A Fresh Start
Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen
Jeffrey rolls to his side as he reaches for Sam. When he doesn't find her, he wakes up. Leaning up as he wipes the sleep from his eyes. He looks around the room. Quickly realizing that she's not there, he pushes the covers back. He walks over to the closet and looks towards their bathroom. There's no light on in there so he turns back around. Walking back over to the bed, he reaches for his t-shirt.
Slipping it on as he walks out of their room. None of the lights are on in the other room so he quietly walks down the stairs. When he reaches the first floor, he looks back at the powder room and his study as he walks towards the living room. Sam is laying on the couch with a throw over her. He walks around the couch as she looks up. "What's wrong?" He asks, sitting down beside her.
"Indigestion, I couldn't sleep." She says, moving back as he sits down.
"From the baby."
"Well, that and chili. I won't be able to eat that again until after he comes." Sam says, laying her hands on her stomach.
"Did you take anything?" He asks, as she shakes her head no. "Why not?"
"We're out of antacids."
"What about downstairs? You don't have anything downstairs."
"Yes, but it's not that bad. If I lay here, I'll be alright."
"Stay here and I'll go…."
"You won't know what to bring me?"
"Then tell me and I'll go get it."
"I'll get it. I know where it is." She says, sitting up.
He moves back as she gets up. He watches as she walks across the room to the laundry room. Opening the door, she goes downstairs. She flips the light on in the employee break room and then walks over to the hallway. She turns the light on and then walks to the lab where they keep the medicine. Opening one of the cabinet doors, she looks through the medicine and then gets some. Closing the door, she leaves, turning the lights off as she goes. Jeffrey's still waiting on the couch when she comes back up. "Did you get…?" He asks, as she holds up the medicine. She walks over to him and sits down. "I'll get you some water." He says, getting up as she sits down on the couch. Filling a glass, he walks back over to her and hands her the glass as he sits down beside her.
She takes the pills and then sits the glass on the table. "Thank you."
"Don't you want some ice cream or something?"
"No, eating and drinking can cause the stomach to produce more acid and that's exactly what I don't need right now."
"Okay." He says, settling back. She moves over to him and he lifts his arm. Putting it across her shoulders as she lays her head down. For a few moments they sit there in silence before he looks down and smiles. She's asleep. Turning, he pulls his arm out from under her head. Laying it gently on the back of the couch, he stands up. For a moment, he stands there watching her. He bends over and puts her arm around his neck before he slips his arms around her and lifts her. She mumbles something and he whispers. "Shhh, it's okay." And then he turns for the stairs.
Reva walks into the Beacon the next morning. As she's on her way to her office, she stops in at Cassie's. "Ms. Lewis." Jessica says.
"Good Morning, Jessica." Reva says, stopping at her desk. "Is Cassie in?"
"No ma'am, she hasn't come in this morning.
"When is the next time she's expect to meet with Ava Winslow?"
"I'm not sure, ma'am."
"Could you look for me? I'm planning a surprise baby shower for her."
"Would you like a copy of her complete schedule, ma'am?" Jessica asks, pulling up Cassie's schedule.
"That would be fine." Reva says.
"Would it be okay if I emailed it to you?"
"That's fine." Reva says, as Jessica hits a few buttons on her computer.
"There you go? I've sent you an email with Cassie's schedule for the next month. I hope that sufficient."
"That will be fine. Thank you and be sure to come to the shower, if you would like."
"Thank you ma'am."
"And you can call me Reva." Reva says, turning to leave.
"Yes ma'am, I mean Reva." Jessica says smiling, as Reva leaves.
Ava walks out of the bathroom and William is still in bed. "You're going to be late." She says, walking over to the dresser.
"I've got a proposal." He says, watching her.
"What's that?" She asks, looking at him in the mirror.
"Why don't we stay home today?" He says, pushing the covers back and getting out of bed and walking over to her.
"As tempting as the offer is, we can't. You just started this job and I have a meeting with Billy and my dad about the loft.' She says, as he slips his arms around her, pulling her back to him as he kisses her neck.
"Do I need to be there?" He asks, releasing her. She continues getting ready while he leans against the dresser watching her.
