*~o~*
After Sam's fiasco singing job at the Shady Lady Club, Sam decided to get a much less risque position. She found a family bakery and was soon hired. She decorated cookies and cakes and helped with the baking. Sometimes she even did some of the work at the apartment. It didn't pay near as well as the club, but at least the boss wasn't making passes at her and asking her to undress.
By now, Sam and Freddie had been living at the apartment nearly two months. Sam was just beginning to show. Her clothes were becoming a little tight and she knew it was time to go see a doctor just to be sure both she and the baby were healthy. The only thing that made her hesitate was that she and Freddie had no medical insurance. The doctor and check-ups were going to cost a fortune, not to mention the hospital and delivery costs when the baby actually came.
After asking around, Sam found out about a free medical clinic downtown. It was designed to provide low-cost or free health care to low income families in need. There was hardly ever a fee and sometimes the clinic only asked for a small donation. Sam headed there to see a doctor. She was feeling a little nervous because she remembered her first doctor visit and how awkward that had been.
But a kindly older gentleman introduced himself as Dr. Benson as soon as he walked into the room. He shook Sam's hand and made her feel really at ease. There was something about his eyes. Sam felt almost as if she knew him.
His last name didn't register anything to her at first. Surely it was only a coincidence that he had the same last name as her boyfriend, Benson... but as she walked back to the apartment, it suddenly dawned on Sam. Had she just met Freddie's father, Dr. Jonathon Benson? Freddie had never told her that his dad had been a doctor. Freddie hardly ever mentioned his dad. He had just seemed profoundly sad when he had told her that his dad had left when he was only four.
When Sam got back to the apartment, she found Freddie there. "I went to the doctor today," she told him. "And guess what?"
Freddie looked worried. "Nothing's wrong is it?" he asked when Sam said 'guess what?'
"You're both okay right?" he demanded.
"Everything is great," Sam told Freddie happily as she took his hand in hers and placed it on her growing 'baby bump.' "The baby is doing so good. I even got to hear the heartbeat."
"And the doctor set up another appointment for an ultrasound. It's tomorrow morning. Please say you will come," Sam said to Freddie hopefully. "I am so excited. We'll get to see our baby!"
"Of course I'll come with you," Freddie said relieved that everything was okay.
"I'm glad the baby is healthy," he said with a smile on his face.
"Me too," replied Sam as she snuggled up to Freddie. "I can't wait till tomorrow, when we actually get to see him... or her."
"There will be lots of surprises tomorrow," Sam told Freddie mysteriously. She then pulled him down for a long, luscious kiss.
Freddie wondered what kind of surprises but didn't ask. He hugged Sam back and returned her kiss. Surprises were a good thing, right?
*~o~*
The next day arrived and it was time for Sam's ultrasound appointment. She was so excited as she and Freddie held hands and were taken into an exam room. The ultrasound technician got everything set up as Sam lay back on the table with her tummy exposed. "Where is my doctor?" Sam asked.
"Ohhh, he'll be here soon," said the ultrasound technician. "Just relax. Are you ready to see your baby now?"
"I can't wait," replied Sam as she looked up into Freddie's eyes and the tech began applying some cool gel to Sam's stomach.
Freddie smiled at Sam. "I can't wait either," he said, not taking his eyes off of Sam. He hoped that Sam had a good doctor.
"Freddie, I think there is something I should have told you last night..."
Sam began as she lay there on the exam table. But it was too late, the doctor was coming into the room. All the sudden, Dr. Jonathon Benson stood there,
face to face with is long-lost son.
"Freddie?" Dr. Benson gasped. He hadn't seen his son in over a decade. Marissa had taken off with Freddie and hadn't let him know of their whereabouts.
Dr. Benson felt a mixture of shock and happiness when he saw his son, who now had become a man.
"OMG! It is you!" exclaimed Jonathon as he reached out to hug his son.
The doctor then turned to look at Sam. "Is... is this your girlfriend?" he asked Freddie. Perhaps he wasn't just being reunited with his son... it looked as though he were about to become a grandfather as well.
