Join Me In Paradise ~Samuel Drake~

Chapter Twenty-Two

 The trip to Madagascar wasn't as pleasant as Sam expected.

Getting to Kings Bay was as one would expect: difficult. With the condition Sully's plane was in after getting shot to hell, every little bit of turbulence or even when the plane would jerk because Sully nearly fell asleep at the controls made Sam jump.

For Nate it was easy for him to sleep. The younger brother simple took a spare blanket, waded his jacket into a pillow and promptly curled up on the benches lining the back of the plane. It wasn't that simple for Sam who couldn't even close his eyes for a moment without thinking of Ellie.

God, it felt like those first few nights in prison once he was conscious again. He lied awake through the pain even when he wanted to sleep because of it, thinking of her. Sam thought about the pain she and Nate had to go through because they thought he was dead and Sam thought of that nearly every single night while he was there. The day when Rafe picked him up from the prison, Sam dreamed about his brother and Ellie even more.

Sam laid flat on the bench as he flipped the little bronze coin between his fingers as he found the repetitive action calming. Anything of that nature calmed him, Sam remembering that during high intensity situations he fidgeted with something if he could, whether it was a string from his shirt or nervously wringing his hands together. It was a nervous habit he couldn't get rid of, but Sam didn't mind. It helped curve the tension a bit.

After three hours passed he sat up, running a hand through his hair with a soft sigh. Sam took the blanket wrapped around him and the coin, shuffling up to the passenger seat next to Sully. Yeah....they've had their differences. It wasn't exactly dad at first sight kind of thing like Nate had when he first encountered Sully, as Sam saw him as more of a threat.

For years it had just been him and his brother, including Ellie. Adding Sully into the mixture...well, it shook things up too much for the eldest brother. Sam didn't like the fact that Nate began to put way too much trust into Sully after a while, and now after Nate told him about all of these great, adventurous stories with the old man hurt to hear. It should have been him.

Sam took this chance to try and make amends because you never know when the moment you're living in with someone could be the last.

He cleared his throat, making Sully jump. His hands gripped the steering mechanism of the plane as Sully had that same disapproving look on his face. Sam got that face for years, and now he still couldn't shake it off.

"What, can't sleep or something?" Sully asked, turning his focus back on the star-laden sky.

"Not really, unlike my brother I'm not one for sleeping in planes. Do you want me to take over? You should get some sleep."

Sully laughed heartily at Sam's words as if it was a joke. "That's funny, kid. No one is piloting this plane but me."

Sam held up his hands defensively but still kept on a smile. "Alright, fair point. How much longer until we get to the bay?"

"By morning hopefully, she isn't in that bad of a shape after those Shoreline idiots shot her up." Sam couldn't help but to feel bad at that. It's not like they meant to shoot up the plane or anything...it's a hazardous job that has it's downsides. For this job, Sam is praying that the upside will be piles and piles of gold.

What would he even do with all that money? Sam's heart said to travel the world with his family. Maybe settle down with Ellie at some point on an uncharted island...build a house, start on their own family-

Jesus, not again.

Sam had to get through his head that his dream might not happen. Ellie might have changed her mind about how she saw Sam....he was still holding onto those little moments. He was still holding on to Galena. The thought of not spending the rest of his life with her left a nasty taste in his mouth and a pit in his stomach.