A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I had a little bit of writer's block and had final exams this week, but I'm back, so hopefully you all are still interested in reading! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! =]
August 5, 2004
"Mom?"
Sam sat up and reached her hand over to manually turn on the light. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Alex walked over slowly, arms wrapped around his stomach. "My stomach really hurts. I think I have to throw up but I can't yet and it hurts."
"Okay. Come over here and sit down. Let me go get the thermometer to take your temperature." She threw the sheets back on the bed and stood up, rummaging around in the nightstand. She pulled out the ancient mercury thermometer that Luka kept in the drawer for whatever reason and stuck it under Alex's tongue.
Alex quickly pulled it out and hopped off the bed. "I gotta puke right now, Mom." He ran out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Sam rushed down the hall and crouched down next to him, rubbing his back softly in circles. "What did you have to eat at Mikey's?"
"I don't know. A lot of crap. Like ice cream and chips and stuff."
"That explains it then."
Alex leaned back and sighed. "Okay, I feel better now. That was really gross."
"Yeah, it kind of was," she laughed. "Does your stomach hurt anymore?"
"Nope."
"Good." Sam slowly stood up and flushed the toilet as Alex started brushing his teeth. She had quickly entered her fifth month of pregnancy, and the farther along she became, the less energy she had. Even something as small as doing the laundry or making dinner practically had her falling asleep in place. She couldn't remember being this tired with Alex, but then again, she had been fifteen years old up until her eighth month of pregnancy. She did have a lot of energy back then, pregnant or not.
Sam had already started shopping around for tasteful maternity clothes, but would much rather stick to a large tee shirt and a pair of Luka's sweatpants any day when she was just lounging around the apartment before or after work.
"When's Luka getting home?" Alex questioned while rinsing his mouth out with a cup of water.
"Should be on his way home right now. It's after midnight."
"Can I watch a movie?"
Sam sighed and yawned. "It's kind of late."
"So what?"
"You're nine years old," Sam laughed.
"Ten in like, two weeks," Alex shot back.
"Fine. But it better be something that I want to watch too."
"Okay." He ran off quickly and Sam easily followed.
Alex crouched in front of the DVD rack. "What about Shrek?"
Sam shook her head. "No. I'm not in the mood for that."
"Okay, what about…The Mummy Returns?"
"Sure," she agreed. Instantly she curled up on the couch while Alex started the DVD. He sprawled out on his stomach in the middle of the floor. They both remained like that for the next fifteen minutes until the apartment door unlocked and opened to reveal Luka.
"Hey," he greeted them. "What are you both still doing up?"
"I got sick," Alex told him. "Then I puked and felt better, so we're watching a movie 'cause Mom and I can't sleep."
Luka smirked and walked over, placing his hand on Alex's forehead. "I'm pretty sure you don't have a fever."
"He doesn't," Sam answered. "I think it was just one of those freak things. Plus, he told me he ate a lot of crap today."
"That explains it then."
"Hey, that's exactly what Mom said," Alex added. "Are you gonna watch the movie with us, Luka?"
"Well I have to talk to your mom for a second but in a few minutes, all right?"
"Cool."
Luka motioned for Sam to following him into the kitchen, and she slowly got up off the couch and did so.
"What's wrong?" She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall somewhat. The clock on the microwave read twelve forty-five, causing her to stifle another yawn.
He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Sam. "Steve stopped by the hospital today and gave me that."
Puzzled, Sam opened the envelope to reveal a note and a two hundred dollar check:
Sammy,
I'm in town for a few days on business and figured I'd drop this off at the hospital for Alex. I know he's going to be ten soon and I didn't know what to get him, so I thought that you could make some use out of the money I'm giving you. Maybe put it away for college or a car, I don't know. Well anyway, tell him I said Happy Birthday.
Steve
Sam set the note on the kitchen counter and slid the check out. "Wow."
"What?" Luka questioned.
"Nothing," she voiced. "This is about all the money he's ever given me for Alex in ten years."
Luka rested his hand on the small of Sam's back and frowned. "You mean he hasn't paid you child support?"
