Behaving & Hidden Connections Revealed
Two Days Later – Scott's & Laura's Home – 11:30 am
Sam looked around the basement. Who would have guessed that he would be the first one released from the hospital? Not him. He looked at the stairs, now that would be a challenge. Thank goodness that Scott's basement was huge and had a full bathroom installed because managing to go up and down those stairs would be difficult.
Images of Jeff making him crawl up the staircase at his parent's home entered his head and the challenge level of Scott's stairs reduced immediately. Using his crutches he hobbled over to the section that they had set up with a couch and three chairs and a TV. Sam picked out one of the chairs with an ottoman in front of it. He maneuvered himself into the chair and put his leg up on the ottoman.
Jeff and Kyle plopped down on the couch as Uncle Erik sat in one of the other chairs.
Sighing Sam said "Feels good to be out of a hospital. But I hate leaving Spike and Scott there."
Kyle stated "Like we said, one of us will take you to visit them every day until they are released."
Erik grinned at Sam seeing him more relaxed now than when he first saw him in the hospital. Sam truly did not do well in hospitals. At William's and Yvonne's urging Dr. Fiona Parker had agreed that even though he still ran a low grade fever that Sam would do better outside the hospital.
He looked pointedly at Sam and said firmly "I do not want a repeat of the Scarlet fever debacle. You are to follow the rules set out. Don't make me make it an order."
Sam nodded "Yes Sir."
Kyle asked "What do you mean the Scarlet fever debacle?"
Sam groaned as Jeff told how Scott had to chase Sam around and catch him so Kyle's mom could give Sam his medicine. Kyle and Jeff laughed when Erik said he had to tan Scott's hide for dangling Sam off the cabinet and threatening to drop him next time after having to climb up and get him several times.
Kyle looked at Sam and Jeff and semi-pouted "Man, I missed all the fun."
Jeff grinned, "Not all of it. This should be really fun to watch."
Sam gave Jeff a sour look then said "You promised to run interference for me Jeff."
"Oh, I still plan on doing that cuz. It's just that watching Aunt Ann, Aunt Connie, Laura, Vicky and Amelia fuss over you will be fun. Too bad your mom and my mom are not here too" Jeff laughed.
Kyle laughed along with Jeff. He had a point. This would be fun to watch. And no sooner had he thought that than the five women appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Kyle watched as his mom, aunt, sisters and sister-in-law moved forward and attacked their prey. Sam did not stand a chance. Not a single chance.
He watched as Sam was routed out of the chair but not allowed to move himself when Mom took Sam's crutches away and whisked them upstairs. Kyle knew that Mom did that because she wanted to make sure Sam stayed in bed. Another laugh emitted as Dad and Jeff were pressed into service as human crutches by Laura and were told to carry Sam to bed.
Then Kyle watched as his sisters, Vicky and Amelia, fussed around Sam getting him tucked into bed and getting his leg propped up and pillows fluffed. In very short order, Kyle was given his orders too. Aunt Connie told him to follow her back upstairs so he could carry down the lunch tray after she was finished preparing it for all the guys.
Yeah this would be fun to watch Kyle thought as he trudged up the stairs. Even more so when Scott got here too. His big brother was about as comfortable with mother-henning as Sam was; which was not much.
Kyle chuckled as he hit the top stair and turned back to see Sam scowling but behaving.
SRU HQ – Briefing Room – 2:00 pm
Greg hung up the phone and set it on the table. Dumbfounded! That was the only word going on in his head. Dumbfounded! He turned and stared out of the window all thoughts of the paperwork he had been working on forgotten.
With Sam, Greg had asked so many, many, many times 'what are the odd?' His rote answer now was a pat, 'damn high'.
But for himself he just couldn't wrap his head around it.
Ed walked in wanting to discuss the results of the latest trials for the temporary officers and stopped seeing Greg lost in thought. He watched him for a moment as Greg simply shook his head slowly and stared out the window. He saw the phone on the table and instantly had a gut reaction. Something was wrong with Spike or Sam.
