Chapter 4
Dominic took the keys Sam thrust into his hand and set them down on the counter, "You’re in no condition to drive anywhere Sam. I’ll take you to the hospital."
"No Dom, you don’t have to do that. You should go home, Letty’s probably waiting for you to get back."
"Let me worry about her later, I’m taking you to the hospital. Which one is it?"
"Um… She said they took him to County General ," she said, looking like she felt lost.
"I know where that is, come on."
Dominic led her to the car and opened the door for her. As he closed the door behind her, she broke down into tears. He reopened the door and pulled her into his arms, "Sam, he’s going to be okay. You have to know that."
"It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked him to stay and close up tonight," she sobbed, "I shouldn’t have gone to the race. It’s all my fault!"
"It’s not your fault," Dominic said, stroking her hair.
"It is my fault Dom, I left him there alone. You never leave someone alone at a place like that. It’s too risky; a lot of money goes into that place. I could have won you another night, when Kevin was with me or safely at home."
"Sam, it’s not your fault. Things like this happen all the time and no one knows why. But you’ve got to be strong for Kevin. He’s not going to like seeing you like this. So calm down and we’ll leave."
"I promise to calm down, but on the way. I need to get there."
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Dominic looked at her one last time before closing the door again. He ran to the other side, climbed in, adjusted the seat, and took off. On the way, Sam prayed out loud, begging God to save Kevin’s life.
They got to the hospital and Sam told the staff that she was his business partner and best friend. They allowed her upstairs to the ICU waiting room. Dom held her hand and prayed with her while they waited for word on Kevin’s condition.
Sam and Dom waited impatiently for news on Kevin’s condition. Every hour or so, Dom would go get Sam a glass of water or something to eat.
"Come on Sam," he’d say when she’d try to refuse, "You’ve got to eat something," or, "If you don’t drink the water, you’ll get dehydrated and we’ll have to check you in too."
She weakly smiled at him, "Thanks Dom. I don’t know how I’d get through this by myself."
"You’d be just fine. You’re strong Sam, I’m just here for moral support."
Nearly three hours into their wait, Dom noticed that Sam’s eyelids were drooping.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
"Maybe a little. I’ll be fine. I can get some sleep when the doctors come out and tell me that Kevin is okay."
Dominic got up and walked out of the waiting room. When he returned, he was holding two blankets. Sitting back down next to her, he unfolded the top one and wrapped it around her. He laid the second one in the chair next to him.
"Aren’t you going to use the other blanket Dom?" she asked.
"Nah. I got it in case you needed an extra."
"Thanks Dom, I really appreciate this."
"It’s just a few blankets Sam, it’s not like I’m doing anything big."
"But you are, just by being here with me. You’ve given me the strength to sit here and wait through this without losing my mind."
"It’s really not that big of a deal Sam," he insisted, "Really. You have the strength inside you, I’m just helping you find it."
Dominic put his arm around Sam’s shoulder and allowed her to lay her head on his chest. Soon, the exhaustion overtook her and she was fast asleep.
Sam lay there, nestled in the crook of Dom’s arm for over an hour. When she woke up, she found Dom gently stroking her hair, gazing down at her. Slowly, she sat up; embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep in his arms.
"How long was I asleep?"
"A little over an hour," he replied, "I hoped you’d sleep longer. You’re wiped out Sam."
"You’re starting to sound like my father Dom. Any word on Kevin yet?"
"No, I’ve asked every time someone has walked by. All they’ll tell me is that he’s still in surgery."
"Damnit! What the fuck are they doing in there, shoving their fingers up each other’s asses? My friend’s life is at stake here!"
Dominic placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "They’re professionals Sam, they have to take some time to fix him up and do it right."
Sam stood up and started to pace the room, "I’m sorry for yelling like that Dom, but it’s taking them FOREVER!"
"Don’t they always? When I was 11, I broke my arm. They had to go in and reset it. The surgery took 2 hours. By the time I got out, my mom was ripping her hair out."
