Note: Sorry for the delay on this. I've been having some things distracting me lately. However, this thing is finally complete. So, at least you won't have to wait long for the updates. One thing: the Christmas party is not at the Penny, mainly because I just wanted it somewhere else.
As far as the plot goes: This is a sequel to The Distance and A Weekend Away. If you haven't read them, you're not going to recognize some of the characters, or some of the plot lines (i.e. the whole running thing). If that's okay with you, rock on. If not, the other stories are posted. Feel free to catch up. This sequel takes place in mid-December.
Oh, and prepare yourself for a certain amount of ridiculousness. This was written as a Christmas present to cocobean2206. She had a few things she wanted to see, and I had a few things I couldn't bear to leave out. So, prepare yourself :)
Also, sorry for the liberal use of the line breaks. For some reason this site is being a pain and not letting me use stars or anything else to separate paragraphs.
Andy bent over the sink and peered into the mirror, putting the final touches on her eyeliner. A little shimmer, and a coat of mascara came after. Not usually one to linger overlong, she figured that since it was a holiday, she could put in a little extra effort. And if she happened to knock Sam's socks off, that would just be a bonus. She'd taken the time to curl her hair, just a little, creating loose waves that cascaded down her back. She pressed her lips together, and then used her little finger to wipe away a tiny smear of lipstick.
Then she pulled her robe tight around her and exited the bathroom, stepping across the hall to the bedroom. As she passed through, she glanced down the hall, making sure Sam was safely ensconced in the living room, waiting for her.
"Are you almost ready?" he called. She could picture him, looking at his watch, clearly irritated. And she smirked.
"I'll be out in a few minutes," she replied as she closed the door behind her.
He checked the time. "That's what you said fifteen minutes ago," he muttered.
Andy stood in front of the mirror and dropped the robe. She and Traci had taken a trip to the lingerie store a few days before. The bra and panty set she'd gotten was lavender, overlaid with sheer black lace. It made her skin look tan, made her breasts look fantastic. It wasn't really her usual thing. Especially since she'd started training, her tastes had run to breathable cotton and Lycra, with the occasional piece of satin. But it was Christmas, after all. Or at least, it would be soon. She turned one way and then the other. Traci was right. She should have gotten the garter belt. Maybe next time.
She reached into the closet and pulled out her dress. She put it on and then did another turn in front of the mirror. Knowing Sam's preference for the color on her, she'd bought it in deep violet, cut to mid-thigh. Comfortably snug around her hips and torso, the neckline hung in loose folds, letting only a small amount of cleavage show, but in the back, the folds fell low, ending just above the band of her bra. She reached into the closet for the new pair of stilettos and pulled the straps over her heels. Finished. Giving herself one last look, Andy tucked her bag under her elbow and shut off the light as she left the room.
As she walked into the living room, Sam stood and they looked at each other, eyes moving quickly over bodies covered in new clothes. She'd never seen him dressed up before, not like this. When they went out, he made an effort, but she knew that he was more comfortable in jeans, and she didn't really care. But tonight, she might have pushed a little. And he'd certainly delivered.
Unsurprisingly, he wore black; simple black pants, black button-down shirt open at the throat, leather jacket tucked under his arm. It was very basic, but he was groomed, and his clothes were fitted close to his body. As she stepped into his arms, she inhaled the scent of him; clean, with a touch of the cologne she loved. She pressed her nose against his neck and he laughed a little as her breath tickled his skin.
"I don't know why they didn't just do this at the Penny," he said as his hands stroked down her back, fingers sliding under the low-hanging fabric. "I hate this shit."
She pulled away. "C'mon. It gives us an excuse to dress up. Besides, I kind of like you like this." She gripped the collar of his shirt lightly, pulling his mouth to hers.
"Yeah, well maybe we could do this more often, as long as we get to stay home," he murmured as his fingers made contact with the band of her bra and she pulled away as he leaned over her shoulder to look. "Is that new? It felt different."
"Don't you worry about it." She smirked and slapped his hands away as he tried to pull her back into him. "We've got to leave." She turned and snagged her bag off the floor where it had fallen and walked into the kitchen. He followed her, helping her on with her coat, and then they walked out the door.
