As always, you guys are awesome!
Thanks to kelly2727 & the regulars!
Welcome to my world newbies!
Chapter 17- Home Free.
"This is insane" Andy grumbled.
Everything hurt, her ribs felt like she'd taken a size twelve to either side and her lungs were on fire.
The exaggerated movements had caused more pain than she had been in when she first woke up after the warehouse incident.
"This is fun. It's insane, but it doesn't get better than this". Gail said wearing a super-huge smile as she looked down.
"Trust me, you've got this". Sam said as he made the final preparations for what had been his favorite past time as a kid, or when he had done this exact same thing anyway.
They spent fifteen minutes up in the attic after they barricaded the door and open windows before the smoke started to seep in through the cracks.
The fire downstairs was ragging, the house creaking and moaning as if it had a voice of its own.
They needed to get out, now. They didn't have time to wait anymore.
"You did this how many times?" Andy was still hesitant. She didn't know if she'd have the strength to jump that far.
"Five, and I promise it's not as bad as it looks. Okay, so who's first?"
"Me" Peck said stepping up.
He glanced up at Andy and saw the strain she was taking so he nodded towards her and Peck got the hint.
Andy had to go first.
After they barricaded themselves in the room Sam decided that they needed to get out more than they needed to stay safe so he took a risk, moved the cupboard away from the window and then smashed it.
Nothing happened after that so they all came out from behind whatever they were using as cover.
Sam climbed up onto the windowsill and then took the familiar trip up to the roof before telling Andy to follow first so he could help her up.
Sophie followed next and then Peck and then he led the way across the roof to the neighbors house.
The jump across to the neighbors roof had always looked so much smaller than it did now, but still he was cautious when making the leap.
Then Andy refused to follow.
After begging and pleading from everyone she finally took the leap and Peck had to sort of help push her while Sam leaned out to catch her.
When she made it across Sam took a little longer to let her go than he should have, the additional seconds of contact not going unnoticed by either of them.
Sophie and Peck followed suit, both successfully landing without a hitch, and without slipping.
They scurried across the neighbors roof and now stood two stories up, looking down at the only place there was left to go...
"I can't". Andy said it and stepped away from the edge.
Sam followed her and stopped directly in front of her, his hands unconsciously finding their way to her face. "You have to Andy" he said barely letting his vocal cords make the words audible.
Sam lifted her face up while he spoke, he got it. She was hurt and she didn't want to hold them up. The distant sound of wailing sirens came closer Andy trying to back away but Sam not letting her.
"Jump with me". He said it as an idea, a suggestion, not as a request.
"Sam, I'm not going to make it that far".
"You will, I promise. Just hold on to my hand and don't let it go".
Andy closed her eyes, just for a second before nodding very slightly.
Sam swiped her hair away from her face, a smile tugging his lips up in the corners. She was going to do this, with him.
"Follow when we're clear" Sam said turning his attention to Peck.
He let go of Andy's face hand dropped his hand to her good one before wrapping his fingers around hers ever so gently. "We'll run it".
She nodded, so he led the way and took a step back before looking down at Andy and giving her the biggest grin he could scrape together.
"On three... Two, three"
Within seconds they cleared the edge of the roof before making it into the water with a splash.
As soon as they hit the water, Sam clamped his fingers tighter around Andy's. He kicked and propelled himself to the surface pulling her along with him.
His mothers neighbors had a really deep pool, with a wide brick edge that went all the way around it. The section they had to clear was over a rockery that made up a waterfall and if either of them hit that from the two stories up, they were going to get badly hurt.
Sam broke the surface first, and had to drag Andy up through the water so that she could take a really long breath although it sounded hazy.
"You okay?"
Andy nodded and looked up to see Gail giving her a thumbs up.
She was making a futile attempt to keep herself afloat, but with her cast and the tremendous pain she was now in, it was virtually impossible. Sam took note and started swimming them over to the side where he put Andy's hand on the jagged edges of the rim before pulling himself up and out of the water.
He bent down and hoisted Andy up and out just as there was a second and third splash.
Moments later they were all out of the water as Sam nodded toward the wooden fence and grumbled, "Time to re-meet the world".
The sirens had come close and to a stop as the rainbow of blue and red lights flashing in the air.
Peck took a moment and moved closer to Andy who seemed a little shell shocked where she stood.
"You okay?"
Andy nodded, but Gail wasn't convinced so she looked over Andy's head and gave Sam a look.
He didn't need to be told twice.
He hedged closer and waited for Peck to move before reaching out and scooping Andy up without any protest.
Usually she would have had something to say about it, but right now she didn't say a word.
