Dangerous Journey
Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly
A/N:
Chapter 16 (Informing Trina)
Sam had to breathe deep while standing before the Vega front door. Thoughts of how she would tell Trina what Mr. Benson said weighed heavily in her mind, making her more nervous than she wanted to be.
"Okay," she whispered into the air while shrugging her arms and shoulders. "Jason is alive. Focus on that. Trina's boyfriend is alive." He may be comatose and several states away, but he was alive and she knew where he was. Sam closed her eyes and groaned at the racing beats of her heart. "Can't let David know. If he knows, it could cause trouble…"
Every second that passed she felt like she might blow off into the wind. Any mistake could be a careless one, and any move could be the wrong one. Any word could be misspoken.
The door slid open and Trina's head slowly came into view. Sam folded her thumbs over her belt and smiled pleasantly at the girl. "Hey Sam." Trina opened the door further and looked over her shoulder. "Come on in." It was refreshing to see Trina answering the door for a change, but then she figured there must be a reason for it.
Sam entered the house and looked around the empty living room. "Where is everyone?"
"Dad is taking Tori and Holly to the airport to meet up with Gary. Holly insisted I stay here…" Her eyebrows darted up and her a strange sensation started to grow in her gut. If Tori took her advice, then it was likely this was a way to get herself and Holly out of danger, though couldn't it be suspicious if Holly insisted on Trina staying behind?
"Okay. Holly insisted you stay behind? Why? What could that do exactly?"
"They've left me alone before." Trina guided Sam through the house and out the back door to the familiar patio. She furrowed her brow and looked over her shoulder while walking the path to the table she talked to Tori at. "It's one of those, stay in the house and don't go anywhere type things. Tori said she'd send her friends over, but Dad said no. He just flat out doesn't like or trust them."
"Honestly given what I've heard about them, I'm not surprised."
Trina swept her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "Me either. Anyway, I thought we could talk out here. I like it out here, it's peaceful and calm." Sam took her seat and looked up with a careful smile as Trina sat across from her. "Robbie came by recently, he's got this obsessive stalking thing going on with us." Remembering Freddie, Sam coughed into her hand and looked off to the side.
"You don't say."
"Yeah. He likes Tori, but ever since we did this stage kiss thing he's also obsessed about me, thinking that a fake stage kiss means something more." Trina bent her arm at an angle on the table and perched her right temple on her hand. "My point, he broke into dad's office last night and ended up breaking the security system Dad has throughout the house."
Sam's jaw fell open and her hand shot up to her mouth. "You mean the cameras and audio Mr. Vega has throughout the house-"
"No longer works thanks to Robbie's obsessive ways."
This was fantastic news, albeit poorly timed and perhaps detrimental at the same time. What risks could Robbie Shapiro have brought on himself by breaking into the study of a very dangerous man? "What was he trying to accomplish exactly."
"I think he was trying to spy on us through the camera setup." Trina leaned forward and dropped her hand to the table. "I hope it was an accident that he messed things up, because I don't know what Dad would do to him."
"I…" She trailed off for a moment. Her lips closed together and her eyes slid out to the right. "I don't know either. Why haven't you reported Robbie's obsessive ways?"
"Because nothing will happen to him. He already caused me to be hospitalized once and wasn't even investigated. I just know it was him because he told me later on…I think he felt guilty."
That was possible, but it could have made sense that David might keep people from investigating that fall she suffered. If someone investigated it, they could discover the truth that he didn't want getting out.
Trina leaned back slowly, her eyelids sank halfway and her fingers on the table started to curl. "Enough about Robbie." The girl turned her head off to the right and her lips pursed. Sam waited patiently for her to say something, studying the girl's solemn expression until she came to determine something was troubling her.
"What's on your mind, Trina?"
"A lot. I um, I found something out." Trina turned her head and lifted her mouth into a sorrowful smile. "I used the broken system to my advantage and went to buy a pregnancy test…" Her heart stopped and she felt a tension wash over her like a tidal wave.
