Chapter 23: I Hope You Dance
~Paul's POV~
After our conversation, Jeff, Samantha, Stephanie and I all went back to our locker rooms to get our things and headed for the hotel. We got there around like 11:30 last night. I could tell that Samantha was exhausted and wiped out. She had a very long day, emotionally. I told Jeff and Stephanie to meet us in the morning for breakfast together to discuss the plans for the week. Samantha fell asleep in the car and I was grateful that Adam, Jay, and Andrew were around to help me carry the luggage while I carried Samantha to our hotel room. After getting into the room, I put Samantha on the bed and turned to face the guys. "Hey, guys, thanks for helping out. I knew that I couldn't have done it alone, especially at this time of night," I whispered.
"Hey, no problem. Just know that we're all here for her. She's like porcelain. She's too precious and fragile," Andrew said.
"Yeah, she is. She's like porcelain but she's tough as hell! I know because she's my sister. She's been through hell. I'm surprised that she's sane," Adam said as he nodded.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. After your father introduced us, I could tell that she had an old soul in that small body of hers. She had to grow up pretty fast because of her birth family."
"Yeah, she did. We always had heart-to-heart conversations together. She taught me a lot about patience and stuff. I don't know what would have happened to me if she wasn't in my life," Adam admitted.
"She's just absolutely amazing," I said. After a short pause, I said, "Well, guys, I think it's time that I go to sleep. We'll talk more later."
"All right. Have a good night, Paul," Andrew said, as he walked to the door.
"Good night man," Jay said, as he walked behind Andrew and they waited for Adam.
"Just give me a minute. I'll meet you guys outside in the hallway," Adam said as he walked over to Samantha. Jay and Andrew nodded and left. "Good night, babydoll. Sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels," Adam said softly. He kissed her cheek and stood up.
"Why did you say 'sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels to her?"
"That was something that I always told her. She loves teddy bears and angels. You should see her room. It's full of teddy bears and angels," Adam laughed softly.
"You know what's funny, she had to do an art project today and she drew an angel with a halo standing on a cloud. I always wondered about that."
"She always drew pictures of angels or teddy bears. She mainly copied it from other pictures. She always got upset that she couldn't draw very well."
"That happened today. She got upset that she couldn't draw what she wanted to draw."
"That's Sam for ya. Why did you call her 'babydoll' today? I thought you called her 'baby girl.'"
"I was actually thinking of calling her 'babydoll' the other day. I feel that 'baby girl' is too much trouble."
"Great. Dad always called her that when we were younger. She told me that she wanted you to call her that, but she was scared of asking you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, talk to her about it this week when you're home. Has she set up her room at your place?"
"No, not yet. We could do it this week. I'm sure that it will give her time to relax."
"She will definitely. She loves decorating and doing crafts and stuff."
I nodded, "Will do."
"Well, I better go, I don't want to keep the guys waiting. I'll see you tomorrow."
"All right, see you tomorrow," I said as I closed the door. Then I went back and looked into Samantha's bag for her pjs. As soon as I got it, I went and sat down by her side. I watched her for a few minutes, just thinking of how her life has changed in the past year. It just amazed me of what she went through since the year started. She had not had a long period of time where nothing bad had happened to her. It was a pattern that had set where she would be happy for a couple of weeks to a month then something bad would happen. I shook those thoughts out of my head and then I started taking off her shoes and socks, then her jeans and top. I put her pjs on over her bra. As soon as that was done, I started going for the bra and took it off. I folded her clothes up and put it on top of her bag. I went and changed my clothes in the bathroom. 5 minutes later, I came out and got my things in my bag. I went and managed to get Samantha under the covers without waking her up. I got to the other side and crawled in. I pulled Samantha next to me and held her. I watched her sleep until I went to sleep myself. I woke up the next morning with the sun shining through the curtain. I stretched out my tired muscles and felt something on top of me. I looked down and saw Samantha lying on top of me. I put my arms around her and hugged her. She opened her eyes when I hugged her. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. She looked directly at me after she was done. "Morning, babydoll."
She smiled, "Morning, daddy."
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Good. How about you?"
"Real good."
"Daddy, why did you call me 'babydoll' just now and yesterday?"
