A/N: Hi guys! I am so grateful that so many of you are so eager for more updates. So as a thank you: Ask and you shall receive! lol Thank you so much for all of the reviews and kind words! I love reading them :) And I agree, they never should have made RH Franco. It's a disservice to the actor. And I know a few of you wish Jace hadn't talked Michael into going to the wedding. Just stay tuned, the Cranco (or wtf their ship name was) wedding won't play out the way it did onscreen.

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit of a lighter chapter, because I fully believe there needs to be laughter and fun in every story. So I hope to bring a little in this chapter. As always, please keep leaving reviews. The reviews, good and bad, push me to be better, and as a result, I write more often and post more often.

Happy reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Chapter 13

The next evening, after a surprising visit from Michael, Carly reached for the phone. She waited while she was connected and smiled when a deep, rich voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Jace?"

"Carly?"

"I don't know what you said to but he's coming to my wedding! And he said it was because of something you said. So thank you!"

Jace smiled.

"He seems like a great kid. I'm sure he would have come around on his own, but I was happy to help."

"Don't sell yourself short. Jace, you've just earned a friend for life. And believe me, I don't make friends easily, because-."

"Because you don't like people." Jace finished with a laugh.

Carly laughed too.

"That's right. But when I decide someone's my friend, I'm loyal for life. You're damn lucky, Jace."

Jace could hear the smile in her voice but somehow; he thought she was probably right.

"I guess I am."

"Goodnight, Jace."

"Goodnight, Carly."

Carly hung up, setting her cell phone down on the nightstand slowly. Her heart ached a bit. She couldn't count how many times she had said those exact words to Jason and heard it back just like tonight. Franco walked into the bedroom and she smiled at him, shaking off the thought.

Jace held the receiver in his hand, wondering why it had felt like he'd heard Carly say that a thousand times before. He lay back, his head turned to the side. His eyes fell on the business card Carly had given him.

As much as he liked Carly, hers wasn't the last voice he wanted to hear before he went to sleep.

Giving in, he reached over and grabbed the card. Staring down at the hospital phone, he sighed and dialed the number before he could change his mind.

He waited while it rang, when suddenly a phone rang loudly in the room. He looked up in surprise and pulled the phone away from his ear.

Sam stood in the doorway, grinning sheepishly at him, her ringing phone in her hand.

"Hi."

Jace stared at her, unable to stop his eyes from traveling the length of her body. She looked incredible. She was bare-faced, her long, chocolate locks in a simple braid that hung over her shoulder, the ends falling in between the shadows of her ample cleavage. She wore a white tank top with a black unzipped hoodie, and what looked like yoga pants, and sneakers. He'd never seen her so casually dressed, and yet her natural beauty left him breathless.

"Hi."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Sam was still getting used to seeing his face. He really was distractingly handsome. And although she knew it wasn't him, she couldn't pretend she didn't see a similarity to Jason in his features.

He glanced past her.

"You didn't bring Danny?" He asked. Sam felt a rush of affection for him at the disappointment in his voice. It meant so much to her that he liked Danny.

"No, my mother-in-law has Danny for the weekend.

They were quiet for a moment.

"I didn't know if you were coming back."

"I'm sorry I haven't been around."

They each spoke at the same time. When Sam heard his words though, her eyes widened. She rushed forward to stand at his side.

"Jace, of course I was coming back. I promised I would be here for you and I will. I'm sorry if I made you think I'd abandoned you."

Jace shook his head, feeling foolish for admitting his fear.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. Look, Sam, all I'm trying to say is you don't owe me anything. I can't expect you to put your life on hold for some stranger you found on the road. "

Sam sighed, unpleasantly surprised that he thought so little of himself or what he meant to her.

"Jace, you're my friend. You're not just some guy I found on the streets anymore. You're important to me."

Jace stared at her, struck by her words.

"You're important to me too." Jace hesitated before adding, "I missed you."

Sam looked stunned but to his surprise, she shook her head and laughed.

