Sam Sawyer Chapter Six

Reality
changed Tuesday night. So, Wednesday could not be just another day. It was
another world and not just for Sam, who had already stepped over into fairytale
land…

Kathy Wyatt
lay in a hospital bed. Her recovery would be slow, but at least certain. Two
broken ribs, a sprained knee and fractured nose and blackeye, would keep her home for a while,
her parent’s home, that is. But her mind needed to be reset just as much as her
bones.

Teaching was
her passion, but learning was her addiction. The front door of a brand-new
library had cracked open for her last night, then slammed shut. A new world
suddenly existed for her. She was determined to explore it.  She had to find Earthman, (what a goofy
adorable moniker). She had to learn all his secrets. Conventions she had built
her life on were now nothing more than confetti in a windstorm, lost to her
forever.

Even as a
child she had never acquired a taste for comic books or fantasy. Not even the
fine literature fantasy; such as Alice In Wonderland, or The Little Mermaid
piqued her interest. She was simply too pragmatic for such nonsense. But that
was before she met a God. Well, maybe god was too strong a word, but he
certainly was no man or monster. He killed the monster, with freight train
force. Found her, saved her then flew away faster than any bird could ever hope
to fly. Superman was real! She was going to find him. He did say he wanted to
keep in touch. Surely, he would keep his word. But how could he without
revealing himself to her. He’d find a way…

The horrific
image of Sarah’s slashed throat shrank to a pin prick against the blue Carolina
sky. Sam was flying so high so fast he need not worry about being seen. He was
marking his territory, the sky, his new walking path no, his playground, his
domain. What troubles can a man have when he can just fly away from them.

That was of
course a totally silly notion, but he was in a silly mood. Even now the
authorities were investigating Kathy Wyatt’s abductor, Grissom Sykes’, death.
Sam had no doubt of that. And no doubt they would find his DNA, but what sort
of DNA would that be? Inhuman? They would also find a bullet lodged in the back
seat. They would also hear from his victim Kathy Wyatt, hear that his killer
had killed him in self-defense and in so doing saved her life. 

No doubt
some newspaper would tag him a vigilante killer, so be it. His DNA was most
certainly in some alien spacecraft flying who knows where and they just don’t
care. Besides that, until now he had lived a most uneventful life. Yes, his
mother committed suicide. But that was well

 18

documented.
They did not take his DNA then and have no earthly reason to take it now.
Therefore, they do not have a clue who Earthman is. Moreover, a bullet bounced
off his head last night like a marshmallow and that was after he passed right through a steel door. So,
he was not overly concerned about his well -being.

Kathy on the
other hand concerned him greatly, and not just because of her injuries. He
touched her last night, in a most intimate way and learned instantly what a
wonderful person she was. This was new. It was good. He wanted more. Who knows
maybe she had taught him how to be lonely? He had also touched Sykes. His filth
was just now beginning to flake away. He would find her when he felt clean
enough, which would be any minute now…

He could not
read her mind. But he could now track her. Last night’s psychic contact with
her had made her a permanent resident of his mental landscape. He could always
find her, tune her in and pinpoint her location. And, for a moment, see through
her eyes.

She was
resting peacefully at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. It was 9:00 A.M.,
plenty of time to shower away the last nasty remnants of Grissom Sykes and
drive, not fly to the hospital. He wasn’t sure they would let him see her, but
he could, at least have some flowers delivered to her room. 

It was almost 10:30 when he pulled into the hospital parking
lot. The medical facility was impressive, but not that different than any other
hospital. He walked up to the front of the building an eastward facing glass
wall. It was obviously designed to catch the morning light, opened its double glass doors walked to the
reception desk which was awash with a golden glow. He had to admit, it had an
uplifting healing effect. Of course, he was already in a good mood. The cheery
ambiance would make it a lot easier to charm his way in. He hoped.

He knew he
might expose himself, but he also figured the police weren’t interested in
investigating the paranormal. Which is exactly where this investigation would
lead them.

“Hi is Kathy
Wyatt able to receive visitors,” he asked the receptionist, a plumpish middle aged lady with a gleaming smile and disposition to match.

“And you
are,” she asked cheerfully.

“A friend.”
He tossed it out with crossed fingers.

“Room 287,”
she said handing him a visitor sticker, which he promptly slapped on his shirt
pocket.

“Thank you
so much.”

“You’re
quite welcome.”

A short
elevator ride and he was soon walking up to her door.

19

He tapped
ever so lightly. “Come in.” Her voice sweet as it was weak.

