A Difference of Opinion

By: Dulcinea1969

Disclaimer: Quantum Leap and all related characters are owned by Belisarius Productions and Universal. No profit has been made off of the writing or distribution of this piece of fiction.

“If we’d just flown we’d be home by now.”

“For crying out loud, Kid, that’s got to be the five hundredth time you’ve said that today. Enough already.” Al knew it was probably an exaggeration saying Sam had made the statement 500 times but it sure felt like it.

Sam looked quickly over at the man in the driver’s seat then back out the passenger window. “Is not and you know I’m right. If you weren’t so cheap, we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

The ‘here’ where they were stuck was in Sam’s broken down car somewhere in New Mexico just over the border from Texas. They were driving back from Dallas where they’d been forced to attend a mandatory seminar about controlling overspending in government funded projects. Ironically, that’s exactly why they were sitting in the broken down car instead of home already – because Al was trying to cut back on project expenses.

“It has nothing to do with cheap, Sam. I’ve told you that a thousand times. Can you not hear me or are you just ignoring me? I know you’re not forgetting with that photographic memory you always remind me of.” Al was being uncharacteristically short with Sam, and he knew it. He felt he had a right, though. He’d been hearing the same complaint for the last couple of days about how cheap he was and it had escalated to a whine today. The kid just did not understand expenses. “Flying to Dallas just didn’t fit in with the Project budget right now. Driving was a helluva lot cheaper and leaves more in the travel budget for the next time we have to do the dog and pony show in Washington. Why can you not get that through your thick skull? Geez, come up out of your lab every now and then and join us here in the real world so you can see how we function.”

Al’s words stung; there was no other way to put it. It was rare that he ever took cheap shots at Sam’s “gifts” as he often called them and when he did, it felt like a knife to the gut. “I heard you every single time,” Sam growled back. “I just don’t understand why we have to save the money we have available. It’s there to use.”

“Yeah, so let’s just use it up all at once. That’s a really smart idea, Sam.” Al threw a sarcastic look in Sam’s direction. “For such a genius, you’re a real idiot when it comes to finances. If you were in charge of them, the Project would probably be bankrupt by now. Lord knows how you’re not personally bankrupt. There’s no free rides, Kid and if we blow what we have, that’s it. Didn’t you hear anything during that seminar? They’re going to start cutting back on this stuff. Were you listening or were you too busy planning your next pet project?”

“I’d be thankful for my ‘pet projects’ if I were you otherwise you wouldn’t have a job and you’d probably be some washed up drunk waiting to die in some gutter somewhere.” Two could play at the insult game. It wasn’t something Sam excelled at but when he had to, he could be just as cruel. He’d experienced more than his fair share of it in his life not to have picked up some pointers.

Al glared at the man sitting next to him but didn’t get a chance to say anything as a tow truck pulled up next to them. The first chance either man had to say anything to the other was when they got to a local motel.

The tow truck had dropped them and Sam’s broken down car at the local garage. After finding out it would take a least two days, maybe longer, to get it repaired, they’d walked the short distance from the garage to the motel. It was too late now to get a rental and drive the rest of the way but Al was determined that that’s what he’d be doing tomorrow bright and early and right now, he could care less what Sam did.

As if the night wasn’t going along great as it was, when they got to the motel office they found out there was only one room available. Neither man was really relishing the thought of spending the night in the same room as the other but there wasn’t much to be done about it now. It was compounded even further when they got to the room and found out it only had one bed.

Sam was ready to offer to call down to the office and see if there was a cot that could be brought up when Al cut him off before he had a chance to say a word. “Just shut it, Beckett. I don’t need to hear anymore of your whining about flying and staying in fancy hotels. I’ve had enough of it for today.”

“Shut the hell up,” Sam roared. When Al looked in surprise at the shout, he continued. “You’ve been lecturing me the whole damned day. My parents never lectured me this much about money.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if they had, you’d get the concept,” Al countered. “You’ve gotten too damned used to being pampered you can’t wrap it around your head when you’re not.”

“I have never been pampered.” Sam’s voice was very low – almost deadly. He took a couple of steps toward Al so that, with his greater height, he was nearly towering over the man. “Just leave me the hell alone tonight and just stop talking. The sound of your voice is making my head pound.” He whirled away and grabbed his bag and moved toward the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to bed…on the floor. I don’t want you think I’m too pampered.” Finished saying his piece, he stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door hard enough to rattle it on its hinges.

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Al knew just how far over the line he’d stepped. He knew that Sam’s life had been anything but pampered. He’d wanted to hurt his friend and he’d certainly accomplished that.

The day hadn’t been easy on either of them. Driving the thirteen plus hours between Dallas and the Project wasn’t his idea of a fun way to spend the day but it had to be done. Most times they were running things on a shoe string budget and he had to find ways to trim a little extra fat wherever he could and that included the luxury of flying or staying in nice hotels – not that that had been an option tonight.

