Sacrifice by M.G. Morgan

people Sam was now working for.
    It was all such a mess. He dropped onto the mattress and buried his face in his hands. He wasn’t supposed to get involved, well not really. And yet when he looked into Natasha’s eyes he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t walk away. And he certainly couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t beginning to feel something.
    The sound of the water cut off and Sam stood, uncertain about where exactly he should be when she came out of the bathroom. What was he supposed to say? He’d promised he’d be here. But not just here. He’d promised he’d be here for her and he’d meant it. He wasn’t sure what had come over him. Saying things like that was dangerous. The last thing now that he wanted to do was add to her hurt, her distrust of others.
    It hit him then, Sam wanted her to want him. Wanted her to look at him with trust in her eyes. He wanted to be the one person she could rely on. The person she could come to when things had turned to madness. A rock when she needed it…
    Stupid! So stupid!
    How had he allowed this to happen? He had a job to do. He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the missed call sign. She was worried, it was the only reason she was calling so much. And he couldn’t blame her. She’d already lost one son.
    But Sam was here for a reason. He was here for her. He had to see this through. He couldn’t let her down, not now, not after everything. Everyone else had always let her down. His father, his brother… And now the doctors. They’d let her down but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. There was nothing more important in this life. Nothing more important than family…
    “Is everything alright?” Natasha’s voice cut through his thoughts, making him jump. Hastily he shoved the cell phone back in his pocket and looked up at her with a small smile.
    “Yeah, I was just checking some messages…”
    “Look, if you need to be somewhere else. If there’s someone else that needs you, then I’ll understand. You’ve already done more than enough for me.”
    He could see from the set of her shoulders that she had obviously prepared herself for being alone. Prepared herself for him to walk away. But he wouldn’t. This was a job but it had become so much more. And he would see it through. Spending time with her couldn’t hurt. It was a lie and he knew it but it was easier to lie to himself than to realise the truth.
    “Nope,” he spread his hands wide and shrugged, “I’ve got nowhere else to be but with you. And I did say we’d go and get something to eat. I don’t know about you but I am starving.” He grinned at her in the hopes that he’d get to glimpse even a peek at her own smile. She deserved to be happy. Deserved to smile all the time.
    She did smile at him. It was a little stronger than the one he had seen in the bathroom. She picked her bag up from the seat near the desk and searched around inside for her phone. When she tugged it out she flipped it up and stared at the screen for a minute.
    She chewed her lip and Sam watched her, taking mental notes of all the cute little things she did. She seemed to be deep in thought, her brow furrowed as she clicked away on the cell phone for a second. She glanced up at him suddenly catching him as he stared at her.
    Her face flushed with colour and she smiled again. A sort of lopsided grin. A smile that he would do anything to see over and over.
    “So where do you want to go?” She asked, the intensity of her blush making her look only more vulnerable.
    “Let me surprise you.” Sam winked, all of his fears and worries slowly melting away. The more time he spent with her the easier it was to forget what he was really doing here.
    She seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding and heading for the door. Sam followed her out the door before slowly taking the lead to his car.
     
    Sam pulled the car into the car park beside the restaurant. Restaurant was probably too generous a word for the place