Sam
She receives the message that Simon and Derek are coming home from Fort Knox and that they will be taking her back to the farm with them. She was also in on the radio call with Dave when he explained what they’d discovered in Fort Knox and the strange red files kept in Parker’s office. They didn’t say why they wanted to pick her up on the way back to the farm, but she’s sure it must be important or John wouldn’t have ordered it so.
“All packed and ready to go?” Henry asks from the doorway of the cabin.
Sam startles and spins to find him there. “Oh, yes. Gosh, you surprised me.”
He closes the storm door behind him and enters. “Sorry about that, Sam.”
“Make more noise,” she demands with a smile.
“Yes, ma’am,” he returns with a sheepish grin and asks, “Are you ready?”
She nods and admits, “I’m a tiny bit sad, though. I haven’t seen my uncle in over a week, and just when he’s coming home, I’m leaving.”
“Isn’t there a clinic day in Pleasant View tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yeah, I think there is. Guess I’ll see him there.”
The flu is running its rounds already, and several children and older people in their own village are sick, so she knows it’ll be worse in Pleasant View, which is much more populated. Reagan as much as said so over the radio the other day. She could use the extra help at the clinic, so her uncle already volunteered according to Reagan. Naturally, Sam will also go to town tomorrow with whoever is going so that she can help out. She just hopes Simon isn’t going.
“Dave just called in,” he tells her. “They’re five clicks out.”
Sam grins at their strange communication lingo. Lucky for her, she knows what most of it means now.
“Cool. Thanks,” she says and follows after him as he carries her overnight bag. She hasn’t been to the farm in a while. She definitely hasn’t wanted to go there, either.
He places her bag on the front seat of the pickup truck and turns to her. Henry reaches out and grasps both of her shoulders through her thick coat.
“Sam, try not to forget me while you’re gone,” he teases with a lopsided grin. Then he leans in.
“Wait!” she blurts and rears back. “Don’t.”
He straightens and drops his hands from her shoulders. “What is it?”
Sam just shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, Henry. It’s just that…I…I just.”
His grin from a moment ago turns down slightly. “I understand.”
“You do?”
He nods solemnly and says, “Yeah, I think I do.”
“That makes one of us,” Sam says, attempting humor and failing and feeling like a jerk.
“It’s ok, Sam,” he allows. “You’re just not ready for that. I get it. I’m a big boy. I took a risk, and it just didn’t work.”
“I’m sorry, Henry. I’m just so confused lately,” she argues, feeling worse and worse.
He smirks and says, “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not stupid. If you liked me like that, you wouldn’t pull away when I try to kiss you.”
The truth of his statement hits her like a ton of bricks. It sinks into the pit of her gut the same way and lay there festering like a bad case of guilt. She hangs her head with shame.
Henry slips a finger under her chin and tips her head back. “Hey, we’re still friends, ‘kay? And someday, if you’re ready, I’ll still be here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyes brim with unshed tears as she looks up at him and nods. “Thanks, Henry.”
“For what?”
“For just…for just being there when I needed someone to talk to. For welcoming me onto your farm without question and giving me space to deal with…stuff. For being a good friend, a real and truly good friend, Henry.”
“Aw, shucks,” he jokes with a smile. “If your heart’s not here on this farm and it’s somewhere else, I’ll understand. I just hope you change your mind. You know how I feel. I haven’t tried to hide the fact that I like you. I think part of you likes me, too, but you just have to figure out if it’ll ever be enough.”
The hard lump of guilt in her stomach rises to the back of her throat, and she has to swallow hard to get it back down. His arms open and she steps into them for a long hug that feels as comforting as the kind her father used to give her. He’s right, though. Her heart isn’t here, not in that way. It doesn’t belong anywhere anymore. It has too many scars that refuse to heal.
“Come on,” he says and ushers her into the passenger’s seat of the truck. “Don’t want to keep everyone waiting. They’ll be here soon.”
The lump of guilt morphs into a knot of anxiety at the thought of having to see Simon. Perhaps God will take pity on her, and he’ll have ridden home to the farm in a different vehicle.
Ten minutes later as the caravan pulls through the gates of the compound, she realizes she’s not going to get her prayer granted. God must be vexed with her right now. She wouldn’t blame Him. She’s a total dolt lately.
Derek walks over and hugs her.
“Where’s my uncle?” she asks when she pulls back.
“He went straight to Pleasant View for the night with some of Dave’s men. He’s going to stay in the house there so he can be ready for the clinic day tomorrow. He has a lot to go over with Reagan in the morning.”
“Oh,” she says, trying to hide her disappointment.
