Tara drove cautiously on the way back from the hospital, taking special care to avoid any bumps or potholes that could aggravate Sam’s bruised ribs. Not that he would have noticed; he slept the entire ride back to his trailer. Watching him, Tara realized that he shouldn’t be left alone in this condition. So not bothering to wake him, she let herself in with his spare key and packed a week’s worth of clothing/ Next she drove straight to her apartment. Tara shook him awake and he blinked in surprise.

“This isn’t my trailer.” he said groggily.

“I brought you home with me. Come on, let’s get you inside.”

“Okay,” he mumbled as Tara helped him out of the car.

Lafayette, whom she had sent home earlier with the baby, opened the door. He took one look at Sam and winced. “Damn, Boss Man. Look like you got hit by a truck.”

“I feel like it, too.”

Jesus had also come over and he helped Tara get Sam into bed.

“Could you get his things out the car please?” Tara asked Lafayette.

“Sure thang, cuz.”

While Lafayette retrieved Sam’s belongings, Tara and Jesus tried to make him as comfortable as possible.

“You need anything?” Tara asked Sam once they had him settled.

“I’m fine,” he said, then immediately dozed off again.

“Whoa, that was fast. What’d they give him?” Jesus asked. Tara showed him the discharge papers. He read them and let out a whistle. “Strong stuff; I doubt he wakes up before morning.”

By this time Lafayette had returned. “Sam gonna be stayin’ with you?” he asked.

“Of course he is,” Tara called over her shoulder, going to check on Maya. “He can’t take care of himself while he’s like this.”

“That’s the truth,” Jesus said. “He’s going to need a lot of help until he can use his arm again.”

“Sam ain’t gonna like being so far from his restaurant,” Lafayette warned. “You know how he is: scared thangs will go to hell if he ain’t there to supervise.”

“Then he’ll just have to deal with it,” Tara said matter-of-factly. “Besides, everything is under control. I called Arlene from the hospital and she’s okay with running the restaurant for as long as it takes Sam to recover. Terry promised to look after the apartments, and I found a tree service to finish cutting down those limbs.”

“Go ‘head on with yo’ bad self! And you was worried about him taking over,” Lafayette said.

Tara shook her head. “I’m not taking over, I’m just taking care of Sam.”

“Uh huh. Call it what you want, but you is definitely in charge.” He laughed. “Come on, Boss Lady. I made dinner, and you needs yo’ strength if you gonna be buttin’ heads with Sam Merlotte.”

They ate the food that Lafayette had prepared, then he and Jesus cleaned the kitchen while Tara put Maya to bed and took a quick shower. Jesus looked in on Sam one last time before they left, but he never stirred.

“Thanks for everything guys,” Tara said, hugging them both as she saw them out.

“No problem; we’re family,” Jesus said, returning her hug. “Now you get some sleep. You’re going to have your hands full.”

Once they were gone Tara finally climbed into the bed beside Sam, careful not to jostle him. She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep. It had been one hell of a day.

***********

When Sam finally awakened early the next morning, he immediately realized that he wasn’t in his trailer. This room was bright and feminine, and Tara’s perfume scented the sheets. Thinking back to the day before, he vaguely remembered that she’d brought him to her place. He smelled coffee brewing and heard Maya’s giggles in the distance. They must be in the kitchen. Sam tried to get up but stopped dead in his tracks when a knifing sensation tore through his left side. He fell back onto the bed groaning in pain. Tara must have heard him; she was at his side in a flash, a worried expression on her face.

“You okay?” she asked. “What were you trying to do?”

“I need the bathroom.”

“Tara helped him out of bed the way Jesus had shown her and walked him to the bathroom. Sam stopped her at the door.

“I can handle it from here.”

Afterward, he slowly made his way to the kitchen. As soon as Maya saw her daddy, she babbled excitedly and raised her arms to be picked up.

“Sorry princess, Daddy can’t pick you up right now,” Sam said kissing her hand instead. He gingerly seated himself at the table where Tara had scrambled eggs, toast and a cup of hot coffee waiting for him.

 “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“My shoulder and side are throbbing like crazy.”

“I’ll get your pills, and when you’re done eating I’ll put some ice on your shoulder.”

After the pain medication kicked in and Sam was feeling a little better, he gave Tara a grateful look.

“Thanks for taking care of me. I don’t know how I would have managed without your help.”

