Chapter ten

They lay in bed, chest to chest. Their arms are draped across each other. Samantha nuzzles her head in the crook of Martin's neck. Their legs are intertwined.

After they arrived home from the hospital, Martin was immediately engulfed in Mrs. Sims arms. He stayed in her presence for only a few minutes before he darted to the nursery.

Samantha watched the reunion between her husband and son. She leaned on the doorway with her arms crossed and a smile playing on her face. Martin continuously cuddles and kisses his son eliciting a response of cooing and smiling from the baby.

At that moment, Samantha never felt more alive. She never thought that this moment would happen again. It almost feels like a dream. But it isn't. But she had to take moments throughout the day to remind herself that she wasn't suspended in a twisted reality. This is her life.

Samantha feels Martin's hand running over her bare back. She wraps her arms tighter around Martin. She is afraid that Martin will suddenly disappear.

They had been talking. She learned where the threatening note came from. When Martin barely started working in white collar, there was a bank robbery at a convenient store that Javier and Raymond, Javier's younger brother, was at. The robber shot Raymond and killed him.

Revenge is a powerful motive.

Javier blamed Martin for not stopping the robber, so he sent that letter to Martin, warning him.

Samantha also learned that Martin was lured to the warehouse. Unbeknownst to Martin, Javier emailed him and told him that he knew where the missing person was. It was a trap the whole time. Somehow Javier managed to knock Martin out.

It just so happened that the second body found in the fire was a coincidence. The man had been dead in the warehouse for quite some time. He lost his wedding ring in the battle.

Martin's voice is the only thing that snaps her from her trance.

"He took me to the cottage," Martin continues. "I was out of it. I don't really remember what happened. But I do know that he kept hitting me."

Samantha feels horrible. She wants to take his pain away. It will take awhile for Martin to recuperate from this. She is going to be there for him anyway she can. She kisses his neck to let him know that she is listening to him.

"I know that he had me tied up to a chair. I managed to get loose when he was in the kitchen. Thank God for his complete incompetence."

It was Javier in the woods that she followed. Suddenly, Samantha feels relieved that Javier outran her. Instead of finding and saving Martin, she could have been in the exact same predicament that Martin was in.

"I got lost in the woods. I was a little puzzled. It's probably why I found myself standing in the middle of the street." Martin's eyes are distant and unblinking.

Samantha's hand untangles from around Martin's body and begins to gently rub over the stitches on his face. Her touch is tender. Her eyes fix on Martin's. She finds his eyes to be forlorn and upbeat at the same time. She doesn't think that a vast stare such as his exists, but somehow, Martin manages his look perfectly. His stare is breathtaking and scary. She wants to know what he is thinking and feeling. She has an immense feeling to cry for Martin, but Martin doesn't want her sympathy; he wants her support.

Out of all the words that exist, Samantha cannot find any of them that would have value and meaning. None of them would help him or comfort him. There are so many words and sentences that Samantha can say, but none of them seem right. She is speechless.

Martin stares at Samantha. He can see the battle that resides inside her eyes. He sees the concern in her face that she cannot hide. He doesn't know why Samantha is expressing so much concern for him. Although he feels the pain of being beaten, his only cure is Samantha. He appreciates her. He cannot bear to see the creases of concern on her forehead.

"Hey," Martin says. The tone in his voice is sweat. He rubs his hand up and down Samantha's arm. Samantha peeks at him over her eyelashes. Martin can easily see the beauty her eyes possess. He loves that she cares for him, but she is worrying for nothing. He is fine. He reaches up with his pointer finger and caresses her cheek lovingly. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine," he states.

Samantha simply smiles. She isn't going to believe him. "The look in your eyes tells a different story."

Martin sighs. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't have scars, but I don't want you worrying about me. Besides it gives you wrinkles." Her shocked expression prompts Martin to lean over and kiss her.

Just as the kiss is heating up, a new pair of lungs begins to wail. Samantha breaks apart and settles into Martin's embrace for only a second before she begins to climb out of bed. But a pair of hands wrap around her preventing her further departure. She turns around to stare at Martin. "Martin, I have—"

Martin stops her by placing his pointer finger on her lips. "I'll get him." He instantly sees Samantha's relief wash over her. With a quick kiss from his wife, Martin grabs clothes and makes his way to the nursery. He hovers over Nolan's crib for a moment. He wants to take in his flailing legs and arms. Even his crying sounds wonderful. He gently picks up the bundle and goes to the kitchen, his arms bounce up and down to comfort the baby. It doesn't take long before a bottle is heated. He puts a spit up rag on his shoulder and sits on the couch. Holding Nolan with his right arm and feeding him with the other, Martin quickly becomes attached to him. He didn't think that it was possible to love somebody so much that he just met.

Martin hears shuffling feet. He looks up and sees Samantha sluggishly walking towards them. She raises her hand to cover a yawn before she sits next to them. She smiles at Martin and rests her head on his shoulder. She brings her knees to her chest and cuddles next to Martin.

"I thought you were going to stay in bed," Martin laughs.

Samantha looks at him and gives him a peck on the lips before replacing her head in its previous spot. "I couldn't stand being away from my boys," she says.

When milk leaks from the baby's mouth, Martin pulls the bottle away allowing Samantha to wipe it away.

Nolan's eyes dart between his parents. They have smiles on their faces. He offers them a laugh which causes a laugh from them before he takes his bottle back. His eyes close.

Samantha mimics her son as her eyes close. She loves having Martin back. She feels protected. She feels that she is on top of the world. But most importantly, she feels loved. She has her husband back, and that's all that matters.

The End