LOVE IS STILL THE ONLY DREAM I KNOW.
CHAPTER XIII: KNOCKED UP.
I´m sorry I took so long to review and I hope you enjoy this.
Thanks a lot to my genius Gem for beta reading this for me. You are the best ever!
And thanks for my darling Meral for all her support and appreciation :D Get well soon hun!
Love you both!
AND have an awesome 2012!
Seeing his mother on the floor, little Athos broke down crying. Sam put him down, trying to keep the head cold and do the right thing. He needed to save his wife. He had to save his son´s mother. The child crawled to his mother and attempted to pull at her hand, trying to wake her up. It barely moved.
"Ma-ma? Ma-ma?"
Sam sighed, mortified at the heart-breaking sight, and grabbed the phone. He assumed calling an ambulance would be better than taking her there himself since he couldn´t abandon Athos. They said it wouldn´t take over fifteen minutes. He hung up and picked up his son, cuddling him close.
"Don´t cry, Athos. Mommy will be fine."
"Ma-ma, ma-ma." He kept sobbing, pointing at Donna with his little hand.
"I know. We both want mama back."
Sam stroked her hair and placed it behind her ear. He caressed her cheek, her jaw, her soft lips. She was so… beautiful. It couldn´t be happening. He couldn´t cope with the idea of losing her.
"Be strong, my love, don´t leave. Hold on, for us. We love you. We need you. Stay with us. We love you so much."
He kissed her softly and cradled the baby closer. The toddler calmed down and closed his eyes, his worries softened by his father´s presence. The paramedics arrived in no time.
"Everything will be fine, little man."
.-.-.-.-.-
Sam sat in the waiting room with a restful Athos in his arms. The baby was sound asleep over his lap and he had been waiting for news for what seemed like ages. Stopping the increasing despair was not easy. To help ease the tension, he called the Villa to check on Azaria. He had left her with the cooking lady, promising he wouldn´t take long and he was growing worried. He talked to the girl, tried to sooth her down and promised a nice reward if she behaved properly, as the big girl she was. She asked for a wonder woman doll. Great. A superhero doll. Where will I get one?
For so many years, since his break-up with Lorraine, he survived as a bachelor, and now… he just didn't seem capable to do anything without Donna. Fortunately, Azaria was fine and eating her cereal. She was no trouble.
For the first time he felt it would be a relief to have even Tanya or Rosie around. Anyone to keep him company and talk to. But they were both miles away and worrying them with a call would be senseless, at least until he was told what was going on for sure. So a lonely wait it would be. He just needed anything to get away from his thoughts before they made his heart explode.
Sam focused on the TV, hoping it would help. They had it on some movie channel where they were showing a very praised film, The Iron Lady. He tried to pay attention to the movie and put a great effort to enjoy it. It was an extraordinary character. It was a wonderful actress. IT was a fabulous presentation. If they said Meryl Streep was the best living actress, she deserved it. He often wondered who was the non-living actress who deprived Streep from the best actress ever title. He thought she was so. (A/N: Just as I wonder myself…!)
The movie was awesome, and she indeed deserved the standing ovation. Especially because it kept his mind busy.
Athos then slowly awakened and yawned. Just in time.
"Hey, little man."
The baby responded with a loud, high-pitched cry. Sam sighed and started rocking him in his arms. What else was there to do?
"Don´t cry, don´t cry. Everything is fine. I´m here and mommy will be back soon. There´s nothing to worry about."
He tried pacing around, but his lungs didn´t take it any easier. He even tried singing, but nothing. He wasn´t Donna, he didn´t have her magic touch. She´s my angel… she can´t be gone. It wasn´t until Athos brought his little fist to his mouth that he realized it.
"Oh, that´s it. You´re hungry."
His agreement showed by crying harder. Sam sat down again and got the milk and the bottle out of the baby bag. He put the milk on the heating device and the baby finally calmed down when he was fed the warm white liquid. He realized having a baby as a single parent was hard. Finally, something made him oblivious of the situation and he didn´t see the nurse approaching him. She cleared his throat.
"Mr. Carmichael."
He turned to face her.
"Yes, yes. It´s me. How´s my wife? Will she be fine?"
"Well, she will feel dizzy and sick, and she might faint again. It will be long, it will hurt, but, yes, she will be fine at the end."
"Thank you. That´s amazing news. Thank you."
Wait… what will be long and what will hurt?
She smiled. "You´re welcome. And congratulations."
"What?" Sam asked perplexed. The nurse took Athos little hand.
"Seems you´re going to become a big brother, little one."
Athos giggled. Sam´s jaw dropped a mile. He repeated his question.
"What on Earth…?"
She gasped in surprise.
"Oh, my, you didn´t know yet. I´m sorry. I´m so sorry. She´s pregnant, Mr. Carmichael. That´s it. She will be really fine. She´s just… well, having a new baby."
"How long is she gone?"
"Three months."
"And everything is alright?"
"As far as we´re gone, yes. She and the baby are perfectly healthy."
"She has a heart condition. Is her heart fine?"
"Yes, her history said so. But we didn´t find any problem there."
