Reservation
"Thanks for letting me hide Freddie's Christmas present here," Sam said as she slide a large box onto the top shelf of her best friend's closet.
"No problem," Carly said. "So what'd you get him anyway?"
"This really cool model of some fancy space ship thing from the new Galaxy Wars movie," Sam replied. "I'd just hate for him to see it at our place and have the surprise ruined."
"Well, speaking of Christmas, you two have any big plans?" Carly asked. "I mean this is a pretty big one for you two, isn't it? Now that you have little Jason."
"Yeah, it's pretty special," Sam smiled. "Even though Jason's barely a month old. Kid doesn't even know what's going on."
"But I bet you still bought nearly every baby toy in the store for him," Carly chuckled knowingly.
"Well duh, we've still got to make his first Christmas amazing," Sam said. "Even if he'll just sleep through most of it. Oh hey, speaking of sleep…mind if I take a quick nap before we go to the mall to find presents for Spencer? I'm beat."
"It's noon!" Carly laughed. "How can you already be tired; the day's barely started!"
"Hey, you try getting any sleep with a newborn!" Sam snapped. "He wakes up every three hours! And each time he needs to be changed or fed or both. And Freddie always has to wake me up even when it's his turn because 'he can't nurse Jason'…jerk."
"Wow," Carly said. "That does sound rough."
"Yeah, well-"
"Okay, Sam, I need you," Freddie said suddenly, bursting into Carly's apartment with a crying Jason in his arm. "I-I can't make him stop!"
"So you drove all the way over here?" Carly frowned.
"Well what was I supposed to do?" Freddie snapped.
"You were supposed to deal with it!" Sam said, getting to her feet and taking Jason from her husband. "I told you I wanted to have a relaxing afternoon. Okay, Jason…it's okay. Mommy's got you."
"I know, and-and I'm sorry," Freddie sighed. "You deserve a break. But-But I didn't know what else to do. He woke up from his nap all fussy and-and I tried changing him and feeding him and burping him and all that and I just couldn't make him stop. I don't know what's wrong! Maybe he's sick or-"
But as Sam gently rubbed the infant's back, his cries instantly stopped.
"How-How did you do that?" Freddie frowned. "I've been trying to make him stop for thirty minutes and you do it in about five seconds! Alright, well, I guess that's it…you can't ever leave his side, Sam. Clearly I'm incompetent when it comes to child care-"
"What? So I'm never allowed to relax?" Sam frowned.
"I can't help it that he likes you more than me," Freddie mumbled.
"He doesn't like me more," Sam sighed. "He's just more, um, used to me. I carried him inside of me for nine months; I have an advantage."
She handed their son back to Freddie. "Did you try giving him his pacifier? It usually calms him down."
"Ugh, pacifier!" Freddie moaned. "I knew I was forgetting something!"
"It's right by his changing table!"
"I-I panicked!" Freddie said weakly. "Okay, well…um, thanks for helping with this crisis. I'll let you two get back to what you were doing. Bye, ladies."
"Bye," Carly said as Freddie hurried out of the apartment.
"See what I'm dealing with?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Suddenly I've become the responsible one in that house."
"Yikes," Carly chuckled. "Well, it seems like Freddie is at least trying, though."
"I know," Sam sighed. "And he's really good at this dad thing. He just doubts himself a lot and panics over everything. I mean you saw him just now."
"Yeah, he did seem…panicy," Carly agreed.
"Now you see why I need this nap?" Sam said, kicking off her shoes and laying down on the couch.
"I guess," Carly laughed. "But, um, we don't have that much time. The mall closes in a couple hours so we need to leave within the next half-hour to get there."
"Thirty minutes is all Mama needs," Sam said, closing her eyes and drifting off at once.
…..
The next day, Freddie knocked at Carly's door before poking his head inside the apartment.
"Um, Carly?"
"Oh, hey Freddie," Carly smiled, looking up from her laptop. "What's up? You have Sam and Jason with you?"
