A Flower in War

Chapter Fifty-Two: Sot Sam

"Robby, you don't wanna be with her." Sam slurs while Cal takes a quick shower.
"Yes, I do." Robby insists, having had this argument for the last five minutes. Cal had bathed Sam while Robby got her something to wear and a water. But now that she was alone with him she's touching him and telling him how he shouldn't be with her sister, and he was done.

"Why? What's wrong with me?" Sam cries.
"For one, you're not over Miguel, like at all. Two, I love Cal, I see a future with her and I trust her. She is the best thing that's ever happened to me! Why can't you just be happy for us?" Sam sighs loudly, throwing off the bed covers and walking over to him, pouting.
"I'm sorry. You're right. Hug?" She holds out her arms and Robby sighs, nodding his head. As he goes in for the hug Sam grabs his cheeks and kisses him making him push her away quickly back into the bed. In the midst of all the mania he doesn't hear a click outside the window that they hadn't bothered to shutter the blinds of.

"What the hell Sam?!" But his cries fall on deaf ears. She's completely passed out. He huffs, pushing her under the covers before quickly running his hand through his hair in worry. How was he supposed to tell Cal? What if that's it for them? He never kissed her back! He wouldn't dream of it! He meant what he said: he loves Cal. He's always going to love Cal, she's all he needs. She's kind, intelligent, strong, a total dork, and she's his flower. She's the best thing that ever happened to him and he doesn't plan on ruining it over a stupid drunken one-sided kiss.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Cal asks softly, noticing his far off stare, her hands coming up his arms to rest on his shoulders.
"Just... she's weird when she's drunk." Robby sighs. He'll tell her. Just not like this.
"Is she okay? Are you okay?" Cal asks worriedly.
"Yeah, yeah." He nods, swallowing loudly.
"Um okay. Let me know if that changes yeah? Go take a shower, I'll be on Sam watch." Robby nods, thankful for the respite so he can get his head on better.

-

"She's still passed out." Cal whispers, closing the door behind her.
"Thanks for letting us crash here last night." Robby says, wrapping his arm around Cal once she makes it to the kitchen.
"It's no problem... But, look, I'm gonna have to tell LaRusso about this. It's his kid."
"Please don't." Cal begs, "If he sees her like this... it'll crush him."
"I'll take the blame. I'll say I got drunk and told Sam and Cal to bring me here."
"No, Robby, you can't do that."
"Flower, they're not going to believe you got drunk. I'm the last available option."

"Johnny?" A familiar voice calls through the door.
"Oh no. Not good." Cal says quickly turning to Robby.
"Go wake her up." Robby whispers quickly, watching Cal rush back to the bedroom.
"Johnny, come on, I saw your car outside. I know you're in there, open up."
"Go with her. I got your back." Johnny says, motioning for Robby to go back to the bedroom.
"Johnny?" Robby runs back to Cal and Sam.

"She's hungover, bad." Cal says, watching Sam hold her head and groan.
The sound of the door being kicked open makes the kids shoot up.
"Sam?!" Daniel yells through the flat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Johnny yells angrily. Robby closes the door, quickly helping Cal find Sam's pants. The sound of punches and kicks and the bangs on the wall bring Sam out of her hangover infused haze.
"What is going on out there?" Sam asks quickly as she pulls her jeans on.
"We should go out there. Sam, act sober." Cal dictates before walking outside.
"Robby, I-"
"Don't, just don't." Robby shakes his head, following after Cal who is now standing at the entrance to the hallway.

"Dad, stop!" Sam yells. Robby grabs his father's arm so he can't hit Daniel, pulling him back and away.
"Sam! Cal! What happened? Are you two okay?" Daniel asks worriedly, looking over their persons. He notices Sam's makeup is everywhere and she look like she went three rounds with him back in the day.
"Yeah, we-we're fine!" Sam assures him.
"Why didn't you call or text us?" Daniel asks angrily.
"Mr. LaRusso, it was my fault. I brought her here."
"Wait. Uh, don't even start." Daniel begins, his brown eyes fiery, "I gave you a second chance. This whole thing was a mistake. You know, you wanna end up like him, that's up to you. All right come on girls." Daniel ushers Sam out expecting Cal to follow, but she doesn't.
"I don't want to hear it, let's go." Daniel says sternly.
"I'm not going with you. Frankly Uncle Danny, I'm disappointed in you. So go. Don't expect me to put up with the vitriol. We made a mistake. Don't act like the great Danny LaRusso never made a mistake." Daniel huffs but leaves, roughly closing the door behind him.

"Cal," Robby says softly, taking her arm, "Go. They're your family."
"You're my family too."
"You don't want to stay here and I'm not going to let you ruin your life over me."
"I'm not ruining my life by staying with you! What Daniel said is wrong, he's just upset and he's not thinking rationally. You didn't do anything wrong. We knew what would happen if we brought Sam home so we brought her somewhere safe! Somewhere where we wouldn't be ridiculed or made to feel like we're less than! We chose here because your dad knows how to deal with drunkenness and you know your dad! He was great to three teens in the middle of the night, one of which was three sheets to the wind! He's not the devil like Uncle Danny seems to think!"

"Cal, please." Robby begs softly.
"Do you... do you not want me here?" Cal wonders aloud.
"No, thats not it. I just... if you don't go back, it's just another reason for him to hate me. If you don't go back, I'm the guy that took away his second daughter from him."
"No, he pushed me away. Kinda like you're doing right now."
"I don't want to. But... but maybe... maybe I need to for your own good."
"Robby-"
"Flower, please."
Cal nods slowly, "Okay."

She turns on her heel, grabbing her bag by the door and stopping, turning back around, "Thank you for having us Mr. Lawrence. I'm sorry about your TV."
"It's all right kid." Johnny waves her off, watching her leave. She closes the door much less angrily than Daniel and once it's closed Johnny hits his son's shoulder.
"What the hell?"
"That is a once in a lifetime woman and you just let her walk away!"
"She needs to be with her family right now. She'll know how to smooth things over there."

"Look, I'm not winning any father or boyfriend of the year awards, but I know a good woman when I see one, that girl - she's going to be the best you could ever dream of and you let her walk away to be with her family after Daniel was already fuming! She wanted to stay to be with you, but she also wanted to stay because, of her own volition, she feels safe here. Ever think maybe she's not feeling too safe over there? She froze when she saw Daniel and I fighting. She was scared. She probably just didn't want to be around that and knew you wouldn't put her through it because you love her."

How his deadbeat father figured all that out in the span of only a night bewildered Robby, but what was even more telling was that he was right. He let her go back to a place where she may not feel safe, and that thought, the thought that something could happen to her and it would be his fault, that hit his very core with a fearful blow.