Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. I do not own Glee. Lord, the fun I would have if I did.
A/N: Special thanks to my always encouraging, supportive, caring, amazing fic consultant keeponsmilingg. Love you!
This fic has been brewing since Dec/Jan. I finally decided to start posting tonight. It was an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. I'm really nervous about finally putting it out there, but hopefully y'all will like it and want to see more? Let me know! Review!
Also...I'll just apologize now. I'm so very sorry, okay?
Mercedes stared at her reflection in the mirror, tears building in her eyes—ready to yield to the giddiness that threatened to consume her entire body. Her breath came out in excited hitches, her face heating up, as the tears spilled onto her face. She made a fist around the object in her hand, pumping it in the air as she literally jumped for joy. She'd been waiting for this to happen—she'd prayed for it—and now that it had, her delight had her teetering on the edge of near hysteria. She was pregnant. She and Sam were going to have a baby.
She managed to calm herself enough to bring the pregnancy test back to her line of sight—opening her hand, and holding the device gingerly as she stared at the little plus sign in awe and disbelief.
She recalled the last time she'd been in this situation just seven months ago. She'd been late on her period, unusually tired and had experienced feelings of nausea. Her biology classes at school and witnessing the beginning of Tina's pregnancy the year before convinced her she must have had a little bundle of joy on the way.
When she'd broached the subject with Sam, she was nervous beyond belief. They'd just graduated from college a few months prior. They'd both just started new demanding jobs. They had just decided—after a long fought battle by Sam—to move in to a new house together. The timing couldn't have been worse.
Still, Sam had been ecstatic at the prospect of a son or daughter with a cute button nose and a bright smile like their mom—and maybe a goofy sense of humor and a love for all things sci-fi like him. He'd immediately rushed out of the house, headed to the local pharmacy, and bought every pregnancy test he could get his hands on. He'd ushered her into the bathroom with a large glass of water —dumping all the tests he bought on the counter. Then, he'd turned on the faucet and sat on the edge of tub, telling her to 'go ahead and do the peeing thing', with a flick of his hand for emphasis.
Mercedes remembered the bitter disappointment they'd both felt when the tests, all of them, came up negative. She'd tried to rationalize that it was all for the best—that they weren't ready to be parents just then—but, she couldn't deny how hurt she felt days later when she did start her period.
Sam had held her, whispering soothing consolations into her ear, and humming quietly to help her calm down as she cried. Whenever she got upset like this, she could always rely on the security she felt as she lay in his arms and the sound of his voice to relax her.
His goofiness worked, too.
She'd burst into a fit of giggles minutes later when he looked at her with a positively mischievous smirk and told her she didn't need to cry because he'd put absolutely a hundred and ten percent effort into knocking her up. He'd give her all the babies she wanted and they could start trying immediately.
She'd pushed him away playfully then, and he'd settled for a kissing and cuddling session, but as soon as her cycle was over, he'd kept true to his word, like he always did.
Seven months later, here she was in a similar situation. Only this time, Sam was on a work trip out of town and wouldn't be back until later. She'd run out to the pharmacy and bought the pregnancy test, and now she had confirmation that a tiny little person that she and Sam would love to death was growing inside of her.
She cautiously laid the test down on the bathroom counter, washing her hands and face before heading back into the bedroom she shared with Sam. He was coming home tonight and she had to make it special when she told him. It was a big fucking deal and she wanted to celebrate.
Grabbing her keys she ran out to PartyCity to put her plan into action. She bought two dozen balloons—pink and blue—and set them all up around the dining room when she got home. Next she got started on baking him a white chocolate cake—his favorite.
The rest of her day was dedicated to preparing an amazing meal for her and Sam to share. They were going to be parents! She had to hold back her excitement as she moved around the kitchen. The urge to flail was strong, but the last thing she needed was to cause a kitchen fire because of random emotional twirling. She also had to keep the tears at bay. A good meal was supposed to include love, not tears.
As she took the last of the meal out of the oven and brought it into the dining room, she checked the time on the stove.
8:15pm. Sam would be home any minute. He'd actually projected for 8 and he hadn't called to say he'd be late so he should be really getting close.
She tamped down her excitement as she decorated the cake with a message for Sam, hoping she'd finish before he walked in the door. 'Welcome Home, Daddy!' the cake read and Mercedes couldn't wait to see his reaction when he saw it. She looked on proudly at all of her work before she took a seat at the table and waited.
8:25pm. Any minute now, she'd hear his truck in the driveway. She sat at the table vibrating with tension and thrill, aching to hear the rumble of his truck outside, his key in the lock, and finally, his voice calling to her to tell her he was home.
