Strength of the Heart

Title: Strength of the Heart

Author: ST

Pairing: Sam/Brooke

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: Yes please. Feedback wanted and appreciated.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. No I do not own the characters of Popular. They belong to Touchstone Television. I am just borrowing them, using them, and will return them in the condition I got them in.

Author’s Note: This is not the first fic that I have written and posted to the Net. But it is my first Popular story. I have read so many good stories on this site, by some very accomplished authors, so I decided to give it a try. Let me know what you think of it. I want to know if it made the grade.

Part 1

(I have always loved Brooke McQueen. I love the way her eyes sparkle when she laughs. The way her nose wrinkles when she gets upset. The way she lights up the room just by walking in. The way that…)

“Sam? Sam? SAM! Are you listening to me?”

“Huh?” Sam came out of her daydream, and looked into the slightly annoyed face of her friend Carmen. Looking around she noticed that Harrison was looking at her with a slightly concerned look on his face. Lily only spared her a brief glance before she went back to prodding the mystery meat that she had felt compelled to investigate that day, with her fork.

Sam looked back at Carmen who was slightly rapping her fingers against the table, waiting for Sam to come back to her.

“Hello Sam. Where did you go? I was talking about very important stuff here, and you totally zoned out on me.”

“That is if you call wondering if you should wear the pink top or the yellow top tomorrow important,” Harrison muttered under his breath.

Carmen gave Harrison a glare that could melt steel before turning back to Sam, who was putting in every effort to try and remember what everyone was talking about.

(Man…gotta remember not to think about stuff like that here at school. My friends can be very nosy when they’re ready).

“Now Sam,” Carmen continued now that she had Sam’s undivided attention. “You wanna tell us what you were so focused on thinking about just now?”

“Ah, actually I wouldn’t…” Sam’s attempt at evasion was cut short by the sound of someone’s loud laugh at a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

(Brooke…). Sam thought to herself, as everyone at her table looked over to where the sound had come from.

Sure enough it was Brooke, and the Ditzy Twins, as Sam liked to think of them. The three of them were sitting close together, pointing at something on the table, and laughing.

“Just look at them,” Carmen said in disgust, as she, and the others turned back around to their table. “They’re probably looking at some magazine or other and having a laugh at the people in it that don’t come up to their level of fashion.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Sam sighed in relief as Carmen once again went back to talking about whatever it was that she was talking about when she had tuned out.

Harrison’s head soon began to nod as he drifted off to sleep, and Lily, having put down her fork in favor for a knife, was desperately trying to stab to death the thing on her plate. Seeing that her friends were occupied, Sam turned her head back to look at Brooke’s table.

Brooke, and the two half-brained twins, (Sam smiled to herself at that thought), were now obviously gossiping about something, as they talked, and laughed with each other.

(Oh Brooke… If you only knew how much I cared for you. How much I really and truly love you. But whenever I’m around you, I can’t seem to make myself stop saying things that upset you. I don’t know why that is. You just make my blood boil, and my heart starts beating faster, and the only things I can say to you are things that are fueled by this passion within me. Because I can never, ever tell you how I feel about you Brooke. So the only way to express my passion is to release it in words that only seem to hurt you. It is the only way that I know how to try and bring that same passion to your eyes. When you get angry, I can almost believe that that fire, and energy I see is something else besides anger, and hate. I can believe it is something more, something powerful. Something like love. Pathetic, I know. But it is the only way that I know to get that reaction out of you. I wish it were different Brooke. I wish you loved me as I love you. But you don’t. And I don’t even know why I bother trying).

“SAM! You’re doing it again!” Carmen wailed as she noticed that Sam had gone off yet again into her little dreamland, leaving her talking out loud to herself, because Harrison was fast asleep, his head dipping dangerously close to the chocolate pudding on his tray. Lily had finished attacking whatever it was that was masquerading as the lunchmeat, and obviously coming out the victor, she was now eating some tofu, and looking at the lunch lady with a deadly look in her eye.

However, just as Carmen was about to drill Sam about what was obviously something more interesting than coordinating her wardrobe, the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch break.

Sam jumped up, grabbed her bag, and hightailed it toward the exit before Carmen could say anything else to her.

(Whoo. Saved by the bell).

As Sam made her way to the double doors that would lead to the hallways, and her next class, she felt someone push by her, causing her to lose the grip she had on her bag, and it fell blocking the way of some of the students.

“Move out of the way Spam. You’re holding up traffic,” a voice Sam knew only too well, grated in her ears.

“Why don’t you apologize for knocking my bag off my shoulder, and then get out of MY way,” Sam said in irritation, as she looked into the smirking face of Nicole Julian.

(Ooooo…What I wouldn’t do to wipe that look off of her face).

“Now Spam, you’re not really accusing me of actually touching you, one of the lower life forms, much less knocking off your bag.”

“Well it was either you or your two FRIENDS here,” Sam said, making the word sound dirty, while pointing at Brooke, and Mary Cherry, who were standing just behind Nicole.

