Hi guys! thank you so much for your reviews! I'm so glad you still like my story.

You guys were sad about the last chapter, so I hope you enjoy this one ;)

Love you all,

Bibi.

The nurse nodded and started, but at the same time, Sam's hand squeezed Mercedes. The latter froze.

" Stop, just stop!" she said to the Nurse.

The nurse executed.

" just look at his hand!"

Everyone looked and Alicia made a cry of joy.

" Oh my - oh my god!"

The nurse went to call the doctor immediately. This was unbelievable. Sam's hand was moving. After his hand, his eyes flinched little by little, and everyone in the room started to agitate themselves.

" T-This is a miracle! " exclaimed Katherine , crying of joy.

Mercedes laughed and took her daughter in arms. Sam was waking up! The doctor entered, and examined him. Everyone went silent.

" Sam? Can you hear me?" he asked.

The latter flinched, and then opened his green eyes very slowly. He directly stared at his wife and smiled. Mercedes heart melted, she cried even more, she was so happy, what was happening was unbelievable. Her husband actually woke up 2 sec before they pull the plug. He was actually alive, staring at her. How she thanked God right now.

The doctor gave him water.

"Can you talk Sam?"

"Y-yes" he said, his voice tired.

The doctor smiled widely at Mercedes and returned to Sam.

" Do you recognize us ? "

Sam looked around.

" Of course. But w-what's happening?"

" Well, you've been in a coma for a year now. You just woke up"

Sam's eyes wined.

" A y-year? woh." He then turned to Mercedes " So, w-what did I miss?"

They all laughed and the doctor sighed, happy.

"Well, I got to say that I'm shocked, in my entire career I've never seen this, but seems like you're cancer free mister"

At that, everyone cheered and hugged each other. Alicia couldn't help it anymore and showered her dad with kisses, the twins rejoined her and Mercedes looked at them, happier than ever. A crying Katherine rejoined her.

" Oh my god, Mercy! I cannot believe this!"

"I know! Me neither! H-He's here, he's a-alive ! "exclaimed Mercedes, crying, laughing.

Katherine hugged her tightly. The New directions greeted Sam, who couldn't talk a lot yet. Then the parents greeted him and finally, they all got out of the room to let Mercedes have a moment alone with him. She was staring at him. How she missed his beautiful green eyes... She kissed his hand and he laughed a little.

"Y-You're s-staring. "

She laughed. Oh, how she missed him.

" I know I am. I didn't see your eyes for a year baby, I'm allowed to stare as much as I want to "

" W-Was I really out for a w-whole year?"

Mercedes sighed, her heart suddenly heavy.

"Sadly, yeah. "

Sam lost his smile. He knew his wife by heart , so he knew how much they loved each other and how hard it must've been for her. He looked closely at her.

"You've changed. I d-don't remember ever s-seeing you so tired, so thin…" he said, painfully.

Mercedes looked down awkwardly.

"Well, losing the love of your life makes these kind of changes."

He closed his eyes.

" I'm so sorry – "

Mercedes kissed him passionately to stop him. And again , it was the best feeling ever, she was so happy her heart could explode.

" Shush, I don't want to hear it. I don't blame you for anything. Anything. This is not your fault baby. It took you time to recover, and honestly, 2 seconds later and I would've lost you forever, but right now you're here. You're alive, you're healthy! I don't care how hard it was. I don't care that I lost weight , or that I'm tired, I don't give a crap about what I've been through this past year. As long as you're here with me today, as long as you're cured, that's all that matters to me. " she answered before kissing him again.

He looked at her, tears in his eyes.

" Do you know how much I love you? You are unreal. You … I don't even have words for it at this point. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like that, really. "

Sam really looked in awe. Mercedes laughed, blushing.

" Well, you didn't lose your charm" she said, rolling her eyes .

" No, seriously honey. I really did love you more than anything before, but right now I love you even more, if that's even possible. "

She smiled widely.

" I know the feeling baby."

There it was again, their unconditional love for one another. Mercedes didn't know how much she missed this, just until now. Now it was perfect.

