The Ten of Them – Chapter 12

Sam had nightmares nearly every night she spent alone in her room, they all involved Lester, her Aunt Nichols boyfriend, who abused Sam and ended Nicole’s life. As a result Sam would run to the elevator and jump in bed with us three or four nights the first week.

I found out no matter where I lay Sam down on the bed, in the morning I would always wake to find her on my chest sound asleep. After the third or fourth time, I simply lay down with Sam on my chest. Kathryn snuggled into us with one arm over Sam. As soon as Sam felt Kathryn’s arm wrapped her in a hug and could hear my heart beating she would relax. Sam felt secure like that. It is what always worried about Sam’s sense of security had been lost.

Sam’s sense of security was lost because the loss of her parents followed by the loss of her grandmother. They were the three most important people in Sam’s life to that point. Sam’s Aunt Nicole took up the mantle of mother. Her old Mommy as Sam called her. Nicole had not prevented Lester from being abusive to Sam. To Sam it must’ve been something terrible, three tragedies followed by an injustice. All work together to strip Sam of her sense of security.

The first person I talked to about this was Ms. Clark. She said it is common but Sam’s case was worse than any four-year-old she knew of. I inform as far as Sam being four years old that’s only by the calendar. I reminded her how she acted around the other children. In reality Sam probably is a mature as most eight or nine-year-olds.

Ms. Clark had to agree with that. The oldest child, or the only child tend to be more mature, and Sam was that. Also her life experiences so far had served to mature her faster than normal. Ms. Clark and I knew there was two things we needed to do for Sam. First was to give her a sense of security, the second was to let Sam be a four-year-old. My own experiences didn’t serve me very well here, my father died when I was three and my mother through herself into her work. I remember in day care I was reading to the other kids, I think that is why Sam is with me. Maybe I was the one person to truly understand Sam and her life and needs.

Every day I would try to do something with Sam typical for a four-year-old, Kathryn and her sisters was a lot more help here. Kara quickly becomes one of Sam’s favorite aunts along with Karen they would spend more time with her and often took Sam for swimming with them. I insisted that Sam always wears her lifejacket when she was just playing in the pool. Sam’s favorite thing to do was to jump into the pool and let the lifejacket bring her right back up to the top of the water.

It comes time Kathryn’s period and she does miss it, we purchase a couple early pregnancy test and both come back positive. Kathryn makes a doctor’s appointment with her OB/GYN. Sam and I wait what seems like forever in the waiting room at Kathryn’s doctor’s office. I stood up and began to pace back and forth. Sam giggles and held up a book asking, “Daddy will you read this to me?”

It is a children’s book and I know Sam can read it easily, but she gives me her puppy dog face I can’t disappoint her. Like Kathryn says it works on me every time. I pull Sam into my lap and begin to read the book. It makes the time pass by less noticeably. By the time the book is at its end Kathryn is rubbing her hand on my shoulder. With a bright smile she says, “The doctor believes I’ll be delivering on the tenth of March.”

I asked Kathryn, “Did you ask him about if I could stay in the hospital room with you?”

Kathryn says, “After I told him, that I could not sleep without you at my side He called the hospital and checked on a VIP family room. Unlike normal rooms they only have one large bed. As long as you behave yourself you can stay with me. Even Sam can be there too.”

Sam has a bright smile and she gives her mother a hug. For the first time Sam shyly ask of Kathryn, “Mommy I get to be there when the baby is born?”

Seeing how important it is to Sam Kathryn says, “Of course you will be there when your sister is born. Why would I have you anywhere else?”

Sam says, “Because Great Grandma said she hoped I would be with her when the baby came.” Now a little nervous Sam asks, “Is Great Grandma going to take me away? She said, her house would be finished soon and she would be going home.”

Now Kathryn takes Sam off my lap and holds her tightly to her chest she says, “Sam you are my daughter just as much as the child I’m going to have. Great grandma loves you and would love for you to come to visit. That doesn’t mean you’re going to stop being my daughter.”

Sam now a lot more relaxed asks, “I don’t ever have to stop being your daughter?”

Kathryn kisses Sam and replies, “No my beautiful little Sam, you’re never going to stop being my daughter. I will always be your Mommy from now on. No matter how many babies I and your Daddy have, you will always be our first daughter.”

With a smile I say, “That’s right Sam you’re always going to be the biggest sister to all your little sisters.”

With large eyes Sam asks, “How many little sisters am I going to have?”

