I was a Vegas Showgirl – Alternate Ending

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An original story by Julia Miller

Julia's Note - I always had two endings for this story.  I finally decided to go with the happier ending, but although this is a darker one, it’s pretty good, so I figured I should post it as well. Let me know which ending you prefer.

At the end of our Honeymoon week, we were packing up in our room and checked out of the resort.  We got on our jet back to Vegas and arrived late afternoon.  The paparazzi were waiting for us at the casino front entrance, so we decided to go around to the rear. Joey was waiting for us at the front entrance. I texted him our change of plans and told him to meet us at the rear entrance.  We pulled around to the rear of the casino and got out of the limo, and were helping the driver unload our luggage when it happened.

A dark sedan pulled up behind us, and two men with masks got out. They both pulled handguns and started shooting at us.  Sammy immediately saw what was happening and pushed me behind him.  They opened up on Sammy, and he crumpled and fell to the ground, as well as the limo driver. They jumped back into their car and sped away. I knelt down at Sammy’s side; he looked at me and smiled, I love you, kid, tell my lawyer to implement Plan B. He closed his eyes and sighed.  I hurriedly got my phone out of my purse and dialed 9 1 1, and told the operator that my husband has been shot and is dying in front of me; please call an ambulance; we are at the rear entrance of the High Roller Casino.  I didn’t know what else to do.  There was a pool of blood forming around Sammy, and he was dying in front of me.

Joey rushed to my side and asked me if I had been shot.  I told him I was ok; Sammy had used himself as a shield to protect me from the gunfire.  He looked at the pool of blood forming around Sammy and checked for a pulse.

“He’s still got a pulse, Tammi, have you called 9 1 1?”

“Yes, an ambulance is on its way.”

“Hang in there, Sammy, don’t let the bastard take you.”

I kissed him and held his hand.  It felt like hours, but an ambulance arrived on the scene.  By now, people from the casino and other bystanders were gathered around us as the ambulance pulled up.  The medics rushed over to Sammy and told me to stand back. They performed first aid to stop the bleeding, got him on a stretcher. Joey and I accompanied them to the hospital in the back of the ambulance. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, but Sammy still had a pulse, though it was very weak.

On the way to the hospital, they were fighting to keep Sammy alive.  His heart stopped once, and they were able to defibrillate him to bring him back. We arrived at Emergency, and they immediately wheeled Sammy into surgery to try and save his life.  Joey and I were left alone in the waiting room, but soon other Casino managers started showing up. Trixie and June were there as well as most of the dancers and Sammy’s casino management staff.  We all waited and prayed together for Sammy to make it.  I was getting a cup of coffee, not knowing what else I could do, and I remembered Sammy’s last words to me before he closed his eyes.  I asked Trixie if she knew the number for Sammy’s lawyer, and she sent it to my phone.  I called him up, and he answered as it was a private direct number.  I told him who I was, and Sammy had been shot.  He replied that he had just seen it on the news.  I gave him Sammy’s message.

“I don’t know what this means, but Sammy told me to tell you to implement Plan B.  Do you know what this is? “

He told me it was a plan Sammy had drawn up in the event something like this happened to him, and he would start Sammy’s plan immediately.  I wish you and Sammy the best of luck, and I hope he can pull through this.  But I have much work to do, and I will have to say goodbye.  With that, he hung up the phone, leaving me to wonder what Sammy’s plan was.

I took my coffee back to the waiting room, and about an hour later, a doctor came out, and he had a very sad look on his face.  I rushed over to him and asked him how Sammy is doing.

“It’s not good, he told us.  Sammy had 5 serious bullet wounds, he is still fighting for his life, and his heart stopped several times on the operating table. He has lost a lot of blood, and we have blood transfusions going on into him as we speak to try and bring him back. That’s all I can say; for now, we still have much work to do so we can stop all the internal bleeding.  Right now, he may recover, and we will do our best, but he doesn’t have very good odds at the moment.”

I told him that Sammy would always bet on a long shot, and he will do everything he can do to pull out of this.  Sammy is a fighter and won’t go down easily.

Sammy was in surgery for 10 hours.  A team of doctors operated on him.  A different doctor came out to see us the next morning.  He looked a little more haggard than the first doctor last night.  He told us that they did everything they could for Sammy, but his injuries were just too severe, and he had lost too much blood.  I’m very sorry, but Sammy didn’t make it.

I collapsed, crying on the floor.  My Sammy was gone; they took him from me. I was so distraught all I could do was cry. Trixie and June helped me to my feet, and they took me home to the casino.  I spent the rest of the day crying; I was just too upset to function. Yesterday I was on top of the world, and today I am in the gutter, mourning the death of my husband. I slept terribly that night; I had nightmares watching those bastards’ gun down Sammy, over and over. Morning came, and I had a horrible headache.  Trixie walked into the bedroom. She asked how I was feeling, and I said, I feel terrible.  She sat down beside me and held my hand. I stayed overnight to keep an eye on you.  It was an awful thing what happened to Sammy. I hope they catch the guys who shot him. I sniffled and agreed with her.  She told me she had some breakfast sent up, and it's in the other room. Why not get up and eat something?  I had eaten nothing but a couple of cups of coffee in the last 24 hours and realized I was hungry.

