A Positive Outlook
Sam Evans was an ordinary middle of the road 14 year old, he'd just got into the first team and was starting to not shy away from the attention he was getting because of the jacket, his body and the game. His coach picked him out saying he'd thought he had a future in the game and really that's what Sam needed to hear, football was already in his life. His Dad was a coach for little league and although he hadn't pushed him into anything, he'd made sure he was around the game his entire life, he had a real passion for it, his other favourite pastime was bike hiking, he loved getting up a difficult track and just sitting there taking in the world. When he needed to think he loved sitting in the middle of the local stadium and just imagining the mood as he'd get that vital last minute win for the Titans, hearing the crowd chant his name.
He'd just come out the shower after a rough workout and was running to get to his next lesson when he bumped into someone in the corridor "Sorry" he looked up at her for a second saying before he looked down at the floor to see her books scattered "I'll help" he bent down to grab some of the books as she did the same and their heads banged together
"Sorry" she said her face scrunched up for the pain as she held her head
"We were obviously meant to..."
"Sorry" she grabbed her books off him and walked away "I'm going to be late" she walked faster, he stood watching her for a second humming a tune she'd ignited until he realised he was going to be late too, jogging down the corridor praying he didn't get caught and end up in detention
That evening he got home and the house was buzzing for his birthday tomorrow "I don't want a cake and all the relatives round to do stuff I just want to play my box and grow old gracefully" he announced to his clucking parents as he walked in the kitchen seeing them hiding something
"Uncle Ron and Aunt Jayne was looking forward to seeing you" his Dad frowned
"Tough for them" he grabbed a drink out the fridge and left the kitchen, his parents smiling at each other for his surprise they had in store
Outside of football and school Sam was a bit of a loaner, he'd got fed up at an early age of making friends with his Dad moving all over the place for work and now he'd lost the skill or didn't care for the hurt he felt every time he uprooted, so he'd left friends alone. After their usual evening meal he went to his bedroom, not to be seen until the following morning for school
"Happy birthday" they shouted as he walked into the kitchen, more excited than him about the day
"What is wrong with you two, no fuss remember?" he asked looking at them trying to see if they took any of what he'd said the night before in
"We have one child and he's 15 today let us have our fun" his Mom walked up to him kissing his cheek
"We need to stop the kissing thing too Mom" he told her smiling as he walked towards the fridge to grab his usual bottle of water "Why would you put a card in the fridge?" he turned to ask them taking it out
"Because it's the only thing you use in the house except your bedroom, we wanted you to see it" his Dad replied
"Thanks" he told them flicking it through his fingers before dropping it in his bag "See you guys later, have a good day" he grabbed his bag and left the house
He was minding his own business walking down the corridor, thinking about his next game, he'd messed up a few times and he was worried Coach was going to bench him this time he needed to up his game "Get a grip" he told himself as his earphones banged out his favourite tracks "Sorry" he skipped out the way of oncoming people spinning round to smile at the person he'd just missed only to bump into another one throwing all their books on the floor "Sorry" he went down saying grabbing the books in a pile to hand them back "My heads somewhere else to..." he stood up looking into the eyes of the girl he'd done the same thing to yesterday
"So is your body" she smiled
"Sorry" he looked down at the books in his hand, spotting her name "Mercedes Jones" he looked at her smiling
"Apology accepted but that's the very last time, if it happens again I'll get a complex" she smiled grabbing her books and walking off
"Mercedes Jones" her friend Natalie sassed at her "I do believe you were flirting with boy Evans" her eyes watching Sam as they walked away "And he is checking you out" she laughed
"Stop it I'm 14 for crying out loud my parents would kill me" Mercy told her walking faster "Anyway he's a ball player, I got no business with his kind"
"I'm fed up of this, stop staring at him" Natalie nudged Mercedes a few days later "Just go speak to him if that's what you want" she encouraged her as they sat watching the guys practicing with their sketch books in front of their faces trying to look inconspicuous. Mercedes had drawn so many pictures of him doing all sorts of things over the past month or so she could draw his features without even looking at him
"Do you think?" she asked as she watched him doing his stretches, packing her book away
"Yeah he might surprise you"
"What do you mean surprise, like humiliation surprise or shame me?"
"Like invite you to the homecoming dance or something" she rolled her eyes at Mercedes' ridiculous take on things
"Hi" they heard as they sat conversing "I thought it was you" Sam smiled up at her "Good to see your interested in the game"
"My brother plays with the Socks" Mercedes offered smiling proudly
"I want to play with the Titans one day"
"So we'll be enemies then?"
"I hope not" he smiled "I want to ask you something" glancing at Natalie, telling Mercedes, his action telling Natalie he wanted some privacy
"Don't mind me" Natalie told him making no movement
"I..."
"Natalie I'll catch you up" Mercedes rolled her eyes telling her friend, smiling as she got up cutting her eye at her "What was it Sam?"
"You know my name?" he asked shocked
"Yes I do, what did you want?"
"I wanted to ask if you'll be my date for the homecoming?"
"Oh" she sat up shocked "Yeah sure" her eyes showing her shock and surprise before they smiled
"Great I'll get back to you with the details" he smiled throwing his fists in the air as he walked, looking back at her with the brightest smile on his face, telling her things that made her blush
"Mom" Mercedes burst through the door shouting so excited for what she had to tell "Mom" she grinned when she got to the kitchen "I got a date for the Homecoming dance, he just came up to me and asked and honestly he's the cutest guy in school" she got out without a breath "He was actually nervous to ask me, can you believe that?" she gasped holding her chest as she spoke
"Of course I can, you're beautiful" her Mom hugged her "Have you sourced your dress yet?"
