"We walked. She told me she had seen me at hospital in the morning...the
point's that she told me she knows."
It was hard for her to talk. About anything. But if she didn't tell him she would collapse.
"Sam, what does she know?"
"That Jack and I had an affair. That Jack was with me two weeks ago. That I'm leaving." She took a deep breath before adding "That I'm.pregnant."
She blushed and swallowed.
"Danny don't look at me like that, please!" Samantha said smoothly, with tears in her eyes, "I'm not sure how I'm gonna do this. Damn!"
"You're leaving?"
Danny seemed to have stayed back in the idea that the woman whom he thought of as a sister was going away, was leaving him. He didn't seem to have heard the rest of it.
"I can't stay that's for sure."
"Why? Why would you leave?"
Samantha looked at him as he fell down. He ended sitting on one of the benches near them.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?! I'm pregnant Danny. I'm going to have a baby, Jack's baby."
Her voice, which had turned a bit stronger, echoed inside of his head. He was still shocked. She knew it, still continued.
"I mean, I can't stay. What do you think will happen if Jack fins out about this? Or if Marie fins out? What about Kate? She doesn't know anything! She doesn't need to know...Hannah already knows and her life is not simple, having to deal with everything she feels and everything everybody else feels. What is she supposed to do? She wants her family together! It's not unreasonable."
His deep brown eyes were just as wet and tearing as Sam's. She knew he felt she was like a sister to him. She felt the same way.
"It was hard to take the decision Danny, but I can't change my mind now. I won't."
And he was still staring at her. He seemed frozen.
"All I want is Jack to get what he always wanted: stability in his marriage. And we both know that he won't get it unless I'm out of here, out of the picture...not that I want to but..."
"Stop. Please. Just...give me a minute. This is way too much," he looked at the sky but before said "I'm sorry, go on," and then looked back at her.
There was silence between them. It must have remained for about three minutes. Then, she broke it.
"I don't really have much choice, I care for him."
"So he doesn't know. You're not going to tell him. You're going to quit?"
"This morning I made him sign a white paper for me, as stupid as it may sound. He knows I'm leaving, he just doesn't know where. Above his signature I managed to write a letter requesting my transfer to Washington.If the answer is negative then I'll quit and find some other job there in DC."
"It'll be. They wouldn't ignore Jack's petition just because."
"Anyway, I should be getting the answer tomorrow this time...I'm leaving Friday morning."
"Samantha, isn't it too soon?"
"The sooner the better, you know that."
Everything was calm. They were calm. She stood up, weeping, and attempted to walk away, nut Danny took her hand before she could move one more step. He stood after her, made her turn around. Gently, he put her arms around her as she leaned her head against his chest. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. It broke his heart to see her like that. It had been hurt before, his heart, but not like that, not that badly since his parents... He made her feel protected. Danny knew the next day would be hard, specially for her. Samantha knew Thursday would be a hard day, as it would the rest of her life.
"Danny?"
He looked at her understanding.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have got you involved in all..."
"Hey, you love him, and you know what you're doing. It's gonna be fine, I'm glad you told me. I'll be here."
"But..."
Then again she couldn't finish the sentence.
"But nothing. You're having my niece."
"Danny...what..."
"Well excuse me if I care about you so much that I like pretending you're my sister!"
He was no longer hugging her, but they were holding hands. She got closer. Then turned and walked towards the street, pulling his arm and making him follow.
She had been thinking about what he had said.
"So I'm your sister and I'm having a girl?"
"Yeah, my guess."
"OK"
"OK?"
"OK." She looked at him smiling. "OK, so my guess that makes you uncle Danny, ha."
In not more than two hours she had talked and cried. Now she was laughing.
Her phone rang. Sam excused herself and answered. "Spade."
While she talked on the phone Danny's phone rang. Strange.
As they both hung up she said "It was Vivian. She wants me in the office as soon as possible, she said she got something. Who called you?"
"Jack. Let's go, he wants me in too."
Ten minutes later Jack, Vivian and Martin saw Sam and Danny arrive simultaneously. It wasn't weird, but neither it was usual. A coincidence maybe? No one said a word. Danny saw hoe tense she had become the moment she realized he knew everything, plus Jack didn't and he was there with them. Martin was a different story, it had always been. So he mentioned to her that he hadn't even thought about saying they had spoken. He simply told her not to worry, he was not that stupid.