"No. We're going over the plans with Dad about the project for decorating. Since he will be our landlord, we need to know if he has any stipulations he wants to put on project. Although I doubt my dad will have that much to say about it."
"Then can we get a sitter for Emma and go out tonight?"
"I suppose we could. Where do you want to go?"
"I'll make the plans."
"Okay." She says, looking at him. Putting her brush down, she turns to him. "You're going to be late." She says, leaning up to kiss him. She pulls away after a moment. "Go and I'll see you tonight?"
He leans in, kissing her quickly before he turns for the bathroom. She finishes getting dressed. "William, we're going." She says, walking over to the bathroom.
"Okay, I'll see you both tonight."
"Alright, I love you."
"I love you too." He replies, as he steps under the shower. She and Emma leave a few moments later.
When Reva reaches her office, she pulls up her computer as she sits down. Opening her email, she checks Cassie's schedule before she picks up the phone. After a couple rings, Harley answers. "Hello."
"Harley, its Reva. How are you?"
"I'm good. Did you find out Cassie's schedule?" Harley asks, as she sacks up Zack and Jude's lunch.
"Yes. They've got a meeting scheduled for this Friday."
"That works for me. I'm off on Friday. What do you want me to do?"
"There's not much to do. I'm going to talk to the catering staff here at the Beacon about the food. There's a small banquet hall in Olivia's that we can use."
"A banquet hall seems a little less intimate than this should be"
"Where would you have it?"
"Maybe one of the rooms there. Maybe you're room."
"I'm not at Beacon anymore."
"Oh."
"But I think you're right. A banquet hall isn't intimate. Only how would we get all of them there."
"Can you deal with Cassie?"
"Of course, I'll get her assistant to help me and since we're using their meeting for the wedding, Ava will already be here."
"Alright, that leaves Sam."
"Maybe we can use the wedding there too. Sam and Cassie both have planned a wedding they can help her plan this one."
"That might work. I'll talk to Jessica about Cassie and Ava. So, I'll see you Friday."
"Definitely."
"Great, I'll let you know the details."
"That's good. Do you know if any of them are registered?"
"I know Cassie is at that new store on 5th Street. I'm not sure about Sam and Ava."
"Okay, let me know."
"I will." Reva says. They hang up as the boys and Daisy come downstairs.
Jeffrey is in the kitchen when Megan and the boys come down. "Where's Sam?" She asks, as he looks up.
"I told her to sleep in. She doesn't have patients till later and she didn't sleep well last night."
"What's wrong?" She asks, as she walks over to the island.
"It's nothing serious. Just a little indigestion from the baby and the chili."
"I remember that. I'll be sure to tell her eat some bananas?"
"Why bananas?" Jeffrey asks, pouring her a cup of coffee after he takes a cup down from the cupboard. He hands it to her.
"Thank you." She says, taking the coffee. "Bananas are a natural acid reducer."
"Oh, then I'll be sure to tell her as well as Ava. I'm sure she's having the same issue, along with Cassie. What are you doing today?"
"I'm going to take the boys and get them registered for school. And then I'm going by Springfield U. After that I'm going to stop at that shop that Sam mentioned and if I have time I thought I would look around and see if I can find a place for me and the boys."
"There's no need to hurry." Jeffrey says, taking a sip of coffee.
"I know, but I don't want to over stay my welcome."
"You just got here. I want you to know that I want you and the boys here."
"Thank you, but I think it's best if the boys and I find our own place." She says, taking another sip of coffee. "We need to be going." Megan says, putting her cup down.
"Me too, I've got a meeting with Billy and Ava." Jeffrey says, putting his cup in the sink.
"We'll see you later." Megan says, as he reaches for her cup.
"Yes." Jeffrey says, putting the cup in the sink.
"Boy's, let's go." Megan says, as she walks over to the door.
"What about breakfast?"
"We'll get something at Company. Thank you for the coffee."
"You're welcome." Jeffrey says, as she opens the door. She leaves with the boys following her.
"Have a good day." Jeffrey says. She nods as she closes the door.
Richard walks into his office. Amelia is waiting for him. "Good morning, Sir." She says, handing him some messages.