"Not yet I didn't think..." she wondered off smiling
Sam got home to his usual jolly parents, perched on their chairs waiting for him "So?" his Dad asked his eyes wide with excitement
"So what?" he asked not willing to give them any information about the girl he'd asked to the dance
"Did you open your card?" his Mom asked
"Not yet" he took his bag off his back, dragged the zip open and took the card out, rolling his eyes at the fuss they were making about a card "Thanks" he pulled it our almost ripping it with the force
"Read it" his Mom ordered frustrated, he stood reading the card
"What!" he gasped "Is this real?" he looked up at them asking "Is it a joke?" he looked at his Dad asking
"In the garage son" he smiled at him, Sam sped off to go look if it was true
"Wow" he grabbed his mouth stopping a swear as he stood looking at his dream hiking bike, a Cannondale Tail 2 sitting in the garage "I don't believe this" he grabbed hold of it "Thank you" he hugged them repeating
"I guess your weekends planned" his Dad said as he let him go
"Planned" he smiled "This is the best birthday" he kissed his Mom saying "I take it back, you guys can kiss me anytime you want" he ate some of the cake, opened a new game and eventually went back in front of his TV to play games. Tonight was different though he'd made his own dreams come true, he'd plucked the courage up to ask Mercedes Jones to the dance, and that was special because he actually liked her, he'd got the best presents in the world to him right now, this year was going to be the absolute best "I love 15" he sat on his bed smiling to himself
The next morning he met Mercedes in the corridor "Hi" he said feeling even more awkward than he had the previous day
"Hi" she gripped her books smiling at him "Just in case" she teased, a giggle coming out
"I plan on learning to be real careful around you, I don't want to break your toes" he laughed breaking the ice "I guess I meant to ask for your number yesterday but I was so ... lets say distracted" he laughed "It was my birthday"
"Happy birthday for yesterday"
"Thanks" he stood looking at her "So your number, can I have it?" he took his phone out asking
"Yeah sure" she took her phone out and gave it to him"
"I need to get to class" he pointed in the direction of his next class, she started walking, he looked up from his phone and followed her, handing her phone back when he finished, they walked in silence side glancing at each other, trying hard not to get caught looking "I'm glad you agreed to go to the dance with me" he stopped to say when he'd got to his class
"I'm glad you asked" she smiled "Bye"
"Bye" he turned slowly and walked away, she had no shame just then, she stood watching him
The night of the dance and he was such a gentleman, he arrived looking smart casual with a fresh hair cut, opening doors, taking all the kill you jokes her Dad could throw at him in the 5 minutes he was in the house. He'd stopped talking, thinking, even breathing when he heard her at the top of the stairs "Dad you're not teasing him are you?" she giggled everything was perfect, the day, the night, the girl, the limo, everything it had to be because she was. He gave her the most beautifully stunning white rose with an orange bow around it, like her dress, and they slow danced for most of the night, the height in the their night came when they got real close dancing to 'Hearts Don't Break Around Here' by Ed Sheeran seeing no one else but each other after that, till the end of the night when he walked her home
"Thank you for a brilliant night Sam" she looked up at him
"Thank you for letting me take you" his eyes smiling as he spoke "I always curse my parents out for this but somehow it feels right for us"
"What?" she looked up at him asking, watching his eyes focused on her mouth "You want to kiss me?"
"I seriously want to ..." he got out before he felt her lips on his, it felt nothing like his Mothers kisses, actually nothing like any other kiss he'd ever had and before he could think anything else she'd let go of his lips and was standing smiling
"Goodnight Sam" she smiled up at him
He didn't know where this particular move came from, this wasn't something he was used to doing but he pulled her face back to him and took her lips again this time taking time to think past any similarities, this was new and something he needed to feel again "Wow" he opened his eyes smiling "Can I see you again?"
"I guess" she smiled "You'd need to meet my parents properly first, we're Christians"
"So are we" he laughed "And you'd maybe need to meet mine too, I'll call you to set that up, goodnight" he smiled pecking her lips once more for memory
"Goodnight" she smiled staring at him before she walked off backwards to her front door, he saw the curtains twitch, turned and walked away smiling to himself
"How was the dance?" Mercedes' Mom asked as she got through the door
"Good, really good" she smiled making her way to her bedroom, she needed to savour that moment, downloading Ed Sheeran's song to help keep the memory
"Did you get a dance?" Sam's Dad asked as he walked in pleased with himself
"Lots and a kiss" he bragged not stopping, he needed to get some memories embedded in his head, he went straight to his room 'She is the sweetest thing that I know, you should see the way she holds me when the lights go low' he sang as he lay thinking about his night, with the song on repeat
They spent a lot of time together after that, meeting the parents was pretty tame they were only kids after all, 'everyone has a crush' his Mom had laughed and they went along thinking it wasn't real it was just a natural crush. They spent all breaks at school together and most evenings they were either in Mercy's garden or Sam's garage listening to anything that took their fancy. Somewhere in those first three weeks they developed feelings for each other, they were sitting in the middle of the stadium for the first time together when the sparks flew for them
"Do you bring all the girls here?" she asked playfully as they lay picking strands of grass and stroked each others faces
"No, you're the first" he smiled "And the only" his face went red at saying that "I think this should be our song" he pressed play on his phone looking sideways at her
"Oh Ed Sheeran, we danced to this" her face innocent like she hadn't had it on repeat since their date
"Yeah" his eyes rested in hers and said something in that silence she shouldn't be listening to
"So" she looked up breaking the silence "Have you made your mind up yet Baller or Hiker?"