Since Freddie was too shocked to speak immediately, Sam replied, "Yes, I'm Freddie's girlfriend. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner... but I wanted to be sure that you were in fact, the same Dr. Jonathon Benson whom is Freddie's father."
Sam then looked at Freddie. "Forgive me for not telling you last night..."
she spoke.
Freddie hadn't said a word but it was finally starting to sink in. "You knew this whole time?" he asked, his voice was far from happy as he looked at Sam, and ignored his dad. How could Sam do this to him? Didn't she know how much pain his father had caused his family; why would she want to bring him here to have them meet face-to-face? It just didn't make any sense to him.
"I found out yesterday," Sam replied to Freddie's accusation. "I just had to be absolutely sure. I didn't want to get your hopes up about your dad...
until I was certain it was true."
Freddie didn't look too happy right now, and Sam felt bad. She knew that Freddie had grown up without his dad present, just as she had, but maybe she had been mistaken in thinking he would want to see his father again. "Freddie,
please don't be angry," Sam said to him. "Dr. Benson... I mean, your dad, he's a nice guy. And- he's your DAD."
"Freddie, will you please give me a chance to explain some things?" Dr.
Benson spoke up. "You're my son. My only child. I care about you. And I care about Sam... and the baby." It had been years since Dr. Jonathon Benson had seen his son, and he didn't want to ruin this opportunity to get to know Freddie.
"You could have come to me this morning or whenever the hell you were absolutely sure this man was my father!" Freddie said angrily.
He turned to look at the man. "It's YOUR job to care about a baby coming into this world. As for explaining, I don't want to hear it. I'll be in the waiting room," Freddie said and turned to walk out of the exam room.
He was so mad; he wished he could call Carly and tell her. She would make Sam see that this was wrong and unfair of her to have kept a secret like this and hurt him in the process.
Sam visibly winced as though Freddie had slapped her. He had never, ever spoke to her in that way before. Not even during their "fighting," or play arguing when they had been younger. Automatically, she got tears in her eyes.
She wiped them away quickly with the back of her hand, hoping Dr. Benson would not see them. "What's with me?" she thought to herself. "Is it being in love ... or is it the pregnancy hormones?" Sam had never cried this much in her life, not even when she was a little girl and her daddy had packed up and left the family.
"I'm sorry," Sam started apologizing to Dr. Benson. "I don't know what's gotten into Freddie. I've never seen him this way before..."
As Sam was looking at Dr Benson with remorse in her eyes, he too was looking at her in concern. "Don't worry about it, Sam," Dr. Benson said, trying to comfort her as he patted her hand. "Freddie will come around. He just needs time."
Sam lay her hand gently on the swelling bump of her tummy. She then glanced at the ultrasound machine. "I can't do this now," she spoke, referring to the scheduled ultrasound. "I gotta go talk to Freddie."
"I understand. Just call the office whenever you want to make a new appointment," said Dr. Benson.
"Thanks," said Sam. She honestly didn't know what else to say.
After Dr. Benson left the room, Sam got up off the exam table and hurried to get her clothes on. She then walked into the waiting room, looking for Freddie. She had a sad look on her face when she found him sitting there,
waiting for her. "I'm ready to go," she said softly.
Freddie rose from his seat and headed out with Sam. He didn't say anything to her as he was still very upset with her. He couldn't believe that she would do this to him. He thought she knew and understood him, but apparently he was wrong.
Neither Sam nor Freddie spoke on their way back to their apartment. Probably it was best, since Sam figured Freddie needed a little time to cool off. Right now, he looked absolutely furious with her, and it scared Sam a little. What if he was so mad, he left her? Could she raise their baby alone?
When they stepped into their apartment, Sam gently closed the door behind them. She immediately began apologizing to Freddie. "I'm so sorry, Freddie,"
she began. "I thought you would want to see your dad. You see, my dad left when I was little... and I never wanted him to go. I still miss him very much... and I want to see him."
"Dr. Benson is so nice and I thought-"
"I mistakenly thought maybe you would want to have some sort of relationship with your own father."
