For the sake of the story a few changes were made. For starters, there's less time between the procedure and the engagement. Also, Spinelli doesn't stay Jackal PI until right before the wedding (that will matter in the next chapter or the following one). And, Franco isn't continuously coming back (that too will change a later chapter). I think those are the three big changes. If anything else changes, I'll let you guys know. R&R :)

I was packing up my apartment. Finally, I was moving back into the first place that had ever been a home to me, the penthouse, with Jason. We had just gotten engaged and, honestly, I couldn't be happier. I finished emptying my dresser and closet and laid down on my bed for the last time, surprisingly already a little tired from packing. I was just waiting for Maxie to come over and help me bring the little bit of my stuff that was still at my apartment; or at least, the little bit of stuff that was going to the penthouse. I heard Maxie knock at the door and screamed for her to come in.

Since Maxie wasn't with Spinelli anymore - she still cared about him deeply though - I didn't see her around the penthouse nearly as often. In fact, I think she'd usually go when I wasn't there. Not because she was trying to avoid me, but because she had been trying to convince Jason to propose. I was kinda glad she did. I don't think Jason proposed to please Maxie. No. He would never do that. He proposed because he wanted to, but, I think Maxie's the reason he started thinking about it. Anyway, Maxie was still one of my closest girl friends.

I looked up as Maxie came running into my bedroom. She smiled at me before scanning my now empty bedroom. She looked back at me and her smile dropped a bit.

"You look beat. How hard is it to put clothes in boxes?" she asked.

I shot her a look. "I'm fine. Just a little tired" I said, partially truthfully. I forced myself to sit up, trying to prove my point. I knew she was right; I was beat, and I had no idea why.

She shot me a look too. One telling me that she knew I was lying. Thankfully, though, she let it go. "So, what you need me to do?" she asked, scanning the empty room once again.

"Pretty much help me with these boxes so I can bring them to Jason's" I answered.

Maxie nodded. "Everything packed?" she asked.

I shrugged, forcing myself to stand. "Pretty much. Can you bring that box to the door and I'll finish this one" I answered.

Maxie simply nodded and left the room. I finished packing the box quickly, not wanting her to see the last of my clothes. I knew, if she did see the stuff I was packing, I;d never hear the end of it. I shut the box, not bothering to tape it shut or anything. It wasn't staying packed for long. I went to pick up the box to carry it to the door. The box wasn't very heavy. However, I had barely taken a step when I got lightheaded. I dropped the box and leaned on the now empty dresser for support, not noticing Maxie at the door. The room is still spinning when I feel her hand on my back.

"You okay Sam?" she asked, worried. She then leads me back to the bed where I sit down.

It took about five minutes for the dizziness to end. I could finally focus on Maxie's face. Her eyes were filled with worry.

"You okay?" she asked, again.

I blink a couple times, making sure the dizziness is really gone. "Yeah, I'm fine" I somewhat lie, still feeling extremely tired. I quickly got up, suddenly feeling dizzy again. I try to play it off and reached for the box but Maxie pulled me back onto the bed.

"No way! I thought you were gonna pass out! Do you know what Jason would do to me if something happened to you?!" she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Jason wouldn't hurt you" I said. "And I need to finish packing" I argued, trying to get up once again. That time, Maxie let me.

"Fine, you can pack. But, no lifting any boxes" she said. I nodded and headed for the bathroom, to pack a few things from in there.

I ignored Maxie's warnings to not lift anything and to sit down if I feel dizzy or lightheaded and went into the bathroom. I grab a few things from the shower: my shampoo, conditioner and body wash (even though I have that stuff at the penthouse). I then go to go through the vanity. I grab a few things from the countertop before opening one of the drawers. My gaze is instantly drawn to my box of tampons. Fuck. I tried to remember when I last had my period. Within seconds, a sudden wave of nausea came over me and I leaned over the toilet and threw up. Next thing I knew, Maxie was behind me holding my hair as my stomach emptied itself.

After a while, I relaxed and sat back against the tub, my vision blurry and the room spinning, once again. I tried to focus on Maxie's face.

"Sam?" she asked. "Sa-am?"

"Yeah?" I asked, finally able to see her familiar, worried, green eyes.