"Well, I was thinking of calling you that the other day. I feel that 'baby girl' is too much. And you're not a little girl anymore; you're a young woman."
"I told Adam the other day that I was thinking of asking you to call me 'babydoll' because that was what my dad always called me."
"I know."
"How did you know that?"
"Adam told me last night," I said as I stroked her hair.
"Adam was here last night?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Did he say 'sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels?"
"Yep, he did," I said as I smiled.
"Ok, just wondering," she said as she smiled and rested her head against my chest.
"How about we go get ready?" I asked her after a few minutes of silence.
"What's going on?"
"We're going to meet Stephanie and Jeff for breakfast at the restaurant downstairs," I said as I put my hands behind my head.
"We are?" she asked as she smiled big.
"Yeah, we are."
"Can I take a shower first?"
"Well, I don't know."
"Oh, come on, daddy please!!!!" she asked as she started to go into the puppy dog mode.
"Hmmm, I don't know if I should let you take a shower first," I said as I smirked.
"Wait a minute, why am I just laying here arguing with you when I could just get up and run to the shower," she said then looked at me wide-eyed and started to get up. I playfully grabbed her and started to spar with her. She squealed and laughed, trying to get out of my grasp. She had finally escaped about 20 minutes later and ran to the bathroom.
"Ha, ha, I got out and that means I use the bathroom first," she said then stuck her tongue out at me.
"You better put that tongue back in because if you don't, then I'm going to have to tickle you again," I said as I started going after her again. She squealed and ran into the bathroom, locking it. Soon after I heard the water running in the shower. She came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel after a half an hour in the shower. Her hair was in another towel. "How many towels do you need?"
"Two, why?"
"You sure? Because there better be an extra towel in there for me," I said playfully growling at her.
She smiled, "Yes, there are extra towels in there."
"All right, you know that it's good to see you smile babydoll."
"Thanks, daddy."
"You're welcome. You done with the bathroom?"
"Yeah, you can use it now. I'll just get dressed in here while you're in the bathroom."
"All right," I said as I got my things from my bag and headed for the shower.
~Sam's POV~
While Paul was in the shower, I got my bag and started looking for any signs of clean clothes. After searching for a few minutes, I finally found clean white underwear, blue jeans, my black bra and my dark purple tank-top that said Angel with a halo over the 'A.' I unwrapped the towel and put on my underwear and bra. After that I got my CD Walkman and CD case out. I took the towel off my head and comb out the tangles out and looked through the CD case until I decided to listen to Lee Ann Womack. I put it in my CD Walkman and went straight to my favorite song, "I Hope You Dance." I started singing along to the song as I finished getting ready.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And you when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
As the song finished, I zipped up my jeans and took off the CD Walkman to put on my tank top. As I was going to put on my tank top, I heard clapping. I turned around to see Paul, Jeff, Stephanie, Adam, Vince and Linda all standing there smiling and clapping. I hurriedly put on my tank top and blushed. "Let me guess. that was Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance?'" Adam asked, grinning.
"Yes, it was," I said softly.
"Aw! It's ok. But it was good for me to hear you sing again. I missed that," Adam said as he walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged him back and was on the verge of crying. I don't know how Adam sensed it, but I heard him say, "Sam, let it out. Cry all you want to. I'm here for you, lil sis." I started bawling out as I hid my face into his chest. I felt Adam pick me up and sit down on the bed. I sat on his lap and cried. After some time, I had finally stopped crying. Paul and Jeff were sitting on the bed as Vince and Linda sat on the chairs next to the small table as Stephanie stood.
Stephanie was the first one to speak since Adam last spoke, "Samantha, are you feeling ok?" I shook my head 'no.'
"She's really emotional right now because she wants our father to be here. His presence has always calmed her down. That's probably the reason why she's holding onto me now, since I'm her only family here," Adam said. "Our father has always encouraged both of us to go after our dreams and never watch life pass us, just like what she sang from Lee Ann Womack." We stayed that way until it was time to get ready for our flights. I had stayed quiet the whole time and stayed closed to Adam's side.