As her finger pointed in Brooke’s direction, Sam could have almost sworn she saw a look of hurt, and sadness pass in Brooke’s eyes, but it was gone before she could look closer, and replaced with the usual anger.

(Nah…couldn’t have been. It was just my imagination).

“Ah puh-leeze Spam. As if I would eva stoop ta knocking off you’re bag just ta get ah rise outta ya,” Mary Cherry said with a mad gleam in her eye.

“I wouldn’t put it past you Mary Cherry,” Lily stated as she, Carmen, and Harrison came up on the small crowd that had formed around Sam, Brooke, Nicole, and Mary Cherry.

“Oh look, it’s the rest of the Stooges,” Nicole said with a nasty, little smile on her face. “Lily you must be Larry. Harrison you’re Curly, and Carmen, you must be their newest member, Dumpy.”

“Funny Nicole. Real funny. Can’t you do better than that. You almost made me think about laughing,” Carmen shot back.

“So Brooke, this is the kind of thing that you, and you’re two cronies like doing huh?” Sam said to the blonde in question, who she had never taken her eyes off of, despite Nicole, and Carmen’s bickering.

“Knocking people around, and making snide, nasty comments,” Sam continued, making sure that she made eye contact with Brooke, giving her a small smirk.

Brooke just returned Sam’s stare, eye for eye, before she turned around, and began to walk toward the cafeteria doors. But before she got there, Brooke turned slightly, and called back over her shoulder, “If I were you MOE,” saying the name of the last Stooge with emphasis. “I’d get those eyes of yours checked out. Because only a complete klutz would trip over their own two feet, and then blame someone else for their lack of coordination.” With that said, Brooke turned around, and continued out of the cafeteria.

Sam just stood with her mouth hanging slightly open, her gaze on the spot that Brooke had just been in.

“Close that mouth Spam. You’re attracting flies,” Nicole said laughing as she, and Mary Cherry made their way to the cafeteria doors.

Before she pushed through the doors, Nicole turned around, and looked at Sam to make one last comment.

“Oh, and one more thing dear. You really should do something about those jeans. The washed out, faded look was out two years ago. Chow.” And then she and Mary Cherry were gone, the sound of their laughter trailing behind them.

Sam’s jaw had snapped instantly shut after Nicole had made her fly comment. Now it tightened as Sam looked down at the outfit that she had chosen for the day.

It was a deep, blue tank top, with said out-of-date jeans, and a pair of her favorite black boots.

Sam knew there was nothing wrong with her outfit, and that Nicole needed to go back to her usual job, where it was hot all year round, and found deep underground.

With a sigh, Sam picked up her bag, and turned to her friends.

“We might as well go to class. No sense in being late because the Ditz Squad held us up.”

Saying goodbye to her friends, Sam turned, and walked out of the cafeteria, and into the hallway.

When she got there, Sam looked off in the direction that she knew Brooke had taken to go to her next class.

With another heavy sigh, Sam turned in the opposite direction, and headed toward her class, the wonderful world of Calculus.