He couldn't keep his eyes off her. If they hadn't already promised to show, he would have insisted that they skip the station's Christmas party altogether. The white shirts had rented out the reception room of a restaurant and people were milling around talking; about the decorations, the large tree in the corner stacked with presents, the huge spread of food. Andy was over there now, piling up a plate with finger foods and cookies. She stacked the plate on top of her glass of wine and balanced it as she turned to the man who'd stepped up to her; greeted her. As they spoke, her eyes went over his shoulder to Sam. Unblinking, the stare was long, her eyes were dark and when her lips parted, when her tongue flicked out over them and she slowly ran the lower one through her teeth, he felt his body temperature rise a degree. Then she looked away.
Sam took a sip of his scotch and made eye contact with Jerry who was going on about something. Truthfully, he hadn't been paying attention for the last five minutes. He'd been stuck in this circle, listening to work gossip and everyone's holiday plans while Andy was freely walking around, talking to her friends. Noelle nudged him and he glanced over.
"What?"
"Take it easy, Casanova. It's still early." He smirked and turned back to the group, determined to at least pretend he was listening. Finally, he felt her hand on his waist, her arm circling around him as she stepped up next to him. He looked over. And then down. Her legs looked a mile long. In those heels, she stood as tall as him, and as a result, her lips were nearer. He leaned over and kissed her just once, because he couldn't stand not to. The soft fabric of her dress did nothing to mask the heat of her skin under his hand and he held her to his side as they both turned back to the conversation.
Things had been going well for them the past nine months. Better than that, actually. They had their moments, to be sure. Days that stretched on forever when they couldn't stand the sight of each other. But even on those days, he was so in love with her that he couldn't see straight. So they'd scream at each other, ignore each other, and then maybe yell a little more, until one of them broke down and apologized. He was only a little embarrassed to admit that it was usually him; whether it was actually his fault or not. Because as interesting and stimulating as those fights were, things were even better when they were getting along. For instance, this last week had been particularly good. They'd just started preparing for the spring marathon.
This time, he'd agreed to run with her, but he'd made one request. He wanted to go somewhere, to take a vacation. So, instead of buying each other Christmas presents, they were planning a trip; going all out. They had it narrowed down to three places, and were constantly digging through brochures and registration materials, trying to make a decision. But in truth, he was just glad to be training again, vacation or not. They'd been continuing their short runs throughout the year, three or five miles a few times a week, and they'd just started stepping it up; increasing speed, intervals, fartleks. He'd almost forgotten how good she looked after a hard run, how exhilarated, how alive. Twice this week, they hadn't even made it back to the bedroom before they'd stripped their damp clothing away, and he'd settled his mouth against the salty skin of her shoulder.
Suddenly, he felt her fingers scratch lightly at his shirt, right over his hip. He glanced at her, but she was pointedly looking away; laughing at something Shaw was saying. Sam's eyes went to the clock over the doorway. Nine-thirty. They were committed for the next two hours, at the least. There was no way he would make it. Sam put his hand in his pocket and ran his fingers over the box he'd been carrying around for the last two months. He had plans for later. The sooner they could get home, the better, as far as he was concerned.
As Andy put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in, mouth grazing his ear, he turned his head, bumping his nose against hers. "I'm going to find Traci," she whispered as she pushed her plate into his hand. His grasp on her hip tightened and he pressed his lip to her neck, right under her jaw.
"Hurry back," he answered quietly and his eyes burned into hers. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are."
Her lips curved into a smile. "We've only been here an hour."
"An hour too long, if you ask me."
Andy bit her lip and glanced around at the other people. They were making an effort to ignore them, talking amongst themselves. She put her hand up to his face, kissed him quick, and then used her thumb to wipe away a trace of lipstick from the corner of his lip. "Meet me under the mistletoe later, and we'll talk." She walked away and as he inhaled deeply through his nose, he took a sip of his drink. His eyes followed her hips, watching them sway gently all the way to the other side of the room.
She joined Chris and Dov at the bar and as they welcomed her, she signaled to the bartender for a round of shots. She called to Traci and Gail over by the Christmas tree and they wandered over. After passing them around, the five of them tossed the shots back, and Andy shuddered as the liquor burned all the way down. And then she felt an arm tighten around her waist. As Sam's mouth found her neck, she saw her friends disband and move to other parts of the room. She turned under his arm.
"Remember when I said 'later'?" she asked with a grin. He'd pulled her against him, his arm snug around her hips.
"You also said 'mistletoe,' but I didn't want to limit myself." His teeth flashed and then moved to her earlobe.
She pulled away a little. "You chased away my friends. And people are watching."
He glanced around. "Your friends don't care. And people are watching because they're jealous."
"I suppose it's a little insensitive of us to make them jealous," she said, her tone playfully sedate as she smiled at him.
