Home of the Gray Dog - Segment 23

Chapter 111

With Walker at the hospital and refusing to leave Samantha’s room, the next day it fell on Jack to become surrogate host to Anthony and Randall. The three men were eating breakfast and wondering where Walker was when Edith came into the dining room.

         Spotting Jack, she walked to his table and sat down without waiting for an invitation. “Jack, would you mind handling any problems here for the next few days?” Edith looked at Jack, wondering how much she should tell him about the recent conversation with Walker. She then decided only to share the barest minimum. “Walker wants to be with Samantha until she can come home. He hoped you wouldn’t mind stepping in to see the mansion doesn’t fall apart while Samantha gets better.”

         The conversation at the table had stopped when Edith joined them. Her request didn’t come as a surprise to Jack. “Edith, of course I’ll do what I can. I had a feeling Walker wouldn’t be around much with Samantha so sick.” He paused before asking the questions all three men wanted to ask. “How is she? Can she come home soon?”

         Randall joined in with his own personal request. “May I visit her, or is the doctor limiting visitors?”

         Edith smiled at the man who she knew once was a rival for Samantha’s affection. “Randall, maybe tomorrow. She just had surgery and is pretty groggy right now.” She patted his hand, wondering why she felt motherly toward this man. Admittedly, he and Walker were a lot alike. Both were men who would do anything to protect the lives of their friends. I imagine Randall would fight dirty, without a second thought, while my son would try to negotiate, thought Edith, her sudden small smile confusing the men watching her.

         Jack stood at this point and waited until Edith also got to her feet. “Tell Walker not to worry about anything here.” Anthony and Randall also stood and joined him. “Anthony is going to be working with the doctor at the morgue. Right?” he asked this last of Anthony.

         “Right, I’m leaving and will keep Jack posted so he can let Walker know what’s going on.” Anthony said his good-byes and quickly left the room, his eagerness to participate in the multiple autopsies showing in his long, excited stride.

         “Well, since I can’t see Samantha right away, maybe Jack could use my help.” Randall, never one to sit still for long, was ready to delve into any problem that came up. Completely forgotten, or just ignored, were his doctor’s orders to relax and recuperate.

         “Sounds good, Randall. I’m sure Jack can keep you busy for the next few days.” Edith reached over to touch Jack’s shoulder. “You have my cell number in case of an emergency, but try not to call Walker, if you can help it.” She felt guilty keeping the complete truth about Samantha’s health from Jack and hoped he would understand when he learned the facts.

Chapter 112

The next three days went by without any new crises, a welcome change for everyone on the estate. Those at the mansion and Hannah’s Home rarely saw Walker since he spent most of his time with Samantha at the hospital. He only came home to shower and change clothes, and then hurried back to her bedside.

         Late in the afternoon of the third day, Jack saw Walker coming in through the front door and stopped him. “Okay, buddy, what’s going on? We’re all worried about Samantha, but Edith refuses to tell us anything.” There was anger in Jack’s voice that he failed to keep hidden. “If that bastard Edgeworth seriously hurt Samantha, her friends have a right to know.”

         Walker looked at Jack for a long time, trying to decide how much to confide in his good friend. In the end, he simply said, “I’m bringing Sam back home in an hour. She’s fine now.” With that, Walker headed across the room toward the stairs. Over his shoulder, just before he started up to his apartment, he called out, “Please get with Edith and make sure none of our guests are in this area when Sam comes in. I want complete privacy for her until she wants company. Do you understand me”

         His stern voice left no room for argument or further discussion, and all Jack could do was nod. When Walker finally disappeared from view, Jack pulled out his cell phone and pressed Edith’s number. When she answered, they agreed to meet in the dining room and discuss what they needed to do in the next hour.

* * *

         An hour later, the front room of the mansion was completely empty, as per Walker’s request. When the green and white SUV pulled up in front, Walker quickly got out and hurried around to open the passenger’s door. The elderly guests peeked out from behind window curtains on the second and third floors. Walker had forgotten to ask Jack to have them not do this. Even a few children managed to get a glimpse this way of Samantha slowly walking toward the mansion.

         Her long red hair was blowing wildly in the brisk autumn wind, and Walker reached over to brush it off her face. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze, Sam.” Even though Dr. Ellison had told him Samantha’s health was improving, he continued to worry at how slender her body had become. He opened the front door and tried not to be obvious about it when he checked the room for people. Seeing it was empty, as he had ordered, he walked Samantha over to the elevator. Just this once he decided to get inside with her and forgo his usual race up the stairway.

