Chapter 6
Sam woke up and stretched her body. She felt well rested, and even though she was a little sick to her stomach it wasn't anything bad. So, she got out of bed and pulled on a bathrobe, and then made her way to the living room. It was small, but the kitchen more than made up for that. Kirsten always found a way to be outside, even if it was in the middle of the winter, and she loved spending her days in the kitchen just rummaging around. Sam saw nobody was in the living room, and when she looked around the wall to the kitchen she saw no one was there either. She knew Kirsten would be either outside or still asleep, so she walked outside and was greeted by the sight of drying laundry and Kirsten sitting in one of the chairs outside. Sam sank down in the other chair, and smiled at Kirsten.
''Good morning sweetie – did you sleep ok?'' Kirsten asked without looking at Sam, and Sam hummed. Kirsten looked at her and frowned, ''are you feeling ok? You look a little pale,'' she said, and Sam nodded.
''I'm fine – did you sleep ok? I mean after what I told you last night,'' Sam asked, and Kirsten smiled and nodded.
''I know you, and I know what you've done in the past. Last night when you told me I could see you didn't like it any more than I did, and you showed me you stopped doing that kind of thing. I'm worried about you though, because you seem really hurt by this man and I don't want that,'' Kirsten said softly, and Sam nodded.
''I know, Nan. I know I wasn't the best person before, and I know I still have a long way to go but I also know I don't need to con someone to have money. I was planning on looking for a job when I came out of prison but I just didn't get the chance yet, and when I return I will look for something. I just – he didn't know,'' Sam whispered, and Kirsten nodded.
''But you left without saying anything to him, and now he is looking for you – o don't look at me like that, I heard Dave last night,'' Kirsten said when Sam widened her eyes, ''I heard him and I heard you. Sam, don't be a coward – I know you're not a coward but you act like one now,'' Kirsten said softly, and Sam nodded. She knew she was picking the coward's way out, but she didn't know what else to do. ''I know you don't remember this, because when it happened you were just a little girl – but my husband did something similar to your situation,'' Kirsten said, and Sam shook her head. ''No, he didn't have an affair, but he had told someone he loved her and I thought the worst of it – now he explained it to me because I confronted him with it, but you didn't even give this Jason a chance to explain,'' she added, and Sam nodded and looked down at her feet.
''It's just – when I got out of prison he didn't come see me for a week, and when I went to this little diner in town I saw him with Jenna – that's the woman from prison – and he came after me when he saw me, but he… it's just hard, nan. I saw him with her that afternoon and when I went over there to talk he was with her again – I just don't know what to think about it,'' Sam rambled, and Kirsten looked at her with confusion in her eyes.
''That's the problem, sweetie. You didn't give him the chance to explain anything to you, and you just up and left. If you had given him the chance you would've known what to think about it,'' Kirsten said, and Sam nodded. ''When you do what you did and run, he's going to do either nothing, or look for you and from what I've heard, he is looking for you. I know that's a good sign because if he was having something with that other woman, why would he do that?'' Kirsten asked, and Sam frowned and looked down. Kirsten was smart, and she didn't even have to think about any of this. Sam knew she had been stupid by running, but she just couldn't stay in Port Charles at the moment.
''I just-'' Sam started, but Kirsten interrupted her.
''I know you couldn't, sweetie – when you're in the situation it's always hard to be perspective. But right now you have something to think about and I want you to do just that. I won't kick you out or anything and I will be here for you always, and you know it, but I want you to think about this long and hard,'' Kirsten said, and she got up. ''I'm going to go do some shopping for dinner tonight. Dave is staying here for a while to keep an eye on you – and don't say anything but that's what he told me and I can't do anything about it – and I need to make sure I have enough food for tonight,'' Kirsten added, and Sam nodded. Kirsten got up and went inside to grab her things, and then she walked out with Dave following her. Only Kirsten went to her car and Dave came to sit next to Sam.
''Hey, did you sleep alright?'' he asked her, and when she nodded he sighed. ''Look, I'm sorry about last night but I'm worried about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you ok?''