"You okay?" she asked. "One minute your packing, celebrating your engagement and ready to move mountains to move in with Jason and now your sitting on bathroom floor after throwing up and you can barely walk"

I blinked a few times, trying to get my vision back. "Yeah..." I trailed.

"I think you need to see a doctor" she said.

"No!" I almost screamed.

Maxie shot me a curious look. Everyone knew I was no fan of doctors, but, usually, I'd go see one when I could barely stand on my own two feet.

"Why?" she asked.

I sighed. "Because..." I trailed, getting lost in my mind, again. "Because I need you to do me a favor first"

"Name it" she said.

I closed my eyes for a little while before opening them back up, my vision finally getting back to normal. "I need you to go to the pharmacy and get me a couple of those..." I didn't wanna say it.

"Those?" she repeated.

"Pregnancy tests" I mumbled.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Pregnancy tests, Maxie!" I said loudly.

Maxie's jaw hit the ground. Her worried gaze turned happy and I knew she was about to go crazy, or well, go Maxie on me.

"You think you're pregnant?!" she asked excitedly.

I shrugged. "It's possible" I said softly. "I mean I just had the procedure"

Maxie knelt down in front of me, clearly wanting me to spill. "And?" she asked.

I stayed in my position, leaning against the bathtub. "Well, since the procedure I found out I could get pregnant and carry a baby to term. We were careful..." I trailed.

"But?" asked Maxie.

I rolled my eyes. "But you can never be too careful, I guess" I said simply.

Maxie shot me look, telling me she knew what I meant. "So, in other words, you two are always getting busy and you guys forgot to use protection-" she tried to explain.

"Once" I interrupted.

Maxie smiled. "It only takes once!" she said before letting out an excited screech. She then put out her hand for me to take. "Come on. You are going to rest on the couch while I go get the tests" she said, helping me to my feet.

"But Maxie, I need to pack" I argued.

"No way! You are not doing anything until I get back" she said as we entered the living room and she helped me sit down on the couch. She left the room and came back with a garbage can. "No getting up. I don't need you collapsing while I'm gone" she said and left. I just laid down. Honestly, I was really tired and could go for a nap.

I was just drifting to sleep when the door opened and Maxie came skipping in, causing me to awake fully. I had been trying to fall asleep for forty-five minutes, unsuccessfully. My mind had been racing since I realized I had missed my period.

"I got them, Sam!" she said excitedly, holding up a brown paper bag.

I looked up at her. I had had the procedure done to open up the possibility of having a baby, but Jason and I hadn't really decided whether or not we were going to have a baby. I wasn't sure how he'd react if I was pregnant. All I knew was that I would love to be a mother, to Jason's child.

"You ready?" she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I shrugged. "As I'll ever be" I answered, not ready to be disappointed.

She walked up to the couch, where I had sat up. "Well go take these" she said. I nodded and stood up, walking to the bathroom slowly. She took note. "And try to stay conscious" she screamed, resulting in a chuckle from me.

I was sitting on the toilet seat, trying to cry as I examined both pregnancy tests sitting on the vanity next to me. Both had the same result. Both tests clearly read one word: pregnant. I sighed and continued to examine the tests. I could hear Maxie going around the apartment. Surprisingly, Maxie had only knocked wanting information once since I locked myself in the bathroom. I looked up when I heard Maxie knock on the door.

"Sam? You okay in there?" she asked. "You didn't pass out on me, did you?!"

I shook my head. "I'm fine" I said. I stood up and reached for the door handle, unlocking the door.

Maxie opened it. She saw my tear streaked face. "Oh my god! You okay?" she asked.

I nodded. "They're both positive" I said, suddenly wanting to scream it.

"Oh my god! Sam!" said Maxie running over and giving me a tight hug. I smiled and hugged her back. "When you gonna tell Jason?! I mean, you are moving in with him today" she asked, excitedly.

I shrugged. "I want to be examined and get confirmation first" I answered.

"Makes sense" she said. "Here" she threw my phone at me.

I looked up at her. "Huh?" I asked.

"Make an appointment" she explained. I nodded and called the hospital.

I came out of Dr. Lee's office in tears. Elizabeth, who wasn't exactly my favorite person, came up to me. Since Elizabeth and Jason's son, Jake, had passed, I seemed to dislike her less. I was actually learning to tolerate her and, in a way, sympathize for her.