~ Author's Note: The song was Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance." Used without permission. Don't sue!! Like I said before, I don't own anyone but Samantha. ~
~Paul's POV~
After our conversation, Jeff, Samantha, Stephanie and I all went back to our locker rooms to get our things and headed for the hotel. We got there around like 11:30 last night. I could tell that Samantha was exhausted and wiped out. She had a very long day, emotionally. I told Jeff and Stephanie to meet us in the morning for breakfast together to discuss the plans for the week. Samantha fell asleep in the car and I was grateful that Adam, Jay, and Andrew were around to help me carry the luggage while I carried Samantha to our hotel room. After getting into the room, I put Samantha on the bed and turned to face the guys. "Hey, guys, thanks for helping out. I knew that I couldn't have done it alone, especially at this time of night," I whispered.
"Hey, no problem. Just know that we're all here for her. She's like porcelain. She's too precious and fragile," Andrew said.
"Yeah, she is. She's like porcelain but she's tough as hell! I know because she's my sister. She's been through hell. I'm surprised that she's sane," Adam said as he nodded.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. After your father introduced us, I could tell that she had an old soul in that small body of hers. She had to grow up pretty fast because of her birth family."
"Yeah, she did. We always had heart-to-heart conversations together. She taught me a lot about patience and stuff. I don't know what would have happened to me if she wasn't in my life," Adam admitted.
"She's just absolutely amazing," I said. After a short pause, I said, "Well, guys, I think it's time that I go to sleep. We'll talk more later."
"All right. Have a good night, Paul," Andrew said, as he walked to the door.
"Good night man," Jay said, as he walked behind Andrew and they waited for Adam.
"Just give me a minute. I'll meet you guys outside in the hallway," Adam said as he walked over to Samantha. Jay and Andrew nodded and left. "Good night, babydoll. Sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels," Adam said softly. He kissed her cheek and stood up.
"Why did you say 'sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels to her?"
"That was something that I always told her. She loves teddy bears and angels. You should see her room. It's full of teddy bears and angels," Adam laughed softly.
"You know what's funny, she had to do an art project today and she drew an angel with a halo standing on a cloud. I always wondered about that."
"She always drew pictures of angels or teddy bears. She mainly copied it from other pictures. She always got upset that she couldn't draw very well."
"That happened today. She got upset that she couldn't draw what she wanted to draw."
"That's Sam for ya. Why did you call her 'babydoll' today? I thought you called her 'baby girl.'"
"I was actually thinking of calling her 'babydoll' the other day. I feel that 'baby girl' is too much trouble."
"Great. Dad always called her that when we were younger. She told me that she wanted you to call her that, but she was scared of asking you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, talk to her about it this week when you're home. Has she set up her room at your place?"
"No, not yet. We could do it this week. I'm sure that it will give her time to relax."
"She will definitely. She loves decorating and doing crafts and stuff."
I nodded, "Will do."
"Well, I better go, I don't want to keep the guys waiting. I'll see you tomorrow."
"All right, see you tomorrow," I said as I closed the door. Then I went back and looked into Samantha's bag for her pjs. As soon as I got it, I went and sat down by her side. I watched her for a few minutes, just thinking of how her life has changed in the past year. It just amazed me of what she went through since the year started. She had not had a long period of time where nothing bad had happened to her. It was a pattern that had set where she would be happy for a couple of weeks to a month then something bad would happen. I shook those thoughts out of my head and then I started taking off her shoes and socks, then her jeans and top. I put her pjs on over her bra. As soon as that was done, I started going for the bra and took it off. I folded her clothes up and put it on top of her bag. I went and changed my clothes in the bathroom. 5 minutes later, I came out and got my things in my bag. I went and managed to get Samantha under the covers without waking her up. I got to the other side and crawled in. I pulled Samantha next to me and held her. I watched her sleep until I went to sleep myself. I woke up the next morning with the sun shining through the curtain. I stretched out my tired muscles and felt something on top of me. I looked down and saw Samantha lying on top of me. I put my arms around her and hugged her. She opened her eyes when I hugged her. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. She looked directly at me after she was done. "Morning, babydoll."
She smiled, "Morning, daddy."
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Good. How about you?"
"Real good."
"Daddy, why did you call me 'babydoll' just now and yesterday?"