"But I can see you don't, so I can find another doctor. Whatever you want... just please don't be mad at me anymore, Freddie. Please," Sam pleaded as she gazed into his hard, dark brown eyes. She loved him so much and her heart was breaking that he was angry with her.
"You had no rightm Sam," he said as he looked at her. "You should have come to me to ask me if I wanted to meet my dad, if I wanted to have a relationship with him. I am fine without him; I don't need him. If you want him to be your doctor that is your business, Sam. And it's not a good idea to go around changing doctors either."
Sam shook her head, looking at Freddie as the tears automatically came back into her eyes. "I won't cry," she said to herself stubbornly, but she couldn't control it. Her emotions were all ajumble.
"I thought I did have that right, Freddie, as I carry your child and that man is our baby's grandfather," Sam spoke. "I should have told you the minute I suspected, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you. I actually thought you would be happy."
"I'm sorry I misjudged your reaction. And I'm sorry you are blaming me for this whole thing, when I never meant to hurt or upset you. You never talked about your dad much... never told me you were so angry with him. I didn't know..."
"But now I do, so I can't keep going back to him at the clinic. You couldn't even stay in the same room with him so he could preform the ultrasound and we could see our baby."
"It's our baby, Freddie, not just mine, OURS... and I won't go through that alone. I wanted to see our baby together... both of us. If you can't stay in the same room with him long enough for a sonogram, what happens when I go into labor?"
"Are you going to wait in the waiting room? No, he can't be my doctor. I am going to have to find another clinic, another doctor," Sam spoke, as the tears began rushing from her eyes. She walked over to the couch then, taking a seat. Her legs couldn't hold her up a moment longer. It had been a long and emotional morning. What had started out as a great day had turned into something totally ugly. And they hadn't even gotten to see the baby. Thinking of that, Sam started to cry. She hid her face in her hands, fearing that Freddie would never forgive her and that she may never find another doctor who would take her case considering she had no medical insurance. What would she do?
"Gee Sam, one would assume that if you don't talk about a person you'd want nothing to do them or even want to think about them. I didn't need to talk about him and be angry for you to realize how I felt," Freddie spoke with a heavy sigh. "Look don't cry, alright? It doesn't make sense to change doctors; he's already treating you. I will go and be there with you but only if he doesnt talk to me about anything other than this baby. I don't want him to try and make up for lost time and try for a relationship with me."
Sam wiped away her tears, cautiously looking at Freddie. Maybe he wasn't so angry now or at least she hoped. She remembered her mother and father always arguing and being angry, and then one day, her dad just left. Her dad had been good to her and Melanie, and Sam really missed him.
"Okay, I'll call Dr. Benson tomorrow and explain everything. We can set up another ultrasound appointment. I'm 14 weeks now, so we should be able to get a good view of the baby," said Sam. She almost added that Dr Benson would understand; he was a nice guy, but didn't dare say that now, as Freddie couldn't stand him.
"Freddie, I really am sorry," she said again. "Forgive me? Please?"
"I forgive you, but don't do anything like that again," he said. "Seriously, I don't like it. And I want what's best for you and our baby, Sam.
After you reschedule your appointment just let me know." He took a seat next to Sam upon the couch.
Sam nodded. She never hoped to make Freddie that angry again. Ever. When he sat next to her on the couch, she slowly moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest. "Will you tell me what happened, Freddie? Between your mom and dad?" she asked softly. "We never talked about it before... and now that we are a couple and we are having a baby, I need to know. I will tell you about my family, if you tell me what happened with yours."
Freddie sighed. "Alright," he said after a moment. It was only fair he tell her.
So he gave her the story or at least all that he knew had happened between his parents. Sometimes however, he felt as though pieces were still missing in the entire story, but maybe it was better for him not to know.
"Do you know why your dad left?" Sam asked Freddie after he told her what he knew of the past. Something didn't seem quite right in Freddie's story, as if something was missing.
She decided she would ask Dr Benson first chance she got. At least she could hear his side of the story.