He laughed quietly. "I don't really care." He continued touching her, running his hands lightly over her back as he pressed his face into her hair. "God, you smell good."
"I smell like I always do. Mmmm... Keep doing that," she said, arching against him as his fingers rubbed at her lower back.
He complied for a few more moments and then pulled away slightly. "If you really feel bad about making them jealous, we could take this somewhere else." Her hands rose to his chest and she fingered the button below his throat. When her eyes rose to his, he had to catch his breath. Her eyes were dark, heavy-lidded, and they had a gleam to them he usually only saw in the bedroom. He'd been trying to seduce her, to tease her, but whenever she looked at him like that, he quickly transformed from predator to prey. And she knew it.
"I think that would be the considerate thing to do." She held her hand up and as the corner of his mouth turned up, he took it. As they walked through the full room to the exit, she leaned over. "Look, I know we made a deal. You know, Hawaii and everything? But I bought something for you the other day. Sort of an early Christmas present."
"We haven't agreed on Hawaii," he reminded her, as he pulled her into the coatroom and they grabbed their belongings. He helped her on with her wool coat and then put his jacket on and put his arm around her shoulder. "So, am I gonna like it? This present?"
The smile on her mouth made him pause a little as he pushed open the door and let her walk through. She looked at him over her shoulder and held her hand out. He tucked it into the crook of his arm and leaned over to press his mouth against hers.
"I think so. Want a sneak peek?" she asked with a devilish smile as she tugged the neck of her dress over, giving him a look at the lacy edge.
He shrugged nonchalantly, though inside, his blood was racing, heating his skin until he felt feverish. "I can wait until Christmas," he bluffed. She stopped in her tracks and he grinned, pulling her against him as he hustled them both to the truck. "I've got incredible willpower." He handed her up into the seat.
"No, you don't." They grinned at each other as he closed the door firmly. She watched him circle around the front of the truck and when he got in to the driver's seat, she continued to look at him.
"Are you seriously telling me that you don't want to unwrap this?" she asked, eyebrows raised. He looked over. Her coat was open, her legs were crossed and the neckline of the dress had fallen ever so slightly, giving him a glimpse of the curve of her breast and a strip of black lace. Her hair was tangled from the wind, and snowflakes were melting in it, making it stick to her skin. And as she dragged her lower lip through her teeth, wetting it, he reached for her.
He lost his hands in her hair as he pulled her to him, dragging her over the console until she was resting heavily on one of his thighs. Smiling against his lips, her hand cupped the back of his neck and she held him to her as his tongue stroked against hers. He was making a noise, a low growl, deep in his throat and as his hand slid down under her coat, into her dress, she pulled back.
His eyes met hers and then his hand slid into her bra. As his thumb moved over her nipple, he watched her lips part and she drew in a small breath. He stroked over it again and her eyes closed briefly. "I like that face you make," he whispered quietly, his voice ragged as he felt her hand high on his thigh. Her eyes opened and a breath escaped. "When I do this." He did it one last time. Her breath was unsteady and when she leaned in to kiss him, to crush her lips to his, he took her face in his hands, slowing it down. "Let's go home," he said against her, and she nodded.
She sat back in her seat, buckling her belt with shaky hands. Amazing that he could do that to her; that quick, without even trying. Her skin was flushed. And hot. She cracked the window and flapped the lapels of her coat, shaking her head when he grinned.
They walked in the door and she tossed her purse and phone onto the table. The room was dark, lit only by the single small bulb over the stove. It cast shadows around the room, and threw a warm glow onto everything it touched. Sam came in behind her, and as he put his hands on her, she pushed out a loud breath. He pressed up against her back and his hands moved up from her hips to her breasts, cupping them, pressing them through her dress. His mouth sank onto her neck, slid down to her shoulder and he tugged the thick strap down over it. She reached up, dragged her hair around to give him better access and as her head turned, his mouth claimed hers. He plunged his tongue in against hers, and his hands moved down, clutched in the fabric of her dress, yanking it up.
"Wait," she said, and his hands stilled. She pulled away, grinning and weaving when his mouth moved towards hers again. "Your present." She pushed him back until he hit the counter and then stepped away.