(I blew it again. I made her upset again. I can’t seem to do anything else when I’m around her. She just gets me so…so…riled up. I can’t seem to stop the fire she makes burn inside me, and it all comes out in these hot, and heated arguments. It’s just that I love to see the way her eyes light up, and begin to flash when she, and I go at it. And the way her nose crinkles just a bit when she really gets into it. Ooooooo, I’ve got it so bad…).

~~~~~~~

“Oh that Samantha McPherson makes me so mad,” Brooke shouted to her empty house, as she let herself in later, after coming home from cheerleading practice.

“Why does she always try so hard to get me upset?” Brooke continued to rant, as she took the stairs two at a time, and went into her room, throwing her bag into a corner, and flinging herself down on her bed.

Grabbing her pillow, Brooke put it over her face, and yelled into it. After doing this for about ten seconds, and satisfied that she had released most of the tension in her body through the scream, she removed the pillow, and put it under her head, and got comfortable.

Knowing that Sam was still at school working on the next issue of the school newspaper, gave Brooke a couple of hours to just lie there, and think about the one thing that was never far from her mind. Sam.

(Oh Sam…I wish we didn’t argue as much as we do. I don’t want to fight with you. It’s just that you can make me so mad sometimes. You’re always trying to find a way to push my buttons. I don’t understand why you do it. Why can’t we just be friends? I care about you so much, and it hurts every time that we fight. I want to be closer to you Sam. I love you. I love you so much that I find it hard to breath sometimes when you and I are in the same room. I want to be with you Sam. I want to love you, hold you, and care for you. But you wont let me get close. You wont even let us be friends long enough for me to get to know you better. I want to know all about you Sam. What makes you laugh, what makes you cry. What makes your eyes light up like a child when you’re happy about something, and you think that no one is looking. Why sometimes you get this far away, sad look in your eyes, and why sometimes late at night, I can hear you tossing, and turning, and crying softly. I want to know what makes you so sad Sam. I want to be the one to put a smile on your face. To make your whole face light up when you’re happy. I want…I want…I want you Sam). With that as her final thought, Brooke drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~

Two hours later Sam came storming into the house, slamming the door as she came in. The sound of the door slamming woke Brooke up with a start, and she jumped up out of the bed, and went to the head of the stairs, where she watched an obviously upset Sam, begin to stomp her way up the stairs.

As Sam got closer to the top, Brooke could see tears in her eyes, and her face was flushed red with anger.

“Sam,” Brooke said in concern, as she went to meet Sam halfway.

“Sam, what happened?” Brooke asked as Sam stopped two steps below her, and turned her head to the side in an effort to try, and hide her tears from Brooke.

“Sam, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Brooke had watched as Sam turned her head from her trying to hide her tears, so Brooke reached out a hand to turn Sam’s face back to her. Halfway there, Brooke realized what she was doing, and pulled her hand back, allowing it to fall to her side, and instead tried to get Sam to talk to her again.

“Please Sam. Tell me what’s wrong. I know that we aren’t exactly friends, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested if something is really wrong. And you look really upset. Please Sam. Tell me.”

Unable to stop herself this time Brooke reached out to Sam again, and put her hand on Sam’s arm.

Sam had seen Brooke’s first attempt to touch her, and was relieved when she hadn’t. She knew that if she allowed Brooke to get too close to her right now, she would break. She would drop all of her defenses, and end up crying in Brooke’s arms. And she couldn’t allow that. She couldn’t let Brooke get the chance to get too close to her, because then she might let something slip that she shouldn’t. She might say something that would disgust, and push Brooke away forever.

So when Brooke reached out again, and put her hand on her arm, Sam did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

Sam pushed past Brooke, in an attempt to get away from her, and to get to the safety, and solitude of her room.

But as she tried to squeeze through the small space between Brooke, and the railing, Sam missed the next step, her feet slipped out from beneath her, and she began to fall backwards.

Brooke, seeing what was happening, as the world around her went into slow motion, reached out to grab Sam, who was already halfway between Brooke, and the stairs, and missed Sam’s fingers by a fraction of an inch.

Sam let out a piercing scream, as time sped up again, and Brooke watched in horror as Sam landed first on her back, then continued to tumble, going head over heels, and striking her head on the last step, before she stopped, sprawled on the bottom of the stairs.

Brooke stood in sick silence for five seconds before she screamed Sam’s name and ran down the stairs to Sam’s prone figure.

Dropping to her knees beside the frightfully still brunette, and with shaky fingers, Brooke reached out for Sam’s neck to feel for a pulse.

Finding one beating, though irregular, but strong, filled Brooke with such relief that she thought that she might faint.

Brushing a lock of hair that had fallen across Sam’s face when she landed, Brooke reached a shaking hand into her pocket for the cellphone that she always had on herself.

Punching in the numbers 9-1-1, while tears blurred her eyes making the numbers hard to read, Brooke lightly rested her hand against Sam’s hair, not wanting to touch anywhere else, and risk further injury to Sam.

The phone rang once before someone answered saying, “9-1-1. What’s the Emergency?”

Brooke took a deep breath, and in a voice choked with tears said, “Yes 9-1-1. Please help me. There’s been an accident.”

Part 2:

Author’s Note: I don’t know if Sam’s middle name was ever mentioned in the show, so I made one up for her. Also any medical knowledge that I used was gleamed from watching many hours of certain medical shows. They in no way represent the author’s medical abilities . Okay, enough of that. Let’s get this on.

~~~~~~~

Sam lay in her hospital bed, a bandage around her head, and a cast on her left leg. The room was full of flowers, and a few get better soon cards, were sitting on the table beside her.

Brooke sat in the chair that was situated by Sam’s bed, holding her hand, as she had been doing since Sam had been brought into the hospital two days earlier.

It had been a terrifying experience for Brooke to watch Sam fall backwards down the stairs.

When the paramedics had finally arrived, five minutes after Brooke had called 9-1-1, she had slowly begun to panic because Sam hadn’t opened her eyes yet.

When they had loaded Sam into the back of the ambulance, Brooke had been allowed to ride in back with Sam, and the two other medics who were present.

They had discovered, after carefully going over the hurt girl’s body, that she had broken the bone in her left leg, and that she had a bump in the back of her head that probably contributed to the fact that she had yet to open her eyes. The medics told Brooke then that Sam probably had a concussion.

When they had gotten to the hospital, Brooke was told to sit in the waiting room, and to call her parents, and to tell them to come down to the hospital as soon as they could.

Brooke had stood in confused, and shocked silence for about two minutes, still trying to come to terms with the fact that the girl that she loved was in the hospital, before she reached for her cellphone to call her Dad, and Jane.

They both arrived at the hospital within half-an-hour, and immediately embraced her, asking her what had happened, and if Sam was all right.

Brooke answered their questions as best she could, explaining that all that she knew so far was that Sam had a broken leg, and probably a concussion.

