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 ones 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

His senses were not quite attuned when a locker slammed in front of his face. Through the remnants of the familiar quantum blue energy, Sam saw a teenaged boy giving him a pointed look. As the boy leaned forward and clapped him on the shoulder, Sam caught a whiff of cigarette smoke and made a face. The boy cocked his head and perked an eyebrow.

“You okay, Chad?”

The quantum blue faded away and the rest of his senses returned to him, creeping through his body in a fashion akin to circulation returning to his limbs. He was in a corridor of an outdoor high school campus. Across from the lockers were Sam and the boy stood was the quad. There was a small concrete stage in the center, where groups of students sat on, talking and laughing. The back of the stage was graced with the school’s mascot, a bulldog. The stage looked as though it had been recently painted, in bright blue and white. Past the stage was what Sam was almost sure of was the gym.

The boy repeated himself twice more before Sam responded. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I’m good.” He shifted the heavy black backpack slung over his shoulder. He was wearing a white hat with an American flag emblem on the front, faded red short-sleeve shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The underarms of his shirt were soaked in sweat.

“I don’t know, bro, it seemed like you were a million miles away.” He shouldered his red backpack and nudged Sam on the shoulder. “Okay, so what did you have to tell me that was so important?” When Sam only shook his head, the boy said, “C’mon, let’s get outta here.”  Sam’s “friend” tossed a few glances at him, each time his curiosity growing.

As they walked, Sam paid close attention to his surroundings, a skill he refined throughout the years spent as a Leaper. Often, he was able to figure out which decade he had Leaped to, based off things like technology and fashion. He noticed first the bright and vivid clothing many of the teens wore, and then the Walkmans on their waistbands. They passed by a classroom with the door opened, and Sam saw a young teacher sitting at her desk, her blond hair curly and bouffant. Foggy memories drifted through the holes of his Swiss-cheesed mind, and Sam, lucky this time, was able to snag a couple of them. He smiled fondly and said, “The eighties.”

“The what?”

Sam turned to his friend. Obviously, he heard what Sam had said. He didn’t need an Observer to tell him that this kid was already suspicious of “Chad” so, the best response was no response. Luckily, his friend filled in the blanks. “Hey, bro, I get it. You’ve got a lot going on…y’know, with your folks not gettin’ along and now all this drama with Ashley.”

They were at the parking lot behind the school where four school buses were parked alongside the curb. All of them were packed. Teens gathered around their cars, and, some of them Sam noticed with a frown, were smoking. He followed his friend over to a two-door red Toyota truck parked next to the exit. The doors were unlocked; as Sam sat in the passenger seat, he placed the backpack at his feet, while his friend shoved his behind the driver seat. His friend started the truck, shifted it into gear, drove off.

“You think that’s why she wasn’t at school today?” The boy said as he sped through a yellow light. He smirked when he saw Sam shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Ashley?” Sam asked. The boy gave him a ‘uh, yeah’ look. “I wouldn’t know. I can find out tonight. I can call her.”

“I thought you said you spoke to her last night. You said she called you. Crying over the phone. Said she had to talk to you.”

Again, Sam decided to not respond. Until Al showed up to give him the details, he didn’t want to raise anymore suspicions. The truck barreled through another yellow light, right as it was turning red. A car on Sam’s side screeched its tires and blared its horn. Sam said, “You might want to slow down. That man almost drove into us.”

“Forget him, Chad, you’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“Such as…”

“You’re freaked out, pregnant girlfriend.”

Sam exhaled slowly, leaned his head back against the seat, and said, “Oh boy.”

PART ONE

September 19, 1985

Sam learned the name of Chad’s best friend, Tyler Goodwin. The rest of the drive to Chad’s house had passed in silence. Tyler had assumed that it was because Sam simply did not want to talk about it, which was not that far removed from the truth. Having heard that piece of vital information, Sam thought it best to not say anything further until Al arrived. Tyler parked in the driveway of a single-story house, painted white with brown trim. The garage was to the right and connected to the house. Two large windows faced the street, to the left of the front door.

Tyler looked at Sam for a moment, not saying a word. Something was troubling him. Finally, he said, “Hey, Chad, earlier today you said you wanted to talk to me about something.”

Sam said, “Honestly, I don’t remember. It couldn’t have been that important.” When Tyler didn’t seem entirely convinced, Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “If I remember, I’ll give you a call. But I think I need to check in on Ashley. I want to make sure she is okay.”

Tyler nodded. He started to say something but didn’t, tried again, and again changed his mind. Sam said, “Tyler, what’s wrong?”

“I have to know, how do you do it?”

“How do I do what?”

“Keep it all together. I mean, you and I are the only ones who know that Ashley’s pregnant. Her own parents don’t even know. How does that not bother you? What if something – happens to her? I mean, if something goes wrong and she needs to go to the hospital…”

“It does bother me, Tyler. I will talk to her tonight. I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep her from getting hurt. In the meantime, go home and try to relax. I will let you know what she says, okay?”

Tyler nodded. Sam grabbed his backpack and got out of the truck. He walked over to the front door, turned around, and watched Tyler back the truck onto the road and drive away. Sam sighed and went to the front door. It was locked. He searched the front pockets of his faded blue jeans, and then the back pockets. Nothing. He searched his backpack and found a blue Velcro wallet in the front pouch. The key was behind the pocket that held Chad’s driver license; in the photo, Chad had short dark blond hair, green eyes, and a square jaw. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The living room was dark. All the curtains were drawn. Sam opened the curtains to the windows facing the street, squinting against the sudden change in lighting. He set the backpack on the couch and went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a diet soda. Sitting down on the couch, he opened the backpack and searched its contents. A couple of textbooks and a binder. He found Chad’s spiraled notebook and opened it. Sam hoped that he might find something that could shed more light on what wrong he was to put right. He didn’t find anything useful, so he picked up his diet soda and went looking for Chad’s bedroom. It was the second door on the right.

The room was remarkably clean, Sam noted. There was only one poster on the wall of a band Sam didn’t recognize, Tears for Fears. There was a desk facing the wall across from the door. He went through its contents, looking for anything that would clue him in on this Ashley and her pregnancy. There, at the bottom of the top drawer, was a photograph of Chad and a red-haired girl. The girl was kissing Chad on the cheek as he smiled into the camera. It was one of those pictures taken in one of those booths set up at a carnival or movie theatre. Behind him the Imaging Chamber door opened and closed.

“Hey, kid,” Al said over the chirps and beeps of the handlink. He moved to the side so he could see the picture in Sam’s hand. The twinkling lights of the handlink reflected off the shimmering silver jacket he wore, creating a sort of disco effect. Underneath the silver jacket he wore red button-up shirt, black tie, and black slacks. “Cute couple.” In one hand was the handlink; in the other was a lit cigar. Pointing at the picture with the cigar, Al said, “Those two remind me of Christa and Ed, back when they were in high school.”

“Christa,” Sam said, still looking at the picture, “she’s your daughter, right?”

“Yeah. My youngest. Ed is her husband. You might not remember, but we’ve helped him and his family a few times before.”

Sam didn’t remember but that was not what was on his mind. He gestured with the picture and said, “What do you have on her?”

