Without a price?
Chapter 1
Sam was happily watching her little infant daughter sleep in the crib she bought the other day. Sure she would never carry her blood, but she didn't care. The baby was an angel sent from God, she was sure. She could not remember being this happy for the last month or so. It felt good.
The person who requested the private adoption had given her a few supplies the mother had. Apparently she wanted ever so much to raise her daughter, but had gotten sick a few weeks after childbirth. She would die a week later, from what was not said. The father had abandoned her during the pregnancy and therefore the child itself.
She would take care of it though, she promised the person who delivered this little miracle that. They only had one request and that was to keep her first name as Eleanor. Soon it would be Eleanor McCall. She was still working on finding a middle name for the child, if she wanted one at least. She had not decided yet.
The adoption was not quite official yet, there was still some paperwork that needed to be done. But she had the right to take the child home with her, to see if the baby was comfortable with her and Sam was comfortable with Eleanor. The first time she had held and looked at the baby, Sam had fallen in love.
She was such an adorable little child, a little too quiet though. That was expected, however, as time would go on she was reassured that she would become more vocal. It was a transition for everyone, a beautiful one. She could not wait to hear its laugh or see its smile.
Sam looked across the room at the ticking clock and saw that quite a bit of time went by already. She would have to awaken the child soon; they needed to be off to the hospital. Eleanor needed to be registered at the hospital, and she had gotten the medical file from the last place. The baby seemed completely healthy, but one could never be so sure.
She was also told it might look better when the final paperwork went through. She needed to be presented as a mentally stable mother dedicated to the care of this child. She was determined to be that as well. The child needed someone to care for her and love her, and Sam just wanted to be loved for who she was. It was a perfect arrangement.
She had barely left her apartment for the last couple of days, only going when something was necessary. She probably needed to stock up on supplies after the hospital but she thought it smart that she see if the baby needed any medication before doing so. No sense wasting gas and money on two trips. This little bundle of joy would need both if Sam was to take good care of her.
Because she had not gotten out yet, no one really knew of Eleanor. Today was the day though. She was going to show all of them how great of a mother she would be. She would make a stand saying the only relationship she wanted was a motherly one. She was dedicated only to her child, no man. It would stay like that until she wanted it otherwise, which was not in the near future. Who cares what everyone else will think? She was a mother of an angel named Eleanor and a proud one at that.
And that was exactly what she represented when she stomped into the hospital, carrying a baby carrier in her hand and a baby bag over her left shoulder. Taking the elevator up, she took a deep breath and exited as soon as the door opened. She walked to the counter where a nurse was.
The nurse looked up from what she was writing and saw Sam. "How can I help you?" She asked.
"My daughter has an appointment with a pediatrician." Sam told the nurse.
The nurse turned to look for a file when Sam told her daughter's name. "There is no file for Eleanor McCall." The nurse replied.
"She has never been here before, she is a new patient." Sam answered.
"Then you need to fill out this paperwork. Include a birth certificate or some sort of identification for the child." The nurse responded, and then looked down at the carrier in her hand. "Are you the birth mother?" She asked.
"Adoptive," Sam said, fully expecting that question from the beginning.
"You will also need some identification saying you are its legal guardian." The nurse explained, and Sam took the paperwork and went to the sitting area to fill it out. Working through the applications, she glanced often at Eleanor, making sure she was okay. She was fast asleep every time, and showed no signs that her dreams were nightmares. As she finished, she saw Bobbie approaching the nurse's desk, taking over the shift.
She quickly piled the pieces of paper, took the carrier and bag and approached the desk. Sam handed her the papers. Bobbie looked through them and looked up at her. "You adopted?" She asked, as she shuffled them into a folder, marking it with "Eleanor McCall".
"Yes, I did." Sam answered and Bobbie nodded her acceptance to that. Sam was glad that she did not try to comment on how quickly she did. And it was not actually that long, a month and nearly two weeks was plenty of time. You also had to jump when you have the chance, because she was far from the only one who wanted to adopt. She did and she did not regret it one bit.
"Dr. Macken is with another patient at the moment, but will be done soon. Take a seat over at the waiting area. Someone will approach you when he is done." Bobby instructed her and Sam did as she said.
As she sat down, Eleanor started to fuss so Sam took her out of her carrier and into her arms. She reached into the baby bag and pulled out a bottle, assuming she was hungry. She was right; as Eleanor busily started sucking on it. Holding the bottle and watching her feed, she did not see Jason stop by her until he spoke up.
"You adopted a little girl?" Jason did not know why he was surprised, but he was.
Sam looked up at her former beau and saw his presence. Sam looked back at her daughter when she started fussing when Sam's hand let the bottle leave its mouth. She made it accessible again and answered Jason. "I did. Her name is Eleanor." She introduced the two.
Jason took the seat next to her. "Mother did not want her?" He asked, as he glanced at the baby's head. It had some hair on it, so it must be more than a month old.
"Actually she did, she just got sick and died. The father abandoned her during the pregnancy." Sam explained, she added that second part knowing Jason would ask that as well. Answering both at the same time would save time.
"Then it's good she has you then." Jason replied. "I always knew you would be a good mother."
"You did, though I have wondered in the past few days just how good of a mother I am." Sam responded, glancing at Eleanor, "I have no idea how to read this kid yet." Sam, still to this day, was amazed to see how easily it was to talk to Jason, even after everything. She could tell her deepest worries to him and know he would not tell anyone else them.
"Like everything, it takes time and experience." Jason commented, comfortable in this conversation.
"Yeah," Sam agreed and looked over at Jason. How easy it would be to fall in love with him again…. Sam snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Eleanor fuss again. She took the bottle, put it back in the bag and put the child on her shoulder. She gently patted her on the back so the child could burp. Then the child was satisfied again in Sam's arms, just looking at her surroundings in silence.
Sam thanked Eleanor's timing. Her thoughts were getting out of control. There would be no men for her. She was dedicated to Eleanor and her only. She could not fall in love, could not start a relationship. She didn't mean that, Sam convinced herself, it was just the overflowing emotions of the child and the lack of sleep she has got recently. Yeah, that was it.
Jason stood up and glanced at his watch, judging it she guessed. "I have to go; I am to meet my sister for dinner tonight." He told her and Sam nodded. Emily now had an apartment in New York City. Jason would have had to calculate travel time in there.
As Jason left, the doctor approached her and introduced himself. Sam in turn followed the doctor to where her daughter would be checked on.
Author's note: Hey guys, thanks for all the good reviews. I'm glad you liked the prologue. I only hope I can keep it up. I do have a warning though: I am in summer school. This is my last three weeks in it, so I really need it to concentrate. So I can't exactly promise another update in the near future. But it is possible that I will get really sick of the research paper that I have to write and need to blow of some steam...
FYI: This is going to be mostly AU. Do not count me on using the other storylines going on at this time, because I do not remember them.