''I know, Dave,'' Sam replied, and Dave nodded. ''I know I'm being stupid and a coward by running away, but I just need some time away from that city, and from Jason,'' she added, and he nodded again and looked at his phone.
''Stan – the guy who called me last night – just called me again saying there is a bug in your phone and he knows where you are. I didn't tell him I know you and he told me he didn't tell Jason yet, but if he tells him, Jason will be here tomorrow and you know it,'' Dave said softly, and Sam nodded. She should've known Jason would bug her phone, but she didn't think about it before. ''Look, I know you don't want to do this, but why don't you call Jason, tell him you're alright and ask him to come here when you're ready – hell, doesn't matter what you tell him but just let him know you're alright,'' Dave said, and Sam looked at him.
''You think it will matter? If I tell him I'm alright he is still going to come no matter what I say,'' she said, and he nodded. ''You know – I have a plan. I'm going to call him and tell him to give me a week or something,'' she said, and she got up. Dave looked at her and nodded, and she smiled at him before walking back to her room and grabbing her phone. She looked up Jason's number and pressed dial.
''Sam, I-'' Jason started when he picked up the phone, but she interrupted him.
''Jason, I'm alright,'' she said, and he sighed of relief. ''Listen, I need you to do something for me, ok?''
''Sure, anything – where are you?'' he asked, and she rolled her eyes.
''I will tell you ok, I will tell you if you give me a week – just a week for me to get my head straight – I need this. Can you do that for me? Wait a week?'' she asked, and he was silent for a while. ''Jason?''
''Yeah – I mean I don't like it but if you say you're ok – I don't know, Sam, I just want to talk to you and explain everything,'' he said softly, and she closed her eyes trying to hold the tears in.
''It's ok, Jason. In a week I'll call you with directions to where I'm staying, and then we'll talk. I'll listen, Jason, I promise but you have to listen to me now and promise me to stay away for me – this week. I know you can find me by the bug in my phone but I don't care, just don't come here until I call you ok?'' she rambled, and he gasped. She smiled when she heard it, because she knew he didn't think she would find out about the bug. If Dave hadn't been the one to tell her she wouldn't have, but that was beside the point.
''I promise I'll stay away until you call me,'' he said softly, and she let out a sigh of relief. ''Just don't – I love you, Sam,'' he said, and she let out a shaky breath and smiled.
''I'll call you,'' she said, and then she disconnected the line. She knew he would wait for her, because he was a man of his word. And he had promised. She walked back outside with a smile on her face, knowing that at this moment, she could just relax and think everything through.
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Jason looked at the phone in his hand and then at Jenna. ''She hung up on me,'' he said, still shocked he had spoken to her. ''She said she would call me next week and tell me where she is,'' he added, and she nodded.
''That's good – I still think she's hiding something from you,'' Jenna replied, and Jason frowned and took a deep breath.
''Jenna, I know what she's hiding,'' Jason said, and Jenna looked at him questionably. ''Listen, she thinks we have something and I don't want that. I don't want anything with you but friendship and I know I have to back off from you if I want to have something with Sam without having her doubt everything, so I want to just spend less time with you,'' he said, and she looked down.
''Sure – I have to go to my aunt anyway,'' she whispered, and he nodded.
''Listen, I don't want to hurt you or anything but I just don't want to loose Sam, you understand right? And when everything is better and Sam and I are back on track, we can hang out more,'' he said, and she nodded, but she didn't look at him. ''Hey, come on, you have to understand,'' Jason said, picking up on her mood now.
''I do – I do understand. But I don't have to like it. She doesn't have any reason to think that so I don't understand. I already told her I don't want any men in my life – I mean not like have a relationship with and she still doesn't think…'' she rambled, and then she stopped. Jason waited, but she didn't continue.
''Jenna, when Sam came out I didn't see her for a week and that was my fault, but I saw you. I went to Kelly's with you, and Sam saw us that day. And when I talked to her on the docks I had the feeling something was wrong but she didn't tell me and she said she wanted space. I didn't think it would be about you and me together, but it is, and she didn't want to talk to me because of it-''
''She's stupid if she thinks there is something between us. She was the one who didn't call you or talk to you and now you have to stop seeing me – stop hanging out with me because she thinks we have something?'' she snapped, and he frowned.
