Chapter 4

"I don't go out as much... that's probably what he's going on about."

Tommy looked at her for a few more seconds then shrugged it off. Sammi was lying, he already knew it, but he also knew she would eventually tell him. He sat down opposite her taking his heavy coat off. Absentmindedly, he handed it over to her.

Sammi smirked. "What are you doing?"

Tommy sat frozen, unsure of what he was doing. It was so natural for him to just hand his coat over to her. Something he used to do back in high school. The window they sat near had it's weather stripping falling apart, the cold air coming in freely. Sammi would constantly ask for his jacket when it was cold and he would happily give it to her. Apparently she liked how it smelled.

Sammi tried to stifle her laugh as Tommy began to frown. "I'll take it though, if you're really giving it to me."

"My arm's getting tired."

She shook her head and put it on. Just as always, it was larger than her, but it was much bigger than she remembered it to be. It completely swallowed her.

"Looks good on you."

"Yeah? Think it'll start a trend?" She pulled the edges of the collar up to her eyes, modeling her face and doing her best to make him laugh too. It worked because Tommy was stifling his own laugh pretty soon.

"Thanks though, I'm glad you remembered, somewhat." she straightened up before looking underneath the table. Ace was layaing between their feet. She moved her own so she would kick the poor pup. She had a tendency to kick when she was sitting.

"He's napping."

"Yeah, he's had a long day." Tommy replied.

Sammi caught him yawning as she sat back up. A small smile came to her lips. "He isn't the only one."

"It's been hard to sleep lately."

"Why? Is something keeping you up?"

Tommy said nothing. He wasn't about to tell her that it was the dreams that had haunted him for a while now. Being in the military had taught him to keep quiet about certain things. This was one of them. What he had done back there wasn't for anyone else to know. Especially Sammi. If she'd found out, he didn't know how she would take it. Sammi was from a military family. To her service was honor.

"Tommy, if something is wrong, you know you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you." Sammi said softly. She reached over and squeezed his hand.

He gave her a nod and a smirk. "Yeah I know, Sammi. Same goes for you."

Before she could reply he continued.

"I know something's wrong Sammi. I know you better than anyone else. Something happened when I was away. Something bad, but if you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you to. You obviously survived without me and I'm proud of you for that, but you gotta know I'm here now. Whatever it was, you can tell me."

It was Sammi's turn not to say anything. She could feel her eyes watering up. Things had happened for sure, things that were out of her control. Tommy not being here when it all went down broke her further. It was hard and she did indeed survive, but not without a few scars along they way.

"I guess I'm not that good at hiding it anymore." she smiled sadly.

"No you are," Tommy disagreed. "I just know when you're lying."

She choked out a laugh. She hated it when he was right, but she also loved it when he paid attention. Tommy was always considerate growing up, but there was always something on his mind. Mostly his family issues. Sammi was on rare occasion with him. It never meant he cared any less for her, but she did come in second when it came to his head. Sometimes third when it came to his wrestling. Sammi never said anything though, she kept it mostly to herself. She knew he was dealing with a lot for a high school student.

She gave his hand another squeeze. "I'll let you know when the time is right, Tiger. I promise, but right now I see our food coming."

"Here you go." Stacey all but shouted. He set the plates of food on the table in front of them.

"Thanks Stace" tommy said.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm just happy you guys are back. Tell you what, since you guys came back, I'll cover the tab." He laughed.

"Aw, no Stacey. We'll pay." Sammi protested but Stacey wasn't having it.

"Nonsense. You kids enjoy your food."

Both Tommy and Sammi watched the large man leave.

"I can't believe that man sometimes."

"It's nice to know he hasn't changed either."

"I'll leave him a big tip. He can't stop me from doing that."

Tommy nodded. "Food's getting cold, let's eat."

They ate in silence, enjoying the meal. Both had forgotten how good Stacey could cook. By the time they finished, they had been the last ones left. It was a little after midnight now anyways. Though Stacy's diner was open twenty-four hours, it still had it's dead spots. Sammi thought it best to call it a night anyways. Both she and Tommy were dog tired. She figured the diner owner would like to get some rest too.

"Good night Stacy!"

"Good night you two! Don't be strangers, you hear?" He shouted back from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Yes, sir." Sammi laughed her reply.

Tommy let her and Ace pass first, holding the door open for them before walking out himself. The night air was colder now than when they had come, mostly due to how late it was. Their trip home was also quite like their meal. Tommy was off in his own head. Sammi knew that look and knew not to bother with it. She stared out the bus window the entire trip home. Ace who sat near her was up and perking as always. He liked being out this late for some they arrived home, he came in first and immediately went into the bedroom.

"Well someone's happy to be home."

"I think he was just cold." Sammi smiled. "I'll get him out so you can rest."

"You are not taking the couch again, Sammi."