Al keyed in the inquiry on the handlink, and then waited through the usual chirps and beeps. “While Ziggy figures that out, let me fill you in on what we do know. It’s September 19, 1985. You’re Chad Braddock, senior at Huntington High School in Albuquerque. Chad is the only child of Mark and Elizabeth Braddock.” Al gestured at the closet door behind Sam with the handlink and said, “Have you looked at your reflection yet?” When Sam shook his head, Al said, “This kid’s a vending machine with a head on it. He could make Sasquatch jealous. I’m serious, Sam…you might want to look.”

Sam did as Al had asked. He opened the closet door and found himself staring back at a towering, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested young man with a head of wavy blond hair that was parted on one side. Sam, eyes glued to the mirror, said to Al: “He’s…there’s no way, Al…”

“Yup. He just turned 17 a month ago, and he’s already 6’3 and 220 pounds. Do you think his mother bottle-fed him steroids instead of milk?”

Sam, whistling in amazement, turned his back to the mirror and steered the conversation back to the objective for his latest assignment. He put the picture back into the drawer and closed it. “I spoke to Chad’s friend, Tyler. He told me that only he and Chad know that this girl, Ashley, is pregnant. She missed school today.”

Al paused mid-pull on his cigar. “Oh,” he said softly. He brought up the handlink when it emitted a series of quick beeps. “Okay, here’s what we’ve got on her. Ashley Stephenson, sixteen years old, lives with her single mother, Angela, and her older sister, Stephanie. Her father died when she was five. Her mother works at Burma Steakhouse.” Al smiled and, rolling his cigar between his fingertips, said, “Y’know, Sam, Beth and I used to take the girls to Burma, years ago. There were only two of those restaurants in Albuquerque, and the nearest one was about a half hour or so from the house. They had the best brisket. Man, I swear I can still taste it. In fact, I would --”

“What about her pregnancy?”

Al keyed in the request. He paled at the data scrolling across the viewscreen. “Oh no, no. This isn’t…this can’t be right.” He jabbed at the colored buttons, growing increasingly agitated. When he was answered with a couple of low beeps, he lowered the handlink.

“Al?”

Al looked up at Sam and said, “Ashley Stephenson was found hanging in her closet on September 21, 1985. The autopsy showed that she was six weeks pregnant.”

“Was she murdered, or…or did she kill herself?”

Al lowered his eyes. “Suicide. According to the report, Chad was the one who found her. He told the police that she called him that Saturday night. He said she was apologizing to him for ruining their lives and by the time he got over there, she was already dead.”

Sam went over to the chest of drawers next to the closet that had a cordless phone sitting in its charger. “I need her phone number.”

A second after Sam had asked for Ashley’s number, the handlink chirped. Al held it up and said, “Ziggy’s already on it. Here it is.”

Sam picked up the phone. Before dialing, he said to Al, “Please check in on her.”

“You got it, kid.”

“And after you do that, I want you and Beeks to talk to Chad in the Waiting Room. Ask him what he remembers about Ashley and her pregnancy. Any bit helps. Maybe he knows something else that we can use.”

Al nodded, keyed in the command for the Imaging Chamber door, and stepped through the sheet of white light. After he left, Sam extended the bulky phone’s antenna and dialed Ashley’s number.

Ashley was sitting on the couch with her sister, watching television when the phone rang. Stephanie got up and answered the phone. “Stephenson residence.” A pause. Then: “One sec,” she said, lowering the phone, hand placed over the receiver, smiling. “It’s for you. It’s loverboy.”

Ashley took the phone from Stephanie. “Hello? Hey, Chad.” Unknown to Ashley and Stephanie, Al winked into existence, standing next to Ashley. He walked around her, trying to get a good look at her reaction. “I don’t know if this is a good time to be talking. I just want…I want…hell, I don’t know.”

“Poor kid,” Al said when he saw the pain in her green eyes. “Just talk to him, sweetheart. Let him help you.”

Ashley pretended to perk up when she caught Stephanie looking at her. “I’m okay,” Ashley said to Sam on the phone. “I’m just tired.”

“Why weren’t you in school?” Sam asked.

“I was sick all morning. I couldn’t keep anything down.”

Next to Al was Stephanie, who was giving her sister a strange look. Ashley caught it, waved at her with her free hand, scrunching her brow. Stephanie, perturbed, turned her attention back to the show they were watching.

“Do you need anything?” Sam said. “I can come over if you like.”

Despite what she was going through, she fought back a smile. Al noticed it, leaned over her shoulder, so he could speak into the phone. “You’re on the right track, Sam. Keep talking to her.”

“Well, let me come over and we can talk. We can talk about whatever you want. I don’t want you to be alone,” Sam said.

“I’m not alone, Chad. I’ve got Stephanie here with me.”

“Not after an hour,” Stephanie said, earning a confused look from Ashley. “Remember, I’m going out with Brandon tonight. Mom won’t be home until late. She’s pulling a double at the restaurant.”

Ashley leaned her head back against the couch, the phone nearly dropping from her hands. She held it back up to her ear when Sam called her name. “Y’know what, yeah, if you can come by, that’d be nice.”

“I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“See you then.” She hung up the phone.

Al called open the Imaging Chamber door, stepped through it, and vanished.

An hour after Sam’s phone conversation with Ashley, Mark Braddock came home. He was a tall man, almost the same height as his son, with the same broad shoulders and head of dark blond hair. He greeted Sam and went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and went into the living room. “You think I don’t know what you’re up to,” he said to Sam as he turned on the television, turning it to a news program.

“Um, what?”

“You. Sneaking out at night. Don’t think you’re that slick, son.”

Naturally, Sam had no idea what Mark was talking about, but if that were true and Chad had been sneaking out at night, did that have anything to do with Ashley? It was likely, yes, given the nature of his task.

“After dinner I was going to meet up with a friend, for an hour or two. Nothing long.”

Mark regarded Sam with a sideways glance but said nothing. It wasn’t until the next commercial break when he said, “I’ll be going to the bowling alley after dinner, but your ass better be back here before mine is.”

“Yes, sir,” Sam said.

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth arrived, carrying two large pizza boxes. “I didn’t feel like cooking,” she said, setting the boxes onto the kitchen table. She kissed Sam on the forehead. “How was school?”

Before Sam could answer her, Mark said to Elizabeth, “I’ll be home late tonight.” When she gave him a curious look, he said, “It’s Thursday. League night. Remember?”

Elizabeth gave him an acidic smile. “Yes, I do.” She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of red wine. Taking her seat next to Sam at the table, she said to Mark, “I was thinking that maybe I could go with you tonight. Chad’ll be fine here by himself for a couple of hours. It’ll be fun. I haven’t watched you bowl in, what, three or four years?”

Mark shook his head. “I don’t think…no. Not tonight. Next Thursday.”

“I see.” She sipped her wine. “I think a change of pace is exactly what we need.”

Sam, caught in the middle of the “conversation”, kept his mouth shut and tried to enjoy the pizza.

PART TWO

Project Quantum Leap

Waiting Room

Project Quantum Leap’s latest Visitor, Chad Braddock, sat on the examination table, picking at the skin-tight Fermi suit. Al paced the floor in front of the table. He had a cigar but did not light it; the ventilation in the Waiting Room wasn’t all that great and the smoke would hang in the air for a long time. The last hour had been spent talking to Chad, trying to get the kid to remember all he can about Ashley’s pregnancy.

“Do you know who the father is?”