“He said he’ll see you in the morning, kiddo,” he says, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Sam attempts a smile and a nod before Derek turns to join Dave, who is being greeted by his men as if he is their long-lost father come home at last. These men look up to him. They respect and revere him. They joke and tease, laughing and discussing the situation at Fort Knox. Their reunion is poignant and special, but Dave quickly excuses himself as his wife and children join them. They positively cling to him with all the love in the world showing in their eyes. It’s enough to make her temporarily tear up.
Huntley embraces her next, hugging her close. Then he also excuses himself and runs for the bathroom, obviously in a hurry.
Then she sees Simon. He’s on the other side of the big truck with the high tarp covering the bed talking with her friend Courtney and her husband Thad.
“Miss Samantha,” Grandpa says behind her.
Sam spins and flings herself into him, hugging around his waist and holding fast.
“Grandpa!”
The tears in her eyes this time are inexplicable. She has missed him but actually feels a tad on the childish side as she embraces him.
“Aw, there, there, honey,” he says as he strokes his large hands with the gnarled and bent knuckles over her head.
Sam nods and pulls back. “Sorry.”
His mouth turns up into a slight smile, but his eyes belie his concern for her as crinkles form at the corners. “I’m glad you’ll be joining us at the farm for a while. We’ve missed you, too.”
She nods because it’s all she can manage.
“I’m going to use the facilities before we get on the road again,” he informs her with a more devilish grin.
Sam turns and points to the equipment shed a few yards away. “There’s a bathroom just inside to the right, Grandpa.”
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
She smiles as she watches him walk away. He doesn’t get around as quickly as he used to. Even the past four years since she’s known him has changed Grandpa’s body. He’s thinner, his hair is shaggy, his beard not usually as well-kempt as when Grams was still alive, and he has a slightly bent forward angle in his shoulders. He still wears his button-down dress shirts and slacks, though. Today with the weather being cold, he also has on a beige Carhartt coat.
A tap on her own shoulder jars her out of her thoughts about Grandpa’s health while Derek calls out orders for people to mount up. Sam turns to find Simon looking down at her.
“Hello, Samantha,” he greets, his eyes narrowing on her.
“Um…hi,” she returns uncomfortably and has to look away.
“How have you been?” he asks and steps closer.
Sam backs up a step and answers, “Fine. Good. You? Have a good trip?”
“Good? Hm, no, I wouldn’t say good. Interesting, perhaps,” he states in usual Simon fashion of formality and fact-checking.
Sam has to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. Instead, she says, “Yeah, I heard. Find out anything else?”
He pauses, which causes Sam to look back up at him again. “Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder?”
His statement ends as if he’s asking her a question. She isn’t taking the bait on that one. No way.
“Nothing that astute, I meant. Find out anything on Parker and his files?”
He smiles at her evasion and leans one shoulder against the side of the tall truck. There is something about him that seems transformed. She can’t put her finger on it, though.
“Parker? We’re not sure,” he smiles wider. “He’s not too happy with me, though.”
This catches her attention, “What? Why?”
“Oh, we had a few words,” he states cockily.
That’s it, too. The thing that’s different about Simon. He seems so much more confident, not like himself at all. It’s strange and throws her off-kilter. He just stands there in front of her leaning his muscular shoulder against the truck with his arms crossed, the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled back exposing his forearms. She can see just a slight glimpse of the thermal shirt he wears underneath the flannel but can’t figure out how he’s not cold. She is, and she’s wearing three layers and her coat.
She has to clear her voice, “Forearms?”
“What?” he asks, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Of course, he’s confused. “What? Oh, nothing. I…I was thinking about…something else. Words? That’s what I meant to ask. You had words with Parker?”
“A few. Not many,” he quips, grinning crookedly.
“What happened?” she asks, now wanting to know.
“Parker returned last night. He questioned me on whether or not I was in his private office, which of course I was. I denied it, though. Then it got a little…heated.”
“Uh-oh, that’s not good,” she says.
“Worried about me?”
She chuckles. “No, worried for Parker.”
He throws back his head and laughs. His jawline is sharp and angular. Then he inclines his chin to someone behind her. She turns to see Derek, who is inferring they should get on the road.
“Sam, do you mind riding in the back with the Professor?” Derek asks her. “I’m gonna let Doc ride up front. I think the trip here has made his back sore. He wanted to ride in one of the Army trucks, so I let him. Now he’s sore, of course. I tell ya’, these kids today are hard to handle.”
She laughs, Derek smiles at his joking, but Simon is quiet. Robert sent a caravan of his men along with Derek to help spot on the road, keep them safe, and to learn more about how Dave runs his own compound.
“Sure,” she answers immediately, concerned more for Grandpa than having to sit next to Simon. At least the trip isn’t a long one back to the farm.