He went forward and sat down "Greg what's wrong? Is it Spike or Sam?"
Greg tore his gaze from the window and slowly turned it to Ed.
Ed was surprised by what happened next. A small smile splayed across Greg's face as he said "What are the odds?" then gave a half chuckle.
"Greg, are you alright buddy?" Ed asked feeling worried by Greg's demeanor.
Pulling himself out of his daze Greg inhaled deeply and focused on Ed "Yeah I'm good. Just got off the phone with Dr. Parker getting an update on the guys. They released Sam and Spike is doing really well."
That confused Ed and it was rare but he was at a loss for words "So why … That's good news … but …"
Greg broke out in a broad smile and said "Dumbfounded. Truly and literally dumbfounded. Who knew? Not me certainly."
Ed took a steadying breath "Greg, explain."
"Dr. Parker. We're related. By marriage of course; she married into the name. But we were talking about the guys and then just sort of slipped into talking about the name Parker" Greg shared.
Jules, Wordy and Lou entered the briefing room and caught what Greg was saying.
Wordy sat and said "You and Dr. Parker are related?"
Lou and Jules shared a glance as they sat down too. This was interesting and they could not wait to hear what the Boss had to say.
Smiling Greg said "Yeah. It appears that there is a branch of family I didn't know much about. I knew that my grandfather Enrico had an older brother. They were fifteen years apart in age. They had a huge falling out when my grandfather was in his twenties and they never spoke to each other again. Not sure what it was over. His older brother Benito moved to Ottawa and the families never corresponded or interacted after that. I only know his name because when my grandfather Enrico died my father invited Benito Parker to the funeral. Benito refused to come."
"Benito's son is Dr. Jasper Parker. Fiona is married to his son Jason who is also a doctor" Greg explained.
Jules' eyes widened "Wow! Talk about coincidence."
Shaking his head "It gets even more weird. You see Dr. Jasper Parker is good friends with Sam's parents. Fiona said that her mother-in-law invited the Braddock's to hers and Jason's wedding because Jasper and Mrs. Braddock have known each other for years. In fact, Jasper Parker introduced the General to Mrs. Braddock."
Lou's mouth was gaping open and he looked at the others. They were just as shocked.
Greg then added "There's more. Jasper and the General were in Special Forces together. Jasper was the unit medic when the General was CO of a unit. But the kicker is …"
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as he looked at each of them a moment. He grinned "Dr. Jasper Parker was Sam's physician when he was in Special Forces. He saved Sam's life when he was rescued from captivity."
Ed sat back and stared at Greg "Yeah I think dumbfounded it the right word."
Lou grinned. He couldn't wait to tell Spike that the Boss was related to the man that saved Sam's life. Spike was sure to want to talk to Dr. Parker and add updates to the Proper Care and Feeding of Samtastic manual.
Jules smiled at the Boss. How cool was that. She was beginning to think that Sam was connected to all of them in some weird way. It began to feel more and more like Sam was destined to be a part of Team One.
She asked "So are you going to reach out to your extended family?"
Greg shrugged "I might. Both Benito and Enrico have passed and we will probably never know what caused the rift between them. But yeah it might be nice to get to know them all."
When the Boss stared out the window again Wordy turned to Ed and asked "How did the last batch do?"
Ed sighed "I certainly hope Sam and Spike are not gone long. A bit slim pickings, no one quite like Donna in this batch. I just might ask the other team leads if any of their team want to rotate in an out until they get back."
Greg turned back and said "No can do. Sam and Spike will be out for at least four weeks if not longer. Dr. Parker will continue to test Sam every week but that infection is still serious and he is still running a low grade fever. Spike is doing very good Fiona said. No further complications. She hopes to release him in a few days. Normally she would not but with the amount of support he will have with the Braddock's and the fact that Sam's aunt Connie was a ICU nurse before she married makes her more comfortable in doing so."
"Scott is on the mend too and she said he could be released as early as tomorrow. She kept him longer so as not to expose his babies and Sam to the virus" Greg shared.
