“So,” she looked at Charlie, sipping at some soup, “when are we going home?”

“Does Saturday suit you, or do you have other plans?” He grinned at her, immensely pleased. She was trying. Oh, God, she was trying.

“No, Saturday sounds okay to me.” She was smiling as she looked at him, and he couldn't, help thinking that the doctor had been right. When she was ready to know something, she would. He just wondered when she would be ready to face the rest. “Yeah, Saturday sounds just fine. What hospital am I going to, Charlie?”

“I don't know. Do you care?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“I'll find out.”

“Try for Lenox Hill. It's in a nice neighborhood, and it's near the subway. That way everyone I want to see will be able to come visit.” She smiled softly. “Maybe even Mellie.” And then, “Do you think she could bring the baby?”

There were tears in Charlie's eyes when he nodded. “I'll sneak her in under my coat and tell them she's yours.”

“She kind of is, you know…” She looked embarrassed. “Kind of… after all, she's got my name.” He bent over and kissed her forehead then, there was nothing more he could have said in answer without bursting into tears.

26

Charlie held his breath when the plane left the Denver airport on Saturday morning. They had Sam's orthopedic surgeon with them, as well as a young resident, two nurses, a life-support unit, and enough oxygen to blow them all the way to South America, but Samantha was slightly sedated, seemed very relaxed, and was excited to be going home. The doctor seemed pleased with her condition and had made all the necessary arrangements both at Lenox Hill Hospital and with an ambulance unit that would be waiting for them at the airport when they arrived. In addition they were getting special clearance all along their route and were making themselves known to air-traffic control from sector to sector. If Sam had suddenly needed help they couldn't provide in the air, they could have come down almost anywhere along the way at a moment's notice. Everything that could have been thought of had been, and all that remained now was to fly safely back to New York.

It was a brilliantly sunny day in August, and Sam did nothing but talk about going home. She was also slightly punchy from the sedative she'd been given, and she giggled a lot and made a number of jokes in poor taste, which everyone laughed at, except Charlie, who was a nervous wreck. Once again he felt the responsibility upon his shoulders, and he felt that if something went wrong now it would be his fault. He shouldn't have pushed, he had rushed them, he should have left her in Denver. The doctor found him halfway through the flight, staring out a rear window, and he gently touched his shoulder and spoke softly so Sam wouldn't hear in case she woke up. She had just gone to sleep.

“It's all right, Peterson. It's almost over. And she's doing fine. Just fine.”

He turned to smile at the doctor. “She may make it, but what about me? I think I've aged twenty years in the last two weeks.”

“It's a very trying experience, for the family as well.” The craziest part was that he wasn't even family, but he was her friend. He would have done it for anyone, for his brother-in-law, for Harvey, for… Sam… he would have sat at Sam's bedside for another month if he had to. He felt so damn sorry for her. What in hell was her life going to be like now? And she had no one, no husband, no boyfriend, that damn cowboy she'd mentioned had run out on her and she didn't even know where he was. Who did she have to take care of her? No one. For the first time in a long time he found himself hating John Taylor again. If the bastard had stuck around, like a decent husband, she wouldn't be alone now. But she was. The bitch of it was that she was all alone. The doctor was watching him as he thought it out, and his hand pressed gently on Charlie's shoulder. “Don't overprotect her, Peterson. It would be a terrible mistake. When the time comes, she'll have to stand on her own, so to speak. She's not married, is she?”

Charlie shook his head. “No, not anymore. And that's what I was just thinking. It's going to be very rough.”

“It will be for a while. But she'll get used to it. Others do. She can lead a full life. She can help herself, help others, she can go back to her job in time. Unless she's a tap dancer by profession, it shouldn't make that much difference, except psychologically. That's where the problems arise. But they won't let her leave Lenox Hill until she's ready, psychologically as well as physically. They'll teach her how to take care of herself, be independent. You'll see. She's a beautiful young woman, a strong one with a fine mind, there's no reason why she shouldn't adjust perfectly.” And then after a moment he gave Charlie's shoulder one last squeeze and smiled. “You made the right decision… both times. It would have been a crime not to operate, to lose that spirit and that mind, and she should be in New York, surrounded by friendly faces.” Charlie turned to look at him then, with gratitude in his eyes.

“Thank you for saying that.” The doctor said nothing. He only patted Charlie's shoulder and went back to take a look at Sam.