A/N: sorry for the terrible delay. Please keep reading and reviewing and I will try to update more often.
The party on the Northwestern was in full swing. The Hansen brother's moved throughout the gathering of people saying hello to new friends and old. Edgar pulled Samantha along behind him introducing her to friends and family members. Many of the family members smiled welcoming at Samantha sharing stories about Edgar's youth and making assumptions about the baby's height, weight and fishing ability. Sig pulled the boat slowly out into the harbor, the parade would start in less than an hour and he needed to get in line. His plan was to marry Samantha and Edgar after the parade, while everyone was still on the boat. He'd dismissed Norman's concerns and set Jake on him to make sure he didn't spoil the surprise.
"Jake, just give me a minute to talk to Sig" said Norman as he walked into the wheelhouse.
"Hi Norman" said Sig indulgently.
"Please call off your lap dog" said Norman.
"Not until after the ceremony. I need you to keep your mouth shut until then and Jake is the perfect assistant" explained Sig.
"I hate you" muttered Norman as he walked back down towards the galley.
Sig smiled happily and quickly got the boat in line for the parade.
Down on deck Samantha was starting to feel a little sick. She patted Edgar on the arm and excused herself to go to the bathroom. As she walked into the house she ran right into Norman. While Norman looked shocked to see her, it was Jake that noticed something was wrong.
"Samantha, sit down. Let me get you a glass of water" said Jake.
"No, I'm ok. I just need to go to the bathroom" said Samantha.
"Norman, go to the bathroom with her. Just in case" said Jake. "I'll get her a cold glass of water."
"I really don't need an assistant" said Samantha as Norman walked behind her.
"Well Jake said just in case" said Norman.
Samantha slowly walked down the small hallway and wedged herself into the tiny bathroom. Norman closed the door for her and waited patiently for her to finish. However, the moment she opened the door instead of moving to let her out Norman crowded into the bathroom with her.
"What the hell?" asked Samantha.
Norman closed the door behind him and tried to move to give Samantha as much room as possible.
"Sorry, but I need to tell you something" said Norman. "It's important."
"You are going to tell me, not make me guess through charades or something" said Samantha.
"Sig plans to marry you and Edgar on the boat today" said Norman in a rush.
"What?" said Samantha.
"He wants to marry you guys" repeated Norman.
"Why? He was so against it before" said Samantha.
"He said it will show his approval of your relationship" said Norman.
"Thanks for telling me" said Samantha clutching her head.
Norman was about to say something else when the door of the bathroom opened and Jake's head appeared.
"Samantha, come out into the galley and sit down and drink a glass of water" said Jake his voice full of concern.
"Ok" said Samantha weakly.
It took a few moments for Norman and Samantha to wedge themselves out of the bathroom. But when they finally appeared in the galley Jake had a small plate of food and a large bottle of water sitting on the table waiting for Samantha. She sat down and gratefully took a sip of the water. Jake pressed the plate towards her pointing to a small toast point with a cucumber balanced on top. Samantha obediently took a bite of the food and took another sip of water. When she'd finished the plate of food and the water she sat back and closed her eyes.
"Samantha, do you want to rest for a little bit?" asked Jake.
"Yeah, maybe just lie down for a few minutes" said Samantha sleepily.
Jake and Norman helped her up to Sig's stateroom and settled her into his bunk. Then they returned to the deck to tell Edgar where she was.
Edgar sat on the side of the bunk where Samantha was resting. She was still asleep and didn't show signs of waking anytime soon. Sig stood in the doorway anxiously awaiting Edgar's report. Finally loosing patience he charged into the room to stand over Edgar, encouraging a quick answer.
"She's sleeping" said Edgar.
"I can see that. Wake her up. I want to show you guys something" said Sig impatiently.
"Sig, she's not feeling good. I'm just going to let her rest until we get back to the dock and then take her home" said Edgar.
Sig ran a hand through his hair and counted to 10. These two were ruining his entire plan.
"I have a surprise for you guys" said Sig his voice taking on a whining quality.
"So give it to me. I'll share it with her later" said Edgar.
"I can't just give it to you. I need to give it to both of you at the same time" said Sig.
"Then you are going to have to wait for another day" said Edgar firmly.
"Ugh, you are so annoying" said Sig as he turned and stomped out of the room.
"For a second there I thought he was going to kick something" murmured Samantha.
"Are you ok?" asked Edgar.
"Not really. I'm exhausted and all the rocking is making me feel sick" said Samantha her eyes still tightly shut.
"We're almost to the dock and then we can head back home so you can rest on dry land" said Edgar.
"Ok" said Samantha.
Edgar walked towards the door, he was hesitant to leave Samantha alone even for a moment, but he needed to speak to Sig. He hadn't even gotten to the door when Sig appeared in the doorway.
"Is she feeling better?" asked Sig.
"I don't think so. She's probably a little seasick" said Edgar.
"I hope she feels better" said Sig.
"I'm sorry we ruined your plan" said Edgar.
"No your not, but you should be. It's a great surprise" said Sig.