"I'm torn" he laughed "But I will make my mind up"
"Make it, I hate an indecisive man" her eyes squinted as she laughed
"I like you a lot, it's scary" he looked at her saying "And you?" he asked waiting for her to look back at him
"Sing I definitely want to sing" she nodded her head telling him, a smile on her face as she looked at the sky "And I... I like you a lot too" their eyes met as she told him, he reached for her jaw and pulled her to him, this time their kiss was deep, with feeling as they lay comfortably on the grass, their hands finding safe places while their feelings grew
"I think I love you" he looked at her, his face telling her he meant every word
"Sam" she smiled
"I can wait until you do" she grabbed his hand and they lay looking up at the sky until it was time to make their way home
His Dad was a bit of a mechanic in his spare time, they'd started working together on rebuilding an old Chevy a while back, this Saturday afternoon Mercedes was off with her family visiting her brother and his family, he'd taken his bike up to his favourite spot in the Gabilan Mountains, and come back to find his Dad hard at work so he joined him, they hadn't spent time together for a while "When do you think this will be ready?" he asked his Dad as they worked
"Why?" his Dad looked at him asking
"I want to get my licence for my 16th birthday so I can take Mercedes up that mountain" he smiled "I thought that would be a cool thing to do"
"I understand you wanting to impress your girl Sam, I've been there believe me, but I think you guys are spending way too much time together already"
"Why?"
"I just think for a first girlfriend you might be taking this way too serious"
"Isn't that what its all about, getting your heart broken and getting some resilience?"
"I guess" his Dad laughed "At least she's learning you some big words"
"I'm meeting her brother and his family next week, I'm on hot bricks, he's a Socks player, Quarterback"
At school that week Mercedes proudly watched the school game as Sam's team took the game, then Sam sat through her play bursting with pride as she sung the lead on 'This Is Me' by Keala Settle and the cast of The Greatest Showman he was up clapping before the song ended.
Saturday came quickly, suddenly he was knocking her parents door more scared for meeting Tony; her brother, than he was for meeting her parents weeks ago "Chill" Mercedes opened the door telling him, stopping to kiss him "It's only Tony"
Sam was surprised at how easy he was to get on with, he didn't judge or look down on him, in fact Tony gave him some tips on how to move up the pecking order, he wasn't too familiar with the food and moved it around the plate for a while before Mercedes face told him he was being rude and he made the effort to try some, he actually walked away liking it. He joined in the small talk being thrown around the the room after dinner, he seemed to just fit himself right into her family, she smiled as he lay across her lap talking to her brother as if they'd known each other for years. Eventually the evening was finished and Mercedes walked him out, they shared a kiss or two before he took the five minute ride home
"Hi" Natalie walked up to Mercedes one afternoon the following week while Sam was off getting a shower after football practice "How's things with Sam?" she sat next to her asking
"Fine" she smiled "Actually better than fine"
"I guessed so, I never see you any more, we used to hang out every day and stuff, you finally actually meet this guy and diss" she mimicked a puff of smoke as she spoke
"I'm sorry" Mercedes frowned "We're not actually dating yet, but I think we might"
"Do you love him?"
"Yeah I do" she smiled "A lot"
"Then I forgive you" she smiled hugging her "Be happy and safe" she got up and walked away seeing Sam coming close "Hi" she smiled as she walked past him
"Hi" he smiled as his eyes focused on Mercedes "What did Natalie want?" he ran up the stairs asking, kissing her as he sat down beside her
"Oh she wanted to know if we loved each other yet"
"Do we?" he put his bag down to look at her
"We do" she smiled
"Right answer" he leaned in and kissed her again 'That every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear, oh we're in love aren't we?, hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs baby, he smiled singing "Our Song" he looked at her cutely "Dad tells me this is a crush but ... I think it's more" he looked out at the field, raking his hand through his hair "We've been crushing for nearly six weeks now can we be official, now there's talk about love?"
"Official as in?" she teased
"I want you to be my girlfriend"
"Okay" she smiled leaning in the kiss him "I have a boyfriend" she cheered watching him laugh "Oh, my parents are painting Granddad's house and we're all going down to help this weekend so I guess you get some time with your bike"
"I could come help" he grabbed her hand saying "Let's go get some lunch" he grabbed his bag as they jumped up both pleased with the new status they'd just agreed
A week later it was Mercedes birthday and they were still painting the house Mercedes Grandpa had come to stay at their house because the paint was affecting his chest. On the way from Church Sam asked if he could go to Grandpa's house to carry one while her parents took her Grandpa to the cemetery for Mothering Sunday "I guess I'd prefer to be there with you guys" her Dad told him as they all piled into the car for the journey home.
Sam and Mercedes looked at each other smiling, their intentions implicit, she wasn't going to the cemetery, they had an opportunity to be alone, they were expecting to get time at her Grandpa's house but hers would do fine, they'd skirted around their feelings for a while now and things were getting difficult for them. They'd felt what it was like to touch each other, they'd gone as far as they could in wide open spaces and quiet corners while they waited for a parent to pop out at them, they needed more. After lunch Mercedes waved her family off, her stomach churning for what they had planned, Sam finally knocked her door and grabbed her to him, kissing her as he stepped inside the house
"I can't wait, I've been thinking about this since last night" he dived back at her lips pushing her backwards heading for the living room
"Not in the living room" she tugged at his chest telling him
"Your bedroom?" he suggested his eyes lost in his thoughts, as he lifted his top off and opened his trouser button and unzipped it, she smiled, picked his top up walking up the stairs holding his hand "Are you sure you want this?"
"I told you yesterday, nothing's changed" she pulled his mouth to hers, walking backwards attached to his lips as she reached for her bedroom door and pushed it open. They undressed and stood staring at each other before Mercedes lay down and allowed him to get on top of her to do what they knew they were both there for "You're not going to... inside me right, you promised?"
"I promise, I tried to find condoms but I guess my parents don't use them" he told her eagerly finding where he needed to put himself. Amidst the pain, crying and laughter it wasn't long before they felt comfortable and their heightened pleasure and deep breathing told them they had reached the point of gratification "Happy Birthday" he gasped as they lay there resting for a while. After that first time, time lost itself for them as they made use of the time they had alone together, unsure when the next opportunity was going to rear it's head.