"Thank you." Richard says, walking towards his office.
"Sir, the deputy mayor is in your office." Amelia says, as Richard stops and looks at her.
"He is, why?"
"I don't know. He came in a few moments ago. I told him you weren't in yet and he said he would wait and then he went into your office." Amelia says, as Richard turns for his door.
"Thank you." He says, walking over to the door. He opens it and walks in. "Deputy Mayor." Richard says, closing the door behind him.
"Can I ask you something Mr. Winslow?"
"Of course, Deputy Mayor." Richard says, walking over to his desk.
"Why do you call me Deputy Mayor but you call Mayor O'Neill by his first name?"
"Jeffrey and I have a long history together."
"Is that why you're running for office?"
"I'm not completely decided on whether I'm going to run."
"Rumor is that you are. You've had several meeting with party leaders over the last few weeks. Why would you do that if you're not considering running?"
"Was there something that you wanted, Deputy Mayor?" Richard asks.
"Did the mayor happen to mention that the deadline to file…?"
"It's next week. I know. Jeffrey told me."
"And you haven't decided if you're running?"
"No, I haven't. But if you're interested in running, please do." Richard says, as Howard gets up.
He walks over to the door, opening it. He turns back to Richard. "I wonder if you run will you use the same tactics you used when you ran for public office before."
"I've learned my lesson, Deputy Mayor."
"It was quite convenient for you that your opponent withdrew from the race. I mean would your wife be up to facing questions about her pass, then or now."
"Howard, if you decide to run, that's fine. But if you try to attack my wife for your own political gain you will find out how unforgiving voters can be."
"The voters, why would…?"
"I wonder what the voters will think about you attacking a pregnant woman, especially the women voters." Richard says. They stare at each other until Howard reaches for the door. "Have a good day Deputy Mayor?" Howard looks back over his shoulder as he walks out of the office.
Richard walks around his desk and over to the door. "Amelia." He says.
"Yes sir."
"I'm going to be on a coll."
"Yes sir." She says, as he turns and walks back into this office, closing the door.
Walking over to his desk, he picks up the phone as he sits down. He dials Mr. Harrison's number. "Mr. Harrison's office." A woman answers after the second ring.
"Yes, this is Richard Winslow. Is Mr. Harrison in?"
"Yes sir."
"I would like to speak with him please."
"May I ask what this is about?"
"I have an appointment with him this afternoon for lunch. I would like to speak with him about that." Richard replies.
"Would you please hold?"
"That's fine." Richard says, settling back.
After a minute the calls are connected. "Mr. Winslow." Mr. Harrison says.
"Thank you for speaking with me."
"My assistant said that you wanted to speak to me about our lunch date."
"Yes, I was wondering if we could meet now."
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, but I would like to meet with you now, if that's possible." Richard says, as Mr. Harrison looks at his calendar. His first meeting wasn't until one. "Mr. Harrison."
"If you would like to meet now. I have no problem with that."
"Where would you like to meet?"
"Would you be able to meet me in the park?"
"The park?"
"Yes, I like to take a morning walk."
"Of course, if you want to meet in the park I'll see you in thirty minutes."
"Alright, the gazebo on the north side of the lake. We can meet there."
"Thank you." Richard says. "I will see you then."
"See you then, Mr. Winslow." Mr. Harrison says. Richard hangs up and then pulls out the paper work for filing to run for election. He looks it over and then reaches for his phone. "Amelia, will you come in here please?" He asks, putting the papers in a envelop.
"You wanted to see me Sir." Amelia says, walking into his office.
"Yes, I need you to take this down to the County Clerk's office." Richard says, handing her the envelop. "Do it immediately." Richard says, standing up.
"Yes sir." Amelia says, taking the envelop. She turns to leave the office.
"Oh and when you get back I will be out of the office. I should be back before lunch."
"Yes sir."
"Thank you." Richard says, as she nods and turns to leave. Grabbing his keys and coat, he walks out.
About an hour after everyone left, Sam's cell phone rings. Rolling over, she reaches for it answering on the third ring. "Hello."
