Numb

Sam made her way quickly to the car, forgetting about the pharmacy and her news in the process. HE had done it to her again. She had given him a chance and he had let her down again. When was she going to learn that she couldn't trust him ? When was she going to have enough of Steve ?
Right now, she decided. This time, he hadn't just mooched off her until he sucked her dry and made her run away. This time he had put Alex in jeopardy. She had no intention of waiting around and letting Luka handle things. She had let him back into their lives and she was Damn well going to be the one to fix it.
She jerked the door opened and slide in behind the wheel.
" Put your seat belt on. " she told Alex through gritted teeth.
" Luka told you ? " Alex sighed. " No, he didn't get a chance but I figured it out myself. " she answered, starting the car and pulling out.
" Please don't be too mad at him. " Alex said, settling back into his seat.
Sam glanced at him with angry eyes. " Why didn't you call me last night ? Why didn't you let us know what was happening ? "
Alex shrank back at her tone. " I wanted to give you and Luka some time together. Nothing happened. I just went back to bed. Nothing happened. "
" Something did happen, Alex. " Sam snapped. " Your father was doing drugs in our living room. What was he doing exactly ? "
" What do you mean ? " Alex asked.
" Was he smoking something or sniffing something ? " she explained.
Alex looked away from her. " No, he had one of those needle things. " he said, quietly.
Sam punched the brakes hard as she slide the car into a parking spot outside her building.
" He was shooting up ? " she glared at him.
" I guess so. " he answered.
Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. " I want you to go to Ms. Doorman's apartment and stay there until I come and get you. " she said in a calmer voice.
" Am I in trouble ? " he asked, timidly.
Sam forced and smile and ruffled his hair. " Of course not, Baby. "
" Are you going to make him go away ? "
" Yes, I am. I have to Alex. I didn't make this choice, he did, when he brought that crap into our home. "
Alex stared up at the window of their apartment for a minute. " Will I get to say good bye ? "
" I don't know. " she answered truthfully.
" Will I ever see him again ? " he asked, still staring at the window.
" I'm not sure, Sweetie. Probably. I mean he is your father. "
" I'm really glad we're moving in with Luka. " he said, turning towards her.
Sam smiled at him. " Me, too. And I have more to tell you, but I need to talk to Luka first. "
Alex smiled, " Are you getting married ? "
Sam thought about that for a minute. " Maybe. Someday. "
" I hope so. I don't ever want to run away from Luka like we did Dad. " he told her.
" We won't ever have to. " she assured him.
He hugged her briefly and got out of the car.
Sam followed him up the stairs and around the corner, then she watched as he knocked on the door to the apartment across the hall. Ms. Doorman smiled as she answered the door and assured her she could take as long as she needed to. Alex was safe with her.
Sam thanked her and turned to her apartment as the other door shute sqe squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and opened the door.
Steve was laying stretched out on the couch, watching television, surrounded by mounds of empty food containers.
" I want you to get you shit and get out of my apartment. " she told over the roar of the sports game playing loudly.
Steve didn't bother to take his eyes off the screen or acknowledge her existence.
She glared at him and stepped to the television. Bending slightly she turned it off and pointed to the still opened door.
" I said, get your shit and leave. " she repeated, harsher this time.
" I heard you. I just didn't care. " he said reaching for the remote.
He switched the television back on and started watching it again.
Sam reached behind the set and yanked the plug from the wall.
" Sammy, you're really pissing me off. " he huffed at her.
" I want you out. "
" Does this have anything to do with that Luka guy because really, Sam, you could do better. " he sighed, disinterestedly.
" It has to do with Alex seeing you last night after he went to bed. He told us about it. " she explained.
Steve paled a little before jumping up from the couch. " What did he tell you he saw exactly ? " he asked, defensively.
" He saw you shooting up. " Sam told him, crossing her arms over her chest.
" He's lying. " he answered, mimicking her gesture with his arms.
Sam's arms went to the hips. " What ? " she yelled. " That little boy loves you. God knows why, but he does. How could you possibly expect me to believe that he would make something like this up ? "
" I'm telling you, " he shouted, taking a few steps closer to her " The little brat is lying and I'm not leaving because he wants to make shit up about me so he can have his Luka instead. "
Sam backed away from him, not realizing she was backing towards the door. " You are leaving if I have to call the cops to get you out. " she yelled back.
" You are going to take his word over mine ? " he shouted, still advancing.
Sam noticed as she continued to retreat from him that she was in the hall now. The only place to go from here was down the stairs. She glanced at Ms. Doorman's door as she thought she saw it moved, but quickly returned her attention back to Steve.