"Well, I was thinking of calling you that the other day. I feel that 'baby girl' is too much. And you're not a little girl anymore; you're a young woman."
"I told Adam the other day that I was thinking of asking you to call me 'babydoll' because that was what my dad always called me."
"I know."
"How did you know that?"
"Adam told me last night," I said as I stroked her hair.
"Adam was here last night?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Did he say 'sweet dreams of teddy bears and angels?"
"Yep, he did," I said as I smiled.
"Ok, just wondering," she said as she smiled and rested her head against my chest.
"How about we go get ready?" I asked her after a few minutes of silence.
"What's going on?"
"We're going to meet Stephanie and Jeff for breakfast at the restaurant downstairs," I said as I put my hands behind my head.
"We are?" she asked as she smiled big.
"Yeah, we are."
"Can I take a shower first?"
"Well, I don't know."
"Oh, come on, daddy please!!!!" she asked as she started to go into the puppy dog mode.
"Hmmm, I don't know if I should let you take a shower first," I said as I smirked.
"Wait a minute, why am I just laying here arguing with you when I could just get up and run to the shower," she said then looked at me wide-eyed and started to get up. I playfully grabbed her and started to spar with her. She squealed and laughed, trying to get out of my grasp. She had finally escaped about 20 minutes later and ran to the bathroom.
"Ha, ha, I got out and that means I use the bathroom first," she said then stuck her tongue out at me.
"You better put that tongue back in because if you don't, then I'm going to have to tickle you again," I said as I started going after her again. She squealed and ran into the bathroom, locking it. Soon after I heard the water running in the shower. She came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel after a half an hour in the shower. Her hair was in another towel. "How many towels do you need?"
"Two, why?"
"You sure? Because there better be an extra towel in there for me," I said playfully growling at her.
She smiled, "Yes, there are extra towels in there."
"All right, you know that it's good to see you smile babydoll."
"Thanks, daddy."
"You're welcome. You done with the bathroom?"
"Yeah, you can use it now. I'll just get dressed in here while you're in the bathroom."
"All right," I said as I got my things from my bag and headed for the shower.
~Sam's POV~
While Paul was in the shower, I got my bag and started looking for any signs of clean clothes. After searching for a few minutes, I finally found clean white underwear, blue jeans, my black bra and my dark purple tank-top that said Angel with a halo over the 'A.' I unwrapped the towel and put on my underwear and bra. After that I got my CD Walkman and CD case out. I took the towel off my head and comb out the tangles out and looked through the CD case until I decided to listen to Lee Ann Womack. I put it in my CD Walkman and went straight to my favorite song, "I Hope You Dance." I started singing along to the song as I finished getting ready.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And you when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
As the song finished, I zipped up my jeans and took off the CD Walkman to put on my tank top. As I was going to put on my tank top, I heard clapping. I turned around to see Paul, Jeff, Stephanie, Adam, Vince and Linda all standing there smiling and clapping. I hurriedly put on my tank top and blushed. "Let me guess. that was Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance?'" Adam asked, grinning.
"Yes, it was," I said softly.
"Aw! It's ok. But it was good for me to hear you sing again. I missed that," Adam said as he walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged him back and was on the verge of crying. I don't know how Adam sensed it, but I heard him say, "Sam, let it out. Cry all you want to. I'm here for you, lil sis." I started bawling out as I hid my face into his chest. I felt Adam pick me up and sit down on the bed. I sat on his lap and cried. After some time, I had finally stopped crying. Paul and Jeff were sitting on the bed as Vince and Linda sat on the chairs next to the small table as Stephanie stood.
Stephanie was the first one to speak since Adam last spoke, "Samantha, are you feeling ok?" I shook my head 'no.'
"She's really emotional right now because she wants our father to be here. His presence has always calmed her down. That's probably the reason why she's holding onto me now, since I'm her only family here," Adam said. "Our father has always encouraged both of us to go after our dreams and never watch life pass us, just like what she sang from Lee Ann Womack." We stayed that way until it was time to get ready for our flights. I had stayed quiet the whole time and stayed closed to Adam's side.
~ Author's Note: The song was Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance." Used without permission. Don't sue!! Like I said before, I don't own anyone but Samantha. ~