"Dr. O'Neill, I'm sorry to wake you." Leah says, as Sam moves up in the bed.
"It's okay. What's wrong, my first patient isn't until eleven."
"I know. It's Mrs. Holtzmeir. She just called they are bring in Mr. Holtzmeir and she asked that you meet them at the hospital."
"Did she say what the problem was?"
"No."
"When did she call?"
"Just before I called you."
"Thanks Leah." Sam says, pushing the covers back.
Fifteen minutes later, Sam's leaving. When she reaches the hospital, she's met by Mrs. Holtzmeir. "Dr. O'Neill." She says, getting up. "Thank you for coming."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. Tell me what happened."
"I'm not really sure. I came back from taking the boys to school and he was complaining about his head hurting and I just felt like I needed to bring him here."
"Alright, let me go speak to the treating physician. I will be back when I know more."
"Okay." Shelly says. Sam squeezes her hand before she leaves.
When Sam walks back to the ER, she meets one of the nurses at the nurse's station. "May I help you?" The nurse asks."
"Yes, I'm Dr. O'Neill. One of my patients was just brought in, Mr. Holtzmeir. Could you tell me what room he's in?"
"He's in exam room three. Dr. Jasper is with him."
"Thank you." Sam says, turning away
"Dr. Jasper doesn't like to be interrupted when he's with a patient." The nurse says.
"Thank you, but I am Mr. Holtzmeir physician and Mrs. Holtzmeir asked that I be here." Sam says, turning and walking down the hallway.
She opens the door as Dr. Jasper looks up. "I am with a patient." He says, glancing at her and then looking back down at the chart in his hand.
He lays it down on the bed as Sam walks in. "I know. I am Dr. O'Neill." She says, walking over to the bed. "How are you Mr. Holtzmeir?"
"He's complaining of a severe headache and nausea. I was about to examine my patient." Dr. Jasper says, his tone saying that he wished Sam would leave.
"I understand, but I am Mr. Holtzmeir's primary care physician."
"Primary care physician or not, he was brought in while I…."
"Dr. Jasper, may we speak in the hall." Sam says, turning for the door. Dr. Jasper follows her out of the room.
"Dr. O'Neill, I do not appreciate…."
"Dr. Jasper." Sam says, holding up her hand. "Before you get your dander up, Mrs. Holtzmeir asked that I come. She wants me to look after her husband since I am his primary care physician."
"He was brought in while I was on call. I would be happy to brief you after I've made my examination."
"Dr. Jasper, I know that he was brought in while you were on call, but the patient's wife asked that I come." Sam says, as alarms go off in Mr. Holtzmeir monitors. They turn to see his monitors have flat lined.
They both rush into the room. "Start CPR." Dr. Jasper says, as he turns the defibrillator on.
"I know what to do." Sam says, as the nurse rushes in. "I need one mg of Toprol and Coumadin." Sam says, still doing chest compressions.
"Everyone clear." Dr. Jasper says, they both step back. He shocks him and then Sam goes back to chest compressions. "Clear." Dr. Jasper says. They step back again.
They work on Mr. Holtzmeir for ten minutes before Sam looks up. "Time of death, 10:05 am." She says quietly. "Thank you." Sam says, turning to the nurse. She turns back to Dr. Jasper. "I'll speak with Mrs. Holtzmeir." He looks at her and then walks out of the room. Sam looks at the nurse "Is there some unspoken protocol I just broke?"
"No, that's Dr. Jasper." The nurse says.
"Thank you." Sam sys, as she walks towards the door. Opening it, she walks out. Slowly she walks towards the waiting room. As she walks in Mrs. Holtzmeir looks up. "How is he?" She asks, as Sam walks over to her.
She sits down beside her. "I'm sorry but he didn't make it." Sam says quietly.
"What… what do you mean he didn't make it?" Of course he did. He had a head ache and was nauseated. You were going to help him."
"He went into cardiac arrest while I was talking with Dr. Jasper about your husband's condition. We worked on him for more than ten minutes, but he was non-responsive."
"I don't understand what happened."