His eyelids lowered and as his mouth opened in a wide grin, she reached up and started pulling her dress down. The straps first, down over her shoulders; she removed it from her arms. As the bra came into view, his smile disappeared and was replaced by something else. Hunger. His eyes were hard, focused, and his hands were clenching, itching to feel her. She turned slightly, and worked the fabric down over her stomach, lower, to her hips. Her navel came into view, and then more of the same soft skin. Finally, the lacy edge of her panties peeked out and as the dress slid lower, pooled at her feet, he moved forward. She stepped out of the dress, still wearing the heels and he reached out to touch her.
He traced his fingers down over the slope of her breast, then over the bra, feeling the smoothness of the lavender satin underneath, and the rough pattern of the lace overlaying it.
"Do you like it?" she asked, a smile in her voice. His eyes rose to hers, and the intensity of his gaze took her breath away.
"I don't think that 'like' is the word, exactly," he said roughly. His eyes moved down over her again and he sunk into a chair, pulling her to him. She stood between his knees and his hands moved down, over her sides, down to her waist. He tightened his fingers around her hips and bent his head to her navel. Her hands sunk down, fingers sliding easily through his hair as his mouth moved across her stomach, his chin grazing the low waistband. His fingers slid into it, right over her thighs and tugged a little, dragging it down half an inch. Sam pressed his lips against the mark left by the elastic, swirling his tongue over the skin. And then he pulled it down a little lower. His breath was hot against her skin, and without meaning to, she widened her stance, and his hand stroked down over the front of the fabric.
It felt the same, smooth satin under rough lace. But it was hot and damp and as he pressed against it, he looked at her, smiling when her eyes fluttered shut.
In his pocket, his cell phone rang. Startled, her eyes snapped open.
"Don't," he said quietly. "Ignore it." The phone continued to ring and he continued to look at her, running his knuckles slowly, teasingly between her legs. Again, her eyes fell shut, and her hands fell to his shoulders, gripping, nails tightening on him through his shirt.
His phone went silent and then beeped to alert him that he had a voicemail.
Andy's mouth opened in a silent sigh and Sam pressed his lips against her skin, right between her breasts.
Andy's phone rang. It rattled on the table as it vibrated and rang loudly, irritatingly. She glanced over at it.
"Don't," he repeated, pulling back. He reached up and put his hand on her face, turning it back to him. "Leave it."
"They're calling both of us. Maybe it's important," she whispered breathlessly, staring at him under lowered lids.
He laughed quietly. "I guarantee, right now, there is nothing more important than this." He pulled her forward. She sat down on his knees, facing him, and as his arms went around her, he slanted his mouth across hers. He was making that sound again. That low guttural sound. It drove through her, and she felt a shudder run through her body as her chilled limbs pressed against him, warming everywhere they touched.
His phone rang again, and this time he stopped. He pulled his mouth from hers and taking a deep breath, he tilted his forehead against her shoulder. "They're not going to stop, are they?"
She shook her head. "Probably not."
Cursing, he pulled it out of his pocket. "What?" he snapped.
His hand had been gripping, stroking the skin of her waist, and now it froze and her brows drew together. "What is it?" she whispered.
His eyes went to hers. "We're leaving right now," he said into the phone, and snapped it shut. His chest rose as he drew in a deep breath and then he put his hands deep into her hair and pulled her forward, kissing her firmly. And then, before she could deepen it, he pushed her up, back onto her feet. She opened her mouth in protest and he stood up. "Sarah's in labor."
They'd been ready for a month. She'd come home from the store and found Sam elbow deep in the laundry basket, pulling out a random assortment of clothing and throwing it into a couple of spare duffels. Apparently, he'd been on the phone with Cooper and the two of them had worked each other into a panicked frenzy and now Sam felt like he had to be prepared.
For a fleeting moment, Andy had been amused. And then she'd felt a bone-deep anxiety when she wondered what he'd be like before the birth of his own children. Of their children. Marriage, sure. She could do marriage. Hell, they were practically there already. But babies? They'd talked about it, of course. Random mentions, "what if" scenarios, but nothing serious. Nothing that mentally zapped her right into the future, like this.
She'd left him there and gone for a quick run around the neighborhood, pushing faster and faster until the only thing running through her mind had been the cold air burning the back of her throat and the aching in her thighs. Since then, the thought had been back. Numerous times, multiple times a week. But each time, the panic was a little less. She wouldn't say that she'd exactly warmed to the idea, but for sure, it wasn't terrifying like it had been that first day. She certainly wasn't planning anything, but she'd pretty much decided that if it happened, it happened. They'd deal with it if and when the time came.
They each put a bag over their shoulders and Sam grabbed the envelope with their trip plans off the table and then pointed to the two giant paper sacks full of presents.