Two hours later and Mercedes knew her family were on their way back, she woke Sam up, they grabbed some snacks and sat in the lounge watching TV snuggled up as Sam sung over and over again in her ear 'I feel safe when you're holding me near, love the way that you conquer your fear, you know hearts don't break around here, oh yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah'
"My Fears? you were just as scared as me to begin with" she nudged him laughing as he tickled her into submission "Sam" she wiggled about screaming "Hi" she jumped off his lap when her parents and Grandpa suddenly came into the room
"You guys having a movie fest?" her Dad asked looking at the scattered DVD's and snacks on the coffee table, they cleaned up and he took his time saying goodnight he really didn't want to go, but try as they might they couldn't think of a reason for him to stay
'Every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear' he sang in her ear moving her hair as he kissed her neck
'Oh we're in love aren't we?' she quietly sang back at him
'Hands in your hair' he looked at her face, not wanting to leave her ever again
'Fingers and thumbs baby' they both sang as their fingers linked and stayed that way until they'd moved too far away from each other to keep hold
Month 1 - Am I?
'Sam, we need to talk' Mercedes sent him a message while he was in class a week later
'What's up?' he replied
'We need to talk'
'Now?'
'Now' she wrote, he jumped up and asked to be excused for the bathroom
'Where are you?' he wrote as he walked
'The field' she wrote back, he read the message and made hast to get to her
Sam got there to find her sitting where they always sat "What's up?" he walked towards her asking, concern on his face when he saw she'd been crying "Merc what's up?" he hugged her asking
"I'm a day late for my period" she finally calmed down to tell him
"It's just a day"
"I can't believe we didn't use protection" she gasped covering her face
"We were careful, super careful"
"I don't know what I'm going to d..."
"Look, it'll be fine just give it a few days, maybe its because you're not a virgin anymore" he assure her
"Maybe" she finally looked up at him accepting that explanation "Maybe I should talk to Mom?"
"No, No don't do that, it won't be anything, it will be fine you'll see" he smiled, hiding the fact that he was secretly worried, he walked her back to class 'Every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear' he sang in her ear moving her hair as he kissed her neck, happy she was smiling again
'Oh we're in love aren't we?' she quietly sang back at him before they left eachother
'What the hell' he stood looking into the bathroom mirror thinking, totally freaking out, his mind unable to take in what Mercedes was suggesting, a bead of sweat dripped down his brow, he wiped it and stood looking at himself, shivering when his whole body seemed to want to collapse inside itself "I got to get out of here" he told himself before he stepped off, said hello to the air in the playground and just stood there. He was surprised when everyone started coming out of class that he'd actually stood there for nearly half and hour
Mercedes was sitting in class, her body was there but she hadn't taken in a thing, she was stressing, she'd done something she'd almost promised her parents she'd never do. She didn't know where the smile came from as she thought about the trouble she was in, but she couldn't deny she'd enjoyed that afternoon and she could have done with more, they hadn't gone as far as that day since, but they'd come pretty close, the fact they were in public stopping them from tipping over the edge
Month 2 - Well?
They just waited for nearly three weeks for Mercedes period to come, Sam finding a different answer everyday for why it wasn't happening, finally he gave up, he had no more explanations, Mercedes was crying a lot and he wasn't eating because he was so scared about what this might mean "I've got some money now, we can get a test" he finally told her, his Aunt worked at the clinic so the free test wasn't an option
"Can we?" she smiled relieved they were finally going to know one way or the other
"We'll get it after school and do it at mine, Mom and Dad are going shopping" he told her, the afternoon went quickly as they met at his locker and made their way to the chemist, Mercedes brought the test and they left to get to his house before his parents got back "What are we going to do if you are?" he asked nervously
"I don't know I haven't thought about being pregnant properly yet" she told him as they sat for the longest two minutes waiting to see blue lines appear "God they're dark" she looked at the definite lines in both parts of the test "Sam" she looked at him her face darker than he'd ever seen it "I'm pregnant" she got out before she burst into tears
"It'll be alright Merc we'll work it out" he held her saying his body shaking as much as hers as they sat on the bathroom floor trying to come to terms with this new situation
"I've got to get home" she finally wiped her eyes and got up "Can we talk tomorrow I'm so confused?"
"Of course" he jumped up wiping his eyes too "Actually I'll see you home"
"I'm fine"
"You're not fine Merc, I'll take you home" he grabbed her hand and they left the house
Mercy's heart was beating so fast she could hear it in the silence 'My life is ruined, all the damn plans I had for myself, that my parents made for me gone for what, how the hell do I look my parents in the eye again after this, they're going to know Mom will know she'll take one look at me and she'll know I guess it's best to come clean and let them know' she glanced at Sam thinking she couldn't tell him what was in her mind
"I know what you're thinking" he pulled her hand to get her attention "I don't want anyone knowing until we figure out what we're going to do, this is our decision, promise me"
"Sam I can't live at home and lie to my parents"
"You're not going to lie, we're just not going to tell them"
"I need to talk to someone about this, it's big" she stopped to look at him "I need my Mom"
"And I need to be a part of whatever happens here, we need to talk about this, you tell your Mom and I won't see you again, you know that"
"Okay" she agreed knowing that was true "We'll hold it until we decide but it needs to happen soon" she told him before they started walking to the silence again
'Every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear' he sang in her ear moving her hair as he kissed her neck
'Oh we're in love aren't we?' she quietly sang back at him, she was scared
A week later and Mercedes had finally tied him down for this conversation he kept saying they needed to have "So" she looked at him as they sat in the middle of the stadium "We still have time to talk about an abortion, I've still got time"
"Is that what you want?"
"Is it what you want?"
"Come on Merc you brought it up, why?"
