SAMMY HAD BEEN HOME FOR A few days since parting ways with Xavier and June in Georgia, and she hadn’t heard a single word from anyone since. She had begun to think the worst, and that feeling grew worse as more time passed on. Then again, she knew Xavier would never risk calling her from any phone just to make a short update. He wouldn’t want to risk the call being traced and exposing his current hideout where the serum was currently being stored. His caution, however, only led to Sammy’s ongoing anxiety as she was eager to know that everything was alright, and that Xavier was coming back soon. She spent most of her time there cleaning the place up, except for the guest room. She decided to leave all of Xavier’s stuff alone and concentrated on the living room, the kitchen and her own bedroom. This time last month Sammy didn’t give a damn about cleaning up the house, because she honestly didn’t think she’d be around long enough to care. Now that she was going to be around a lot longer, Sammy felt a sudden need to start taking care of little things again. It had been close to forty-eight hours since she had last seen June and Xavier and was cleaning the living room when Sammy finally got some news about their mission. She had the television on so the room wouldn’t be completely silent when she was doing her thing, and it came to the story about the Senator and a status about his condition.
“Some good news from the medical center in Florida.” The news anchor started with a smile, “Senator Jackson has regained consciousness, is speaking with hospital staff and is in good spirits. Whatever had been bothering the Senator seems to have passed and he’s expected to make a full recovery. At this time, the doctors believe it might be the work of an unknown allergy that the Senator may have exposed himself to while eating at the fundraiser a few nights ago. They are still investigating to find out what food might have caused the reaction. But the top story is the Senator is fine and is expected to be released and back on the campaign trail soon.”
Sammy dropped the cleaning supplies she had in her hand and put a hand to her mouth. She remembered what June had said during their conversation in Georgia, when she told them that the Senator was poisoned and practically on death’s door. The fact that it wasn’t even being reported as poison didn’t surprise her, as she didn’t believe a thing the media said anymore. Now that the Senator was now going to make a full recovery, it was the best thing Sammy could have heard that day. It was clear to her that Xavier was successful with his mission, and it was his serum that had really saved the Senator. She needed to tear off a few extra sheets from the paper towels she was using to dust the coffee table to help wipe away the tears, as she was delighted to hear what she had helped begin had in the end become a complete success. She took a seat on the sofa and watched the news network a little more trying to see if there were any details about Xavier. There wasn’t anything said about him, which meant he got in and out without being seen or the authorities refused to release any info if they did spot him.
Either way, Sammy felt like celebrating, and decided it would be cool if there was something special waiting for Xavier when he did return. She decided to go out and get a few things from the market and that way whenever he did return, she would be ready to cook something special to celebrate his success. She left her house in a hurry and went to her local supermarket. Once inside she started to pick up ingredients for a meal that she only cooks on special occasions. The last time she cooked something special was the night she had to break the news to her mother that she was going to die. She did it to soften the blow since she was her only child, but now she had something much happier to cook for. As she was browsing the aisle looking for something specific, she ran into someone she knew. A man that used to work at the same center she used to be employed at before she stepped down to go home and die.
“Oh,” Sammy said, a little startled, “Hello Dillion.”
Dillion stood there, looking rather surprised.
“Sammy,” Dillion said, feeling uncomfortable, “You are… looking well.”
“That’s because I am well,” Sammy informed him, giving him a pleasant smile, “As a matter of fact, I’m doing great!”
“They said you had a few months to live,” Dillion recalled, “What happened?”
“I went south,” Sammy fibbed, as it wasn’t her secret to reveal. “I’ve been taking a new therapy in Mexico for months that hasn’t been approved up here. After a few treatments, they’re saying I’m in full remission.”
“Are you kidding!” Dillion said, looking shocked. “That’s great!”
“It’s a miracle!” Sammy said, playing along. “I’m going to be around for a very long time after all.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“That’s great news,” Dillion said, “I guess I’ll see you around!”
“You bet your ass you will!” Sammy said walking away.
As she resumed her shopping, Sammy began to realize that now here cancer was gone, she was going to have to have that conversation with a lot more people going forward as she lets them and even her family know that her untimely demise was indefinitely postponed. After Xavier had moved on, Sammy was also going to have to sit down with her mother and let her in on the news too. She picked up a few other things that she needed around the house, and even a few snacks for Xavier before finally heading to the front to check out. Sammy knew once Carter was back at the house he was probably going to resume working on his new inhaler.