Once they are in the truck, Derek engages Doc with conversation about the clinic while she sits as close to her door as possible to stay away from Simon. The headlights from the truck behind them containing six of Dave’s men, their road escort back to the farm, provides the only light in the darkness of the evening, the sun having set while they all stood around talking at the compound.
It doesn’t matter that she is trying to put space between them. He leans over onto one elbow to speak quietly with her. “Your friend Courtney seems pretty happy. She’ll be due in the spring I hear.”
“Hm, yep,” she says, trying not to frown but knowing it probably isn’t working.
“And Cory and Paige are married now, too,” he says.
“Yes, I seem to remember the event,” she answers, not sure why he’s stating the obvious.
Simon chuckles and says, “I remember certain things about that night better than others.”
Sam swallows hard and refuses to look at him.
“Like kissing you in the parking lot,” he whispers, causing her cheeks to burn a dark pink and her head to whip toward him to offer up a glare.
“Simon,” she reprimands in a whisper full of anger and warning.
He smiles right at her, so Sam looks away. Then she glances back only to find him staring directly at her. There is something in his eyes that makes her uneasy. It’s a sort of softening, a gentling that she’s never seen before. And a lot more confidence.
“I also remember our conversation…” he starts.
Sam doesn’t want to deal with this, so she interrupts and asks loudly so that Derek can also hear her, “Why do I need to go to the farm?”
“We need your drawing skills, Miss Samantha,” Grandpa answers for them.
“Drawing? What for?”
“A portrait,” he says.
Sam looks at Simon, and he nods and adds, “Of Parker. We want to show it to our prisoner back at the farm and see if he recognizes him.”
She furrows her brow and asks, “Why would he?”
“We’re not sure if he will,” Simon answers as Derek and Grandpa resume their own conversation. “Just a hunch. Someone was feeding the senator and his highwaymen our intel, our next moves. It had to be someone on the inside, someone who knew our plans. We got lucky defeating them, but a lot of things just aren’t adding up with this.”
“You think Parker might be involved with them? With the highwaymen? That doesn’t make sense. He and his men were helping us fight them.”
He tips his head to the side with apparent skepticism written on his features and expressed in his downturned mouth. “Not really. Robert sent men. They fought. Parker was usually in the way or trying to change our plans and screwing everything up most of the time. He’s one of the few people we allowed into our inner circle.”
“But he was reporting back to the general,” she says.
“Was he?” he asks, leaving the question dangle.
Sam remembers back to the time that she found him in Grandpa’s study in the middle of the night using the radio. Hadn’t he just been speaking to the general?
“What would this mean if he was the mole?” she asks softly, not sure she wants to hear the answer.
“I have a few theories,” he says, more to himself than to her.
“What?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” he says with a sigh as if he is exhausted.
She points it out, saying, “You seem tired.”
He offers a smile that lets her know she’s right. “It was a long week. Working in the lab with the other doctors and then sneaking around spying on the fort at night.”
Something nags at her, and Sam says it and then quickly regrets doing so, “With Dr. Eliza Avery?”
His eyes jump to hers and narrow. “Dr. Avery, yes. And other doctors. We were doing disease research.”
“Hm,” she says, trying not to sound jealous. She’s not. That’s a ridiculous notion.
He goes into the details of their research, but Sam can’t help but feel that he is hiding something about Eliza Avery, the pretty blonde doctor. Not that she cares one whit about it.
After a few moments fighting an internal battle of jealousy but at the same time also wanting her former friend to be happy, Sam realizes he hasn’t spoken for a while. When she looks over at him, he has fallen asleep with his head resting back against the headrest. He looks so relaxed when he’s sleeping like this. Peaceful, without conflict or demons or guilt nipping at his heels.
“All ashore that’s going ashore,” Derek announces a short time later as they pull onto McClane land, their escort right behind them. Simon instantly awakens in full alert mode.
“That must’ve been an invigorating conversation,” he states with an impish grin toward her. “Sorry.”
Sam can’t help but smile back and say, “Don’t worry about it. You guys must be exhausted.”
The family files out the kitchen door in a flurry of motion, hugging them and then her, even though the temperature has dropped probably into the low forties and entirely too cold to linger outdoors.
“The children will be so glad to see you in the morning, Sam,” Sue comments, making her smile.
“Me, too,” she says, acknowledging in her heart how much she’s missed them.
They all pile into the big house, and Sue sets out food for those who are hungry. A few of Dave’s men take a helping of cold meats, cheeses, and bread. The house smells like home. Not just the smells of home-cooking but home. It makes Sam sad, actually. It even makes her think of her family, which she tries so hard not to do. The familiar smells and sights of her old home are fading from her memory as time goes on, even the smell of her beloved mother.