"I guess it would sort of solve everything, no one would need to know, we could just go back to our lives, be 15 year olds again and all this is so str..., I'm scared to tell Mom and Dad, I'm too young to have a baby I've got so much planned for my life and to be honest a baby doesn't figure, I'm..." she rambled on
"Hold up, have you made a decision already?" he shouted instantly angry getting up as he spoke
"Sam" she shouted back just as mad
"So you're just saying you don't want our baby?" he walked back and forth asking her "I mean I had nothing to do with that decision, what if I want this baby, what happens then?"
"Sam" she got up shouting "I... I don't want an abortion, I just thought you'd feel messed up for suggesting it, so I brought it up, I thought we were looking at all our options?"
"We are" he stood still looking at her
"You can't get mad every time I open my mouth"
"Sorry, I don't want an abortion either, but I didn't know that till just now"
They sat talking about their options, finishing school, making their lives still work for them, the possibility of living together so they could both look after the baby and how they were going to tell the parents "So we're agreed next step parents?"
"Yeah, we'll tell them all together I don't think I can go through this twice"
"And we need to be adult about it, let them know it's our choice?"
"We will" he smiled kissing her before helping her up, the stadium was fast becoming their place
Month 3 - Morning has broken
It had been an almost daily battle as Sam lost the nerve then Mercedes lost the nerve and they'd postpone telling the parents, Sam had agreed that this needed to be done none of them had a clue, Mercedes needed a doctor and she needed to go to clinic for check ups, that place was so far away and he couldn't take her on his bike "So you're coming this afternoon 3pm?" Mercedes asked as they concluded yet another argument on the phone
"Give me an hour, just tell them I'm coming"
"Sam it doesn't take an hour to get here"
"Just give me an hour" he snapped "Sorry it's just... I'm scared" he finally admitted
"Okay an hour" she agreed closing the call
Sam put the phone in his pocket and grabbed his bike, his Dad was shouting something as he left but he really wasn't in the mood for any sort of conversation with him he carried on riding he didn't even stop to put his helmet on. An hour and a half later he was sitting at his favourite spot, his bike laying on the ground beside him, his head in his hands 'What the hell's going to happen to my football scholarship now, what am I going to do with my damn life' He looked down at his phone, it was showing his fifth missed calls from Mercedes and he really didn't have anything to say to her right now but he answered "Mercedes I'll be there in a bit" he told her before she could say anything "What's the matter?" he rolled his eyes at her crying down the phone putting more pressure on "What?" he sat up asking
"I've just kept being sick since the last time we spoke and I can't stop it"
"Try and get to the garden, I'll be there as quick as I can" he told her, finally calling his parents to meet him at her parents house, before throwing the phone in his pocket and making it to her house in record time "Mr & Mrs Jones" he nodded as he walked into the house "Mercedes said she needed to see..."
"She's in the garden Sam" Mrs Jones told him with a smile
Sam didn't need telling twice he moved off to find her "Merc" he grabbed hold of her as she ran towards him "What's happening?" he stood listening to her explain about the sickness "We need to tell them, I need to get you some help, Mom and Dad are on their way" he walked her back towards the bench at the bottom of the garden, they sat giving each other courage until the patio door opened
'Every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear' he sang in her ear moving her hair as he kissed her neck
'Oh we're in love aren't we?' she quietly sang back at him
"Sam" Mr Jones shouted "Your parents are here"
They looked at each other, took a breath and got up to face the music "You're Mom tells us you invited them here" Mrs Jones looked at Sam her face not impressed "What's going on?" she looked at Mercedes
"We have something to tell you all" Mercedes looked between her parents, grabbing Sam's hand "Will you sit down please?" she smiled at Sam telling her parents "We just want to get this out so could you save the questions until we've finished please?" they sat on the couch together opposite their families
"Mercedes is pregnant" Sam announced squeezing her hand as he looked at her
"You're getting rid of it right?" her Mom spat instantly angry
"No" Mercedes spat back
"Merc" Sam shook her hand "We've decided to keep the baby, and we think we've worked out how we're going to manage" he smiled at her "We'd love to have your support, but if we have to we'll try and do it ourselves somehow"
"I'd love to see you do that" his Dad laughed at the ridiculous idea "What the hell would you live on for a start, you're 15 years old?" he asked "What in God's name were you thinking?" he stood up angry at the situation
"You'll get rid of it" her Mom announced "David's right this is ridiculous, if it's true" she grabbed her face with her hands "God I'll be the laughing stock of the town, how am I going to show my face in church?" she looked at her husband "Are you going to make her get rid of it?" she asked him
"Mercedes" her Dad looked at her, his eyes sad "I'm ashamed and disgusted with you, I thought you were better than this, I thought you wanted better for yourself, but if this is what you choose, have it, but I want nothing to do with you ever again" he told her shaking his head as he spoke
Sam's Mom sat listening to everyone her eyes never left Mercedes as everyone spoke their piece "Are you alright Mercedes?" she got up to hug the near crying child
"I'm fine" she half smiled amid the shouting, keeping hold of Sam's hand, he looked at her, but he was busy hearing his Dad telling him about wasted life, entrapment and messing up his life. The next time he looked back at her she was full on bawling, he'd been listening to his Dad he hadn't heard what her or even his Mom was saying, because his Dad was looking like he was about to pounce, he had to keep sharp "Sam" she gasped holding her stomach "I'm...I'm going to..." she got out before everything that was inside her came up
"Shoot" he let her go and ran to the bathroom to get stuff to clean it up "Sorry" he told everyone as he wiped up the mess on her before he started on the floor
"And that's not even the worst of it" her Mom added as they watched him cleaning
"How far gone are you?" his Mom asked, having a conversation with Mercedes while her Mom was still shouting at her
"Nearly 12 weeks, I think"
"Have you been to the clinic" she rolled her eyes "Silly question my sister's there, he wouldn't let you" she smiled "I can go with you if you want?"