Jane broke down, and began to cry in Mike’s arms, while Brooke went to sit down in one of the waiting room chairs.

An hour later, a doctor came out to tell them that Sam was in stable condition, and that she had indeed suffered a concussion, but that with proper bed rest, and medication, that she would be able to leave the hospital in a week.

He had then gone on to tell them that the other issue was Sam’s broken leg. She had suffered a clean break in the lower part of her leg, so they had no problem setting it, and that she would only have to wear a cast for three months.

Upon hearing that Brooke heaved a sigh of relief, as Mike and Jane continued talking to the doctor, getting all the reassurances that they could.

Now two days, and tons of flowers and cards later, Brooke was once again sitting by Sam’s side, and holding her hand.

Sam had awoken several times in the last two days, but for the most part she slept, as the medication that she was given did its job.

(Oh Sam…You scared me so much. I thought that my heart would explode when I saw you fall down those stairs. And I tried to stop your fall Sam. I really did. I wish I had. You wouldn’t be in pain like this if I had managed to grab you in time. This whole situation has made me realize how quickly things can change, and how something that you thought would always be there, can slip through your fingers so easily. I’m going to do my best to get closer to you Sam. And I’m not going to let you push me away like you usually do anymore. I know that nothing can come of my feelings for you, but if we can at least be friends, then I will consider that a good thing).

“Brooke…” Sam said softly, as she opened her eyes, and saw the face of the one person who had been by her side since she had first woken up, scared, and confused in the hospital bed.

Brooke had explained to her what had happened, and the injuries that she had suffered. The only thing that she remembered from the whole incident was the sensation of falling, and the pain in her head, and her left leg as she fell down the stairs. Everything else was fuzzy. But afterwards she did remember seeing her Mom and Mike. Both of them had been crying as they had carefully hugged her. And she also remembered seeing the faces of her friends as they came to visit her, bringing flowers, and cards.

Through it all Brooke had been by her side. Every time that she had opened her eyes the blonde had been right there.

Sam didn’t understand why Brooke was always there, but she wasn’t about to object. If anything she could always contribute the fact that she had let Brooke hold her hand all this time, to the morphine that the doctors had been feeding her.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Brooke answered back, as she smiled softly at Sam. “How are you feeling today?”

“Ugh, a lot less like I was run over by a train, and more like it was just a small bus,” Sam answered as she looked into Brooke’s hazel eyes.

(Her eyes are such a beautiful color), Sam thought to herself as she allowed her mind to wonder off a bit.

“So since you’re feeling better, I figured it would be all right if I asked you what made you so upset two days ago, before all of this happened,” Brooke asked nervously, unconsciously tightening the grip that she had on Sam’s hand.

“Huh?” Sam asked, pulling her mind from its wonderings, and focusing fully on Brooke. “What did you say?” Sam asked, pulling and releasing her hand from Brookes’, as she shifted uncomfortably on her bed.

“Well I just wanted to know what had upset you so much the day that this happened. But…but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Brooke quickly added as she saw Sam begin to withdraw into herself. She then watched as the walls that she had carefully begun to bring down in the last two days go back up.

“Actually Brooke,” Sam said, her eyes now firmly fixed on a point straight ahead of her, and away from Brooke. “I really don’t want to talk about it. And besides, there’s nothing to talk about. I’m beginning to feel sleepy again. I’m sorry Brooke but I think I need to rest again. I’ll talk to you later okay.”

And with that Sam closed her eyes, effectively ending the conversation. This left Brooke feeling slightly hurt because Sam had chosen not to tell her what had upset her so much that day, and had instead decided to block her out again.

(Two steps forward, three steps back), Brooke sighed to herself in resignation as she got up from Sam’s side, and made her way to the door. Once there Brooke stopped, and looked back at Sam, watching her chest rise and fall, and just feeling grateful that Sam was alive to do that.

(I’ll never be able to forget that day. I doubt that I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for not being fast enough to stop the whole thing from happening. If I had just been quick enough, and grabbed your hand sooner Sam, you wouldn’t be laying in that hospital bed right now. It’s my fault that you’re hurt now Sam. I shouldn’t have tried to force you to talk when you weren’t ready. I should have waited until you had calmed down. And now I’ve obviously upset you again. Sam I don’t understand. What is it? What happened to you that day? Why were you so angry? And why wont you let me help you now?).

Shaking her head in defeat Brooke went through the door, closing it softly behind herself.

Sam had listened as Brooke had left her side, and as she made her way across the room to the door. She heard Brooke pause before the sound of the door clicking shut reached her ears.

With a sigh, Sam allowed the tears that she had been holding back to flow freely down her face.

(Oh Brooke…I wish that I could tell you what had happened. But I don’t even like remembering it myself. I just don’t want to see the pity in your eyes if I tell you what happened. Or the disgust that I let it happen. Me…Samantha McPherson…the proclaimed strong and tough one, and I didn’t do anything to stop it until it was almost too late. So no, I wont tell you Brooke.

