Stay With You

Chapter 13

" Can some one get that?" Tim yelled through the house. He was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner as the phone rang . No one picked up and he tossed the towel to the side, reaching for the head set sighing heavily, " Never mind I have it!"

In the two days that Sam had come home, it had been a mad house in the Speedle home. If it wasn't his parents calling, it was the florist or the caterer. He had to practically peel the phone out of Sam's hand as she sat in the living room , with her books and planners out. Before the end of Wednesday, he was ready to snatch her up and elope.

" Hello?" Tim said into the phone as the timer went off on his lasagna .

" Son ? What's going on in there?" his father asked with some humor in his voice.

" I'm right in the middle of cooking dinner, and apparently, I'm alone," Tim replied as he turned the timer off. Just as he did so, Sascha walked into the kitchen with her mp3 player, bobbing her head to the music. He pulled the phone away from him as he turned the heat down on the vegetables that he was steaming and reached out to Sascha, prompting her to take the earplugs out of her ears and glare at him. He shrugged his shoulders and motioned to the stove, she glanced at the stove and then turned her attention back to the cabinet.

" We're at the airport, just landed. It was an interesting flight..."

" Sascha, a little help... Wait, dad did you say that you were at the airport?" Tim asked as he looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. He had completely forgotten what day it was.

" Yeah, and we've been here for all of five minutes and Sofia is already bugging Kieran about his lack of enthusiasm."

" Oh God, I forgot. Dad, it's been a hectic day. I'll come and pick you up."

" Tim, don't worry about it, you're cooking,we'll catch a cab..."

" Dad, I can send Sam..." he started as he saw Sascha shaking her head.

"Sam's not here," she stated plainly.

"She's not? Where did she go?"

" I don't know. But I could go get him."

Tim gave her a sarcastic smirk and said, " Sash, a permit doesn't equal a license."

" Well , you can't go get them, you're cooking."

" Can't you watch the food until I get back?"

" No thanks, I remember the last time I wanted to help in the kitchen," Sascha said as she turned to walk out .

" Son, we can hail a cab, it'll be much easier," his father returned after hearing the conversation between him and his granddaughter.

" Dad..." Tim said as he heard the door open. He smiled when he saw Sam walk in with bags in her hands. " I'm sending Sam. She just walked in the door."

" Wow, look at all this action," Sam quipped as she pecked Tim on the cheek placing the bags on the counter top.

" My parents just landed, could you go and pick them up?" Tim asked with a relieved sigh.

" Sure, hi, Mr. Speedle," Sam called. " Sash, you wanna tag along?"

" Yeah! Hey, can I drive?"

" I don't see why not," Sam replied as she saw the look that Tim shot Sascha.

"Awesome!" Sascha returned as she kissed Sam on her cheek and walked to the bedroom. Sam went into the other room and Tim shook his head and turned his attention back to his father.

" Dad, they are on their way, okay."

"Alright, Tim. I'll see if I can't get your mother to stop fussing over Kieran long enough to go the baggage claim and pick up Sebastian."

" Dad, please tell me she didn't bring that dog," Tim said as he closed his eyes. Sebastian was his mother's poodle. Tim could remember when he went home right after she got him, and the altercation between him and the canine. He could swear that dog did not like him, but that was fine with Tim, because he couldn't stand it either. " Couldn't she had left him? She wasn't going to be here long."

"Son, you know as well as I do, that she never leaves Sebastian, anywhere,"he replied with a sigh. " I gotta go, your mother is getting intoit with the security. See you when we get there."

"Alright , dad." Tim said as he hung up the phone. He turned to see Sam standing there with something in her hand. She grinned from ear to ear when she held it up to show him. It was a bib.

" Sam, that's a little early isn't it?"

" You didn't read the front of it, did you?" Sam stated as she pointed .

Tim took the bib and read it aloud, " CSI In Training. Oh that's rich , Sam."

" Hey, it could be, right? I mean she is getting half of you and half of me right?"

" I wouldn't want my child to do what I do, and besides, how can you be sure that it's a girl?"

