Theorizing that one could time-travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top-secret project known as Quantum Leap.  Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the Project Accelerator…and vanished.

 

He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own.  Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained through brainwave transmissions with Al, the Project Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett can see and hear.

 

As evil and neutral forces alike do their best to stop Dr. Beckett’s journey, his children, Dr. Samantha Josephine Fulton and Stephen Beckett, continuously strive to retrieve their time-lost father and bring him home permanently.  Despite returning home several times over the last decade, Dr. Beckett has remained lost in the time stream…his final fate no longer certain.

 

Trapped in the past and driven by an unknown force, Dr. Beckett struggles to accept his destiny as he continues to find himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong with the hopes that his next leap…will be the final leap home.

PROLOGUE

“When can I go home?” Doctor Sam Beckett heard himself question, though he could not feel his body nor physically hear the words.  The blue-white light was everywhere, healing him, giving him strength.  His body was nowhere and everywhere, now and then.  Only the time-traveler’s soul could speak out.

“Soon enough, Sam,” a benevolent voice replied.  “Not until you are ready.”  The voice often spoke to Sam while he was in this void, but the leaper was never certain of its origins, whether it was external or internal, or both.

Before the quantum physicist could ask another question, he felt the familiar pull of his being getting reassembled, every aspect of his body convalescing somewhere in the past.

Dropping into the body of who or what he was to occupy next, Sam blinked, opening his eyes.  The leaper felt the pull of something strong in his arms begin to provide some resistance against his hold on it.  Losing his balance, he almost fell to the ground before someone gripped his arm and pulled him back.  Looking down in his arms, he saw a wide hose leading through his arms.  “I’m a fireman?  Ohhhhh boy.”

PART ONE

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

14:28 MDT

As if the blazing fire didn’t seem to be putting off enough heat, Sam could feel the humidity and high temperature in the air as a hot wind blew across his face.  While he got back on his feet, Sam looked up at the apartment building that seemed to have had its third and fourth floors on fire.  The time-traveling scientist re-adjusted the large fire hose that he was occupied with and pointed it upward toward the third story, hoping that was what his host’s job was before he leaped in.  Just above the noise from the engines of the fire trucks and the fire itself, he could hear screams and a woman’s cry.  “My boy!  My boy!”

Sam quickly darted his head around in the direction from where he heard the cries, seeing a woman being held back by two policemen.  Then, he heard someone calling a name, and it appeared to be directed at him.

“Bardsley!” the voice bellowed, and Sam felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.  “There’s still somebody up there.”  The quantum physicist turned his head to glance at the person talking to him, seeing the words “Fire Chief” branded on his red helmet.  The Caucasian man looked to be in his late fifties, having large glasses adorning his face and a graying moustache under his nose.  “Are you ready, son?”

Sam nodded his head.  He wasn’t quite sure that he was ready for what he agreed to, but he was obviously needed—needed to save a life.  Is that what he had leaped there for?  The chief had said that there was still someone in the building, and Sam assumed from the look on the chief’s face that he was being appointed to go in there.

Turning off the water spraying from the nozzle and handing the hose to the chief, another firefighter, who was already geared up in a helmet and oxygen system, joined him at his side and they then hustled toward the main entrance of the apartment complex.  The first firefighter flew up the stairs after Sam was hooked up to his air system.  He was slightly falling behind, as he was not used to all of the heavy equipment or running up stairwells, while trying to get his helmet on properly.

They reached the third floor and the heat was overwhelming.  “Hurry up, Josh!  Chief said the boy’s on this floor, in room 308,” said the other feminine-voiced firefighter.  Sam made no notice of her voice as they barged through the emergency exit into the smoke-filled hallway.

Coming face to face with the door that led to apartment number 308, they noticed the smoke seeping out from the gap between the door and the floorboards.  It had to be then or never.  The smoke drew back as Sam lifted his axe up toward the door ready to chop it down, and as he brought his hand down, the female voice shouted, “Wait!”  Sam jerked his hand back, wondering what was wrong now.  He looked over his shoulder at her, who was pointing down at the bottom of the door as she called out, “Back draft!”

Sam was confused.  What did she mean by “back draft”?  Looking at the door, he didn’t understand what she meant.  Again picking up his axe to fight his way through the closed door, he yelled back, “If we don’t go through now, we aren’t going to be able to save anyone.”

The other firefighter grabbed his arm and her harsh tone caused him to take notice.  “We won’t be able to save ourselves let alone anyone else if we go through now!”

The time-traveler could barely see her face through the screen of her helmet and all of the smoke that filled the air, but he guessed that she was looking at him with more enormities than he could even begin to imagine.  “We break through that door now and the fire is going to plunge out to us, possibly killing one or both of us,” she finished.

She was right; Sam felt it in his gut.  Not knowing a thing about firefighting, he had no idea how to approach this situation—what he did know was how to trust his sixth sense. Right now, it was telling him to listen to this woman. 

“Chief, we need someone to break a window in this apartment.  We’ve got back draft up here,” the firefighter said into her radio.

“Roger that, Clarkson,” Sam heard the chief’s voice radio back.  Putting the walkie-talkie back in her pocket, Firefighter Clarkson turned back to Doctor Beckett.  “Well, Josh, now we just gotta wait… it’s the worst part, huh?”

Sam nodded in response.  “You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered under his breath, thinking about where Al could be.  Within a few seconds, they heard a crash and a scream from within the apartment.  “Now?” he asked of Clarkson, readying his axe.  She nodded in response, her eyes narrowing at him in suspicion.  ‘Maybe it’s just the pressure of this situation that has him so confused,’ she thought to herself.  ‘He isn’t very experienced with rescue operations.’

Sam wedged his axe through the door, breaking and splintering the wood as he removed it before attacking at the door once more, causing a crack to form down around the doorknob of the oak panel.  The fire inside was wild and blazing fiercely.  Sam held his arm up shielding himself against the heat as Clarkson kicked the door and it opened with a thud, the knob remaining attached to the doorframe.  Since the brunt of the fireball had kicked through the window when it had been smashed, they were able to go in without fear of a back draft.  Still, fire was burning everything Sam laid his eyes on.  Their only hope was to get to the boy whose mother was in hysterics down below.

Three other firefighters rushed into the apartment, fire hoses ready and blasting over the flames that were beginning to lick the ceiling.  Sam could hear the crying, and following the noise led him to a boy who was trapped under something that had not yet caught fire, fortunately for him.  Sam called out to his colleagues, “Over here!  I found him!”

Clarkson and a couple of the other firefighters rushed towards Sam as soon as he called, also seeing that the child was trapped.  They needed to get the boy out and time was running short.  “If we don’t get him out soon, he won’t be coming out alive,” Sam said to them with urgency.  Nodding back to the scientist, Clarkson looked at him questioningly, hoping he had a plan of action.

Sam brought himself down to the boy’s level, seeing that he was trapped under debris that had fallen from the ceiling.  It was soaking wet from a broken water pipe above that continued to spray water down upon them.  “It’s all right, we’re getting you outta here,” the leaper whispered to the frightened young lad.  “Someone help me get this stuff off him!” he called out almost frantically, and Clarkson came to his side immediately.  “We gotta get this off of him!”

Slippery as it was, Clarkson and Sam managed to get all of the ceiling material off, and Doctor Beckett scooped up the child in his arms.  “I’ll get him downstairs!” Sam called out, dodging the flames and the streaming water while taking the route back to the stairwell.  Not only was he relieved to have saved the child, but being free of the inferno also took a load off of his shoulders.

Bursting through the exit, Sam hustled with the boy over to the paramedics.  “His breathing is ragged; I think it’s smoke inhalation!” the leaper called out.  One of the paramedics took the child from Sam, who smiled at him before being whisked over to an ambulance.  The boy’s mother dashed toward the ambulance, screaming out her son’s name.

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Friday, September 8, 2006

17:07 MDT

Al yawned as he realized how long he had been sitting as his desk of papers piled four inches high.  The more he seemed to get through, the more work seemed to come to him.  If it wasn’t paperwork, it was something else:  inspections, employee reviews, observing his best friend Sam—which reminded him, things seemed to be very quiet on that front.  He wondered where Sam was.  Getting up to stretch his legs, he discovered it was time to top off his caffeine intake.  Even though he had a coffee machine in his office, the Admiral decided to take a breather from the décor of the same four walls that had been staring at him for the past five hours or so, and headed down to the cafeteria.

“Admiral Calavicci,” Ziggy announced when he stepped out of his office.  “Doctor Beckett has landed.  We have a visitor in the Waiting Room.”

“Great,” he huffed, annoyed as he was on his way for the much-needed boost of coffee.  “Have you got a lock on him yet?”

“Negative, Admiral,” the hybrid computer answered in a silky tone.  “Professor Lofton and Doctor Elesee are currently attempting to locate him since the visitor is not relaying ample information to Doctor Beeks.  He seems to be in a state of shock.”

Al continued walking down the hallway, absorbing the information.  “Well, keep me informed, Ziggy.  As soon as you get a lock on Sam, page me,” he requested, and continued on his way to the cafeteria.

When he was nearly three-quarters finished with his black, bitter brew of coffee, Al noticed Doctor Sammy Jo Fulton—formerly Fuller—enter the cafeteria, most likely after the same “nutrition” he himself had gone there for.  It was quiet at that time in the evening, and the cafeteria was sparsely populated.  “Good evening, Al,” the scientist greeted as she sat down with her mug.  “I suppose you know that Dad has leaped again?”