" I would take his ove over yours any day. Hell, " she bellowed, " I would take a strangers word over yours. "
She thought she heard sirens in the distance, coming closer but she couldn't be sure, her heart was pounding in her chest and Steve was still moving closer to her. She hadn't seen him this angry in longer than she could remember but her cheek involuntarily tingled.
" I want you to get out. " she repeated her earlier statement in a quieter voice.
" I told you, I'm not leaving. " he answered, sneering at her.
" Well, we aren't staying, so the apartment is all yours. " she told him, defiantly.
" Really, running away again ? " he scoffed.
" Why are you afraid that if we do, Luka will come after you ? You weren't such a big man last night while he was talking to you. "
She had backed up to the top step of the stairs. Now she was completely out of running room.
" I'll eat your little boyfriend for breakfast. " he said, glaring down at her.
He was close enough now Sam could feel his breath on her face and the smell of beer on his breath was overwhelming and nauseating. It would serve him right if I puked on his shoes, she thought.
" I doubt that, but you'd be dumb enough to try. " she answered, raising her chin a bit in contempt.
He snarled loudly at reached out his hands to grab her, but when he did she instinctively stepped back, trying to get away from him and found herself tumbling down the stairs.
Head over feet she plummeted, smacking her forehead against one step and the back of her head against another.
When she finally came to rest at the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the sirens, she had heard before and they were definitely louder now. In fact they were so loud her ears were ringing from the shrill sound.
Then there were people surrounding her, looking down into her face and pulling on her coat. She couldn't make herself move. She couldn't make her mouth work.
There was something thick filling up her mouth and she felt it bubbling out between her lips.
Whoever was pulling at her coat had in mostly off now and she could feel hands tugging at her. Then she blinked and Luka was there beside her, saying something to her that she could make out. She couldn't hear him over the ringing in her ears.
She finally reached out her hand to grab his shirt weakly and willed her mouth to move.
" the baby, " she breathed, then her eyes closed on their own and she drifted off.

Luka jerked his head up and stared at Steve as the police were dragging him down the stairs beside them. The ambulance workers were working on Sam and he backed off when her eyes closed and let them do there job. His eyes searched the top of the stairs looking for the face that he knew he would find there.
" Is she okay ? " he asked, one of the ambulance people.
" Her pulse and pressure are steady but she has some head traumou wou want to ride along ? " the tall woman asked, as she picked up the IV bag and stood.
" No, I'm going to follow you with her son. " he said, still trying to see into the darkness of the landing.
" We're taking her to Mercy. " she answered.
Luka snapped his head back to her. " No, no, take her to county. She's a nurse there and I'm a doctor. Tell them Luka said it was Sam. "
The woman nodded to him and went about helping them raise the gurney from the floor.
Luka looked back at Sam laying unconscious on the stretcher and felt his eyes burning. He pushed the feeling away. He needed to be strong right now.
" What did she to you ? Was it anything we should know ? " the woman called as he started up the stairs.
" It didn't make any sense. She just said, something about a baby. " he called over his shoulder, not stopping to talk.
He heard the doors opened and the clanging of metal as they rolled her out the door.
" Alex, where are you ? " Luka called.
An officer was standing beside the neighbors door talking to her, but she looked away when Luka topped the stairs.
" He ran into their apartment. " She told him. " I couldn't stop him. The police have been trying to get him out of his room since they got here. "
Luka nodded to her and thanked her quietly.
There was another policeman standing at the door to Sam's apartment.
" I need to get Alex so we can get to the hospital. " he told him.
" Who is Alex and who are you ? " the officer asked.
" I'm Luka Kovac. Alex is the son of the woman who fell. I need to get him. His mother needs us. " he answered.
" What relation are you to him ? " the officer asked, easing up a bit with the attitude.
" I'm his stepfather. " Luka lied.
" All right. He's apparently locked himself in his room and won't let us in. We didn't want to scare him further bu knocking the door down. Maybe you can get him to open up. "
" I can. " Luka assured him.
He went to Alex's door quickly.
" Alex, it's Luka. Open up. We need to get to the hospital. " he called through the closed door.
The door opened immediately and Alex flew into his arms.
" Is she okay ? Is she going to die ? " he asked, between sobs.
" I don't think so. She just hit her head pretty badly. " Luka assured him.
" Did they make Dad leave ? " he questioned, still crying.
Luka scooped him into his arms and carried him from the apartment.
" Your Dad went to jail. " Luka told him.
Then he stopped by the officer at the door.
" Check the couch. I'm pretty sure you'll find drugs there, that's what this was all about. " he told him.
