Free A Mother's Heart by Isabel Sharpe, Sharon Sala, Linda Cardillo Page A

let him.
    A few moments later, they got off the elevator and headed for Libby’s room. Sammy started talking as soon as they entered.
    “Mama! Mama! You’re awake. I’m so glad to see you. Are you still sleepy? Can you stay awake long enough to talk back to me today?”
    Libby was sitting up, waiting for Sam to arrive with Kate and the boys. Relieved that they were all in one piece, she grinned and then patted the side of her bed. “Sit here for a minute, honey. Mama needs a big hug.”
    Sam lifted him up. “Hug easy,” he said.
    Sammy nodded. “I love you, Mama,” he whispered.
    “I love you, too, little man.”
    Sammy patted her shoulder, then when Libby leaned back against the pillows, he began telling her about what happened.
    “Mama, there was a whole bunch of people downstairs shouting at us and taking pictures and it was crazy, and someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out from behind Grandma Kate and she couldn’t make them get back, and Charlie was holding on to me and Pete so we would be safe and then Daddy came. He made them shut the hell up and—”
    Sam rolled his eyes and mouthed the word sorry to Libby. It was all she could do not to laugh.
    “…then he told them he was a jackass and—”
    Libby looked at Sam, then laughed out loud. Sammy kept talking without missing a beat.
    “…and said he loved you forever and that if it hadn’t been for me, you and Daddy would still be lost. And he called me a hero. He did, Mama. He said I was a hero for finding him. Do you think I’m a hero, Mama?”
    Libby didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I know you’re a hero,” she said. “You’ve always been my hero.” She patted his knee, which seemed to be the signal for Sammy’s story to continue.
    “Then he told them to leave or get rested and they didn’trun fast enough and Chief Fite got ’em first. Right, Daddy?”
    “Pretty much,” Sam said.
    “I’ve got something to add,” Kate said. “Libby, you don’t know how grateful I am that you’re awake. I love you like a daughter and have been half out of my mind with worry.”
    She hugged Libby quickly, then looked at Sam before continuing.
    “I might have had reservations before, and I don’t know where you two are with fixing what’s between you, but after today, I say go for it. When I saw him pushing his way through that crowd to get to us, I knew it was going to be all right. And while I’m sure you’ll be seeing what he said on the evening news for at least a week, I’ll tell you right now he said all the right things.” Then she patted Sam’s arm and gathered up her grandsons. “I’m going to leave you three to visit on your own. Charlie…Pete…tell Libby goodbye. We’ll visit longer when she’s feeling better.”
    “’Bye, Libby,” they echoed, and hurried out the door.
    “Better take the back exit,” Sam said. “Just in case there are some stragglers.”
    “Oh Lord…you’re right,” Kate said, and hustled out the door to catch up with the boys.
    Sam slid an arm across Sammy’s back, then took Libby’s hand with his other so that they were all connected.
    “I have something to say to both of you, and it needs to be said now before another moment passes. I’m so sorry for not being a part of your lives and I hope you’ll give me a chance to belong. Sammy, I love your mother very much, and I’ve already said you are my hero. But you don’t really know me, and that’s my fault.”
    “Yeah,” Sammy said. “But I’m learning.”
    Sam sighed. “I’m learning, too. Like I won’t be saying bad words around you anymore because they’re not okay.”
    Sammy shrugged. “I already knew that. If you’d asked, I could have told you myself.”
    Libby arched an eyebrow, then smiled as she leaned against the pillow and closed her eyes.
    “Looks like your Mama is pretty tired,” Sam said. “Maybe we’d better go.”
    “Are you gonna eat supper with us again?” Sammy asked.
    “Yes, Kate invited me. Maybe