“Yep, Ziggy told me,” Al answered.  “As soon as I’m finished with this, I’m on my way to the Control Room.  Care to join me for your allotted time?”

Sammy Jo chuckled at his light attitude.  “But of course.  Every time he leaps, we come closer to perfecting the new Retrieval Program I’ve been working on ever since he leaped using the Time Displacer Unit.  Despite that, even if he might be controlling his own leaps,” she said, taking a quick sip of coffee, sporting a melancholy smirk, “I think this program can bring him home against his will.”

This time, Al laughed.  “You don’t know how strong Sam’s will can be, Sammy Jo.”  After he finished his coffee, Sammy Jo offered to take hers to go, and the two made their way to the Control Room.  Even though Sammy Jo was on maternity leave, Al had allowed her, after much debate on her behalf, to work on the Retrieval Program for an hour after Ziggy maintained a lock on Sam, upon which time one of her assistants would take over.

“Any news yet?” Al asked impatiently as he looked up at the sphere hanging in the air of the Control Room, and the staff took notice of his and Doctor Fuller’s entrance.

“Sorry, Admiral, but since Doctor Beeks seems to be unable to get any information from our guest, there is not enough data to lock on to Doctor Beckett easily,” Ziggy sighed.  The Admiral found the sigh a little unnerving.  The more he thought about it, the more human Ziggy appeared to be becoming.

The computer continued speaking before anybody could say anything further.  “I will continue my efforts, of course,” the computer said, sounding slightly miffed at the lack of co-operation.  “Naturally, it will also require the staff to work longer than usual.”  A couple of groans could be heard in the crowd, and Al looked around for the complainers, but gave up since everyone seemed to be still working hard.

“Well, I’m sure they’re all up for it.  Their paychecks are on the line, after all,” Al half-joked, and winked at Sammy Jo.  He then approached the main control board where Dominic Lofton and Donna Elesee stood, with Tina Martinez-O’Farrell off to the side working at her station.  For some reason, a vague memory of a timeline when he and Tina were lovers came to his thoughts... and she was cheating on him with Gooshie.  ‘Was that a dream, or did Sam have something to do with these fuzzy memories?’ Al mused silently as Sammy Jo and Dom exchanged technical chatter.

“We have a name,” Ziggy said, her voice hauntingly neutral.  Then, even more hauntingly, her speakers played back the recording.  The occupants of the Control Room heard the voice of Doctor Sam Beckett say, “My name... it’s... Josh!  Joshua Ian Bardsley!”

“That’s wonderful!” Doctor Verbena Beeks, the project psychiatrist, said with enthusiasm, knowing that Ziggy would make use of the information immediately.  She could tell from the look of concern on the visitor’s face that he knew he was forgetting other important things that made up a person.  “I’m sorry you had to come here on such short notice, Mister Bardsley, but I can assure you that we are only here for your own good.  Can you remember anything else?  Like today’s date?”

Josh Bardsley, a firefighter who thought that nearly nothing could scare him, had suddenly found himself in an all-blue room, no longer dressed in his heavy firefighting suit, but now in a skin-tight pajama-like garment that clung to everywhere... literally everywhere.  He felt nearly naked, and some woman in a white doctor’s coat, crouching down to him and trying to get information from him, didn’t help.  He got under the table and cowered.  Josh couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t control it either.  The sudden change of scenery totally threw him off and he reverted to a five-year-old’s state of mind, finding himself talking to himself to calm down.

Verbena was surprised to see the form of Sam Beckett underneath the reflective table/bed that sat in the center of the Waiting Room when she first entered.  At first she figured it was a younger visitor, which would probably make things quite difficult for Sam.  However, after she heard him mumble something about his wife, she breathed a small sigh of relief.  She would think if she were a leaper, she would prefer to occupy the auras of an adult and of her own gender.

“The date?  Oh, that’s easy.  It’s September Eighth, Two-Thousand Six!” he finally replied, looking proud of himself.  Verbena’s expression was a mix of amusement and befuddlement.  She was not expecting him to recite the present date.  Things were going to be tougher than she thought.

PART TWO

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

14:53 MDT

Quantum leaping through Time has landed me in a myriad of situations, very few of which I could have ever anticipated being in.  I’ve been a police officer, a soldier, a doctor... but a firefighter?  I saved a cat’s life once as a firefighter, but this was my first true taste of the profession.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief knowing the child was now out of immediate danger and in the safe hands of the paramedics.  There had been many times when he had managed to save the life of a child, but he had a hard time recalling if he had ever been in a situation such as the one he found himself in.  Had he ever saved a child from the lapping vicious flames of fire before?

Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, the leaper thought that he could remember delivering a young girl to a window so she could escape, and he leaped just in time to avoid being crushed by flaming debris.  What happened to his host, he couldn’t remember.  Sam could only hope that the man made it to safety as well.

Sam walked over to the large, red fire engine, leaning against it as he took the weight of his body off of his feet just barely.  He tugged the strap of the helmet loose, pulling it off from his head.  The time-traveler wiped the sweat from his brow, and sliding down to the ground, raised his gaze as the fire chief knelt beside him and slapped him on the shoulder.  “Well done, Bardsley, well done.”

The scientist noted the look of pride in the chief’s face.  Saving lives was a part of a firefighter’s job as much as it was of a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or any other profession in the emergency services.  It was all about providing a service to the public, protecting them, saving them; it was what they were good at, and they were satisfied with themselves when they achieved that kind of accomplishment, especially when it involved the life of a child.

“Uh, thanks.  It was nothing,” Sam said modestly, and began to wonder why he hadn’t leaped yet.  He had saved the boy’s life.  Where was Al?  Without his observer, he wouldn’t know if that was the right thing to do or not.  What if the child grew up to be a murderer or some other horrible such thing by the present?  If that was the case, maybe he would not leap, and he would be stuck as Josh Bardsley forever.  Although, Sam and Al had discussed many times before whether or not success had anything to do with leaping, Doctor Beckett figured it was the force driving the leaps that decided when he could leave.

The present.  What year was it now?  2003?  2004?  Later than that?  Sam would have to make a point of asking Al—that was, if Al could tell him that kind of information.  It was hard to keep track when time passed differently for him.  Sometimes, Sam almost feared returning home, finding that everybody had aged by twenty years, while he was still, physically, in his forties.

“Nothing?  You’ve been on the force for four years, and this was only your fifth rescue attempt.  Thank God those don’t come along too often,” the chief said with a somber look.  “As far as I’m concerned, you’re this close,” the chief continued, pinching his index finger and thumb with barely any space between them, “to being promoted to a lieutenant.”

Sam’s brain started working up again.  Perhaps this was another reason he leaped in here.  Maybe Josh didn’t originally save the child and thus didn’t receive his promotion.  Then again, the female firefighter was quite courageous and knowledgeable, and deserved as much credit as Sam did.  “Firefighter Clarkson was quite formidable in there as well, Chief,” Sam added, and noted a slight expression of hurt on the chief's face at the comment.

“Oh, don’t you worry about Clarkson, son, she’s gonna get her reward, too.  Ya don’t think I miss what goes on around here, do you?” The chief looked down at Sam, smirking a little, but also giving him a look of “you should know me by now.”

Sam looked up at the chief and smiled, and the funny thing was, he didn’t know the chief at all.  It was then that Clarkson joined them.  With her helmet removed, she looked like a completely different person than she did up in the building surrounded by smoke and falling debris.  If it hadn’t been for the fact that her badge clearly displayed her name on her uniform, Sam would have thought she was someone else.

“Wow, Bardsley, you took a real leap of faith back there.  How did you know where to look?” she questioned.

“What’s this?” the chief asked, his ears seeming as though they were suddenly up, like a dog whose name had been mentioned.  He rose back to his feet and Sam did the same.

“Chief, you should have seen him.  He went straight to that kid like he knew exactly where he was.  It was amazing!  I think if he hadn’t got there when he did, that boy, well... he probably wouldn’t have survived.”

“Is this true, Josh?” the chief asked, pride in his eyes.

“Uh, well, I don’t know about that, I was just doing what I felt I had to do to save the kid.  I think any one of us could have done it,” Sam replied bashfully.  The truth was that he didn’t know where the child had been.  Sam had just gone on his gut instinct and followed through, leading him to the child.  He didn’t think he got there any quicker than a normal firefighter would have done.

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Josh.  You are a hero,” Clarkson insisted, as she playfully punched her colleague’s arm.

Sam was unused to hearing extended praise for something that he did during the time he inhabited somebody else’s aura.  Usually, he would get a thank you and leap out.  The scientist smiled at Clarkson, and rubbed his arm briefly.  Josh was probably used to that kind of playfulness, but Sam was not.

“Thanks, but like I said, I was just doing my job,” the leaper said, a statement that probably represented Josh Bardsley’s feelings as well as his own.

“Anyway, we’re all damned proud of you, Josh,” the chief beamed and slapped him on the shoulder again.  “You too, Amanda.”  Amanda Clarkson grinned back at the chief, who then turned and walked toward some other firefighters who were still fighting the fire.

Amanda put her hand on Sam’s shoulder lightly.  “We may have deserved a break, but we still have a fire to put out, Bardsley.  Let’s go!”

Sam grimaced slightly, knowing she was right.  He looked over at the building, which was still burning.  Smoke was pouring from some of windows as more broke from the pressure of the heat, the sound of the breaking glass getting surprised yelps from the onlookers.