The tow truck ended up taking them to Carlsbad and there were few hotels or motels in the area and, as they’d found out when they checked into this one, the few that there were, were booked solid. Why anyone would want to travel to this area of the country in the heat of June just to look at some caverns was beyond Al’s way of thinking.

He looked around their temporary home for the night. The threadbare carpet and peeling wallpaper didn’t make for an inviting place. The only other choice, though, would have been camping out in the desert with the rattlesnakes and gila monsters. He wasn’t ready to go that far to save on the expenses.

He heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed, scowling when he realized it must be a close cousin to a granite slab – except it had a bit of a sag in the middle. When Sam got out, he’d have to make it up to him. He owed the kid a huge apology. Of course the apologies should go both ways. Sam hadn’t exactly been Little Mary Sunshine himself. He’d come out with a few zingers of his own as well.

Al just hoped that if they got some sleep tonight, they’d be able to get a car tomorrow morning and get back on the road and whatever it was that had them at each other’s throats would just go away.

***************

As soon as the door closed behind him, Sam dropped his bag, went to the shower and started the water running then quickly turned toward the commode. Pulling up the lid, he dropped to his knees in front of it and emptied the contents of his stomach. He hadn’t been feeling well since this morning and everything just added on to it. It was probably why Al had been able to get to him so easily.

Once he’d voided all he could from his stomach, he sat back on his heels and flushed the toilet. Hopefully, the sound of the running shower had drowned out the sound of him vomiting. He really didn’t need to hear about that from Al next. Most likely, he’d be told it was because he was so spoiled or something that being in a 1 star motel had turned his stomach.

He shakily climbed to his feet and stripped off the clothes he had on. The heat of the day had stuck them to his skin with perspiration. The oddest thing, though, was that right now he felt like it was mid-winter instead of the start of summer.

He got under the spray of water hoping that it would both warm him up some as well as make him feel a little better. When he was done with his shower, neither had happened.

He pulled on clean clothes, gathered up his belongs and went back out to the main room. Al was sitting on the end of the bed and as soon as he stepped out, his friend opened his mouth to speak. “Not now, Al, please,” Sam asked holding up his hand. He knew he wasn’t up to anymore verbal sparring with Al. “I’m tired. I just want to get some sleep.” He dropped his bag down in a corner of the room, found a spare blanket and pillow in the lone dresser and made himself as comfortable as he could on the floor.

Again Al opened his mouth to say something but stopped. They both needed sometime to cool off and Sam’s shower hadn’t been long enough. He’d do the same and when he was done, he’d get the kid up off the floor and into bed. Apologies could be held off until tomorrow when they had more time to talk. He’d noticed how rough and tired Sam looked when he came out of the bathroom. Maybe the kid would be in a better frame of mind after he got some sleep.

Fifteen minutes later, Al emerged from the bathroom showered and dressed in his night clothes. He looked over to where Sam was lying on the floor. He could tell by the younger man’s breathing that he was still awake. He bent down over him and jiggled his hip. “C’mon, Sam. Get up off the floor and use the bed.”

“No,” Sam huffed out. “I’m sleeping here tonight.”

“C’mon, Sam. Don’t be such a stubborn ass. Get off the damned floor.” When Sam wanted, he could be a stubborn cuss and it looked like that’s what he wanted to be right now. Well, Al could be just as stubborn and he was not going to let the kid sleep on the hard floor all night.

He jiggled his hip again but wasn’t prepared for the reaction he got when Sam reared up. For a moment, he thought Sam was going to slug him but, instead, he pushed past him and ran for the bathroom. The door only swung part way shut. This time, with the door ajar and no covering sound of the shower, Al was able to hear as Sam vomited.

“Oh, Sam,” Al breathed out as he moved quickly to the bathroom and his ill friend. His first thought was that their fighting had pushed Sam to this. He pushed the door to the small room open and knelt down beside Sam resting a hand on his trembling back.

“Go away,” Sam gasped out before heaving again.

“Easy, easy, Kid.” All earlier traces of anger and impatience were gone from Al’s voice. He rubbed small circles on his friends back with one hand and braced his forehead with the other. “I’m not going anywhere, Kid.”

After another minute, the vomiting ended and Sam sank back on his heels leaning slightly against the older man.

“Done?” Al asked quietly still keeping up the soothing rubbing. When Sam nodded his head, he reached around him to flush the evidence of his sickness away. Making sure the younger man was steady, Al stood up to fill a glass with water for him. “Here, rinse your mouth.” He took the glass back when Sam was done, returned it to the counter, and knelt by Sam once again. He rested his hand on the younger man’s forehead. “This didn’t just start now, did it? You’re running a fever.”

Sam shook his head minutely. He didn’t want to risk another bout of nausea. “Didn’t feel good this morning.”

“Well, that explains that,” Al commented. He helped Sam up from the floor and started to lead him from the bathroom.

“Explains what?”

“Explains why you’ve been so grouchy today, that’s what. You haven’t been yourself and I should have recognized that.”

“It’s not your fault, Al. I didn’t say anything so how were you supposed to know?” Sam tried to pull away from Al to go back to the makeshift bed he’d made on the floor.