He'd only been gone for a few days but she missed him when he went away like this for work. He was a sports therapist for Saint John University's basketball team and would often travel with the team for away games. The trips were never too long, but she felt his absence just the same. She missed his bright eyes, his crooked smile, his kisses, his voice, his smell, his touch, his dorky impressions, and his everything.
Sam had gotten his job with Saint John's University first and begged her to come to him in New York. She'd been hesitant, but he hadn't given up. When she got an interview with the Performing Arts department at NYU as a vocal trainer a few months later, she had no choice but to try for it. It would pay really well and she knew she'd enjoy the work. Plus, she'd be in the perfect position to continue pushing forward with her own dreams. He was elated when she got the job and finally agreed to go to him.
Living in New York definitely meant they saw their families less than they would like, but it was only a short plane ride away from Ohio and Kentucky. Plus, it meant they got to see Mike and Tina on a regular basis since the couple had also relocated there to pursue their dreams and start their family. They'd gotten off to a good start in their new city and they loved the life they'd created for themselves there. It was about to get even better in a matter of months!
8:35pm. Where was he? Mercedes tried to reason away the uneasy feeling niggling at her. She was being ridiculous. Could her baby hormones be affecting her already? She put a reminder into her cell phone to make an appointment with an OBGYN in the morning. She wanted to make sure everything with this pregnancy went just perfectly.
Tina and Mike had their first child the year before; a boy named Tyler. She made a note to contact Tina and get the name of her doctor. It was going to be so exciting. She hoped she had a little boy that would be best friends with their little boy—just like Sam was best friends with Mike. Tina was going to freak out!
Mercedes went through all of the adorable scenarios in her head while she sat waiting—their first day of school, their first school play, birthday parties, and joint family outings. Tina and Mercedes had always done everything together since high school. This was going to be no different. She couldn't wait to tell Sam and then run off to tell Tina and Mike.
Her thoughts shifted and focused on the baby boy she hoped she was having; what he would possibly look like. He'd have big green eyes like his dad, and curly brown hair. He'd have the cutest plumpest lips and chubby cheeks and skin the color of caramel. She imagined his smile, his first steps, his laugh, and his cry. She imagined looking into his eyes and holding his tiny hand for the first time, barely keeping her tears at bay.
She imagined him falling asleep on his father's chest—and, dammit, where was Sam? She glanced at the time on her phone.
8:45pm. Sam still hadn't called and the uneasiness she'd been trying to push away started getting stronger. Sam was never this late without calling. He would always say it was the two of them against this big city, and in this house, and they had to look out for one another. He was always really considerate when it came to things like this. Something had to be wrong. She was sure he would have called.
She called his cell phone but it went straight to voicemail. Maybe he'd been delayed and his cell phone had died, she reasoned, trying to keep calm. There was probably a perfectly logical explanation.
When she called the assistant he always travelled with, however, the uneasiness turned to full on panic. She could feel her heart squeezing in her chest as his assistant explained that the team bus had dropped them off an hour and a half ago and Sam should actually have been early getting home. Mercedes felt sick as she thanked him and hung up the phone.
She walked to the window—hand around her throat trying to stop the sick feeling from rising. She felt queasy, like she might throw up. She tried his cell phone again, stomping her foot in frustration when it went to voicemail again.
"Dammit, Sam! Where are you?" she said out loud, still looking out the window, willing his truck to come up the street. She started counting down in five second increments, convincing herself his truck would pull up when she got to one every time.
It never did.
When the house line rang, she sighed in relief, rushing to go pick it up. "Sam! Where the hell—"
The voice that interrupted her on the other end wasn't Sam. It was a woman and Mercedes' heart sunk again hearing her say, "Ms. Jones?"
"Y-yes," she answered tentatively.
"This is Maureen Cashen calling from Northshore LIJ Hospital," the woman said.
Mercedes squeaked out a weak, "Mhm," dreading the next words out of this woman's mouth.
"Ms. Jones, we're calling in regards to Samuel Evans. You're listed as the emergency medical contact in his file. Unfortunately, Sam was involved in a serious car accident tonight," Maureen said.
Mercedes could literally feel her world starting to crumble. She had to keep it together, though. So she ignored the overwhelming tightness in her chest and swallowed back the sobs that threatened to tear through her.
"Oh God," Mercedes squeaked out feebly, already heading to her car—the decorations, the cake, and the special meal she'd spent the afternoon cooking forgotten in the dining room.
Do you hate me? Do you want to see more of this? Be sure to let me know! Review, because they make my life! Unless you're cursing me right now...