Tara smiled. “No problem, babe.”

“Well I should probably head back home. Would you mind giving me a ride?”

Tara stared at him in disbelief. “Are you serious? You can’t stay there by yourself.”

“But…”

“But nothing. Dr. Qureshi said you can’t move your arm for three weeks. That means you can’t drive, cook, or even dress yourself.”

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“Stay here with us.”

Now it was Sam’s turn to stare, hardly daring to believe what he’d just heard. While he was thrilled at the prospect of living in the same house with Tara and Maya for three weeks, he hoped she wasn’t just offering to let him stay out of some misguided sense of duty.

“Are you sure about this, Tara? I don’t want to be a burden.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure, and it would be more of a burden for me to come by your trailer every day.”

Sam was stunned into silence, surprised yet pleased that Tara was so committed to his care.

“In that case I’d love to stay here,” he finally managed to say.

“Great! Now I can be sure that you’re actually following the doctor’s orders,” Tara said, giving Sam a peck on the cheek. She lifted Maya from her high. “Now let’s get the two of you cleaned up; Arlene’s coming by to go over next week’s schedule.”

Arlene arrived later that morning along with Terry and the kids. She took one look at Sam and burst into tears.

“Oh Sam, what have you done to yourself?” she sobbed.

“I’ll be fine in a few weeks; it looks worse than it is.”

“You look a lot better than you did yesterday,” Terry said. “By the way, I followed Arlene here in your truck. It’s parked out front,” he said, handing over the keys.

Sam smiled. “Thanks, man.”

“Can me and Coby play with the baby?” Lisa asked Tara.

“Sure,” Tara settled them in a corner of the living room with Maya while Sam, Arlene, and Terry discussed the restaurant and apartments. It was obvious that Sam wasn’t feeling well, so they finished their business quickly and promised to call with regular updates.

After they left Tara made sandwiches for lunch, carrying them to the living room on a tray in order to spare Sam a trip to the kitchen. While they ate, she told him that she’d found a service to finish removing the damaged tree limbs at the apartments.

“Shit, Tara! What’d you do that for? I don’t need a service for something that simple!” Sam complained.

“Then what’s your plan? You obviously can’t get on a ladder anytime soon.”

“Do you know how much those services charge?”

“Not nearly as much as that trip to the emergency room,” Tara quipped.

Sam tried to think of a counter-argument, but couldn’t. “Alright, you win.”

After lunch, Tara was preparing Maya for her afternoon nap when she noticed that Sam was looking a bit pale. “It’s time for your medicine then you need to lay down yourself; you’re still not at 100%.”

To her surprise, Sam agreed without putting up a fight. “Okay, Maya and I can take a nap together.”

Tara helped Sam back to the bed and carefully laid Maya against his right side. Sam stroked her back with his good hand. Maya snuggled closer, laying her head on his chest patting him in return.  

“You keep doing this and she’ll be spoiled rotten,” Tara said with a smile.

“She’s supposed to be spoiled; she’s daddy’s little princess.”

Tara laughed and shook her head, but she was pleased that the two of them had formed such a close bond.

Within minutes, both father and daughter were asleep. Tara used the quiet time to catch up on chores. It was a good thing she did; that afternoon a steady parade of Sam’s friends and employees dropped by to check on him. Andy Bellefleur brought an ice chest full of frozen meals prepared by his grandmother; Tara wouldn’t have to worry about cooking for at least a week 

It was early evening when the last of their guests departed. After seeing the last person out, she collapsed on the sofa next to Sam.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted,” she said. “Are you okay with calling it an early night?”

“More than okay,” Sam said. The day’s excitement had already taken its toll on Maya; she had conked out nearly an hour ago.

Tara gave Sam his pain medication and settled him into bed, making sure he was comfortable before climbing in beside him. She dozed off immediately.

Sam lay in the dark, preoccupied with thoughts of the woman who slept beside him. In the last 24 hours, she had taken better care of him than anyone else had in the last 20 years. She had stayed by his side, never wavering, anticipating his every need. It was at this moment that Sam realized he was head over heels in love with Tara. He wasn’t sure how she would react to that revelation so, terrified of scaring her away, he vowed to keep his feelings to himself. Sam sighed, wondering if he had made a mistake by agreeing to stay here. Because once he recovered and the time came for him to return to his trailer, he wasn’t sure that he’d have the strength to go.

*********