The leaper wondered what on Earth happened for such a disaster as this to happen, but that would have to wait for the investigators to come in.  Picking up his helmet off the ground, Sam slipped it back on his head.  He fastened the strap and followed his colleague back into the line of duty to fight the fire.

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Friday, September 8, 2006

17:32 MDT

Al did a double take when Ziggy announced the name of their new visitor, wondering if he had heard correctly.  “Say that again!” Al insisted.

Again, Ziggy played back the recording of Sam’s voice, which echoed what Al originally heard:  “Joshua Ian Bardsley.”

“This can’t be right,” Al disputed.

“Why is that, Admiral?” Ziggy replied.  “There is no reason why Doctor Beckett can not have leaped into Mister Bardsley as much as he can leap into anyone else.”

“Listen, I knew Josh Bardsley.  We fought in Vietnam together.  I was on my second tour, and he was a fresh recruit who got drafted.  He didn’t want to go—as if any of us really did—but he was patriotic to his country and went anyway,” Al explained, memories of the horrible experience coming back to him.  He stared off into the distance for a moment.

“Just because you know him does not make him exempt,” Ziggy interjected, her tone emotionless and matter-of-fact.

Al broke from his reverie and looked back to Ziggy’s orb.  “Why Josh, though?  What is wrong with Josh’s life that needs Sam’s help to fix?” Al asked, his voice urgent.  The Admiral had known Josh for a good long time, and suddenly the gut of his stomach felt all twisted as worry started to build up from within.  “Last I heard from Josh, everything was going fine in his life.”

“As with all people that Doctor Beckett leaps into, there is something in their life, or that of someone around them, which the force controlling the leaps wants to be changed for the better,” Dominic piped up.  “You should think of this as a blessing, Al, that Sam is there to help your friend.”

Al nodded, realizing that the chief programmer was probably right.  “Well, Ziggy, what is Sam there for?”

“I have just maintained a lock on Doctor Beckett’s neurons and mesons, Admiral.  I have not yet had the time to run any scenarios,” Ziggy sounded annoyed, “nor has anybody attempted to run any by me.”

Everybody seemed to roll his or her eyes at Ziggy’s oversized ego.  “Well, I guess he lost his little girl back in the Eighties... run a check on that Ziggy, will you?”

There was no response from the computer but the Admiral could only assume that she would follow through with his instructions.  “You’d better get into the Imaging Chamber, Al.  We’ll handle things out here,” Donna said, putting one hand on his shoulder.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure Sam is there for a good reason.”

Al nodded at Donna, deciding to take her advice, after a visit to the Waiting Room.  He raised his eyebrows and sighed, not knowing what to make of this news he had learned, thinking he might be able to learn something more after meeting his friend again.

“I think I’ll go talk with Josh first,” Al informed her, getting a nod in return of neither approval nor disapproval.  Leaving the Control Room, Al briskly walked to the Waiting Room.  Sam had been wise when planning the architecture of the Project; it was pretty obvious for Al how each of these rooms needed to be near each other.  There had been many occasions when time was of the essence and how important it was for one to get to each room as quickly as possible.

Al approached the Waiting Room and the door slid open after pressing his hand to the security panel beside it.  He observed the actions of his friend—his friends, actually—both Sam and Josh, as he could see both auras, and his stomach squirmed as he wondered again why Sam had leaped into Josh.  Verbena looked slightly shocked for some reason.

It had been a while since Al had seen Josh, maybe two or three years, and memories began to flood to the forefront of his mind.  All of their communication had been over the phone since then.  What had happened for Sam to leap into Josh?  Al hesitated to enter the Waiting Room.  ‘Will he remember me?’ the Admiral thought silently.

“Who’s that?” Josh asked, catching a glimpse of the forlorn Admiral standing in the wide doorway of the Waiting Room.  

Verbena turned her attention to follow the leapee’s line of sight and mentally cringed.  “I’ll be right back,” she answered, avoiding the question.

Al stepped inside and the large bay door closed behind him.  From the way Verbena was crossing the room, he dared not venture up the ramp and waited for the psychiatrist to approach him.

“I don’t believe it, but—” Dr. Beeks began, but cut her words short upon seeing the look of shock and dread on the observer’s face.  “What’s the matter, Al?”

“It’s him.  It’s really him,” he said, not directly responding to Verbena as he glanced at Josh—in the aura of Sam—who was now sitting on the table. 

“Josh Bardsley.  I served with him in Vietnam.  It’s just a really big surprise that Sam leaped into him, ’Bena.  I can’t get my head around it.”

Verbena creased her brow at this new information.  The difficulty of the leap had just gone up two-fold, knowing how Al responded to these personal situations:  first Sam’s leap into himself as a teenager, and then the time when the leaper replaced Al as a young ensign.  According to Ziggy, because of that leap, Al then became the father of five daughters instead of four, and led to the birth of his first grandchild.  Such drastic changes to one’s life, or the lives of close friends, would certainly be a reason to generate so much concern.  The Admiral was cursed with remembering some of the previous timelines in some capacity.

“Al, let’s not talk about this in here.  I’d like to speak with Josh a little more,” she told him, and noticed that he didn’t budge.  “Alone.”

The emphasis was enough to grab the Admiral’s attention, and he nodded slightly. “I’ll go talk to Sam, I guess, but you can bet that I’ll be back here as soon as I’m finished.”

PART THREE

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

16:51 MDT

After over two hours of continually fighting the blaze, Sam and the rest of the fire crew had successfully put out what remained of the roaring fire that challenged the leaper upon his arrival.  Three stories of the building had been consumed by flames and were now completely blackened, inside and out.  There was already a theory that the fire had started on the fourth floor and spread upward and downward, thus indicating a possible electrical problem.

When the chief announced that the water trucks could leave, Doctor Beckett heaved a sigh of relief and began searching out Amanda Clarkson.  Sam assumed that she and Josh worked together a lot, and that pleased him since he was starting to enjoy her company.  Not only that, but they both seemed to be on good terms with the chief.  “No fighting with the boss this time around,” Sam muttered as he caught sight of Amanda’s blonde hair as she headed toward him, helmet in hand.

“Well, Joshua, ready to call it a day?” she asked, the exhaustion clear in her voice, and yet there was a sparkle of friendship in her eye.  Nodding his head vigorously, Sam answered wordlessly.  “Well, let’s go then,” Amanda added as she climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

Sam looked around, wondering exactly where it was he was supposed to “go,” and grabbed a handrail on the side of the red fire engine to hoist himself into the back compartment.

“What, you’re not going to drive?” Clarkson called out, knitting her brow.

With an incredulous look, Sam released the handle and jumped back down onto the grass boulevard.  The grass was brown from what must have been a dry Summer in Socorro that year.  The quantum physicist felt as though half the time he was the chauffer, and normally preferred that, especially when lives were on the line and he couldn’t rely on others to take him where he needed to be.  This time, however, his body was screaming at him for sleep, but if he wanted everyone to think that he was Josh Bardsley, he had better do what Josh Bardsley would do.

“No, no, I’m driving,” said Sam, rounding the front of the large truck and hopping into the driver’s seat.  Thankfully the keys were left in the ignition.  ‘Who would really steal a fire truck, anyway?’ Sam mused silently, and turned the key, surprised at the loud roar it made.

The engine roared to life and Sam hit the gas pedal.  He shocked himself when he found that he could actually drive the large vehicle, but tried to suppress his expression, knowing that Amanda seemed to be suspiciously observing him.

Speaking of observers, where was Al when he needed him?  This seemed to be a habit.  Sam leaped in, Al didn’t turn up with much haste, and when the hologram did decide to make an appearance, he would come at the most obscure moments, frightening Sam half to death when he would suddenly appear right in front of him or sneak up on him.

Finally they arrived at the firehouse, which was something else that surprised Sam—how did he know how to get there?  The place didn’t look familiar as he scanned the building quickly, driving through the gates.  There were no familiar tugs that suggested to him he had been here before, so how could he have driven from one place to another without knowing where he was?  He could only hope that there was a degree of benevolent mind merging with Josh.

Sam emerged from the truck, and as he did, already colleagues were running towards him congratulating him for his heroic performance.  News traveled fast, which was something he observed immediately. 

“Way to go, Josh!” one firefighter called out as he ran up to the truck.  A dozen other officers walked over as well, all saying the same thing.  “It’s not every day one of our own saves the life of a little kid.”

“I just did what I had to do,” Sam replied, stating the simple facts.  Saving the life of a child was something that any decent person would do, and Sam was a person of utmost decency.

Amanda came and stood beside him, smiling as widely as the rest of the crew crowded around the fire engine.  “Just wait ’til Maria hears about this, eh, guys?” she said as she nudged Sam in the ribs.  There was another outburst of whistling and cheers from the other men.

Confused, Doctor Beckett made no real response, and everybody started offering to shake his hand.  As they did so, the group began to disband and they went back to whatever it was they had been doing.  Clarkson was the last to leave, winking at him before hurrying off into the offices of the fire station.

