The bastard.
The sick, twisted, conniving, heartless, bastard.
Riley knew Samuel would come to him. He knew Samuel would ask what to do with me. And what had he suggested? That I be locked inside his house for an immeasurable amount of time as punishment for something they deemed wrong.
He was a genius.
Even in my current state, I couldn't deny it. I would be a fool not to realize what this meant. If I was locked away with Samuel as my only contact, not only would I be forced to be with him, but he'd be given that much more access to my life. My humanity. The very thing I was trying desperately to hold on to. There would be no running, no stopping him. I would be rendered helpless to his will.
Samuel watched carefully as countless thoughts and emotions crossed my features. I tried to keep my face numb and untelling, but it wasn't working. I knew it wasn't. My brain was sluggish, my body was tired, and I was coming to the ends of my ropes. Samuel read me like an open book. I knew he saw the pain and fear etched permanently in my eyes and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. No matter how hard I fought against it, how much willpower I had, or how many times I convinced myself I'd be alright. My resolve eventually had to end somewhere.
Suddenly, I was panicking.
I didn't know why. I'd expected this punishment or at least something like it. I knew that the minute I stepped back into this town, Riley would cause me a world of hurt. He would make sure I was exactly what he and Samuel wanted. There was no way around it. So why was it that when my fate was finally revealed, I had wave after wave of panic, dread, and anxiety crash upon me?
Tense minutes passed. I tried calming myself. I truly did. However, with each one gone, another piece of my mind followed. Samuel was silent. He didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do, and the situation was quickly turning into an impending storm. Each minute, each second, signified one more wave pushing me further under a frenzied ocean. Samuel was at the surface, waiting, while unbeknownst to him, I fought to breathe.
My breaths were short and shaking in time with my hands. I planted them firmly in my lap, trying desperately to shield the tremors from Samuel's watchful eye. My heart was racing. The monitor beside me registered the accelerated pace. The beeping noise quickened until it sounded like one solid high-pitched drone. I didn't acknowledge it and prayed Samuel would do the same. He couldn't know what his words were doing to me. He couldn't. If he did, Riley would find out and we'd all be dead.
Samuel opened his mouth, worry lines etching deeper into his skin. The smile he held before was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead with a man that had too many troubles. He looked at me with a pained expression as his body went stiff, watching intently as I slowly unraveled. When the heart monitor didn't calm down, he nodded to himself and smiled sadly at me. His gaze darted to the door, leading to the myriad of hospital staff. Before I could say anything, he called for them.
Another wave hit me. This time, it forced every last bit of air out of my lungs. I fought frantically to breathe in again, but it wasn't working. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get air. There was nothing there. My hands snaked to my chest and throat where they clutched and pulled at my skin, fighting to find a new way to breathe.
"What happened?" A woman suddenly spoke.
I shot my gaze up to see a petite woman with short blonde hair. She was standing in the middle of the group of workers that had just flooded the room. They each had their gazes drilled into me, silently assessing my declining state. I flinched away from them, but they did not rush me like before. For whatever reason, they stood rooted in place. I suspected it had something to do with the werewolf sitting at the foot of my bed.
"She's having another panic attack," Samuel started, moving to the side as he spoke.
Only when he moved was I immediately engulfed in what seemed to be an endless number of people. A light was shone into my eyes the same moment my legs and arms were gripped by numerous hands. I quickly realized I was thrashing wildly, my arms and legs striking at whatever they could make contact with. I told my limbs to stop. I told myself to calm down. I told my lungs to breathe. But, my head was spinning, nothing was making sense, and I still couldn't get any air.
Eventually, things started to slow down. The nurses and doctors blurred. A sensation was slowly overtaking my senses, dragging me far away from the hospital bed. The blonde woman's face was suddenly over mine, and she was speaking softly. Though I couldn't make out the words, her voice sang a soft lullaby. The sound overcame and filled my thoughts. In the next moment, I could only see darkness.
*****
My eyes fluttered open suddenly. There was no gradual ease back into reality, rather it hit me like a freight train. I was still in the hospital, still in the same room. Nothing had changed from when they'd put me under, not even Samuel sitting in his chair. He was sleeping, like the last time I awoke, and it almost felt as if nothing had happened. I could almost pretend Samuel and I never had a conversation.
Almost.