"Ask Sam" she smiled before her stomach came up again, Sam just about dodged out the way for it to hit the floor again
"Come on let's hit the bathroom" his Mom told her helping her up while Sam cleaned up
It seemed like seconds before Sam was in the bathroom with them, wanting to know what was going on "I asked Mercedes if you guys wanted me to take her to the clinic to get checked, she'll need a doctor and everything"
"What?" he asked his mind was thinking she'd be talking about different things, it took him a while to grasp the conversation
"The baby Sam, she'll need to book into a hospital for the birth, have a plan, have an ultrasound, she's late"
"Okay, thanks Mom"
"Don't get me wrong on this, I'm just as disappointed as everyone else, but if you've made your decision all we can do is support you guys, we all know that but everyone deals with it differently, everything will work out" she smiled at them
Month 4 - Tired
"Merc" Sam called for the fourth time that morning, they were staying at his parents house, her parents refused to get on board with it all, they hadn't spoken to her since that day. He'd taken on a job at the local café on some evenings and every weekend to get some money together to pay board for them, they were renting his room from his parents. If it had been left up to his Mom they would have stayed rent free but his Dad still wasn't speaking to him, funnily enough he'd talk babies with Mercedes at every given opportunity, excitedly "We're going to be late again, come on" he sat on the bed nudging her
"I'm so tired" she turned her head to tell him "I've been up all night I couldn't settle and, the vomiting, I can't keep anything down I just feel..."
"I know Merc but we promised ourselves we'd finish school and we need to at last attend to have a chance"
"Is your Mom coming with us today to tell Mr Gordon?"
"Well she was but if you take up much more of her time..."
"I'm getting up" she moaned
Sam watched as she got up and found the bathroom he sat on the bed sad, she wasn't waking up to vomit much anymore she was sitting in the bathroom crying, she missed her parents he knew she did but she'd never open up to him enough to tell him that, she was prepared to lose them for a decision they'd made and he felt sad about that. They managed to get through school that day, Mercedes told Natalie their news, she was upset but happy they were dealing with it together, Mercedes barely touched the bedroom door before she was out for the count until evening
"Where's Sam?" she asked as she ventured into the kitchen
"He went out earlier, he should be back soon" his Dad told her
Sam had been to see her parents, he'd tried several times to get them on side but it wasn't working her Dad could barely look at him and he was sure her Mom would have laid hands on him when she moved in shouting at him, but he went back every week because he didn't like seeing Mercedes the way she got when she missed them.
"Where did you go?" she asked, as he walked into the living room
"I just took a short trip on my bike" he smiled sitting on the couch next to her "Why did you miss me?" he kissed their bump asking, he'd listened to his Dad's stories of when his Mom was having him and the things he used to do, he wanted that bond with his child too "We decided we don't want every one to know what sex the baby is" he announced
"That's going to make it exciting" his Mom smiled watching Mercedes rubbing her son's hand resting on their bump
Month 5 - Aching
"Mom" Mercedes smiled at Sam's Mom "Could we get a minute?" she smiled looking back at the midwife, waiting for his Mom to leave the room
"What's up Merc?" Sam asked concerned
"I just wanted to ask about having sex" she told him before turning to the Midwife "It's only happened twice since I got pregnant because he thinks he's going to hurt the baby, I just need to know if it will, we both do?" she smiled at Sam turning a bright shade of red
"It won't hurt the baby and actually I can tell you now, it gets difficult but I'm sure you can get creative, nothing about usual sex hurts the baby" she smiled
"Thank you" she smiled, grabbing Sam's hand as they looked at the moving baby picture again before she got dressed for their trip into town
"You embarrassed me earlier, I didn't know where to put my face" he laughed "All I could see was that Midwife picturing us having sex"
"That's gross" she laughed
"What are we doing here?" he asked as they walked past the baby shop and café
"I need some new underwear, my boobs are growing and my panties squeeze my bump"
"And you brought me with you?" he asked shocked
"Yeah, you're going to be buying more intimate things than these when the baby comes" she giggled "Are you working late this weekend?"
"Yeah I've got a late shift tomorrow"
"So we can lay in, in the morning?" she asked a smile on her face "And I know your Mom and Dad are out early, it's that fate thing at church"
"You have a plan?" he smiled
"And we don't need condoms" she giggled
It was a clumsy morning, what with trying to find a comfortable position, Mercedes hard aching breasts he couldn't touch and trying to be quiet just in case his parents came back, but they giggled through it and both got what they needed from the rushed fumble, they spent a lot of time in their bedroom after that, reading and searching the web to put adventure in their time together
Month 6 - Gain, Lose, Gain
"Sam" Tony stood outside his house shouting one Sunday afternoon, he'd finally made it home again to hear the news that his little sister was knocked up for that jerk Sam, he marched over to his house with the intention of beating the crap out of him "Sam get out here you punk" he shouted
They'd taken the opportunity to try some of those suggestions they'd read about in the bedroom while his parents were out and were sleeping, Sam finally heard him and jumped out of his nap, grabbing his trousers and a top "Sam don't go down there" Mercedes grabbed after him
"We agreed we'd face this, he'll calm down when we talk" he assured her leaving the room
"You got my little sister knocked up, took her life away from her just like that, you punk" Tony walked towards him and pushed him
"We didn't mean for it to happen, we're 15 it was a shock to both of us" he replied
"It wasn't a damn shock when you were doing the deed though was it" Tony punched, watching as he hit the ground, he didn't fight back, he actually understood where he was coming from, and he wouldn't have won the fight anyway, he stayed on the ground Tony still talking at him
"Tony" Mercedes emerged from the house walking towards him "Leave him alone, we made this decision together, we're both to blame, and we both want this baby" she pushed him away from standing over Sam as she spoke
"What the hell are you doing Sis, you're ruining you damn life, what's this fool got to offer you?"
