Hell To Pay

Headache

"Come on Chad.... Where are you. I'm alone here." Sam keeps peeking through the payphone, scared that Fred will find her. "Stay there Sam, I'm not far from there. I'm with 2 of my friends, don't worry."
"I know... It's just... I'm paranoid. Just...come here faster, please?"
"Hang on. We're pulling over now..... There! I see you." Sam quickly hang up the phone soon after she saw Chad going out from a car and run to hug him.

"Oh my... You come! Thank you Chad." She's soaked in tears and Chad can tell how confusing it is for her to going through this shit. "Come on, get inside the car. Taylor got a house around here and we can talk there." Chad decided to let her rest first before ask her any further. They go to a beach house that Chad bought years ago for Taylor and Sam far before their breakup so they can have a regular vacation.

Taylor open the door of the house and it feels weird to do that on this circumstances. She's probably won't remember the house, and he feels kind of bad for Josh because it's full of pictures of Taylor and Sam together. Sam enter the house with a weird feelings as well. She quickly noticed the picture of her and Taylor on the beach with Dave, Nate, and Chris behind them. "Do we know each other?"
"Umm... That's you and my band. Foo Fighters. We're friends, you worked as our sound engineer." Taylor tries to give her a safe answer so it wouldn't hurt Josh. "Anyway, you guys can relax in the living room, I'll make you some coffee." Taylor quickly avoiding them and go straight to the kitchen. There, he takes a deep breath and tears a little as he boil the water. He feels happy that she came back alive but also painful as she asked that question to him. "You don't have to do that, you know." He hears someone behind him so he turns around and wipe the tears. Trying to act normal. "Josh? Umm. The coffee is not ready yet, just give me 5 minutes okay?"
"No, not the coffee Taylor. I mean, you can say to her about your relationship with her. I'm fine. Don't feel bad for me. Really."
"Josh, if she has to remember something... It supposed to be you and her. Not mine. I screw up so I can't just take a chance like that." Josh looks away and sigh, "Maybe you get me wrong, Taylor. This couple days, I've seen how you see her, and how you care. I know you screw up but you deserve a second chance. Not that I don't want her to remember me, I will be more than happy if she does. But you have the same amount of chance as I do. So don't punish yourself like that."
"That's very kind of you but... I don't want to see myself hurting her again. So it has to be you."

••••••

"How's your feelings?" Sam seems a lot more relax now so Chad start to ask her some questions. "Weird. I mean, for these couple days, I don't know what happened. I don't know why this happened. I just can't believe I would get scared around Fred. He's my boyfriend."
"Umm... The truth is.... Sam, you broke up with him years ago. The reason why you were in hospital, because he was trying to kill you. My guess? He takes you away because he wanted to finish the job but when he found out you can't remember anything, he play along with it."
"Wait, what?"
"Police are looking for him Sam. I got reports and all, if you don't believe me."
"I.....I don't...know what...." She can't even feels her legs after she heard that from her brother. "Who am I? I can't even tell... I don't know wether or not I want to remember that. It sounds like a horrible experience."
"I understand. If you can't remember that, let it go. You don't have to try. Okay?"
"Okay..... Anyway... who is the other guy? I mean I just found out that I worked for Taylor, but you haven't tell me about the other one." She force her smile so Chad would stop feel sorry for her. "It's umm... Josh, our new guitarist. I guess you don't remember John quit the band."
"He did? That's a bummer."
"Yeah it did. But Josh is great. And he's also umm...."
"He's your boyfriend Sam." Taylor shows up all of sudden with cups of coffee and Josh seems shocked when he says that. "Taylor what are you... "

"Chad is that true?" Sam looks at Chad while he looks at Taylor. He knows Taylor did that for Josh and he doesn't know how he managed to do that. "Umm.. yes Sam, Josh is your boyfriend." Josh has nothing to say, he can't believe Taylor actually did that after what they've been through. "Taylor, can we talk?" He ask him to follow him back to the kitchen.

"What did you do?"
"Just doing what should be. I was saying the truth."
"Yeah but not that way, you shouldn't just tell her right away. She doesn't even know me. In her mind. It will confuse her."
"I know.... But it would be better in this time, if she got someone like you besides her. She doesn't need to remember those painful memories."
"Just so you know, Taylor, that's not your decision." He left the kitchen, pissed.

"Hey." Sam almost bumped into him as he walk and Josh just stop to avoid the bump. "Oh, hey. Umm Taylor is inside so...."
"No, I need to talk to you."
"What?"
"There's a lot of missing pieces about myself that you probably know. There might be a reason why I date you. Because all I can remember is Fred." Josh can't say anything, not even a word. He knows for sure that everything about their relationship is somehow connected to Taylor. "Knock knock?"
"Yes?"
"So, can I talk to you?"
"Yeah, sure. Here?"
"Can we go outside? I need some fresh air."

While both Josh and Sam is outside to talk, Taylor takes a look at them from the window, smiling ironically. "That's a big heart you got there." Chad step in and almost makes Taylor jumps from his spot."
"Uhh.... It's just a right thing to do."
"Yeah, probably."
"I hope all that she will remember is her good memories with Josh. Nothing more."
"What about you?" Taylor giggles to him and looks away.

"Well, I'm just gonna play with my band. That's all."