Sam felt good inside, but horrible outside.  The humidity was high and the heat from the fire had further enhanced his perspiring.  He desperately needed to clean up, and so he began wandering around, looking for the showers.  Certainly a firehouse would have those kinds of facilities.  Not only that, but a washroom would have a mirror so that he could see what his host looked like.  Seeing that the fire engine had large mirrors on its doors, he stepped up onto the running board and gazed into the mirror.  Josh was a man in his late thirties or early forties with black hair and a tanned complexion, probably from the hot and persistent New Mexican Sun.  Bardsley’s green eyes sparkled back at the leaper, almost the same shade as Sam’s own.

It was just then that he noticed the emblem on the side of the fire truck he had been driving.  Socorro NM Fire Department was in yellow lettering below a crest with a firefighter’s helmet as the main image.  “That would explain the hot weather,” Sam mumbled to himself.  “Although I can’t remember how far Socorro is from Stallion’s Gate...”

As he spoke the name of where the Project Quantum Leap complex would be located less than a decade from then, the familiar sound of the Imaging Chamber Door opening caused Leaper Sam Beckett to turn around, seeing Observer Al Calavicci step through.

“Hi, Sam,” the Admiral said simply as the Door closed behind him.  The flamboyant clothing that was common to the observer once again did not fail to amuse Sam:  topped with a black fedora, Al was donned in a purple suit of silk accented by a canary dress shirt and a pink-and-purple polka-dotted tie.  “How’s it going?”

The scientist cracked a smile at Al and refrained from commenting on the other man’s attire.  “I’m dead tired, but I saved a little boy’s life, Al, so I’m doing just great.”  Leaning against the fire engine again, Sam looked at Al expectantly.  The observer pressed a key on the handlink and Ziggy’s hologram appeared, her female form coming into view beside Al. 

“Good afternoon, Doctor,” she greeted.

Sam nodded toward the hologram of the hybrid computer while Al began to talk.  “Well, you’ve leaped into Firefighter Joshua Ian Bardsley, formerly Petty Officer Second Class Bardsley of the U.S. Navy.  He joined the firefighting force here in Socorro, New Mexico just over four years ago.  It looks like you’ve already changed history for the better, Sam.  Josh wasn’t promoted to Lieutenant for three more years, but now it happens in two months.”

“What about the little boy?” Doctor Beckett pressed, more concerned about the young child’s life than his host’s career.

“If you are referring to Lorenzo Juan Escalante who originally died in the apartment fire earlier this afternoon, then you will be pleased to hear that he is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin, studying physics,” Ziggy reported with a smile.  Sam was ecstatic at the news.  He also noted Ziggy’s smile, figuring that whoever devised that hologram must have been a genius at holography and computing.

Al beamed with pride as well.  “Well, Sam, I guess you don’t need us anymore, huh?  You seem to be figuring out these leaps without us these days,” the observer joked, getting a slight chuckle from the leaper.

“I wouldn’t go that far, Al.  I’m still here, aren’t I?” he stated simply.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” the Admiral mused, but not wanting to say aloud the reason behind his words.  Having Sam leap into somebody close to Al had happened before... heck, the leaper had even taken over Al’s life.  The current leap was not like most of the rest, and it put Al on edge knowing that one wrong word or action could take Josh from his life forever.

“You have not yet achieved all of your objectives, Doctor,” Ziggy interjected.  “Joshua’s wife, Maria, is currently pregnant with their fifth child and ends up having an abortion at five months along.  I project with more than ninety-percent certainty that you are here to prevent the abortion.”

Sam grimaced at the new piece of information.  For some reason, the mention of an abortion touched something deep within him, and the image of holding a tiny body in his arms flashed across his mind’s eye for a brief moment.  It sent a pang of urgency, grief, and nervousness through the scientist’s being, but he quickly recovered to respond to Ziggy’s words.  “I’ll do everything I can to save that baby’s life,” he replied with determination.  “What were her reasons behind it?”

The holographic image of Ziggy was silent for a beat before answering.  “Medical records do not dictate her reasoning, but I hypothesize that the fire at the Bardsleys’ home coupled with her age may have caused her to make that choice.”

Al and Sam balked at Ziggy’s words, staring at her with gaped jaws.  “F-fire?” Al proclaimed, waving his free arm as he began circling the female projection.  “You didn’t tell me about any fire!”

“If there’s a fire, I gotta get them out right now!” Sam shouted as he wrestled with the door to the fire engine.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Doctor.  This data was just retrieved, and the fire—” the computer began to explain, but her voice was overshadowed by a loud alarm followed the clambering of feet into the main garage area.  Amanda Clarkson came straight toward Sam with concern engraved in her expression.

“Josh, we gotta move!  There’s a fire at your house!” she reported with panic in her tone, a little surprised to see him already halfway into the driver’s seat of the water truck.  Al and Ziggy watched on as Sam finished embarking the large vehicle and quickly brought the engine to life once more.  Amanda took the passenger’s seat as four men jumped into the back.  They had barely settled into their spots when the leaper put the truck in gear and tore out of the garage.

Bardsley residence

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

17:33 MDT

The flames were beginning to lick at the eves of the north wall of the house when three fire engines arrived at the home of the Bardsley family.  Without thinking, Sam jumped out of the truck and began to equip the same gear that he had mere hours before at the apartment fire, while everybody else readied themselves with their specific jobs.

“Josh!  Wait!” Amanda called out, but her words fell on deaf ears.  The leaper continued toward the house and approached the side door, opposite of where the flames were coming through a north-side window, opening it without hesitation.  The heat was beginning to rise and there was some smoke in the air, but no fire had reached that side of the house yet. 

“Hello?!” he screamed, hoping that somebody would hear him.  “Maria?”  Ziggy had not mentioned the names of any of the children, so he just called out, “Kids?”

It was then that he heard faint crying and, about to run on basic instincts again, jumped when Al popped into existence right in front of him.  “They’re all upstairs, Sam!  The fire is blocking their way out.  In the original history, all of them but the youngest child survived, and Josh blamed it on hesitation by the firefighters and himself.  You gotta get them out now!” the observer proclaimed.  “Follow me!”

The quantum physicist was on the heels of the holographic Admiral as he walked toward the staircase.  Fire was almost at the base of the stairs and Sam could see why Maria would be afraid of taking the children through there.  He charged up the stairs and followed the sound of fearful cries to the master bedroom.  Throwing the door open, he found a beautiful, and obviously pregnant, auburn-haired woman, her features etched with fear.  Surrounding her were four children who looked equally frightened, and they all screamed at his surprise entrance.  Reflexively, the children clutched closer to their mother.

“Come with me!” he barked and noticed their eyes light up at the sound of his voice.

“Oh, Josh, get us out of here!” Maria begged as she stood up, trying to get her offspring to follow suit.  The children looked like they ranged from age six up to eleven or twelve and all had tear-stained faces as they went along with their mother.  Sam grabbed the smallest child and hoisted her into his arms while the other three fell in line behind him with Maria bringing up the rear.  They all crouched down as he instructed and covered their faces with their t-shirts.

When they reached the top of the stairs, the fire looked like it was creeping closer and closer to the bottom of the steps and the smoke was getting thicker in the air.  “Now, I know you’re all scared, but you have to be brave and follow me exactly!” he yelled out, receiving nods from all four in response.

“That goes for you too, Sam!” Al called out as he began floating down the flight of stairs.  Quickly but carefully, the leaper followed behind his holographic observer, setting the girl down on the ground and instructing her to run for the side door.  The heat was becoming unbearable, but he took each of the children in turn and set them toward the door that allowed him entrance to the house.

All but the last Bardsley child rushed into his arms for safety and guidance.  “This must be Robert, the oldest at eleven years,” came the steady voice of Admiral Calavicci as he noticed the hesitation.

“Come on, Robert.  You have to trust me.  This is the only way out!” Sam called to him, out of reach but not out of earshot.  The inferno raging behind him was beginning to get too close for comfort and seconds would matter in such a situation.

“I’d rather take my chances with jumping out a window!” he jeered before turning around to attempt to make good on his threat.  His mother, however, stopped his trek. 

“Listen to your father, young man!  This is a matter of your life!  No matter what’s been going on between you two lately, he loves you and wants to save you!” shrieked Maria, and Sam could see that she was beginning to sound delirious.  Without waiting for a reply, she shoved Robert’s shoulders and, with a quick gulp, the boy fell into Sam’s arms.  The leaper quickly released him as he did the three previous children and, like his siblings, Robert rushed out of the house without a second glance.

Maria made her way to who she thought was her husband with haste and jumped into Sam’s open arms.  With as much strength as he could muster, Doctor Beckett rushed out of the house and set Maria Bardsley back on her feet.  “Go!” he ordered when she stood at the side door with him as two other firefighters were running up with a hose.  Maria hustled down the laneway toward her children, two of them wailing and the other two trying to calm them down as Amanda Clarkson knelt beside them all.

The two firefighters had entered the house and Sam could hear the hissing sound of two eternal enemies meeting:  fire and water.  Unsure of what to do, he went to be with Josh’s family while Al walked alongside him.

“Well done, Sam, well done,” said the Admiral, unwittingly repeating the same words as the fire chief earlier that day.  “Ziggy says that Maria’s chances of going through with the abortion have only dropped by five percent, so I guess it’s up to you to bring down that other eighty-five percent or so,” the observer reported somewhat grimly.  “Not only that, but little Annette there doesn’t become another statistic for the lives lost in household fires.”  A memory of attending a funeral for Josh and Maria’s youngest daughter, over twenty years in his past, flashed quickly into Al’s mind before it vanished for eternity.

