Family is Forever (Sequel to Running on Insulin)

Chapter 62

Before we knew it, it was our last day in LA. We'd taken Samantha to Universal Studios, which she loved, and on our last night, Brendon and Sarah invited their friends, and ours, over for a farewell BBQ. Sam met Patrick and Pete's bandmates, Joe and Andy, and sat with Josh's fiancée Debby.

"I'm so sad you go home tomorrow," Josh said, hugging Samantha while they sat on a lounge chair eating hamburgers.

"It's only a couple more months until school finishes and Mom and I come out on tour with you," she said.

"That's too long!" He whined.

Samantha laughed.

"I think the solution is you need to convince your parents to move to LA," Josh said.

"Or you could move back to Ohio," she said.

"Not likely," Josh said.

Brendon had music going, obviously, and everyone was enjoying, singing, dancing and just goofing around. 

Samantha was watching all our antics, including Brendon back flipping off his studio roof. She looked happy, content. She looked like she felt safe. And that made me happy. Because for far too long, she hadn't been safe.

I watched as she laughed with Pete and Josh, talked to Meagan and Debby, tried to copy Brendon's dance steps, followed Andy in drumming out a beat, and just thoroughly enjoyed herself.

"She's doing great," Brendon said coming and sitting down beside me on the lounger I was sitting on. "Look at her. I don't think she smiled that much at Christmas."

"Yeah," I said.  "She's something else."

"You and Jenna are doing great by her. She trusts you. She clearly loves you. But most importantly, like I said, she trusts you."

"I wondered if she ever would after Stanley.  But we worked, she worked, and here we are. She's growing. She's still a little emotionally immature, owing to years of abuse. But she is doing so much better. Six months ago, I wasn't sure I could consider bringing her on tour.  Her blood sugars were all over the place, her emotions were impossible to control. We couldn't see allowing her on tour and having an outburst like we had at the beginning.  Now? I don't recognize this Sam if I try to compare her to that one."

"You guys - all of you - have done amazing. You're bringing her on tour?"

"In the summer, yeah. When she's done school."

"Very cool," Brendon smiled.

We watched as Samantha tried to copy some dance move Josh was showing her. She was smiling and laughing. I was happy watching her.

Too many times we'd almost lost her. When Stanley kidnapped her. When she'd nearly drowned the first time. And then the secondary drowning.

The times she'd run away from us. Those first few days when spilling a glass of water sent her hiding in a bathroom, afraid of a beating.

Now, she was more confident. Her smile came more easily. And her laughter. Her laughter was musical.

I leaned back and took in the sounds around me. Brendon had gotten up and was singing. Another voice had joined him and it was beautiful. I sat up to see who was singing with him.

It was Samantha. I'd never heard her sing before. I couldn't remember if she ever had.

Brendon was looking at her while she sang. She wasn't singing with him but was singing along. Everyone got quiet and looked over at Samantha, who was playing on her phone while singing. She realized it had gotten quiet and looked up to see everyone staring at her.