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Sam laughed hysterically, attracting some annoyed looks from other tables. But she didn't care. For the first time in ages, she was having a good time.
"No way!" she exclaimed "Mom was a cheerleader?"
"Yep." her father said, laughing too.
"But she's so… clumsy!"
"Yeah, she fell from the pyramid a couple times."
They burst out laughing again. When an old lady sitting near them threw them a nasty look, they lowered the volume of their laughs.
"What else do you want to know?" Sam's father asked, leaning forward.
Sam and her father were having dinner at Breadstix. Over the last hour, Sam had found our lots of things about the man. He was married and he had a ten year old son, Christopher. He and his family lived in Westerville. He worked as a journalist in a local newspaper, and he loved his job.
Her father had also told her about him and her mother when they were in high school. How they met, what kind of relationship they had, how they were when they were teenagers… Sam listened intently to everything he said. The girl was beginning to think that maybe giving him a chance hadn't been a bad idea after all…
"Now, tell me about you." the man said.
"What do you want to know?"
"You are part of the Glee Club, right?" Sam nodded "Tell me about it."
"Well…" the girl smiled "Everyone is kind of crazy, but they're all amazing. Our teacher, Miss Schue, says that we're like a big family." her smile grew even wider "And she's right."
Her father nodded, encouraging her to keep talking.
"We're going to New York for Nationals in less than a month."
"Hey, that's amazing! So, are you a main singer or…?"
"You could say so. But everyone gets their chance to sing, really." Sam took a sip of her juice before she kept talking "Anyway, Miss Schue hasn't tell us who is going to sing at Nationals. I bet Lizzie is going to get a solo…"
"Who's Lizzie?"
The slight blush that spread across his daughter's cheeks didn't escape the man. He smirked and leaned forward even more to whisper:
"Is she someone special?"
"Well… yeah. She's very special." Sam bit her lip, looking down at her plate "We've known each other since we were five years old."
"Wow, that's a lot of time…"
"Yeah. We've been best friends since then. When I was thirteen, I had to move to another town. Then, we met again last year when I transferred to McKinley High. We began to date after a few weeks."
"And what happened?" he asked, noticing the sad expression in Sam's face.
"She broke up with me and now she's dating someone else."
The man placed his hand carefully on top of hers. Much to his surprise, she didn't move her hand away.
"You know what the worst part is?" Sam said "We can't even be friends anymore. I mean, she's the best friend I've ever had, she's…irreplaceable. I have other friends but…"
"It's not the same."
"Exactly!"
They were immersed in silence for a while. Sam sighed, and her father frowned, trying to find the right words to say.
"I wouldn't worry if I was you." he said, finally breaking the silence. Sam looked at him "I mean, who wouldn't want to be with a girl like you?"
His words managed to get a smile from the girl.
"Thanks you." she said sincerely.
"No problem." he said with a wink.
"I have a question for you." Sam said, avid to change the topic.
"Ask away, then."
The girl began to ask more questions about him, and the man happily answered. While she listened to him, Sam had a smile on her lips. The girl wondered why she had waited so long to talk with him.
"Where are we going?" Jake asked, looking out of the window.
"You'll see." Barbra said.
They went silent for a while. As Barbra drove around the nice neighborhood, Jake looked out of the window, admiring the beautiful houses with their colorful gardens. After a while, Barbra stopped the car in front of a white house with a garden full of all types of flowers.
"Here we are." she said, and they got out the car.
"Where are we?" Jake asked while they walked to the black door.
Barbra didn't answer. She rang the bell and waited. After a few seconds, an old man with a sweet smile and thick glasses opened the door. When he saw Barbra, his face lit up, and he hugged her immediately.
"Sweetheart, what a nice surprise!" he exclaimed.
"Hi, Grandpa!"
"And who is this charming young man?" the man asked, looking at Jake. The boy smiled and extended his hand.
"I'm Jake Harwood. Nice to meet you, sir." he said politely.
Instead of shaking his hand, Barbra's grandfather hugged him. The girl laughed at Jake's surprised expression.
"Are you one of Barbra's friends?" the man asked, but before Jake could answer, he talked again "Oh, how rude, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Hiram Berry, Barbra's grandfather."