Wordy grinned "At least Scott will get extended time to bond with his children now."
They all nodded. That was one good thing that came out of all of this. That and the Barton's were no longer on the loose and a threat to others.
Ed patted the table and said "Wordy, Jules, Lou, let's go put the next batch of potentials through their paces since we have to find temps."
Greg looked at Lou as he stood up. He looked much better after a few days off. However, Greg called out "Lou, remember, you're still on light duty so you get to run them through negotiation testing and not the obstacle course."
"Copy that" Lou said resigned to the fact that he had become the team's de facto recipient of mother-henning seeing that Sam and Spike were not here. Those two could not return fast enough. He would gladly have the focus turn to those two.
The team minus Greg headed out. Greg swiveled back to stare out the windows and thought it was strange how hidden connections revealed themselves.
General Braddock's Home – 2:00 pm
Yvonne set the phone down and reached for her glass of orange juice. Kimberly was insisting she drink it to get vitamin C. She was a little tired but not overly so.
One little sneeze the afternoon they were discussing where to Sam should go to recuperate landed her in this bed. William and her sister Ann were adamant that she rest. William bless his heart was so concerned. Yvonne knew she had to be careful not to get colds. The frigid weather was a bit of a concern.
Kimberly had volunteered to come home with her. Yvonne so wanted to be there to help take care of Sam but she was over-ruled by the rest of the Braddock women. They all sided with William and Erik so here she was stuck in bed. In part she had to agree with them. If she was coming down with a cold she would not want to put the babies or Sam at risk of an infection.
Poor William wanted to be with both her and Sam. But things were not so good in Kandahar lately. She did not know details but she knew they had lost several good men in the past few months. Many more were injured. So William had to head back after seeing Sam in the hospital after Zach flew them all in. He only got to spend an hour or so before he had to catch his flight back to Kandahar.
Yvonne was glad to hear from Ann that William had not said anything to Sam about rejoining the Army again. What a mess of things William had made when he recalled Sam and made him go to Kandahar and then suggested to Sam that if he rejoined then Sam could be with Jules.
Poor William tried but the two of them were like oil and water sometimes. Sam and William had made strides in repairing their relationship. But William's ill-conceived idea and words that day had blown up in his face again.
Sam had been so angry with his dad, rightfully so. They had barely spoken since then. So Yvonne was glad to hear from Ann that Sam and William had kind words for one another when they visited before William had to leave.
Yvonne sighed looking around her bedroom. She wanted to be useful and take care of Sam. But she had found another way to be useful and it did not require her to leave her bed.
She might be relegated to this bed but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything. When she found out that the surgery at the Craig hospital had been destroyed she had begun to make calls. She knew how important that little hospital was to the people in that area. Sure there were larger ones around but they were further away.
And the Craig's had put their heart and soul into building that hospital. They owed the Craig's so much; for the care of Sam when he was a teenager. Boy, William had been surprised when she reminded him of how Landry Craig had taken such good care of Sam after the lake incident and the avalanche and the hockey incident. And again for the care they had given Sam and Scott. Both boys were well thanks to Landry Craig's skills.
Yvonne finished the orange juice and set the empty cup on the night stand. She was behaving. Yvonne almost giggled; she was almost as bad a patient as Sammy was. Her sister constantly told her that.
She leaned back and thought about the conversation she had just had with Maisie Craig. Bless that woman, she was a spitfire. Yvonne had called to inform Maisie and Landry that donations were rolling in and when the weather cleared enough that crews would be on their way to set the hospital to rights. They should have it operational in about three weeks if all went as planned.
Maisie had been so floored by the generosity but Yvonne reminded her that it was their generosity that needed to be repaid and rebuilding the surgery was the least they could do. Yvonne didn't tell Maisie but she and William seeded the donations with a rather large contribution as did Ann and Erik. They too were very appreciative of Landry too.
The rest of the Braddocks and many of the people she had met serving on various medical related boards were anteing up large sums too. Getting this in motion was the least she could do for them seeing that they saved Sam, again.