"Did I really just woke up two seconds before they pull the plug though? that's crazy! "

Mercedes sighed and held his hand tightly, her heart heavy. Sam felt it and kissed their entwined hands.

"Yeah you did. It's... It's a miracle. Two seconds later and my life would've change in the worst way possible... I don't - I don't think would have been able to live without you - I was already the shadow of myself, I'm sure it would've end up badly - "

" Hey hey" Sam stopped her and whipped her tears. "I'm here now alright ? Nothing happened, I'm healthy, God was with us, and I'm never ever leaving you. Okay? it's over now honey. Promise. "

Mercedes nodded and smiled a little. The kids came back in the room with Stevie, Stacie, Jessica and the grandparents.

Katherine couldn't let go of her son. Sam laughed, he felt guilty in a way , because he knew that everyone really suffered for a year, even if no one wanted to talk about it. Sadly, there was nothing he could do about it. But right now, he was here. And he made a promise to himself to make them smile until the end of his days.

" Come here my babies, Look at you guys you grew up so much in a year!" he said to his 3 kids.

Alicia, Lena and Tyler sat carefully on the bed. Alicia had the biggest smile he ever seen and the twins wouldn't let go of his hand. He sighed, happy.

" Now you three, tell me what I missed ! "

They all chatted excitedly, explaining every little thing that happened during the year.

Sam stayed 2 more days at the hospital. Mercedes spent every moment with him, and now that he was able to fully speak again, he was really making sure that she ate correctly. Mercedes also told him about everything that happened when he wasn't there. Ellen , her album, the songs, the awards , Her and Jessica's new friendship, kurt's surrogate etc. Sam wanted to know every detail.

"So the baby girl may come out any time soon now? " he asked, as they were getting ready to go home.

" Yes exactly. Kurt couldn't be more stressed! They're upstairs, she's in room 128. They'll call us if anything happens and we'll come back. "

Sam nodded and Mercedes kissed him.

" ready to go home baby?"

"Yes, more than ever"

At home , Sam was greeted by the best surprise; everyone was there, the whole family and the ND crew (except Kurt Blaine and Leo), all very nicely dressed. They prepared his favorite meal and made a very nice table with candles and beige flowers... They all just looked at him, happy that he was here. Alicia hugged him. He sighed contently.

"Guys, come on , you didn't have to do all of this-"

"We wanted to, Dad. "said Alicia.

She took his hand.

"Now come on, let's eat!"

They all sat together and ate, laughing, joking, having an amazing time as a family… Sam saw Mercedes staring at him from across the room; they were sitting at both ends of the table. She had tears in her eyes and smiled at him. He understood and smiled back widely. It felt good to be home.

After a good meal, the family was sitting in the living room, chatting together. Mercedes phone rang. She suddenly stood up.

"Guys, guys! It's Kurt"

Everyone went silent and Mercedes put him on speaker.

"Mercy" exclaimed Kurt, crying " S-She's born, and she's amazing… My little Penelope is perfect!"

Everyone cheered.

" Aww Penelope, what a sweet name! We're so happy for you honey we're on our way!"

The kids stayed with the grandparents as it was late , but the ND crew, Sam and Mercedes rushed to the hospital to see the new addition to their big family. And indeed, Penelope was beautiful. She had deep blue eyes like Leo's and we could see her tiny little brown curly hair.

" My god, what a sweetheart! " exclaimed Rachel, holding her. "Can I take her with me ?"

"Never!" said Kurt and everyone laughed. He looked at her in awe. "She's mine."

Mercedes and Sam held her next. The little girl giggled in Mercedes arms.

" You guys are naturals . You sure you don't want another one?" asked Quinn, laughing.

The couple looked at each other and burst into laughter.

" Oh no! We already have our hands full with two little monsters and an hormonal teenager, we're done"

Sam nodded in agreement. 3 kids was enough.

The next day, some of the ND crew took their plane and the others went home. The Evans household returned to their routine. Mercedes was back to work, Sam was doing interviews and explained that after a year of absence he was ready to come back to Popular, the famous TV show where he was the main character. 2 months passed, and Sam started training again to get back in shape after losing a lot of weight and all of his muscles. They all were back to their happy life.