"Hiram, you're scaring the boy." another man around Hiram's age said, appearing in the doorway. He was a tall African-American man, with a nice smile and gentle eyes. He extended his hand to Jake, and the boy shook it "I'm Leroy. I'm Barbra's grandfather too."
"Nice to meet you." Jake said, smiling.
"Let's go inside, I'll make some tea!" Hiram said, disappearing inside. Barbra and Jake got inside too, followed by Leroy.
"Your grandparents are really nice." Jake whispered to Barbra.
"They're amazing. I really wanted you to meet them."
"Is it because of the conversation I had with Lizzie the other day?"
"Mostly."
Barbra, Jake and Elizabeth were in Jake's bedroom, talking and reading magazines.
"Hey, Lizzie." Jake asked "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." the girl said, putting away the Vogue she was reading.
"How was it like to be raised by two dads?"
"Well… it was like being raised by a mom and a dad I guess. A couple of things were different, obviously."
"Like what?"
"Well, I had to go to the father/daughter dance with two fathers, because I couldn't choose one." Elizabeth said, and Jake and Barbra laughed.
"I remember that." Barbra said "You ended up sharing them with Sam."
"Yeah." Elizabeth smiled at the memory.
"But… wasn't it difficult?" Jake asked.
"Sometimes. The worst part was that I had to deal with ignorance and homophobia since I was little. The other kids made fun of me because I had two dads." Jake frowned when she said that "But I didn't care. I love them, and they love me, and nothing else matters."
Jake smiled faintly.
"That's… wonderful." he said.
"Why do you ask?" Elizabeth said.
"I want to have kids when I grow up." the boy said, playing with his blond hair "And I just wondered if it's going to be hard for them, you know. Being raised by two dads."
"In my case, I wouldn't have it any other way." Elizabeth assured him, smiling "I couldn't have asked for better parents."
Jake nodded and kept reading with a smile.
"I know that you're worried about raising kids and everything, so I thought that talking with my grand-dads would be good for you." Barbra said with a smile.
Hiram entered the living room, carrying a tray with cups of tea from the kitchen. Leroy followed him with a plate with cookies in his hands. Both men left the things on the coffee table and sat in front of Barbra and Jake.
"So, Grandpa, Gramps," Barbra said, and Jake smirked at the way she called them "Jake here is gay too, and he is worried about having kids."
"I just wanted to know if being raised by two fathers would affect the kid's life." the boy said.
"Well, it obviously does." Leroy said, and Hiram nodded "If you're raised by two gay dads, you'll obviously be more accepting, and you'll see things differently."
"I talked to Lizzie, and she told me that her classmates made fun of her because she has two dads. I'm just worried about that." Jake said.
"Everyone is gonna have to face discrimination someday." Hiram said "Unfortunately, some people aren't ready to accept our way of loving."
"But the most important thing is that if you raise your kids with love, then it doesn't matter if your partner is of the same sex or not." Leroy said, smiling warmly at the boy.
"Look at our Rachel, for example." Hiram said, taking his husband's hand and smiling lovingly at him "She's wonderful in every single way, and she was raised by two men."
Jake grinned broadly at them. They were right, there was nothing to worry about.
"But you shouldn't worry about kids!" Hiram said "You're still young, aren't you?"
"Yes. Thanks, Mr. and Mr. Berry." the boy said.
"No problem." Hiram said with a wink.
"And call us Hiram and Leroy." Leroy added.
They kept talking about other things, like school and family. While Hiram and Leroy talked about Rachel's first concert, Jake leaned in to whisper something to Barbra.
"Thank you, Barbra."
"You're welcome." the girl said, squeezing his hand.
"Where's Barbra?" Blaine asked when Elizabeth entered the kitchen.
"He took Jake to meet her grand-dads." the girl said, taking a glass and filling it with orange juice.
"Oh, I see." Blaine finished washing the dishes and looked at his daughter "It's been a long time since we don't talk, don't you think?"
"You're right." there was a small silence after Elizabeth's words "Do you want to talk about anything?"
"Nah, nothing in particular. Tell me about school. How's your teacher Alma, the one who got married? I bet she's really happy, isn't she? By the way, your father did a great job organizing that wedding, don't you think? Anyway…"
"You want to talk about my love life, don't you?" Elizabeth said, interrupting her father's rambling.