"Oh no. Please don't confirm what I've been thinking." Her eyes closed and tightened. Her hands closed into balls on top of her knees and she braced herself.
"I don't know who to tell…I'm pregnant. It's Jason's." Sam opened her eyes and separated her lips to let a small breath of air fall from them. "I don't know where he is, what he's doing, and I don't know how to contact him…I'm scared too."
She could feel her heartbeat quicken and a shiver swept down her spine and chilled the blood in her veins. "Shit." A baby on the way not only made matters worse, but it made things unpredictable. David wouldn't do anything to hurt the child, if she gauged his behavior from their conversations accurately, but she still didn't know what he would do if he found out.
Trina's eyebrows came together and a look of concern spread across the girl's face as she eyed Sam. In that moment she looked just as Carly often did whenever she was concerned about something.
"Sam? Is something wrong?"
"N-No." Her breath tightened in her throat and she raised her hand up to her neck. Her eyes closed and she swallowed the lump down. "Actually there is something. The reason I came to talk to you…" Trina twisted fully towards her and moved her hand beneath the table.
"Yes?"
Sam looked away, clicking her tongue off the roof of her mouth. "How do I even get into all of this?" She took a deep breath and raised her clammy palm to the heated surface on the back of her neck. "Okay, there's only so much I can tell you right now."
In order to tell Trina about Jason, she was going to have to inform her that she was working with Mr. Benson and the authorities. Trina might want to know why, but there was only so much Sam could tell the girl without freaking her out. After all, this wasn't like telling Tori what happened-it affected her directly now.
"I um-you know Mr. Benson? LA's Assistant Chief?" The skin on Trina's forehead folded into two creases and she nodded while raising her hand to sweep her bangs away.
"You're dating his son, right?"
"Right." Sam took another deep breath and cleared her throat loudly. "I have something I need to tell you. It's serious." Sam tapped her fingertips together and looked towards the back door while listening to the sounds in the air. She had to ensure no car was rolling into the drive and that David wasn't going to be walking out in the next few seconds. "I heard from him and from Freddie…that Jason's been found."
Trina's eyes widened and her hands flew up to her mouth. "What?" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes and her body began to tremble. "I-Is he okay?" Sam leaned towards the right and glanced down at the table.
"He's alive." Trina's right hand fell to her chest. "He's in Seattle, but he's…not doing well." Trina dropped her hands and her eyes started to quiver. "Trina, he's in a coma." The girl screamed out and clenched her eyes, splashing the tears from them.
"God no."
"Someone tried to run him off the road. We think…we think he may have been trying to locate your real family." Trina let out a soft gasp and opened her eyelids partially.
It was like tearing a bandaid off skin; painful, but it needed to be done. Trina remained silent for what felt like an eternity. Sam watched with growing nervousness as Trina's body became very still and her tearfilled eyes focused on the ground.
"My real family?" Trina's voice was so quiet that Sam almost missed it. She had to lean in and focus on watching the girl's mouth move to hear her well enough. "I always knew my dad wasn't my real dad. I had nightmares of my mom struggling with him." Sam's heart grew still and she listened to the wavering sob between Trina's words. "I have memories of him taking me and mom running after him…"
"Trina, you don't have to."
"No. I need to tell someone." Trina choked on her words and raised her eyes up to Sam's. "I don't know why I have these memories, but I know he shot my mom. In my nightmares, I don't think he wanted to, I think she grabbed him and they struggled. I remember the gun going off and him holding her for the longest time…"
Sam took a deep breath and bowed her head. "I see." Though only nightmares, these dreams were memories that the subconscious mind held onto. "Then it's time you learned the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes." She looked into Trina's eyes with a look of determination and confidence. If she hadn't known when the time was right before, she knew it now. "I don't want you to think that I'm not your friend, I am your friend and I want you to trust me, okay?" Trina furrowed her brow and closed her lips, nodding back carefully. "I know your real family."