Peck opened the latch on the gate and held the door open, Sam slipping through sideways to accommodate Andy in his arms.
Walking the three steps to it took to round the corner Sam wasn't surprised by the sight that met them when the rest of the street came into view.
He saw Oliver and Callaghan talking in front of the doorway, both of them looking a little confused. Nash was directing unfamiliar uniforms towards the houses across the street. Epstein and Collins were walking the perimeter close to them when Collins looked up and froze.
"Medics" Collins yelled out causing another wave of activity as he sprinted over followed closely by the two medics that were standing next to the ambulance parked in the driveway.
"Andy" Epstein yelled out before mirroring Collins and coming closer.
Sam stopped and set Andy down on the grass, one knee firmly planted next to her as he gave the medics a brief run down of her condition before he ran over the strenuous exertion they'd just been through.
"Back away" the female medic said as a scurry of activity surrounded them cramping the space they needed to work in.
"Move" Nash suddenly yelled, every person besides those closest to Andy moving away in a hasty retreat.
"Sam?". She stammered out when there was enough space for her to see him now that he stood up but moved back.
Sam looked at her and the back at Andy who still seemed to be in bad shape.
"Brother" Oliver said stepping up next to Sam, his hand resting on Sam's shoulder. "You're really here?". Sam raised his own hand and patted Oliver's. Oliver smelled like smoke, so they had most likely been in the remains of the house looking for them.
His eyes stayed glued to Andy as she just sort of looked like she went to sleep laying there on the grass.
Before Sam had time to panic, the female medic looked up at him and smiled. "She's okay, but we're still taking her in". She gave Sam a huge sense of relief after saying that once they had given Andy a once over.
Callaghan stepped closer, although it was reasonably hesitant. He kept his head dipped down a fraction like s scolded child.
"Where is he?" Noelle's voice suddenly rang out above the soft din of the activity surrounding them. She sounded pretty mad and was yelling.
A pathway between bodies cleared with Sam standing at one end and Noelle approaching from the other.
She looked livid.
Andy was loaded onto a stretcher and strapped in before the medic covered her with a blanket and Noelle stopped momentarily to ask if Andy was okay. When the medic confirmed it and pushed Andy towards the ambulance, Noelle resumed her stomping towards Sam.
She was about three feet away when she suddenly lunged at him, her arms wrapping him up in a gigantic hug.
Sam was stunned, she wasn't the touchy-feely kind of person, so it was a big surprise.
Then he remembered her being there the day that all this was set in motion and how she nearly lost it when she looked down at her hand and said 'Sam you're bleeding'.
Now, in this moment, that moment felt like it never happened.
"I am so mad at you right now" Noelle said before stepping back to look at Sam. It was the first time he had seen that much emotion so evident on her face except for the day of Jerry's funeral.
"Good to see you too" Sam chuckled and tried to side step her, but she stepped with him and stopped his escape.
"You are so going to pay for that" Noelle said before she smiled evily.
"Sammy" Frank made a sudden appearance too, a small crowd gathering around Sam to see the return of a dead man.
Sam tried to make it away from them, without trying to be rude but it just wasn't happening.
"Okay, time to let Sam go. Come on kids, break it up. Playtime is over" Nash suddenly interjected from somewhere in the crowd.
Everyone seemed to understand that he wanted to go with Andy, so they backed away and gave him some room.
But when Sam looked up, the ambulance was already gone.
"Need a ride?" Oliver's voice sounded in his ear, a stupid smile creasing Sam's lips up.
"Yeah, I think I do". Sam allowed himself to be led to Oliver's cruiser in silence. He knew that he had a whole lot of explaining to do.
"So, we good?" Sam asked a few minutes into the drive.
"Yup" Oliver never gave one word answers. Ever.
"You still mad?" Sam just asked the question. Might as well get the confrontation over with.
"Nope".
"Then why the hell aren't you talking to me?".
"Maybe I'm thinking". Oliver mumbled.
"About?".
"Two things. One, payback and two, how I'm going to tell my kids that their favorite uncle is back from the dead".
"Pity Halloween's over" Sam joked. Imagine showing up saying 'Trick or Treat?'.
"In that order" Oliver cleared up. He was still shaken by Sam re-emerging from the grave so Sam didn't take it personally.
"Just one question, was it worth it? Was the reason behind all this worth so much that you gave everything up?". Oliver slowed down in the hospital parking lot as he asked the question without looking at Sam.
"Twenty-four hours and I'll answer that" Sam said, and the he got out of the cruiser and went inside looking for Andy.
*****Thanks for reading!
See you all soon again.
Have an awesome day!
Jelly Bean Jenna©