"Yeah well, do you want to tell me what it was or do I have to wait to hear it from Norman?" asked Edgar.
"I wanted to marry you guys, like you wanted me to do before" said Sig.
Edgar smiled an easy smiled and pulled his brother into a hug.
"Thanks for giving us your approval" said Edgar.
"You deserve to make your own family and you couldn't have picked a better girl to do it with" said Sig. "I think she could do better, but apparently she really likes you."
"You are such an asshole" said Edgar.
Sig clapped Edgar on the back and walked back to the wheelhouse.
A few weeks later Sig found himself again on Samantha's doorstep in LA. He'd come at Edgar's request. Tentatively he knocked on the door wondering what on earth he was getting himself into. The door swung open revealing his youngest brother standing on the threshold wearing a polar fleece.
"Sig, you made it" said Edgar ushering his brother inside.
The moment Sig crossed into the foyer the chill of the house overwhelmed him. He looked down at the short sleeved shirt he was wearing and frowned.
"I hope you packed something warmer than that" said Edgar.
"It's freezing in here" said Sig.
"I know, but she's hot and it's her house" explained Edgar with a shrug.
"Where is Samantha?" asked Sig.
"She's working" said Edgar.
"She's still working? I thought she was on maternity leave?" said Sig.
"She is, but this is a small project and she's confident she can get it done before the baby arrives" said Edgar.
"Are you going to be back before the baby arrives?" asked Sig seriously.
"Yes, we still have a month" said Edgar. "I'm just going to help Norman out setting up tendering and then come back."
"I don't know why you think you have to go. Norman can do it himself" said Sig.
"Because I promised him I would help him. He's already taking over for me, it's my summer to run the boat. I don't want to leave him in a lurch" said Edgar. "Besides, Junior has a friend coming up to help, once he's trained then I'll head back home."
"How did Samantha take this little nugget of information?" asked Sig.
"She's fine with it. She even told me she wouldn't go into the hospital until I get back" said Edgar.
"That's a ridiculous promise. If she goes into labor I'm damn well taking her into the hospital if I have to throw her over my shoulder and carry her myself" said Sig.
"Good luck with that" said Edgar. "Come into the kitchen, it's slightly warmer in there."
Sig and Edgar were sitting in the kitchen eating at the counter when Samantha waddled into the room. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that said bun in the oven.
"Nice shirt" said Sig.
"Thanks" said Samantha. "Why is it so hot in here?"
"I just cooked something" said Edgar. "I made a grilled cheese for you."
Samantha's eyes lightened and her smiled broadened.
"Thanks" she said taking a bite of the sandwich.
Edgar got her a large glass of milk from the fridge and dropped a few ice cubes into it. She leaned over Sig to grab the glass rubbing her tummy against his arm. Sig was startled by the movement of her stomach.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Sorry about that. I don't really know my clearance" said Samantha patting her tummy.
"Was that the baby moving?" asked Sig.
"Yes" said Samantha.
She grabbed Sig's hand and placed it on her cloth covered stomach, he could clearly feel the baby moving around.
"Amazing" said Sig quietly.
"Alright, I'm going back to work. Thanks for the sandwich" said Samantha as she swept out of the room.
Sig lay in bed staring at the ceiling, he was tired but couldn't seem to get to sleep. He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and tried to warm up. Sig rolled over and glanced at the clock, it read 1:45 am. With a sigh he got up out of bed and began rummaging through his bag for another sweatshirt. As he slipped the sweatshirt over his head he heard a muffled curse coming from Samantha's room. Getting a little worried, he decided to just walk in and check on her. He walked across the hall and found Samantha trying to roll over in bed. Sig watched her for a few minutes as she attempted to make the turn onto her side.
"Edgar, where are you when I need you" muttered Samantha.
"Do you need some help?" asked Sig uncomfortably from the doorway.
Samantha stopped trying to roll over and began to struggle to sit up. Sig realized that she wasn't going to be able to do it on her own and quickly walked into the room and helped her. Once she was sitting up he sat down next to her.
"Are you ok?" asked Sig.
"No. I can't roll over by myself anymore and usually Edgar is here to push me over and now he's gone and I'm all alone and I can't do anything" said Samantha, her eyes starting to tear up.
"Hey, I'll help you roll over" said Sig.
"You have to sleep with me" said Samantha.
"I really don't think that's necessary" said Sig uncomfortably.
"No, I mean you have to sleep in the bed with me. I roll over a lot. I can't lay on my back anymore, it's one side or the other and I move a lot during the night" explained Samantha.
"Oh" said Sig.
"Well? Will you do it?" asked Samantha.
"Yes. Just let me get another pair of socks" said Sig.
"Why do you need socks?" asked Samantha.
"Because it's freezing in here" said Sig.
"It's not" said Samantha defensively.
"Antha, it's not this cold in Alaska during opies" said Sig.
"Oh please. Why don't you go get your fuzzy socks and your knitted shawl and meet me back here" said Samantha.
"I forgot my shawl at home" said Sig with a playful smile.
Samantha just flopped down on her back in response. Sig returned a moment later and crawled into bed next to Samantha.