"There." She shot him an irritated look but grabbed them. "Running shoes," he said distractedly, gesturing at them.
"I'm not a pack mule," she snapped, instantly regretting it. His nervousness was starting to get to her. He'd gone from completely cool, sexy, turning her to jelly, to this frantic, flustered nut job in the space of five minutes. When they'd changed out of their dress clothes, he'd emptied a whole drawer trying to find his black T-shirt. He had five black T-shirts, but he was looking for a specific one. God only knew why.
His eyes flew to hers, annoyed but apologetic and he went over and retrieved both pairs himself. And then they packed up the truck and within twenty minutes were speeding away from the city.
Sam cranked the radio off, driving in silence like he did when he was stressed; one hand on the wheel and the other tapping restlessly against his thigh as he pressed the gas a little harder. She reached over and grabbed his hand and he looked at her.
"It's okay to be nervous," she said with a smile.
"I'm not nervous."
She laughed out loud at that, but he shot her a look and she stifled it. "Really. Sarah's fine. She's full term and her doctors aren't worried." He didn't look comforted. "Hey, think about it this way. This time tomorrow, you'll have a brand new niece or nephew."
That helped a little. That muscle in his cheek stopped flexing and he sat back in his seat, relaxing a little. He tossed a grateful glance in her direction and she smiled back, flashing her teeth.
Traffic was light, as was the weather. While snow had been long coming, it had finally started to fall the previous week. Toronto and the surrounding areas had received nearly a foot in the space of six days. It had been falling gently for most of the day, but was picking up a little as they raced down the 403. Andy put her feet up on the dash, ignoring the annoyed glance he tossed her, and then reached into the console and extracted the large envelope. She pulled out the brochures and the race descriptions. Using the flashlight function on her phone, she started reading over them to herself.
The three marathons still in the running were: the Chicago Marathon in October, the Vancouver Marathon in April, and the Kona Marathon in Hawaii in June. Registration for Chicago wouldn't start until February and had a maximum number of participants. Vancouver and Kona were already accepting applications. Each site had its own benefits. For instance, Chicago was supposedly one of the best marathons to run if one was looking to improve their time. Cory, Andy's trainer, had mentioned Vancouver as one of the best marathon/vacation experiences. Andy herself had chosen the Kona Marathon as a wild card; supposedly a challenging course, but Andy would have chosen it for the location alone. Nothing said 'vacation' like a hot beach and little umbrella drinks.
Still… She pulled out brochures from the locations that hadn't made the final cut.
"Maybe we should look at the Twin Cities race again," she said, holding up the printout she'd made from the website. "They call it the 'most scenic urban marathon.'"
"Maybe we should look at Vegas again," Sam said with a grin. "They play music along the route."
"Vegas isn't until next December." She shuffled the papers and then flipped them upside down on her lap. "Okay. This is what we're going to do." He glanced over, an eyebrow raised. "I'm just going to pick one. And whatever one I grab, that's the one we'll do."
He snorted. "You stacked the pile. I saw you."
She looked at him, taken aback. "I'm no cheater."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Pick one." Keeping her eyes on him, she reached down and picked through with her fingers, finally extracting a packet from the middle. She held it up. He barked out a laugh. "You stacked the pile."
She flipped it over and grinned as she saw the words "Kona Marathon" across the top. "Hey, fair's fair."
"You know you can't wear your iPod during that one right?"
The smile dropped off her face and she frowned, bending her head to scan the fine print. "Where does it say that?"
He smirked. "Second page." She reached up and flipped on the dome light and he squinted at the brightness. "Look, we still have a while before we get there. Just start from the beginning. Let's go over them again. The final three," he clarified, shooting her a look as he slapped off the light and then held out his hand to her.
She playfully glared at him, but slid her hand into his and slouched back down in the seat, beginning again; taking it from the top.
By the time they got to St. Catharines, found the hospital, and stashed the car in the ramp, almost three hours had passed since the initial call. Andy grabbed their coats and when she swung out of the truck, Sam had already come around to her side. He shut the door behind her and took her hand as they walked quickly down the steps to the main level, and then crossed the street to walk through the entrance.
They were surprised to see Cooper sitting in one of the chairs right inside the lobby. He was sucking down coffee and had his eyes trained on the doors. As soon as they walked in, he rose and strode over to them.
"You gotta get in there. I need to know what's going on." He turned and started walking down the hallway and after a shared glance, they hurried to catch up.
"And why can't you go in there?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows in question.