But I’ve also come to realize that you have called a truce to our fighting. I’d have to be blind not to notice. And I’d be a fool to let this chance slip away. I don’t know if we can make this work Brooke. But if you’re willing, I’ll give it a try).

~~~~~~~

“Okay Sam, here we are. Home sweet home,” Brooke said as she helped Sam slowly limp in through the front door of their house, being mindful of the cast that she had on her leg. Because of it Sam was leaning heavily on the two crutches that she had been given at the hospital. She hadn’t quite gotten the hang of using them yet, so Brooke was standing close by, offering a shoulder or a hand when needed.

“Welcome home sweetheart,” Jane said, as she and Mike came inside the house after the two girls.

“Awwww. You guys didn’t have to do all of this. I would have been just as happy if you had just brought me home. I’m just so glad to be out of that hospital, and that sorry excuse they call a gown,” Sam stated as she looked around the living room and kitchen.

There was a huge blue banner hanging from the ceiling with the words, ‘WELCOME HOME SAM’ written on it. And there was a big cake in the middle of the kitchen counter, with a picture of a bright yellow smiley face, and the words ‘Welcome Back Sammy. We Luv You’, printed underneath it.

Sam turned around and looked into the faces of her family, seeing the tears in their eyes, and knowing that hers were about to start falling down her face.

Leaning her hip against the counter, and resting her crutches at her side while balancing on her one good leg, Sam opened her arms, and beckoned the people that she loved forward.

Mike, Jane, and Brooke walked forward, and they all shared one big group hug, while being careful of Sam’s leg.

~~~~~~~

As Mike and Brooke began to pull away, Jane leaned forward and whispered into Sam’s ear.

“Don’t you EVER let something like this happen again. Do you hear me Samantha Eve McPherson? You are my only daughter. You are my baby girl. I don’t care how old you get you will always be my baby. And you scared me Sam. I thought that I had lost you.

Please Sam, promise me that you’ll be more careful from now on. I don’t think that my heart could handle it if something else happened. I love you.” With that said, Jane pulled back, and placed a soft kiss on Sam’s forehead.

Sam looked back at her mother, tears shining in her eyes, and in a soft voice replied, “I promise mom. I promise.”

“Well then,” Mike said with a big smile on his face. “Who’s ready for some cake? It looks too good to just be sitting there uneaten. Let’s dig in.”

So the next two hours were spent eating cake, and some ice cream that Jane had pulled from the freezer, and laughing and joking around with each other.

And through it all, both Sam and Brooke would sneak little glances at each other. Sam would stare at Brooke for a few seconds, and Brooke would do the same, neither of them realizing what the other was doing.

Both girls knew that something had changed in their relationship. There was now a subtle difference in the way that they interacted with each other. There were more friendly touches, and more smiles directed at the other that would last just a tad bit longer than necessary. The truce that they had called while Sam was in the hospital had held, and was now blossoming into something closely resembling friendship. It was like all of the antagonism that Sam and Brooke had had for each other, had shifted and was changing slowly into something better, and more solid than what they had had before.

After they all had eaten their fill of cake and ice cream, and were feeling good and relaxed Sam decided to get up. So with Brooke’s help she got up off of the comfy couch that she had been resting on, and turned to her mom and Mike.

She told them how much she had appreciated what they had done, and that she loved them both, but it was getting late and she was tired, and she wanted to get some sleep.

Mike and Jane both said that they understood, and asked her if she needed any help getting up the stairs. Sam was quick to tell them that, “No, she would be all right. And that Brooke would help her up.”

So Mike and Jane both told the girls goodnight, Jane giving them each a kiss on the cheek, Mike a quick hug, and then they both went upstairs to their room.

Sam and Brooke were left by themselves downstairs as they listened to their parents enter their room.

They both stood looking at each other for a few seconds, before Sam looked away, picked up her crutches, and began to limp towards the stairs.

“Sam…,” Brooke began, but then stopped when she saw Sam pause at the foot of the stairs, and look back over her shoulder with this lost look on her face.

“Brooke…uh…I,” Sam started, then took a deep breath, and began again, her voice less shaky than it had just been.

“Brooke, I uh, know that this might be asking a lot, but uh…could…could you not only help me up the stairs, but could you…uh…provide a little moral support. This is the first time I’ve used the stairs since the uh…accident, and I…I…I just need a little extra boost to get over this first hurdle.” Sam finished with a self-deprecating smile, and then hung her head in shame at her own weakness.

(It’s just a few stairs. It’s not going to kill me…Oh wait…Strike that…they almost DID kill me. I know I can get over the fear of climbing them. There’s nothing wrong with the stairs. It was just my own stupid fault that I fell down them in the first place. I shouldn’t have tried to push by Brooke like that. It’s just that she was asking so many questions, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk. So I did what comes naturally to me, and I tried to run away. Well…just look where that got me. Well no more running away. If Brooke thinks that I am weak because I can’t jump this little hurdle by myself, well then maybe I was reading too much into this new friendship of ours).

