Wounded Legacy Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The restaurant was full and they had to wait outside for their table with a beeper, that would let them know when their table was ready. Lily was so happy, she couldn't stand still, as she jumped from one line on the sidewalk to the other. Sam was her real Mom, on paper, with a judge's signature and nobody could take her away. Tim and Selena smiled at one another, then looked at Sam. Tim said, "Well Sis, you didn't have to change all the diapers for Lily, so maybe you can help us out with them." Sam frowned, not getting what he meant for a moment, "You mean, you two are having a baby?" As it finally sunk in, Robbie looked up into their smiling faces,"Oh, oh. How wonderful! Two grandchildren. I wish Luke could be here." She was happy and sad all at the same time as she hugged them.

Sam felt the same way her mother did, but her happiness outweighed any sadness tonight. Lily was truly her child, legally as well as in her heart. All the visits from Social Services didn't seem nearly as bad now, even though the woman that had made the visits, was not very nice to them. She had tried to find a way to prove that Sam had stolen the child. Of course she couldn't prove any wrong doing at all, far from it, but it was trying for them at the time. Now, they would never have to put up with her frowning face again. Sam laughed at Lily's attempt to crack open a Lobster. She had chosen that, with Tim's prodding, as her celebration meal. A hamburger would have suited her just as well.
The next morning Sam and Jericho started early, taking care of the horses at the barn, Matt showed up earlier than they expected and he was a big help to them, taking some of the work load off of Sam. They loaded the horses in the trailer and two four wheelers on the trucks.

The calves had been taken away from the mother's two weeks earlier and had been separated into a holding pasture far enough away from the mother's, so they didn't try to go to them. Today they would all be loaded onto trucks and taken to market, with the help of the horses and four wheelers. Sam was glad for the chill in the air today, it seemed to give her the energy she needed, with a little extra to keep her on her toes before heading out to the low grounds. They would start bringing the weaned calves in to the waiting trucks first and then go after the more crafty ones, that had jumped out of the way of the waiting trucks at the last second, saving them for last. The money from the calves would give her the extra money to rent a piece of land that adjoined their property.

Jake's debts had taken a large chunk of their funds and Sam had devised a plan to build them back up again. The thought of having to sell any part of the ranch, was heavy on her mind these days. Sam and Tim had talked over the options and come up with a solution. It was long term and wouldn't happen overnight, but it was a solid plan. Sam had rented several hundred acres to build the cattle herd on. The purchase of another herd of cows with calves at their sides, would eventually make more money for the ranch. Sam had hardly ever even taken a paycheck from the ranch, all her needs had been pretty simple. Now though, she needed to think about Lily and all the things she would be needing in the future, so the success of the ranch was up to her and it weighed heavy on her shoulders.
With Luke's death, Sam had to come face to face with the realities of life. She now realized that her mother wasn't getting younger either. Sam was responsible for all of them and she took her responsibility seriously. Tim had been a major help to her, advising her on how to prepare for any contingency. As Lily's only parent, she had to be sure that if something happened to her, there would be someone to take care of Lily. Tim and Selena had assured her they would love to have her with them. The list of things to take care of, became a weight around Sam's neck. One day a week had been dedicated to the office. It was too easy to put it off and fall behind Sam had found, since Luke was no longer there to take care of things. Sam had always used the evenings to catch up on the book work, but now she spent that time with Lily and other things.

Lily loved to be in the kitchen and had encouraged Sam to join she and Robbie with some of the cooking. Sam began to enjoy it almost as much as Lily did. Robbie and Lily had been playing a game, pretending that they had their own cooking show. Trying to work around one another in the old fashioned kitchen had become increasingly hard to manage, so Sam and Jericho built a center island and did away with the table in the middle of the kitchen. They moved the table over in front of the window and put bar stools at the island. Lily was delighted to have so much space to spread out, whenever she was chopping on her very own chopping board.
Robbie had always made soups and chowders when the weather began to turn cold and Lily loved helping her make them now. The were making a huge pot of chili for Sam and Jericho today, the rest they would freeze in meal size containers.

The last truck pulled out of the ranch just before dark and Sam came in and stood in the doorway with her nose pointed upward. "Mmm, I smell chili!" she said smiling. Lily jumped down from her stool and ran to her, "Come on, take a taste of it!" She told her as she grabbed Sam's hand and dragged her over to the pot on the stove. Sam willingly went with her and took a taste. "I think that's the best chili I ever tasted, Lil. You guys are going to have to enter the fair next year with that recipe."

