Sam
After Amy's "stomach flu" episode at Breadstix, Sam didn't know how much longer he could hold out. As they'd headed home that evening, Amy had confessed that she had to tell one person her secret.
"I had to let Emma know what was wrong with me," she explained, as he drove her car. "The woman is terrified of germs. I had to at least tell her that she hadn't contracted my illness. I told her to please just tell Will for me, too, because I might need to have him cover for me again."
Not just one person. Now two others knew. Sam had always trusted Mr. Schue, but he didn't like the fact that someone else knew before their families did.
Sam pursed his lips as he drove her car. "I really wish you hadn't told anyone before Artie," he said, looking over at her. When he saw what she was doing, he panicked. "Are you... are you going to throw up in the car?"
"Yes, pull over," she'd said, as she covered her mouth. Luckily, they were in a neighborhood and on an empty street. She opened the car door and threw up what was left of her lunch all over the pavement. Sam could do nothing but lean over and pat her back reassuringly.
"Ugh." She straightened up and wiped her mouth. "It's that awful-swelling restaurant that's done me in. We still have the stench on our clothes. I'm gonna shower and change when we get home and I'll need you to do the same."
Somehow, Artie really did think it was a stomach flu. While Amy was in the shower, he texted Sam to please take care of Amy and to please bring out he and Julie's luggage, since they were headed back to Columbus. And also, he texted, could Sam possibly find another way back to school? Sam was just relieved Artie hadn't caught on. He'd walk back, if he had to, if he could buy himself a few more weeks of his friend not knowing what he'd done.
Julie and Artie leaving meant that Sam and Amy were spending what was left of Valentine's Day alone together. After her shower, Sam found her clad in her OSU t-shirt and long basketball shorts, stretched out on her bed, staring absently at the ceiling. When he slipped into the room, she hardly noticed him, as a single tear traced its way down her cheek.
"For what it's worth," he said, picking up her hand and lacing their fingers together as he stretched out on the bed and lay his head down on the empty pillow by hers. "I'm proud of the fact that my parents had me when they were just out of high school. They could have made other choices, but they made the brave choice to give me life and to start their lives together, with me."
Amy gave a hard swallow at that. "Are you saying that's what you really want?" she asked. "It's hard for me to tell if you really want that or if you feel like you have to start a life with me, like it or not."
Sam propped up on his elbow, cupping her cheek with his opposite hand. He leaned over to brush her lips softly with his. She pulled him in for a longer kiss. "Sam," she whispered. "There is the fact that I can't get pregnant again."
Well, she had a point.
Twenty minutes later, they were able to resume their conversation, the both of them feeling a bit better about the whole thing. They'd remembered something important. They were madly in love. An unplanned pregnancy hadn't changed any of that.
For the next three Saturdays, Artie continue to make trips back home, in order to meet up with Spencer and work on choreography. These meetings included Kitty and the other Cheerios in glee club. Sam made sure to go along each time he went. He had to be there, just in case Artie found out.
Sam made up excuses about wanting to see his family and Amy on these trips back home. Those were half-truths. Of course, he did want to see his family and do all he could to help with the new house. They'd actually bought a house, and not rented one, for the first time that Sam could ever remember. This one was in need of some TLC, and his dad started multiple home improvement projects at once. So, Sam stayed busy during his weekend visits with scraping the popcorn ceiling and spraying new drywall, painting, putting in new flooring, plumbing, and the like.
Sam was something of a jack-of-all-trades, familiar enough with all of these home improvement projects to do a decent job. If modeling wouldn't pay for doctor bills and diapers and formula and everything else, then there was always the possibility of doing construction work. College might have to go on the back-burner for the time being.
But, when he mentioned this plan to Amy on that third and final Saturday of visiting home, she didn't like it one bit.
"Sam, I've been doing a pretty good job of saving money," she'd said, when he asked her about it that evening.
They were huddled together on the upstairs sofa. Artie wasn't back yet. He was still helping Kitty and the Cheerios with Spencer's wheelchair dancing. Regionals would be the following Saturday.
"What with having a full-time teaching job and living at home for now," she went on. "I really think, in the fall, I could go back to work, you could stay home with the baby, and we could take out loans for you to go to evening classes and at least finish your associate's degree next year. Isn't that all you'd need to start the physical therapy assistant program someplace after that?"
He leaned in to kiss her as she outlined her vision for their new life together. Her plan sounded doable and practical, too. So what if the roles were a little reversed? Today's rules were different than they'd been even just ten or twenty years ago. Women could work, and men could stay home with the kids.
"Hey," she said, drawing back and smiling gently back at him, resting a hand against his chest. "I went to the doctor yesterday. The baby is doing fine. I'm feeling a lot better, too. Sixteen weeks now. At the next appointment, at twenty weeks, we get the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. I made sure to make it on a Friday afternoon, as late as I could get, so you can be there for it."