A couple hours later they were all ready to pack and go home, again. So they did.
It was hard for her to talk. About anything. But if she didn't tell him she would collapse.
"Sam, what does she know?"
"That Jack and I had an affair. That Jack was with me two weeks ago. That I'm leaving." She took a deep breath before adding "That I'm.pregnant."
She blushed and swallowed.
"Danny don't look at me like that, please!" Samantha said smoothly, with tears in her eyes, "I'm not sure how I'm gonna do this. Damn!"
"You're leaving?"
Danny seemed to have stayed back in the idea that the woman whom he thought of as a sister was going away, was leaving him. He didn't seem to have heard the rest of it.
"I can't stay that's for sure."
"Why? Why would you leave?"
Samantha looked at him as he fell down. He ended sitting on one of the benches near them.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?! I'm pregnant Danny. I'm going to have a baby, Jack's baby."
Her voice, which had turned a bit stronger, echoed inside of his head. He was still shocked. She knew it, still continued.
"I mean, I can't stay. What do you think will happen if Jack fins out about this? Or if Marie fins out? What about Kate? She doesn't know anything! She doesn't need to know...Hannah already knows and her life is not simple, having to deal with everything she feels and everything everybody else feels. What is she supposed to do? She wants her family together! It's not unreasonable."
His deep brown eyes were just as wet and tearing as Sam's. She knew he felt she was like a sister to him. She felt the same way.
"It was hard to take the decision Danny, but I can't change my mind now. I won't."
And he was still staring at her. He seemed frozen.
"All I want is Jack to get what he always wanted: stability in his marriage. And we both know that he won't get it unless I'm out of here, out of the picture...not that I want to but..."
"Stop. Please. Just...give me a minute. This is way too much," he looked at the sky but before said "I'm sorry, go on," and then looked back at her.
There was silence between them. It must have remained for about three minutes. Then, she broke it.
"I don't really have much choice, I care for him."
"So he doesn't know. You're not going to tell him. You're going to quit?"
"This morning I made him sign a white paper for me, as stupid as it may sound. He knows I'm leaving, he just doesn't know where. Above his signature I managed to write a letter requesting my transfer to Washington.If the answer is negative then I'll quit and find some other job there in DC."
"It'll be. They wouldn't ignore Jack's petition just because."
"Anyway, I should be getting the answer tomorrow this time...I'm leaving Friday morning."
"Samantha, isn't it too soon?"
"The sooner the better, you know that."
Everything was calm. They were calm. She stood up, weeping, and attempted to walk away, nut Danny took her hand before she could move one more step. He stood after her, made her turn around. Gently, he put her arms around her as she leaned her head against his chest. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. It broke his heart to see her like that. It had been hurt before, his heart, but not like that, not that badly since his parents... He made her feel protected. Danny knew the next day would be hard, specially for her. Samantha knew Thursday would be a hard day, as it would the rest of her life.
"Danny?"
He looked at her understanding.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have got you involved in all..."
"Hey, you love him, and you know what you're doing. It's gonna be fine, I'm glad you told me. I'll be here."
"But..."
Then again she couldn't finish the sentence.
"But nothing. You're having my niece."
"Danny...what..."
"Well excuse me if I care about you so much that I like pretending you're my sister!"
He was no longer hugging her, but they were holding hands. She got closer. Then turned and walked towards the street, pulling his arm and making him follow.
She had been thinking about what he had said.
"So I'm your sister and I'm having a girl?"
"Yeah, my guess."
"OK"
"OK?"
"OK." She looked at him smiling. "OK, so my guess that makes you uncle Danny, ha."
In not more than two hours she had talked and cried. Now she was laughing.
Her phone rang. Sam excused herself and answered. "Spade."
While she talked on the phone Danny's phone rang. Strange.
As they both hung up she said "It was Vivian. She wants me in the office as soon as possible, she said she got something. Who called you?"
"Jack. Let's go, he wants me in too."
Ten minutes later Jack, Vivian and Martin saw Sam and Danny arrive simultaneously. It wasn't weird, but neither it was usual. A coincidence maybe? No one said a word. Danny saw hoe tense she had become the moment she realized he knew everything, plus Jack didn't and he was there with them. Martin was a different story, it had always been. So he mentioned to her that he hadn't even thought about saying they had spoken. He simply told her not to worry, he was not that stupid.
A couple hours later they were all ready to pack and go home, again. So they did.