"How many pillows do you have in here?" asked Sig.
"I don't know, I lost count after ten" said Samantha.
"Which way do you want to turn?" asked Sig.
"Just give me a push up, I need to go pee" said Sig.
"What? I just got in here" said Sig.
"Yes, well welcome to my world. It takes me 45 minutes to get comfortable and then I have to get up to go to the bathroom" said Samantha.
"Sucks for you" said Sig.
"Thanks" said Samantha throwing a pillow at Sig's head.
"Hey, don't hurt me. What if I need to drive you to the hospital" said Sig.
"I thought Edgar told you. I'm waiting for him to get back before I go hospital" said Samantha.
"So what happens if you go into labor here? I'm not delivering your baby" said Sig.
"Don't worry about it" said Samantha. "We have plenty of time before the baby arrives."
Samantha waddled to the bathroom and Sig tossed some of the pillows to the floor in order to give himself a little more room in the bed. The moment Samantha emerged from the bathroom she stared critically at the bed.
"Did you move my pillows?" asked Samantha.
"No" said Sig.
"Oh really, you know I have a chart so I can check to see what was moved" said Samantha.
"You have a fucking chart?" said Sig in shock.
"Did you move my pillows?" asked Samantha again.
"Fine I moved the fucking pillows. I'll put it back" said Sig.
"You don't have to" said Samantha as she climbed into bed. "I know it's probably crowded in here with all of them. Edgar always moves them."
"What the hell, why did you just get all over me about moving them" said Sig clearly frustrated.
"Because you looked so guilty when I walked into the room" said Samantha with a wicked smile.
"You are a psychopath" said Sig.
"Not psychopathic, just pregnant" said Samantha.
"Right, doesn't seem to be too much of a difference" said Sig.
Samantha spent the next few minutes getting comfortable and when she finally got settled she fell asleep almost instantly. Sig covered her with the comforter and closed his eyes. He was startled awake what felt like moments later by a sharp jab to the sternum.
"What the hell" said Sig.
"Help me roll over" said Samantha.
Sig cracked his eyes open and reached over to Samantha's arm and gave it a light tug. He quickly realized that wasn't going to be enough to move her and reached his arm around her waist and turned her the rest of the way over. She was now facing him, her eyes slightly teary and her breath coming in quick gasps.
"Thanks" she said breathlessly.
"What's wrong?" asked Sig.
"I was laying on my back, which makes it hard for me to breath" said Samantha.
After a few tense minutes her breathing returned to normal and she settled back into sleep. Sig watched her until his eyes got heavy and eventually closed on their own. The next morning Sig awoke with a start to realize that Samantha was no longer in bed. He panicked for a moment then remembered that he was in her house and she obviously wasn't in distress because she would have woken him, she'd had no problem waking him up during the night to help her roll over. The smell of cooking sausage wafted up to the bedroom and Sig quickly got up and headed down to see what was for breakfast.
Sig was dozing in the backyard enjoying the warm breezes of the late afternoon. He was also trying to defrost from the freezing temperatures of the house. Samantha had been turning down the thermostat almost daily. When Sig had last checked it was down to 55. He heard a yelp followed by a curse from the house and immediately sprang into action. The scene he walked into made his head spin. Samantha was standing in what looked like a huge puddle of water. Her eyes were wide as saucers and her mouth was open in shock.
"Oh my God!" yelled Sig. "Your water broke."
"What?" said Samantha snapping back to reality.
"Your water broke, it's all over the floor" repeated Sig. "I'm going to get your bag, we need to get you to the hospital."
"My water didn't break" said Samantha.
"Of course it did, it's all over the floor, your socks are wet" said Sig smugly.
"My socks are wet because my fridge is leaking" said Samantha calmly.
"Are you sure?" asked Sig. "Maybe you just can't tell."
"Oh I think I would be able to tell if a few liters of liquid came gushing out of my vagina" said Samantha.
Sig grimaced at her choice of wording.
"Besides" continued Samantha. "This water is cold."
Sig took a step closer and his toe touched the edge of the puddle of water, it was ice cold. He took another step closer to where Samantha was standing and once again glanced down at the spreading puddle of water.
"Let me help you out of the water" said Sig.
Samantha allowed herself to be helped off the kitchen's slippery tiled floor and settled into a chair. Sig grabbed a towel and mopped up the mess, next he tried to see the source of the leak.
"I think we should just call a repairman" said Samantha.
"I'm sure I can fix it, once I know what's wrong" said Sig.
"That's a very expensive fridge and it came with an equally expensive warranty" said Samantha. "I got the warranty so I wouldn't have to worry about something breaking."
"Fine call someone, but I'm telling you I could have it fixed in a few minutes. Who knows when someone will be able to come out and fix the thing" said Sig.
Samantha reached into a drawer and pulled out the warranty card, she made a quick phone call and a few hours later the repair was finished. Samantha smugly went upstairs to bed leaving Sig downstairs glaring at the now repaired fridge.
"I should just break it, just to wipe that look off her face" said Sig to himself.