Sam laughed, "Are you serious?"
"No. Her hair was perfectly in place, as always. But I got you to laugh."
"Dominic!" she said, hitting him on the shoulder, "I can’t believe you. I shouldn’t be laughing at a time like this. You know Kevin isn’t laughing right now."
He stopped smiling and turned to face her, "Sam, you know that this isn’t your fault don’t you? And Kevin will be just fine. He wouldn’t want you to suffer just because he got hurt."
"But what if he dies Dom? Do you think he’d be happy that I was laughing while he was dying?"
"You can’t allow yourself to think like that. Kevin is going to pull through this."
Sam leaned up against the opposite wall, "I’m all he has left Dom. I can’t let him die."
As Sam sunk to the floor, Dom flashed back to the day Jesse was shot. He remembered holding Jesse in his arms and the blind rage that coursed through his veins. He remembered the burden of guilt that fell on his shoulders as his friend lay there in his front yard, fighting for his life.
"Sam," he said, walking over to her, "Did you know that my friend Jesse almost died a few years back?"
"No, what happened?"
"Back in LA, there’s this big thing in the desert called ‘Race Wars.’ Jesse was there to lend moral and technical support to the team. He somehow got it in his head that it was a good idea to race his father’s Jetta. He raced for pinks against a guy named Johnny Tran. Jesse lost and took off with the car, and Johnny got pissed. When Jesse showed up at my place later on, I knew I had to hide him before Johnny got to him. Before I could even talk to him, Johnny showed up and shot up the car, tried to shoot Mia, Brian, and me, and he shot Jesse. Jesse fought for 10 hours on the operating table, but he pulled through. You’ve seen him, he’s ok. Kevin will be too."
Sam looked up at Dom, "You’re not just bullshitting me again are you?"
"No. Ask Jesse to show you his scar. He’ll lift up his shirt and tell you the story. He might change a few details here and there, but he still got shot. And he lived."
Sam pressed her fingers to her forehead, "I only pray that Kevin pulls through this."
Dominic joined Sam on the floor and once again wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He held her for nearly two hours before the doctor finally came in.
Sam stood up, "How is he?"
"Your friend was lucky Ms. Kinkade. If the bullet had been just an inch to the right, it would have punctured his lung. It missed all of his arteries and didn’t hit any bones either. Someone must have been watching over him."
Sam grabbed the tiny gold cross that always hung around her neck and thanked God.
"Now, Mr. Adams will need some physical therapy, and it’ll take time for him to be able to use his arm fully again, but he will be just fine."
Dominic pulled Sam into a hug, "I told you he’d be fine."
"When can I see him doctor?" Sam asked, tears streaming down her face.
"You won’t be able to see him until tonight. Go home and get some rest Ms. Kinkade. We’ll call you if anything changes."
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Dom took Sam back to her apartment and led her upstairs. He helped her into bed, taking off her shoes and pulling the blankets over her.
"Thank you Dom," she said, "You really are a God send. Have you slept yet?"
"No. I was kind of wired. I’ll get some sleep later."
She frowned, "I don’t think so. You’re not driving my car home with no sleep. There are some blankets in the hall closet and some pillows on the couch. It’s not as big as a bed, but it’s comfortable."
"Really Sam, I’m ok. I don’t need to sleep right now," he insisted.
"What time did you get up yesterday Dom?"
"Around 5:30 or 6:00."
"That’s in the morning, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did you take a nap yesterday?"
"No, I had to work at the garage."
"Go to the closet, get the blankets, and go to sleep before I have to find the energy to kick your ass."
He laughed, "Fine, you win. I’ll sleep on the couch, but you have to wake me up when you do, otherwise I’ll sleep all day."
"Don’t worry about it Dom, sleep as long as you need to. Besides, at this point, I don’t think I’ll ever get out of this bed."
