Now What?

Disclaimer: Sam, Luka, the events happening on ER are in no way property of me.

Author's Note: I know, I know. I've been on hiatus for too long, but this was the perfect opportunity to get back to writing. Hopefully I'll update soon. J

Chapter One

Samantha Taggart stood impatiently in front of Luka's bathroom counter. She was dressed in a light blue bathrobe, and her wet hair was hanging loose down her back. She glanced down at the small stick on the counter again, trying to see if it showed a result yet.

She frowned and let out a small groan as she still failed to see a change. No line was forming. According to the instructions on the box, there should be a purple line. She picked the pregnancy test up carefully and studied it closely. There was still no line.

"Do I really want there to be one?" Sam muttered to herself as she dropped the stick into the trashcan. She quickly tossed a few tissues on top of it to try and hide the evidence that she had taken a pregnancy test. "I hated being pregnant with Alex, and while I love him, labor's a bitch," she tried to reason. She glanced into the trashcan again. ­On the other hand, ­she thought. ­No, no other hand, she quickly scolded herself. This kind of thing is not what you or Luka need right now. Raising Alex is enough.

Sam shook her head slightly as she opened the door a crack. The cool air from outside felt good against her warm skin. While she tried to put all emotions behind her, she realized such a thing was impossible. She was late by almost three weeks now.

"The test is wrong," she whispered softly as she took a small step out of the bathroom. She quickly looked in the room she was entering, hoping that Alex was not in there. Luckily for her, he was nowhere to be seen. That still did not mean he did not hear her. True, the sounds of his ongoing video game would most likely have covered her voice, but Sam could not be sure. "Alex?" she called at a normal tone of voice.

"What?" came the bored, uninterested response from the other room.

"Nothing," Sam quickly responded. "Are you hungry?" she asked as she approached the couch where Alex was lying down playing video games. She stood there for a moment before deciding to sit down at the other end of the couch.

Alex shrugged as he moved his feet for his mother. "Maybe a little," he responded while keeping his focus on the television screen in front of him. "I thought Luka was bringing food."

Sam groaned slightly again at this. While she would normally appreciate Luka getting and cooking them some food, this would not work for her. She was hungry now, and she did not know how long it would take Luka to get out of County, get some food, and prepare it. Of course, if he only stopped at a McDonalds, there would be no need for preparing food, but still. Sam was hungry, and she did not feel she could wait for Luka.

"Isn't he?" Alex asked a moment later.

"Hmm?" Sam asked as she drifted away from her thoughts. She glanced over at Alex. "What was that?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at his mother as he put the game on pause. "Are you ok?" he asked as he looked at Sam. "I asked if Luka was still bringing food."

"Oh," Sam said distantly. "Yes, he is."

"And he's not going to be tied up?" Alex asked curiously.

"Not to my knowledge," Sam replied as she stood up slowly.

"Then I can wait," Alex said as he resumed his game.

"Maybe you can, but I can't," Sam muttered as she began making her way to the kitchen.

"What?" Alex asked without taking his attention off the game.

"Nothing," Sam responded as she walked over to Luka's fridge. I definitely have to be pregnant. I never get this hungry after a shift. It was only forty minutes since I ate that bag of chips from the grocery store.­­ She opened the fridge slowly, scanning her choices. There was not much left in there, but there would be enough to last her an hour or so until Luka would return home.

"Carrots, lettuce, cheese," Sam muttered to herself as she picked up each item. She shrugged, tossing the lettuce and cheese towards the back of the fridge. She grabbed the bag of baby carrots as well as a small container of Ranch dip. Normally she despised the thing, but for some reason she wanted it this time.

"Yea, the test was definitely wrong," Sam told herself as she sat down at the kitchen table. She opened the container of dip and the bag of carrots. With her head propped up in her left hand, she began using her right hand to get some dip on the carrots and then eat them.

What am I going to do? she thought to herself. What am I supposed to tell Luka? Is this even something he wants now. I know he mentioned something about it earlier, but that was a long time ago. I might have turned him off the idea with my rantings about how much of a pain pregnancy and labor are. Plus, do I really have the time to deal with another little child? I still have to work.

Oh god, Sam thought as that whole mess began filling her mind. She shuddered slightly. Work. The word sounded so negative. How am I going to tell Susan? She should be ok with this, right? This happened to her not too long ago. She has a baby. On the other hand, she also has Chuck to stay there at home all day with Cosmo. I can't stay home with this child. Alex is too young to watch it.

She groaned again. Alex. What am I supposed to tell my son? "Ugh, this is too complicated," she said out loud as she held her head in her hands. She groaned again as she felt her headache coming back to her all over again. Am I even allowed to take over the counter medicine without hurting this damn child? No, I shouldn't refer to it as that. It may be annoying and coming at the worst possible time, but it's still mine. Provided it's even there, that is. It has to be there. I've already got the signs. Hungry, craving weird foods, mood swings. My period's three weeks late now. I have to be pregnant.