Brooke watched Sam’s face fill with self-doubt, and recriminations. When she could no longer watch Sam beat herself up for doing something completely human. Which was to ask somebody else for help, Brooke walked forward, and reached out a hand to tilt Sam’s face back up to her.

When Sam felt Brooke’s hand on her chin, lifting it back up, she thought that her heart would stop right there and then. But it didn’t. Instead it sped up, and began beating twice as fast. When she looked up and into Brooke’s eyes, the pity that she had expected to see wasn’t there. Instead Brooke’s eyes held warmth and understanding. And if she looked even deeper, Sam could almost swear that she saw something that should not have been there. Something that did not belong in the well believed thought that Brooke was not available. That she was an unattainable dream.

Sam believed in this idea so much that she immediately discarded the thought, putting it down to the fact that she was tired, and her defenses were down, so she was seeing things that weren’t really there.

“Sam…don’t ever be afraid to show your feelings, and don’t ever feel ashamed for asking for help,” Brooke said as she let her hand fall from Sam’s chin. She then put her arm around the girl’s waist to help her up the stairs.

Sam found herself leaning into Brooke’s shoulder before she realized what she was doing, and pulled back. She then straightened her shoulders, and turned to give Brooke her customary Sam McPherson smile. The one that said, “I’m a bad ass when I’m ready and you know it.”

“Well then come on Brooke. Let’s go tackle those stairs. I have better things to do with my time than to spend it standing around here all night.”

(And some of those things that I want to do are not legal in most states), Sam thought, as a slight smirk crossed her face.

(Oh Sam if you only KNEW some of the things that I want to do with you), Brooke thought as she and Sam began their slow trek up the stairs.

(Oh yes, I can think of MUCH better things to do with my time), they both thought simultaneously, as they reached the top of the stairs, and continued in the direction of their rooms.