Cooper rolled his eyes. "She kicked me out an hour ago. Every time I try to go back, she starts yelling. I swear to God, if she wasn't flat on her back in that bed, I'd drag her out to the parking lot and let her have it."
"Yeah right," Sam laughed. Andy smirked. Cooper wasn't exactly famous for his intimidating yell.
They got into the elevator and took it up a few floors. "Why'd she kick you out?" Andy asked as they stepped out onto the maternity ward. Cooper led them down the hall, talking over his shoulder.
"She says she needs space. She's got doctors and nurses all over her, but apparently, I'm the one that's pissing her off." This was probably as close to angry that Andy had ever seen Cooper. The anxiety was coming off him in waves and his eyes were a little frantic. Angry and worried.
"She'll be okay," Andy said, reaching out to tug his sleeve. He stopped short outside a room and turned to her abruptly, and she took a step back, running into Sam.
Sam nodded to the door. "Are we going in, or are we gonna stand here all day?"
Cooper snorted and waved a hand toward the door. "Be my guest."
Hiding a grin, Andy walked past him into the room and when Sarah saw her, she let out a relieved groan.
"Thank God. You're finally here."
Andy and Sam stepped up to the bed and Sarah held out her arms to hug them. Happy to see them wasn't exactly the way Andy would have described Sarah. She looked like she'd just run a race of her own. Her forehead was already slightly shiny with sweat, her hair was pulled away in a thick ponytail, but tendrils had escaped and were stuck against the skin of her neck which was flushed.
"How's it going?" Andy asked, making what she hoped was a sympathetic face as she glanced at all the equipment lined up around the head of the bed.
Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know how all these women say that childbirth is like the most special experience of their lives, and it's a rite of passage, blah blah blah?" Andy nodded. "It's a big fat lie." She jerked her head at the nurse off to her right. "I've had so many people down there looking at my business that I feel like I should be charging." The nurse grinned as she made a few notes to Sarah's chart. "But they're going to give me my drugs any minute now, right June?"
June bobbed her eyebrows. "Any minute now," she repeated, not sounding at all like she meant it.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "She's been saying that for a half hour. Apparently I'm one of four women in labor on this floor. Every single one of them is moving faster than me. I'm going to be here for hours." She looked pleadingly at her brother. "Remind me why I thought this was a good idea?" She ran the back of her hand over her forehead.
Sam squeezed her hand and glanced over his shoulder at the door. "Are you ever going to let him back in here? He's kind of mad."
Again, she rolled her eyes. "He's not mad. He's scared."
Sam's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "And you think it's going to make him feel better to sit in the waiting room not knowing what's going on?"
Sarah gave him a menacing smile. "He's scared, and he's nervous, so he's hovering. Which makes me nervous. And it pisses me off. And since I'm the one getting ready to turn myself inside out, I'm kind of more worried about me." On cue, her face tightened with pain and her hands instinctively moved down to run over her belly as a contraction began.
The last time Andy'd seen Sarah had been two months before at Thanksgiving. Even then, she'd been immensely pregnant. She was an inch or so taller than Andy, but she was slim all over, leanly muscled, and she was one of those lucky few that only gained weight in her breasts and belly during pregnancy. She'd looked like she had a bowling ball stuffed under her shirt. At the time, Andy couldn't imagine her getting any larger. But now, as her hands stroked down over the front of her stomach, Andy realized she was huge.
As the contraction passed, her hands relaxed and Sarah took a few more breaths, brushing a sweaty curl out of her eyes. There was a noise at the door and Andy turned her head to see Cooper standing at the entrance to the room, arms crossed over his chest. He had an annoyed helpless look on his face, and she turned back to Sarah and gave her a reproachful look.
"You should really let him help. It might help him relax. And that might make you relax. And you'll hate yourself forever if you make him miss this." Sarah made a face. "Let him rub your back." Andy shrugged. "Keep him busy."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Fine." She glanced around them at her husband. "Get over here."
Cooper snorted. "Don't do me any favors. I'll leave if you want me to."
For a long moment, Andy thought she was going to witness an actual showdown between the two of them. Sarah's eyes were hard and Cooper was glaring back with absolutely no intention of backing down. But then finally, Sarah's face slacked and she shrugged and waved him over. "I want you to stay," she admitted grudgingly. He relaxed and gave her a smile, but as he walked up, she held up a finger. "Just don't freak out on the nurses."
"I didn't freak out on the nurses."
June snickered and everyone looked at her. "You did a little bit."