" Believe me, it's a girl, Tim. And what's so wrong with what you do? You help solve crimes, help those left behind with finding justice and peace of mind. I see it as an honorable profession."

" There's just too much pain that comes along with it, Sam. It takes a lot for me to be able to leave that stuff at the door when I leave. I don't want that for her- I mean him."

" I think she will see what her daddy does and race you to the car every morning," Sam said draping the bib across Tim's shoulder. He lifted an eyebrow and she gave him a smile, " Relax Tim it's a bib, not a crystal ball. I just thought it would be cute."

" What would be cute?" Sascha returned as she stopped in the doorway. Sam took the bib off of Tim's shoulder and showed it to Sascha.

"Aww, isn't that just precious? CSI in Training. She's going to follow daddy to work."

" This she stuff is making me nervous. There's a fifty- fifty chance that she could be a he," Tim said , almost defeated.

" Tim, a woman knows. We are having a girl," Sam replied as she touched her stomach lightly. She could only imagine what that would feel like in three months.

" Based on what?"

" Woman's intuition, are you ready, Sash?" Sam said quickly.

" Been ready. You two can pick up this conversation later," Sascha returned as she grabbed the keys . " Meet you outside."

When Sascha left, Tim smiled to himself and turned back to the stove, " She's always going to win with you."

" Look who's talking, she's had you wrapped since the day she was born," Sam said as she grasped Tim from behind, wrapping her arms around his lean frame. She exhaled heavily and buried her head into his back. He turned his head ever so slightly, feeling her grip tighten on his waist.

" You okay?"

" Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just ready to get married."

" We can still elope..."

" Get that word out of your vocabulary, Timothy Speedle," Sam returned gently as he turned and faced her, his eyes effecting the love that he felt. He bent to kiss her as the horn blared from outside. Sam broke apart and let a small smile trace her lips, " I'm being summoned. Be right back."

" Okay. Be careful."

" I will. Love you."

" Love you," Tim replied before he heard the door close. He turned his attention back to his meal as he heard the SUV rumble out of the driveway. He could definitely tell that his daughter was behind the wheel.

Before he could open the oven, the phone rang again, and he picked it up on the first ring, " Hello?"

" Know of any good pizza parlors here?" a familiar voice asked. Instantly, Tim knew who it was.

" Depends on if you want Brooklyn style or Manhattan," Tim returned as he smiled.

" I'm partial to Brooklyn style myself, but nobody does it better than the original."

" Then I guess you need to go back up to New York, then Danny," Tim replied sarcastically.

" How'd you guess?"

"Are you kiddin' me? That accent gives you away every time. Where are you?"

" Pulling up to your house, which is beautiful , by the way, isn't it Stella?" Danny said.

" You brought Stella? How did Mac wrangle that?" Tim asked as he walked to the kitchen window to see them getting out of the cab. He saw Danny wave, then went to open the door, hanging up.

" Was that Sascha speeding down the road?" Danny asked when Tim got to him. Tim pulled him into a brotherly hug and pulled back.

" Yeah, she got her permit right after she started walking again."

" She's walking again?" Stella asked as she hugged Tim tightly.

" Yes , she is. She was determined to do so before Sam and I got married."

" And she did it. Remind you of anyone, Stella?" Danny asked as he grabbed the bag from her hand.

" That Speedle determination... Helped us out a lot in New York."

Tim chuckled then heard the smoke alarm go off in the house. He sprinted into the house to see his sauce burning. Danny and Stella walked in behind him, laughing as he took a towel and fanned the smoke alarm. When it quieted down, Tim took the pot and tossed it in the trash. It was no good.

" So, what are we having for dinner?" Danny asked noticing the scowl on his face.

" Oh, don't worry, I can salvage this," Tim said as he pulled out another pot.

" You got the number of that pizza parlor?" Stella asked.

" Haha, funny. Just put your bags in the closet and sit and watch. Prepared to be amazed."

" Amazed, huh? I'll be amazed if you didn't burn down the house," Danny quipped sarcastically.

" You're in for a treat," Tim returned as he began the process over again. While he cooked, he got updated on what was going on in New York, enjoying his company.

Tbc...