The memories moved slow as molasses, but they were there. They just weren't making sense. Then again, the only thing I could really focus on was my throat. It was burning, begging for liquid. I noticed the water on the table beside me and reached out to it instantly. When my hand lifted up though, it met resistance. My eyes groggily traveled down my arm to stare at my wrist. It was loosely tied to the side of my bed with a soft fabric. When I attempted lifting my other arm, I found the same thing. I groaned loudly and gradually lifted myself up to a sitting position, staring confusedly at the two pieces of material binding me to the bed.
Abruptly, I heard movement from across the room. By the time I lifted my head up, Samuel was beside me, eyeing me cautiously. I stared blankly back at him, my eyelids heavy and refusing to cooperate. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Though this would normally bother me, I couldn't find it in me to care. The only thing I wanted was water.
Suddenly, I felt his hand on my arm. It was strange, almost comforting, feeling his flesh so delicately resting upon my own. His hand was light and gentle, only resting there to give me reassurance. My eyebrows furrowed at the sensation and I tried to sort through the reasons why I hated Samuel.
"Samantha," he softly cooed. The hand lingering on my arm was brought up to my cheek. Unconsciously, I leaned into it. "Samantha, how do you feel?"
Though I didn't move my head from his hand, my eyes glanced to the side where I'd seen the water. Samuel understood immediately and brought the cup to my lips, tilting it ever so slightly. The cool liquid fell into my mouth and ran down my throat, reviving me slightly.
He placed the cup back on the table and sat next to me while pressing a button on my bed. After a few moments and creaking noises, I felt the support of my mattress behind me, allowing me to lean back. I quickly did so, adjusting my weight so I was comfortable. When I was settled, Samuel rested his hand on my thigh. Blankets and my hospital gown separated his flesh from mine, and I was suddenly wishing he'd hold my cheek once more. The thought was unsettling and I quickly pushed it aside as exhaustion.
"How are you feeling?" He softly asked. His frame was relaxed, along with his features. Dark eyes searched my own.
My thoughts were barely starting to become coherent. It took what felt like hours to comprehend his question, then another day to finally speak. When I did eventually respond, my tone was laced with confusion.
"My wrists..." I trailed off. My head rested on my shoulder and I stared down my arm to the soft material binding my limbs.
Samuel smiled sadly. "We didn't know how you'd be when you woke up. Didn't want you hurting yourself." As he spoke, he reached forward and began untying the fabric. They were only loosely tied in the first place, so it wasn't hard for him to do. When the material was gone, I lifted my wrists to my face, examining them. Samuel chuckled lightly. "They must have really knocked you out. You're still pretty out of it, huh?"
I narrowed my eyes, bringing one hand to hold the side of my head. "What happened?" My voice came out surprisingly smooth, but notably quiet.
He shrugged. "Nothing." I sighed heavily and when his words registered, I used all my strength to glare at him. This only caused him to smile. "Just testing you," he smirked. "You had a pretty nasty panic attack. I had them sedate you.
I nodded slowly. The molasses of my thoughts were starting to make sense. After a few silent moments, I quietly asked for more water. Samuel quickly gave me the cup again, but this time let me hold it myself. I greedily drank the entire thing, emptying the small plastic cup in seconds.
"Do you want more?" He asked when I handed the cup back.
I shook my head and offered a quiet, "No."
He nodded, searching my features. "Can you tell me how you're feeling?"
I took a quick mental inventory. The longer I was awake, the more my consciousness came back to me. I was no longer confused or slow to process things; I was just tired.
"Exhausted," I ultimately sighed.
"You should get some more rest." Samuel took my hand lightly in his, keeping it placed in my lap. I didn't fight his grasp but decided to ignore it.
"How long was I asleep?" I disregarded his request.
He thought for a moment, frowning slightly. "A long time. You slept the entire day yesterday and most of the night. It's about to be morning."
"That long?" I breathed, dumbfounded.
"That long. You woke up a few times, but you were never up for long."
I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't think I'd ever slept that long in my life.
"It makes sense," Samuel continued, lazily glancing around the room. "With all the medicine you're on and what happened. Your body needs to recover. Maybe a sedative forced it to do just that."
It sure didn't feel like my body had recovered. "I guess," I mumbled. "Did you sleep or did you stay here the whole time?"
"I slept here," he stated simply, returning his gaze to mine. "I wanted to be here if you woke up or something happened."
I bit my lip and nodded, bobbing my head to my chest. My hair fell across my features, hiding them like they'd done so many times before.
"So," Samuel slowly started with a question in his voice. "You wanna tell me what that was all about?"
"What do you mean?" My voice was low, my face was hidden.
"I mean, something set you off. You were just fine and then you weren't."