"No, Sam's at home with Jason," Freddie told her, stepping inside. "I was actually hoping I-I could ask you for a little help. It's about Sam's Christmas present."
"Oh, fun!" Carly said excitedly. "You want help deciding what to get her?"
"No, I know what I want to get her," Freddie said.
"Great," Carly said. "What?"
"I want to get her a real, uninterrupted, break," Freddie said.
"A-A break?"
"Yup," Freddie nodded. "See, um, ever since Jason has been born, Sam really hasn't had two seconds to just, well, relax. I mean just the other day I ruined the little free time she had by barging in with a screaming baby for her to take care of."
"Yeah, she-she does seem like she needs a break," Carly said.
"Exactly," Freddie said. "So I was thinking…this weekend I'd take her out for a really nice dinner at her favorite steakhouse. The kind with the thirty-ounce steaks and fifty types of steak sauce. Then I'm going to take her to the Chambrolet hotel, where she spend the entire night getting massages and foot rubs while she enjoys the best suit in the place all by herself. I'll stay back at the house with Jason all night, and I won't disturb her with any stupid 'crisis'.
"Whoa, she'll love that," Carly grinned.
"I know," Freddie said proudly. "Anyway, I was hoping you wouldn't mind watching Jason for us while we go out for dinner. I'd be back afterwards after I drop Sam off at the hotel, so it probably wouldn't be for more than a couple of hours."
"Sure, I love watching him," Carly said.
"Awesome, thanks," Freddie said. "I owe you one, Carls."
"No problem," Carly replied. "So what time is your reservation at the restaurant? So I know what time to be at your place."
"Oh, I didn't make a reservation," Freddie said.
"Well…are you going to?" Carly frowned.
"No, I never do when we go there," Freddie said.
"Yeah, but it's the holidays," Carly pointed out. "It's going to be packed. This time last year Spencer and I waited almost three hours just to get a table at the Purple Lobster."
"Eh, I'm sure we'll be fine; the managers at the steakhouse know me and Sam by name," Freddie said. "I bet they'd help us out. Just be at our place by seven and I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Well, okay," Carly shrugged.
"Great, thanks again, Carls," Freddie said. "Anyway, I've got to go. I'm supposed to be making a diaper run right now, and I don't want to keep Sam waiting. I'll see you Saturday!"
….
"Okay, there you go, Jason, all changed," Sam smiled as she snapped up her son's onsie and scooped him up into her arms. "You know kid, I think you get cuter everyday…you probably get that from me. Alright, what should we do for the rest of the night? Want to help mommy wrap presents? Or should we work on those Christmas cookies downstairs?"
"How about neither of those things?" Freddie grinned as he stepped into the room, along with Carly.
"What do you mean?" Sam frowned.
"I mean you are getting yourself a real break tonight, baby," Freddie said. "Carly here is going to babysit Jason while we go out for a dinner that does not involve one of us scrubbing spit-up off of our clothes or getting up to change a diaper halfway through the meal."
"Wait…you serious?" Sam said slowly, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.
"Yup, Merry-Early-Christmas, Sam," Freddie said, stepping over to his wife and kissing her. There's more, but I'll tell you all about it at dinner while you're feasting on a thirty-ounce steak."
"Dude, this is insane!" Sam said excitedly. "We haven't been out in forever!"
"Well go on, get out of here," Carly chuckled, taking Jason from Sam. "Have fun tonight."
"I-Yeah, okay," Sam nodded. "Well, um, I just fed him so he should be good for a few hours. There's formula in the fridge, diapers here by the changing table…if he gets fussy his pacifier and favorite rattle are in his crib and-"
"She's got it," Freddie promised Sam. "She's watched Jason before. And she has both our numbers."
"Well…alright," Sam said, giving her son a quick kiss on top of his head. "Bye Jason. Be good for Aunt Carly."
As the couple headed out to Freddie's car, Freddie hurried in front of Sam and opened up the passenger door for her.