Sam shook her head. "He was bouncing around from job to job, and after awhile I just stopped calling and asking him about it because I wanted him out of my life—our lives." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "But I don't know what he expects. I don't know about Alex, but I really don't want to see him. If he gave you this then he has to be in town for some reason, and great, I can just imagine me running into him when I work tomorrow."
"Promise me you won't let him get to you?"
She shrugged. "It's Steve. He always gets to me."
The weekend finally brought time for Sam to catch up on some much needed rest—Steve free. She hadn't run into him once at the hospital. Kerry had somewhat graciously given her both Saturday and Sunday off for some odd reason—but Sam knew that she better take advantage of it because the offer most likely wouldn't come around again.
Sam glanced up at the microwave clock as she pulled the bagel out of the toaster. It was now a little after nine in the morning, which meant Alex and Mikey would probably be getting up within the hour, begging to go swimming in the pool that was set in the middle of Luka's apartment complex. She didn't know why she had let Alex con her in to letting Mikey stay over for the night, but Luka seemed okay with it so she agreed. Luka, on the other hand, hadn't gotten home from the hospital until four and had been snoring away ever since she had gotten up at eight.
Balancing the bagel and a glass of orange juice, the phone began to ring. Sam set down the glass and reached over to pick it up, but not before taking a bite out of her bagel.
"Hello?" she mumbled into the phone, swallowing a big gulp of orange juice.
"Sammy, hi. How are you?"
Sam paused. She knew she had given her mother this number weeks ago, but after Lynne's little run out at the restaurant, she wasn't planning on contacting her until it was necessary. Like either she went into labor or Thanksgiving time.
"Hi. I'm okay. You?"
"Not bad. Well, I've been meaning to call…""Yeah, so have I," Sam lied.
"I know our last phone call left us on bad terms, and I wanted you to know that I'm sorry for what I said and I hope you can forgive me for it. Sometimes it's hard for me to realize that you're no longer my little girl, and that you're twenty-six years old with a family of your own."
"Mom, I haven't been your little girl since I was fifteen years old."
Lynne laughed. "I know, honey, but it's hard for me sometimes. You'll understand one day. I left a message on your cell phone and I was wondering if it would be all right for me to come up for Alex's birthday on the eighteenth?"
"You're going to fly here again from New Jersey? Did you and Bruce hit the lottery?"
"No, actually…we separated last month. Right before your birthday. A lot of things just weren't working for either one of us, and the fact that you and him never seemed to get along really got under my skin."
Sam paused and took another sip of her juice. "So you're getting a divorce?"
"It seems that way. I've already started seeing someone else, who I think you'll like very much, and if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to bring him along with me, if that's okay?"
"I guess…that's fine."
"Then I'll call you with details sometime next week?""Uh, sure."
"Tell Alex and Luke I said hello."
"Luka, Mom. Luka."
"Oh, right. I'm sorry! Luka."
Sam hung up the phone minutes later, just as Alex and Mikey stomped into the kitchen.
"Mom, can we go to the pool now?"
"You guys aren't hungry?" she questioned, placing the empty dish and glass in the sink.
"Nope," Mikey added in. "Please Miss Taggart! We'll get breakfast later."
Sam cracked a smile and nodded. "Okay, okay. Go get your bathing suits on and I'll get the lotion."
"Cool! You're the best Miss Taggart!" Mikey shouted, taking off down the hall.
"Hey, can Luka come?" Alex shouted out.
"Shh," Sam scolded. "No, he's sleeping."
"Not anymore," Luka yawned. He wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and leaned over to kiss her good morning. "Going to the pool?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Wanna come?"
"You don't have to," Sam sighed. "I can handle it. I'll probably just grab a magazine or something and hang out with them."
"Mom, you gotta come in," Alex begged. "Please!"
"Yeah Mom, you gotta come in," Luka mimicked, hugging her loosely. "I'll get my bathing suit."
"See? Luka's coming in so you have to!"
Sam groaned. "Hey, if you're all up for seeing a whale in the middle of the pool, then that's fine with me."
"You're not a whale," Luka grinned. "You're just a cuter version of Shamu."
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