Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

43. Brendon

"She's going to try to make a run for it," I said to Sarah after leaving Samantha's room and entering ours.

"No she isn't," Sarah said from the bathroom.

"Did you see the look in her eyes before she turned away? Did you hear what she mumbled?"

"I couldn't look her in the eyes," Sarah said. "I feel so horrible that part of me thinks Sam should go home. Not because I don't want her here, I absolutely do. But after the accident, she technically died four times before Tyler and Jenna got here. I would have hated if we'd been the only ones with her at the end. I would hate to take that away from them. I could never have imagined missing Jessie's funeral, as much as I hated being there. If one of those times we got called to the hospital. When she got beaten up, if she'd died on the way to the hospital, before I could hold her hand, it would have been that much more devastating."

I looked at my wife and wrapped my arms around her. I kissed the top of her head. I felt a wet spot on my shoulder, but I didn't say anything. I held my wife as she shed the tears we both had in too much abundance.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, pulling away. 

"Don't be," I assured her. "Don't ever apologize for being sad about missing our daughter. Because I do too. I really, really do."

Sarah smiled a sad smile at me and sighed.

"So," she said, taking a deep breath. "You think Samantha's going to run?"

"I think she's going to try," I said.

"What do we do?"

"I'm going to stake out the downstairs. I'll sit in the dining room. I'll be able to see her coming down the stairs before she'll see me," I said. She nodded.

"Good plan," Sarah said. "Are you going to tell Tyler and Jenna?"

"No," I said. "Let them sleep."

Sarah nodded. I kissed her as I pulled a t-shirt on over my sleep pants.

I very carefully opened the bedroom door, stepped into the hall and closed the door. I turned around and found someone sneaking out of the their room. Tyler stopped and looked at me, stunned, then looked at me guiltily, as if I had caught him trying to run away. Then he stood up and grinned. He pointed at his head and then back and forth at the two of us. I nodded. Great Minds and Fools and all that stuff.

He pointed downwards and then made a 'follow me' motion. This guy was inviting me into my own downstairs? I shook my head, smiling.

Tyler reached for a light switch and I put up my hand to stop him. I pointed up towards Samantha's bedroom door. She'd see light coming from down here. Her room is at the top of the stairs. Tyler nodded. I motioned for him to come into the dining room. We quietly sat down at the table, both of us looking towards the stairs.

"You think she's going to try to run, too?" Tyler said, looking at me. I nodded. He sighed.

"We fucked that up, didn't we?" He asked me. I looked at him.

"Well, yeah. Kind of," I said. "You didn't give her a chance to discuss it with you two and you made it sound like you'd decided she's going home."

Tyler sighed. I looked at him with sympathy.

"Look, Tyler, you're all in a really fucked up situation. None of us can deny the facts. You almost lost her. Sarah and I were talking just before I came out of our room. We would have felt horrible if, if Sam hadn't made it and went before you had gotten here. We would have felt horrible if we had been the last people to hold her hands while she was alive. If we'd been there if she had died, instead of you two being with her. There were times when I was away and Jessie got really, really sick. I worried we'd lose her before I could get home. Sarah said that's something she'd never have wanted to take from you guys. I mean, if it had come to that and we were the last people to be with her, at least she wouldn't have been alone."