Love In A Nick Of Time

by Stephanie Jean Smith

  Allen was on his feet, “Where’s Samantha?”

  “She’s been taken to Immanuel Hospital.” Michael put his hand on Allen’s shoulder for support. “I don’t know how bad it is, I just know that she’s in surgery. I’ll take you there, while these officers finish up here.”

  The ride to Immanuel Hospital was made in silence. Allen was mad at everybody: mad at Samantha for going to work this morning. Mad at himself for not stopping her and mad at the police for not finding her sooner. Allen should have known that Samantha’s cowardly ex-boyfriend was going to be a problem; he should have taken care of him weeks ago when he visited her at the hospital.

  “Allen I know you’re angry right now, but the officers from the scene assured me that Samantha’s condition was not life threatening.”

  “I’m tired of playing games with Samantha. When this is all over I’m going to lock her in our bedroom for the rest of her life.”

  Michael chuckled to himself. “Yeah good luck with that little project.” He sobered up once he realized that he hadn’t called Jenna to tell her about the situation with Samantha.

  Allen looked over at Michael and gave him a knowing glance. “You forgot to tell Jenna about Samantha’s disappearance, didn’t you? All hell is going to break lose at the Johnson household tonight.”

  Michael pulled his car into the Emergency parking lot at the hospital to drop Allen at the door. “My wife is a reasonable woman and she’ll understand that finding out about Sam was more important than filling her in on the case.”

  “Now who’s being delusional, I do not envy you at all. I’ll bet you twenty bucks that after Jenna rakes you over the coals you’ll be back at the hospital, probably before I even find out what’s going on.” Allen got out of the car and went through the double doors to the front desk. The woman working the front desk was concentrating on the screen and not really paying him any attention. “Excuse me Miss, I’m here to check on my fiancée Samantha Graham?”

  “Just one moment Sir I need to check our records.”

  “Okay.” Allen was grinding his teeth, there’s nothing worse than waiting for information. How many gunshot victims came into the hospital today?

  “Thanks for waiting Sir, Miss Graham is stable and heading for her room, she’s being moved to room number 7204.”

  “Thank you! Could I speak to the doctor?”

  “Yes sir, just walk through the double doors. If you give me a minute I’ll buzz you in.”

  “He walked through the doors and the doctor stood there waiting for him. Are you Samantha Graham’s doctor?”

  “Yes I treated Miss Graham and sent her upstairs. Are you the fiancé?”

  “Yes. So how is she?”

  “Well, Miss Graham was grazed by a bullet on her side; we stopped the bleeding and stitched her up. She has a few other bruises and abrasions other than that she’ll be fine. I admitted her because I found out she had major surgery a few weeks ago, I just want to monitor her tonight and make sure she’s alright. Any other questions?”

  “No. Could I get her room number again and which way do I go?

  “She’s been moved to room 7204, just follow this hallway until you get to the gift shop then you want to take a left to the elevators.”

  Allen called Mike and told him Samantha’s condition, there was no need for him and Jenna to make a special trip. He bet Mike wouldn’t be able to keep Jenna from the hospital. Allen walked through the bland Emergency corridors making his way to the hospital’s main building. When this was over and Samantha is able to say “I do” they were getting married. A husband has so much more rights than a mere fiancé.

  It took him about ten minutes to make it to the seventh floor. Samantha’s room was a couple of doors from the elevator. Samantha was out like a light when he entered the room. Allen sat in the chair next to the bed and started arranging for their future. He called Mary and gave her an update on Samantha and to call the courthouse tomorrow and secure the next available date for a civil ceremony.

  “Allen.”

  Allen jumped when he heard Samantha’s voice. “Woman you’re in so much trouble. I knew you just couldn’t go to work and come back home.”

  “I’m sorry baby. Do you forgive me for all the trouble I’ve put you through?”

  He kissed her before responding. “You owe me big time for the scare you gave me today.”

  Samantha put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the mouth. “What kind of forfeit do you want me to pay?”

  Allen pulled the box that held the diamond ring out of his pocket. He showed it to her before putting it on her finger. “You’re probably not ready to hear this, but I want you to be my wife. I love you and I know you love me too and we’re too old to be playing games.

  Some people have an instant connection. If you weren’t so afraid of being rejected we could have been married by now. I knew back in Chicago that I wanted more than a one-night stand. I told Kevin I wouldn’t ask you to marry me I would just command you to marry me. That’s not what I want we’re in this thing together so I’ll ask you again. Samantha you’ve captured my heart, will you marry me?”

  Samantha lifted up her hand to look at her ring, it was a beautiful diamond encrusted in smaller diamonds. “My ring is beautiful Allen, and yes, I’ll marry you on one condition.”

  “What is that?”

  “No big wedding, you, me, and a judge, maybe a couple of friends as witnesses.”