Yvonne smiled recalling that Maisie let slip that she thought Sam might be in love with his teammate Jules. Maisie had said that one of the nurses there, Minna, had told her about Sam kissing her thinking she was Jules.
Then Maisie said that she had met Jules and got the impression that Jules cared very deeply about Sam. There was something in her eyes. Maisie confided that she hoped for their sake they figured out that they were both attracted to each other and they gave it a chance to grow into something more.
She listened but did not confirm or deny anything to Maisie. Yvonne would not break Sam's confidence. She valued their trust too much to speak out of turn. But Yvonne felt two things, sadness that Sam was still feeling pain over his and Jules break up but also happiness that Sam had not given up hope.
If Maisie was correct in her assessment of Jules, then Yvonne felt better giving Sammy the advice to not give up hope. Yvonne would like a chance to meet Jules. From everything Sam told her about Jules she seemed like the perfect match for him. Jules would fit right in with the Braddock women too who were all strong, capable women with loving hearts.
The word strong echoed in her mind. Well in her case it was strong in conviction rather than physical strength. CFS had made her less strong physically than she would like. Yvonne laid down feeling fatigued. Perhaps William and Ann were right that she should rest.
She decided to call Sam after dinner and check on him. She could provide support over the phone if she could not be there in person. Yvonne pulled the covers over her and drifted off for an afternoon nap.
Scott's & Laura's Home – 7:30 pm
Sam was so bored. Jeff, Kyle and Uncle Erik were all outside shoveling snow. The storm had dumped more. So after dinner they headed out to take care of it.
Even though he was bored he was enjoying the respite from all the women hovering over him. He told them he was going to rest and closed his eyes. He measured his breathing and faked falling asleep. Stealth mode came in handy sometimes.
Sam opened his eyes when he heard the last one heading up the stairs after he heard them say they would go help Laura with the babies.
He was thinking about calling Wordy just to shoot the breeze but he would wait until nine. That way Wordy could put his daughters to bed first. Wordy loved reading to Allie, Holly and Lilly. Sam read to them when he watched them occasionally. That was always fun. It sort of reminded him of times he entertained Sara.
Sam's mind wandered to this afternoon. He had a good lunch with just the guys, the girls ate upstairs. After lunch Aunt Connie administered the antibiotic via the PICC line. Aunt Ann made him take his pain pills. Jeff and Kyle then helped him to the bathroom and he was glad of a shower even though from the knee down one leg was sealed in a plastic bag. Then Vicky and Amelia made sure he was all tucked in again.
He had actually taken a nap after that. He was still not up to par and exhausted easily.
When he awoke Sam had spent about a half hour on the phone with Mom before dinner. It was always good to talk to her. He was so pleased to hear what she was arranging for the Craig hospital. His mom amazed him still with everything she accomplished even dealing with her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She never let CFS stop her from doing things that made a difference.
Mom also told him that there were several new applications for the MBH scholarships. She would email him the details tomorrow and he could review the applications. Sam thought that Mom and Bella were godsends in managing the scholarship. He liked to be engaged but he left most of the administration to them.
Sam was about to flick on the TV to see if he could catch a game or something when his phone rang. He did not recognize the phone number but answered anyways because he was bored to death. "Hello."
[Vanessa smiled and said "Hello Sam. This is Dr. Chardin, Vanessa."]
Sam grinned "Hello Vanessa. How'd you get my number?" Thinking that sounded rude Sam quickly added "That didn't sound right. How are you and everyone else?"
[Chuckling Vanessa responded "First answer is from Maisie. She spoke to your mom today and Maisie asked for your number. It's a good thing too, but I'll get to that in a moment. Me I'm doing well. The headache is all gone. Minni is doing well too. She is at home with her parents now. Ron, Jeremy, Vera and Jasmine are all doing well too."]
"I'm glad to hear that" Sam said sincerely.
[Looking down at the object in her hands Vanessa got down to her reason for calling "Sam I have something here that belongs to you. I found it under a shelf in the room where Ron stored your packs. I think when Spike got your guns out your wallet dropped to the floor and got kicked under it."]