Kathryn and I both say in unison, “Twelve.” Kathryn giggles and says, “Not all at one time Sam.”

Sam says, “That is a lot of little sisters to look after.”

With a chuckle I say, “That’s mine and your mother’s job, you get to help a little. Your real job is to help them have fun and be little girls like you.”

Sam interjects, “But Daddy I’m a big girl.” I’m coming to realize Sam hates for me to refer to her as a little girl. The look of displeasure on her face is really enough to tell me that.

I say, “That’s why you get to help a little. Family always helps. Sam, you’re always going to be my daughter.”

Sam hides her face against Kathryn’s chest as she holds to Kathryn tightly after a moment or two Kathryn gently pulls Sam’s face back to look into it. We see tears rolling down Sam’s face and Kathryn asks, “Why are you crying my beautiful little Sam?”

Sam says, “Mommy you and Daddy made me very, very happy.”

After that Sam seems to be more secure about being a member of the family. Sam is still a little Angel, maybe just a little bit precocious, and more willing to ask a question or two. She lets her curiosity out now she feels safer. She also isn’t afraid to love and she’s even managed to sleep in her room a couple nights, she said she wanted to try to do that.

After Sam’s next nightmare about Lester, I had her tell me everything she could remember about it. I hoped having her fear out in the open would help her to overcome it.

Sam told me, “My dream is the same every time. It starts with a phone call and you making Mommy take me to the safe room. You know Daddy where you make us go when bad things happen. Grandpa and Uncle Marshall comes in they got guns. Uncle George comes too and he’s got a gun too Daddy. You make Uncle Marshall stay with Mommy and me in the safe room with everybody else, the whole family but you guys are there.

Even inside the safe room Daddy we hear the booms and uncle Marshall gets real nervous, and Mommy begins to cry. That’s when I wake up Daddy. I can’t stand to see Mommy crying.”

While we were going on with our lives, Lester’s lawyer was working to get him out of jail.

The wheels of justice seem to move slowly, but as the time went on more, and more evidence mounted against Lester. A balloon bag which only has his fingerprints on it was identical to the balloons found in Nichols stomach that contain the drugs.

The District Attorney filed first-degree manslaughter charges against him. The DA felt he could not prove pre-meditation therefore no murder charge. But he had all the evidence he needed for an airtight case of manslaughter. Lester had been on the run for so long that he had two prior convictions in absentia. With a conviction here he will receive a life sentence as a career criminal.

Justice is blind, and your innocent until you’re proven guilty. That gives the innocent and the guilty the same chance to prove it. Unfortunately the guilty use that against the rest of us. Without witnesses a case becomes much harder to prove. Lawyers get evidence thrown out against their guilty clients. Every mistake by law enforcement is exploitable. The exclusion of video evidence from the courthouse damaged the DA’s case. No sign warning of videotaping was present. The sign torn off by a drunk the night before and not replaced till the fifth. That left only the witness testimony of the Sheriff and the deputy doing the processing.

As far as I know, he was nearly forty years old having been a criminal since his teenage years. He still had outstanding warrants for other felonies in other states including another manslaughter charge. Apparently he had beaten his last girlfriend before Nicole so severely she died from her injuries. Lester was a violent individual with no remorse for his actions. His lawyer who came from out-of-state hired by his family seems to be just as lacking morals. But the law says you will have the best defense possible or you are a free man. Lester’s lawyer proved he was ruthless in the pursuit of his client’s freedom.

Uncle George said, “I hated seeing what was going on and could not be part of it, other than being a witness. I do worry that the judge assigned to the case would allow Lester to have bail. Although it may be fairly high due to the fact he is a high flight risk. If he ever gets a bail set I’ll let you know and if the asshole ever makes it. I will clear my schedule just come out and teach you how to shoot skeet.”

Well enough about Lester right now.

Uncle George showed up every Saturday spent time with Marshall and Misty, shortly after Alyssa’s cooking classes Marshall had to start running with us in the morning. Marshall chuckles saying “Be careful what you wish for, I wished Misty was a better cook. Now that she is I have to exercise or I’ll get fat.”

When the weather was too hot, we invited him to do laps with Kathryn and me. Now Sam was trying to do laps as well, her first day she got through three laps before I saw her floating to rest. The next few days sees a steady increase in the number laps Sam and Marshall did. Misty came by too and plays in the pool with Sam when she wasn’t doing laps.