Dominic briefly pictured himself lying there with her, his hands moving over her body while she moaned his name. He quickly blinked away the image and mentally chided himself for even thinking about sleeping with Sam. He was still with Letty and her best friend had just been shot. This was definitely not the time.
"Thanks Sam, for loaning me your couch, I mean. Now try and get some rest."
After he left the room, Sam closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
She was at the track, where Kevin was closing up for the night. He placed the day’s totals in the bank bag and closed it up tight in the safe. When he turned to leave, an unseen robber stood in front of him, holding a gun. After a brief struggle, the gun went off and Kevin fell to the floor while the would-be robber took off. Kevin turned to Sam, who had been a silent spectator during all this and stared at her with a dull, blank look in his eyes.
"Why did you leave me?" he asked, "You knew it wasn’t safe. But you left anyway, just so you could get to your precious race. Are you happy now?"
Sam awoke screaming and drenched in a cold sweat. Dom was standing next to her, reaching out for her. She threw herself into his arms and erupted into a fit of tears.
Dominic stroked Sam’s hair and held her closely as the sobs escaped her throat.
"It’s okay," he whispered, "Just let it out."
Gradually, her sobs quieted and her breathing returned to the slow, rhythmic sounds of sleep. But when Dom got up to go back into the living room, she looked up at him.
"Please don’t go."
He lay down next to Sam and gathered her in his arms. Within a few minutes, they were both fast asleep.
Chapter Five
Sam woke up with Dom’s arms wrapped around her. She briefly allowed herself the pleasure of having him hold her, but knew that once he woke up he’d never hold her like that again. She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes again.
"You awake?" he asked.
"Yeah, sorry if I woke you."
"You didn’t wake me up. I’ve been awake for about an hour now."
"Why didn’t you get me up? I’m sure I snored or something. That and your arm has to be asleep by now."
"No my arm is fine, and you didn’t snore at all. I didn’t want to move because I knew you needed the sleep. You had a rough night last night."
Sam rubbed her eyes as she moved out of the warmth of Dom’s embrace, "What time is it?"
"Almost 11:30. No one’s called yet."
"I’m gonna go take a shower. If you want anything, help yourself. The fridge might have food in it, I can’t remember though."
‘I’d rather join you’ he thought, then shook the thoughts free from his head. "Thanks, you want anything?"
"I might eat a bagel or something, but I don’t know. I’m not really hungry right now."
Sam climbed into the shower and Dom went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He pulled out some bread for toast and found some eggs to cook. Since he didn’t know what kind of eggs Sam liked, he made both scrambled and fried. He ate a little of the eggs and a few pieces of toast. After she got dressed, Sam came into the kitchen to get her bagel.
"You have to eat more than just a bagel," Dom said as she walked in, "Since I didn’t know how you liked your eggs, I made you two of each kind."
"Thanks Dom, you’re a sweetie."
"Yeah, just don’t tell anyone. You might ruin my reputation."
She smiled, "Your secret is safe with me. Now go get in the shower. You stink."
He mocked horror but went to get in the shower anyway. Sam sat down to eat and imagined that they were living together and this was just a normal day in their lives. Then the phone rang. Sam jumped up to answer it hoping it was someone about Kevin.
"Hello?"
"Miss Kinkade?" the voice answered.
"Yes?"
"This is Dr. Harris. Kevin is awake and asking for you. I’d like to speak with you about his condition when you arrive."
"Sure, I’ll be up there shortly. Thank you doctor."
Sam hung up the phone and shouted to Dom that the doctor had called. Dom asked what he said and she gave him a brief run down.
"I’ll be out in just a minute," Dom called, "I want to go with you."
"Okay."
Dom hurried up, finished his shower, and quickly pulled on his clothes so he wouldn’t keep her waiting.
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Sam drove to the hospital, saying with a laugh that Dom drove too slowly. The doctor was talking to Kevin as they walked in.
"Good morning Miss Kinkade," the doctor said, "I’m Dr. Harris. I don’t know if I introduced myself last night. As I said, your friend here is very lucky. There is minimal damage and none to any major organs or arteries."