Nodding in understanding, the leaper removed his helmet as he reached Maria and, before he could do anything further, felt it slip out of his grasp as the world around him swirled into blackness.

PART FOUR

Socorro General Hospital

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

21:37 MDT

“It is just heat exhaustion, Admiral.  Doctor Beckett will awaken when his body has recovered sufficiently,” Ziggy’s succinct voice echoed through the Imaging Chamber.  She had already told that to Al exactly eight times during the almost four hours that Sam had been lying in his hospital bed and was starting to wonder why Project Quantum Leap’s observer almost never listened to her fact-based statements when it came to Sam Beckett’s well-being.

Grumbling, Observer Calavicci argued, “I don’t care, Ziggy.  I’m worried about him.  What if this leaping business really is starting to get too tough?”

A muffled moan from the bed drew his attention to the man in question.  “Sam?  You back with us, buddy?”

Another groan came followed by a fluttering of eyelids.  Maria had taken her children to the cafeteria for a late dinner, leaving Al as the only visitor in Sam’s hospital room.  “You don’t have to worry about me,” he whispered, allowing his eyes to close again.

“I worry, I worry.  It’s my job to be worried!” Al retorted, trying to lighten the mood.  “Don’t go back to sleep on me, Sam.  I know you’re probably feeling kinda weak and dehydrated, but you need to get something into you.  There’s a huge pitcher of water here,” he gestured as a holographic hand passed through the plastic decanter.  “I’d pour you a glass, but you know, I’m only a hologram.”

Releasing a sigh through his lips, the scientist realized that his holographic companion was right.  Sam forced his eyes open and slid up in the bed so that he could reach the container of water and the paper cup beside it.  After downing his first cupful, he turned his attention to Admiral Calavicci.  “You’re more than that, Al,” he said with a weak smile.

“More than what?” the observer returned, confused by the leaper’s words.

“You said you’re ‘only a hologram.’  You know you’re more than just a holographic projection to me.  You’re what’s kept me sane all these years... without you, I’d be totally lost.”  Sam swallowed as he felt emotions reaching his throat and fought back the sentimental tears that were threatening to show.

Waving his hand jovially, Al cracked a wide smile.  “Nahhhh... don’t mention it, pal,” the observer joked.  Their conversation was interrupted when a clamor of hushed voices began resonating from his hospital room’s door.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Maria cried out and rushed to Sam’s side, planting innumerable kisses on his cheeks and lips.  Three of the children rushed to his side and were tugging at the single sheet that covered the physicist, all wanting to give their thanks as well as they excitedly rambled on about everything that had happened.  Robert, meanwhile, stood at the doorway and watched with a glaring expression on his face.

“I’m glad you’re all okay,” Sam said when they had calmed down somewhat.

“We’re all glad that you’re okay, Josh,” Maria replied, giving him another tight hug around the neck.  “If it wasn’t for you, we might not’ve made it outta that house.  We’re all just fine, only minor smoke inhalation with me and Elsie and Rickie.  The doctors let us go a couple hours ago and we’ve been waiting for you to get up, but, you know, I had to feed the horde,” Josh’s wife said with a titter.

Sam laughed at Maria’s tone and nodded.  “Don’t worry, I understand.  I should be outta here tonight, right?  I’m just feeling a little tired... nothing I can’t sleep off at home.”  Doctor Beckett’s only real desire to be in the hospital was to perform duties as a physician, not be a patient.  However, his medical degree didn’t prevent him from making the error of anticipating returning to the Bardsleys’ residence.  He realized that his words were a mistake as soon as he saw the hurtful look on Maria’s face.  “Oh, how stupid of me...”

“Oh, Sam...” Al groaned with false annoyance, silently amused by the slip of the tongue.

Maria smiled wanly.  “It’s all right, Josh.  It’s just the exhaustion,” she said.  “Mama and Papa said we could stay with them tonight.  I’ll just have to get the station wagon at some point tonight...”

“Daddy, can you come with us tonight?” interrupted Annette, the youngest Bardsley child, as she tugged hard on his sheets.  “I won’t feel safe without you.”

“Honey, you know Doctor Warren said once Daddy woke up he’d take a look at him before making any decisions about him leaving here,” Maria explained to her daughter before Sam could say anything in response.  “Tell you what:  how about I go get the car while you kids have some time with Daddy?  Then we can get you settled in at Gramma and Grampa’s.”

“We don’t hafta go to school tomorrow, do we?” the other daughter, Elsie, asked with all the hope in the world in her eyes.

Shaking her head softly, Maria Bardsley told them that they would have the day off, and so would she and their father.  Excited giggles came from the three children at Sam’s bedside while Robert still stood in the doorway, now facing away from the room.

“Now, you behave for Daddy while I’m gone.  I’ll be back soon.”  Elsie, Rickie, and Annette all nodded eagerly as they climbed up on some of the chairs and began chattering at the figure in the bed they saw as their father.  Maria gave Sam a warm smile and he returned it, nodding slightly at her as an encouragement to leave and not worry about him before returning to pay attention to the three youngsters.

Maria touched Robert gently on the shoulder as she began to exit and brought her hand back in surprise, as if it had just found itself in the fire that ravaged their home earlier that day, when he jerked himself away from her.  “Don’t touch me,” he grumbled miserably.

“Robbie, what’s wrong?” she asked softly.  Al had been watching her leave and walked over to get an earful of the conversation.  Perhaps the disagreement between the eldest Bardsley child and his father would be another situation for Sam to clear up, and the observer wanted all the information he could get.

“I don’t care if he saved me earlier... he doesn’t care about me; he was just doing his job.  It coulda been any other fireman who saved us today,” Robert answered with an angry twist of his lips.

Admiral Calavicci could see the absolute hurt on Maria’s face and the blunt honesty in Robert’s words.  “That’s not true.  He loves you just as much as your brothers and sisters, and he loves you all equally.  You’ve gotta forget about your argument and move on.”  When there was no answer, Maria lifted her son’s chin up with her index finger.  “You hear me?  Do this for me.  Please.”

Robert worked up his mouth for a moment and shrugged before replying with a simple, scripted, “I’ll think about it.”

With exasperation, Maria let out a sigh and headed off down the hallway.  Al frowned at Robert Bardsley’s attitude before keying in a request on the handlink.  “Hey, Sam, I’m gonna go back and run some things by Ziggy.  Watch out for Robbie here:  something’s got him pretty upset with his dad.”

The leaper diverted his attention from the three Bardsley children and listened to his observer’s words when the Imaging Chamber Door made its distinctive opening sound.  Making a discreet nod, Sam watched as his friend disappeared through the white rectangle of light.

“Hey, Robbie, why don’t you come on over here with us?” Sam coaxed gently after Al disappeared.  He could see the hesitation in the boy’s body language, but Robert accepted the invitation and took up the seat farthest away from Sam’s bed, where he proceeded to make an effort of looking miserable.

Suddenly, the other three children stifled themselves when their attention was drawn to the door.  Following their line of sight, Sam saw a smiling man wearing a white lab coat and holding a file folder.

“Good evenin’, Mister Bardsley.  I’m Doctor Warren,” the physician greeted with a Southern accent as he approached the occupied bed in the double room.  “I’ve been lookin’ after ya ever since they brought ya in ’ere.”

The leaper’s eyes widened when he saw and heard the room’s new occupant.  “Nice to, uh, meet you, Doctor Warren,” Sam replied, knowing that he had met this man before, although the doctor had been younger in Sam’s memory.  He cursed the Swiss-cheese effect, wishing he could place the time and place that he had seen this man before.

“Can Daddy come home with us?  Please, Doctor Warren?” Annette asked with an angelic expression adorning her young face.

Chuckling in response, the medical doctor nodded.  “Just give me a second here, li’l miss,” he told her as he set the folder down on the empty bed.

After giving Sam a thorough check-over and making sure that he felt fine aside from fatigue, Warren nodded approvingly.  “I think I’ll be able t’ fulfil yer wish there, m’ lady.” 

Squealing with delight, Annette jumped up from her chair and clasped herself to the doctor’s right leg.  “Oh, thank you!” she cried out happily while everybody, except for Robert who sniffed with annoyance, laughed at her enthusiasm.

Laughing again, Doctor Warren replied, “You’re welcome, dear, but you’ll hafta thank yer daddy fer bein’ in such good health.”  Winking at Sam, he then reached down and gently coaxed Annette to release her grip.  “I’ll go let the nurses know that you’ll be leavin’.”

Socorro, New Mexico

Tuesday, August 28, 1984

22:19 MDT

As Maria Bardsley drove the family station wagon toward her parents’ house with Sam Beckett in the passenger’s seat, hidden behind the aura of her husband Josh, she tried to take her focus away from the day’s events and put it on music instead.  “99 Luftballons” by Nena was playing on the radio and, since the station had decided to play the original German version instead of the English translation, she hummed along instead of singing as she normally would. 

Despite everything they had gone through, the children were acting pretty much like their normal selves.  Maria pegged that at the prospect of missing school on a Wednesday and most likely for the rest of the week.  Josh had been acting strange, even more so since they had left the hospital.  The entire drive he had been sitting in silence, gazing blankly out the window into the darkness.

Sam Beckett’s mind was elsewhere... not only had pieces of at least three past leaps come back to haunt him, another one kept playing over and over in his mind, the image of a large house burning as the result of an explosion.  He had been the father of a family during many leaps, but only two previous occasions that he could remember involved a house fire, and every time there had been no way for him to prevent it.  Not only that, but something about going to stay with his host’s wife’s parents struck him as very familiar as well, and was connected to the burning structure that was playing repeatedly in his mind’s eye.

