lucas was intrigued, especially since the small banter between them completely ignored his presence momentarily.
Brooke looked at Haley disheartening eyes, but had to look away doing what she thought would bode best. "The kid that pushed Haley is Sam's boyfriend. He hits her. She keeps running away, and I'm not sure she is going to come back this time."
Lucas ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. This was more than he had expected to hear from Brooke's lips. All the ill-hearted feelings that had slightly arisen towards Sam were pushed aside so quickly. He felt guilty for even thinking that way. Then he became angry. Somebody has been hurting Brooke's daughter. He loved Brooke, and if her child had been harmed, it now became even more personal. "Now I have another reason to kill him."
"Luke," Haley warned him. "Don't get me wrong, the only thing I want to do right now is cause even remotely as much pain to Marcus as he has inflicted on Sam, but we can't. This is not Hammurabi's code; violence will not win over violence."
"I know, Hales. It just seems like the best method."
"How hypocritical would we be if we instigated pain?"
Brooke spoke now, "There has got to be another way. As much as I hate to admit it, Marcus, in a sense is a child too. There has to be some reason behind his inner demons in which he is taking it out on Sam. As much as I want him to hurt, I am sure he has seen enough. I just want him to stop taking it out on Sam; it is all I want. I just want Sam."
Haley reassuringly rubbed Brooke's back as it appeared her friend was going to break down, "We will get her back. We will get her back, Brooke," she repeated.
Sam could barely concentrate in her classes; all that consumed her was the aftereffects of the morning's events. She thought of Haley. She thought of Marcus. And lastly, she thought of Brooke. Brooke could be her greatest companion, and the source of her greatest love. Why was she too damn stubborn to admit this? The bell rang signaling the end of the day. She feared it would be more than just the end of the school day. Praying to everything holy she hoped she had another day.
It was a pain-stricken, torture-ridden day for Brooke Davis. The last time in which she had remained in her pajamas all day, back to the world was two years ago. That time she had been the injured daughter, trying to break through the pain-encrusted box she was living in. Victoria Davis was the villain, and that day she had caused more pain to her daughter than one would ever be able to withhold. So she broke. Her dam shattered. She crumbled.
A mother now had not caused the pain; nevertheless a daughter was still battered. Brooke was not her mother's daughter. She just wanted her daughter to know this fact. Before Sam became a presence in her life, Brooke never knew the love of a mother. Now that her reason to love was missing, she knew it was the most powerful thing ever granted on the planet. She would be weak without her daughter; all her power would be pointless. Everything would be pointless without her daughter. If only her own mother had felt the same, then maybe Brooke wouldn't have been so hesitant to use her powers.
Last time she was completely alone, but Haley was by her side this time. Lucas had left hours ago, claiming he had to work on his book. The girls didn't believe a word he spoke; he had been battling writer's block for months now. Nonetheless, neither girl had enough command to hold him back. Whatever Lucas needed to do, they knew it was worthy. He was probably trying to save the world. He was the brooding hero after all.
The day was filled with silence. Haley had reassured Brooke to reassurance's breaking point. All fears had been brought to light. They knew all the facts they could amass. However, without Sam, they could do nothing. And the girls were too weakened to try and find the missing girl. So they waited, just hoping that secret angels were protecting Sam now. Deep down they knew that those angels did not exist, for if they did, Sam would have been sheltered long ago.
Everybody in the world is fighting a silent battle, some together, most overwhelming alone in the corner. But the pain that radiates throughout the world could be overturned. It starts with one person. Who is your person? Who is going to save you? Tree Hill residents were no exception to the immensity of it all. The only difference was their battles weren't so silent anymore. Why couldn't anyone hear the screams? Parents lock up your children, the sight is going to be gruesome. A girl is about to lose her battle, and that is no sight for the dreamers to witness. Who is going to save her? No one can save you when you are gone. Just remember that, once you are gone, you can't come back. Is someone going to be there before you follow the light? You are not alone. Sam, you are not alone.
Physical pain is definitely harder to endure than emotions, she decided. She knew that broken bones could heal, but hell the force to break a bone is tremendous. A heart could be broken with a single word, a single word could not break a bone, it took so much more than words. Physical pain was definitely more unbearable, she decided.
Across town, physical pain was not experienced, but a heart was slowly falling apart, falling apart into pieces that might not ever be rejoined. It might not be a possibility. A broken bone always mends, the pieces seemly fit back together. A cast supports the break. What supports a broken heart? There is no cast for a heart. Emotional pain was more gut wrenching than physical pain, she decided.
The light was radiating now, and it was pulling her in. Her eyes could not remain open any longer. Fifteen years, was that her expectancy from day one? She was sure that she had surpassed hers with the amount of pain – physical and emotional – she had endured throughout the last fifteen years. She was ready, as much as she pretended that she could withhold the world. She couldn't. No one could, especially not a frail, unloved teenager. She could not withhold the world. And soon she would be alone, all alone.