"Hear that Sam? I’m gonna be okay," Kevin said from the bed, "You don’t have to hover over me like a mother hen."
Sam laughed, "I’ll be doing that anyway Kev, you know me."
"Boy do I ever," he mumbled.
"You get some rest Mr. Adams. You’re going to need it," Dr. Harris said before leaving the room.
"Where’s Howard?" Kevin asked, "He was here just a minute ago."
"I don’t know. He wasn’t with us last night," Sam answered, "Did he tell you why?"
"He was out of town. He flew in as soon as he heard," Kevin replied, looking over at Dom, "Hey, who’s your friend? He’s kinda cute."
"Kevin, this is Dominic Toretto."
"So this is Dominic? Nice, very nice."
Sam blushed with embarrassment and shot a warning glance to Kevin, who just smiled at her.
Dom looked over at Sam, who was still beet red, "Don’t sweat it Sam. It’s nice to meet you Kevin. I’ve heard a lot about you."
"I’ve heard quite a bit about you too Mr. Toretto," Kevin said.
"Please, call me Dom."
"Okay then, Dom. Tell me something, why are you with Sam this morning? I thought you two were only acquaintances."
"Kevin…" Sam warned.
"No, it’s okay. Actually, Sam beat my girlfriend last night, and beforehand, they made a bet. If Letty won, she’d get Angel. If Sam won, she’d get me for the night."
Kevin nearly choked, "You’re kidding, right?"
"She pissed me off," Sam said, looking down at the now all-too-interesting floor, "She told me that I’d be going home to nothing when she won. She’d never even seen me drive before, so I had to shut her up."
"Letty is pretty full of herself," Dom agreed, "But she’s been around cars her entire life. She knows engines better than she does anything else."
"So why are you two up here?" Kevin asked, "I’ll be all right."
"Because," Sam said, "You were shot last night and we thought that you might want some company."
"I know that look on your face Sam," Kevin said, "And it’s not your fault. Don’t feel guilty just because something bad happened. Bad things happen all the time and no one is sure why."
"I’ve been trying to tell her that all night, but she won’t listen to me," Dom said, looking over at Sam.
"That’s just how she is, stubborn as a mule. But she does have her good points too. She’s a great driver, she’s excellent with cars, and she’s usually a good person overall."
"Kevin!" Sam said, "Don’t start."
Dom noticed that Kevin started to look tired and suggested that they leave and let him get some rest.
"Sam, can Dom and I have a minute alone?" Kevin asked.
"Sure," she replied kissing his cheek, "Just don’t start in on him, okay?"
Sam walked out of the room and knew that she was making a mistake by leaving them alone. Kevin was sure to say something about how much she liked Dom.
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"Hey Dom," Kevin said, "Take care of Sam for me while I’m in here. She doesn’t like to admit when she’s hurting, and I’ll bet that she’s hurting pretty bad right now. I can see it in her face that she blames herself for me getting shot."
"She had some really bad nightmares last night. I stayed on the couch and heard her screaming. When I ran in there, she was sitting up and it looked like she was trying to wake herself up but she couldn’t. I shook her awake and she just collapsed in my arms."
"And what arms you have," Kevin mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Oh nothing, just an observation. Look, Sam has pretty much been on her own since her mom died. Her father doesn’t seem to really care for her siblings or her. She’s taken care of them like a surrogate mother."
"You know, when she first met you, she told me that you were the type of guy that she could see herself with. You’re the total antithesis of her father. You openly show your emotions, you care for your team as though they’re your family. That’s what she wants, someone who won’t hold back when things go wrong."
"After her mom died, her dad disconnected from the world," Kevin said with a sigh, "What I’m trying to say is that she might do the same thing. Just watch out for her please Dom, and ignore everything else I’ve said. They’ve got me on all sorts of pain medications."
Dominic laughed, "Don’t even worry about it. I’ve been there before."