"I only know what I told you. I dont know anything more," Freddie said. "I'm really clueless as to why he'd leave." He actually didn't even really care at this point. The man was out of his life and he was determined it would stay that way for him.
Sam shrugged, because she didn't know either. She only knew her parents'
situation. "My mom got drunk a lot... just like she does now. She didn't work and my dad worked all the time. When Dad came home, she'd be passed out.
They would fight. And it was scary," explained Sam. "One night they had this really big fight... Dad went to work, and he never came back."
"Melanie and I waited, but he never came. Sometimes it seems I am still waiting for him..." Sam said softly. "But I guess he's not coming back."
"I'm sorry," Freddie said. "That's terrible. It's hard when a parent leaves you behind like that. But if he's not gonna be there for you, then you don't need him.
It's his loss for walking out on you and Melanie like that."
"We didn't need our mother either. She was nothing but a dead-beat. She neglected Melanie and me," said Sam. "She's a terrible mother. I never want to be like that. I'm going to love and cherish our baby and take the best care I can of him or her." Gently Sam placed her hand over the small mound which was she and Freddie's unborn child. Already she loved the little boy or girl,
and she hadn't even seen it yet.
"Why do you think my mom didn't want us, Freddie? Me and Melanie?" Sam asked him sadly.
"Some mothers just cant handle it," he said gently. "They can only think about themselves. I think your mom was one of those self-absored types. But I want you, so it doesnt matter that she didn't."
"Yes, we have each other... and Melanie... and Carly, and soon a beautiful new baby to love," agreed Sam. "But sometimes do you miss your mother,
Freddie?" Sam wasn't really sure how Freddie felt about his mom as he had hardly ever mentioned her since they have moved into the apartment. Sam was sure that Marissa Benson was still looking for them. What would happen if she ever found them?
"I'm fine without her, Sam, and I'd rather not talk about her. When I want to talk about something I will talk about it," Freddie pointed out.
"Okay, so what subject is safe to talk about?" asked Sam as everything she had brought up today seemed to hit a sore spot with Freddie. "What would you like to discuss?"
"The baby is a safe subject. What do we need to get for him or her? We really should start our shopping otherwise it'll have nothing when it gets here," Freddie said.
Sam smiled when Freddie mentioned the baby. "I've been saving a little money from my paychecks so we can buy a few baby supplies," Sam replied. "We'll need a crib, a carseat, clothes... I'm really not sure what all a baby needs."
"I think we should go shopping as soon as possible and get at least the necessities. Some of the ladies at the bakery even hinted they might be throwing me a baby shower," Sam told Freddie. "And Melanie is so excited about being an aunt. She's been asking what the baby needs."
"Well, let's get what we can, and I'm sure everyone else will get you things, too,"
he said. "So we should be covered. Whenever you are free we can go shopping."
"I'm free right now!" Sam said with happy eagerness. "We were supposed to have our ultrasound today, so I took the day off at the bakery. We may as well use this day doing something worthwhile like shopping for the baby. It will be fun! And sort of like a date..."
"We can even get something tasty to eat at the mall. I'm starved," Sam said with a giggle. "Again." For a moment, she had forgotten all about Dr. Benson and that big fight she and Freddie had after he had found out her doctor was actually his estranged father.
"That sounds great," Freddie admitted, forgetting about his dad and the fight now.
Then he laughed," Alright, let's do some shopping and feed you both," he teased.
He got up and grabbed the keys, waiting for Sam so the two of them could go.
Sam went into the bathroom and brushed her hair then grabbed her purse off the coffee table. "Let's go," she said, taking Freddie's hand in hers. She was really looking forward to some carefree shopping time. It was so exciting, thinking about purchasing some items for their baby. The baby would be coming in about five months. Sam was anxious to meet the little one who had taken residence in her womb.
*~o~*
OOC: You got to see Freddie have a moment of anger in this chapter. His father having left the family all those years ago is a really sore spot for him. In later chapters, more about this subject will come to light. Hope you're enjoying this story and don't forget to REVIEW. Thanks!