Chad’s eyes flared. “What the hell, man? Y’think my girl cheats on me?”

Al splayed his hands. “Hey, take it easy, all right? For us to help you, Tyler, and Ashley, I’m going to need to know what you know.”

“It’s me, okay? It’s my kid. I’ll – I’ll take of her and the baby.” He rubbed his temples and said, “All this has really messed with my head. These past few weeks, it’s bad, y’know?”

Al went to ask Chad more to explain, but a swift shake of the head from Chad directed Al to another line of conversation. “How are you going to take care of a baby and finish high school? Will your parents help? What about her mother?”

Chad laughed. “My folks?” He shook his head. “Nah. Her mom, maybe, I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Next time you go see your friend, take a look at my mom and dad.” When Al frowned, Chad said, “Look, Al, my folks…Ashley and I have a lot in common. Our families don’t pay much attention to us, so we only have each other. I’m there whenever she needs me.”

“Have you tried talking to your parents?”

“No.”

“Maybe you should. You are way too young to have all these ‘what-ifs’ hanging off your back. Talk to your parents, talk to her mother. They can help.”

“If Ashley thought her mom could help, then she’d have already said something to her. I’m really worried about her. I sneak out whenever I can to see her. She doesn’t have anybody to be there for her, y’know? Her mom’s always working, and her sister doesn’t seem to care all that much. She’s a great girl. She’s smart, pretty…”

“She needs to see a doctor,” Al said. “It’s important for her to receive proper medical care. You owe that to her and the baby.”

“I know, but she made me promise not to tell anyone.” He looked at Sam’s reflection on the mirrored examination table and then back up at Al. “Hey, Al? This guy, Sam, he’ll help her, right?”

“He’ll do everything he can to give all three of you the help you need.”

Chad gave Al a fleeting smile. “Okay. And I promise that if I can remember anything else, I’ll tell you.”

It would be another two hours before Sam was able to visit Ashley at her house. Chad’s parents had spent the rest of dinner arguing back and forth until Mark relented, allowing Elizabeth to accompany him to the bowling alley. Sam felt that they were not bad parents, so to speak. To an extent, they expressed genuine parental concern towards their only son; Elizabeth asked Sam if those nightmares had finally gone away, and Mark, unaware of any of this, asked Sam for an explanation. When he had none to give, Mark simply shook his head and said, “We’ll discuss this later.” It was plain to see that Mark and Elizabeth’s issues centered around mistrust, mostly on Elizabeth’s part. Sam had observed in silence, eating his dinner, taking mental notes. When they prepared to leave, Sam had asked Elizabeth if he could borrow the car keys for the minivan. As she gave him the keys, Mark told Sam to be back before ten-thirty.

When Sam arrived at Ashley’s house, Stephanie was on her way out to her date. Sam’s conversation with her did not extend beyond a passing greeting. Ashley was still sitting on the couch, reading a book. It took a great deal of effort for her to smile when she saw Sam. Sam removed the denim jacket that he had been wearing, hung it onto the coat rack by the door, and went to the couch, taking a seat next to her. He racked his brain trying to come up with a conversation starter, something that would let him ease into the true purpose of his visit, and when he had none, he decided he would come right on out with expressing his intentions.

“I want to help you,” he said. She didn’t bother looking up from her book, and it would be another minute before she responded.

“I don’t need any help, Chad. I told you to not say a word to anybody about this.”

“And I haven’t. Not yet, anyway.”

She closed the book and set it down next to her. Sam now held her attention. “What exactly does that mean?”

Sam carefully chose his words. “It means that you need proper medical attention. Talk to a doctor and have an exam. They can prescribe you prenatal vitamins and help you get on a regimen, so when it comes time to –”

“To, what, deliver? So, you want me to have this baby?”

“I want you to be healthy and safe.”

This time, she laughed. “What has gotten into you, Chad?” When he responded with a confused look, she said, “These last few weeks, you’ve been fumbling through every conversation with me, and now, all of a sudden, you sound like some doctor.”

Sam ignored her observation, keeping the conversation on track. “Will you let me help you, Ashley? Will you trust me to know that what I am doing is the right thing.”

“Which is?”

“You go to school tomorrow and afterwards, I will take you to the hospital where –”

“No. Absolutely not. I won’t –”

“Where,” Sam continued as if he hadn’t just been interrupted, “you will get an exam. Then we will both sit down and have a discussion with your mother.” When she started to protest, he gently rested his hand on to of hers, calming her down. “I will be there with you, every step of the way. I know that this a scary time for you, and I know that you feel like you’re alone. But you’re not. You have me. You have Tyler.”

“Tyler thinks I should have an abortion.”

Sam furrowed his brow. “Is that what you want?”

Ashley thought on this for several moments. She said, “No.”

“I’m asking you to trust me, okay? Trust that I can and will help you.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

“Promise me you’ll be there at school tomorrow.”

“I promise.”

True to her word, Ashley went to school. She attended every class, two of which she had with Tyler and one with Sam. She spoke to all her friends in between classes and during their scheduled fifteen-minute break. During lunch, all three hung out at a Burger King restaurant across the street from the school. While Sam and Tyler had no problem devouring their burgers, Ashley poked and shoved her food, maybe taking a few bites here and there. She looked up at them, frowned, and took a bite of her cheeseburger.

“Happy now?” she said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin. She looked at Tyler and said, “Chad’s taking me to the doctor’s after school.”

Tyler’s eyes widened. He first looked at Ashley and then to Sam. He said, “Why?”

Sam couldn’t believe Tyler’s apparent lack of concern over the situation. “Because she needs to, Tyler. It’s important to her health, to the baby’s health.”

Tyler turned to Ashley and said, “I thought you were going to get an abortion.”

“No,” she said, “that’s what you want me to do. I want to keep it. Chad says he’s going to help me and be there for me.”

As Tyler sat there, dumbfounded, Sam said, “We can’t keep this hidden from her mother. My parents. They need to know. It’s the right thing to do…and I think you know that as well as I do.”

Tyler said, “Oh, you mean the parents that are too wrapped up in themselves to notice? C’mon, bro, your mom thinks your dad’s cheatin’ on her, and she’s tryin’ to prove it. You really think your mom’s going to drop all that to help your knocked-up girlfriend?”

Ashley lowered her head. Her eyes tearing up fast. Sam said to Tyler, “I’d prefer if you didn’t talk about her in that way. She’s pregnant, scared, and needs our help. Now,” Sam looked the angry teen in the eye, “can I count on you to help us?”

Tyler looked at Ashley and then to Sam, back and forth, like he was watching a tennis match. Reluctantly, he nodded. He said to Sam, “I sure as hell hope you know what you’re doin’.”

The rest of the day was uneventful. Sam and Tyler had sixth period English together, and after school let out, Sam met Ashley at the parking lot. She held his hand as they walked across the lot towards the city bus stop. Tyler caught up with them half way.

“Hey, man,” he called out Sam. “Hey,” he said again when he clapped Sam on the shoulder, grabbing his attention. He and Ashley stopped and turned around. “Where you guys goin’?”

“We’re taking the bus to the hospital,” Sam said.

Tyler shook his head. “Bro, you could’ve asked me for ride.”

“Well, after lunch, I didn’t think you would want to help.”

“C’mon, we’re in this together. If you’re really doing this, then let me drive you there. We’ll get there quicker.”

