Sam awoke the next morning after a fitful sleep. She hadn’t had another nightmare but she couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling she had. Stretching, she got out of bed, showered and changed her clothes. As she made her way to her chair, she noticed a note that was propped up against her bedside lamp.
Sam,
I had to go to the grocery store. I wanted Drew to come over and stay with you but he couldn’t. I promise to be back very soon.
~J
As soon as she finished reading the note, the panic crept in. She was here alone with no way to reach anyone since she didn’t have a phone or know any numbers to call. Racing out into the hallway, she noticed that AJ had opened the blinds again so going downstairs to wait wasn’t possible.
What if anyone came to the house? What if Ryan showed up? What was she going to defend herself with? The questions and thoughts made her fight for each breath. It felt like she was on the run again except this time, she was stuck in a beautiful prison. As she sat there, frightened out of her mind, she heard a car pull into the driveway. She ran into the guest room that faced the driveway and cautiously separated the blinds to see who it was.
Two men stepped out of the vehicle; one came up to the door to ring the bell while the other one looked around. She watched as he scanned the drive, the sidewalk and the neighborhood. He was dressed in a simple suit with sunglasses and a hat shading his face. His walk and mannerisms seemed familiar to her and when he stared up at the window where she was, her blood froze. There was no mistake, Ryan had found her!
She slammed herself into the wall next to the window and prayed to God he didn’t see her. The blinds had hidden her well but she could have sworn he smiled at her when she watched him look up. There was a good chance that he knew she was there and she started to quake. Slipping down to the floor, she curled into a ball and started to sob.
-----------
It took AJ longer than expected to run the errands and he was starting to get nervous about being away from Sam for this long a period of time. He finally got through the line and loaded up his truck. Breaking the speed limit to get home, he started to breathe a sigh of relief as he pulled in. The relief was replaced with panic when he saw the unfamiliar car in his driveway and the two men at his door.
He parked his car, jumped out and raced up the walkway. The two men heard him coming and turned to face him.
“Mr. McLean?”
“Yes.” he said out of breath. “That’s me. Who are you?”
One of them flashed a badge and took off his sunglasses. The other one kept his distance and tried to not focus on AJ. He looked over the badge before handing it back to the older man.
“What do you want?”
“Actually, we were hoping you could help us.”
“With what?” AJ asked as he positioned himself between the two men and his front door.
The one with the badge pulled a picture of Sam out of his jacket and AJ had to try with all his might to not acknowledge that he knew who it was.
“Who’s she?” he feigned ignorance at the sight of her.
“Samantha Murray. She’s a very dangerous woman and we heard that she might be in the area.”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“Does anyone live with you?”
“No.”
“Is there someone who stays with you?”
“Just some friends of mine.”
“Are you home often?”
“Yes.” AJ answered with force; he didn’t like where the conversation was going.
“Can I give you my number in case you see her?”
As he nodded, he turned to watch the other gentleman. After staring for a few moments, he realized that Ryan was standing in his driveway! He grabbed the number the other man handed him and then watched as they got back in their car and pulled out of the driveway. After he was sure they were gone, he raced into the house, locked the door and turned on the alarm. He tore up the stairs and barged into Sam’s room. After realizing she wasn’t there, he started calling her name softly and he finally heard crying when he passed one of the guest bedrooms.
AJ walked in and didn’t see anything at first. Then he heard sobbing and gasping coming from the closet. He opened the door and his heart sank; Sam was curled into the fetal position, hidden behind some blankets and she was crying so badly that her entire body shook.
Without thinking, he dropped to the floor and pulled her into his arms. Surprisingly, she didn’t fight him and instead, grabbed a hold of him and practically crawled into his lap. He held her against him tightly and tried to reassure her she was safe. It took an hour before she finally relaxed some with him and was able to pull back. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her face showed her fear.
“What if he comes back?” she asked quietly, the thought making her shudder.
“We’ll figure it out.”
“How?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“I couldn’t call you.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left you.” AJ admitted. “I did get you a phone that you can use. I had them program a few numbers for you.”
“Thank you.” she said as she tried to get to her feet.
She stumbled and AJ caught her before she fell. He helped her down to her room and waited for her to clean her face. When she was ready, he tucked her in and started to leave.
“Will you stay with me?” she whispered.
AJ turned around and nodded. He pulled her chair over to the bed where she could clearly see him and slid into it.
“Try to rest.” he told her as he took hold of her hand.
“You won’t leave?”
“I’m not going to leave you again.”
Old Wounds by Kyrie