It was becoming dark now, and everything was becoming black. Her eyes could not stay open any longer. The pain was too much for a waking person to deal with. Her child was missing. Her child was harmed. She did not prevent the pain of the person she loved the most. She thought that her life's gift was to mother a motherless child. Not any motherless child, this one was the one. If she couldn't save her, then her life was over. And soon she would all alone.
The light had won, she tried to open her eyes, but it was too bright. It was the end. So she was a martyr after all. She died for those who couldn't fight, and she had fought for the unloved. Long ago she had stopped fighting for herself. Maybe that is the reason the light was shining so brightly on her. She felt her body being lifted, who was taking her away? Religion was not part of her life; she did not know what happened after you left the Earth. This must be it, but who was taking her away?
The sun shone through the window waking up the sleeping. It had been another night she slept while her loved one was not under the security of her house. It was another night that she had failed. The light was so bright she couldn't even open her eyes. Now since she was awakened her rambling thoughts pinned her with guilt. Why hadn't she been more attentive or parental? Why didn't she provide the proper direction? Many followed God's path, but she knew nothing of religion, where do the followers go? They leave the earth.
The version of Heaven that she read about spoke of absolute serenity, why was she in absolute pain? She must not be in Heaven after all, because no God would allow one to tolerate this. Maybe this was her punishment for her failed attempts to change her paths. She supposed her ultimate path ended here, and here was not Heaven, it was Hell. The wraths of Hell were almost unbearable for the girl, so she closed her eyes, hoping the next time she opened them she wasn't in Hell anymore.
She failed at her chance to be a parent. A parent's greatest fear was losing a child. But how could she possibly even consider herself a parent, how do you lose a child that wasn't ever really yours? This must be her punishment for her failed attempt. This was one hellish punishment to experience on Earth. Can you have redemption on Earth? Or is that only for the departed? Could she really be redeemed after this?
There is not a single person in the world that can be void of redemption. The beaten can find salvation. The abandoned can be rescued. The enslaved can be emancipated. The indignant can be liberated. Samantha Walker could be redeemed. Brooke Davis could be her redeemer.
She opened her eyes. The light would not blind her any longer. The fight was not over, and the battle was not done. She could still save Sam. She knew that now was her chance. The door opened, and she was ready for her chance to save a life. And this time it would be Sam's.
Brooke had indicated she was ready, she was ready for the chance, nonetheless, she was not ready to see her beaten daughter. She put a hand to her mouth; she couldn't believe the sight before her. "Sam," escaped from her mouth, tears escaped from her eyes.
Haley shook Brooke out of oblivion, "She needs you, Brooke. She needs you more than ever. Just remember, you can be the only one to save her."
Her daughter needed her, this time she would not falter. She watched as Lucas gently placed her on the couch. Brooke knelt beside Sam's head, lightly placed a hand through Sam's matted hair, "Sam," she soothed hoping to wake up her sleeping girl.
Lucas looked back at the sight, and found Haley attached to his side. She had been the one to awaken Brooke, but that was as far as she could get. The sight of Sam was impossible to take in without being completely affected by the broken girl's appearance. She needed to be at a hospital, somebody with more medical expertise needed to look her over. But for this moment Haley and Lucas watched the only person that could really save Sam. Brooke was Sam's savior.
"Sam, open your eyes." Brooke tried again, trying to control her raging emotions. This time begging, "You have got to open your eyes, I need you. Sam, I need you."
She wasn't dead. The light had been the sun. The being who lifted her body was Lucas. He had found her, and he had taken her away. She opened her eyes and she wasn't in Hell anymore.
"Sam?" Brooke's tears of relief could not be stopped. Sam's eyes fluttered and Brooke was sure at this moment it would be the start of the rest of their lives.
Only audible to Brooke, Sam spoke, "I saw the light, and I thought it was the end."
"Not the end, Sam. Never the end."
"I don't know what to do, Brooke. I can't escape," she admitted for the first time. For the first time she was able to say aloud the reason she did not leave. She couldn't. She couldn't escape. That was the reason she held on, she saw no way out. The only way she knew of was the light, and according to Brooke it did not represent the end.
"There is always an escape. We are going to find it. We are going to find it together. You and me against the world, Sam."
"No one has ever fought for me before," Sam allowed tears to be seen in the light.
"No one has ever fought for me either."
"I don't want to be alone anymore."
"You aren't. You are never going to be alone."
The dam broke. The water gates could not hold back the tears. It was a flood of emotions. Why had it taken a near death experience for her to believe this? No one cared before. Even if they said they did, they were not truthful. They had walked away when she needed someone. They had abandoned her when she didn't want to be alone. They did not love her. Brooke was not walking away. Brooke was not abandoning her. Brooke loved her. She knew this now; she now knew it all.
The world will tell you who you are, until you tell the world.
She was Samantha Walker. She was a fighter. She was not going to give up. She was not alone.
She was Brooke Davis. She was a fighter. She would never abandon. She was not alone.
They were not alone.