Sam and Ashley accepted the offer, and they all got into Tyler’s Toyota truck. Sam sat in the tiny seat in the back, mashed against the rear of the truck and the passenger seat. Ashley sat in the passenger seat. The drive to the hospital had passed in silence.

When they arrived, Sam checked her in, and they sat in the waiting room for about an hour. Including Sam, Ashley, and Tyler, there were eight people in the waiting room. The nurse came out and called for Ashley. Tyler wanted to go back there with her, but Sam told him they needed to wait there.

“I’m not too sure about this,” Tyler said, shifting in his seat, “what’s she going to tell them in there?”

His comment caught Sam off guard. “What do you mean?’

Tyler said nothing.

“Tyler, if there’s something you need to tell me…”

“Nah. I’m good.”

Sam was not convinced but didn’t press the issue, either.

Ashley was with the doctor for a little over an hour. When she met Sam and Tyler, she was calmer, relaxed. In her hand was a small white paper bag containing a couple of bottles of prenatal vitamins. She told them that the doctor found her to be in great health. Next month she had a follow up visit. Satisfied and confident that he was taking the correct steps toward creating a brighter future for Ashley, Sam allowed himself to relax some, electing to take whatever time he had left on this Leap to educate Ashley on ways she can maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. Then, on a side note, there was the matter of Chad’s parents. Was there something he could do to help them, too?

“I sure hope you both know what you’re doin’,” said Tyler as they all climbed into his truck. He started the engine and drove the truck out onto the street. “I can only imagine how all this will go when your folks find out.”

Sam looked at Ashley first, for confirmation, before saying anything else on the matter to Tyler. When she smiled and nodded, Sam turned to Tyler and said, “We’ve decided that we’re going to talk to her mother first.”

“And when will you be telling her?”

“Tonight.”

Tyler adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see Ashley. “Is all this what you want? I mean, this is a helluva turn from just a couple of days ago. It seems like you’re just goin’ along with whatever Chad tells you to do.”

Sam frowned at the comment, while Ashley was quick to defend her choice. “He isn’t making me do anything that I don’t want to do, okay? He listens to me, hears what I have to say. Knows how I feel. I wouldn’t expect you to understand that.”

Tyler scowled and, instead of offering some retort, focused his attention on his driving. The rest of the drive back to Ashley’s house was made in silence – heavy, uncomfortable silence. While Sam’s confidence in the possibility of Ashley’s brighter future wasn’t necessarily shaken, he did have a dozen or so more questions to ask Al. Tyler dropped Ashley off and then Sam, not saying a word. As Sam unbuckled his seat belt, he tried initiating a conversation with Tyler. That didn’t do a bit of good. Sam got out of the truck and, with a heavy heart and mind, closed the door. Tyler backed out of the driveway and peeled out.

Sam had until tomorrow night to get to the bottom of the situation. He prayed that he hadn’t overlooked any important details. He went inside the house.

PART THREE

Project Quantum Leap

Waiting Room

“Dr. Beeks said you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah. I think I might have something that can help Sam. I, uh, didn’t feel like talkin’ to anybody else about it, y’know? No offense…”

Al sat next to Chad on the examination table. The kid was nervous, uncomfortable. Despite his imposing stature, he couldn’t have been more vulnerable if he had tried. Al looked Chad in the eye and saw for the first time the fear and pain that wracked the kid’s mind at night.

“What is it?”

“I don’t think – well, there’s a chance, anyways – that Ashley’s baby might not be mine.”

Al furrowed his brow. He had assumed, rightfully as it turned out, that Chad’s outburst the other day held more truth than the kid had expected or known. “Oh? Who else could be the father?”

“Tyler Goodwin, my best friend. I’ve known for a long time now that he’s had the hots for Ashley. And…I know that she thought at times that she might like him, too. She’s told me that much. I didn’t think anything of it until a few weeks ago, when…” His eyes teared up but not a single drop ran down his cheek.

Al gently encouraged him to continue. He placed a hand on Chad’s broad shoulders. “It’s okay, kid. Take your time.”

It would be another minute before Chad collected himself and continued. He nearly choked on his words. “She told me that she slept with him, but only the one time. Tyler doesn’t know that I know. I was going to tell him the other day, but, y’know, your friend took over…” He glanced at Sam’s reflection. He looked back up at Al and asked, “Do you have any kids?’

Al smiled. “Five wonderful daughters.”

“Did you, um, ever have to wonder if something like this would happen to them?”

Al chuckled. “Parents always worry about their kids, whether it’s about if they get to school safely, or if whomever is taking them out on a date treats them with the respect they deserve and brings them home safely. I do my best to guide them in the right direction and keep them safe, but I cannot always be there when something happens. Being a dad doesn’t stop when they turn eighteen. I trust them. I trust that they will make the right decision, and none of them have ever let me down. Some of them have married good men. They reflect the best part of me.”

Chad noticed the glint of pride in Al’s eye. “You think I can have that with Ashley?’

Al thought on this for several moments. He said, “Kid, you still have a lot of growing up to do --” he reconsidered his words when he saw Chad holding back a smirk “—well, maybe not physically…you know what I mean.” As Chad laughed, Al waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Listen, you’re being given the unique gift of a second chance, before you even get the first chance. Take this time, okay, to think about what will be best for you, Ashley, and the baby.”

“I will.”

Sam had finished eating the last four slices of cold leftover pizza when Al arrived. Mark had yet to come home from work, and Elizabeth was over at a friend’s house. Sam had suspected that Mark might be having an affair but had not definitive proof. It was a suspicion that Elizabeth had unknowingly shared with the Leaper.

“Hiya, Sam,” Al said in a less than enthusiastic tone. He looked at the handlink, but, if there was any data scrolling across the viewscreen, he wasn’t paying attention to it.

Sam knew whenever Al was holding back on something. The man often wore his emotions on his sleeve, much like Sam. In some ways, it was that seemingly vulnerable trait that made them good at what they did, helping people. “Al, what do you have on Tyler Goodwin?”

Al keyed in the request on the handlink, and after a series of chirps and beeps, he said, “There isn’t too much on the kid. After he graduates high school, he works at his dad’s used car dealership for a couple of years, then goes to college, earns his bachelor’s degree in English, and gets a job working at a newspaper. In our time, he and his wife run an online journalistic media page.”

“And Chad?”

“After high school, he leaves New Mexico and moves to California. He becomes a prolific stuntman in B-movies. He’s known for being in those hokey slasher films and shoot ‘em ups. He never married, never had any children. His work is his life. I, um, looked further into Chad’s records.” He avoided Sam’s questioning look. “He said in a 2004 documentary on his career that after his high school sweetheart died, he went off the deep end. He had a death wish. He foolishly took risks and purposely put himself in harmful situations – hence his becoming a stuntman. He blamed himself for Ashley’s death, Sam.”

Sam also knew whenever Al became emotionally invested in the people into whom he had Leaped. “You really like this kid, don’t you?”

“Chad and Ashley are good kids, Sam.”

Sam said, “And…Tyler isn’t?”

“Oh, I’m sure he isn’t a bad guy, but I don’t know him all that well.”

There was more to the story. For the time being, Sam decided to change the subject. He wanted to know how today’s events affected the outcome. “Has anything changed for her?”

