The Pursuit

Ten

"Stop pacing, she'll wake up eventually, this is a lot to handle", Brandon whispered.

Maggie didn't open her eyes. She felt the couch and its springs underneath her.

"You shouldn't have told her! She shouldn't know all of this yet!" Sam grimaced.

"How long are going to wait? Until she's dead? Until your mother's locked up?" Brandon questioned.

"It was too soon for all of this, too soon to come out of hiding", Sam confessed.

"You didn't know your mother was going to kill Meredith that night", Brandon asked suspiciously.

"No", Sam huffed. "No, I knew Meredith existed but it was never a matter of killing her, nor was it part of the plan for Meredith and Maggie to know about each other", he stated firmly.

Maggie could hear his heavy footsteps come closer. She cringed inwardly and waited for him to get even closer. You didn't know him, you blockhead.

"What do we do next?" Sam asked as his body weight shifted the couch. Maggie laid quietly listening. "How do we protect Maggie". She felt him graze her hair and linger to her back. Maybe the whole freakish stalking, family of murderers, and caveman protection could work out.

"We have to wait for your mom to make the next move" he admitted.  "We've got eyes on the house and there's only one person in there. It's just a waiting game now. I've got a judge working on a warrant".

"Have they found Mitch yet?", Sam asked with purpose. Maggie's chest pulled in tight. Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay, she chanted inwardly.

"He wasn't at your mom's where we thought he'd be. I've got people looking for him but honestly we have to wait it all out. We can't just jump into action yet", Brandon shared.

Dad, where are you?

The ringing of Maggie's phone called from the distance. Sam shifted and stood. She heard his heavy footsteps move away. 

"Jamie?" he asked. Silence. "She's okay. Everything is okay", he calmly shared. Bullshit, bull fucking shit, mister!

"Jamie, do you know where Mitch is? Maggie was trying to get a hold of him earlier". Silence. "Oh, good to know. Thank you Jamie. I won't share too much info but thank you. You don't know what a  relief it is to know he's okay".  He's alive! Oh thank god! You gotta go get him. Bring him home!

"He's with Jamie?" Brandon asked with suggestion.

"Yeah, Jamie said he's been there all night with her, and I'm not to tell Maggie that" Sam shared with a bit of playfulness in his voice.

Why was he with Jamie? He was supposed to be with Sarah. Her thoughts came railing towards her like a runaway train. You moron!  He's sleeping with Jamie! Ugh, ugh, so gross. So not okay!

"Interesting" Brandon  chuckled.

"When should we wake her? It's nearly eight", Sam asked with persistence.

"Soon, enough. We have to talk about what we should do moving forward. She's gonna need protection. Your mom and sister would make bail if and when they are arrested for Meredith's murder", Brandon shared. "We still can't locate Abby".

"I've got that handled", Sam disclosed. "When's Maggie's  ready we're gonna move her. I've got a friend of a friend who owns a cabin. He's gonna watch over her for a while. Until this bullshit is over", Sam divulged.

"You sure she's gonna be okay with this?" Brandon sounded pessimistic. The feet grew louder and they moved closer to her again.

"She's gonna have to be. I could only do so much on my own. I don't have the monetary resources or connections my mother does", he admitted.