Tommy, on the other hand, was frustrated. Ever since the dinner they had 3 month ago , he had no news of Mercedes. She didn't even call him to tell him that her husband woke up, he learned it on TV. She was completely ignoring him and Tommy just didn't get why. So Wednesday afternoon, he decided to confront her and rang the door, but it's Sam that opened the door.

Sam raised an eyebrow. A tall, tan man with blue eyes and brown short hair was standing in front of him. He recognized him though, way before he went into coma, he met him at an award show once. But his real question was; what the hell was he doing standing at his porch? And why did the guards let him enter? They usually asked for his permission when it was new visitors.

"Hum Hi? "

The man laughed nervously.

"Hi, you must be Sam right? I'm Tommy. Tommy Davis."

They exchanged an hand shake.

" O-Okay…"

"I didn't know – I thought I would end up on Mercy , is she here? "

Sam raised an eyebrow. Mercy? Who was that man calling his wife "Mercy"?

"Hum, she's at the studio… But you know my wife? "

Tommy cleared his throat awkwardly. Obviously Mercy didn't tell him about their close friendship.

" Huh yeah, we're… we're good friends. Anyway, when she comes, could you tell her that I passed by? "

"Yeah, yeah. " answered Sam, disturbed.

"Alright, thanks. Bye. "

Sam closed the door, and suddenly he felt confused. Why Tommy was so uncomfortable when he saw him opening the door?

Sam wasn't the type of man to feel insecure of jealous… But he had to admit, Tommy was a really good looking man. He ,on the other hand, lost everything with his health problems. He was slowly getting back his muscles and shape, having a personal trainer, but still… at that moment he felt uneasy.

In the night Mercedes and the kids came home. Sam didn't want to talk in front of them so he decided to wait.

" So , you know it's your last month of school before summer and then your last year of high school honey. " said Mercedes as they were all sitting in the living room watching TV, eating ice cream in pajamas. " Have you thought about schools yet "

"Well, I thought about Julliard, just like you. Or NYADA. I also like New York Academy of Art... So I don't know between the 3 yet. I just know that I want to be a singer and perform. "

Mercedes and Sam looked at each other, proud.

" That's great sweetie. You have our full support. We are here if you have any questions or doubts. We know the business, so don't worry, we'll help you through it all."

Alicia smiled at the both of them, so thankful for her life, for her parents.

" I know. Thanks guys. "

Mercedes had a little surprise for her daughter. Her 18th birthday present would be a featuring between the two of them, to introduce her to the world. But, she decided to wait until her birthday in 2 weeks.

" I cannot wait for summer in 3 weeks though. I am sooo tired of school. Speaking about summer, where are we going this year? "

The parents looked at each other.

" Well… we didn't plan anything so… "Started Sam looking at Mercedes

"Wherever you want to go guys " she finished.

The kids clapped their hands excitedly. Alicia stood up

"Lily, Ty' reunion in my room, Now! We'll let you know our decision "Alicia said, amused.

The couple laughed and the kids ran upstairs, excited.

" I feel like we're going to regret it " said Mercedes, laughing.

Sam just smiled and nodded. Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

"You okay? "

"Well… Tommy came to see you today "he said, finally looking at her .

Mercedes heart skipped a beat. She shifted awkwardly. Tommy. It's been a while since she talked to him. She felt so happy that Sam was back… that she spent all of her time with her family. And yes, she had little less time for Tommy. Obviously she felt guilty about it, but what scared more was the way Sam was looking at her, and she knew her husband.

" Oh? Well… I'll call him later." She responded, not knowing what to say.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

" That's it?"

"Well, yeah."

Mercedes felt more and more uncomfortable and Sam noticed.

"Can I ask how did you meet? "

She sighed.

"When you were… It was at an after party last year when I won the people choice awards. We talked and became friends. That's all. "

Sam felt his jealousy coming back. He didn't why but he felt so insecure. What if something happened when he wasn't there?

" Are you sure that's all?"