Al asked Ziggy via the handlink. He perked an eyebrow as he read the data. “Apparently, your visit to the hospital reduced the odds of her committing suicide to twenty-two percent. So, I guess, keep up what you’re doing, and she should be all right.”

“You guess? Al, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I was getting to that part. Sam, Chad might not be the father of Ashley’s baby.”

It didn’t take Sam but a second to figure out what Al was getting at. “It’s Tyler, isn’t it?”

“How’d you figure that out?”

“Well, Tyler was too defensive of Ashley’s wanting to keep the baby. He expresses far more concern about the pregnancy than an outsider would, and then he’s been verbally attacking me ever since I’ve Leaped in.” He went to Chad’s room, turned on the light, and stood in front of the full-length mirror that was tacked onto the closet door. Chad’s piercing green eyes stared back at him. Al blinked in a few feet behind him. Sam said to Al while staring at Chad’s reflection, “Is that what Chad told you?”

“Yeah. The kid knew since the beginning that the baby might not be his. Ashley confessed to him right after she’d slept with Tyler.”

“He’s scared, Al.” Sam turned to face the hologram. “They all are. So long as I stay close to her and continue to support her, everything’ll be all right.” He glanced at his wristwatch, muttered a curse under his breath, grabbed his denim jacket, and took off down the hall. Al blinked into view next to the front door. “I need to get over to Ashley’s. We’re going to tell her mother.”

“Be careful, Sam. You’ll want to handle this situation delicately.”

Sam frustratedly rolled his eyes. Al wasn’t telling him anything that he did not already know. He grabbed the car keys that were hanging on the hook next to the front door. He was able to borrow the minivan. He told Elizabeth that he had wanted to treat Ashley out to a nice night of miniature golf. Elizabeth had then placed a call for one of her friends to come pick her up.

Sam and Ashley sat with her mother, Kathryn, and laid it all out for her, with Sam doing most of the talking. Kathryn listed in silence. The talk lasted only a couple of minutes. When Sam was finished, she turned to Ashley and said, “So, you plan on keeping this child?”

“Yes, but I can’t do it alone.”

“I see. What about school?”

“Well, by the time the baby’s born I’d have already graduated high school –”

“I meant about your plans for college. How will you do that and take care of a baby at the same time?”

Ashley turned to Sam and placed a hand on top of his and said, “Chad said he would help me. He’ll be taking a year off from school and work full-time.”

Kathryn regarded Sam with a thin-lipped smile. “And what do your parents have to say about all this?”

“I, uh, well,” Sam cleared his throat and shifted on the couch uncomfortably, “I haven’t spoken to them yet. I will tonight.”

Kathryn reached into her purse, produced a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a couple of long pulls before saying anything. “I barely make enough money as it is, Ash. I just had enough to pay rent but had to get an extension on the gas bill. I can’t take care of you, your sister, and your baby.”

“I don’t want an abortion.”

“Then you’re going to need to figure it out.” Before Sam could say a word, Kathryn held up the hand that held the cigarette. She said through a cloud of smoke, “But I won’t abandon my daughter. I’ve already lost my husband, I won’t lose my daughter, too. She’s going to have to work hard at this. And you, if you’re any bit of the good person that I think you are, then the time of being a kid is over. You’re going to need to be a provider for my daughter, and father to that baby.”

Sam nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Ashley wasn’t sure if she should be smiling or crying. So, she did both.

The conversation with Chad’s parents went a lot smoother than Sam had expected. Mark downed three beers and muttered obscenities, while Elizabeth smiled apologetically at Ashley. Neither one yelled at Sam. Ashley sat next to Sam, pressed against his side.

“It’s a good thing you decided to take that year off after school, eh, son?” Mark’s laugh held no humor to it; he finished the last of his beer. “You want to play Daddy, fine. I’ll get you a job at the warehouse. It’ll be overnights, so don’t think you’ll have all day to screw off. It’s good, honest, steady work.” Mark shook his head at Sam. “Now, don’t go thinking that because I own the company, I’ll be giving you preferential treatment. You’re going to put in as much work as everyone else. I want you to work harder, son. I’ll only help you two out so much, the rest will be up to you.”

“I understand,” Sam responded. “Thank you, dad.” He frowned when Mark responded with a wave of the hand and some other muttered obscenity.

“Are you two absolutely sure that you want to go through this, sweetheart?” Elizabeth asked Ashley. “You’re still a kid.”

“I do, Mrs. Braddock.”

Elizabeth said, “I sure hope you do.”

After the talk, Sam dropped Ashley off at home, and then, before returning to the Braddock residence, went for a short drive to clear his mind. Mark took to avoiding Sam, while Elizabeth cried to herself. If time permitted, Sam resolved to helping rebuild Chad’s relationship with his parents. Mark’s job offer came as a surprise to Sam and Ashley. It was a sign that things were heading in the right direction, but Sam easily figured that Mark had lost most of what respect he might have had for Chad. He would find a way, somehow, to repair as much of the damage as possible.

PART FOUR

Sam awoke the next morning to find Al standing at the foot of the bed, pretending to look impatient. The handlink beeped a few times as Sam sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The first thing he thought about was last night’s conversations with Ashley’s mom and Chad’s parents. Again, Sam felt that, while he was on the right track, he was causing as much damage in other areas of their young lives. “What time is it?” he asked Al.

“A little after nine.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.” He didn’t give Sam a chance to question it. He said, “I checked with Ziggy to see if the odds of Ashley dying had gone down.”

“And?”

“No change. The odds are still locked at twenty-two percent.” Al slipped the handlink into the pocket of his silver and red jacket. “We gotta be missing something.” He recalled Sam’s actions in the past twenty-four hours, ticking each one off on his fingers. “You got Ashley to go to the hospital to get checked out. You spoke to her mom, Chad’s parents. His dad will be giving Chad a job after high school…”

“Factor in Tyler Goodwin,” Sam said as he put on a tan colored baseball cap.

Al did, eyebrow perking when he read the revised data. “Bingo. There it is.” He showed Sam the handlink. “Adding Tyler into the equation gives us our twenty-two percent.”

Sam thought on this for several moments. He said, “I can’t believe that Tyler would do anything to hurt Ashley. No, we’re still missing something – but I do believe that whatever it is, Tyler is connected to it.”

“Where’s Ashley now?”

“She’s spending the day with her sister. Finding out about the pregnancy must’ve changed her somehow.” Sam took solace in knowing that there was still some good in all of this.

“Then you stick to Tyler like glue and make sure he doesn’t do anything that could hurt her.”

Sam glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “I’m supposed to meet him at the park in an hour to shoot some hoops.”

Al keyed in the command on the handlink to open the Imaging Chamber door. He stepped through, his image illuminated in the door’s white light. He said, “We have until tonight at eight to save her. I’m going to go back to the Waiting Room and talk with Chad one last time. I need to tell him about that talk you had with his folks. Kid needs to know that they do care.”

The Imaging Chamber door closed. Sam took a moment to himself, then grabbed Chad’s wallet and went into the living room. He told Mark where he was going and asked, yet again, to borrow the keys to the minivan, telling him where he was going. Mark didn’t acknowledge Sam. He took the keys and left.

Project Quantum Leap

Waiting Room

“When you Leap back, you won’t remember everything from your stay here. We’ve heard that most of our Visitors remember their experiences kinda like a dream. Some remember more.”

