Chapter Fourteen: If the Shoe Fits
Lucas lays in his hospital bed trying not to scratch his stitches. He wonders why no one's come in to visit him, completely unaware that he's under guard. He knows he didn't shoot EJ so he figures he doesn't have too much to worry about. He still doesn't understand how the gun wound up in his hand. He hadn't seen the gun since he had given it to Sami. "I definitely hate EJ," he says out loud, "but I wouldn't try to kill him." "You better hope we can convince the police of that," says Mickey Horton, entering his room.
Bo and Roman go in to EJ's room to question him about the shooting. Sami excuses herself and leans against the wall by the door of his room, both to wait for them to leave and to better overhear their conversation. "So, EJ," Roman begins, "tell us what happened." EJ winces slightly as he adjusts himself in his bed. "Well, I left the party and drove around for awhile, trying to clear my head. I wound up at the pier." "Why did you stop there?" asks Bo. EJ smiles a little nostalgically. "I was thinking of Samantha. We shared our first dance there." Roman and Bo stare at him while EJ goes quiet, lost in his own thoughts. "Well," Bo prompts him, "then what?" EJ replies, "I was standing there, looking out at the water, when Lucas walked up. I was about to speak to him when he pulled out a gun and fired right at me. I believe he must have tripped right afterwards, or else the force of the shot knocked him off balance. Either way, he fell almost immediately afterwards. I heard Samantha calling Lucas' name and I called out to her to get her attention. The rest you know." "So, Lucas never said anything to you. He just walked right up and shot you," Roman clarifies. "That's correct. The whole thing happened so quickly that it caught me off guard. I assumed he just wanted another argument, or possibly wanted to pick a fight. I never saw it coming, really." Bo and Roman thank him and excuse themselves. Sami reenters EJ's room as they walk out. She leans against his door and looks at him. He returns her look, and smiles.
"Well, what do you think?" Roman asks Bo. "It makes sense. We all heard Lucas threaten EJ at the party tonight. He was obviously upset, and the doctor told me that his BAC was through the roof when he was brought in. Still, you never know with EJ. He is a DiMera." "That's a fact," John says, standing behind them, eyebrow raised.
Sami walks over to EJ's bed. He grits his teeth and moves himself over to one side. "Room enough for two," he tells her, patting the empty space beside him. Sami laughs. "Barely!" she tells him, while gently crawling onto the bed to occupy the empty spot he'd created for her. "I guess it takes more than a bullet to stop your libido," she comments, gently draping an arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "You know it," he tells her, leaning slightly to kiss the top of her head. "You're gonna have your hands full with me." She kisses his shoulder and smiles up at him. "That's the best news these hands have had all day."
Mickey pulls up a chair and sits next to Lucas' hospital bed. "So, Lucas, tell me exactly what happened." Lucas struggles to string together a coherent chain of events. "Well, you were at the party, you saw the way EJ was acting towards Sami. Then, when I went to cut in on their dance, I overheard her telling him that she loved him. So, we argued, everyone left, I had a few drinks, and Sami told me she'd drive me home." Mickey nods slightly as he listens to Lucas' story. "So, how'd you wind up at the pier?" Lucas tries to remember. "I was in the car with Sami. She stopped and we argued. I don't remember exactly… oh, yeah, I wanted to forget the whole night ever happened, I was willing to forgive her if she'd never mention it again. She said she couldn't do that, that she loved EJ and couldn't ignore it anymore. I got angry, I guess I got out of the car. Anyway, I started walking around the pier and I saw someone. I think it was EJ, I'm not really sure. I tripped or fell, I don't know what, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up and there were police and medics there." Mickey looks down at Lucas laying in the bed and thinks to himself that this doesn't bode well for Lucas at all.
"Whaddya mean, John?" Roman asks him. "You think this might be connected to some DiMera thing?" "I don't know," John replied, "but they are capable of anything." "Sami didn't mention seeing anyone else at the pier or hearing anything besides the gunshot, did she?" he asks. "No, she didn't," Roman replied. "To be honest, she seemed genuinely concerned about Lucas, but look at her," he motions to the window in EJ's door, where they see Sami curled up with EJ, holding him. "She's obviously in love with this guy. If she thought at all that someone else might be involved, I'd think she'd want to bring them down. Who would she be protecting?"