"I missed you too. It's weird because I didn't know you a month ago, but you've become such a big part of my life. It feels like we've known each other forever."

Jace nodded quickly, heartened to hear his sentiments echoed back to him.

"I'm glad you're here."

"I'm not supposed to be." She whispered conspiratorially.

Jace raised a brow and she laughed.

"It's after visiting hours. I had to sneak in."

"How did you get in?"

"I had some help. My brother is a doctor here. I got him to distract the head nurse so I could sneak past her." Sam explained, laughing.

Jace laughed with her and shook his head.

"Why did you go through all that trouble? You could have waited until tomorrow."

Sam bit her lip.

"I've wanted to come see you for a couple of days now, but I kept forcing myself to stay away. But the house was empty and there was nothing to distract myself so the thought wouldn't go away. I even went to the gym for a workout to distract myself." She laughed, self-consciously gesturing at herself.

"But then on the way home I was passing the hospital and before I knew it I was parking. And here I am." She shrugged and raised her eyes to meet his.

"Why were you fighting the urge to visit me?" He asked, confused.

"Because I realized something this week that scared the hell out of me, and left me feeling confused and guilty and overwhelmed."

Jace shook his head.

"What did you realize?"

Sam took a deep breath, gathering her courage.

"There's something between us. I don't know what it is exactly. But there's this connection I feel towards you that I can't explain. And I realized that I want to explore it. I want to find out what it means."

Jace let out a breath, something close to elation filling him. So it wasn't all in his head. Sam felt a connection to him too. And even better, she wanted to see what it meant.

"I feel the same way, Sam. From the moment I woke up and looked into your eyes, it was like my heart started beating for the first time. There's something about you that calls to something inside me. I know it's not just gratitude. It's so much more than that. And I want to figure it out too."

Sam was relieved and flattered to know he'd been feeling the same way she had. But she was also terrified. She didn't know what she felt. Was it just friendship or something more? Was she ready for something more; especially with someone who didn't know his own past? And if this was more than friendship, how did she move on from Jason? She'd tried once before and had failed miserably.

"And I just came on way too strong and sounded like stalker." He sighed, annoyed with him self. But when he looked up at Sam, it wasn't fear of him that he saw in her eyes.

"Why do you seem so scared to explore our connection?" He asked, reading the anxiety in her eyes.

"Because of Jason." She admitted and Jace's eyes widened in surprise.

"Jason?"

She sighed and stood up, walking to the window and looking out.

"I feel disloyal. Jace, the connection I feel with you? It's like nothing I've ever experienced before except one other time."

"With Jason." He guessed, trying not to be jealous of a dead man. He didn't like to think he could be that petty.

She turned back and walked over to his side, but didn't sit. Instead she fidgeted with her hands.

"Yes and I feel so damn guilty. I want to find out why we feel so drawn to each other, but I don't want to dishonor my husband's memory. And I still love him as much today as I did when he died two years ago. That's not ever going to go away. It's not fair to you or to Jason or to anyone."

Jace finally did what he'd wanted to do ever since Sam walked in. Sitting up a little, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

To his surprise, Sam turned her hand over in his and their fingers intertwined. It felt natural, her small hand fitting perfectly in his large hand. She stared down at their hands, surprising her self by not pulling away.

"Sam, from everything you told me, your husband loved you very much. I'm sure he would want you to live your life and be happy. If you were my wife, I know I would. We don't know what this is between us. But I think we owe it to ourselves to find out." He paused.

"Besides, who said I was interested in you romantically?" He added with a grin.

"Jerk." She laughed, shoving him with her free hand. He fell back against the bed and because he was still holding her hand, she toppled forward.

He steadied her with his hands on her waist at the same time she caught herself with her hands on his shoulders. Her face hovered just above his, her braid teasing his jawline with the silken ends. Her breath caught as Jace's hands unconsciously tightened around her waist.

The room seemed to become still as warmth spread through her where Jace held her.