"We love each other"
"And that's enough to find you an education, work, a place to live, money to look after a child, come on this is life changing stuff, you're not even grown, you don't know what you want, you shouldn't have done this, Dad's broken" he looked at her from head to toe "Look at you, you look a mess, your hair's a mess, your feet are swollen, actually everything's swollen, this isn't a picture of you I thought I'd ever see" he looked at her with disgust, he didn't care that she was crying
"She's pregnant" Sam said in their defence getting up off the floor "With our baby, and for me that makes her more beautiful than ever"
"You know what, if this is what you want keep it, I wash my hands" he huffed at her protecting him as he walked off, they stood watching him drive away before Mercedes bawled louder than she ever had in Sam's arms right there on the front lawn
Month 7 - What is that?
"I hope you guys don't mind" Sam's Mom sat at the table looking at them eating breakfast "But Dad and I thought we could do some shopping for the baby, just to help out"
"What dad?" Sam asked shocked that this man that hadn't said a word to him for nearly 5 months was even interested in supporting him
"Yes Dad" she laughed
"I'd love to do some shopping" Mercedes looked at him smiling
"Sam?" his Mom looked at him for confirmation
"What do you want to buy?" he asked
"Maybe some of the big stuff, crib, stroller stuff like that"
"Please Sam" Mercedes looked at him begging
"Okay" he smiled at her, she hadn't been this excited about anything in a long while, worse since the run in with her brother, they'd had some massive arguments about nothing, but he knew not seeing her family was the main reason, and at those times he also knew if she'd had anywhere else she would have left she was so mad "It'll have to be this morning I'm at work later"
"I'll get ready" Mercedes scurried off
The ride in the car to town was weird, his Dad never stopped asking Mercedes questions about the baby while his Mom butted in asking him almost the same questions to get his take on things, once they got to town they went to various shops spending a pretty penny. "It's time for me to go" Sam finally announced as they sat eating buns and sipping various drinks
"We're in the middle of shopping" Mercedes puppy face came out
"We need the money" he hugged her "You carry on and we'll catch up later" eventually he finished his drink, kissed her and left them to it
"Hi" he walked into their bedroom later that night, happy to see her awake
"I waited up for you I'm so excited" she smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, he sat on the bed listening to her go on about the baby clothes they'd brought, smiling at the excitement that was filtering through to him "I feel like we're actually doing this, I want to be a parent I can't wait" she beamed
"Me neither" he lay on the bed and pulled her down to lay on him, knowing that for these seconds she'd forgotten about her missing family
"Sam" she grabbed her tummy gasping, grabbing his hand to rest it on their bump "Feel this it's a proper movement" he sat up paying full attention
"What was that?" he laughed when his hand moved as their baby moved almost half circle in her tummy
"I think our baby likes the new stuff too" she giggled, they lay waiting for movements Sam humming their song until they fell asleep, the reality of their pending family closer than it had ever been before
Month 8 - Stretching
"Where's Merc?" Sam asked as he walked into the kitchen to see his parents in conversation
"She's asleep"
"Still?" he asked walking off towards their bedroom, he'd had practice for a match in two days time, so they'd been to clinic and he'd talked her into staying at home because she looked tired but that was nearly four hours ago, she didn't sleep that long even through the night "Merc" he whispered as he walked into the room "What's up?" he asked when he got close up to see she was crying "Is it your parents?" he enquired but she still didn't answer "Is something wrong?" he knelt down in front of her face asking "Talk to me Merc"
"I can't move, every time I move I get a contraction"
"You're in labour?" he asked shocked "Mom" he shouted "Mom" even louder, his face drained "She's in labour" he told her as she got to the door
"Let me talk to her" his Mom pushed past him and grabbed her hand "Where's the pain Mercedes?"
"Every time I move" she told her not daring to even move her head to look at her
"Okay" his Mom put her hand on her tummy "Just do a small movement for me" she told her "Okay where exactly are the pains?" she asked watching Mercedes face distort
"Just under my tummy" she moaned as she felt the pain
"You're not in labour, it's probably the muscles under there getting ready for when the baby needs to come out, it's something that happens, you'll have to bare it I'm afraid, it's all part of the pregnancy"
"Thank God there's a nurse in the house" Sam gasped "You made me panic, I'm not ready Merc" he rubbed her arm
"You need to get ready young man, there's no time for panic from you when the time comes" his Mom hit his chest telling him before leaving their room
"Back in a second" he told Mercedes following his Mom out the door "Mom this labour thing, what am I looking for?"
"Her tummy will be as hard as rock when the pain comes, and you'll need to time the gaps between the pains"
"Thanks" he smiled going back to be with Mercy
Month 9 – Seatbelts Please
Sam had been working all the hours available at weekends because once the baby was here he'd hoped to get some time to spend with them until things settled down, they'd been attending the parenting classes twice a week, his Aunt had made herself available for questions and they'd asked a lot, they were ready
"I don't know if you want to hear this Ann" he heard his Aunt Jayne say to his Mom as he passed the living room door "I think they're coping quite well, better than most young parents"
"I want to hear it" his Mom had laughed "I'm glad to hear it I think they're ready too"
"Merc" he walked into their room stopping as he looked at her standing in a pool of water "Merc" he said shocked
"It's alright, my waters broke, the contractions are every 10 minutes, I can get a bath before we go"
"Okay" he calmed himself down "I'll set that and get the bags sorted ready" he grabbed her arm gently leading her to the bathroom watching every step, 4 hours later they were in hospital the contractions got to every three minutes and she was coping well.