He eased in.
The room was an awkward uncomfortable white trapezoid, just big enough to
accommodate her bed, a small wheeled table, a portable toilet, and snuggly fit
two smallish adults. He shoehorned his 6-foot 2 broad shouldered frame into the
only open space, which was right beside her bed and smiled down at her.

“Do I know
you?”

“Ah, uh, we
met last night.” He said, involuntraily diverting his eyes. She looked like a mummy, a
horribly abused mummy.

“Earthman!”

“Not so
loud.”

“It’s you. I
recognize your voice, ooh,” She tried to sit up but couldn’t manage it.

“Please just
rest. I, I just wanted to see if you were still okay, and just so you know my
name is Sam, Sam Sawyer.”

“My parents
went down to get some breakfast. You saved my life. They have to meet you, if,
if that’s all right?”

“Of course,
but I’m not sure I’m ready to tell them what I am, so...” His voice lowered to an
inaudible whisper as he began to take in the full extent of her injuries.

“I know Sam.
I look awful.” Her one exposed eye glanced away and began to tear.

He knelt
beside her. “I didn’t know he hurt you that badly.”

The left
side of her face and her nose was buried beneath a thick layer of white gauze
and tape.

“He broke my
nose an almost fractured my left eye socket.”

“Don’t think
about him, just know your wounds will heal. His won’t.”

“I, I want
you to see that Sam. I want you to see me the way I was before. If it weren’t
for you…”

Just then
her parents returned. Her father, a short man dressed in gray slacks and white
shirt that strained against his round belly, gave him a quick nervous glance.
Her mother, a white- haired lady looked prim and proper in her neatly pressed tan pantsuit was slightly taller than him, reached out to take Sam’s hand.

20

He jerked up
blushing and reached out and loosely clasp it. Much to his surprise she grasped
his tightly. “You must be him.” She pulled him to her bosom and wrapped her
arms around him and wept into his chest. “We almost lost our baby, we almost
lost Sarah. Thank you.” Her weeping drowned out the rest of her words. Her father stepped up. His short stubby arms
tried to surround them but couldn’t quite manage it.

“Okay guys,”
Sarah said, “don’t squeeze the life out of him.”

Their bear
hugs loosened as they parted and sniffled.

“Young man,”
her father began, “anything and I mean anything we can do for you, well you
just name it.”

Sam blushed
again “I just want her well. That’s all I want.”

“Okay,”
Sarah broke in “Now that all the waterworks are out of the way, this is my
father Micah and my mother Jenny. And this is Sam and…” she paused. “He is. Can
I?” She rolled her right eye at him. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded yes.
“Earthman. I wasn’t hallucinating. He flies and crushes bad guys and he’s, he’s
something new.”

They looked
at each other. “We believe you dear. He is right out of a comic book, just like
you described. So tall and handsome, just like Superman.”

He blushed
again.

“I don’t
quite know what to do with that, except be grateful and impressed.” She
continued, “But we believe you. Don’t worry,” Jenny said, beaming up at him,
“this is our secret. We owe you that, and so much more. You did good. That’s
all that matters to us. Whatever you are Sam, we don’t care.  You are good. That’s all that matters. You
saved Sarah. That’s what you are to us. That’s all you’ll ever have to be to us.”

Sarah let
out a little groan, “I think my meds are wearing off.”

Sam turned
back to her, “you rest, heal, I’ll come back later, okay.”

She nodded
weakly. Her parents side stepped around him, giving him room to leave. Cramped
as they were, they still managed to give him one last group hug before he left…

They watched
him leave her room. But who was he? They were determined to find out.

Sam had
never felt such genuine warmth. It sweet, new, exhilarating, distracting…

“Sir, we
would like a word with you. It was the police. Detectives.

Sam looked
up just as he shut the door. Two men were suddenly in his face. One tall and lanky
past middle age. His suit dark, shirt white, conservative, sharply creased,
buttoned down carried not
a speck of lint on its black fabric, his FBI costume- Chief Detective Joel
Williams. His partner, easily ten years his junior, was short and pudgy. He
also wore a suit, but not that well. His white shirt was about to squeeze out
of his tourniquet brown belt. His coat, light tan, wrinkled open, spread over a pair light brown slacks begging for suspenders, which was constantly being pushed down by his water melon gut-Detective Dan Stover.

He also wore a pale blue paisley clip on tie. Williams tie was black and perfectly
knotted by his own hand. They were clichés but that did not mean they should be
dismissed or underestimated. Sam’s early morning silliness evaporated like the
morning mist.

Sam jerked, taken aback by the unexpected confrontation and found himself staring straight into Detective Williams dark narrowing eyes.