As she was waiting in one of the isles to check out, Sammy noticed the trash tabloid magazines and their outrageous headlines. One of them stood out, as it had a picture of Xavier on the cover with the headline.
Xavier Carter: Murderer, Butcher and mass torturer.
Sammy picked the magazine off the rag and stared at the cover.
“He’s a complete monster!” the lady waiting behind her to check out said, “I really hope the FBI corner that bastard and put him in the ground like the dog he is.”
“What if he didn’t do it?” Sammy asked, as she turned to face the woman. “Did you ever hear of innocent until proven guilty? He suspected of doing bad things, but he’s never been tried or convicted of anything.”
“Yes.” the lady replied, “But I’ve also heard of slander. The FBI wouldn’t say this kind of stuff if they thought there was any chance it wasn’t true. They wouldn’t elevate him to the top ten most wanted for littering, would they?”
“I suppose not,” Sammy said, realized it was a fight not worth taking.
She waited patiently and purchased all her items, including that magazine. She returned to her car and started to drive back. On her way home from the grocery store, Sammy made a stop at the liquor store and made a few purchases there as well. She picked up a bottle of champagne, but a bottle of tequila in the hopes that Xavier would be willing to skip a night of work to celebrate saving the Senator.
Once she was back at the house, Sammy quickly started to put the new groceries away. When she was about halfway through stocking the shelves, she was startled to see a man standing in the hallway.
“Shit!” she screamed as she ran to a corner of the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife and held it up out of natural self-defense.
Sammy slowly walked back into the hallway to realize who her intruder was.
“Xavier!” she called out, “How long have you been here?”
“I only got back a few minutes ago.” Xavier answered, with an air of fatigue. “I’d love to talk but right about now, but I’m dying to take a shower. I’ve been on the road for quite a while, and I feel quite icky. Do you mind?”
Sammy put the knife back down on the table.
“Alright,” she conceded, “Hop in the shower, and we’ll talk later.”
“Thank you,” Xavier said, bowing as he retreated to the bathroom.
Sammy resumed packing the groceries away when she heard the shower come on and was finished and tidying up the kitchen, when Carter eventually emerged from the hallway all cleaned up and wearing a fresh set of clothes. He looked at the bottle sitting on the counter and pointed to it.
“I assume that’s for me?” Xavier asked her.
“It is,” Sammy replied, “I was eager to pick something up when I heard about the Senator’s full recovery.”
“Ahh,” Xavier said, smiling back at her. “You heard about that?”
While he was in the shower, thousands of questions were going through Sammy’s mind and yet she was still respectfully letting the man settle back in before jumping all over him for the skinny. Yet she could also tell by his demeanor that something had happened out there that she didn’t know about. That alone was making her itch to get the full story.
“What happened out there?” She asked him.
“I realize the secret service was going to be there,” Xavier started, “But the FBI was there as well, and they even knew me by name.”
“To be fair,” Sammy countered, “The FBI was probably out there because there were rumors going around that he was poisoned. That would make it an act of domestic terror, and that’s in their purview.”
“That’s a good point,” Xaiver said, somewhat agreeing with her. “But it had me thinking if someone set that whole thing up.”
“How so?” Sammy asked, eager to see where this was going.
“Imagine if someone wanted to get me out in the open for anyone, even the FBI,” Xavier started, “All they’d have to do is poison or get someone sick and there’s a chance if it’s rare enough, I’d come out to help save their lives.”
“For real?” Sammy asked, “Do you think someone poisoned the senator just to bring you out in the open?”
“I know it sounds weird,” Xavier concurred, “But the FBI was just conveniently there, ready to pounce. They almost got me too!”
“That seems a little desperate to me,” Sammy said, “I’m thinking they were called off your back when the Senator got ill.
“That would make more sense.” Xavier confessed.
Deep down Carter was hoping that Sammy was right, and that all this was just a big coincidence. With the FBI on his trail, it caused the young doctor to be a bit more paranoid than he usually was. There was also a part of him that was hoping that the people chasing him were not getting desperate enough to harm other people to draw him out. Cause if it didn’t work this time, what acts are they willing to commit to drag Carter back out in the open? This was the kind of stuff that often kept him awake every damn night. They were after him, but how far were they willing to go to get him?