Chapter 14

Friday, April 14, 1990

The days following Sam’s confrontation with Jamie seemed to fly by.  The excitement of the day caused a set back in his recovery and he ended up spending the rest of the day in bed as his temperature rose enough to worry the others.  Al was ready to load him into the car and drive to the emergency room when the fever finally broke.

Sam spent the next day in bed as well as his body recovered the energy it had expended fighting the fever.  He was disappointed that he wasn’t able to go with Katie and Thelma to see Jim off.  He knew how much it was hurting Katie to have her husband leave for an extended period of time and wanted to be there to support her.  Both Katie and Jim assured him that it was better that he stay put and give himself a chance to get well.  Al had agreed and had stayed behind to keep Sam company.

By Tuesday morning, Sam had recovered any ground he’d lost and became adamant that he was not going to let Al or Katie mollycoddle him anymore.  He was more tolerant with his mother but eventually he grew weary of her fussing over him as well.

Al and Sam quickly settled into what became a morning routine for the two of them.  After they’d eaten breakfast, Sam would do the first of two daily exercise sessions to strengthen and limber his leg and then they’d go for a walk along the beach.  Not only did it prove beneficial for the two of them mentally as they took the time to talk about fears and worries they’d both been harboring but it also proved to be equally beneficial physically for Sam as he slowly built up more stamina.

Al also found that since talking with Sam he was sleeping better as well.  He still occasionally had dreams of Sam’s death but they weren’t coming as frequently and although he would still wander down to Sam’s room to check on him, he didn’t feel compelled to sit by his side watching him breathe.

After all the stresses caused by the accident in Washington and the initial days of turmoil when they arrived in Hawaii, the remainder of the trip proved to be as beneficial and relaxing as Sam and Al had both hoped it would be.  Now it was time for the visit to paradise to end.  After nearly a month and a half, Sam was finally being allowed to return back to New Mexico and his project.

Katie drove them to the airport and this time Thelma came along.  She may have been prevented from greeting her son there when he’d arrived but she’d made it perfectly clear she’d be there to see him off.  Al was riding in the front seat with Katie and Thelma took the back with Sam.  She held onto his hand for the ride reluctant to be letting him go.

“Good thing we left early,” Katie remarked as she slowly crept the car along with the line of traffic.  “Something’s gotta be up to have traffic tied up like this.”

“I hope it starts moving soon,” Sam said from the back seat as he nervously checked his watch again.  “I don’t want to miss the flight.”

The words had no sooner left Sam’s mouth then traffic started to move at its regular pace again as if it had slowed down for no reason.  They made it to the airport with time to spare.

Thelma and Katie accompanied the two men to their departure gate to see them off.  Ten minutes after their arrival, boarding for their flight was announced.  Since Sam was still having a hard time getting around well, he was again allowed to board the plane early.

As the flight was called the four rose from the seats they had taken.  Thelma pulled Sam into a tight embrace.  “I’m going to miss you so much,” she softly said.

“I’ll miss you to, Mom,” Sam responded back.  The sound of choked-back tears was evident in his voice.

Thelma made no attempt to stop her tears and they flowed freely down her face.  Releasing his mother, Sam took a step back from her and reached out a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.  “Don’t cry, Mom.  I’ll be back for a visit soon.”

Thelma made an attempt to brush the tears away as well.  “I know you will, Sam.  I just worry about you, that’s all.”  She pulled him into another tight embrace.  “You’re still my baby boy and I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”  Pulling from the embrace, Sam framed his mother’s face with his hands and kissed her on the forehead then turned to his sister.  “Don’t you start getting teary-eyed,” he warned her as he pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Katie assured him.  “You just promise me you’re going to be back in time to see your nephew when he’s born.”

Sam released Katie from the hug and looked down resting his hand gently on her stomach.  “I’ll be back to see this little one but how do you know it’s not going to be my niece?”

“You know something I don’t, Big Brother?”

“Nope, just a feeling,” Sam said with a shrug.  He put his arm around his sister’s shoulders and felt her lean into him as he waited for Al to finish saying his goodbyes to Thelma.

“Just remember, Al,” Thelma said as she held Al at arm’s length from her, “you’re not responsible for every bad thing that happens to my son so don’t go blaming yourself…and talk to him.”

“I will, Ma’am,” Al promised.

Thelma pulled Al into another quick embrace.  “Thank you so much for looking after him the way you have.  I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“You already have,” Al replied.  When he saw the look of confusion on her face he further explained, “You made him the man he is, the friend he is to me.  That’s plenty.”

Pulling away from Thelma, Al grabbed up their carryon bags and let Sam precede him to the gate.  Just before stepping into the jet way, they both turned to wave to the two women watching them go.

As the plane taxied down the runway and took off, Sam turned to Al, a smile on his face.  “It’s gonna feel good to get everything back to normal.”

Al let out a little laugh.  “It sure is…although I’m not so sure what normal is with you sometimes.”

Sam answered with a laugh of his own and Al joined in.  After the long weeks of injury, illness, and recovery, it’s was the best feeling to finally see life back on track.  As horrible as the experience had been, Sam would always look back on the time of his injury and recovery as a period in time that strengthened both him as a person and his ties of friendship with Al.

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