Family is Forever (Sequel to Running on Insulin)

Chapter 9

Samantha POV

Something is different. I can't quite figure out what it is, but I feel better. I don't feel like throwing up, I can breathe better, and I can hear soothing sounds around me. Someone is talking to me. They aren't yelling at me, they're talking to me. Nicely.

But I can't actually see anything. I can't feel anything either. I'm still mostly inside myself, I think.  I haven't heard Stanley, or the other voice.

I could hear voices, though. And I was getting tired. I needed sleep.

When I woke up, I could see light. It was lighter than before. Like, a white light.  And occasionally I could see someone come in and out of my line of sight. I could hear murmuring. I couldn't work out what they were saying though. I tried to listen harder. It made me tired, so I went back to sleep.

The voices are clearer now. I can hear them. And the  light is brighter. And everything is clearer. I can feel someone holding my  hand, so I look down to see who it was.

"Sam?" the voice said. I looked up. It was Tyler. Tyler was holding my hand. He smiled at me.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said. "Hi. We've been so worried. Are you, are you really awake?"

I nodded, I guess I was really awake.

"Sweetheart!" I heard from my other side. I turned my head and saw Jenna come in the room and rush over to  my side. She took my right hand and kissed it.  Then she kissed my forehead. "Hi baby. Oh, Samantha. We were so worried!"

Jenna leaned over me and hugged me. Tyler smiled with tears in his eyes.  I looked around the room and saw Josh was sitting at the end of my bed, smiling.

"Hey there, kiddo," he smiled. "So glad to see you awake."

I looked back at Tyler and Jenna. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. Words didn't want to come.

Tyler sat back and held my hand.

"Samantha, we missed you so much when you were gone. I'm so sorry we weren't there. I'm so sorry we didn't protect you," he was crying.

Jenna started patting my hair.

"Baby," she said, with tears in her eyes. "We're so, so sorry. As soon as we found out you were gone, we, we did everything we could think of to find you. We called the police, and they worked so, so hard. And we found you. We got you back. You were pretty sick for a little while there, but we got you back. And you're safe. I promise. You're safe now. Forever."

They couldn't promise that. They'd said that before, and Stanley still got me. What could stop him from doing that again?

"Sweetheart?" Tyler said, turning my head to look at him. "Stanley's gone. He's dead."

I shook my head. Tyler had to be wrong. Tears sprang to my eyes.

Tyler climbed up on the bed with me and wrapped me in his arms.

"He's gone sweetheart. He really is. I promise you. He was killed the night we got you back. The man who took you from school, Mr. Gillingham? He shot him.  And the police told us that he's gone. He can't ever get to you or hurt you again."

I shook my head again, and couldn't stop crying. Tyler held me and shushed me. Not in a 'stop crying' kind of way but in a 'get it out because you need to' kind of way.

Jenna held my hand still, and Josh was looking on with sympathy.  A minute later, there was another voice in the room.

"Hey! Look who looks more awake!" I looked up and Brendon and Sarah came in the room. "Hey there, kiddo. How're you doing?"

I shrugged.

"Brendon and Sarah came out on Friday, right before we got you back. They checked in every day from the minute they found out you'd gone missing, until they came out here. And Josh said he's not going back to California until  he knows you're okay," Tyler said.

"That's right," Josh said, tickling my foot.

"Sweetheart," Jenna said. "The police are going to want to talk to you at some point, okay?"

I shrugged. Then I yawned. I was feeling tired again. I  let my eyes fall shut and leaned into Tyler.

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Tyler POV

Sam hadn't said a word since waking up. She was even silent when she cried when we told her about Stanley. I wasn't sure if she was crying that he was dead or crying out of relief or crying because she didn't believe he was actually gone. 

Just after Brendon and Sarah came in to visit her, she fell asleep. She was doing a lot of that. But then, she'd just been through something traumatic, and who knew how affected she was? She hadn't said anything.

She had leaned into me when she fell asleep, as I had gotten on the bed with her to hold her when I told her about Stanley.

"How's she doing, really?" Brendon whispered, sitting in a chair in Sam's room.

"I don't really know. She woke up a little while ago, but she hasn't said a word yet."

"She's probably still traumatized. Maybe still  processing everything that happened?" Brendon said.

"I don't know. Maybe," I said. I wasn't going to worry yet. She'd only been awake a couple of hours.

I lay beside Samantha, talking with Jenna, Josh, Brendon and Sarah quietly while she slept.

She was starting to groan in her sleep and I looked down and saw her brow furrow. She started shaking her head and moaning. Then she started kicking and then screamed.

"Sam! Sam," I said, shaking her. She sat straight up screaming then stopped and looked around like a caged animal. I put my hand on her back and she jumped, turned around and looked at me and relaxed.

"Bad dream?" I asked, opening my arms if she wanted a hug. She nodded and curled up into me and started to cry.

"Shh, shh," I purred. "You're okay. You're safe. I've got you, and I'm never letting you go."