Finally Home

12. Tyler

Samantha was all smiles as we drove home. She practically jumped out of the car as she grabbed her backpack and crutches.

"Hey," Jenna said as she burst through the door. "What's all this. You look, well happy doesn't quite describe it."

"Coach asked me to be the team manager/assistant coach! I get to work with the team all season! I still get to be part of the team!"

"Oh, Sam! That's great news!" Jenna said, hugging her.

Sam hobbled over to the kitchen, dropped her bag on the chair beside her and started pulling out homework.

"Pita chips and hummus or cheese and crackers?" I asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Peanut butter sandwich?" She asked. "And milk?"

"Someone's hungry!" Brendon said. Sam smiled at him.

She sat at the island doing her homework while Rosie toddled over and leaned on her leg.

"SaSa?" She asked.

"Yes, Rosie Posey?" She said, looking down at her sister.

"You foot boo-boo better?"

"No, Rosie posey," Sam said. "Foot boo-boo is going to take a while to be better. I'm going to need my nurse to help me a lot."

"Okay!" Rosie perked up. "I help!"

Rosie ran away and Samantha looked after her.

"Where is she going?" Sam asked. I shrugged.

Brendon came into the kitchen and leaned on the counter while Sam worked on her homework.

"That math looks, too mathy," he said. "How are you able to decipher it?"

"You know how you can look at a piece of music and start playing it right away?" Sam said. Brendon nodded.

"That's what math is like for me. It just makes sense."

"Have you been tested? Are you legitimately a genius?"

"Actually, I have been. And with math, uh, kinda." Sam said, blushing a bit.

"It's true," Jenna said. "Sam's therapist did some testing two years ago when she first started with him. She tested off the charts for math."

"Incredible. Kid, you amaze me. Always."

Sam grinned at him. Brendon gave her a hug and I saw her lean into him. She and Brendon had a special relationship. Sam and Sarah did, too. Watching Sam with Sarah, and Debby, who Sam loves to bits, was interesting. There was just something there.

I think, maybe the only other honorary relative she has that she has a deep bond with is Josh. And probably because when he lived in California, he flew to Columbus when we were first dealing with Samantha and the myriad of problems we encountered with her and Stanley and navigating a foster system we hadn't initially intended to navigate.

Two years later, that terrified teen is our amazing, brilliant and strong daughter. Oh. And did I mention talented? But, I might be biased.

Sam finished her homework, as Rosie toddled over to her holding the stuffed dog Mark had left her.

"You brought me Jim?"

Sam had named the dog Jim, because it looked a little like Josh's dog, and because it was the first word she said when she woke up after crashing through her shower door and winding up losing so much blood, she had coded, needed blood transfusions, surgery and had been in a coma.

Rosie smiled up at her.

"I be nurse, SaSa need doggy," Rosie said proudly.

"Thank you, Rosie," Sam smiled.

"Rosie, how did you get Jim?" I asked her.

"I climb," Rosie said, proudly again. I looked at Jenna.

"You little monkey," Jenna said, picking her up. "You have to be very careful, okay.  No climbing furniture."

"I go on SaSa bed," Rosie said.

"Well, that's marginally safer. But no more climbing furniture, okay?"

"Okay Dada," she said.

Sam got off the bar stool and went into the living room where Brendon and Sarah were sitting.

"Come here," Brendon said, opening his arms for her. She crutched over and flopped onto the couch beside him. He wrapped her in his arms.

The three of them sat there just chatting. Samantha was relaxed and Brendon had his chin on her head. Sarah had her hand on her leg. The three of them just relaxed.

Jenna got dinner ready and I helped her while Samantha visited with her aunt and uncle.

Once dinner was done, we called them in and ate. Having Brendon and Sarah had already raised Sam's spirits. The news from her coach was even better. Sam looked happy again

After dinner, Sam packed up her homework and put her bag by the door and we went into the living room to watch some TV while Jenna put Rosie to bed. 

A little while later, I noticed Sam had fallen asleep leaning on Brendon. Even though it wasn't late, between her first day back at school after her ankle and the fact that she was still in some pain and had taken a pain pill after dinner, I carefully picked her up off Brendon and carried her to bed.

"Huh?" She mumbled as I lay her on her bed and took off her sneaker.

"Good night, sweetheart," I whispered as I covered her with a blanket.

"Mhmm," she said, rolling over and falling into a deeper sleep. I looked at my daughter and smiled. After everything she'd been through, she was safe, she was healthy, relatively speaking, and she was safe.

I kissed her forehead and closed her door.