"Could I get some water?" she asked after a rather sharp pain
"Yeah" Sam went off to go get it, hearing screaming on his return he threw the cup and pushed the door to her room open
"I need to push" Mercedes was screaming at the top of her lungs, he was frightened "Sam" she screamed when she saw him come back, he stood wondering what had actually happened in the few seconds it took him to fetch her some water, he walked towards her shaking but excited this was it, they were going to meet the little person they'd made
"I'm here, it's alright Merc just breathe" he grabbed her hand telling her, it seemed like they'd only just got a rhythm with the breathing when she was being told to push at the next contraction because she was crowning. Sam got ready for the death grip but it was nothing like his Mom had described actually Mercedes wanted a blow by blow account of things and less than five minutes later they were standing looking down at Ember Sian Evans waiting on instructions for cutting the cord.
They took a while to move beds and get presentable, the excitement overcoming them with every move their new bundle of joy made, they knew his Mom and Aunt were waiting "You ready?" he asked her as she put a hat on their little girl's head
"Yeah" she smiled up at him, watching as he left the room
"Oh" Sam looked up shocked when he saw the visitors, which quickly formed into a smile "This way" he held the door open telling them "Come meet your new Grandchild"
"Still no clue?" his Mom laughed
"You'll see when you get in there" he chuckled
"Mom, Dad" Mercy looked up, their names almost a whisper she was so emotional, tears sprung to her eyes as she held her baby "This is Ember Sian Evans" she smiled opting not to question the change of heart but just to be happy about it
"Are you both alright?" her Mom asked "How heavy was she?"
"We're all fine, she was 3.29kg pretty big for our first" Sam giggled seeing Mercedes reluctance to talk to her parents, nobody found that funny "Not for any time now, we have plans" he assured them all, their parents took up Grandparents duties, like comfortable gloves finally giving them some space when visiting was over. Sam climbed on the bed and shared his earphone with her, their song playing out as they lay taking in the events of the day 'Every night I'll kiss you, you'll say in my ear'
'Oh we're in love aren't we?' she smiled at him
'Hands in your hair' he raked his hand through her hair as they listened to the words
'Fingers and thumbs, baby' they both smiled at their new addition
"Thank you for Ember" he kissed her forehead telling her as she cuddled up in his arms
"Thank you for Ember" she looked up at him, listening to their song on repeat as they drifted into sleep
Month 10 - Chatty
"I think she needs feeding" Sam's Dad gave Ember back to Mercedes commenting "Sam could we have a chat?" he asked getting up to leave the room
Sam looked at Mercedes, they'd said single words to each other but nothing meriting a conversation since Ember had been born "Sure" he got up and followed him
"When do you think we're going to finish this Chevy?" his Dad walked into the garage asking him
"I don't kn..." Sam tapered off when he saw the finished Chevy sitting in the garage "What" he gasped "I thought..."
"Well I thought you might need something more than a bike to carry your family around" he finished his sentence off, smiling as he watched him jump in the driving seat, being his over excited 15 year old son again "I maybe need to explain myself about not speaking to you for all this time, I was deeply angry, hurt, upset and disappointed in you" he sat in the passenger seat as Sam played with the gadgets in the car "I had such big hopes for you, you know the problems Mom and I had trying to have you and well... I felt like you'd just took all that and your life for granted"
"Dad if you got to know Merc you'd know I..."
"I took time to know her son, that's what I've been doing all this time, she's like a daughter to us" he smiled "Once again your Mom was right"
"That's a woman thing yeah?" he smiled back at his Dad "I love her Dad, I love both of them and I want to do whatever I can to make this work for us, I do need to finish school first though" he laughed
"Well we're here to help any way we can, and son..." he waited for him to look at him "I'm so proud of you for stepping up"
"That means a lot" he told him hugging him, he couldn't hold a grudge this was his Dad, they had an unspoken bond
"The Jones have asked for Mercy and you to bring Ember over this weekend" he pulled away telling him
"Really?" they still hadn't come round to them being together like that and her brother was dead set against having anything to do with her but this seemed like they'd started making the rules in their own house again "I'll tell Merc" he jumped up smiling
"Oh Sam" his Dad called after him "Here" he smiled giving him his application for his licence "Fill it out, we'll see if we can get that dream of yours sorted for your 16th"
"Yeah" he smiled as he walked away to tell Mercedes the news
That Saturday morning his dad dropped them off at her parents house, she hadn't been inside it for nearing 10 months, she stood outside Ember in her Dad's arms, her holding Sam's spare hand with Ember's bag over her shoulder 'I feel safe when you're holding me near' she sang up at him
'Love the way that you conquer your fear' he sang at her
'You know hearts don't break around here, Oh yeah yeah' the looked at each other singing before stepping off to face her family
There was no real resolve but it was agreed that they'd see Ember every Saturday and she'd stay overnight once a month, they'd invited them to dinner once a month whenever they could make it. Her Dad hardly spoke throughout the whole three hour visit, he sat playing with Ember, Mercedes came away not really minding that the relationship wasn't fixed, she'd learned to live a different way already, smiling because this family meal thing was going to be a challenge if Tony ever turned up.
Month 11 - Birth
"What are you doing?" Mercedes woke up asking him "Where are you going?"
"We're going somewhere, I'm getting Ember dressed, get up and get dressed" he whispered
"What are you up to now, are we running away?" she whispered
"No, just get dressed" she got up and did as he'd asked, they were sitting in his car before she knew what was happening with Ember in the back still fast asleep
"Have you..."
"I passed my test a week ago" he laughed, fifteen minutes later they were sitting in the middle of the Gabilan Mountains watching the sunrise
"It's beautiful" she lay her head on his shoulder telling him
"This right here is my favourite place in the world" he looked at her "You, Ember and the world in front of us" he smiled "I love the way you've always trusted me without question, that you tell me you love me every night regardless of our arguments, how you've let me be the man through all this, I respect you for that" he smiled "And of course I love you for everything else"
"I trust you'll never hurt me, you tell me every night too and you always treat me like a woman, so Ditto" she smiled kissing him "Happy birthday"
"The best" he said settling his head on hers "We're going to be alright"
"I know" she smiled as they watched the sun come up
The End
Sue: Hope this fits the bill