"Thanks," Sam said. "I'm sorry I've missed some others." He'd missed two, to be exact, but Amy hadn't exactly made a big deal out of these.
"The first few appointments have been pretty uneventful," she assured him. "But I'll definitely want you there later."
"So, when can we tell Artie and everyone else?" Sam wanted to know. Surely she didn't mean they'd try to wait until after the twenty-week ultrasound.
Amy pursed her lips. "How about this weekend, when we all come to Columbus to cheer on the New Directions? If they win Regionals, and they probably will, then he'll be in a good mood and it'll be a good time."
"And if they don't win, we keep hiding it until the baby is born," Sam joked, at which she laughed, and Sam marveled at how it was just nice to be laughing and joking again with her.
"The other good thing about this timing is that you have spring break right after Regionals," she pointed out. "That gives him a week to cool off before you both return to the dorm."
"And don't you have spring break too?" Sam asked, though he meant it to be rhetorical, as he knew she did. "Maybe once this is all out in the open, we could go someplace together. A... a baby-moon, isn't that what it's called?"
"I would love a baby moon," she said, and she'd leaned in for another kiss. "It wouldn't have to be anything fancy."
Sam wondered if he ought to approach the subject of marriage again. She'd made it pretty clear, though, that the timing wasn't good. He didn't want to push it, but he was kind of traditional, in that sense. If he was committing his life to her, moving in with her, and raising a baby with her, he wanted it to be official somehow.
"What are you thinking?" she wanted to know.
About marrying you, Sam thought, but didn't say. "I'm thinking Artie might be home soon and you need to change." He looked down at her stomach.
"Only because you already know," Amy said, rolling her eyes as she tugged at the fitted shirt she had on. It wasn't Sam's imagination though.
"No, your shirt is definitely clinging to a little bump there," he argued, touching her stomach gingerly. But he made eye contact and smiled gently at her. It may have been really tiny, but there was a baby in there, and that was cool.
"I just bloat in the evenings a bit, okay?" Amy countered again. She was in complete bump denial still, probably because it would mean they'd have to start telling people. "But if you think I should change, I'll go grab my sweatshirt."
"Guys? I'm home!" Artie called, as they both jumped, caught offguard by the sound of the door opening and shutting downstairs. "Kitty's here too. She's come for dinner."
Any arched an eyebrow at Sam. "Hm, what would the beautiful Julie say about this?"
She didn't wait for an answer from Sam, as she headed into her room to grab a shirt that would better conceal the "bump" that she still claimed didn't exist.
Sam headed downstairs, and Amy wasn't far behind him, her OSU hoodie now hiding any evidence of her current condition, thus satisfying Sam's request.
"Hi, Kitty," Amy said, grinning at the younger girl. "It's been awhile since you've been over."
"Oh, well, you know," Kitty paused, in the middle of hanging up her coat and gave an awkward shrug. "Life. We're all pretty busy. But I missed this house. Seems like someone's always home around here."
"Sam, I invited your family over for my crockpot chili, too," Artie said, as he hung his own jacket on the lowest hook, the one within his reach. "We have plenty, and I know it's Stacey's favorite. They'll be here soon. I'm gonna go check on it."
"Oh, okay, cool."
"And Dad's on his way," Artie went on. "So that'll be..." he counted people in his head. "Ten of us, so we'll need extra seating. Sam, there's a card table and chairs in the storage shed out back. Could you get it?"
"Sure," Sam said.
"I'll show him where it is," Amy quickly offered.
"Hey, Ames," Artie said, before she could follow Sam. "Mason and Madison both just got over that virus you had a few weeks ago. They said it was the worst."
"Oh, yeah?" Amy replied, nonchalantly. "Wow, that sucks. Well, uh, I trust they're better now?"
"Good as new," Artie answered, as he headed off to the kitchen. Kitty seemed to pause a little, as though she wanted to say something, but then she just followed Artie.
Amy shot Sam a panicked look. Without a word, he headed out to the storage shed in the backyard, as she followed him. As she pointed out the card table and chairs, she still wore that look of distress.
"He knows," she said to Sam, when he asked her what was wrong. "I don't know how he found out... but he knows. Why else would he say that thing about my virus? I bet he made up that stuff about Mason and Madison, to test me."
"Well, look," Sam said, taking a minute to consider everything, as he pushed aside some of the lawn equipment that was blocking the card table and chairs. "We were only planning on waiting, what, another week? But now my family is on their way over for dinner. Your parents will both be here. Let's just get this over with."
"I'm gonna be sick," Amy said.
"I thought you were over that?"
"For a different reason..." Amy trailed off. "Here, give me one of those..." Sam was trying to manage carrying in four chairs, plus a table. He shook his head but she insisted. "I can handle one chair!"
Sam gave in and let her have one chair. As they marched back through the yard and into the house in silence, Sam contemplated Amy's theory. Had Artie figured it out? Was he now toying with them somehow? It didn't seem like him to do a thing like that. On the other hand, it seemed very much like a thing a certain blonde cheerleader might do.