Trixie and I shared breakfast, and I told her I wanted to go back to the hospital and see Sammy’s body.  I have to see him; I can’t believe he’s dead.

That afternoon Trixie and I were able to view Sammy’s body in the hospital morgue where he was laid. I slowly walked beside his body and kissed him.  I held on to his hand and softly started speaking to him, I told him I missed him so much, and I don’t know what to do without you. I love you, and I need you, and I wish I could make you come back to me. I stroked his hand, closed my eyes, and cried.  Trixie held me up and hugged me as well.

Just as I was sobbing, Sammy’s lawyer called me on my phone.  I’m so sorry about Sammy. You must be feeling terrible.  Would you mind if we talked a little, or would you like to call me back at a better time?

I sniffled a little but told him, it’s ok, I can talk to you.

“Tammi, I need to see you as soon as you are able to come up to my office. I have to go over a few things with you, and I have to show you Sammy’s will. “

I sniffled a little more and replied, “How about tomorrow? Could you text me directions to your office as well?”

“That’s no problem; I will do it now.  Again, I’m so sorry for you dear, this must be heartbreaking to lose Sammy so quickly after you were just married.”

The next day, I had Tony drive me over to the Lawyer’s office.  Joey wouldn’t let me out of his sight now and came with me as well.

I left Tony and Joey in the waiting room and went into the lawyer’s office.

The lawyer’s name was Milton Schwartz, and he had been Sammy’s lawyer for years.  I trusted him completely.  Milton asked me to have a seat and asked me if I wanted a coffee or a glass of water.

“No, thank you, I’m fine, Milton.”

Milton got right to the point.

“I am sure you remember calling me about implementing Plan B.”

“Yes, I remember that. Could you explain to me exactly what that was?”

“As you realized, Sammy had many enemies out there, but he gathered a huge amount of evidence against them all for years. Plan B was to inform them of the evidence on them, and if they tried to kill Sammy, everything he had on them would go out to the police in the event of his death.  But they moved too quickly and killed him before we had a chance to implement Plan B.  The evidence against these guys would put them all away for life if it got out.  Do I have your permission to give the police all of the evidence Sammy built up?”

“Absolutely, those bastards took away my Sammy.  The least we can do is take away their freedom and put them all away for life.”

Milton told me he thought I would feel this way, and a package was being sent to the police, as well as a safety deposit box key to a very large box in a Vegas bank that contained much of the evidence Sammy had built up over the years.  The safety deposit box also held a key and address to a storage locker in Vegas that contained photographs, film, wiretaps, and quite literally, a ton of physical evidence against them.

“I am sure we are going to hear about this in the paper.  This will exterminate the mob left in Vegas and will have far-reaching effects that will go back to New York, L A, and Chicago as well.  The mob will be on the run now, thanks to Sammy.”

“Unfortunately, it won’t bring him back to me, but revenge is sweet, knowing those guys will all be put away.”

“Now on to the next item.  Before he was killed, Sammy had me draw up papers, and he signed a new last Will and Testament.  Sammy has left everything he owned to you as his sole heir.”

“I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say.  You’re kidding me, right?”

“No, Tammi, I am quite serious.  I need you to sign these papers, and everything Sammy had in the world now belongs to you, just the way he wanted.”

It’s now been a year since we buried Sammy.  I still remember his funeral.  All those mob assholes showed up to pay their respects, and boy did they all pay.

Just after the funeral ended at the cemetery, the police moved in and arrested all of them.  I had the satisfaction of watching them being all led away in handcuffs and taken into custody.

They have been in the news for months as the police and the district attorneys, and the FBI had a field day charging these guys, using the evidence Sammy had built up. Hundreds of Mob associates were being arrested in Vegas and across the country.  When the trials started, they couldn’t do anything against the mountain of evidence that was presented.  And one by one, down they went.

It didn’t bring back my Sammy, but I was hoping he was looking down from somewhere and telling me, great job, kid!

I hoped that Sammy wouldn’t mind, but I have a new boy-toy in my life. You must remember Tony.  Well, he took it upon himself to do everything in his power to comfort me after Sammy’s death.  I know we have a 15-year age difference, but neither of us seems to mind, and he will do anything for me. And I mean anything.

Running the casinos is more fun than I ever imagined.  I am still singing every night in the lounge, but I had to stop performing as a showgirl, as I was just too busy with the day-to-day operations of all of the casinos.  I do miss it, and every now and then, I will drop by and practice with the girls.

Remember Sammy’s goons, Vince and Nunzio?  They are working for casino security now and still love to beat up assholes whenever they get the chance.  Joey told me he will never let me out of his sight.  He still blames himself for Sammy’s death, even though I told him, if he had been there, he would have been shot as well. They love me too, like everyone else here.   Sammy left me with big shoes to fill, but I am doing my best.  I still miss him terribly, but Tony tries his hardest to keep this girl happy.

I must go, Tony is here with a glass of champagne for me, as we are watching another mob conviction on the news, and we want to celebrate.

The End.