"Oh, God, oh, God, this is so good. So we´re having another baby. That´s it."
"Yes, you are. Yay…!"
"Can we see her?"
"She´s still sedated, but yes, you can. She´s in room number 403."
"Thanks."
"Uhm… Mister, don´t you want me to take the baby to the nursery…?"
"No, he´s coming with me."
"But Mrs. Carmichael really needs to rest."
"She will really want to see her son."
With those words, he walked away quickly.
.-.-.-.-.-
Even when it was hard -eagerness was killing him- Sam waited for Athos to finish his bottle before he walked into the room. They would be less noisy then.
"We have to be very quiet, Athos. We can´t wake mommy."
He responded cooing and shaking his legs.
"Okay, I´ll take that as understood, Athos."
Sam slowly opened the door and saw Donna lying on the bed, with only a drip connected to her arm. The relief grew bigger and air seemed to finally flow in.
"Ma-ma." The little boy said. "Ma-ma, ma-ma."
"Yes, that´s mommy and she needs her sleep."
Sam smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I´m so proud of you, sweetheart."
Her face and hair were damp. He refreshed her forehead with a fresh cloth and lowered the AC temperature. Athos was frantically shaking his arms, trying to reach his mother. Sam laid the child next to her and wrapped her left arm around him before pulling up the covers. He looked to his mother, then to his father and pointed at her.
"Mommy is here."
Athos turned his attention back to Donna and grabbed a strand of her hair to get it into his mouth. Sam grabbed his hand and took the blond locks away. The kid pouted.
"No, Athos, you don´t eat mommy´s hair."
When his tiny hand reached again for the golden waves over the pillow, Sam moved them away from his reach and held his son´s hand, starting to sing again to get him to sleep. He watched his father intently, listening to every word, until tiredness became too much of a weight and with a cute yawn he surrendered to Morpheus´s land.
"Good boy."
With her child peacefully asleep in her arms, Donna slowly stirred. She blinked to adjust her tired eyes to the piercing light and smiled widely when she saw her baby boy. She kissed the top of his head lovingly and looked up to her husband.
"Were you just singing, baby?"
"I was trying to put him to sleep."
"But… you never sing."
"I don´t have your voice, but I didn´t want him to wake you."
"That is so sweet."
"Oh, yes, he´s so… adorable. Like you."
"I really meant you. You are so good to me and I´m so lucky to have you. And we´re so lucky to have him."
"Yes, we are very, very lucky."
"I´m sorry, I´m deeply sorry. I don´t know what got into me. It just hurts so much, and I… I don´t know what to do. It´s not fair on you, I know."
"You believe me, right? That I didn´t know about that note you found?"
"Yes, I do, I would trust you with my life, babe." She smiled faintly.
"Does that mean I can kiss my wife?"
"Of course you can."
He leaned and pecked her lips softly.
"I love you so much. Thank you for coping with me."
"The thing is I love you more." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh, are we going to argue about that again, Mister?"
"No, we´re not. I win."
"That is not fair."
"It is. Just don´t tell your husband."
"I won´t if you kiss me."
He leaned again, and this time, he kissed her deeply. She moaned, kissing him back.
"Please, promise you will never leave me."
He broke apart slowly and took her free hand in his. His other hand caressed her cheek.
"I will never leave you, my darling Donna. I am not complete without you. I know it´s hard. I nearly lost my mind when I thought I would have to live a single day without you. I know you´ve been on your own for a very long time, and I´ll always blame myself for that. But for the rest of my life, I´ll make it up to you. You will never be alone again. You have me, you have Athos, and…"
"I have you, Athos, and…?"
"Donna, what would you think about having another baby?"
"What?"
"A baby, you know, like Athos. But maybe a little girl."
"Have you lost your mind? I don´t know… I´m old… and I can barely handle him." She responded, stroking gently Athos´s head.
"That is completely false. There´s anything you can´t handle, honey; and you´re certainly not old. I can call our bed as a witness there."
"You play dirty." She blushed.
"Only when I play with you."
"Well, thanks to you things are a little easier now, true. But I´m forty already…"
"Forty? Are you joking? I want a divorce. I thought I married a twenty-some." He raised an eyebrow.
She laughed. "Oh, can you imagine, having to run behind two roadrunners?"
"We can hire a sitter if we need one."
"No, no and no. I´m not having a baby for someone else to raise my child. If I do it, we will do it on our own."
"And that´s perfect. We will both do it. It is worth it to have another miracle like this one."
She looked at Athos and cuddled him closer.
"You hit low, you know? I love him with all my heart."
"I know you do, honey. And I do too. I love you both. I´m playing all my cards."
"You really want this, don´t you?"
"Yes, I do. I want a family with you, baby."
"Can I think about it, please? I don´t want to disappoint you, but… this is just too huge."
"Sweetie, you can´t. We´re having a baby. It´s not an option."
"Are you pushing me?" She frowned, upset.
"I am not. I´m informing you."
"I don´t understand."
"Donna, you´re pregnant."
A/N: Thanks for reading and please review. Xoxo.