The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

In 1989, as reports of widespread damage continue to pour in, Sam remains at Ernie’s home with his family. Sam calls his mother, who is unharmed and making her way to Max, but Sam cannot reach Eva on her phone. He thinks she must have stayed at a hotel in Oakland. Sam begins to ponder his argument with Mickie and realizes she is right about his relationship with Eva. He deserves better.

Sam returns to his house to find Mickie’s dog Bandit there. Mickie left a note and an answering machine message. There is also a message from Eva telling him she landed at the airport. The phone rings, and it is Eva’s mother and father. Eva is dead, her car crushed under the collapsed freeway. Sam calls Mickie to give her the news, and she offers to go with him to the morgue to identify the body. After the morgue visit, Sam confesses to Mickie he felt relief knowing he would not have to confront Eva over the affair. Mickie stays with Sam as he cries himself to sleep. Eva’s funeral is in Redondo Beach, and Sam attends with Ernie, Mickie, and Madeline. He feels emotionally detached as he does not know any of Eva’s family.

Sam meets with Trina Crouch and tries to convince her to confront David over the abuse, and he explains the procedure to repair Daniela’s detached retina. Trina fears David and has no insurance to pay for the medical care. Sam decides to meet with David at a local bar. He asks David to pay for Daniela’s procedure, citing the ER’s conclusion of abuse. David is not afraid of Sam’s threat and says he will pay when Trina comes home.

Mickie and Sam successfully repair Daniela’s retina, with Ernie paying for the surgery (his computer business has been quite profitable). In helping Daniela, Sam feels like he has defeated David: “I knew in a way that I was Daniela’s Pastor Brogan. I was the person fate had destined to protect her from the bully” (360). Trina decides to report the abuse so it will never happen again. When Mickie, Sam, Trina, and Dr. Le Baron from the ER meet with Merilee Montoya from the domestic violence unit, Trina reveals David’s abuse, and the detective asks why she never reported it; Trina says David threatened to take Daniela. Trina has a calendar and journal from the last 14 months detailing Daniela’s injuries based on her visits with her father. The plan is to gain a temporary restraining order to allow for Trina and Daniela to escape town.

Two weeks later, Trina and Daniela escape to Arizona undetected, and several days after their departure, Sam notices someone following him. As he walks from his ophthalmology office across a parking lot toward his car, a patrol car trails him; David is inside, pretending to shoot Sam with his finger. David also makes threatening calls to Sam’s home, so Mickie brings Bandit and her gun to Sam. After many delays by David’s lawyers, the court hearing finally happens. Trina travels home to attend, and both Sam and Dr. Le Baron will testify. Just before leaving for the trial, Detective Montoya calls Sam with the news of a murder-suicide: David shot Trina and himself. Sam blames himself for Trina’s murder and sinks into a deep depression. After trying therapy and medication without relief, he decides to leave Burlingame.