"Yes." Blaine admitted, leaning against the counter. Elizabeth smirked and rolled her eyes "How's everything with Natasha?"
"Great. Everything's great. But…" Elizabeth stopped talking all of sudden.
"But?"
"Nothing. Everything's great." the girl said with a tight smile.
"Really?" Blaine asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah. She's a wonderful girlfriend. Perfect, even. We never fight, and she never gets mad at me. Who would believe that the girl that used to lock me inside closets would be so nice? Anyway, let's not talk about that. Did you know that Natasha is of German descent?"
"You miss Sam, don't you?" Blaine asked, interrupting his daughter's rambling.
"Yes." Elizabeth admitted. She sighed and sat on the counter, facing Blaine "Natasha is wonderful, and I love her, but I miss Sam so much. After all, she was my first best friend, she was my first kiss, she was my first love… she was my first everything."
The girl sighed and ran her hands down her face. Blaine patted her shoulder.
"I don't know what to do, dad…" Elizabeth said, resting her head on her father's shoulder.
"You'll figure it out, Lizzie." Blaine assured her, putting his arm around her shoulders "You just have to be honest with yourself."
Elizabeth nodded, and another sighed escaped her. She wished being honest with herself was easier…
"Are you cold?" Sam's father asked as soon as they left the restaurant.
"No, I'm fine, thanks." Sam said with a smile.
Her father smiled back at her, but his smile turned into a wince of pain. Sam frowned and touched his arm softly.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, don't worry." the man said, trying to smile. Then, he winced again and clutched his chest with his hands. With a gasp of pain, he leaned against the wall.
"What's going on?" Sam asked, alarmed. Her father didn't answer "Hey!"
Then, it dawned on her. She remembered something he had told her a few days ago: My heart is failing.
"Shit!" Sam exclaimed. The man staggered and she caught him before he fell "You're having a heart attack!"
Her father's face was distorted with pain, and he kept his hands on his chest. He slid down the wall until he was seating on the floor, and Sam kneeled down next to him.
"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" she shouted. Sam looked around and saw a couple leaving the restaurant. They looked at them with a worried expression "Call an ambulance!"
The girl hurriedly took out her cell phone and dialed. Sam looked at her father again, unsure of what to do.
"Fuck… Okay, just breathe, slowly." the man did as he was told, while his daughter rubbed his back and whispered soothing things to him "Keep going, just breathe."
After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity to Sam, the EMTs showed up. One of them, a woman with short black hair, asked Sam to tell her what had happened. As the girl told her everything, the EMTs did their evaluation and loaded Sam's father onto a stretcher. Sam tried to climb inside, but the same woman she had talked to before stopped her.
"Are you family of his?"
"I'm his daughter, let me in!" Sam exclaimed, exasperated. The woman stepped aside and she got inside the vehicle. The ambulance started to move.
With trembling hands, Sam took out her cell phone and called her mother. She explained everything to her, trying to control the tremor in her voice. Once she hung up, she hurried to her father's side. The man had an oxygen mask, and his eyes were barely open.
"Is this his first heart attack?" one of the EMT's asked Sam.
"I… I think it's the second one." the man just nodded and bit his lip, writing something on a notepad he was holding. Sam looked at her father and frowned before she talked again "Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know. The chances of surviving a second heart attack are very small." the EMT said. Sam bit her lip and grabbed her father's hand.
The man opened his eyes. Sam squeezed his hand.
"I'm here, okay?" she said softly. Her father took off the oxygen mask with a trembling hand and smiled.
"I'm glad you're here. I want to spend as much time as possible with you before I…" he said, his voice barely audible.
"Hey, you're not going to die!" Sam exclaimed, frowning even more, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.
"You heard the doctor, Sam. The chances of surviving are…"
"Fuck, dad, just don't die!"
The man smiled, only increasing Sam's distress.
"What are you so happy about?" she exclaimed.
"You called me 'dad'"
Sam blinked rapidly, surprised. She hadn't meant to say it, it just came out that way. She smiled a little, but then she frowned again.
"Yes, I did. Now be a man for once and fucking survive!"