''Jenna, that's not how it went. Carly told me about the day in court and even though I didn't see it right away I think she's right. Sam is insecure about this because she's never had something like what we have, and I cant jeopardize that, and you know it,'' he said gently, because he didn't want to hurt Jenna. ''She thinks there is something between us and I didn't say I wanted to cut off our friendship – I said I just wanted to see you less so I can fix this with Sam, and when she feels everything is right we can hang out again,'' he said, and she nodded.
''I just think you're falling for a con. She's a con woman and she was in prison for it, and you are falling for her – hard – I mean how stupid can you be not seeing it?'' she said, and Jason frowned. He thought Jenna was Sam's friend. ''She didn't call you and she acts like she wants you but doesn't think you want her, and all the while she is laughing at you while spending time with – hell, maybe even her boyfriend,'' Jenna laughed, and Jason was confused.
''I thought you were her friend,'' he said softly, and she nodded.
''I am, I just don't like the way you think she really is with her 'grandmother', like you say she is. Even though Max told you that – I mean Max knows her from the past right? And he likes her and lives with her, but what if he's covering for her, huh?'' she asked, and he frowned.
''He wouldn't do that, because she wouldn't ask him to do that. Max is an honest guy – why do you think he told me about Sam leaving? He wouldn't have told me if she was with her 'boyfriend', because he knows I would fin her anyway,'' he said, getting frustrated. ''You know what – I think you better leave before I change my mind about being friends, Jenna,'' he said darkly, and she widened her eyes.
''Why would you do that?'' she asked him, surprised and confused.
''We are on different sides of the law – you're a cop, I'm a killer, and I don't need you to tell me Sam is conning me because if you think that, you don't know her. Get out,'' he snapped, and she shrugged and wiped away her tears.
''Sure, Jason. If that's what you want I'll go. But I think you're making big mistake here,'' she said softly, and he nodded. He hated how she acted right now, but he wouldn't make it worse by saying something else. She turned around when he didn't say anything and opened the door. She stopped, turned around and smiled with tears in her eyes. ''I hope you will find happiness,'' she snapped, and he frowned, but still didn't say anything. He didn't want to get her to hate him even more than she already seemed to do. She walked out and closed the door behind her. He looked at his phone one more time and decided to text Sam, thanking her for the call.
##########
Kirsten had come back fast, wanting to spend some time with Sam. Sam loved spending her time with the woman she came to see as her grandmother a long time ago, and even though they had just sat in the garden she still felt like they connected even more. ''You see, even without saying anything I feel so much more closer to you,'' Sam suddenly said softly, and Kirsten looked at her and smiled.
''I know – I feel the same way. I've really missed you these last few years, and I hope you know how much I love you – you're like my own grand daughter and I really do love it when you visit me,'' Kirsten said, and Sam smiled.
''I love you too, Nan. I talked to Max about you and he still remembered you,'' Sam said, and Kirsten laughed.
''Max, that big guy with the heart of gold – that Max? Of course he remembers me – you never forget someone you meet in a difficult time, Sam,'' she said softly, and Sam nodded. Kirsten and Max had met when Sam had just had a rough patch behind her, and when she felt the familiar fear creep up, Sam shook her head to forget it. She felt her phone vibrate, and she looked up at Kirsten and grabbed her phone out of her pocket. It was a message from Jason.
Thank you for calling me and thank you for giving me the chance to explain. I love you, Jason.
Sam felt her eyes start to water and Kirsten looked at her in concern. ''It's a text – from Jason,'' Sam explained softly, and she showed Kirsten the message.
''He really wants to talk to you, and I think you did the right thing, giving him the change to explain everything. I know what you told him, because Dave told me, and I know everything will become clear in a week,'' Kirsten replied after reading the message.
''I hope so – I really hope so,'' Sam said softly, and she meant it.