“You’re my friend, I should have known.” Al steered Sam away from the blanket on the floor and over to the bed. “You’re not sleeping down there tonight, Kid. You’re sick. You need to be in a bed where you can be comfortable.” All thoughts of their earlier argument fled from Al’s mind. He just wanted to make Sam as comfortable as he could while he weathered the worst of whatever it was he’d picked up.

Sam didn’t put up the pretense of a token argument. Curling up under as many blankets as possible in a semi-comfortable bed was all he could think of doing at the moment.

After Al had pushed Sam to sit on the side of the bed, he started to rifle through his bag. “Don’t you have sweats in here, Kid? You’re shivering in that t-shirt and boxers.”

“It’s June. I didn’t think I’d need them.” Sam lay down and half-heartedly pulled the blankets over him. “I’ll be ok without them.

Al pulled the blankets over his friend, tucked them in, then picked up the blanket from the floor and spread that over Sam for good measure. “You won’t be, but you will be,” he said cryptically in answer to Sam’s statement that he’d be fine without warmer sleeping attire. “I think I saw a Kmart or something in that shopping center across the street.” Al brushed his hand lightly over Sam’s forehead again feeling how warm he was from a fever. “I’m gonna go see if I can get you something to feel a little better.”

Sam barely nodded to register that he’d heard Al. The nausea he’d been feeling had finally given way to queasiness instead. He was also feeling drained of all energy and just wanted to lie where he was and, hopefully, he’d fall asleep and wake up feeling human again. A few minutes later, he heard the door to the room open and close as Al went out on his errand.

***************

Forty-five minutes after Al had left to run his errands he came back to the room. Sam was still in the same position he’d been in when he left.

He put the bags he carried down on the lone table in the room and moved over to the bed. He stood looking down at his friend for a few minutes just watching him. Although Sam seemed to be asleep, he didn’t think it was a deep sleep. He could see the minute tremors of his body from the chills that seemed to have claimed his young friend.

Sighing, Al moved back to the table and pulled a few items out of the bag and went back to the bed. He put the boxes with medicine on the side table then sat gently on the side of the bed and shook Sam’s shoulder.

Sam was instantly awake, blinking up at Al in dim light of the room. “Time to go?”

“No, it’s not time to go, Kid. I just got back from the store. I got some stuff here to make you more comfortable. You still look cold so how about we get these on you.” He held up the sweat pants and sweat shirt he’d bought so Sam could see them. “Then I’ve got some of that pink stuff to settle your stomach and some Tylenol so your fever’ll go down. You take them, then you can go back to sleep, ok?”

Hitching himself up a little in the bed, Sam looked first at the clothes his friend held and then at the boxes on the table. “Why’d you buy that stuff?” He remembered the words that Al had hurled at him earlier. “I don’t want a free ride.” He tried to lay back down and turn away from Al but his friend grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Ah, Sammy. I should have never said that to you. I know you don’t want a free ride, Kid. You never do. I bought you this stuff ‘cause you’re my friend and I want to help you feel better, that’s all.”

Sam studied the other man’s face carefully. Even without the actual words being said, he knew an apology had been offered. He owed Al one as well. “I don’t think you’re a washed up drunk. I just said that to hurt you.”

“I know that and I know you didn’t mean it. We were both having a really crappy day and took it out on each other.

“Doesn’t make it right.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Al agreed. “What’s that saying – you always hurt the ones you love? I guess it’s just easier to take a bad mood out on a friend ‘cause you know he’ll understand but maybe we took it a little too far this time. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Only if you forgive me,” Sam countered. “You weren’t the only ass today.”

Al smiled as he realized that once again, it took just a few simple words to heal whatever rift may have existed between him and Sam today. It was one of the things he truly valued about their friendship. No matter what, in the end it was the friendship that mattered to the two of them. “From one ass to another, I forgive you, Kid. Now let’s get you more comfortable.”

Once Sam was in the warmer sweats and lying down again, Al put the thermometer in his mouth. When he pulled it out a couple of minutes later, he wasn’t surprised to see it registering at 100. He gave his friend a dose of the Tylenol and Pepto that he’d bought then tucked him in for the night. “Try to get some sleep. You’ll probably feel better in the morning.”

**********

Sam only felt marginally better in the morning and Al decided it was best for him to stay put for the day. Despite his vow the previous day to head back to the project in the morning no matter what Sam did, Al stayed with his friend making sure his needs were met though out the day.

Late the next morning the garage called to say that Sam’s car was ready to go. Al wanted to give Sam one more day in the motel to be sure he was recovered fully from the stomach bug he’d picked up but Sam was insistent that they finish the drive to the Project that day. Al eventually ceded to his wishes.

They didn’t talk about the argument any more. The necessary apologies had already been made and each had forgiven the other. They knew the likelihood that they’d never quarrel again was slim and none. Their personalities were just too different for them not to disagree from time to time. They knew, however, that no matter what they quarreled about, eventually they’d find a way to make amends with each other. The friendship was just too strong not to.