"all that I've got" by sam carter oneill wagtail
chapter 3: we regretfully inform you…
The doorbell rang for the third time that day. This ring was the most persistent—like when you order Chinese food and the delivery guy keeps ringing until you open the damned door and shove the money in his face... talk about not starting out on the right foot.
"I'm coming!" Sam said to herself as she lay Jacob down in his crib and ran downstairs to admit today's third candidate for baby-sitter.
"Good afternoon, Mrs….." the young woman looked down at her notes, "Mrs. Kenny. My name is Laura, I've come to be interviewed for the baby-sitting position."
"Yeah, hi. Come on in." Sam led the young woman inside her house.
Laura was a tall young lady… I'd say about 26 years old Sam thought. Laura had clear eyes and a strong back. She had her long red hair tied up in a bun and out of her face. She wore a little makeup, nothing extravagant, and denim overalls with Powerpuff girls on the front. Hmm, maybe persistent doorbell ringing wasn't such a bad trait after all…
As it turned out, Laura was the baby sitter of the century. She had a wonderful reputation, an impressive resume, and a very effective-sounding method. Sam could remember a long time ago when she too had taken up baby-sitting, in high school, to make a few extra bucks, but she wasn't a quarter of the baby-sitter this girl was! She had baby-sat for—
The phone rang.
"Hey Cassie! What's up? When are you and Michael coming to Connecticut to visit your godson and me?"
"Sam, George died last night."
"Oh my God…"
"I know. But he's in a better place now. He was suffering."
"The funeral and wake? Colorado Springs?"
"Yes, at Frank's Funeral Home at 7pm the day after tomorrow. "
"Jesus. I can't believe he's really gone."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. "
"Me too. I'll see you then."
"Bye Sam."
"Bye Cass." Sam pressed the end button and put the phone down, as if in shock. She walked into the den, and sat at the computer, lost in thought. First order of business—tickets to Colorado Springs.
Within a few minutes there was the distinct sound of keys at the door.
"Hey honey, how was your day?"
"Hi Pat," she said from the den, "how was work?"
"Not too bad. Two of my classes were canceled, so all in all pretty easy."
"Guess what," Sam said as she entered the living room, where her husband was standing, "I found the perfect sitter… and we're going to Colorado tomorrow!"
"Oh that's fantast— What? Why?"
"Her name is Laura and she has the most impressive resume ever! She baby-say for Norah Jones!"
"No, I mean… Norah Jones? Really?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Wow… wait, so why are we going to Colorado tomorrow…. Tomorrow!"
"My former CO, from when the SGC was secret, George Hammond—do you remember him? He came to our wedding. "
"Yes… No… what happened?"
"The one with cancer I went to visit in the hospital in November…?"
"Oooh, right! Him! Sent us that wonderful box of Cubans when Jake was born. "
"Yes…Pat, he died last night."
"Oh, Gosh. That's terrible... So we're going to the funeral?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Okay. I can live with that…"
Sam winced at her husband's poor choice of words.
"Sorry," he said.
"It'll be a nice opportunity to catch up on everyone, though… I haven't seen a lot of them since I moved up here. "
He nodded passively. "So… how long do we stay?"
"Only four days. The funeral is the day after tomorrow and the next day is the burial. I figured we might as well stay a while and see how everyone's doing while we're there. "
He raised his eyebrows, taking a step closer to his wife.
"Okay, so I can stay a while… and show off my beautiful new baby, " she wrapped her arms around him, "…And Jake too…" she smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Suddenly, Jacob emitted a loud cry from upstairs—dinner time!
"Duty calls," Sam said, planting another kiss on her husband's cheek before heading upstairs to take care of her child. "Better start packing!" she called as she ascended the stairs.
A/N: What a short chapter! Booger. Can you tell I'm obsessed with Norah Jones? She doesn't really have any children, but it was either her or Britney Spears and she might actually be pregnant…Well, hope everyone's still liking. I'm thrilled with your reviews! Keep 'em coming… XOXO