Cooper blew out an exasperated breath. "Fine. I'm sorry," he said to her. "I won't do it again."
"And when I tell you to give me a little breathing room, you need to literally take a step back. It's hot in here and I just can't stand it."
"Alright."
Sam tugged on Andy's sleeve and pulled her backwards towards the door. As Sarah and Cooper continued going over the rules of his conditional readmittance, they stepped out into the hallway.
"God, she's intense," Sam said as he rolled his shoulders.
Andy smirked. "You say that like you're surprised." She took his arm, hugging it to her side as she yawned and they walked down the hall. "Think we're going to be here all night?"
Sam disentangled himself from her grasp and wrapped his arm around her, holding her against him. "She said it would be hours. Maybe we should go find somewhere to sit down. We can check on them later."
They ended up in the waiting room around the corner. At nearly 2 AM, the place was pretty empty. There were overly cheery Christmas decorations lining the walls, along with too cute pictures of babies and pregnant women. There was also an abundance of pregnancy magazines littering the end tables. Andy glanced at them and then quickly looked away, turning her body in the uncomfortable chair. The seats were straight-backed, wooden-armed chairs, giving no opportunity for curling up, or stretching out. She shifted a few times before finally giving an exasperated gasp. She stood and as Sam watched, walked over to the wall with her coat and sank down onto the carpet, leaning her head back. She raised her eyebrows at Sam and he gave a short laugh.
"No way."
"C'mon. Come sit by me." She yawned and tried waving him over.
He shook his head and folded his arms. "I'm comfortable here."
"No, you're not. No one could be comfortable in those chairs. Come sit by me." She threw a little whine into it for good measure and spread her wool coat out over her legs and torso.
He quirked an eyebrow. "You just want someone to lean on."
"So?" she challenged. She was giving him a look. It wasn't quite a pout, but it was expectant, like he might as well just give in, because they both knew that in the end, he'd be on the floor with her.
He rolled his eyes and pushed himself up. "You're seriously annoying, you know that?"
Her mouth curved in a Cheshire cat grin. "I think you like it. Secretly, you wish I'd lean on you all the time."
"Yes, I'm desperate for you to fall asleep and drool on my shoulder." But he sat down anyway and put his arm around her, letting her tuck her head under his chin. "If you soak my shirt, you're running out to the truck for a new one." He winced as she slapped his thigh, but squeezed her a little tighter. He glanced at his watch. 1:44 AM.
"Just close your eyes," Andy said quietly, taking his other hand in hers. "Just for a little while."
"Okay." He laced his fingers through hers and leaned back against the wall. "But we should go back in a while to see how they're doing." She nodded and he stroked his thumb over hers once before his eyes shut.
The next time he opened them, Cooper was crouched down in front of him, hand on his shoulder, giving him a shake.
"Hey, wake up." Sam blinked a couple of times and then pulled is hand out of Andy's to wipe at his eyes.
"What?"
Cooper grinned. "Come meet your niece." Sam stared at him, still half asleep, and then the words cut through the fogginess and he looked at his watch. 6:57 AM.
"Oh, man. Sorry." He shifted, pushing Andy up from his shoulder. She scrubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand and when they opened, and she saw Cooper, she scrambled up from the floor.
"Did we miss it? Oh God," she gasped as she straightened, stiff from her shoulders to her thighs from sitting on the floor so long.
Cooper laughed, and stood, hands on his hips. "Uh, yeah. But trust me. This is the part you want to see."
They followed him back down the hall, turning down another when they reached the nurses' station. "Sarah delivered a little over hour ago, and they've already moved her to new room. I'd say you've got maybe fifteen minutes before she passes out," he finished with a laugh. He stopped outside a room, and again, waved them in. Andy stuck her hand in the antimicrobial foam dispenser, and then tapped lightly on the door as she swung it open. She poked her head in and Sarah turned her head and gave her a tired smile.
The three of them filed in quietly and Andy stepped up close to Sarah's bed. The bassinette had been pulled right up to the side so Sarah could see the baby and Andy glanced at her for permission before sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. Sam walked around to the other side and leaned over to give Sarah a hug as Andy peered down at the baby. She was tiny and red faced, wearing a yellow-striped hat, wrinkly fingers curled into adorable fists. Sleeping soundly too, by the look of her. Sam came back around the bed and bent down a little, getting a good look at his niece.
"What'd you name her?" he asked, raising his eyes to Sarah as Cooper ignored the chair by the window and sat down on the bed next to his wife.