         Edith was waiting for them at the door to Samantha’s suite. “Walker, why don’t you go get some dinner while Samantha settles in?”

         “No, please, Edith. Let him stay.” Samantha held on to Walker’s arm, refusing to let go. “I need to talk with both of you about something, and this is as good a time as any to get it out of the way.”

         Walker and his mother shared a worried glance. However, Edith moved aside to let Walker come inside with Samantha.

Chapter 113

After Samantha slowly walked into her living room and sat on the sofa, she waited until Edith and Walker found chairs before speaking. “I know you both think it’s a bad idea to go visit my father, but I can’t stay here with everyone knowing what happened to me.” While saying this, she lowered her eyes to her lap where she was unconsciously wringing her hands.

         Walker got up from the chair where he had been sitting and moved to beside Samantha on the sofa. He reached down and took her hands gently in both of his. “Sam, no one knows everything, not even Edith.” He looked over at his mother who knew enough to keep quiet.

         “Walker, I saw Colin writing in a journal when he wasn’t…” Samantha stopped, realizing she was about to reveal too much to both of them. “When he wasn’t hurting me,” she continued, still not looking at them, “he would write what he’d just done or was going to do. After that, he seemed to enjoy reading it back to me, particularly what he was about to do next.”

         Walker said softly, never once letting go of her trembling hands, “I found the journal and put it into my office safe, unread.”

         Samantha looked up at him then, her face so sad Walker wanted to take her in his arms to comfort her. She whispered, “Are you sure, are you telling me the truth?”

         “Scout’s honor, Sam,” lied Walker, knowing that the few pages he’d read probably did not even come close to what she’d gone through. It would be her decision to tell him more or keep it her secret forever. ‘Now, will you forget that nonsense about leaving here?”

         At this point, Edith stood and headed for the door to the hallway. “Samantha, I’m going down to speak with Chef Geoffrey about your dinner. Walker will stay and keep you company until I return, if that’s okay with you?” She waited until Samantha nodded, and then left the suite, silently closing the door behind her.

         Finally alone with Samantha, Walker pulled her into his arms and pressed her head onto his shoulder. “Sweetheart, it’s all over now, and you’re safe. I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again.” When he moved her hair away from her face and leaned down, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for his mouth to join with hers.

         Her body melted into his for a few seconds before she pulled away, fear filling her eyes. “No, I can’t bear anyone touching me, not yet.” Samantha quickly got to her feet and practically ran into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

         Walker sat there on the sofa, listening to the sound of her crying coming through the closed door. He started cursing under his breath, not at her but at himself for his stupidity. This was how Edith found them when she returned a few minutes later, having forgotten to ask Samantha what she wanted for dinner.

Chapter 114

It took two more days for Samantha to allow Walker back into her apartment. During that time, the distraught man wandered around the mansion’s massive estate, always ending up near the hole to the underground torture chambers.

         This is where Randall found him on the afternoon of the second day. “Hey, Walker, I’ve been looking all over for you.” He said this while casually sitting on the fallen tree limb next to his friend. “Edith sent me to find you and bring you back. Samantha wants to see us both.” His grin at finally being able to visit with Samantha started to slide when he saw the sadness in Walker’s eyes.

         “Both of us?” asked Walker, wondering how Randall would react when he saw Samantha’s changed condition. The San Franciscan only knew her as a vibrant, exciting woman. The fear she now had of men might shock him into saying or doing something to push her further into her self-imposed shell. “Are you sure Sam wants to see you?”

         Randall frowned at the last question. Why the hell wouldn’t Samantha want to see me? went through his mind. However, he quickly erased the frown from his face and instead pulled Walker to his feet. “Yes, both of us. Now, come on before she changes her mind.”

* * *

         By the time the two men entered Samantha’s apartment, Walker had worried himself into a near panic, afraid of how Randall would react to seeing her. He had nothing to fear, though, since Samantha was sitting on the living room sofa, a smile on her face.

         “Randall, how wonderful to see you after all this time.” Samantha gracefully stood and walked to where the men were standing by the room’s entryway. “Please, come in and let me look at you. It’s been ages since you’ve been here, hasn’t it?” She leaned up and gave Randall a small kiss on his cheek before turning to a surprised Walker. “Walker, why don’t you join your mother in the kitchen while I catch up with what Randall’s been doing lately?” She gave Walker a little push to get the man moving to where Edith was waiting for him in the small kitchen area.

         Standing next to his mother and out of earshot of the other two, Walker whispered, “What’s going on?” He watched Samantha take Randall’s arm while they went the short distance to the sofa. No fear of men remained in her demeanor, or at least none that Walker could see.

