Sam wakes in the morning to Jack playing with her hair. "You want to talk about your mom, Sam?"
"Not really," she says.
"Well, I feel like I should have at least the basic information when we are around your dad. She's sick?"
Sam sighs, "Injured. She got into a car accident a long time ago, back when I was a teenager."
"I'm sorry," he says.
"She almost died. She's…never going to be the same. There was a long time, when the machines were doing just about everything for her. There was a time when she really didn't want to live, at least not if she had to keep being dependent on…my father. This are better now. She's off the vent, and she get out of bed and into a wheelchair."
"And you never told her where you were?" Jack says trying to keep the judgement out of her voice.
"She can't use a phone by herself. I couldn't tell her without telling my father."
"Okay, but still. I mean…he seems like a good guy, Sam. He loves you," Jack protests.
"The accident? It was my dad's fault," she says getting out of bed quickly and disappearing into the bathroom before he could ask any follow up questions.
-0-
The smell of coffee lures Jacob out of the bunkbed and into the kitchen. His daughter's new boyfriend hand him a cup of coffee in a "World's Best Dad" mug. It's the first-time Jacob has had one in his hands, and it feels undeserved.
"What do you do for a living?" Jacob asks.
"I work at the Mountain," the man mutters pouring himself coffee in another cup. This one was clearly crafted by childish hands. Jacob isn't even sure if it's actually safe to hold liquids in, let alone hot ones.
"You work for George?" Jacob says clearly impressed, "He only hires the best."
"Hammond is a good one," Jack agrees.
"My daughter is a good one too," Jacob says lightly.
"I am well aware of that, Sir," Jack agrees. The conversation lags, and there is nothing but sips to distract them.
"My kids are coming over today," Jack says at last.
"I'll make myself scarce," Jacob promises.
"You can met them if you want," Jack says leaning back against the counter.
"I really don't think Sam would be okay with that," Jacob says averting his eyes. Jack catches how much the older man wants it in his eyes.
"I know she blames you for her mother's accident, but…" Jack begins.
"She's right to," Jacob says. Jack isn't willing to ask a follow up question, but Jacob offers more information anyway, "I was supposed to pick her mother up from the airport. I was late. I was late, because Dot and I were fighting. She just about lost her life, because of it."
"I'm sorry, Jacob," Jack says.
"I just want you to talk to Sam before you let me hang around her kids."
"I left my gun out, and my son shot my daughter," Jack says looking down. Jacob looks at the cup in his hand. Was this pre or post-accident?
"She's okay?" Jacob asks hoping that the frills on the bed means the girl is still alive.
"Yeah, she lived. She's going to be in pain forever, but she has less long term effects than…"
"Then my wife," Jacob finishes for him.
"I'm just saying I know how one mistake can change everything," Jack observes.
-0-
"Daddy!" Charlie says throwing his arms around his father. His relationship with his father has gone a long way to being repaired since the other version of his father had a talk with him.
"Hey, little man," Jack says pulling him up into his arms. "This is Jacob. He's Sam's dad."
The kid blinks at the man before him, "Okay, what does that mean?"
"It means that Sam is his daughter, Dumbo," his sister offers.
"I mean, is he anything to me?" Charlie returns. Even though the words sound rude, the intention behind them does not feel rude.
"Well, I don't exactly know how often my dad is going to be around, kiddo, but he's going to be a sort of long distance grandparent figure."
"Cool," the kid says with a shrug.
"Does he like to play hide-and-seek?" Ava asks.
"I think he might have a bit too much military training to play a game like that with you kid," Jack warns.
"I tell you what munchkin. I'll count extra-long just to give you a bit of a chance," the military man says with a wide grin. As soon as he covers his eyes the kids run off frantically trying to find a place to hide in time.