Family is Forever (Sequel to Running on Insulin)

Chapter 24

Samantha was standing by her desk but looking out the window. She was shaking like a leaf.

"Samantha!" I said, pulling her into my arms. "What happened?"

She pointed out the window towards the forest behind our house. I saw movement. I handed Samantha to Jenna, who wrapped her in her arms and tried calming her down.

I ran out the back door and towards my fence line.

"Hey!"  I yelled.  "Hey!  Who the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing behind my house!  Show yourself!! I can see you moving!"

A slim man, not much taller than me came out from behind a tree with his hands in the air. In one hand he held a camera.

"Don't shoot!" He said. "I'm a photographer!  I-I,"

"Shut up," I said. "First I'm not going to shoot you. Second, I don't care if you're a photographer. What the hell are you doing back here?"

"Following up on a story," he said.

"What story?" I demanded.

"Your daughter. She was kidnapped a couple of weeks ago, wasn't she?  But she's home. No one has seen her since and so I've been looking to see if I could..."

"Stop right there," I said angrily.  "My daughter is a minor. You do not have the right or my permission to take photos of her. Second, from back here, you're looking into bedrooms, which I suspect you know.  Third, my daughter has been traumatized by her ordeal. So get the fuck away from my property and if I ever see you near here again I will call the cops and have you charged with harassment."

"But, is she okay?"

"Like I said, she is traumatized," I said. I was not getting into that any further.

"My editor will spin that," the photographer said.

"How? She's traumatized. There isn't much more spin you can put on that," I fumed. "Now, do me a favour before I change my mind and call the police, and get the fuck out of here."

"Alright, alright. I'm going," he said.

I watched him make his way out of the forest and walk along the fence line. I kept my eye on him until he turned towards the road where, presumably, his car was.

I went back into the house and ran upstairs to check on Samantha. She and Jenna were sitting on her bed, Sarah was beside them and Brendon was kneeling in front of her as they talked to her.

"Sam," I said. She looked up. "It's okay. It was a tabloid photographer. I got rid of him. I have something you need to see. Come downstairs with me."

Jenna and Sarah flanking her, we walked downstairs. I went into the drawer where I'd put the article about Samantha's recovery and Stanley's death.

I sat on the couch and motioned for her to come sit beside me. Jenna came and sat with her.

"Here, honey. You need to read this," I said, handing her the article.

"Tyler," Jenna said with a warning tone.

Samantha took the paper from me and started reading. I kept my arm around her, hoping she found it comforting.

Her hand went to her mouth and tears came to her eyes, but she read the whole thing. When she was done, she looked up at me, tears streaming down her face.

"He's gone honey. He's really, really gone. And the man who he got to take you from school, he's the one who killed Stanley, and he's the one who got you back to us," I said, looking in her eyes.

She threw her arms around me and sobbed. I held her and let her cry. But her body felt... lighter. As if she was full of relief.

"I thought you were going to talk to Doc first," Brendon said.

"I was, but when the photographer scared her I needed her to know Stanley is gone and can't hurt her anymore."

Samantha cried for a while. She exhausted herself and wound up falling asleep. I lay back on the couch and let her rest. Jenna and the rest moved about the house quietly. Jenna covered her with a blanket and brought me a cup of coffee.

About an hour later, Samantha sat up suddenly and looked around. Her face registered relief once she'd looked around.

"Hey there," I smiled at her. She leaned back into me. "Feeling better?"

She nodded and then shrugged.

"A little bit?" I asked. She nodded.

"Sam," Jenna said, looking at her phone. "Erin just texted. She and Jill will be here in ten minutes. You okay for them to come over?"

Samantha nodded then went back into the kitchen to look at some of the homework she had.

"Do you want a snack?" I asked her, coming into the kitchen to get a glass of water."

She shrugged.

"Erin's bringing something," Jenna said. "Sam, don't forget to test and dose if you want a snack."

She gave Jenna a thumbs up while looking through her papers.

The doorbell rang and Sam stiffened a bit, but relaxed and rolled her eyes.

Jenna went to open the door and brought Erin and Jill into the kitchen.

"Hey Sam!" Jill said. Sam waved at her.

"Hi, Sam," Erin said. "How are you doing?"

Sam shrugged and gave her a thumbs up. Erin smiled at her.

"We brought cookies," Jill said, holding up a box of chocolate chip cookies from a local bakery. Samantha frowned.

"They're sugar free!" Jill said. Samantha examined the box and widened her eyes. She checked the nutritional info, which Erin has asked the bakery for, and tested and dosed. Jill pulled out the homework and the the girls got to work. Jenna and I sat at the table with Erin.

"How's she doing?" Erin asked. "She seems a bit better. Happier maybe?"

"She's doing a lot better," Jenna said. "Still hasn't spoken, but she's more, engaged? There?"

Erin nodded.

"I noticed," she said.

We watched the girls as they did their homework. Jill was chatting away and laughing. Samantha would smile. It was so nice to see.