"No, I don't mind really."

"But I do, I rather take the couch." Tommy insisted. He immediately went to it and sat down.

Sammi crossed her arms. "You're not budging are you?"

"No, I'm not. Take the bed. Good night."

Sammi sighed in defeat. She knew it was no use when he was like this. He was stubborn as a mule when he wanted his way.

"Oh alright, Good night." she shook her head and headed into the room. She thought about the closing the door, but thought against it. It would be easier to get out without waking him in the morning. But it backfired mid through her sleep.

Tommy woke to the sound of whimpers coming from the bedroom. He got up immediately knowing it was Sammi crying in her sleep. Slowly he made his way into the bedroom, catching Sammi's fidgeting form on one side of the bed, her back to him bare from her night shirt riding up mid way. But something caught his eye, something he wasn't expecting.

Three heavy scars.

He froze as he came to the edge of the bed when he realized what they were. Surgical scars parallel to her spine sat prominently on her lower and mid back.

"Tiger..." Sammi whispered as she awoke. She had faintly heard footsteps come from behind her in her sleep. Ace's movement on the bed also had stirred her awake. She wasn't a light sleeper as it was, but she wasn't used to having someone else being here. It put her on edge sometimes.

"It's me." Tommy replied softly. His eyes were still stuck on her spine. "You were uh, crying in you sleep."

She got up slowly, groaning. Her back was stiff and her knee hurt. "Really? Did I wake you?"

"No," he lied.

She rubbed her eyes of the sleep before turning to look at him. Tommy gaze was hard as if he was trying to figure something crucial out right now. It was disturbing because he was staring at her like that.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly worried about what was going on in his head.

"What happened to your back?"

Sammi blinked, fully awake now. "What do you mean?"

"Did you have back surgery? You've got scars on your back as if you've had an operation, more than one by the looks of it."

It was then she realized her shirt had rode up her back as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She fixed it quickly as if she could hide what he saw. At this point Sammi's entire body was going stiff with fear. She didn't want to open that wound again, the wound that took her so long to close up. Tommy deserved to know though, she just hoped he didn't take as his fault some how. He would though because he wasn't here for her, he would take the blame. She had to make him understand that it was just a freak accident. It took her this long to figure that out herself.

Sighing she nodded. "I've had three different surgeries to fix my spine."

"What happened to it?"

She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, gathering her strength. She had to tell him. It was so long ago, but she remembered everything from the night.

"I was in a car crash."

Tommy froze. He had no idea. "When did this happen?"

"... two weeks after you left...a couple of days before regionals. Dad was driving, mom in the passenger seat. Damian and Michael had come home from tour for and we were invited to have dinner at Aunt Olivia's place..."

He sat next her on the bed, his gaze soft. Tommy's mind was trying to grasp what had happened.

Sammi continued as the memory took her. "We were at a four way stop, crossing the intersection. A drunk drive came from my side and hit us dead on... He must have been going at least eighty..." she raised up her right pajama leg up to her mid thigh. "It shattered my knee completely."

Tommy was fixated on the large vertical scar of her knee. It began three inches about her knee cap and ended mid shin. It looked brutal and the scar itself had still yet to heal completely. It had been fourteen years since him leaving Pittsburgh, but the wounds hadn't healed.

"I don't know how many times the car flipped, but I was told at least six-to-eight." she said softly. Her blue eyes occupied with the scar as well. It began to hurt suddenly. She wasn't sure if it was physiologically or if it was actually hurting, but she began rubbing it tenderly nonetheless.

"The driver of the car died on impact... As did everyone else."

Tommy's head snapped from her knee to her face. Her eyes were glossed over with her unspilled tears. She was fighting them calmly, breathing evenly and deeply. He couldn't believe that was what she was holding in this entire time. When he had asked about her family the first night, she said she wasn't in the mood to talk about it. No wonder. Even stacey left clues. Her being out and about again was what he was talking about. Her accident.

"I was the only one who survived..." she whispered. "I can't believe why though... me of all people. Michael and Damian, both coming home from tour, only to be killed here at home... Same with Dad... and mom... it wasn't fair." her tears had fallen down her cheeks by now. Remembering her family was always hard and painful.

"The worse part was I never got to see them buried. I never made it to the funeral."

"What do you mean made it?" Tommy asked quietly. Surely Sammi would have gone to the funeral. She wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"The accident caused more than just a shattered knee and back." She said wiping her tear streaked cheeks. Turning to face Tommy, she pushed aside her hair to the left side of her face. Parting her hair on the right side, she revealed another scar. A short thin trauma to the skin horizontally placed a few inches from her ear. Tommy reached out, turning her head slightly to get a better look. His touch was gentle, placing a hand under her chin. Few more tears spilled out as her eyes shut. He felt the scar with a compassionate caress. This injury was somewhat healed as well.