"You okay, Sam?" she asked me.

I looked up at her, really not wanting to tell her my news. All I wanted was to go tell Jason, even though I was nervous about his reaction. "I'm fine" I said, wiping a few tears from my face.

Elizabeth nodded. "You had come in for an appointment with Dr. Lee, right?" she asked. I simply nodded. "Did it go the way you wanted?" she asked. I nodded, letting a tear slip from my eye. "So... So, you're pregnant" she said.

I could hear the sadness in her voice as she said it. I suddenly felt really guilty. Mere months ago, Elizabeth had lost a child with Jason. Now, here I was, crying of joy telling her about how I was having a baby with Jason.

"Yeah" I said softly. I once hated Elizabeth, and, at one point in my life, which I never want to relive, I would've done anything to hurt her. And I tried. Now though, I somewhat knew what she was going through. The loss of a child was pain I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even the women whom I felt ruined my life years ago.

We stood in silence for a little while. It was really awkward. After a little while, I decided I might as well leave. I turned but turned back when I heard Liz call my name.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She took a deep breath. "I... I know what you're thinking, and, yeah. It's tough. But, I'm happy for you... and Jason. I think you guys deserve it" she said. I could tell by the tears in her eyes that, despite it being hard to say, she was being sincere.

"Elizabeth... I can't even imagine how hard this is for you to hear" I said. "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. But, uh... thanks. Thanks, a lot" I added, smiling at her genuinely before turning and heading to the elevator.

I got to the penthouse about a half hour after leaving the hospital. To my surprise, the place was empty, I was used to walking in to see Spinelli, Carly, Michael, Sonny or, every now and then, Jason. Very rarely was this place empty. It was kind of a relief though, knowing that I could figure out how to tell Jason without having to tell someone else their big news. I went over and sat on the couch. I laid down, exhausted. If there was one thing that changed since I became pregnant it was that I was always tired, exhausted, and always ready for a nap. My mind was racing about how to tell Jason, but, soon enough, it shut down and I fell asleep.

I woke up to the feeling of Jason's lips against my temple. I sighed softly before opening my eyes. I shifted so I was laying on my back, looking up at him.

"And how's my beautiful fiance today?" he asked, surprising me.

I smiled up at him. "I'm good" I answered. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly, sweetly.

"Where have you been all morning?" he asked.

I sat up, resting my feet on his legs. "I had to do some things at the office" I lied.

Jason knew me too well. "Really?" he asked.

I stared into his blue eyes, which I knew saw right through my lie. I looked down at my hands, which I had subconsciously began fidgeting with. "No" I said.

Jason reached over and took my one hand. I looked up at him and smiled shyly. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted me to tell the truth, but I didn't. I changed the subject instead, not wanting to get right into that. I looked back down at my lap.

"You remember, all those years ago, when you took in your best friend's pregnant ex-mistress?" I asked with a chuckle.

Jason nodded. "Yeah... Why?" he asked.

"Well... You offered to take in me and my unborn baby" I began, tensing up as I spoke of my late daughter. He took note and squeezed my hand. "And we planned to raise her right here in this place. And then, my daughter died" I continued, trying not to cry. "And I wanted nothing more than to be a mother, Jason. I wanted to have a baby, your baby" I let a tear slip my eye. "And then that possibility was taken away from me, from us"

"But-" he tried to get a word in.

"But I had the procedure. And now I can have a baby" I interrupted him.

"Sam? Is this your way of saying you want us to have a baby?" he asked.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "It's my way of saying that we are having a baby" I said.

I watched his face but, for the first time in a long time, I couldn't read him. I just stared into his eyes.

"Jason... This is all I ever wanted. I just wish it had come at a better time, for everyone. But, baby, I'm happy we're having a baby. I know you don't like to talk but, you need to say something. Please" I said.

Suddenly, his eyes softened and a hint of a smile came up on his face. "You're pregnant?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling at him. "I am. I went to see Dr. Lee this morning and she confirmed that I am definitely pregnant with our baby" I explained.

He smiled at me, which didn't happen often. "I love you" he said softly.

"So your happy?" I asked, needing to hear it.

He reached over and pulled me over so I was sitting on his lap. "I'm very happy" he said before leaning in to kiss me softly on the lips.