Do not own General Hospital or any of the characters.

The Flame of Franco

Facing the day...

After being at the hospital for over a week, the day had finally come where Sam was allowed to go home. She was supposed to stay another week because she still had a slight infection on her leg where the 3rd degree burn was but after an incident a few night ago. Jason had figured that Sam had had enough and needed to go home. After talking this over with her doctors, they had agreed. But would have to return in a few days for a check up and her first therapy session.

"You must be happy about going home," spoke Dr. Lainey Winters towards Sam as she looked over Sam file. Dr. Winters was a psychiatrist at General Hospital and had been appointed to Sam's case after the incident with the one before.

Sam did not make any tempt to reply this question. Her eyes were dark as she looked on at the doctor with disgust. She didn't like talking about her personal business with anyone, especially a stranger. She had been against seeing any psychiatrist when Robin had first mentioned it to her. But after Jason had asked her too, she had agreed. Maybe she would be able to talk about what had happened to her after going so long with keeping it inside of her. Maybe she would be able to open up to a stranger because she couldn't open up to anyone else really. She didn't feel comfortable talking about it with Jason. Usually she didn't like keeping things from him but this was something she couldn't talk about easily. Maxie had tried to discuss it with her but it had been too hard. Her family didn't know yet either what had really happened to her.

She found it easier just to pretend that it didn't happen. That the less she talked about it, the better it was. But it was becoming harder and harder to do so, when more people where slowly finding out. And now with this psychiatrist. Robin had thought that Sam was suffering from post- traumatic stress and needed to talk to someone. Clearly that had not worked out for her the first time and she doubted that it would this time around with Dr. Winters.

"Now Sam, I want to make this easy on you as possible. I know you have been through a lot," Dr. Winters looks up at Sam and smiled warmly at her. "I am not going to pound you with questions. I am here to just listen to you. And if you don't feel like talking, then we don't have too. "

Sam couldn't help but roll her eyes a little at this. That was the same bull crap that any other doctor had told her when she had been in similar situations like this in the pass before basically trying to pull whatever was bothering her out. She didn't believe that this Dr. Winters was anything different. It was their job to make people talk and to make some bull observation about the person. She wasn't just here to listen to Sam's troubles. This Dr. Winters probably could care less about the crap that Sam was going through at the moment.

Sam crossed her arms and sighed heavily before looking away and out the window. It had snowed again last night. There was a heavily blanket of white covering the landscape before Sam. She just wished she could go home and forget about all this. Having to talk to all these doctors was starting to really bother her.

"Is there anything you would like to talk about?" asked Dr. Winters gently as she closed the file and placed it on her lap.

Sam turned her attention back onto the doctor at this. The two women stared at each other for a good moment or two before Sam replied.

"Not really," she replied coldly, "I just want to go home." Sam knew she was being a bitch but she didn't care. She had to remain emotionless. Something that she had mastered a long time ago, this she was a child. She knew when to put up walls and not let people in or get to close. This was this time.

Dr. Winters continued to look on at Sam for a second longer before sighing disappointedly. She knew that she wouldn't be getting anywhere further with Sam today. She knew that Sam was going to be difficult, considering how much she had been through. "I hope we can make some more progress in our next appointment. I look forward from hearing from you Sam. Here is my card," The doctor handed over a white card, which read her name on it and her office phone number. "Call me any time you need to talk," she added as Sam took the card from her.

Sam held the card in her hand looking down at the hand written cell-phone number writer across the back of it. Dr. Winter had really meant that she could call her anytime. Looking up, she watched as the doctor left. Tears immediately filled her eyes. She wasn't quite sure why this time she was crying but she was.

"So Sam gets to come home today?" asked Carly as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen of the Penthouse, watching as Jason unpacked grocery bags.

"Yah," he replied as he put a carton of milk into the fridge, barely paying attention to Carly who had been in the penthouse waiting for him when he had come home.

Carly had not really seen or spoken to Jason since that night at the hospital. She had kept her distance from her best friend before she knew that he needed to focus on Sam. And after hearing that Sam was coming home, Carly had headed over to the penthouse to see if there was anything she could do to help.

"How is she doing?" she asked after a moment. Carly had meant to pay Sam a visit, but had thought against it. She was probably the last person that Sam wanted to see at the moment. So she had given Sam her space but had sent flowers. She knew that sending flowers would help Sam very little recover but she had needed to do something.

Jason who was now finished from putting away the grocery, turned and looked finally at the blonde. "She is...getting by," he replied. He didn't know how else to describe how Sam was doing. She was barely back to her old self. She was really only just trying to get by day by day.

"How are you doing?" asked Carly after a moment of silence. She knew Jason was going through a rough time too.

Jason just shrugged his shoulders at this. He was doing fine. It was Sam that he was worried about. "I'm fine," he answered as he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

Carly titled her head to the side at this and stared at her friend. She knew that Jason was anything but fine but she wasn't going to push it. He was going through hell but he didn't want to admit it. She could tell by looking in his eyes. "Jase, I know you are going through hell. And probably are trying to keep a strong face for Sam but you need to think about yourself too. Talk to me," she spoke softly as she took a step into the kitchen.

Jason looked at her for a second longer before replying. "I fucking want to kill that bastard Franco," swore Jason bitterly. His eyes blazed with rage as he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "I fucking want to find him and kill him slowly. I want to watch as the life fades from his eyes."

Carly just stood there, listening.

"Once Sam is home and better, I will find that psycho and kill him like I should have the first when I first met him," continued on Jason who was now pacing around the length of the kitchen. He hated himself for not thinking of killing Franco when he had first shown up in Port Charles. He should had realized what a threat Franco was to him. But now it was too late and Sam had paid the price. He was blaming himself more than ever now too over what had just happened recently.

"She is on her way," spoke Elizabeth to Jason as he approached the nurse's station.

He nodded his head in reply to this. He was there to pick Sam up from the hospital and take her home or the penthouse at least. He knew that she wasn't ready to go back to her own apartment, where it had all happened. He wasn't ready for that either. It was hard enough for him to have Sam here in the hospital, where he couldn't be with her all the time. But now he could keep an eye on her at all times. He could look after her.

Elizabeth looked down at the papers in her hands before looking up at Jason again. She could tell that he was hurting and blaming himself for what had happened with Sam. He always did that it seemed. No matter who it was that he cared about, he always was placing the blame on him. Just as she was about to open her mouth and speak, Jason's attention was taken away from her by the arrival of Sam.

Sam's dark eyes looked from the nurse and to Jason and back. She didn't seem angry or anything with seeing them together like Elizabeth would have assumed. Her eyes were difficult to read.

"Are you ready to go home?" asked Jason softly towards Sam.

A look of worry passed over Sam's face for a brief second at the word home, but she soon realized that Jason meant his home and not hers. She shook her head violently from side to side for a moment. She couldn't believe her own silliness. She knew that she was going home to the penthouse. She and Jason had discussed this beforehand. She didn't understand how she could forget something like that. Noticing both Jason and Elizabeth staring at her, she smiled briefly before nodding her head in reply. She was ready. And with that, Sam was wheeled out of the hospital.

Okay, so this one was longer then the last like I promised. I hoped you enjoyed and review please.

Thanks!

Julie