Part 3

Author’s Note: Well I’m back from my mad and wild cruise trip around the world. And I brought the next part back with me J So sit back and relax, sip your cool Hawaiian drink, and enjoy.

~~~~~

“All right Sam, here we are,” Brooke said as she helped Sam into her room.

Once inside Brooke led Sam over to her bed, and gently eased the girl down onto it. She then took Sam’s crutches and leaned them against the wall by her bed.

“Thanks Brooke,” Sam said as she breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the opportunity to get off of her feet.

“No problem Sam,” Brooke said as she stood in front of Sam, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

Then taking a nervous breath and releasing it slowly Brooke said, “So…ah…Sam. Do you…uh…need any help changing out of your clothes.” Brooke flushed a deep pink as she waited for Sam to respond.

Sam looked down at the outfit that she was wearing. It consisted of a white top, a gray sweat pants, and a white sneaker on her right foot. The left leg of her sweat pants had been cut above the knee to accommodate her cast.

“I know that your mom helped you to get ready when you were leaving the hospital, but she asked me to help you change your clothes when we got home. She said that since we are right next door to each other it made more sense for me to help you.”

“Well… she does have a point there,” Sam said in a soft voice as she looked down at her hands.

(What am I thinking? I can’t let Brooke help me change. Having her that close to me might make me say or do something that I will regret. But I have no choice. I can’t get dressed on my own. I’ll just have to keep a tight rein on my emotions).

With that decided Sam looked up at Brooke and with a slight smile said, “Alright. I’m game if you are.”

“Okay,” Brooke replied, returning Sam’s smile as she reached down, and nervously put the tips of her fingers under the bottom of Sam’s shirt.

Sam’s breath stopped when she felt Brooke’s fingers touch the skin of her stomach. She nearly passed out when those same fingers began trailing across her skin, as Brooke lifted the shirt up and over her head.

Brooke quickly sucked in her breath as she removed Sam’s shirt and dropped it on the bed beside them.

Sam now sat clad in a light pink bra, her gray sweat pants, and the sneaker on her right foot.

Brooke watched as a light flush turned Sam’s milky white skin into a rosy pink color.

“Okay Sam, I’m going to need you to stand up for a bit. Do you need one of the crutches to help you balance,” Brooke asked as she tried hard not to stare at Sam’s chest.

“Uh…no,” Sam said in a soft voice as she looked up at Brooke nervously. “Just…um…give me a hand up and I should be fine.”

“Okay…then here we go,” Brooke said as she reached down, grasped Sam’s hands, and pulled the girl to her feet.

Sam stood unsteadily for a few seconds but quickly caught her balance, putting most of her weight down on her uninjured foot.

“Are you okay,” Brooke asked as she moved an inch closer to Sam, and watched her with slightly concerned eyes.

“Yeah…I’m all right. Let’s…um…continue,” Sam said in a slightly shaky voice, as the heady scent of Brooke’s perfume permeated her senses.

“All right…this shouldn’t take long,” Brooke said as she bent down in front of Sam.

With slightly trembling fingers Brooke gripped the waistband of Sam’s sweats, and gently began to pull them down.

She carefully eased the left leg of the sweats over the cast. She then pulled the right side down exposing Sam’s right leg.

Brooke then felt a slight shaking under her hands, and she looked up to see Sam with her arms wrapped around her chest, and her eyes closed tight.

“Hey…” Brooke said softly as she got to her feet. “Hey Sam what’s wrong?” Brooke continued as she stood in front of Sam.

“I…um…It’s nothing Brooke. Don’t worry about it,” Sam said as she dropped her arms, and opened her eyes to see Brooke’s worried ones staring back at her.

(Whoa Sam. What do you think you’re doing! Do you want Brooke to figure out what’s going on here? Jeez get a handle on your feelings already. So what if she’s seeing you half naked. Get used to it. She’s in charge of getting you dressed for the next three months).

“Yeah, yeah Brooke. I’m fine,” Sam said with more confidence than before. “I just felt a chill for a second there. Mom must have turned on the AC.”

“Oh, okay. I just thought that you might have been feeling a little embarrassed with me seeing you like this.

(Not embarrassed. Turned on). Sam’s mental dialogue broke in.

“But you shouldn’t feel embarrassed with me Sam. I’ve seen the female body before. And unless you’re not telling me something, your body isn’t any different than what I’ve seen before.”

(Yeah right. Big lie alert here Brooke. You know that her body is the most exquisite thing that you have ever seen before in your life. Cast or no cast, Sam has a gorgeous body).

“Me? Embarrassed? No way. As I said before, I was just cold,” Sam said with a defiant shake of her head.

“Uh huh. Sure Sam. Whatever you say,” Brooke answered back, allowing a smile to touch her lips. “Now just hold still for a minute while I finish untying this shoe. Then I’m going to help you to sit back down on the bed, so that I can finish taking off your sweats,” Brooke said as she got back down in front of Sam.

“Okay Sam,” Brooke said as she finished untying the lace on Sam’s sneaker. She then stood back up and faced Sam.

“Give me your arm so that I can help you to sit back down on the bed.”

“Okay,” Sam said as she raised her arm.

Brooke immediately grabbed it and put Sam’s bare arm around her shoulders. Now standing side-by-side, with Sam’s half naked body pressed up against her, Brooke felt a tingle start from the top of her head, and work its way down to the tips of her toes. Sam’s skin felt so warm and soft where her hand rested on the girl’s waist, that Brooke involuntarily closed her eyes for a fraction of the second, and let the sensation of having Sam this close wash over her.

Opening her eyes again, and with a tiny sigh of regret, Brooke turned her head to ask Sam if she was ready, and stopped short when she saw the curious expression on Sam’s face.

Sam was just about to ask Brooke to hold on for a second, because her leg was in an awkward position for sitting down, when she had glanced over and seen a brief look of contentment cross Brooke’s face.

The look that Brooke was sporting now however was one of a deer-caught-in-the-headlights of a fast moving car.

“Um, Brooke…What were you doing? You just had the weirdest expression on your face just now. You looked sort of…um…happy. Why?” Sam asked as her heart began to beat a little faster.

(What was that? Why did Brooke look so pleased just now? Could it be the fact that we are so close and holding each other? Is it even possible to wish that Brooke might be feeling a little bit of what I’m feeling now? It would be unbelievable…Amazing even! But…it would make me the happiest girl in the world).

“I…um…I was…ah just thinking how great my bed is going to feel after this long day. I was just imagining how nice it’s going to feel to just lay my head down on the pillow, and snuggle underneath the covers. Yeah, yeah that’s right. That’s what I was thinking,” Brooke said with a nervous smile as she averted her eyes from Sam’s face.

(Whooo. That was too close. What was I thinking?! I almost gave myself away. I’ll have to be more careful from now on), Brooke mentally berated herself.