"My wallet?" Sam asked as he felt a slight panic. His favorite pictures of Matt and Sara were in there. He really should get a copy of Matt's picture made. It was irreplacble right now. He could always get another one of Sara from Mom but not Matt. Not that particular one.
["Yeah it's yours. I looked inside and saw your driver's license" Vanessa said as she opened it again.
She stared at the photo of a little brown haired boy with green eyes. Her heart clenched seeing it.
She hated to snoop but she had felt compelled to take that photo out when she found the wallet. With great anticipation she had turned it over. Vanessa had hoped against hope that it was him. She had looked so long. But the writing on the back had dashed her hopes.
Taking the photo out again Vanessa looked at the face of the boy, it was him but it wasn't. Why she took it out again did not know? But again she felt compelled too. She turned it over again hoping the writing changed. But no, it still said 'Matthew Benjamin Hunter, age 9'.]
"Can you just drop it in the mail to me please?" Sam asked.
["Sure, it might take a while to get to you. The mail is a bit backed up from the storm. But things are setting to rights quickly" Vanessa responded.]
Then thinking about how things could get lost in the mail Sam said "Better yet, if you could insure it for me and send it two day air I'll reimburse you the cost. It has something irreplaceable in it. I would not want to lose it. Thank you for finding my wallet."
[Vanessa flipped the picture over again and stared at it but said "You shouldn't keep irreplaceable things in a wallet. Wallets get lost and damaged too often to keep things like that in them."]
Sam couldn't disagree with her "Yeah. I should really make a copy of the picture. It's the only one I have of Matt at that age."
[She stilled, Matt? As in Matthew Benjamin Hunter, age 9? She just had to ask "You mean the picture of the smiling little boy with green eyes?"]
Thank god it was still there Sam thought and said "Yeah. That is Matt. My best friend, my brother really."
[Vanessa could not keep the thoughts in her head and gave them a voice "When I first saw that picture … well … I could have sworn it was someone else. Someone I've been looking for a very long time."]
Sam normally didn't pry but he was so bored so he said "Really, who are you looking for. Maybe I could help. Spike is a whiz at computers and we have access to databases."
["That's a sweet offer but I don't think he can be found. It's like my half-brother fell off the face of the earth. I didn't know he existed until I had to fill out scholarship applications. We have the same biological father but different mothers. I never met my father. He died in prison. He murdered his wife and tried to kill my half-brother too."
"My mom had me out of wedlock. She had an affair with a married man, my father. But when she saw what a mean and cruel bastard he was she whisked me away. I was only one. My mom died when I was young. On her way to work one day she was knocked onto the tracks accidentally and was hit by a train. I entered the foster system after that because my father was in prison."
Vanessa continued to stare at the picture "Then at some point he died. When my teacher suggested a scholarship to me, one specifically for orphans and foster kids I had to dig through my mom's stuff. That's when I found out about my father and how he had murdered his wife. My mom kept a newspaper clipping of the article about the murder."
"I think she planned to tell me about my half-brother at some point because she had a picture of him from the article of the murder and a post-it that read, Vanessa's half-brother. I think she even thought about adopting him after his father, our father, died. I saw a letter to a lawyer asking if he had other family that took him in. But it was dated a week before she died and she never mailed it."
Blowing out a breath Vanessa then said "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this."]
Sam's head was reeling. He knew Matt's birth last name. It was Chardin. Matt's mother had been murdered and his father died in prison. His breaths came in short pants.
Vicky had wandered down the stairs to check on Sam. She raced forward seeing him white as a sheet and struggling to breathe. "Sam, Sam what's wrong, Are you in pain?" she said urgently as she rushed forward.
[On the phone Vanessa heard the labored breathing and the shouts of a female voice. "Sam, are you okay? What's going on? Try and calm your breathing. Slow in and out" Vanessa urged on the phone.]
Sam looked up at Vicky and sucked in a deep breath. He blew it out slowly. He repeated that as Vicky took the phone from him.