"I think your husband suffered a silent heart attack. I wasn't with him long enough to know all of his symptoms. Dr. Jasper was briefing me when he went into arrest." Sam says, as Mrs. Holtzmeir stares at her. "I am sorry." Sam says, reaching for her hand.
"What… what happens now?" She asks, as her voice cracks.
"Is there anyone you can call?"
"Harold's older brother lives in Indiana. That's the only relatives we have."
"You need to call him. Do you have any friends that you can call too?"
"Yes."
"You need to call them and your family."
"Can I see him?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I have to see him. Otherwise I don't think I can accept that… this."
"Alright, let us take care of some things and I'll come get you."
"Okay."
"Why don't you make those calls?"
"I will." She says, as Sam stands up.
She looks down and says. "I am sorry for you loss."
"Thank you." Shelly says, looking up.
"I'll be back to take you to see him." Sam says, as she nods and Sam leaves. When Sam gets back to the nurses station, Dr. Jasper is there but Sam ignores him. "Mrs. Holtzmeir has asked to see her husband before he is taken to the morgue for the autopsy." Sam says to the nurse.
"Yes, doctor." The nurse replies.
"You will let me know when he's ready."
"Yes ma'am." The nurse replies, as Sam reaches for Mr. Holtzmeir's chart.
She's making notes as Dr. Jasper walks up. "I'm sorry about the loss of your patient."
Sam closes her eyes for a moment and then she looks at him. "As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Jasper. My patient didn't need to die. And if I had been allowed to examine him, instead of trying to pacify your ego I might have been able to save him."
"Are you accusing…?"
"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm saying that time was wasted while we were out in the hall bickering about position." Sam says, turning away from him.
For a moment he stands there watching her and then he turns away. Sam continues to make notes the chart. A couple minutes later, the nurse walks up. "Dr. O'Neill, he's ready."
"Thank you." Sam replies, closing the chart. She hands it to the nurse. "Will you file this?"
"Yes, doctor." She replies, taking the chart.
Sam turns away. She walks towards the waiting room. Shelly is sitting in one of the chairs. She looks up as Sam walks up. "He's ready." Sam says.
Slowly she stands up. "I'm ready." She says in a shaky voice.
"We can wait until someone can go with you."
"No, I can do this."
"Then follow me." Sam says, turning away from her. Reaching out, she takes Sam's hand. Looking down, Sam looks up and then squeezes her hand. "I'll be there with you, if you want." Sam says, as they walk towards the room.
"I think I'll be okay." She says, clinging to Sam's hand.
"Okay. He's in here." Sam says, as they reach exam room three.
"What will he look like?" Shelly asks, looking at her.
"Mostly like he's asleep, only he won't be breathing." Sam says. "Maybe you should wait till someone can go in with you."
"No, I need to do this." Shelly says, reaching for the door as she releases Sam's hand.
"I'll be here in the hall." Sam says, as she nods.
Slowly the door closes as Sam leans against the wall. After several minutes, she can hear Shelly crying. Sam closes her eyes and leans her head back. She's standing like that when the nurse walks up. "Dr. O' Neill." She says.
"Yes." Sam says, standing up.
"This is Miranda. She's a friend of Mrs. Holtzmeir."
"Oh, of course." Sam says, holding her hand out. "She's inside. She wanted to see him but I think she needs some one to be there with her."
"Of course." Miranda says, reaching for the door. She goes inside as Sam turns to leave.
When she gets to the nurses station, she picks up the phone and calls her office. After a couple rings, Betty answers. "Dr. O'Neill's office."
"Betty, this is Sam. Is Leah there?"
"Yes, Dr. O'Neill." She replies, handing the phone to Leah.
"Hello." She says.
"Leah, I'm going to be late. I've got things that I need to handle over here. Could you take care of Ms. Hollis?"
"Of course, Dr. O'Neill."
"Thank you. I will try to be back in the office after lunch."
"Yes ma'am." She replies, Sam hangs up as Rick walks up.
"Sam." He says.
"Hello." She says, turning to him.
"I heard that you lost one of your patients."
"You heard that I lost one of my patients, how?"
"I was in the morgue when the nurse called for someone to come up for a patient."
"And you decided to come up yourself. Isn't this an assistant's job."