So deep in thought, the quantum physicist did not notice when the vehicle had come to a halt.  “Josh?  Yoo hoo, Josh!  We’re here,” Maria chimed, getting a slow response from the last remaining passenger in the station wagon.  “The kids’ve already gone inside.  Care to have a quick conversation?”

Blinking a couple of times to clear the recurring memories that had suddenly returned to him, Sam nodded at Maria’s question.  “What do you want to talk about?” he asked casually.

“Are you sure you’re all right?  I know you’re tired, but you were uncharacteristically quiet during that entire, albeit short, drive,” she said with concern as she settled back down in the driver’s seat.  “You’re thinking about the baby, aren’t you?”

If that wasn’t an opportunity to persuade Maria away from the abortion, Sam didn’t know what was.  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it a lot, actually,” he lied.  As much as the scientist hated telling untruths, he knew that a life-to-be depended on this conversation.  There was no point in dancing around the issue, so he added, “Maybe we shouldn’t go through with the abortion.”

Maria’s eyes widened in shock.  “B-but, I thought we’d both decided to do it.  I know you’re worried about it, but it’s a safe operation.”

“Safe for you, yeah, but what about that tiny life inside of you... the life that we created?  Is abortion really the answer, Maria?” Sam questioned carefully.

“You were the one who thought it’d be the best way, Josh!  I’m forty years old:  I can’t have a baby at my age, especially after what happened today!”

The leaper met her with puzzlement.  “What happened today?  You mean the fire?”

“Of course I mean the fire.  If we had five kids this afternoon, could you imagine getting us all out of there in time?  We barely made it out with four!  And I saw the singe marks on the back of your suit when you collapsed, so don’t tell me we were ‘fine’,” she shot back, sounding angry but not irrational.

Nodding with understanding but not agreement, Sam continued on.  “But we didn’t have five kids this afternoon.  I think a fifth child would be a blessing, not a curse.  Maybe the experience today taught me that, well... life is precious.”  Taking a breath to think for a brief moment, he continued.  “Even if we don’t keep him or her, we can give the baby up for adoption, Maria.  I don’t think it’s fair for our child to never see the light of day.”

Swiftly, Maria got out of the vehicle and slammed the door behind her, rushing toward the front door of the house.  The time-traveler hastily followed her, grabbing her arm before she could get to the doorknob.  “Maria, I think this is a decision that we need to agree on.”

Turning around to face her husband, Maria began to spew out all of her thoughts as tears tugged at the corners of her eyes.  “The operation is in two days, Josh.  I had already convinced myself that this was the right thing to do.  There are so many babies in orphanages and foster homes because there aren’t enough parents out there to adopt.  We’d be saving our child from a life of moving from home to home, wondering who his real parents are and why they didn’t love him enough to keep him!”  Although her voice was hushed, the strain in her tone told Sam that perhaps it was too late to convince her against the abortion, but he knew in his heart of hearts that he had to get her to think otherwise.

“I know it seems like I’m turning completely around on this issue...”

“You sure are,” Maria snapped.

Without missing a beat, Sam continued.  “... but sometimes something happens in your life that makes you realize that, all along, maybe you were wrong about something.  And now I think we’re wrong to extinguish this small life before it has a chance to live.”

No longer able to withhold her emotions, salt water began to slip down Maria’s cheeks.  “Josh...” she managed to croak before embracing Sam, her arms tight around his neck.  “I just don’t know.  I don’t know if I want to go through another birth.  I don’t know if it’s fair to the baby because I just can’t raise another kid at my age, and neither can you.  We have our other kids and our careers to worry about.  I wouldn’t be able to teach if I had to stay home to raise another child.”

As she quietly sobbed into his shoulder, Sam could understand where Maria’s reasoning was coming from, but he could not give up.  However, if he pushed her too hard, he might risk damaging the Bardsleys’ marriage.  She might view this as some kind of guilt trip and Sam had no intention of tearing the family apart.  “Well, let’s think it over... again.  We have another day to decide, right?”

Breaking away, Maria wiped her eyes and nodded wordlessly.  She reached for the knob and turned it, allowing Sam to follow her inside.  Both of them knew it was going to be a long night.

PART FIVE

Jimenez residence

Socorro, New Mexico

Wednesday, August 29, 1984

07:16 MDT

Despite his physical exhaustion, Sam Beckett found himself lying awake, thinking, in the double guest bed at the home of Maria’s parents well into the wee hours of the night.  Somewhat to his relief, Josh’s wife wasn’t having much more luck than him at beckoning the Sandman to visit her, but eventually she dozed off, the events of August 28, 1984 finally catching up with her.

Maria had been silent for the remainder of the night except when bidding good night to her children and her parents.  Sam could only hope that she was pondering about the downsides of going through with the abortion that was scheduled for Friday.

As they had left the hospital, Sam was informed that the children would stay home from school and that the fire hall told him to take as much time as he needed.  At least that meant he wouldn’t be fighting any more fires or riding in any more large trucks.  It was probably best to leave those jobs up to the true professionals anyway.

Beyond the adoption issue, Robert’s attitude toward his father seemed like another issue that the leaper felt like he needed to fix.  Al had been considerate enough not to return during the night and Sam hoped that the observer had enough sense to get some sleep himself.

The sun had been trying to shine through the curtains in the bedroom for over an hour when Sam awoke.  He found Maria gone from the bed and one of the two robes from the back of the room’s door was missing.  Taking the other one for himself, he left the room and headed for the kitchen, where he found Maria and her parents preparing breakfast for the four children who were talking and playing with one another.

“G’morning, Daddy!” Annette declared and gave him a tight hug on the leg, not unlike the one with which she graced the hospital’s doctor the night before.

“Good morning, Annette,” Sam replied warmly, continuing into the kitchen with the small girl sliding along behind him.

“How are you feeling, Josh?” Maria’s mother questioned, the same deep look of worry on her face that had been there the entire night before whenever Sam saw her.

Nodding as he responded with, “I’m fine, thanks,” he managed to get Annette off of his leg and sat down at the large kitchen table.  “Just a little tired.”

Maria’s father sniggered at that mention.  “Well, you just have a cup of Gramma’s special brew of coffee.  Ya probably won’t sleep for days!”  His comment received a forceful slap on the shoulder from his wife before she placed a mug of steaming, black liquid in front of the time-traveler.  “Last time I make anything for you, Carlos!”

After they all enjoyed a laugh at the playful poking of fun, Maria alerted all concerned that breakfast was served.  The table was a flurry of activity as the two women placed the food on the table and children pulled up in their chairs, unabashedly eager to devour the meal placed before them.

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Saturday, September 9, 2006

10:43 MDT

Figuring that Sam would require a full night’s rest, Al did not return soon to see his time-traveling colleague after leaving him at the hospital.  He ran some scenarios by Ziggy along with Donna, Dom, and Tina.  Verbena continued to spend time with Josh, trying to get any details about the rift between him and Robert, but the firefighter just could not recall what had gone wrong between them.

After getting a restful night of sleep, Al enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Beth before heading to the Control Room.  Only Sammy Jo’s assistant, who was temporarily filling her position at Project Quantum Leap except for her hour’s allowance with the Retrieval Program, greeted him.  Although Al realized that Doctor Fulton needed her maternity leave and had to practically order her to stay away from her lab and the Control Room, he missed her presence in the workplace.  She had a calming effect on the atmosphere.  Percy Alfredsson, on the other hand, was constantly fidgeting with a click pen, or the security keycard on his lapel, or the buttons on the control board, or whatever else he could get his hands on.  On top of that, Al could tell that Percy, although completely brilliant, seemed to lose his voice whenever somebody looked at him.  Was it mandatory for all of these geniuses to have poor social skills?

“Good morning, Doctor Alfredsson,” Admiral Calavicci said as he walked toward the main control board.  Once again, no words came:  only a respectful nod and a nervous smile.  Taking up the handlink, he asked, “Do we have a lock on Doctor Beckett?”

“Yes, we do,” responded Percy quickly, as if he wanted to use as little oxygen as possible to power his words.

“Well, fire up the Imaging Chamber then.”

Wordlessly, Doctor Alfredsson did as he was asked as the Admiral walked toward the door into the Imaging Chamber.  “Imaging Chamber online,” Ziggy’s voice chimed and Al Calavicci stepped into a hologram of the past once again.

Breakfast was over, from what Al could see, and the natural disaster that was four children running rampant left evidence all over.  Sam was busy wiping down the kitchen table while Maria and her mother cleared the dishes.  The morning news played quietly on the radio.

“Did I miss breakfast?” Al questioned with a forced, playful pout.  Sam quirked the corner of his mouth and continued to wash the tabletop.  Once he felt it was sufficiently clean, Doctor Beckett placed the washcloth in the sink.  “I’m going to go out for some air,” he told Maria, who nodded silently in response.  Her expression was, if anything, sad.  Simple sadness.  Sam was grateful that she wasn’t upset with him and didn’t seem resentful of their conversation the night before.

He met no resistance as he headed for the front door.  Once outside, Al reappeared beside him as he walked around in front of the garage, hoping to be out of sight of any onlookers.  If Al had actually been there, he would certainly be spotted with his silver pants matching a silver coat covering a black shirt.  Sam even thought he saw metallic-colored socks inside the silver shoes and was tempted to ask if aluminum foil was suddenly in fashion, but instead decided to keep serious and get to business. 