Her father nodded, and the ambulance stopped. The doors were opened, and they took the stretcher out of the ambulance. Sam followed them as they ran through the emergency door. The girl wanted to say something else to her father, but one of the EMTs told her she couldn't come with him. So she stood in the hallway, watching as the doctors took him away. The stretcher disappeared behind a big door.
"Please don't leave me again…" Sam muttered.
Anyone who saw the girl sitting in the waiting room would see misery at its best. Sam's elbows were resting on her knees, and her head was down, her brown locks covering her tear-stained face. Every once in a while, a quiet sob escaped her lips.
It wasn't fair. Her whole life she had wanted a father. And now that there was a small possibility she got one, he had a heart attack, and no one knew if he was going to live or not. Sam felt like an idiot. She felt like an idiot because she was beginning to like him, and now, he was going to die and leave her again. Another sob left her lips, and she put her arms around her waist, trying to comfort herself.
Sam checked her father's cell phone (she had took it from his pocket during the ambulance ride) to see if he had any missed calls or texts. Nothing. She had called his wife to tell her about the incident, and she said she was going to be there as soon as possible. She hadn't called since then.
The girl looked around. Sitting in front of her, there was a woman with long auburn hair. She was crying loudly, covering her face with her hands, and Sam felt the sudden urge to sit next to her and comfort her. After all, they were both alone and desperate in the white waiting room.
"Sam!"
Sam whipped her head around when she heard her name being called. When she saw her mother running towards her, the girl stood up and ran to her encounter, falling into her open arms. As soon as Margaret put her arms around her, Sam began to cry again. She wasn't alone anymore. Her mother was here, and she smelled like home, and safety and comfort.
"Mom…" Sam sobbed while her mother caressed her hair.
"I know, honey, I know…"
"Sam…" someone else said.
Sam looked up when she heard that familiar voice. What was she doing here?
"Lizzie?"
Elizabeth ran towards her, and Sam did the same. They hugged each other tightly, and Sam buried her face in Elizabeth's hair.
"What are you doing here?"
"Your mother called me. I was so worried, Sam, I had to come." Elizabeth explained.
Sam saw Kurt and Blaine entering the waiting room, followed by Barbra. They all hugged her.
"What are you all doing here?" Sam asked.
"We're family, Sam." Barbra said, grabbing her hand "Of course we had to come."
The girl smiled gratefully at them, and more tears formed in her eyes. She looked over at Elizabeth, who smiled faintly at her before hugging her again. Sam sighed, reveling in the warmth the other girl exuded. She wasn't alone anymore.
As soon as the doctor stepped into the room, everyone stood up. Sam took a step towards him, but she didn't say anything. Right then, she didn't rely on her ability to speak. The doctor removed his mask, and the words he said were exactly the ones Sam was wishing to hear.
"He's alive."
Sam let out a loud sigh, and she had to hold tightly onto her mother's arm to avoid falling on her knees.
"Can I see him?" she asked.
The doctor nodded, and motioned for her to follow him. Without saying a word, Sam took Elizabeth's hand and took her with her. She needed her by her side.
When they stepped into the room where Sam's father was, the girl felt like crying once again. The man's eyes were closed, and he was attached to a lot of machines that made weird noises. He also had an oxygen mask, just like the one he had in the ambulance. The sight made Sam's heart ache, and she closed her eyes, biting down on her lip. Elizabeth squeezed her hand, and Sam looked at the doctor.
"When is he going to wake up?" she asked.
"We don't know for sure."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"He's in a really delicate state. He's lucky he survived." the doctor explained "We don't even know if he's going to wake up again."
Sam looked at her father again. She swallowed and walked slowly towards his bed, followed closely by Elizabeth. The girl stood next to his bed and looked at his pale face. A few tears fell from her eyes and landed on the white hospital blankets, and she sighed.
"Hey." Sam said, her voice thick with tears. She wasn't expecting an answer, but the fact that the only response she got was the beeping sound of the machines made her feel even worse "You did as I told you. You survived."
Elizabeth stood next to her and looked at her. Sam cried a little bit more under her blue gaze, and her hand searched for hers. Elizabeth held her hand while she cried.
"It's ironic, isn't it?" Sam said "Just when we were getting along, this happens…"
"He'll be okay, Sam." Elizabeth assured her.