Sam frowned, knowing she would not be able to rest until she knew for sure whether or not she actually was pregnant. There's another stick in that box, right? She thought about it for a moment as she stood up slowly. She quickly closed the container of dressing and bag of carrots. She tossed them into the fridge and proceeded to the bathroom. She quickly closed and locked the door behind her just to be sure Alex would not try to enter or wonder why she was in the bathroom so soon. True, he might not have even realized that she went in, but Sam could not be sure. The only thing she could be sure of was whether or not this was for real.

She quickly retrieved the small box with pregnancy tests from under the pile of her dirty clothes. Ok, there's one more in here. She sighed slightly as she positioned herself to take it.

Luka Kovac smiled as he unlocked the door to the apartment he and Sam now shared. In his left hand, he held a large bag of take-out Chinese food. It was not as good as the expensive restaurants, but it was Chinese nonetheless. "Hey, I'm home," he called into the apartment. He knew someone was in the house as he could hear noises from the television.

Just then the noises stopped and he heard someone turn the television off. "Alex, that you, buddy?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen and placed the food down on the counter.

"Yea," Alex said as he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Whatcha bring?" he asked.

"Chinese," Luka answered as he reached for some plates. He glanced back at Alex and the lack of Sam. "Did your mom come home?" he asked.

"Yea," Alex answered as he grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge and opened it. "I think she's sleeping," he added as he sat down at the table.

"Understandable," Luka noted as he began emptying some rice with chicken sauce onto Alex's plate. "She had a long day." He walked over to the young boy, placing the plate in front of him. "Did she say anything before she went to sleep? Eat anything? Should I wake her and tell her I have food, or just let her sleep?"

Alex shrugged. "I dunno. She came home, took a shower, then came out here for a little, then went back. She asked me if I was hungry, but I said I could wait."

Luka smiled slightly at the boy. "I'll go check on her," he told Alex as he patted the boy's head. With that, he left the kitchen and started heading for the bedroom he and Sam shared. The door was left open a crack, so Luka figured it was safe to enter. He carefully opened the door a little further. "Sam?" he whispered before opening the door all the way. He then frowned, noting that the bed was just as he had left it that morning. Perfectly made and without any trace that Sam had been in the room. "Uh, Alex, you sure she's sleeping?" he called.

"Pretty sure, but I wasn't paying that much attention," the young voice responded from the kitchen.

"She didn't leave or anything, did she?" Luka called back.

"No," Alex answered truthfully.

Luka groaned slightly. "Sam?" he called as he walked around. He peeked his head into Alex's room and the guest room. Neither of them contained his girlfriend. He finally walked towards the bathroom. "Sam?" he called through the closed door as he knocked twice.

No answer.

He knocked a little harder and called her name again. "Come on, I know you're in there. Open up," he added.

No answer.

"Sam, you're freaking me out," he called. "If you don't open this door right now…" he started.

Still no answer.

"I'm opening the door," Luka warned as he tried to turn the metal knob. He frowned, finding it locked. He knocked even harder. "Come on, Samantha," he begged. "You're really starting to worry me."

No answer.

Luka's feelings were beyond worry at this point. She could be unconscious in there, he thought to himself. Not knowing how long she might have been like that, Luka quickly rushed to find the thin but long screwdriver that would unlock the door. Upon finding it, he rushed towards the bathroom.

"Last chance, Sam," he called. "I'm opening the door."

No answer.

Keeping to his word, Luka stuck the screwdriver into the lock. He turned it slowly until he heard it click. He quickly pulled the screwdriver out and tossed it aside. He then threw the door open.

"My God," he exclaimed as he saw Sam sitting there in her bathrobe on the closed toilet. Her head was down, but she clearly was awake. Her hands were clasped together between her legs. "Sam, I called for you. Why didn't you respond? You really had me worried."

"Sorry," Sam responded in a soft, barely audible whisper. She still would not look Luka in the eye.

"What is it?" Luka asked, immediately getting the sense that something was not right. "Headache getting worse?" he asked sympathetically as he knelt down in front of her.

"No," Sam said in the same, soft voice. "I mean, yes, but that's not it."

"Then what is it?" Luka asked as he put an arm on Sam's left shoulder. He moved bits of her hair away from her face to try and look her in the eye. At Sam's silence, Luka continued, "Look, sweetie, whatever it is, we can deal with it."

"I know," Sam said softly. "I just don't know if I can."

"What?" Luka asked. His concern was growing with each lingering second. He had a strange feeling that whatever Sam was about to tell him, he would not like. "Sweetie, what is it?" Luka asked as he picked up Sam's ashamed head.

Sam glanced into Luka's concerned eyes. She did not know how to tell him. She finally looked back down and opened her hands. Clutched inside was the pregnancy test she had taken only about an hour ago. The only difference between this one and the other one was that this one was positive. "This," Sam finally said as she held it up for Luka to see.