  There was no way Allen was going to tell her that he had Mary working on it already. “Thanksgiving’s in a couple of weeks we probably wouldn’t be able to schedule the ceremony until the following week. I’ll get Mary working on it right away.”

  “We’re having Thanksgiving dinner at Jenna and Mike’s house. What are Mary’s plans for Thanksgiving?”

  “She probably doesn’t have any plans since we’re the only people in town that she knows.”

  “Make sure you invite her to dinner she’s a part of our family too.”

  “You know there's another reason why I love you. You’re so generous and compassionate.”

  “Well I guess I met my perfect match.”

  Sure enough before Allen could take a seat, Jenna and Mike burst into Samantha’s room. “I expected to see you guys earlier.”

  Jenna frowned at Allen, “We would have been here sooner if Mr. Homicide saw fit to tell me that my best friend was missing in the first place.” Jenna turned to Samantha ignoring Mike and Allen. Then she screamed when Samantha showed her the engagement ring.

  Allen held out his hand and Mike took a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and gave it to him. “This was easier than taking candy from a baby.” Allen held the twenty up to the light to make sure it was real.

  “Yeah just you wait; your days as a single man are numbered.”

  Allen gave Mike a devilish grin, “I certainly hope so.”

  ***

  Chapter 14

  A lot had happen since her attempted kidnapping. Brian was in jail waiting for a February hearing for two counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to kidnap. ACLU was pushing for another charge of corruption of a mentally disabled person. His cousin Bernie was in the Immanuel Village undergoing therapy. His doctors didn’t know if he would walk again. Charges against him are pending based on whether not the judge deems him mentally competent to stand trial. With Samantha’s encouragement, Allen provided him with the best lawyers in the state of Nebraska.

  Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went, and Samantha and Allen still weren’t married. Mary wasn’t able to set up a civil ceremony until December 31st. Allen was frustrated with the whole process and suggested on numerous occasions that they just fly to Vegas to get married. Samantha welcomed the extra time to ensure that Kevin and Debra could attend the ceremony and it gave her more time for Allen’s surprise.

  Allen wasn’t too thrilled about her spending last night at her house to have a girl’s night with Jenna, Connie, and Debra. She even invited fri
ends from her e-mail group. She had to promise him that there wouldn’t be a margarita in sight. Samantha convinced him that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride the night before the wedding. It also gave her the time she needed to check final arrangements for the party at the hotel. She booked a floor of suites at the Hilton, which was no easy task for New Year’s Eve; she had to call in a lot of favors.

  Today was more than just her wedding day, today she would give Allen a present that he’d been longing for most of his life, his family. Samantha sat in the tub on her wedding day thanking the Lord for her blessings. She never thought the day would come that she would find the love of her life or even entertain the idea of marriage.

  Allen smashed every one of her fears about marriage and children. He made her realize that just because her parents failed her and Kevin didn’t mean that they would fail their children. Her man is fierce and stubborn, but his heart is pure. He embraced her friends and treated them like his, and he moved his office to Omaha just to be with her.

  When Allen told her about his natural mother and how he came to be adopted by the Archer’s she sensed a need in him to know where he came from. Why did his mother leave him at the orphanage never to return? Samantha laid the groundwork determined to find out what happen to Allen’s mother. After her initial search she hired a private investigator to follow up her leads. Samantha even submitted Allen’s DNA to a testing lab so the families she’d been in contact with could get tested as well. After months of researching, texting, and emailing families looking for missing children from Vietnam, one of the families was a match.

  She received a call from the lab on Monday about the DNA match and had the family contacted immediately. Her investigator provided her with the background information on the family. Hong Hanh and Charles Coleman, Allen’s natural parents were married in Vietnam before his birth and made their home in Washington DC all this time. Charles Coleman was a marine stationed in the Bingh Long Province during the Vietnam War; he was injured in a skirmish and lost one of his legs. He was sent back statewide not knowing what had happened to his wife and son.

  Hong Hanh left her son in the care of her Aunt who worked at one of the orphanages near the Cambodia border. Knowing that her son was cared for gave her the freedom to search for her husband, but no one would tell her that Charles had been injured and sent home. She went back to collect her son to find that her aunt had died from a sniper’s bullet and that her son and the other orphans had been moved to another location fifty miles away. She never saw her son again and wouldn’t be reunited with her husband for another three years.

  Although the Coleman’s never stopped searching for Allen, they did settle down in the states and try to have some type of life. They never stopped searching for their oldest. Hong Hanh and Charles have three other children, two boys and a girl: Mark, Darren, and the baby of the family, Janice. Samantha wanted to include the Coleman’s in the ceremony somehow, but they respectfully decline not wanting to spoil Allen’s surprise.

