Oh Ms Believer

84. Tyler

"They arrested him, baby," I said to Samantha's inert body. "They got all the reports from the doctors and the DNA from when you scratched him. He's in a lot of trouble."

No reaction. I hadn't been expecting one but I'd hoped. I hoped the news would penetrate whatever place Samantha was occupying in her mind. I hoped she could hear me. I hoped if she could, the news would bring her back. But she simply lay in the bed, staring at nothing. Her eyes empty and dull. I sighed and leaned on my elbows running my fingers through her hair, resting my head on my arm, staring into her blank, empty eyes.

"Where are you, Sam?" I whispered to her. "Where are you? How do we bring you back? Hmm?"

"No change?" Josh's voice penetrated the otherwise silent room.

"No," I sighed. "Nothing. There's just nothing there. She's gone."

Josh sat beside me and looked at Samantha. He also sighed.

"Hey, String Bean, we kinda need you back," he said. "We've got lots to tell you."

Debby had taken Jenna home after lunch and would watch the girls so Jenna could try to sleep. She hadn't gotten much sitting beside Samantha all night.

"We're not leaving you, sweetheart," I said. "Mom or I, or both of us, have been here and will continue to be here for you. Samantha, we know how hurt you must feel. We know how scared you might be. We know how betrayed you must feel, too. But he's gone, baby. He's been arrested. And he'll probably be expelled. But sweetheart, we need you back. Come on, baby. Come back."

Nothing.

I wiped a stray tear from my eye and sighed. Doc had been by earlier in the day and said the same things.

A knock on the door startled me. I looked up and saw Jill and her mom, Erin.

"Hi," I said, quietly. Jill smiled shyly. More because maybe she felt she shouldn't smile.

"How's Sam?" She asked. I shrugged.

"No change. Why don't you and your mom come sit and talk to her? I'm going to go get a coffee. Josh?" Josh looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. I needed a break. I couldn't stare at my daughter's empty eyes any longer and not scream and shake her to try and bring her back. I knew that wouldn't work and would further traumatize her, but I couldn't stand watching her just lay there, unmoving and unaware. I couldn't stand the dull emptiness of her eyes. It wasn't my daughter in the bed.

Jill came and sat in the chair I'd just vacated. She looked at Samantha and her mouth pulled down at the corners. Jill and Sam had been the best of friends since Sam had transferred to Appleton Middle School when she came to live with us. Only once did they have a spat where Jill stopped talking to Samantha for a couple of weeks because Samantha hadn't wanted her to know about her seizures. But Sam had a seizure at their house and Jill had been upset that Sam hadn't trusted her to tell her about them. Samantha had been embarrassed and worried Jill would decide she was too much work to be friends with. Jill has epilepsy and Samantha was afraid Jill would think Samantha was faking or something. Samantha struggled a lot in those early days with feeling accepted by... well, everyone.

"Hey, Sam. I don't know if you've heard. Tristan got arrested at school today. And he's been expelled. The school gave the police footage that showed Tristan taking you to that classroom. And the time stamp showed how long you were in the room. Also, Mason beat him up."

I turned around.

"What?" I asked. Jill paled. "What did you say about Mason?"

"Um, he beat Tristan up. Tristan said some... things about Sam. And Mason punched him in the face. He got suspended, though. But only until Wednesday. He got a one day suspension. Well, a day and a half."

"Remind me to send him a gift basket," I said. Mason had done what I wished I could have. I wasn't going to ask what Tristan said. I'm sure my imagination would take me places I don't want to go.

Josh pulled me out of Samantha's room and downstairs. We went to the Starbucks in the lobby and Josh made me take a walk outside to clear my head.

"You're not frosty, my friend," he said.

"Very much not. But I am okay. I'm pissed off that we're here and why we're here, but I'm not spiralling. I promise."

"No. You aren't. I can tell. But you're letting this consume you."

"Josh!" I exclaimed. "My daughter was raped at a school dance! She's catatonic. She's gone. She's so deep inside herself, there's nothing of her left."

"I know. I know all that. But your anger is going to affect Samantha, too. I'm sure she can tell you're angry. And she's probably not in a place where she can separate you being mad from being mad at her."

I sighed. He was right. I had been fuming. I was still fuming. I'd already had a couple of sessions with my own therapist to discuss how I could best help Sam, and how I could come to terms with what happened. How I hadn't been able to protect her. And the guilt. I understood the guilt Sam had been feeling about Blaine. Because I felt guilty about letting Sam go to the dance thinking she was going with a friend, only for that "friend" to take her last bit of innocence.

My phone started ringing. It was Erin.

"Erin? What's wrong?"

"You need to come back. You need to come back to Sam's room."

"We're coming," I said, running. Josh followed.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know. Erin said I need to come back."

We ran up the stairs to Samantha's floor, forgoing the elevator. It took too long. I hadn't been able to figure out the tone of Erin's voice. Her voice had been shaking, but I couldn't tell if she was crying, or what.

I skidded to a halt outside Samantha's room, took a deep breath and opened the door. Nothing looked any different. Samantha was still staring into the abyss. Jill was crying and Erin looked stunned.

"What's the matter? What happened? Sam?"

I looked at my daughter and saw her blink. Wait. Did I see that?

"Sam?" I tried again. She blinked again. I looked in her eyes. They were still dull. Still mostly lifeless. But I thought I could just see a hint of that light that made Sam's blue eyes sparkle.

Was she coming back? Or was she saying goodbye?