Free The Weakness in Me by Josie Leigh

caused her pain.
    “Just be there for her, Sammy, she’ll always be there for you exactly how you need her to be,” he returned her smile.
    “I know,” Sammy said before leaving his room.
     
    **
     
    Another month passed and Sammy was slowly becoming the woman he knew she was. He still found her crying in her room or screaming from nightmares, but her physical therapy and counseling appointments were helping her. Plus, he was there to make sure she didn’t spend too much time in her head, and learned how to get her life back. Well, the new version of her life, anyway. Yet, she never really lost total control over her emotions in front of him. Neither of them mentioned her night terrors or flashbacks, because he knew it would cause her to retreat further.
    Jason was still helping on his days off, with Sara, Jessica, and Sammy’s mom, Kelly, filling in the blanks. Caleb had been an only child, but his parents helped out when they could, even though they lived further away. Two more weeks remained before she would be given clearance to drive, but she was fighting for more independence now, even though the MRI hadn’t completely cleared her head nor her legs as back to full strength. It was no secret that she’d been informed that her hip would never recover as it had to be partially replaced because of the accident.
    Jason was beginning to wonder how he’d still fit into their lives when she was through her recovery. He knew they were friends again, with no reservations whatsoever that he would be welcome in her house. Plus, they’d made plans for the garden in the spring, but would she still let him help with Corigan?
    Only one thing about their future worried him, and that was her upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be a tough day for everyone, but she was becoming more and more withdrawn as the day got closer. She was trying to put on a brave face, but he could see it was going to destroy her progress. Jason knew he needed to get her outside of her shell somehow, because internalizing her pain was doing no one any good, something he knew her therapist was telling her. If only she would listen…
    “And what about Anderso n and Associates?” Sammy asked. Jason watched her as she sat at the kitchen table, back ram-rod straight, fingers poised over her laptop, black wire rim glasses sitting on her nose, deep in conversation with someone from her office. The early afternoon sunlight streamed in from the large picture window behind her, bringing out golden highlights in her dark hair that he’d never noticed before.
    ‘ God, she’s beautiful when she’s running her business, very no nonsense, ’ Jason thought, setting Corigan down in her high chair, beside the kitchen island. As he went about getting everything together for her lunch, his eyes drifted back to her several times. Sammy hadn’t even acknowledged that they’d entered the room.
    “Why?” Sammy asked, seeming worried, leafing through the stack of papers sitting beside her computer, before returning her eyes to the screen. “What did Jamison say?” She started typing furiously as she listened, getting more and more agitated with every keystroke, “Laura, I need you to get on this, we can’t lose this contract,” she continued, even more restricted than he’d thought she was capable of in her, obvious, anger. Jason watched her take a deep breath before starting again, “Look, I know I’m supposed to take it easy, but I’m not opposed to having Sara drive me into the office to bust heads. Let everyone know that just because I’m not there, it doesn’t give them the luxury to slack off. I’m counting on you to get this done, Laura,” she finished with an icy calm before slamming her phone onto the table with a loud crack.
    She was definitely seething, he concluded, but the command she had over her emotions now was almost scary. His Sammy had always been very wary of letting anyone in, emotionally. Since her father left, she had a hard