“I almost forget all my dreams,” Chad said. He hopped off the table, moved around it so he could get a better view of Sam’s reflection. “When should I expect to go back?”

“Well, Sam spoke with your folks and Ashley’s mom. Your mom seemed to handle better than your dad. Although, he offered you a job at his factory.”

Chad perked at this. “Really?” He smiled and then shook his head. “Ten bucks says he’s ignoring Sam right now, if he’s really pissed.”

In the beginning, because of how little Visitors remembered of their experiences in the Waiting Room upon returning to their lives, Al had used to think that imparting words of wisdom and advice was pointless. Then there was that other part of him that believed he was wasting valuable opportunities by not trying. While Sam was able to directly influence the lives of those in the past, Al was in the position to help the Visitors. What if they remembered more than what was known to Al and the Project staff? The desire to try far outweighed the ease of ignorance.

Al also could not deny the slight intimidation he felt when standing next to the impossibly tall teenager. “Your parents do care. You’ve gotta give people a chance. Listen, your dad might be upset right now, but he’ll come around. If there wasn’t any chance of that happening, he wouldn’t have offered you a job, right? Give him time.”

Chad nodded. “I don’t want to forget.”

“I believe in you. I know you’ll do the right thing. You’re going to be someone that your child can look up to.”

“I sure as hell hope so.”

“No doubt about it.”

Sam and Tyler spent all afternoon at the park, shooting hoops. Out of six one-on-one matches, Sam won five. He let Tyler win the last one. Tyler went over to the gym bag next to the bench and grabbed two bottles of water, tossing one to Sam.

“C’mon, bro, I know you threw that last match.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tyler gulped the water, crushed the plastic bottle, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but you never play this good. Your game was always football. How is it that suddenly you’re playin’ like you’re in the NBA?”

“Lucky I guess.” 

Tyler picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and started towards his truck. “Yeah, I gotta get back home and take a shower. I’ll drop you off at your place and then call you tomorrow.”

Sam was on Tyler’s heels. “Wait…where are you going tonight?”

“Brandon Kripke’s party, remember?”

“No.”

Tyler tossed the gym bag into the bed of the truck and got behind the wheel. Sam sat on the passenger side. Tyler didn’t say anything more until they were on the road.

“I’m guessing you didn’t know because Mitch Cartwright’s gonna be there, and I know all about how you nearly knocked the crap outta him after last Friday’s game.”

“A party…maybe I can tag along.”

“If you want, I guess.”

Tyler dropped Sam off at the house. “Call me before you go, okay?”

“Yeah…sure.” Tyler waved to Sam, backed out of the driveway, and drove off.

Sam had already resolved to ask Al for the address of where this party was going to be, assuming that is, Al showed up within the next couple of hours. He went into the kitchen and got a Coke from the fridge. Mark was not in the house, but Elizabeth was, sitting on the couch. She looked like she had been crying for hours, her eyes were red and her cheeks blotchy.

“Mom?”

Elizabeth looked at Sam. “Oh…hi. I didn’t hear you come in. How was your time with Tyler?”

Sam sat next to her. “It was fun. We played some one-on-one. I think I surprised him a little bit by beating him in almost every match.”

Elizabeth politely laughed. “I bet that didn’t go over so well with him.”

Sam smiled and shook his head. What had she been crying over? Was it the situation with Ashley? Did Mark say something to her? “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Elizabeth said, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just…things with your father.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Recalling his discussion with Al, Sam hesitated on pressing the matter. He had to try. “Did Dad hit you?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in shock. “What? No, never. Your father has never raised a hand to me.”

“Did he say anything hurtful?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t think it’s appropriate that I should be having this discussion with you.”

If Mark wasn’t the violent type, and it wasn’t anything that he had said, then the possibilities were few. It was more than a mere marital spat. Was it an affair? He couldn’t come right out and ask – could he? “You can talk to me, Mom. It’s okay.”

“End of discussion.” Elizabeth picked up the television remote and turned on the set.

For the time being, Sam decided it was best to not press the issue. He needed to be readily available in case anything was to happen to Ashley between now and eight o’clock. He went into Chad’s room, picked up the phone, and dialed Ashley’s number. Her mother answered and told Sam that she was still out with her sister.

At least she was safe. All Sam could do in the meantime was to wait for Al to appear, so he could get the address for the party.

The party was well underway. There were about thirty teens, drinking and smoking. Most of them were people Tyler did not know, a few of them went to Huntington High. Tyler had gotten the invite through Mitch Cartwright, who, in turn, was a cousin of Brandon’s. Brandon was twenty years old.

Tyler had finished his second beer when Brandon offered him a cigarette; Tyler accepted. He had finished his last smoke about an hour or two ago. He wasn’t, however, much in the partying mood. He thought the party would be a great way to take his mind off his troubles.

“A’right,” Brandon said, “what’s up? You’ve been moping for the past hour.”

“I can’t tell you. I promised her I wouldn’t.”

“Her? Okay, now you gotta tell me.”

Tyler hesitated but then relented. “Why not? Chad gets to tell everyone else about it, right? Yeah. Okay. You know Ashley Stephenson, right? Well…she’s pregnant.”

Brandon laughed. “Oh, man. Really?”

“The kid might be mine.”

“Who’s the other guy?”

Tyler gave Brandon the abridged version of the situation. Brandon’s first response was to hand Tyler another beer, which, after a bit of peer pressure, he accepted. “You want to keep it?”

“I don’t know. Well, not really. I don’t want to be a dad.”

Brandon stood up and gestured for Tyler to follow. He did. He led Tyler into the hallway, out of earshot of the partygoers. “These girls, man, they like doin’ this to good guys like you. They get pregnant and then try to use it to control the guy. It happened to me once. I don’t like seein’ good guys getting screwed over. It’s become my crusade to help those who can’t help themselves.” When he saw Tyler frowning: “Hey, man, if you don’t want to keep the baby, I can help you get rid of it.”

Tyler looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and horror. “How? I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“Can you get her over here?”

Tyler said, “Dude, not until you tell me what you’ve got planned.”

“Hey, it’s safe, okay? I got this. Okay,” he draped an arm over Tyler’s shoulders, “last year I knocked my girlfriend up, and I didn’t want the kid, so I started looking for ways to fix the problem. It didn’t hurt her, and everything turned out fine. No doctors, no hospitals.”

Tyler hedged. “I don’t know, man. I mean, that doesn’t really tell me anything…”

“Fine. I’m just tryin’ to help. Have it your way. Have fun takin’ care of someone else’s kid.” He got a few steps away when Tyler called after him.

“Hey. Wait. What do you need me to do?”

Thirty minutes later, Ashley arrived at Brandon’s house. Her sister had dropped her off. She was greeted at the door by Tyler. She looked past him as if trying to find someone in the crowd. Tyler was nervous. She stepped inside.

“Is Chad here?”

“Oh, I – I don’t know if he’s coming or not.”

Ashley made small talk with a few of the people, but, the entire time, she was uncomfortable. She said to Tyler, “I don’t want to stay long, okay? I’m tired and kinda just want to veg out.”

He asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She said a diet cola, so he went and got one for her in the kitchen. Weaving his way through the crowd, he made about halfway to her when he bumped into Brandon. Soda spilled onto Tyler’s shirt and, while he was looking for a napkin to clean the mess, he handed the can over to Brandon from him to hold. As Tyler briefly looked away, Brandon plunked a small white tablet into the can. He handed it back to Tyler.