"Oh," I managed half a whisper. I knew exactly what he was talking about and in my half-awake state, I couldn't find it in me to argue with him.
"Will you tell me about it?"
His question caught me off guard. It wasn't a demand or even a request. It was a plea to reveal my innermost thoughts we both knew were deep-rooted fears. "I'm tired, Samuel," I eventually answered. Not only did I not have it in me to argue with him, but I also didn't have the strength to open this tightly shut box or pretend to be something I wasn't - fine.
He slowly nodded. "I know. I just want to know what you're thinking. I'm not so dense that I couldn't figure out what set you off."
It was silent while he waited for me to gather my thoughts. I brought my head from my chest to lean against the mattress, where I stared at the wall beside Samuel's shoulders. "It's just a lot," I tried to explain without revealing too much. "My family, too."
"They're taken care of."
I shook my head. "You don't understand-"
"I do," he quickly cut me off, squeezing my hand. "I've taken care of it. I knew you'd be upset and asking about your mother. I sent someone over there to check on her."
He had my immediate attention. I brushed my hair aside and my wide eyes landed on his. They were filled with tenderness and understanding.
"She's fine." One corner of his lips tilted up. "Her husband is gone."
I paused. "Gone?"
He nodded. "No one knows what happened. Your mother said he disappeared a few hours before we got back."
I let that information slowly sink in. James was gone. Supposedly, vanished. It didn't make sense.
"Why?" I eventually asked.
Samuel was momentarily confused. "Why, what?"
"Why would he just run off like that?" I shook my head, furrowing my eyebrows. He had no reason to run before, no matter how much we all wished he would disappear. The only thing that changed was Samuel, and as far as I knew, James had no idea about him.
Samuel suddenly lowered his gaze. "I might have asked someone to retrieve him for me. He must have caught wind."
I blinked a few times, his voice swimming in my ear. "You did what?" I asked in disbelief.
"I asked someone-"
I held up my hand that he wasn't holding, cutting him off. "I heard what you said. Why did you do that?"
He shrugged, trying to maintain his casual appearance. However, his gaze stayed averted. "I knew it was important to you. I've had a lot of time to think, especially on the drive back."
I was silent. If I wasn't being careful, my jaw would have been on the floor. His words were registering in my mind, but I wasn't believing them. I also wasn't believing the fact that James had disappeared. I'd lived most of my life under his horrific reign, and to have him suddenly out of the picture wasn't something I ever thought could happen.
"So, he's gone?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.
Samuel lifted his eyes to meet mine. "For now."
Before I knew it, a small smile was forming on my face. I suddenly felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders and buried deep in the ground. James was gone. He was gone. Even if it was temporary, even if it was under questioning circumstances, he was gone, and that was a day I never thought I'd live to see.
"Can you please tell me what you're thinking?" Samuel eventually broke my train of thoughts. His voice held a touch of concern and apprehension.
It was only then I realized my face was morphed into an unreadable and half-mad expression. My eyes were wide, my jaw was open, and I was staring blankly at the space in between Samuel and me.
"I-" I tried and failed miserably to form words, but that didn't stop a wide smile from spreading to my ears. "He-I mean-You?"
Samuel let a small smile tug at his lips. "It'd be great if you could teach me that language. I don't understand gibberish."
I shook my head fervently. "Sorry, I just," I trailed off. "I don't even know what to say."
"Well, I guess there isn't much. I just wanted you not to worry."
"Thank you," I whispered. Words couldn't portray how much this single act meant to me. I didn't care so much about myself, but knowing that my mother would no longer have to live with James was enough to send me over the moon. For a moment, everything else was forgotten and I allowed myself to dwell on the fact that something had finally gone right.
Samuel finally smiled my favorite smile. "Anytime."
***
Sorry, this chapter was a bit late! I had the hardest time writing some of it. So, please tell me if something didn't make sense!!!!
Can we just talk about that #SamSquared action going on? I mean...
Did y'all see that coming? Cause I definitely didn't. (No, I mean really, that totally a moment the characters took over. I had no intention of Samuel revealing that in this moment! Or ever...)
I don't want to make this too long so I will just end with a big THANK YOU!! You're all amazing! Thanks for your support, love, and wonderful votes and comments! They always make my day :) We also hit FOUR FREAKING THOUSAND votes and I'm in awe. You're amazing!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU! (Hope you're not tired of me saying that, haha. But, let's be honest, it's not going to stop anytime soon.)
Until next time!
Mquistey