Lily and Robbie winked at one another, "We plan to! But, we have to get the recipe just right for the cheesy corn bread first. We have work to do on that." Lily told her with a stern little face. Sam left them to take a long hot shower. When she got out and walked into her room, Lily was sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow. "Hey Lil, what's up?" she asked casually. "Jake is in the kitchen." Lily told her with fear in her eyes. Sam quickly threw on her clothes on and ran down the steps.

Jake was sitting at the island, with Robbie. He looked up at Sam and smiled, "Hi Sam." Her hand was holding onto the door and she couldn't take the few steps toward them, her mind was racing with all the things that could take place with Jake here. Desperately trying to calm herself, she nodded to him, without smiling. Jake was still looking at her with that..smile. She had never seen this smile before, it was..soft. Robbie looked at Sam and told her, "Come have some coffee with us hon. Jake is just visiting." Sam relaxed a little and went into the room, almost skirting around Jake, not wanting to be near enough that he could touch her. Her brain would not shut up as she searched for something to say to him, without success. Taking a deep breath she sat across from them on a bar stool and took a sip of her coffee, hoping her nerves weren't showing.

Jake sat his cup down and folded his hands, leaning back against the stool, "Sam, I know you are still afraid of me. You sure have a right to be, but you don't need to be anymore. I came here today to ask a favor of you and mom." Sam's lips tightened into a thin line and she looked straight into his eyes. Suddenly she realized his eyes were different, softer somehow too. She relaxed a bit and waited for him to continue. Robbie stood with her head down and Sam couldn't read what she was thinking. "Sam, I've been in therapy since the day that Dad took me to the hospital. I've come a long way, but I need to go a lot further with it. In order to see and confront all of my demons, I need for you and Mom to come to a session with me." Jake told her in a very quiet tone.

Sam was trying to gauge this new tone in Jake's voice and comprehend what he was asking. Robbie cleared her throat, "Sam, he's asking for our help. Do we give it to him?" Sam jerked her head over to her mother, "I'm thinking!" She was immediately sorry to have spoken to her mother that way, "I'm sorry Mom. This is just so..out of the blue. Why do you need us to help you Jake?" He smiled, "You have all put up with me through the mean and hateful times, but.. I don't remember what happens. I need to understand what I have done to you. I'm not proud of any of it, I just want to change Sam. I can feel myself leaning toward becoming a different person, but I need help in finding who that is."

Sam felt a shiver go down her spine as he spoke with such feeling. She had never thought that Jake actually had feelings, just anger. A memory of one Christmas came into her head, of Jake throwing his toys around the room and into the tree. They weren't the ones he had wanted and he began to break everything under the Christmas tree. Her new bike had gotten bent from his tirade and she couldn't even ride it that day. Her hurt and tears were gone unnoticed by her parents, while they tried to calm Jake down. He threw the fit and got all the attention afterwards too, always. Now, here he was asking her for help. "Jake, I think I need more information. I can't put myself in a situation that would..be hurtful." she told him. He nodded, "Well, maybe you and Mom could meet with my therapists without me the first time. Would that help you to be more comfortable?"
Sam tried to digest this without seeming too hard on him. She laughed at herself, still the sister trying to make everything alright, "Yes Jake, I think that might be better. I'm very glad that you are continuing with this. It seems..well, you look good." Jake laughed, "You mean I don't seem so frightening? I know Sam, I don't feel angry anymore. That is because of the meds I'm taking." He looked at her to see how she responded to this information. Sam showed no sign of approval or disapproval, she just sat very still. "Sam, I have a letter for you. I hope you will read it." He got up and told them goodbye, he had to go. He was working on a small ranch not far from them. It gave him enough money to live on and a roof over his head in the bunkhouse.

As the door closed behind him, Lily came into the kitchen and climbed up on Sam's lap. "Is he coming back again?" she asked warily. Sam needed to be very careful how she answered, Lily was so scared of Jake she needed to make her feel safe. Robbie answered for Sam, "He will only be back if we invite him honey. He won't just be coming in the door, the way Jericho does." Lily contemplated this and said, "Good. Will he make me go away?" Sam grabbed her tighter, "Never! You are mine and you and I are staying right here where we belong. Right Mom?" Robbie joined them in their hug, "Lily, you are home, where you belong. We might have to help Jake to continue to..heal. He might come back, but you will always be safe honey. I won't let anyone, especially Jake, hurt you." Sam told her. Lily was not convinced, but she didn't tell them, she kept it to herself....and just smiled.