"I overheard that it was you patient so I decided to come up myself. What happened?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I just arrived and was speaking with Dr. Jasper when my patient went into cardiac arrest. We worked on him for more than ten minutes but he never came back."
"What were his symptoms?"
"Severe headache and nausea, I'm fairly certain that an autopsy will reveal that it was a massive heart attack." Sam says, as Miranda and Shelly come out of the room.
"Dr. O'Neill, thank you for letting me see him." Shelly says, tears in her eyes.
"You're welcome. Mrs. Holtzmeir, this is Dr. Bauer. He's here to take your husband downstairs."
"Dr. Bauer." Shelly says, turning to him.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Rick says, holding his hand out.
"Thank you." She says, turning her attention back to Sam. "What do I need to do?"
"There's nothing more that you can do here. I suggest you go home and get your boys. It will be a few days before your husband will be released." Sam says.
"We'll work as quickly as we can." Rick says, as Shelly looks at him.
"Harold's brother will be later this evening. I will not be staying at our house. If you need me I'll be at Miranda's with my boys." She says.
"That will be fine."
"Thank you for coming and for…." Her voice breaks. Miranda puts her arm around her.
"You don't have to say any more." Sam says, laying her hand on her shoulder.
"I want you to know that I appreciate all that you did to save him."
"I was only doing my job." Sam says.
"Thank you still."
"Maybe we should go. You need to rest before we go get the boys." Miranda says, as Shelly nods.
"We will notify you once we're finished." Rick says.
"Thank you." Shelly says before she follows Miranda out of the hospital.
"Since she is gone, I'm going to go. Could you let me know what you find?" Sam asks, turning to Rick.
"Of course." Rick says, as Sam turns to leave.
She walks out of the hospital and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. For several minutes, she stands there fighting the urge to break down. Finally she reaches for her phone and dials Jeffrey's number. "Springfield City Hall, Mayor's office." Stace says, after a couple rings.
"Hi Stace, is he in?"
"I believe he's finishing up a meeting. Do you want to hold?"
"No, does have another meeting?"
"No, he'll probably go to lunch after this meeting is over."
"Okay, can you ask him to come home?" Sam asks.
"Of course, I'll tell him as soon as he's out of his meeting."
"Thank you." Sam says, as she walks towards her car. Getting in, she hangs up before she starts her car and pulls out. Five minutes later, she pulls up to the house. Turning the car off, she sits there for a moment before she opens her door and gets out. She bypasses the clinic and walks into the house through the back entrance.
Twenty minutes later, Jeffrey walks in. Sam's on the couch. He sees that she's been crying when he walks in. He walks over to her. "What's wrong?" He asks, sitting down beside her after closing the door and walking over to her. She doesn't answer him, but moves over to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulls her onto his lap. "Sam, what's wrong." He asks, slowly rubbing her back while she cries.
After a few more seconds, she loosens her hold on him and sits back. "I lost one of my patients this morning."
"What! How?" Jeffrey asks, brushing her hair back.
"Leah called me around nine thirty and told me that Mrs. Holtzmeir had called. She was bringing her husband in to Cedars and she wanted to me to meet them there. When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor on call was already examining Mr. Holtzmeir. He wasn't happy when I showed up to take over his care. We were out in the hallway discussing it when Mr. Holtzmeir flat lined. We worked on him for more than ten minutes, but he was non-responsive. I finally called it as five minutes after ten." Sam says, reaching up to wipe the tears away. "I don't know why this is affecting me so much. I've lost patients before."
"Maybe because you're pregnant. You've been a little stressed the last couple days." Jeffrey says, wrapping his arms around her.
"The last couple days have nothing to do with it. The pregnancy might but not the last couple days. It's more about Mrs. Holtzmeir. I was out in the hall when she went in to see him. I could hear her crying and it broke my heart. I kept thinking about you."
"I am fine."
"He wasn't but maybe ten years older than you J and he's dead. I'm fairly certain it was from a massive heart attack."
"My heart is fine."
"It was a silent heart attack." Sam says, wiping her eyes.
"Look at me." He says, lifting her chin. "I am fine. My heart is fine."