Vicky asked "Who is this?" She was afraid something happened to Scott or Spike and they gave the news to Sam.
[Vanessa quickly said "Dr. Vanessa Chardin. Is Sam okay? We were just talking then his breathing went all haywire."]
"Vanessa, Vanessa Chardin?" Vicky said astonished. Then she said to Sam "Slow it down, sniper breathing. That's it."
She was glad to see some color coming back into Sam's face. She was surprised to hear Vanessa's voice on the other end of the line.
["Who is this? How is Sam?" Vanessa asked.]
"This is Vicky McKnight-Braddock. I think you were a student of mine in high school. I helped you apply for the MBH scholarship. Can you tell me what you and Sam were talking about? He is regaining control of his breathing but whatever you were talking about upset him a great deal" Vicky said as she brushed her hand through Sam's hair trying to calm him like Aunt Yvonne used to do.
[Surprised, Vanessa blurted out "So you are related to Sam. Wow, I wondered about that when he was in the hospital. I don't know why Sam would have gotten upset. I was just telling him about my half-brother. I found Sam's wallet here and a picture he carries in it reminded me of my half-brother. They are so similar they could be twins. But the name is all wrong. It is a picture of Sam's friend Matt."]
Vicky sucked in a breath. Maybe that was the reason. Softly Vicky said "Sam and I are cousins. Sam's best friend Matt is dead. Matt died in the field. Perhaps Sam recalled a bad memory."
That was all Vicky was willing to share with Vanessa. Vicky knew how Matt died and how it badly it hurt Sam, the whole family did. But that was family knowledge and Vicky felt that it was none of Vanessa's business how Matt died.
Sam shook his head and reached for his phone. Seeing his breathing was almost normal, Vicky handed it back. But she stayed close to Sam. He still did not look too good, his color was still off.
His voice a little shaky Sam asked "Vanessa, what was your half-brother's name?"
[Vanessa breathed out in relief hearing Sam's voice. "I'm sorry if I caused you pain Sam."]
"What was his name?" Sam asked again.
["He was named after our father. His name was Damien Isaac Chardin. Why?" Vanessa responded.]
Sam sucked in a breath. First he asked "Where are you Vanessa?"
["At the hospital. Why Sam?" Vanessa replied getting worried. Sam's voice sounded shaky and his questions were odd.]
Sam looked to Vicky then he covered the phone and spoke very softly "Vicky I need you to get your dad to contact someone at Craig hospital now. Have them find Vanessa. She should not be alone when she hears what I need to tell her."
Vicky didn't understand but raced off to do as Sam asked. It was strange.
Taking several more steadying breaths Sam uncovered the phone and asked a question meant to delay his telling her until someone was with her. "Vanessa, did you say you applied for a scholarship?"
[What was it with all these strange questions? His breathing sounded steadier so Vanessa answered "Yes."]
"What scholarship?" Sam asked.
["The one Mrs. McKnight suggested to me, the MBH scholarship. I was granted the Sara Yvonne Braddock award. It changed my life. Allowed me to pursue my dream" Vanessa answered but quit speaking when Sam's breathing became erratic again. "Sam, Sam what is going on?"
She was getting very concerned when Sam did not answer "Sam put Vicky back on. You need help. I don't know what is going on but you need to focus on your breathing. Give the phone to Vicky."]
Things were slamming around in Sam's head. This was Matt's half-sister, one he didn't even know he had. She was given a scholarship in the name of his sister. Holy Hell! Talk about hidden connections. Never would he have suspected this.
Vicky raced down the stairs followed by everyone else. Jeff was on the phone with Craig hospital as he raced down the stairs. Erik stopped everyone from crowding around Sam, only allowing Ann to move forward. Sam was as white as a sheet and his breathing was coming in short hiccups and his eyes were tearing up. Sam held the phone with a white-knuckled grip.
[Vanessa turned and saw Maisie and Landry Craig entered the room. Maisie smiled at her and sat down. Vanessa said "I'm worried about Sam. His breathing is so off. He needs help."