Sarah leaned over a little, staring down at her daughter with a smile. "Carly Katherine."
Sam smirked. "Kit will be flattered."
"Well, we thought about naming her Samantha, but we didn't want you to get a big head." Andy gave a short quiet laugh and looked back at the baby.
"Is she a Lafferty, or a Swarek-Lafferty?" Sam asked with a mischievous grin.
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "We're still discussing it. But I guess it might be easier if she and Jake had the same last name. Besides," Sarah said as she turned to look at Cooper. "Carly Katherine Swarek-Lafferty is kind of a big name for such a small baby." He grinned and kissed her twice; quick, sweet kisses and she laughed happily in her throat. "Who knows? Maybe I'll cave and we'll all finally match."
Sam cleared his throat, giving her a warning look. "Don't get all baby drunk. Cooper might never forgive you if you change your mind." Although from the way Cooper was looking at Sarah, it was a sure bet that he'd probably forgive her anything.
"Where is Jake, anyway?" Andy asked suddenly, tearing her eyes away from the baby.
Cooper raised his eyebrows at the abrupt change of subject. "We picked him up from his mom's yesterday morning, but when Sarah's water broke last night, we dropped him off at Kit's." He looked at Sarah. "Actually, I should probably go get him."
She shook her head. "You should sleep first." She ran her fingers over his forehead, then through his dark red hair, finally smoothing it with her palm. "Kit can bring him in when she comes by later." Andy looked at Cooper. He was infinitely more relaxed than the last time she'd seen him, but she had to agree with Sarah. The sleepless night had left its mark on him, creasing his face, darkening the skin under his eyes. But he didn't appear to mind in the slightest.
Cooper touched her cheek gently with his fingertips and the tilted her face up, pressing a different kind of kiss to her mouth, long and slow, and Andy looked away, eyes shooting directly to Sam. He had his eyes on her as well, and they smiled at each other.
"Maybe we should…" Andy tipped her head towards the door. "We can come back later." Sam nodded and then took out his phone and shot a quick picture of his niece.
"Oliver said Zoe wants a picture," he said quietly, shaking his head in amusement. Then he held his hand out to her and Andy slipped her fingers into his. He turned back to Sarah and Cooper. "Call you in a few hours?"
"Sounds good," Sarah said, giving them a smile and a small wave as they backed out the door.
Sam pulled the truck into the driveway and looked over at Andy. It hadn't taken them long to get from the hospital to the lake house, but she was curled up in the seat, face soft with sleep. He unbuckled his belt and then reached over and stroked the back of his finger over her face. Her eyelids fluttered open.
He smiled as she sat up, slightly disoriented. "We're here. You can go back to sleep in a few minutes." She nodded, still a little foggy, then opened the door, and was shocked awake by a sudden blast of cold wind. Quickly, they grabbed the bags from the back seat and hauled everything inside. The sun was already up, flooding the house with light. They went in through the mud room, past the kitchen and into the dining room. The bags went on the floor in front of the mantle and as Andy dropped her coat and wandered back to the bathroom, Sam closed the drapes over the picture window, shutting out as much of the sun as he could.
Andy walked back out and watched him, yawning. "What about the porch?"
He shook his head and started pulling furniture out of Cooper's side of the living room. "There's no way to weather-proof it. The window covers won't hold the heat in. It's below freezing out there."
"So, what are you doing?" she asked, brows drawn together. He was moving end tables into the dining room.
"Cooper's couch pulls out. I think he'll probably be back sometime to sleep, so I thought I'd leave his bed free. I guess we could cram together on Jake's, but it's a twin." She shook her head and took one end of the recliner and helped him move it closer to the television. Then they tossed the sofa cushions off, and unfolded the bed. Sam disappeared to go find sheets and Andy went back to her bag and dug through it for some pajamas.
She knew she had a very short window of time to get to sleep before she was up for good, and so she changed quickly, pulling her hair down. By the time she finished, Sam had come back and gotten the fitted sheet stretched over the mattress. She helped him with the flat sheet, and was just spreading the second quilt over the top when he came back with two pillows. She climbed under the blankets as he dragged his shirt off and traded his jeans for a pair of flannel pajama pants. Then he kicked his stuff all together with her discarded clothing and climbed into bed.
Andy's eyes were already closed and he tucked up behind, banding an arm around her. The steady rise and fall of his chest against her back, the warmth of his thighs beneath hers and the feel of his palm curved around her ribcage all worked together to quickly lull her back to sleep.