"Sorry. I, um, I lost my balance." She stammered, pushing away from him.

Jace stared at her, his pulse racing, his breath coming in fast. He wanted her. And if he wasn't mistaken, she wanted him too, even if she couldn't admit it to herself yet.

Sam fidgeted uncomfortably. Jace was just staring at her, the tension building. She found herself searching for a way to fill the silence.

"It's my ankle!" She suddenly blurted out. Jace watched her, amused.

"I was on a job a few years ago and had to make a quick exit. I jumped out of a window and landed hard on my ankle. I sprained it pretty bad. Ever since then, it's been kind of weak and just gives out sometimes. I probably should stop wearing heels but I never will. They're kind of a weakness of mine. Love my boots." She rambled on, desperately uncomfortable.

Jace listened to her, a slow smile spreading across his face as she talked. God, she was cute when she was nervous. In fact, he was just about to tell her that when the door flew open.

Sam spun around and let out a tiny squeak as Nurse Epiphany Johnson stood in the doorway, hands plopped on her waist. He'd met her a few times while in the hospital and knew she was a hard case. Which is why he did what any sane man in his position would do; he laid his head back and closed his eyes, pretending to be sleeping. Sam glanced back at him and seeing his closed eyes, her eyes widened and then she was glaring at him.

"Coward!" She hissed, before turning back to Epiphany.

"Hi, Epiphany! How nice to see-."

"Samantha Morgan, I know you know you're not supposed to be in here. It is way past visitor hours and you can't be up in here messing with my patients. They need their rest. The rules are here for a reason and I won't tolerate them being broken."

Sam nodded meekly.

"You're right. I just came to visit my brother and thought I'd peek in on my friend."

"Visit your brother on your own time. When he's in this hospital he is a doctor and his attention needs to be on his patients, not his sister."

"Yes, ma'am." She replied, fidgeting.

"Well? Go on! Get!" Epiphany barked, tapping her foot dangerously.

Sam didn't hesitate, practically flying out of the room in her haste to escape. She saw Lucas in the hallway and grabbed his arm, spinning him around in the opposite direction of Jace's room.

"Epiphany caught me and she was not happy. You may want to steer clear."

"Aw crap." Lucas moaned, glaring at Sam.

"I thought you used to be a con woman? Shouldn't you be better at this?"

Sam laughed.

"Shut up. That woman is scary. An that idiot abandoned me and pretended to be asleep when she walked in!" She added, affronted. Lucas burst out laughing.

"Smart man."

Sam's lips twitched as she fought a laugh.

"More like abandoner. Betrayer. Coward."

Lucas was still chuckling when they parted ways.

Inside Jace's room, he laid still, his eyes shut tight as Epiphany bustled around, checking his IV and charts.

He felt her presence lurking over him and kept his eyes closed.

"Ms. Morgan was right. You are a coward, and not a very smart one either. If you're going to try to pretend you're sleeping, you may want to remember to breathe. Surrounded by fools." She muttered on her way out the door. Jace finally opened his eyes when he heard the door close.

He reached over and grabbed the hospital phone, dialing quickly.

"Hello?"

"Sam, it's me, Jace."

"Hello, traitor." Sam drawled. "How was your sudden nap?"

"I panicked! She's scary." He said immediately. "If it makes you feel better, she knew I was lying. I forgot to breathe."

Sam burst out laughing, making Jace grin.

"Listen, I'm going to drop by early tomorrow. I forgot I had something to tell you. I might have a lead on your case."

Jace's eyes widened, all jokes forgotten.

"Tell me."

"Tomorrow, I promise. I want to tell you in person. Besides, I just realized how exhausted I am."

Jace smiled.

"That's because you couldn't sleep until you saw me." He teased with a slight chuckle.

Sam was quiet and when she replied, her voice was serious.

"Yeah, maybe. Goodnight, Jace."

Jace was still smiling as the phone clicked in his ear. Hers would be the last voice he heard tonight, after all.

"Good night, Sam."