“Everything alright?” Simon asks as he comes to stand next to her in the mudroom, where she is setting her bag on the floor next to the coat rack.
“What?” she asks, surprised to find him beside her. “Oh, yes. Fine. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” he asks, reading her so well.
Since it’s Simon, she tells him because he would be one of the few people who would probably understand this. “I was just trying to remember what my old home smelled like. It’s getting harder and harder to remember stuff like that.”
He frowns slightly and nods. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I was just thinking about my bedroom the other day. I woke up disoriented at Fort Knox, thinking I was back home in Arizona.”
“Were you having a dream about it? That’s usually when that happens to me.”
He nods. “Most of the time I dream about you, though.”
“Wh…what?” she whispers as he grins mischievously. Sam blushes and leaves the room as if it has suddenly caught fire. They join the family in the dining room where a full report is given of what they’d done, seen, and discovered at Fort Knox. She knows most of what they go over since she was privy to the radio calls on Henry’s farm.
“We’re pretty sure the red files are men who were going to be a part of a new government,” Simon explains to them. “I’ve brought them back so that you all can take a look and see what you think about them.” He places a stack of faded red files on the center of the dining room table, and Reagan and John immediately take one. Kelly does the same.
“Did you discuss this with Robert last night like you said you were going to?” John asks his brother.
“Yes, we did. He didn’t know anything about any of those red files,” he says. “He knows about the personnel files and the medical files on the citizens, but he wasn’t sure why Parker had some people sectioned off in red files. Red files that were hidden, too. I believe him. He seemed just as surprised and very concerned. Maybe even a little confused.”
“And what about these maps?” John asks next, picking one up.
Simon shakes his head. “We aren’t sure really. They don’t seem of significance. The farm isn’t marked. Dave’s camp isn’t, either. Nothing that has to do with us or our inner circle of allies is marked. We’re not sure what those places are that he has circled or their significance.”
“Did Parker return to the base?” Kelly asks.
“Not until late last night. Had some words with the Professor. Then he took off again. He might be back now, but he hadn’t returned yet before we left today. It was almost three days that he was gone.”
Kelly’s dark eyes dart to Derek’s, “That’s interesting.”
“Oh, and a guard on patrol found a dead man about a half a mile from the base. He was one of Parker’s men,” Derek tells them.
“Interesting indeed,” Kelly says. “Seems like a lot of people show up dead who hang out with the dude.”
“Yes, we thought so, too,” Simon says. “The body count on the men in Parker’s trusted circle keeps racking up. Doesn’t make sense.”
“Someone’s picking them off,” Reagan says. “Who? The President?”
John comments, “Could be. He’s bound to be mad at Parker, too. Just like he’s angry with your father for leaving. Parker seems to be just as culpable in this.”
“I don’t know,” Simon states more to himself than the rest of the room.
“What’s that, Simon?” Paige asks. She is sitting next to him. Her husband is standing behind her and has his hands resting on her slim shoulders.
“Nothing. Just some theories I’ve been working on,” he says.
“What about?” John asks with more interest.
He shrugs. “Not sure yet. I’ll let you know when I can make sense of it.”
She pauses to stare at him for a moment as John continues to question his brother and Grandpa. What is it that Simon is theorizing? She’d like to know. His blue eyes are pensive and concerned.
“…and that’s where Sam’s gonna come in,” John states, gaining her attention again.
“What?” she asks, getting a few chuckles from some of the family for not paying attention.
“The sketch. Simon told you about that? We need you to rough sketch out a drawing of Parker as best as you so that we can show it to the prisoner, that rat car dealer.”
“Oh, yes, right,” she says. “I’ll get on it tonight.”
“Tomorrow will be fine, Samantha,” Grandpa corrects, which causes her to smile.
They talk for another hour, going over plans, security of the farm, contingencies again, and finally wrap the meeting. Everyone is exhausted and turns in for the night except for the ones on watch duty. Sam is too keyed up to find sleep, though. She sits at her desk in her former room and works on that drawing of Parker. It makes her stomach acid burn just looking at him in black and white. There’s just something about him that she’s never found pleasant. He’s like one of those big, black spiders in the corners of the barn beams up in the hayloft. She hates those stupid spiders. It never fails. She always ends up walking right through those wispy filaments and then has that feeling all day like one could be hiding in her thick hair. He’s like that. He’s like a sneaky, creepy spider hiding in the corner, lurking and waiting to get tangled in someone’s hair once they walk through his carefully laid trap. Or maybe her imagination has run wild again, and she’s just tired.