“Oh,” Sam said as she turned her head quickly to the side to hide the disappointment that she felt at Brooke’s words.

(Well…I guess it would have been too good to be true anyway. I was hoping for too much. I should know better by now. I don’t know why I keep torturing myself like this. Brooke is never going to love me the way that I love her. And I should just accept that and move on. There is no future for us together. I need to get over my feelings for Brooke before they get in the way of this new friendship that I’m forming with her).

“Yeah you’re right,” Sam said turning back to Brooke with a false smile. “A nice warm bed does sound good right about now.”

“Well then let’s finish getting you ready for bed,” Brooke said, relieved that Sam had bought her story.

And with no more words spoken between them Brooke gently eased Sam back down onto her bed. She then finished removing Sam’s sweats and her sneaker.

Then going to Sam’s closet, Brooke removed a nightshirt and brought it back to Sam. She then proceeded to help her into it.

When Sam was finally lying down on her bed, with her covers carefully drawn up under her chin, and the only light in the room was a desk lamp on her computer table, Brooke finally broke the comfortable silence that had descended between them. Telling Sam goodnight, she turned off the light on her way to the door, and quietly slipped out, closing it softly behind her.

Sam lay awake staring at her ceiling for a good hour after Brooke left her room, lost in thought. She thought about all the things that had happened to her in the last week.

First something had happened at school that she had never thought could. And it had left her feeling more shame and anger than she could ever remember feeling at any other point in her life.

Then she had taken a fall down a flight of stairs that had put her in the hospital.

And then during that stay in the hospital, an unlikely friendship had been formed with the one person that she had never considered could be her friend.

A lot had happened in just the space of seven days. And lying now in her bed with the cover of darkness creating a gentle shroud of protection around her thoughts and dreams, Samantha Eve McPherson allowed her mind to roam free as she imagined what life would be like if the person that she loved the most returned those feelings.

As she drifted off asleep Sam’s thoughts were full of images of the life she and Brooke would lead, as the love that they had for each other spun a tapestry around their lives that would bind them to each other forever.

******

In her room Brooke was also dreaming about a love that she thought could never be returned.

She dreamed of a wonderful life where she and Sam were together, and were free to love each other. She dreamed of the two of them getting older as the love that they shared grew stronger with time.

And for the rest of the night, until the sunlight streaming in through their windows awoke them both, Sam and Brooke dreamed sweet dreams of the other. Never realizing that the thing most desired in their dreams was just one room away.

******

After using the bathroom and getting ready, Brooke came into Sam’s room and helped the injured girl to her feet and into the bathroom.

There Brooke helped Sam disrobe, leaving her clad once again in her underwear. She then reached for and grabbed one of the special disinfectant wipes that the hospital had provided them with, to help prevent Sam’s cast from getting wet.

Brooke started first with Sam’s left arm, carefully running the wipe up and down the length of her arm, making sure she didn’t look Sam in the eye so as not to reveal how much this was affecting her. Sam’s skin was like silk under her hands as Brooke continued to wipe across Sam’s shoulders and down the next arm.

Brooke made sure that she cleaned everywhere that Sam’s underwear and cast did not obstruct. This included her shoulders, her flat stomach, and her right leg.

Throughout this whole process Sam had to fight hard not to groan out loud in pleasure and desire.

The feeling of Brooke’s hands running up-and-down her body as she wiped her clean, was an experience that left Sam’s skin tingling when she was done.

After Brooke had finished, and had balled up all the used wipes and tossed them into the garbage, she turned to Sam and very gently patted her on the cheek, before she turned around and exited the bathroom.

Sam released a slightly wistful sigh as she unclasped her bra, disappointed that she couldn’t have had Brooke clean her more sensitive areas.

She then gripped the sides of her underwear and pushed it over her cast and down her leg.

Taking one of the wipes Sam began to wipe the areas that Brooke did not.

When she was done Sam reached over for a new panty and bra from the neat pile atop the clothes hamper.

Bending down at the waist Sam carefully slipped her panty first over the cast on her left leg, then over the foot of her right leg, and slowly worked it up until she had it on.

She then reached for the bra and quickly put it on.

When she was done she reached out for the crutches that Brooke had left by the bathroom door earlier.

Silently thanking her mother for putting down the brand-new plush carpet on her bathroom floor, Sam carefully levered herself up with the crutches, and turned towards the sink.

Opening the cabinet above the sink, Sam removed her toothbrush and toothpaste, and for the next 10 minutes proceeded to brush her teeth, and wash her face with a bar of soap from the soap dish.

Finally satisfied with everything Sam turned around on her crutches, and limped out of the bathroom, and into her room.

When she entered her room she was greeted by the sight of Brooke waiting by her bed. There was a baby blue t-shirt from her closet, and a pair of dark blue sweats, laid out on her bed. The right foot of her blue and white sneakers was also sitting in front of her bed.

With a slight smirk on her face Sam said, “Well, well, well. What do we have here? It looks like my own personal fashion coordinator has decided my outfit for the day. Is that right Ms. McQueen?”

“Why of course Madame McPherson. I have your outfit ready and waiting for you to wear. I hope you agree with my selection. I do aim to please.” (Oh, and there are just sooooo many ways I could please). Brooke thought as she returned Sam’s smirk.

“Oh? And are you planning on making this a daily thing Ms. McQueen?” Sam said as she limped closer to Brooke, the smirk on her face turning into a full-fledged smile.

“Oh yes Madame McPherson. I plan to help you select your clothes for the next three months. That is, only if you don’t mind me rifling through your closet each and every morning?” Brooke said with a teasing smile as Sam came even with her.

“Well since you’re soooo willing to do it, who am I to stop you,” Sam said with a twinkle in her eye.

“Glad to hear it,” Brooke said continuing to smile as she reached down for the t-shirt. She was enjoying this newfound ability to banter and joke with Sam that she had never been able to do before.

So for the next 15 minutes Sam and Brooke set the routine that they would follow for the next three months.

And on this first morning they both solidified a friendship that they had both wanted, but had never known that they needed.

To be continued…

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