“Watch were you’re goin’, next time.”

“Yeah, sure.” Tyler watched him go and then went back to Ashley. He gave her cola. She finished the drink in about a minute.

“Thanks,” she said, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. “I was dying of thirst.”

“No sweat.”

Five minutes later, Ashley complained about feeling lightheaded and asked if there was some where she could go lay down for a bit. Tyler quickly draped her arm over his shoulders, and he led her down the hall and into one of the back rooms and onto the bed.

“Ashley?” Tyler jostled her shoulder. Nothing. “Ash?” Again, he jostled her shoulder, but rougher this time. Still nothing. “Oh man. Oh crap…”

“Relax,” Brandon said, standing in the doorway. “She’ll be out for a while and when she wakes up, she won’t remember a thing.”

Tyler was confused. “What did you do, man?”

Brandon glanced at the cup. “I didn’t expect her to chug it like that.”

Tyler saw what Brandon was looking at, his eyes wide with terror. “You spiked her drink?”

“I had to. She wouldn’t have done this otherwise.”

PART FIVE

Sam looked at the clock. 7:05 PM. He was in Chad’s room. He picked up the phone and dialed Ashley’s number. She ought to be home by now. Her mother answered on the third ring. He asked if Ashley had come back from the movies with her sister, and Kathryn told him that she left a little while ago with Tyler. Sam blanched. He hung up the phone.

“Al,” he whispered, “where the hell are you? Damn it.” He needed to get to Ashley. He knew that Tyler was going to a party, so, if something was still to happen to her, it would be at the party. Unless Tyler didn’t end up going to the party. His mind was fast calculating all known possibilities and their probabilities.

The Imaging Chamber door opened and closed behind Sam. “Hey, Sam, I –”

“Al, I need you to get a lock on Ashley.”

Al looked up and to the side and said, “Gooshie, center me on Ashley.” Al’s image vanished and a moment later returned. All the color had drained from his face. Al said, “Sam, Ashley’s in trouble. She’s at a party with Tyler, and she’s out cold.”

Sam’s heart raced. “What do you mean?”

“She’s passed out. It looks like someone slipped her a roofie.” He gave Sam the address to Brandon’s house.

Sam bolted from the room, down the hall, bumped into Mark as he was walking into the living room, grabbed the keys to the minivan, and got behind the wheel. He peeled out of the driveway and sped down the street. Al blinked into view, shifting his image so that he appeared to be sitting next to Sam.

“Tyler drugged Ashley?”

Al was as lost as Sam was. “We, ah, we don’t know. But history’s now changing. Originally, she never went to the party, but now that you’ve changed things, she ends up dying there. According to Ziggy, she had an adverse reaction to Rohyp –” he smacked the side of the handlink with the palm of his hand “– Roh –”

“Rohypnol,” Sam finished. “It’s a tranquilizer that’s about ten times more potent than Valium. It’s often used to treat insomnia and assist with anesthesia.”

“How the hell did Tyler get a hold of tranquilizers?” Al asked.

“I don’t know, Al. I’m not so sure that he even did it. The kid may be scared, but he’s not a sadist.” Sam turned a corner a bit too sharply, causing the minivan to rock on its side. “How far out am I?”

“Five minutes.”

“Go be with her.”

Al vanished. Sam floored the accelerator.

The front door flew open with such force that the doorknob punched a hole in the wall. Sam pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring their terse comments. “Al! Where’s Ashley?”

“Back here, Sam!” Al’s voice was coming from the end of the hall. Sam made a dash down the hall and into the room where he found Tyler, scared beyond rational thought; he stood there, staring at Ashley and the man standing to the side of the bed, with what looked to be a straightened-out wire coat hanger in his hand. “The son of a bitch is going to --”

Sam grabbed the man’s arm and shoved him away from the bed. He stumbled back, dropping the hanger. “Stay away from her,” he ordered the man. To call him a man was a bit much; he looked to be only a few years older than Tyler. His long, stringy brown hair and slender features only accentuated his youthfulness.

“What’s your problem, Ox?” He took a long look at Sam, then Tyler, and back to Sam. “Oh, I get it. You’re the other daddy, aren’t you?”

“Stay the hell away from her,” Sam said. He glanced over his shoulder at the petrified Tyler. “Who is he?”

“That’s, um, that’s Brandon. He’s Mitch’s cousin.”

Sam went over to Ashley, who was still out cold. Sam checked her pulse. It was faint. “I need to get her to a hospital.” He went to scoop her up, but Brandon grabbed his shoulder. “I don’t care how big you are, I’ll --”

Sam punched Brandon twice, first in the gut, and then, as he doubled over, popped him one across the side of his face. Brandon was out cold. Sam scooped Ashley into his arms and carried her through the house, out the door, and over to the van, ignoring the mob of shocked and confused onlookers. Tyler, finally recovering from his shock, opened the side door where he climbed into the back. Sam propped Ashley next to Tyler. Al blinked into view in the passenger seat.

“Hold her until we get to the hospital.”

Tyler nodded. “Um, yes…yeah.” The teen was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Al was already pulling up the directions on the handlink. “Here, Sam, Ziggy’s giving us the most direct route. It’ll take about ten minutes, give or take.”

Sam slammed the side door shut, got behind the wheel, and sped off to the hospital. There were a few times where he had taken a sharp turn, the van rocking onto its side. Tyler was white as a sheet, eyes wide, and clutching onto Ashley.

Sam tried calling Ashley’s mother while Ashley was being treated by the doctors, instead reaching Stephanie. She was on her way. Sam then called his parents and told them what was going on. They, too, were on their way. Tyler had not said a word since Sam rushed into the emergency room, carrying Ashley. A team of nurses collected her, gently laying her onto a gurney, and wheeling her away.

Sam sat next to Tyler. He asked, “Why? If you were worried that you might be the father, then you should’ve come to me and talked about it. This didn’t have to happen, Tyler.”

Tyler kept his eyes glued on the double doors at the end of the waiting room as he answered Sam. “You knew?”

“I figured it out. Brandon could have killed her.”

“Hey,” Tyler turned to face Sam, “I didn’t know he spiked her drink, okay? I freaked out. I didn’t like how suddenly, you and Ashley wanted to have the baby, thinkin’ everything’s gonna be all right.” He lowered his head. “I’m not ready for any of this.”

Sam looked up when the double doors opened. Sam and Tyler stood up at the same time as the doctor approached them.

Sam said, “Is she okay?”

The doctor said, “We’re running tests right now, but she’s stable.”

“When can we see her?”

“Soon. Can you tell me what happened?”

Sam was about to speak when Tyler held up a hand. “No, it’s okay,” he said to Sam, “I got this.” He then told the doctor everything that Brandon had done to her and had tried to do to her.

“The police will have to be notified,” the doctor told Sam and Tyler. When Tyler went to protest, the doctor interrupted him. “Save it for them. You need to know that she runs a high risk of miscarrying. I’ll be back as soon as I have more information.”

The doctor left. Tyler sat down, once again pale, eyes wide and nearly unblinking. Al appeared next to Tyler. The hologram regarded him with a frown and then motioned for Sam to follow him. They went over to a nearby vending machine so that they were out of earshot.