"Wow," Sam chuckled. "You're really going all out tonight, aren't you?"
"Anything for you," Freddie said, leaning down and giving her a peck on the lips. "I want you to have the best time tonight. You really deserve it."
"It is nice to being doing something like this," Sam agreed. "Great Christmas present, Fredwad."
"And it's not over yet…" Freddie said.
When the two arrived at the restaurant, Freddie felt his jaw drop as he stared at the parking lot. It was beyond packed. It looked as if everybody in Seattle had come out to this very spot tonight.
"Why's it so crowded?" Freddie frowned, scanning the parking lot desperately for a spot.
"It's five days before Christmas," Sam pointed out. "Everybody's out with their families and stuff."
"Oh…" Freddie said lamely.
"What?" Sam asked.
"Okay, um, we-we might have a slight situation," Freddie sighed. "See, I-I figured we wouldn't need a reservation so I, um, don't have one. But that's okay! I'm sure if play my cards right I can get us right in! That's what your Uncle Carmine does every time he takes us out for dinner. That man's never had to wait for a table in his life."
"Well yeah, but, um, he-he's a bit more intimidating to a server than, well, you," Sam said.
"Come on, trust me, I'll get us a table," Freddie said, finally finding a parking spot at the very back of the lot.
Sam and Freddie entered the very, very crowded restaurant and made their way to the server that was taking down names.
"How many?" the server asked impatiently.
"Um, two," Freddie replied.
"That will be a four hour wait," he said at once. "Have a seat…somewhere."
"Four hours?" Sam repeated. "I'm starving!"
"Shh, baby, I got this," Freddie said. He cleared his throat. "Look, my wife and I are very frequent patrons here. In fact, the manager knows us. I'm sure if you bring Hal out he'd tell you to just place us a little higher on the waiting list and-"
"Hal's no longer manager," the server said simply. "He was fired three days ago."
"What? Why?" Freddie demanded.
"For letting people skip ahead on the waiting list."
"Ah," Freddie said lamely. He reached into his pocket for his wallet. "Well, um, perhaps a few dead presidents could do something then."
Sam let out a soft snicker, which Freddie chose to ignore.
"Sir?" the server frowned, looking at the bills in Freddie's hand. "Are you attempting to bribe me with…ten dollars?"
"Er, no, no," Freddie said quickly. "How's twenty grab you?"
"Sir, if you don't mind…we're rather busy tonight," the server said tiredly.
"But we-"
"Baby, come on," Freddie said, grabbing his hand and pulling him off. "I don't think you're gonna get anywhere."
"I-I can't believe this," Freddie sighed. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I should've listened to Carly and made a reservation, but I really thought we'd-"
"Just wait here," Sam said, flashing him a quick smile.
"Where are you-" Freddie started, but Sam had already started back over to the server.
Some 'perfect break' this is turning out to be for her, Freddie thought to himself miserably. Already I'm screwing things up. Now she's going to be starving and-
"Benson, party of two!" the server suddenly yelled loudly. "Benson, party of two!"
"Wait…" Freddie said slowly. "That's not-"
"Come on," Sam said brightly, coming back over to him. "We're being seated."
"But-But how-how did you-" Freddie sputtered, confused.
"Uncle Carmine taught me a thing or two," Sam shrugged, taking his hand.
The couple followed the server to their booth. As Freddie slid into his seat, he couldn't help feel a bit disappointed in himself. Once again, Sam had to swoop in and fix everything that he messed up. It looked like he couldn't do anything on his own…
"I've really missed the steaks here," Sam said happily, opening up her menu. "I remember when we went here when I was pregnant I couldn't eat anything without wanting to puke…maybe I'll get two steaks to make up for that."
"Er, sure, whatever you want," Freddie nodded.
"You alright?" Sam asked.
"I-Yeah," Freddie said quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. But-But tonight's not about me; it's about you! So are you fine?"