"What about the baby?"
"What about it? I am fine and you're fine. Although it's not good for you to be this upset."
"What if you die before…?"
"I'm not going to die before he's born or before he's grown. I will be here. I promise I will."
"But you can't promise that. I'm sure Mr. Holtzmeir didn't think he would be gone before his children were grown. I can't loose you." She mumbles, crying harder.
He tightens his hold on her. "Shhh, you're fine and I'm fine. The baby will have both of us. I'm not going to leave you or him. I promise you." He says, rubbing her back.
"You will tell me if you feel like something isn't right. You won't hide it from me, or ignore it like men do." She asks, sitting back.
"I'll ignore that sexiest statement because of the situation." He says, with a smile. She gives him half a smile. "Yes, I will tell you if I don't feel right and I won't ignore it or hide from it." He says, reaching up to wipe tears from her face. She reaches up and wipes her face. "You were supposes to relax before you saw patients today." He says, caressing her face.
"I know, but I had to go to the hospital."
"Did you eat before you went?" He asks, as she looks at him. "Alright, sit here and I'll fix us both something to eat." He says, moving her off him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think about it." She says, as he stands up. "I would have if…."
"I know you would've. It's okay, but I think it's time you ate something." He says, walking towards the kitchen.
"Thank you." Sam says, lying down on the couch.
Ten minutes later, he walks over to the couch. Looking down, he sees that she's fallen asleep. Putting her plate down, he sits down beside her. Brushing her hair back, he watches her sleep before he gets up. He goes downstairs. Leah is finishing up with Ms. Hollis when he reaches the clinic. "Mr. Mayor." She says, as he walks up.
"It's Jeffrey." He says, as she nods. "I was wondering if you could see Sam's patients for today."
"Yes, is something wrong, the baby?"
"The baby is fine. She didn't rest well last night and then she lost a patient this morning and it's upset her."
"Mr. Holtzmeir." Leah says.
"Yes. She's upset about that and the fact that I'm slightly close to his age. She's just tired and the last couple days have already been stressful for her."
"It's alright. I can take her patients for today." Leah says.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says. "I'm going to go. She's sleeping."
"Of course. Tell her that I'm sorry about Mr. Holtzmeir and that I'll handle the patients for the afternoon."
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, turning for the break room. When he gets back upstairs, Sam is still asleep. Sitting down beside her, he reaches for his sandwich. It's about ten minutes before he has to go back to City Hall when Sam wakes up.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep." She says, sitting up slowly.
"It's okay." He says, getting up and sitting down beside her. He hands her a sandwich. "I think it's time you eat something." He says, as she takes a bite of the sandwich.
"I am really hungry." Sam says, taking another bite.
"Good, I've got some fruit too." He says, nodding towards the tray. "I spoke to Leah while you were sleeping."
"Why?"
"Because I think its best if you take today and relax." He says, looking at her. He's expecting her to be mad, but she nods. "Good, then I want you to lay here and relax and I'll be home as soon as I possibly can. Megan and the boys should be in a couple hours."
"You have to leave?" She asks, looking at him.
"I've got a meeting at one fifteen. If you need me, call me. I will come home as soon as I can."
"I'll be fine. I might do some straightening around here."
"I don't want you to go overboard."
"I won't." She says, as he stands up.
She moves to get up but he lays his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Leaning over, he kisses her softly. "I love you and I will be fine."
"I love you too." She says, looking up. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yes." He says, leaning in to kiss her again. Standing up a few minutes later, he reaches for his coat. "I think we're getting close to snow." He says, as he turns to leave and she puts her sandwich down. She gets up and follows him to the door. He turns to her, and slipping his arm around, he pulls her to him. "Don't do too much and I'll be home."
"I'm okay now." She says, leaning up to kiss him. He tightens his hold on her for a moment before he pulls back. "I love you."
"I love you too." He says, reaching to open the door. Opening it, he leans in and kisses her quickly. "I'll see you tonight."
"I'll be here." She says, as he smiles. She stands in the doorway as he walks across the porch and down the steps. She watches as he walks to his car. He turns to her and waves. She waves back and then closes the door, shivering.