"You heard the doctor. He may not wake up…"
"He will." Sam looked at Elizabeth, surprised by the sureness of her voice "He will wake up, you'll see."
Sam looked at her father again. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and nodded. Elizabeth was right. He was going to wake up.
Elizabeth was walking down the hallway when she was intercepted by Natasha.
"Lizzie, we need to talk." the blonde said.
"Okay." Elizabeth said.
As she followed her girlfriend to an empty classroom, she couldn't help but feeling a little bit worried. Natasha seemed like she had something really important to tell her…
Natasha closed the door and turned to look at her. She sighed, and Elizabeth bit her lip. What was going on?
"Okay, I want you to listen carefully to me. And don't talk until I'm done, okay?" Natasha said, and Elizabeth nodded. Natasha sighed again before she said the next words: "I'm breaking up with you."
"WHAT?" Elizabeth shouted. She wasn't expecting that.
"Let me finish!" Natasha said, raising her hands above her head "Before you ask, it's not because of something you did. The reason I'm breaking up with you is because I know that I'm not the one you love."
"What are you talking about?"
"Lizzie, I know you still love Sam. And I understand that. That's the reason I'm doing this." Natasha smiled sadly at her "As much as I love you, I can see that Sam and you are meant to be."
Elizabeth was so surprised she didn't know what to say. Natasha laughed at her expression and then smiled sweetly at her.
"Now go before I change my mind." she said.
Elizabeth nodded. She hugged Natasha and kissed her on the cheek. As she ran away, she shouted 'Thank you!'. Natasha sighed and smiled sadly. It hurt, but she knew she had done the right thing.
Elizabeth climbed on her car and drove away. Yes, she had run away from school. No, she didn't care. The girl took out her cell phone and called Sam's mother.
"Lizzie?" Margaret said when she answered the phone.
"Yes, it's me. Is Sam at the hospital?"
"No, I sent her home. Why?"
"I need to tell her something very important." Elizabeth said, grinning broadly "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Elizabeth put her phone back in her pocket. When she stopped in front of Sam's house, her face was a mask of determination. She rang the bell and waited until the girl answered. Sam opened the door, and she was surprised to see her there.
"Lizzie? What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk with you. Can I come in?"
Sam stepped aside and Elizabeth entered the house. The girls went upstairs to Sam's room, and once they were seated on the bed, Elizabeth spoke.
"Why aren't you at the hospital?" she asked. Sam had remained by her father's side for the last two days, and no one had been able to make her leave.
"His wife and his son were there." Sam explained "I felt out of place, so I came home. Besides, I missed my bed."
The girls chuckled, and they went silent again until Sam spoke.
"What do you have to tell me?"
Elizabeth smiled and took Sam's hands. She looked into her brown eyes and sighed.
"Natasha broke up with me."
"What?" Sam exclaimed, surprised "Why?"
"She told me that she knew I was in love with you. And she's right."
Sam's eyes widened, and Elizabeth's smile grew bigger. Before Sam could say anything, Elizabeth kissed her. And it felt so right, to kiss her again without any restraint…
Sam's arms circled Elizabeth's waist, and she pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. When the pulled away, the girls pressed their foreheads together, grinning broadly.
"I love you, Sam. I promise I'll never hurt you again." Elizabeth said, caressing her face with her knuckles.
"I love you too, Lizzie."
Their lips met again, this time in a more desperate kiss. Elizabeth's tongue brushed against Sam's lips, and the girl opened her mouth, granting her access. Hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, discovering. Sam fell on her back so that Elizabeth was on top of her.
"Lizzie…" Sam whispered as the other girl kissed her neck.
Elizabeth felt like she was about to explode. Her heart was beating hard, her breathing was ragged, and her skin was flushed. She kissed Sam again, burying her hands in her hair.
When Sam began undoing the buttons of Elizabeth's shirt, the blue eyed girl broke the kiss, surprised. The girls' eyes met, full of love and desire.
"Sam…" Elizabeth whispered. Sam placed her hand on her cheek, and smiled. Elizabeth smiled back and nodded before she kissed her again.
Clothes fell on the floor, one by one, and moans and whimpers filled the room. And it was just the two of them, loving each other in a way that was new and wonderful. Because they were together again, and nothing was ever going to change the fact that they were meant for each other.
Sabeth is back! I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a review :D