“Well, I talked to Maria last night.  Apparently, she and Josh had settled on the idea of abortion for a lot of reasons.  Mostly, I think Maria is afraid of going through birth again.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Al interjected seriously, getting a subtle glare from Sam.

“Anyway, she’s also worried about giving a child up for adoption beyond the worries about the four kids they already have.  She thinks he’ll end up in an orphanage or foster homes and won’t get adopted.  Aren’t there any relatives in the area that might want to take him in?” the leaper questioned.

After consulting the handlink for a moment, the observer shook his head.  “Nope, ’fraid not.  Maria and Josh are both only children, and Josh’s folks are both deceased.  Gramma and Grampa in there are the only family they have.”

Sam ran his fingers through his hair, beginning to get frustrated.  “There must be somebody who can reassure Maria that our—I mean, her and Josh’s baby will get adopted.”

Admiral Calavicci shrugged.  “Ziggy’s got nothin’.  Short of trying to convince her that adoption will work, we have no idea how you’re gonna stop the abortion.”

Letting a breath out through his teeth, Sam paced a few steps before speaking.  “All right, well, I guess I still have another day for that.  What about Robbie?  What’s his deal?  Every time I try to meet his eyes, he gets this cold look and he turns away.”

“Well, Beeks can’t get anything out of Josh about that.  From personal experience, it’s probably some silly, pre-teen issue that just happens between kids and their parents.  The best I can figure is you gotta get some alone time with him and talk it out,” the observer suggested.

“I guess that’s some help.  Does Ziggy know what effect it’ll have on everyone in Josh’s life?” Sam questioned, hoping that it indeed was just a temporary, hormonal argument.

“It’s tough to say.  The variability of the abortion is skewing a lot of Ziggy’s projections.  I’d say worry about the baby first, then fix things up with Robbie.”

“Is that what Ziggy says, too?” Sam asked innocently.

Al rolled his eyes.  “No, but we can’t always rely on technology, can we?”  The handlink made a small squawk of protest and the observer favored it with a wild glance.  “The only thing dependable about technology is that you can’t depend on it.  Just listen to your pal for once.  I’m sure it’ll all work out, Sam.”

“I hope so, Al.  But—” the leaper began, but was interrupted by Maria’s mother calling Josh’s name.

“Yes, ma’am?” Sam queried.

With a small smile, she informed him, “Somebody’s on the phone for you.  He says the fire department gave him your number.”

“Well, Sam, I’ll let you get back to work here.  I’ll see if I can’t get Ziggy to clear up some of the static and figure out exactly how to prevent the abortion.  Good luck.”  Knowing that Sam couldn’t respond, Al left the Imaging Chamber without waiting for an answer.

Doctor Beckett followed his temporary mother-in-law into the house and to the phone.  “Hello?” he said, and nearly dropped the handset when he heard an all-too-familiar voice:  one that he had just heard seconds earlier.

“Josh?  It’s Al.  Jeff down at the fire hall gave me your number there after I couldn’t reach you at home.  You all right?  I heard all about the fire on the news last night.”

Sam could barely believe what he was hearing.  ‘Damn it, Al, why didn’t you tell me you knew Josh?’ he cursed inside his mind.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine, thanks.  Everyone is, er, fine,” he stuttered back, the shock of hearing Al Calavicci on the other end of the line almost enough to make him faint like he had the previous afternoon.

“Good to hear it!  But what bad timing, huh?  I mean, it’s never exactly fun to go through what you did, but what with Maria’s operation this week... how’s she holding up?” the voice continued, concern in the tone but obviously trying to mask it.

The time-traveller was beginning to wonder exactly how close these two were.  ‘If this is Nineteen Eighty-Four, then Al would be at the Star Bright Project, right?’ Sam mused.  That thought had not crossed his mind before:  the complex was practically in his backyard, which meant he could meet with Al, even if it was a past version.

“She’s fine, I guess.  Maybe having second thoughts, but...”

“Second thoughts?  Well, I guess I can see that.  Having that kind of thing removed is kind of elective, right?” Captain Albert Calavicci of 1984 responded levelly.

Sam couldn’t believe what he just heard.  “That kind of thing?!” the leaper hissed into the telephone.  “Is that what you really think of a baby?  A human life?!”

Completely perplexed, Al choked for a second before responding.  “Whoa!  What’re you talking about, Josh?  You told me she was having her appendix removed since both her parents had troubles around her age.  What’s this about a baby?”

“Al, when’s the last time we saw each other?”

Thrown off by the lack of answer to his question, Al stumbled for a moment.  “Uh, I dunno, four months?  Yeah, it was the end of April, just after Easter.  Now would you mind explaining your ‘baby’ comment?”

“Let’s have dinner tonight, Al.  Just you and Beth and me and Maria.”

PART SIX

Socorro, New Mexico

Wednesday, August 29, 1984

10:52 MDT

Once again, Sam found himself in the family station wagon with Maria and the four Bardsley children.  Since they had no idea what had been destroyed in the fire, Josh’s wife had suggested that a trip to the mall to buy some new clothes for the children would be a good way to break the boredom.

After parking the vehicle and entering the shopping mall, they split themselves up based on gender, leaving Sam to take care of Robert and Rickie while Maria took Annette and Elsie with her.  “Let’s meet back here at around one o’clock.  That’ll give me some time to visit the insurance company, too,” Maria said a little weakly.

“Okay,” Sam answered, looking down at Josh and Maria’s two sons before returning to the woman’s gaze.  “One o’clock.”

With a nod, Maria took one of her daughters’ hands in hers and began walking down the corridor, away from Sam.  He watched them as they went, and when he turned around to speak to the two boys, he found himself alone.

“Robbie?  Rickie?” he questioned then repeated a bit louder.  With a sigh of relief, he spotted them afar at a mechanical space ship ride intended for young children.  Rickie was sitting in the pilot’s seat, eagerly wanting his father to insert some coins to engage the machine.  He hustled over to them and was met with polar-opposite expressions:  Rickie was beaming and Robert was glowering.

“Daddy!  Please!  It’s only fifty cents!” Rickie begged in the sweetest voice he could manage.  “You can take it out of my allowance.”

Not having any personal experience with being a parent other than the temporary situations that he found himself in during leaping, Doctor Beckett smiled at the excited boy and inserted two quarters.  There was a grinding sound as the rocket began to move from side to side while cheesy music played in the background.

Figuring that the child would be entertained enough with the rocket, Sam looked down at Robert, who was now sitting on the ground with his legs drawn up to his chest.  Perhaps this was the opening he needed to talk to the eldest Bardsley child.  The leaper brought himself down to the youngster’s level and quietly spoke.

“Robbie?  Do you mind if we have a little talk?” proposed Sam.

There was a slight rising and falling of the boy’s shoulders and his eyes fixed themselves at the level of Sam’s chest.  He was obviously not in the mood to speak, but perhaps he would at least listen.  Sam figured he might as well get straight to the point and asked, “Is there some reason why you’ve been so upset with me?”

Robert looked up and twisted his lips before coming up with any words.  “Because you don’t care about me.  All you wanna do is ignore me and make sure there aren’t any more kids like me,” he answered as some mist appeared in his eyes.

Frowning, Sam replied, “What makes you think that?”  He was no psychologist, but he thought he could at least follow the obvious line of questioning.

“Ever since I quit baseball, you only do stuff with Rickie and the girls.  Just ’cause I don’t wanna play sports doesn’t mean the baby inside Mommy isn’t going to either!  You wanna kill it before it turns out like me.”

The leaper swallowed hard, surprised at how much of the situation Robert was aware of.  “Robbie, no matter what you do, sports or no sports, I will always love you.  I’m your father.  If I haven’t been spending enough time with you, well, I do apologize.  I promise to do more with you.  Just ask me, all right?”  There seemed to be something giving way in the young boy’s expression, and Sam continued, “But in no way is the decision with the baby related to what you or your brother or sisters have done, don’t you ever think that.”

Although the leaper could see that Robert was still upset, Josh’s son nodded his head.  The machine that Rickie was riding began to wind down and Sam got back up to full height.  “Well, what do you guys say to getting some new clothes and some ice cream?” Sam suggested, trying to lighten the depressing mood.  Rickie immediately grinned widely and a small smile appeared on Robert’s lips.  Although Sam knew that things were far from over with the oldest son, at least it was a start.  With any luck, Josh would be back to finish with patching things up.

La Cantina

Socorro, New Mexico

Wednesday, August 29, 1984

18:59 MDT

The day at the mall released some tension amongst the Bardsley family, and Maria even noticed less hostility coming from Robert.  Both Sam and Josh’s wife had purchased some appropriate clothing for the dinner that the leaper had arranged that evening with Al and Beth.  After many assurances from Maria’s parents that the two of them could have an evening out while they took care of the children, Sam and Maria left the house to meet Josh’s friend and former commander, Captain Albert Calavicci.

Arriving a few minutes ahead of their scheduled meeting time, Maria and Sam entered the Italian restaurant La Cantina and decided to wait at their table for the other two to arrive.  There hadn’t been much of a dialogue between the two ever since their heated discussion the night before, but the leaper knew that he needed to give Maria Bardsley time to reconsider the decision that must have been hard to make in the first place.  He understood why people would want to have an abortion performed, and he tried not to let his pro-life opinions get in the way, but he knew that this baby needed to be born and it was up to him to make sure it would be.