He didn't have time to think on it another minute, because the doorbell rang. Since it was already unlocked and since the ringer of the bell already felt like she owned the place, Stacey Evans just flung the door open with Stevie right beside her.
"Hi, Sammy!" she cried. "You miss me?"
"Very much," Sam said, scooping her up for a hug and letting Stevie slip in, too. "It's been all of three hours since I saw you."
"I got a little further on the floors after you left," Dwight Evans reported, as he stepped over the threshold into the Abrams home. "I think you're right about keeping the same flooring on the entire lower level. Looks nice."
"Mom's going to let me order a unicorn bedspread for my room!" Stacey added, as Mary stepped inside and smiled at this. Stevie then bragged that he was doing a Marvel heroes theme. It was the first time the two hadn't shared a room with bunk beds, although Stevie had still insisted on bunk beds, to allow Sam a place to sleep when he visited.
"She also wants to paint the room a light purple," Mary added, as her daughter beamed back at her.
In a matter of minutes, they were all home. His parents, of course, both came in right behind Stacey and Stevie. And as they came in the front door, the garage door opened. John and Nancy, who had been out together, had returned home, too. Suddenly, the house was full of eight other people, who were all about to hear this news at once.
Sam made himself busy by helping Stevie and Stacey set the tables for ten. Kitty volunteered to sit at the "kid table," as did Artie, which meant they didn't need one of the folding chairs.
Nancy and John set up an assembly line, and everyone got their own chili, save for Artie, who stayed out of the crowded kitchen and let Sam bring his to the table for him. There was a moment that passed between the two, as Sam brought over the bowl of chili and a can of soda to him. Artie lifted his eyes and held Sam's gaze for a little too long.
"Thanks," was all he said.
Once they were all seated, Artie looked right at Amy and Sam, expectantly. It was then that Sam realized Amy was right, that Artie absolutely did know and he was playing some kind of cat and mouse game with them.
The sort of game that required a Kitty.
Somehow, and he didn't know how, but Sam knew she had something to do with this.
"Okay, look." Sam stood, just as he realized his parents had been in the middle of joining hands, to suggest a prayer, but he'd interrupted that. He was already standing, though, and he had all eyes on him, including Amy's wide blue ones.
"I'll just say it, but I'm pretty sure, Artie, that you already know." He prefaced his statement in a completely un-planned way, sounding much more confrontational than he meant to. "Amy's pregnant. We're having a baby. We were trying to find a good time to say something, and well, you're all here now so..."
Stunned silence followed this confession. Sam saw Artie unlocking his breaks and giving Kitty a meaningful look.
"I-I just remembered," Kitty stammered, not breaking eye contact with Artie. "My dad was bringing home Chinese tonight. I actually better go, sorry to bail."
"I'll take you home," Artie said, already two paces back from the table. Sam noticed he'd chosen a spot with a clear path to the front door, probably on purpose.
"Artie, wait!" Nancy broke the silence from the other table, as Kitty followed Artie out the door, shooting a brief, apologetic glance over her shoulder first. He'd forgotten, in his haste to leave, to get his keys from the tray, and she grabbed those for him.
Nancy stood up from her seat, but beside her, John had also gotten to his feet and touched her shoulder.
"Let's give Art some time," he suggested, softly but firmly, at which point, Nancy took her seat again. She shifted her gaze from the front door back to Amy and Sam.
"Well, of course we're all surprised," Nancy finally managed to say. "But if you two are happy, well, then this is great news. I'm sure Artie will come around."
"I sure do wish my mother had said that..." Mary added, wistfully. She looked at her son. "Samuel, you know your dad and I never expected to be grandparents before we were forty, but now that it's happened, I couldn't be happier."
"Does this make me a ten-year-old uncle?" Stevie wanted to know.
"You'll be eleven when the baby's born, Squirt," Sam told him. "He or she will be here in August."
"Mom..." Amy said, still eyeing the front door. "I don't know if Artie's going to be okay. I just stole his best friend and his roommate."
"In this family, we make sacrifices for each other," Nancy said, looking at her daughter meaningfully. "You, of all people, know that. He'll come around. We all support you."
"When's the wedding?" Stacey wanted to know next. "Mommy and Daddy got married with Sammy in Mom's tummy. You could do that, too, right?"
Sam looked at Amy, who was pretty red in the face by now, but all she did was nod slowly in response. Yes, they could do that, but it was a little more complicated than Stacey knew.
Luckily, everyone was too busy asking them questions to linger on that one, even though Nancy looked like she wanted to know more. Mary had already moved on to quizzing Amy about what vitamins she was taking and how she was feeling thus far.
Sam looked down at his phone. He sent Artie a quick text: Please forgive me man. That was all he could think to say. He didn't deserve forgiveness, that he knew, but he hoped Artie could find a way.