" I'll need a statement from both of you. " the officer said, glancing at the couch.
" We'll be at County General. " he called over his shoulder, leaving no room for argument.

Carter meet them at the door when they arrived. Luka was still carrying Alex who was clinging to him for dear life and still crying.
" How is she ? " Luka asked, at seeing his friend coming towards them.
" She's going to be okay. She has a pretty bad concussion but all the x-rays are clean. We're just doing an ultrasound now. But the heartbeat is regular and strong so the baby looks okay, too. " he told him as they started walking.
Luka stopped and stared at him.
" Baby ? " he asked, having to concentrate to make the words.
Carter looked at him dumbfounded. " I thought you knew. " he answered, quietly.
" What's he talking abou" Al" Alex asked, from beside Luka.
Luka turned to him in a fog. " I guess, your Mom is going to have a baby. " he answered.
Alex's eyes grew wide and he squeezed Luka's hand.
" With you ? " he asked.
Luka blinked and chuckled softly. " It better be. " he smiled.
" I' m really sorry. I thought she told you this afternoon. " Carter apologized when Luka turned back to him.
" Nope. " he answered, as they started walking again. " She said she had something to tell me, but I got called to a trauma. "
" Oops. " Carter offered.
" I can act surprised if you want. " Luka said.
" Well, actually I was trying to hurry you up so you could see the ultrasound. " Carter informed him.
" Oh, well. So much for the surprise. " Luka answered.
" Does that mean we get to see the baby ? " Alex asked.
" Yep, " Luka told him.
They stopped outside a door and Luka could see Sam laying in a hospital bed from the window.
" Here we are. " he told Alex.
" Is she awake now ? " he asked.
Luka picked him up and he smiled brightly when his mother waved at him through the glass.
" Can we go in ? " Alex asked.
Luka looked to Carter and the shorter man opened the door.
Luka carried Alex to the bed and him him down.
" Are you okay ? " Sam asked, smoothing his hair out of his face.
" Yeah, I'm okay. There were police everywhere, it was cool. " he told her. Then he laid over her and wrapped his arms around her.
" What happened to Steve ? " Sam asked, looking up at Luka.
" They arrested him. I told them about the drugs, too. " he answered.
Carter looked up at hearing that but didn't comment.
" I have something to tell both of you. " Sam said, taking a deep breath.
" Dr. Carter already told us. Can we see it ? " Alex blurted out.
Sam frowned at Carter and he looked to the floor.
" I didn't know they didn't know. " he said, in way of an apology.
Luka smiled and kissed Sam on the forehead. " I have no idea what you all are talking about and I have no idea why there is an ultrasound in here. But I wish you'd be quiet so Sam can tell us what she wants to tell us. " he said.
Alex looked at him like he's lost his mind, then looking at his mother he understood.
" Yeah, Mom. What's going on ? " he asked.
Sam laughed. " We're going to have a baby. " she told them.
" Wow ! Mom. That's great. I never would have guessed. " Alex said, over enthusiastically.
" I love you. " Luka told her.
" I love you, too. " she answered. Then she looked down at the foot of the bed where Carter was standing. " You, I'm not too pleased with. " she told him.
" I'm really sorry, Sam. I would never have said anything if I thought they didn't know. " he apologized again.
" It's okay, " she assured him.
Dr. Bradford cleared the room leaving Sam, Alex and Luka alone with her and Abby.
They watched the ultrasound and the doctor confirmed that everything looked perfectly normal. Sam whined when he told her, she needed to stay in the hospital over night.
After Dr. Bradford left, Abby offered to take Alex to get something to eat and they left them alone.
" I love you. " Luka said, settling himself in the narrow bed beside her. " And I could kill you for taking off like that on your own. You promised you would let me handle this. "
" I love you, too. And I'm sorry. I know I promised. But when I figured out what was going on. I just went crazy. " she tried to explain.
" And you could have gotten yourself killed. " Luka added somberly.
Sam looked away from him.
" I couldn't go through that again, you have to understand that. Seeing you laying there at the bottom of those stairs, brought everything back to me. "
She reached out and touched his face lightly. " I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. All I could think about was that he had put Alex in danger and I wanted him gone. I didn't think he would hurt me. "
" Promise me you won't ever do anything like this again. " he asked her with heavy eyes.
" I promise. " she nodded.
" Promise me something else. " he smiled taking her hand and kissing it.
" Anything. " she answered.
" Marry me. "
Her breath caught in her lungs for a moment and she had to try to push air back into them.
" Marry you ? " she asked.
" Yes, Marry me. " he answered without hesitation.
She kissed him softly. " I promise. " she whispered.