The restaurant was about half-full with a quiet din in the background.  Sam was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the silence at the table and was thankful when he heard two familiar voices from behind, the male one much more common to his ears than the female one.  “Josh!  Maria!  Great to see you again,” Beth said as she approached the table, giving Sam a quick hug first before moving to Maria, who had just greeted Al.

“It’s good to see you, Al,” Sam said as the two of them shook hands, the words going to an extent that the 1984 version of Albert Calavicci would never know.

“You too, Josh,” replied Al with a genuine smile.  “I’m glad we had that little talk on the phone earlier today.”  Then, lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, “Beth thought it was the perfect solution.”

Doctor Beckett smiled in return, recalling the plan that he was praying would pan out well with Maria.  The four sat down at the table and a waiter brought over their menus and a wine list.  All of them but Maria ordered a glass of the house wine, which surprised and delighted Sam at the same time.  It could have meant that she was concerned for the baby’s health... or maybe it meant that she just didn’t drink.  He tried to remain optimistic and consider the former situation.

After making some small talk and enjoying their appetizers, Sam could tell that Al and Beth were anxious to get to the main topic that brought them together for dinner.  They had decided that the leaper would be the one to bring it up when he felt the timing was right, and to Doctor Beckett, the arrival of the entrées was his cue. 

“So, Beth, how’s your sister Ann doing?  She’s up in Raton, isn’t she?” Sam questioned, trying to be as casual as possible while taking up a forkful of lasagna, which he nearly dropped when the Imaging Chamber Door opened beside him and Al in glittering shades of blue appeared.  The observer who stepped out stood with his mouth agape at the scene in front of him.

“Sam!  What are you doing?!” the Al from 2006 demanded before spouting further questions feverishly.  “You’re not gonna convince me and Beth to adopt Maria’s kid, are ya?  Have you even thought about how this might affect the Project?  Are you nuts?”

Without looking over at the frantic hologram, Sam listened as Beth spoke.  “Yeah, she’s been there for about a year now with her husband.  She and Luke have been trying so hard to have a baby, you know.”  Beth then looked between Sam and Maria.

Hoping that Maria’s suspicions weren’t raised, the leaper took an inconspicuous look over at Josh’s wife.  What Beth said certainly had her attention, and she quickly tried to cover it by picking up some fettuccine with her fork and slipping it into her mouth.

“Well, like I said on the phone, Maria has an operation on Friday... but I’m afraid I lied when I said it was to have her appendix out,” Sam began, stopping when he heard Maria’s cutlery clatter against her plate before she grabbed his arm.

“Josh!  This is a private matter!” she hissed, lines of worry creasing her forehead as she gazed into his eyes.

Trying to placate her, Sam placed his hand on the one with which she held his arm and softly said, “I already told them about the abortion and how we were thinking of reconsidering.  You were worried about adoption, right?  Well, when Al called me earlier, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remembered that Ann never had—er, I mean, hasn’t had any luck with children yet.”  Sam had been very thankful that at least one piece of his memory hadn’t fallen victim to the Swiss-cheesing effect as it ended up becoming extremely important to the success of the leap.

The Al Calavicci sitting at the table leaned forward toward Maria while the holographic version from the future looked on in amazement.  “Listen, Maria, we know what kind of fears you’re having about this baby.  Josh told me all about it earlier.  All that we’re asking is that you consider this:  we have this great couple that would make perfect parents.  It’s totally up to you, but I’m sure that if you met Ann and Luke and told them you were having an abortion, they would wonder why in the world they couldn’t have a child of their own.”

Everybody at the table fell silent at the Captain’s moving words.  Admiral Calavicci, the holographic projection only seen by Sam, was astonished as well.  “I didn’t know I could be so eloquent,” he commented quietly at his past self’s words.  All eyes were fixed on the pregnant woman who now, apparently, had a counter-argument for one of her justifications for abortion.

“I – I don’t know what to say,” Maria Bardsley admitted as she absent-mindedly stroked her abdomen.  “Josh has been acting so differently about this lately... maybe he was right when he said that life is precious.”  She turned to Sam and gave a wan smile, tears threatening to fall.

“Like Al said, this is up to you.  But he does make a persuasive argument,” the time-traveler replied, a small grin creeping onto his lips.  “As your husband, I will stand by whatever decision you make, but I’ll tell you that I think the right one is presenting itself right now.”

Maria’s grasp on Sam’s arm relaxed and she leaned back in her chair, and the rest of them followed suit.  “I have to think about it,” Maria finally said.

“Of course, honey.  We’re just giving you something to think on,” Beth replied softly, giving Maria a friendly and understanding smile.

Unsure of what Maria meant, Sam Beckett excused himself from the table and headed toward the restroom.  He stopped in the small hallway that separated the lavatories from the main dining room and waited for the holographic Al to appear.

“Does she think about it, Al?” he questioned when the observer popped in beside him, who was all smiles.

“She sure does!  You did it, buddy.  In a few months, Beth and I become the proud aunt and uncle to a bouncing baby boy.  Thank you, Sam.  You’ve made Ann and Luke happier than they were... I mean, as I remember them.  But with any luck, those memories will disappear like most of the others,” the Admiral said, beaming at his friend.

“Let’s hope so,” the scientist replied.  “What about Robbie?  Do he and Josh get along fine?”

Al nodded in response.  “Oh, sure.  Like I said, just the pressure of the situation getting to the little guy.  Ziggy says the family turns out just fine.  You did a lot of good for Josh and his family, too, Sam.”

Though feeling totally exhausted, the leaper could not prevent an expression of satisfaction taking over his face. 

“Now, go finish your dinner.  I’m sure you wouldn’t mind chatting with the old me.  I mean the young me.  Um, well, you know what I mean,” Al continued, getting a chuckle out of Sam at the confusion that was destined to come from time travel.

“I don’t think so, Al.  I think Josh will be eating the left-over lasagna,” Sam commented with a smile as he felt the familiar pull of a leap coming over him, and Joshua Bardsley returned to his proper place in Time while Doctor Sam Beckett moved on to his next mission. 

EPILOGUE

As the tingling, pulling, thrilling sensation swept him away from the abyss, which he seemed to hang in like a puppeteer waiting for its creator to play with him, Dr. Sam Beckett felt himself soaring through the air.  The sensation before he was planted back into Time always exhilarated him – even if he didn’t know where he was going to land.  He just hoped he was out of harms way wherever in time that God/Time/Fate/Whatever put him.

Even as he ‘flew’ through the space/time continuum, he knew that he’d be playing his own version of charades when he got to wherever he was going so that he could figure out whom he was, as well as to find out what he needed to put right in their life - if he could. He just hoped this time, that it would be a bit easier than in the past.

The last couple of leaps had been tedious and overwhelming.  It seemed as though there wasn’t any hope of changing past events even in the slightest.  So many deaths and they all could have been stopped… couldn’t they?  Sam thought of the few past leaps and lingeringly bit at the inside of his cheek - the racecar driver, the female CIA astronaut – both could have survived if he had just tried harder – right? So many of the leaps had been successful failures and Sam couldn’t understand why the ever-powerful entity that fielded his assignments would set him up for failure. 

Sam knew that leaping wasn’t set on the successfulness of his assignment, but every time he failed, the true blue Boy Scout could feel another badge of honor fall from the shirt that he so carefully sewed on.  He wanted to ask why, to demand a reason from the all-knowing source, but deep in the niches of his mind he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer – at least not a straightforward one.  The vague, eluding response he would get to the ever-present question in his mind was always:  ‘Soon.’

As he felt the pull slowing, meticulously pausing, then stopping, he felt the way the puppeteer released him to be on his own – as Geppetto had done with Pinocchio.  Even before his senses were even thinking of recalibrating themselves, a hand slapped his face so hard and so suddenly that Sam slightly stumbled backward from the force of the blow.  Opening his mouth to stretch his jaw and balling his hand into a fist, he straightened up to his full height of six feet then took a look at his opponent.

Standing in front of him was a stunning brunette, her face hot with anger.  He wasn’t sure why he had been slapped, but as he released his grip, he knew he wouldn’t hit her back.  He knew if he did, his father, John Beckett, would come back to haunt him for quite some time until he had atoned for his sins. 

Lightly licking his lips, he faced off with the woman with the iciest pair of pale blue eyes he had ever seen.  Whatever his host had done was something that made this brunette obviously wish that he were already burning in the depths of hell and her harsh words were only emphasized by what he read in her eyes.

“Don’t blame this on me!  You caused this to happen, you egotistical sorry son of a …”

“What did I do?” Sam interrupted calmly before she could call him another word that would have insulted his mother.  The question threw his adversary for a brief loop.  Her mouth dropped opened and she gasped as she gaped at him.  Slightly moving his head forward and opening his arms slightly, he questioned, “Well?”

The motion made the woman blink and vividly come alive as she threw up her arms in a massive display and let them fall as she turned on her heel and stomped through the nearest doorway, muttering profanities as she walked away from him.  Her heels clicked smartly on the tile floor then softened as she hit carpet, but her footfalls on the stairs told Sam he hadn’t leaped into the Beaver’s household. 

As a door was slammed upstairs, Sam winced at the force then shook his head.  Raising his hand to his still smarting cheek, Sam rubbed his cheek and let out a soft, “Oh boy.”