"Shoosh yeah I'm fine, Mama's gonna get some meat," Sam chuckled. Then she let out a long yawn.
"You tired?" Freddie asked.
"Duh," Sam said. "I'm always tired now. I can't even remember what it feels like to have a good night's sleep."
"Well…you will tonight," Freddie, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Huh?"
"That's the other part of your gift!" Freddie said. "Tonight you'll be staying at the Chambrolet, where you can get all the room service, massages, and other luxuries you want."
Sam nearly spit out her water. "Shut up! No way!"
"Yes way!" Freddie nodded, glad Sam seemed so eager. "Like I said Sam, you deserve this. You've been working so hard since Jason's been born and-and I really want you to have some time to just relax."
"Well is Carly okay staying with Jason all night?" Sam asked. "She's never babysat for more than a few hours…Does she know she won't be getting too much sleep? Oh, and we're going to swing back by the house first, right? I want to nurse him at least once-"
"Don't worry, Carly isn't going to be staying with him all night," Freddie said.
"Um…Jason can't exactly stay alone," Sam said.
"And he won't be," Freddie said. "Sam, the hotel room's just for you."
Sam blinked. "You mean you're not gonna be there?"
"Nope," Freddie beamed. "It's your break. Besides…I think you could use the break from me too."
"What are you talking about?" Sam frowned.
"Well come on, Sam, it's no secret that I-that I've been more of a burden than a help since Jason's come along," Freddie said. "I have to wake you up even when it's my turn to get up with him, it took me three weeks just to figure out how to get his diapers to stay on, and, well, I-I really can't do anything without you anymore. And-And I just feel terrible that you have to pull double around here now and take on all this extra responsibility."
"But that doesn't mean I want a break from you," Sam said. "Or Jason. Yeah, it's nice to have a break like this where I can just have a good time, but it's not like I'm being kept prisoner in the house."
"I-I know," Freddie said. "But still, you have to admit, you're doing everything lately. I-I can barely even feed Jason without asking you for help."
"Okay, I think you're exaggerating a little there," Sam smirked. "Look, it's not like you're just sitting around twiddling your thumbs while I run around taking care of Jason. You do help with him. You just keep second-guessing yourself with everything. But once you get more into the flow of things, you're going to be fine!"
"I-I still just feel like lately I've been, well, just an extra responsibility for you," Freddie mumbled. "Like I'm just adding to your stress load. Even here tonight I couldn't haggle our way in to a table. You had to step in and do it on the night that you were supposed to be relaxing."
"Well that was actually fun," Sam said. "But baby…how do you think I've felt for our whole relationship?"
"Huh?"
"I-I've always felt like I've added some extra stress to your life," Sam admitted. "You're always the one having to go out of his way to get me out of trouble, especially when we were dating. Even now you always have to fix the checkbook after I mess it up and you have to do all the bills because you know if I do them, we'll lose power or something."
"But-But you're so tired all the time," Freddie said. "And exhausted. I just wish I could do more to help you…"
"You do help me," Sam said. "You think I could manage running on three-hours of sleep each night and having spit-up constantly in my hair and all this other stuff if I didn't have you to lean on. Listen…you're always there for me, Freddie. And that's the biggest help of all."
Freddie looked down at his lap. "So…you don't think I'm some huge burden?"
"I think you're a lot of things," Sam said. "A nub, a dork, a bit too attached to your mom…but 'burden' isn't one of them."
She reached across the table and took his hand. "Listen, it was really, really sweet of you to get me that hotel room for tonight, but…I don't think I want to stay there by myself."
"You don't?"
Sam shook her head. "Believe it or not, you've grown on me, Freddork. But…all that talk of room service and massages did sound nice. So how about this? We eat our dinner, go get desert, and then we go back home, get Jason, and check into that hotel. It can be like our first little family vacation."
"You really want to?" Freddie asked.
"Yeah, I want to," Sam nodded. "I really want to."