Sammi sighed. "I never made it because I was in a coma... it took eight months for me to make it out of it... and by that time..."

"The funeral had already take place." Tommy finished for her.

"I didn't even know they hadn't made it..." she cried softly. "Olivia had just said I missed the funeral... no one said anything about their deaths."

His heart broke for her. The amount of pain she went through, both physically and emotionally was unimaginable. He should have been there for her. She going through all this without anyone, angered him immensely. He was angry at himself mostly. He knew something was bothering her from the start. He should have said something earlier.

"Sammi..." he said calmly, upset with both himself and the news he had just heard. His hand went down to her cheek, cupping her face gently.

"No, you don't." she replied quickly. She heard the tone in his voice and she knew he was beating himself up right now. "This wasn't on you. Not one bit. Don't blame yourself for some idiot's mistake."

"Sam, I should have been here with you—."

"—No you had to be with your mother. She was the one who needed you." Her tone was adamant and gave him no room to argue. She smiled through her tears, her blue eyes shimmering with the rising sunlight in the room.

"You were where you needed to be, Tiger. I survived my accident."

"You lost everyone, Sammi."

Her smiled saddened a bit as she nodded, but she turned to his hand that cupped her cheek, kissing it. "I didn't loose you, T. You came back."

Tommy didn't feel any better about this, but he nodded. A small smile came to his lips as he watched her snuggle his hand. Her skin was just as soft as he remembered it to be, maybe even softer. He began stroking her cheek softly, bringing the brightness in her smile again.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you did." Slowly, he pulled her closer. He kissed her forehead and hugged her to his chest. The tension that was in her body slowly left her as she hugged him back. The pain in her spine and knee slowly had dissipated, but it was still faintly there.

"I have my last appointment today." she said quietly.

"As in check up?" she heard Tommy ask. He was slightly surprised at the fact she would still be seeing a doctor after all this time. Then again, she did suffer a head trauma.

"No rehab. It's the last one for my knee and back." She sounded relieved.

"When is it?"

"At ten."

Tommy knew it was barely five in the morning. "We've got time."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Sammi pulled away to look at him in the eyes.

"I'm coming with you."

she smirked. "Why? It's not like I need help."

"I want to say that I went to at least one." He replied calmly. "Besides, it'll be like old times."

"Tiger, you went to only one of my meets and you had said it was enough for you."

Tommy smirked. He dried her cheeks with his thumbs. "That was a long time ago."

"You said you wanted to come." She pouted slightly.

"At the time we had just stared dating. I wanted to be supportive."

"By lying."

"That's not fair." Tommy defended. They were both smirking at this point. "I wanted to support you. You never missed any of my matches. I didn't think it was fair I never went to any of yours meets. Anyways, you never invited me to come. I had to ask you if I could."

There was no winning with this man. She had already lost this round by laughing. Tommy knew it as well. His smirk was borderlines arrogant. She merely shook her head, confirming it for him that he had won. He was coming with her to her rehab appointment and there was nothing she could do to tell him otherwise.

"I'm going back to sleep. I've got a couple of hours to go before I need to leave." she said, laying back down on her side. Just as her back hit the mattress again, Tommy did the same next to her, his arms crossed behind his head. She gave him a funny look as to what he was doing.

"You'd leave without giving me a heads up." He said staring up at her ceiling. "I'm staying."

Next this he knew, Sammi was snuggling into him, her head placed gently on the right side of his chest. An arm came over as she pulled the blanket up to cover them both.

"I hate you know me so well..." she whispered. "Thank you."

"Thank you for not changing, Sammi. It's nice to know you're still the same."

"Somewhat, yes... but I did grow up."

"I ain't complaining."

"Shut up and get some sleep, Tiger." Sammi whispered, smacking is stomach lightly as she stiffled a laugh. Her sleep had come quickly for the first time in a long time. She didn't know if it was due to her telling her story and letting it all out. Or if it was simply because Tommy was here with her. She stopped trying to figure things out now. It was just really good to have him in her arms again. She gave him a light squeeze around the middle before drifting off to sleep again.

Tommy on the other had stayed awake for another ten minutes. He was wrapping his head around Sammi and her trauma. He had seen the scars and heard her stories, but his mind just couldn't grasp the accident. He knew her family. They always made him feel as if he was a part of it too. Secretly he always envied her because of it.

But it made him furious to think they were gone just as his mother was.

It seemed the good people always did die young.

His gaze softened as his eyes drifted from the ceiling to Sammi laying on his chest. She was the only one left. Brendan, his mom, his good for nothing father. Everyone had left him. She was so close to going as well. The accident had take a lot from her. But she came back from it. She was always a fighter and he loved her spirit because of it. She pushed him to his limits, knew he could always achieve what he wanted to if he worked at it. It was about time he did the same for her. He just didn't know how.