  The Coleman’s would be at the New Year’s Eve party tonight. They arrived in Omaha yesterday. She had the whole family flown in with the exception of Mark a naval officer who was on duty and couldn’t make it. Samantha, Jenna, and Connie met with all of them yesterday and provided them with information about Allen, his company, and recent photos of him.

  Upon meeting the Coleman’s Samantha was filled with anticipation and dread. Was she doing the right thing? All of her fears were set to rest when she met them at the hotel. Hong Hanh was petite woman with dark eyes, salt and pepper hair, and her face appeared calm and serene until she smiled, then the whole room lit up.

  Charles was tall and slender, and his hairline was beginning to recede. Like Allen he too wore his hair cropped closed to his head. Samantha could see the similarities between Allen and his parents, he had his mother’s smile and mannerisms and his father’s height and dark eyes. She also saw in their eyes the suffering they endure for thirty years as they searched for their missing child.

  Janice was the spitting image of her mother although she was a little taller and wore her hair longer. She brought her husband Jeffrey and their twin daughters Karen and Sharon. The two little girls couldn’t have been more than six years old. Their laughter was contagious making her want to laugh too. Darren was a younger version of Allen, he was just as tall, maybe even taller, but he didn’t have Allen’s arrogance and confidence.

  Samantha welcomed Allen’s family and tried to make them feel at ease as she told them her plans for Allen to meet them at the New Year’s Eve party. She could tell that his family was anxious too, they were probably worried that Allen would deny them or wouldn’t want to know them. She tried to assure them that in finding them he would finally be whole. Now all Samantha had to do was keep Allen occupied after the ceremony so he wouldn’t become suspicious.

  “Hey girl, are you going to spend all day there or are you going to get married?”

  Samantha, pulled out of her musings, quickly got out of the tub and dried herself off. “I’m coming!” She quickly put on her bra, panties and thigh highs. She had her hair up for the occasion. She quickly applied her makeup, and put on her jewelry. Allen would never forgive her if she was late and they had to reschedule the ceremony. She opened the bathroom door and saw Connie and Jenna who of course were already dressed. This felt like déjà vu, when she and Connie helped Jenna get dressed for her wedding.

  “Come on girl shake a leg.” Connie removed the protective plastic surrounding Samantha's silver brocade Anne Klein suit. She helped Samantha get dressed while Jenna helped her with the checklist. The notched collar and single buttoned suit fit her like a glove, the pencil skirt ended right above her knee.

  “Okay. Something old?”

  “I have on my pearls.”

  “Something new?” Samantha showed Jenna the gold bracelet that Connie and Jenna gave her last night.

  “Something borrowed.”

  “Debra gave me this lace handkerchief.”

  “Something blue?”

  “I’m wearing Laura’s garter that you wore on your wedding.” She slipped on her shoes and looked at her appearance in the full-length mirror by the window. “Ladies, in less than an hour I will be Mrs. Allen Archer.”

  “For corn sakes look at the time!” We’ve got less than forty-five minutes to get you to the courthouse or you’ll miss your appointment and I’m sure Allen will blame me and Connie.

  “What about the rings?”

  “Mike’s got the rings.” Connie grabbed Samantha’s hand and pulled her out the door. “Get your ass out of the house now; we don’t have any time to waste.”

  ***

  They made it to the judge’s chambers in a nick of time, just in time to hear the county clerk call them into the chamber. Of course everyone else was there waiting for their arrival. “Hey don’t look at me it’s not my fault it took Connie so long to find a parking spot.”

  Connie’s mouth dropped open. “If Jenna and I hadn’t been at your house dressing you, you’d still be sitting in the tub daydreaming.”

  Allen looked so good in his black tailor made suit with a silver silk shirt and tie which matched Samantha’s suit. Love and desire rumbled in the pit of her stomach as she stared at her husband to be. Allen winked at her and gave her a quick kiss before pulling her into the judge’s chambers.

  Kevin went to console Connie before entering the chambers. “Don’t worry Connie, I didn’t believe Sam for a minute, waiting for her to get ready is like watching paint dry.”

  Samantha couldn’t help but cry, how did she get to be so lucky? Mike stood next to Allen as Jenna and Connie took their places at her side. Kevin, Debra, and Mary brought up the rear to watch history-taking place. Two of the most unlikely people fell in love and sealed the bargain with a commitment to love and cherish each other for as long as they both shall live.

  “By all the laws of God and the state of Nebraska I pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss
your bride.”

  ***

  Chapter 15

  They celebrated their wedding ceremony with an early lunch at the Courtyard. Samantha could barely eat her salmon salad; she was nervous and jittery in anticipation of tonight. She was having a hard time following the conversations around her; lucky for her that everyone else seemed willing to fill in the gap. She hated keeping secrets from Allen and he seemed to sense that something was wrong.

  “What’s the matter sweetheart; you’ve barely touched your lunch? Allen rubbed his hand up and down her thigh trying to make her feel at ease.