         Walker didn’t see the trembling in her slight body when she sat down next to Randall. The other man, though, had felt it while walking with her into the living room. When she finally spoke, her voice no longer sounded like the confident woman who had just greeted him. In fact, he hardly heard her soft, hesitant voice. His surprise at her timid request left him speechless, but only for a few seconds.

         “Of course, I will,” he said when he finally got his voice back. At the sight of relieved tears flowing down her cheeks, he looked over to where Edith was watching them. Damn it! What’s going on here? he thought, unknowingly echoing Walker’s question. He took Samantha’s small hands in his larger ones when he saw Walker coming toward him, a fierce expression on his face.

Chapter 115

Samantha quickly pulled her hands out of Randall’s tight grasp and stood to face Walker. “You can’t change my mind, Walker. I discussed it with Angela, and she’s agreed.” Angela Starkey, a forensic agent working with Randall, had visited them the previous year. Once Angela saw Walker’s affection for Samantha, she realized the handsome bachelor was off limits to her, and the two women became good friends.

         “Angela? What are you talking about?” Walker tried to hide his anger upon seeing the fright he was causing Samantha. It also helped his temper to see her moving away from where Randall was sitting. He felt his mother coming up behind him, and her gentle touch on his arm cautioned him to choose his next words carefully. He waited impatiently, but silently, for Samantha’s explanation of what she and Angela had planned. It wasn’t long in coming.

         Samantha walked away from her three friends toward the window. When she turned to face them, they noticed the firm determination in the uplift of her chin. “When Edith was away this morning on errands,” she started, “I phoned Angela in San Francisco.”

         “And?” asked Walker, forgetting caution for the moment.

         “She’s invited me to stay with her for a couple weeks.” Samantha hurried to explain. “You and Edith appear dead set against my visiting my father, but I have to get away from here. Angela promised not to ask any questions and simply be my friend.”

         Walker shook his head at what he considered a bad plan. “You have friends here. Why go all that way to San Francisco?” A sudden thought came to him, but he decided not to mention it. Angela has a small boy. How will Sam handle being around a child when she can’t have any of her own now? Walker completely forgot about all the children at Hannah’s Home.

         Samantha hadn’t, and the sight from her window of the many boys and girls playing were like sharp daggers in her heart. “I’ve asked Randall to accompany me to Angela’s when he goes back, and he’s said he would.” She gave Walker a shaky smile. “Angela is about my age, and we have common interests, so it seems like the perfect plan for right now.”

         Randall finally stood and entered the conversation. “Walker, I’ve been here way too long and need to get back to work. Anthony is staying behind to work with Dr. Brown on identifying the cavern bodies and notifying their relatives, if they can find any after all this time.” He walked over to stand beside Samantha at the window. “If you’ll lend us your plane, we can leave tomorrow morning.”

         Without thinking, he put a comforting arm around Samantha’s shoulders. On seeing the return of anger in Walker’s eyes, he slowly removed his arm. Now isn’t the time to get on his bad side! Randall thought, knowing Walker could easily refuse Samantha’s plan and demand she stay at the mansion. She seems frightened to be around him for some reason, and maybe Angela can help her work through that fear.

         After realizing it would only push her further away from him if he refused, Walker grudgingly agreed to have one of his planes ready for them.

* * *

         Early the next morning, Walker stood on the tarmac of Westbrook’s airport watching the plane disappear into the rising sunrise. He had driven Randall and Samantha to meet with one of his trusted pilots and helped load their luggage onto the plane.

         After making sure Samantha was comfortable in the small plane, Randall had left her to talk privately with his host. “Walker, don’t worry about her. Angela will be good company for her and will send her back healed, if at all possible.” He went silent for a few seconds before asking what had been on his mind since arriving at the mansion days ago. “Is there anything you want to tell me about what happened to her?”

         Walker shook his head, though the desire to give Randall all the facts was tearing him apart. He had promised himself to keep secret her barren state, the result of Colin’s vicious and repeated rapes. Even Samantha wasn’t aware he knew the whole truth. Each night, he had taken Colin’s journal out of his office safe and tortured himself by reading the entries over and over. Walker hoped to get through Samantha’s terror whenever he touched her, if he could only understand what Colin had put her through.

         He finally said, “Just don’t let Sam get hurt any more.” With that, he turned and walked out of range of the prop wash and watched Randall join Samantha and the pilot. The plane left behind a man already dreading the loneliness of the next couple weeks.

Continued in next segment.

Home of the Gray Dog - Segment 24  (18+) Chapters 116 through 120. #1340104 by J. A. Buxton