" What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know. He's tall, and handsome, and famous and – "

"And I don't care. " she cut him. She took his hands. " And I love my husband more than anything. And my husband is handsome and strong and – "

" And he lost 20 pounds of muscles, only regained 10 and – "

" Honey can you stop? You're still and always will be the sexiest man alive to me "

Sam just rolled his eyes and pushed her hands away. Mercedes frowned. What was going on? When her husband got so insecure? She didn't even get what he was insecure about. For her, he was still gorgeous. Who cared about muscles? Was it all just because of Tommy?

Mercedes moved and sat in front of him. He looked away.

"Honey it's true – "

"Mercy – "

"Okay so do you find me unattractive? Cause I've lost weight too! And I've lost a lot. "

"It's not the same thing – "

" Of course it is! Baby, listen to me. I honestly don't know where it all comes from, but I'm telling you; there's no one I find more beautiful than you. You lost weight, so what? You were sick, Sam. You train every day, it'll come back eventually. And even if you never get your body back, who cares? You have so many other beautiful things. Your gorgeous green eyes, your hair, your beautiful smile and most importantly your heart of gold. For me, nothing changed. I still feel unbelievably lucky every day ,don't you see me staring at you all the time? you're still my sexy man and I love you just the way you are. "

He finally looked at her, smiled a little and sighed.

"Okay. Sorry, I don't know where this comes from… It's just – when I saw him I don't know what the hell happened in my head but he was so awkward, I thought something happened between the two of you – "

"Nothing happened. Don't worry honey. He's just a friend. "

Sam sighed in relief.

"Okay. "

"Now kiss me, silly. "

He laughed and executed.

Mercedes felt guilty. A hell lot. But she just couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him that Tommy was in love with her and that he told her. Not after his reaction. It didn't matter anyway , she made things pretty clear from the beginning. She took his hand and led him upstairs, to show him just how much she loved him.

1 week later, Mercedes and Sam decided to throw a surprise birthday party for Alicia. It was her big 18ths. They were now in the luxurious office of Tania Spears, a really famous event planner. She was also a friend, Mercedes knew her because she helped with Quinn and Tina's weddings back in the days. The blond woman smiled at them

" It's so nice to see you again guys! So , what's the event this time ? "

" Well , next week, on June 19th it's my daughter's 18th birthday. So we wanted to throw her a surprise birthday party. " said Sam.

" Alright, great! What kind of birthday would you like to do ? How is she in general? "

"Well" started Mercedes " She's obviously a really girly girl. I think in her head she's a princess" she said, rolling her eyes and Tania laughed. "She likes anything fancy; she loves to wear dresses and jewelries."

" I see" she said, writing everything down. "it's going to be simple then. Concerning the location , I suggest that we book the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, NY. It's an outstanding, very beautiful Castle. the property offers two restaurants in it so we can do like a big pink and beige themed buffet with the help of the best chief in town and friend of yours: David Burtka. There are also two ballrooms which make the Belhurst Castle a popular venue for weddings and special events. So it's perfect for us. We'll do a fancy decoration with a long pink carpet on the outside , a lot of candles and flowers, lot of different famous brands…We can also make little chanel bags with candy in it as presents for the guests. Her birthday cake can also be a big Chanel bag. As for music, we can try and see if the famous DJ David Guetta can come and perform. "

" Perfect!" exclaimed Mercedes. "That's exactly how I pictured it for her. "

" Great then. What about presents ?"

"Well my present is a featuring between her and I to introduce her to the world. And Alicia got her driving license, so Sam's present is a car. A dark blue Audi a1. "

"Alright so we'll hide the car with a pink sheet in a special place that we'll decorate outside, and we'll cover her eyes. When it's time, everyone will follow her outside, the lights will go on and we'll move the sheet. "

The couple looked at each other, satisfied.

"Amazing! We love it. Let's do this. "

Tania smiled widely.

"Alright then!"

Mercedes was so excited about the party and see her girl happy, she couldn't wait.

Hope you liked it! So the next chapter will include the party. And you know the Evans, there's never any parties without a little drama ! Maybe Tommy will be there ? Maybe Sam will discover the truth? Or maybe an old friend will make a come back? ;)

See you soon!

xo Bibi