Landry patted Vanessa on the shoulder and said "He has help. His family is there with him. He needs to tell you something and had one of his family call so you would not be alone when he told you."
Her eyes turned to the picture. Her stomach was rolling. Her voice was now shaky too and her breath was a bit erratic too as she said "Sam the Craig's are with me. What do you need to tell me."]
Aunt Ann was gently stroking his hair. Sam focused on his aunt's face. It was his mom's face too. It was soothing even though he knew it was Aunt Ann. He got his breathing under control again.
His voice none too even he said "Vanessa I have to tell you a few things. Let me start with the easiest. The award you got. The Sara Yvonne Braddock award is given in the name of my little sister that died when she was seven."
[Vanessa was speechless. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out. She gripped onto Maisie's hand. Doc Landry's hand on her shoulder felt comforting.]
Getting a little stronger voice, Sam continued "The scholarship was the idea of my best friend Matthew Benjamin Hunter. He, Ripsaw and I decided to use our military life insurance policies to start scholarships in the name of a deceased loved one upon our own deaths. MBH stands for Music, Beauty and Home but also is fittingly Matt's initials."
"A family friend helped us set it up and told a few people about it. They donated anonymously so that we could begin to make a difference in our lifetime. Matt and Ripsaw are gone, I'm the only one left. Their life insurance payouts were added to the pool for the awards when they passed away."
"We created three awards. One was created in my sister's name Sara Yvonne Braddock, the one you received. Ripsaw chose to honor his mother with the Charlotte Anne Preston award. Matt also chose to create one in his beloved mother's name."
Sam paused and he clenched his other hand into a fist. This would hurt Vanessa, he just knew it would.
He swallowed a lump of emotion and said "Matt used his mother's maiden name Louise Grace Hunter instead of her married name because his father murdered his mother in front of him when he was nine. When he was eighteen he legally changed his name to Matthew Benjamin Hunter."
"His birth name was ... Damien Isaac Chardin Jr., Matt is the half-brother you are looking for" Sam managed to get out through his constricted throat.
Vicky's mouth dropped open as she gripped Kyle's and Amelia's hands tightly. "Oh my god!" she whispered.
[Vanessa couldn't breathe. Tears rolled down her face. She had never met him but she had wanted too. A half-brother would have been a familial connection in this world.
She had wondered what happened to him and why she couldn't find him. It never occurred to her that he would change his name. Or that he was dead.
Vanessa looked down at the picture through blurred eyes. Her half-brother was dead. Oh god he was dead. How?
Her lip quivered as she finally got her vocal chords to work and Vanessa quietly asked "How did he die?"]
Sam choked up. He could not tell her that he killed her half-brother. Killed the only family Vanessa had in this world. He moved the phone from his ear and held it out to his Uncle.
He managed to get out brokenly "She … she … wants to know ... how … M aa… Matt died … I … can't … please … for me."
Erik stepped forward. He took the phone from Sam as Sam's eyes flooded with tears. He nodded then turned and strode from the room to explain to Vanessa just how Matt had died.
Ann wrapped Sam in her arms and held him as he cried.
The others looked on in stunned disbelief for a few minutes. Then Jeff went into action and ushered everyone out except Aunt Ann.
Jeff was thinking as he did so of all the hidden connections in their lives. If not for the ski trip, Sam and Vanessa may never have met. Vanessa would still be searching for a half-brother that was dead. The fact that she became a doctor using a scholarship that was initiated by her half-brother and named to honor her half-brother's best friend's sister was almost beyond belief.
He was a practical man but Jeff could not deny that forces beyond his understanding must be at work here. Sam's life was too full of strange things, pain and he beat the odds and survived things that no one should survive. Jeff stopped at the top stair and looked back at his cousin being comforted by his aunt.
Jeff whispered "Stay strong Sam. Remember, we are always here for you when you need us."
.
AN: I would love to hear from my many silent readers and of course I love hearing from all those readers that routinely comment. What did you think of the connections? Did you guess them from earlier in the story? Did you remember or connect the Chardin name with Matt? Let me know what you thought.