“Al,” Sam whispered, “please tell me you have good news.”

“Well…yes and no.” Avoiding Sam’s piercing gaze, Al read the data scrolling across the handlink’s viewscreen. “First, the good news. You saved Ashley. Ziggy ran a check on her, and she turns out fine. She stays in Albuquerque and ends up becoming an art teacher at Huntington High. She, like Chad, never married. Never had any kids.”

The last part struck Sam like a lightning bolt. “She never – so, she…miscarries?”

Al lowered his head. “I’m sorry, kid.”

Sam glanced at the nearly catatonic Tyler. “What about him?”

“Well, Ashley’s family decide not to press charges against him, mostly at the behest of Ashley. She probably wanted to put it all behind her and move on. Everything else plays out the same as it did before.” A couple of low beeps from the handlink caught Al’s attention. “But you’ll be happy to know that Brandon does get arrested on assault charges and for drugging Ashley.”

Sam, adept at sensing whenever a Leap was pending, did not feel one pending. He followed his instincts by saying, “I’m not done yet. There’s still something left for me to fix.”

“Like what?”

By the time Stephanie and Chad’s parents had arrived, Ashley had been moved to a room. She was awake. Sam waited outside the room with Chad’s parents. Mark, despite having been upset over the situation, clapped Sam on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son. You helped that poor girl and nailed the bastard that did this.”

“Will she be all right?” Elizabeth asked.

“She’ll be okay,” Sam said. “When she’s done talking to her sister, I’m going to spend some time with her, if she’ll have me.”

Mark said, “Of course. Take your time. As soon as we know Ashley is fine, we’ll go back to the house. You can take the van back.”

Tyler avoided everyone, deciding not to speak again until the police arrived to get statements. Right as Sam was finishing giving his statement to the officer, Stephanie came out of the room and said that Ashley was asking for Sam.

Mark and Elizabeth smiled at Sam, acknowledging that it was okay. Sam went into the room. Ashley was smiling when Sam pulled up the chair next to her bed. He sat down. She held out her hand, and Sam took it.

“How are you feeling?”

“It hurts a little bit.”

Sam patted her hand and said, “I’m here for you. For as long as you want me to be.”

Al appeared on the other side of the bed, the blinking multi-colored lights from the handlink illuminating his glittery silver tie. He said nothing as he stood there, watching Sam comfort Ashley.

“We will get through this together. I promise you. If things get worse –”

“Careful, Sam,” Al warned. “Don’t tell her.”

“If things get worse,” Sam continued, “then you and I will get through it together. I don’t ever want you feeling, even for a second, that you’re alone in any of this.” Sam, while speaking the words, allowed this fleeting moment of psychosynergizing with Chad to guide him. He felt the genuine love Chad had for Ashley. “I love you.”

Ashley’s emerald eyes filmed with tears. She said, “I love you too, Chad.”

This time, Sam felt the familiar slow-crawling tingle of an impending Leap. His field of vision started to blur a light blue. He reached out and gently held her hand in his. “We’re in this together.”

Al said, “Your good deeds are never-ending. Not only does Chad keep your promise, but he and Ashley remain close. They get married in 1990, a year after Mark and Elizabeth Braddock divorce. Chad still becomes a stuntman, but now, instead of taking all those unnecessary risks, he starts a school that trains aspiring stuntmen and helps find them work in the industry, Premiere Stunt Training Academy. Ashley is still teaching art at Huntington High in our time.” Al tapped a few buttons on the link and then said to Sam, “They never had any children after this.”

Sam was still holding Ashley’s hand, smiling at her, when he Leaped.

EPILOGUE

Even as the energy began to envelop his body, Sam smiled and gave a nod of his head.  He never knew where he would go, but Sam knew he would be sent into the life of someone who needed him.  That's all that mattered now.  He leaned back into the fall and tried to prepare himself for whatever was coming.  He stretched languorously before feeling the familiar rollercoaster of falling into another life.

As the electrical energy faded from his body, he blinked.  He was sitting at a desk.  Sam glanced around the room.  A large window was before him, allowing him to see that he might be an official at a police station.  Sam noticed a police officer meandering from the small kitchenette with a coffee cup, returning to a desk to answer a phone call.  He also saw a young blonde-haired woman sitting at a desk, doing paperwork.

A slight frown edged his mouth as he looked down at the mahogany classic L-shaped desk and looked at the items neatly laid out.  From left to right, he found a computer monitor at one corner of the desk with a screensaver displaying Coldspring Police Department, an office nameplate, a Ridgely & Co. organizer with pens, stationary and post-it notes, an in-file tray, an out-file tray, a picture of a dark German Shepherd, a telephone, a clock reading 4:45 PM, then a printer sitting ready for use.  As he continued looking around him, he found books behind him pertaining specifically to law enforcement.  Turning back to the front, he saw a desk calendar showing September and the slashes marked through the fifth.  At least he knew the date.  He was about to reach for the nameplate on the desk when a light double tap on the door caught his attention, and he looked up as the door opened.

"Hey, Chief?" The very tall young man who opened the door had brown hair that framed his face and warm hazel eyes.  The nametag on his chest read: Miller.  He looked in his mid-twenties and leaned in, his hand resting on the doorknob.  "We just heard from Jason Snyder.  He said he hadn't heard from his seventeen-year-old daughter, Sarah, since the night before last when he went to work.  He hoped she'd show up today but hadn't seen her yet.  Do you…"

"It's been over twenty-four hours.  Go ahead and talk with Mr. Snyder about everything that he can remember from the last night he saw her," Sam responded.  He at once knew that Sarah was why he was here.

"You got it, Chief," the young man gave a curt nod, closed the door, and started away.

Sam watched as the young man went to a desk ten feet from his office.  Not sure why he felt led to do so, Sam stood and opened the door.  "Miller?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"Just check back with me when you get back."

"Sure thing." 

Sam watched as Miller grabbed a drink from his desk, smiled, and left the small police department.  He looked across the small bullpen and saw the receptionist sitting at the desk closest to the door.  She pulled her blonde hair up into a ponytail and turned in her chair to look at him.  Her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled.  "Do you need anything, sir?"

"No, thank you.  I'm good." 

Sam slightly waved her off, then turned and returned to his office, leaving the door open.  He glanced down at the nameplate on his desk that read: Chief Patrick Hendrickson. 

He heard the phone ring out in the office, and the receptionist answered, "Coldspring Police Department.  This is Amber; how may I help you?"

Amber was quiet for a moment as the answer came across the phone.  Sam heard a commotion; his head jerked up, and he quickly turned around to see Amber standing at her desk; the chair she had been sitting on was turned over on the floor, and the phone had fallen from her hand.  Sam quickly went to her.  He grabbed the phone and pressed it to his ear to hear the dial tone.

Putting the phone back in the cradle, Sam placed his hand on Amber's shoulder, and she jumped.  "Amber?" he asked softly.  "Who was that?"

Amber turned slightly to look at him, tears welling in her eyes.  "I… I don't know." Her voice was breathy as a single tear rolled down her cheek. 

"What did they say?"

"It… it was a man…" another tear rolled down her other cheek.  "He s-sounded ex-excited."

"Okay.  What was said?" Sam queried softly.

"He said, 'I just killed Sarah Snyder.'"

Not knowing what else to say, Sam softly said, "Oh boy."