Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

82. Sarah

Samantha barely came out of her room over the next two days. She called out from school and stayed in bed. Brendon and I got worried and I made a point of telling her therapist before taking Sam to her appointment. She was willing to go to the office, so we didn't have to have Dr. Angela come to the house. But Sam was barely speaking. Most of her answers were shrugs. She was disassociating.

Dylan came by Monday morning before school and we had to tell him Sam wasn't feeling up to going to school. He asked us to please try to talk to her on his behalf. I felt bad for the kid. He'd done nothing wrong and even though he knew what Sam had been through in the past, he was being so gentle and patient. It wasn't fair. Not to him and not to Sam. She deserves good things and Dylan is so good to and for her.

I was sitting in the waiting room at Samantha's therapist waiting for her session to be finished. I was going to try and get her engaged in something. Coffee, ice cream, shopping. Something.

The door opened and Samantha came out of the doctor's office. She didn't look any happier and the doctor looked at me and just sort of, shrugged. There wasn't much she could discuss with me, considering Sam's 18 and unless she's in crisis, she really can't tell us much.

"Hey sweetie. Everything go okay?" I asked Sam, putting my arm around her. She shrugged.

"I was thinking we could stop for coffee. Or maybe ice cream? Or we could go shopping. Retail therapy is always fun. What do you think?"

Sam shrugged again.

"I just want to go home," she said. "I'm tired."

"Sam," I said, looking at her. "I know you're struggling with something from the weekend. And I know Dylan has been texting you. He's really worried, sweetheart. We're all getting very worried. You're not okay. And it doesn't look to me like your appointment with Dr. Angela did much to help you feel better. We want to help you, honey. But you have to let us in."

Tears formed in Samantha's eyes but she just shook her head.

"Sam, none of us know exactly how or what you're feeling, but we can't help you work through this if you don't help us out a little. Sweetheart, you have to talk to someone. If not Dr. Angela, you have me, Uncle B, Dylan, your mom and dad, Kala. Heck even Zack can be a good listener," I said.

Samantha sighed.

"Can we please just go home?" She said, her voice wavering.

"No," I said. "We're not going straight home. I have an idea and I promise I'm not taking you to Dylan's and making you talk to him I wouldn't do that to you. But I'm not taking you home to let you curl up on your bed again and hide from the world."

"Please, Aunt Sarah," Samantha said, tears flowing down her face. "Please. I just want to go home. Please."

I didn't respond as I pulled away from the medical building. I had an idea and whether it worked or not, I was confident it wouldn't hurt.

I drove towards the beach.

When we pulled up, Samantha finally looked up from her lap.

"Please, I just want to go home," she sobbed.

"Come with me. Come on," I said, opening my door and getting out of the car. I went around the car and opened Sam's door. I'd brought her to the Santa Monica Pier. I was going to try to get her to come to the end of the pier where there were some benches. It was a place Brendon and I come sometimes. Before we adopted Jess, we'd come here to talk about life, our future plans. After we lost Jess, we'd come here to talk and remember our girl. It was a beautiful place and so calming. I hoped Sam would find it cathartic.