Trina froze, her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell agape. Sam raised her shoulders and her chest expanded suddenly. "Okay." She exhaled heavily. "Your brother, your oldest sibling, sent me here to find you. To get you out of here."
"W-Why wait so long?"
"Because…we've had to find a way to investigate Mr. Vega. That's where Mr. Benson comes in, he's the only officer on that force I trust right now."
"What about Officer Malone? Gary-Tori's stepdad?"
"He works with Mr. Benson. He's okay. The only thing is they need to find something, and it's not up to me to investigate Mr. Vega…" Trina frowned and Sam reached out, setting her hand onto the girl's wrist. "It's my job to get you out of here, to get you to Spencer and Carly."
"Wait…Carly Shay?" Trina's voice wavered and tears rolled down her cheeks as her lips started to tremble. "I just met her too didn't I? She came by the karate studio…"
"Right. I told her not to, I told her it's dangerous. I wound up telling Tori so that she and her mother could get somewhere safe. That may be why they're going on some trip and insisted you stay behind."
Trina crossed her forearms over her stomach and slammed her eyes shut. "Oh god." A whimper fell from her lips and she started to rock. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"It's a lot to take in. I know. I'm here for you, okay? I just-I have to be careful. I don't know how to get you away from Mr. Vega safely without everything going to hell, and I don't know how to get you back to your true family. Your dad? Your real dad? He's high up in the Air Force."
Trina opened her eyes and a smile slowly appeared at her lips. "Oh…"
"He and Carly are moving back to Seattle, but Carly came here and he's coming here as well."
"I could meet my real father?"
"You could meet your entire family. You have a niece too." Trina gasped out and covered her growing smile with her hands. "Cammy, she's just two years old. She's named after your mom. You know Sasha?"
"Uh huh?"
"Well, she's now engaged to your brother, Spencer. She was there that day, with your mom…she and Spencer have been together a long time."
"Stop." Trina slowly stood up, struggling as she held onto the table to quit the tremors in her body. "This is just too much right now. I…I need to process."
"I know." Sam stood with her and walked towards her, smiling with reassurance. "I know. Take the time you need, don't talk to Mr. Vega. I'm going to find a way to get you out, okay? You just have to trust me. Will you do that?" Trina chewed her lower lip and nodded several times before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You look like you're going to be sick."
"Morning sickness…"
"Look, you have my number. If you need to talk, call me. Don't hesitate."
"Okay…"
"Remember, do not talk to Mr. Vega about anything. I've been dealing with him."
"Okay…You and my siblings, you're good friends?"
"I am." Sam raised her hands to Trina's shoulders and held her smile as the girl looked into her eyes. "Carly is my best friend. She's the greatest girl you will ever know, and your brother is pretty damn awesome too." Trina laughed once and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Take some time to process, maybe take a hot bath or something. I'm going to talk to Mr. Benson. You know, this thing Robbie did to the security system may be a benefit."
"How?"
"It means I can slip you out unseen if I have to. Right now it might be too dangerous, I'd have to talk to Mr. Benson first…do you know how long it'll be until it gets fixed?"
"Gary helped him put it in. I don't think he knows how to fix it, but Officer Malone would." Sam stifled a laugh and felt a rush of confidence pulse from her heart. Considering Gary might be leaving, or if he wasn't truly leaving, he might still not try and fix the security system for David. "You said Jason's alive too?"
"Yes. He's in a coma, the doctors feel like he could wake up at any time."
"Thank god." Trina moved forward and hugged Sam, catching her off guard. She hesitated for a second, then hugged her back. She could feel Trina's heart beating so fast she thought it might burst, and her body was trembling as though an earthquake were inside the girl.
"Everything's going to be okay," she whispered, "I promise you. Everything will be okay."
Trina finally discovers the truth, tell me what your thoughts are about everything discussed in this chapter. Was it the right time to tell Trina? Do you think the broken security system is a benefit or not? How do you think they should get Trina out? Now that it's known she's pregnant, it seems the stakes are even higher-do you think Sam should thus act quickly and how quick can she be without tipping David off?