Many thanks to Phish Tacko for beta'ing this and coming up with so many good ideas for it!

Ch. 26

Sam was very bored. Ever since he'd found out he was pregnant, he'd stopped working, and since the incident where he'd fainted, Joon had been watching him like a hawk and forcing him to rest all the time.

At least at first he'd had Edward and the kids to hang out with and watch while Joon was working, but this week Edward had decided to finally go back to class. He had not gone back since the bullying incident with the other student.

So, Sam was staying home with the kids. He played with them for a bit in the morning but now they were all napping. In the time since he'd got to sleep, he'd tried to entertain himself. He'd watched some television, and had played some solitaire, and had made himself a bunch of mashed potatoes to eat – mixed with vanilla ice cream, of course – but now he was full and tired of watching television, so he was lying down on the couch and staring at the clock.

Joon would be home in three hours, and Edward would be home in two.

Sam wondered if he would go crazy if this is how every day was going to be for the next seven and a half months.

A sound at the front door distracted him from his thoughts. It sounded like someone was scratching at the wood. He knew that sound. Edward sometimes scratched at it if he was frustrated or trying to pick the lock to get in if Sam or Joon accidentally locked it. Knocking was not really an option for him.

Sam stood up and walked over, opening the door to see Edward standing there, as he'd expected.

He had not expected the younger man to have a black eye, though.

"Edward? What happened?" Sam asked, concerned. He let Edward inside the house. It was clear that the dark haired man was close to crying, so Sam led him to the sofa and sat him down. "Why do you have a black eye?"

Edward looked at him sadly, but said nothing. He was afraid that Sam might get angry at him.

"Let me get you some ice for it," Sam said, standing up. He walked to the kitchen and returned a few moments later, holding a bag of frozen peas. "You can lie down."

Edward nodded, and laid back, resting his head on one of the throw pillows. Sam took a seat on the edge of the couch next to him. "Close your eyes," He instructed.

Edward closed his eyes, and Sam held the ice to his skin. The younger man sighed in relief as the cold package took some of the pain away.

"Tell me what happened," Sam said again, once Edward seemed to be more comfortable.

"You're going to be mad," Edward said softly. "I don't want you to be mad."

"I'm not going to be mad. Am I ever angry at you?"

"No…"

"So tell me."

"This guy at school today… well he followed me," Edward started.

"Where'd he follow you?"

"Through the hallway. He's in my sculpture class. He dates the girl who said I ruined her sculpture…"

"Okay…"

"We had just left class, and he pushed me up against the wall and he hit me. He's bigger than me, so I couldn't get away."

Sam's jaw dropped. "What?! Did anyone help you?!"

Edward shrugged. "No. I didn't expect them to."

"Did you defend yourself?" Visions of Edward stabbing some teenager were racing through Sam's mind, and he was starting to get nervous as to where this was going.

"No. I just let him hit me. I thought you and Joon would be upset if I hurt him back."

Sam sighed. "Edward… you did the right thing. You could hurt someone very much if you wanted to, so I'm glad you didn't, but we can't have people bullying you like that. Did you tell the professor?"

"He saw it."

"And?"

"He didn't say anything. He doesn't like me."

Sam frowned. "I know. He's not a good person. I wish people would look past your hands and see the person inside. You're a good guy."

"Thanks."

Sam shifted the ice pack a bit, trying to cover more of the bruise on Edward's face. Edward flinched as he did this.

"Does that hurt?"

"It's sore," Edward replied.

After a moment of silence, Sam spoke up again. "Joon and I would understand if you didn't want to go back. We wouldn't be upset with you."

"If I don't go back, they will win." Edward stated, as if it were obvious. "I don't want to let them win."

"I understand. I suppose we'll have to talk to your professor again."

"It doesn't matter."

"I guess you're right."

There was another long silence. Sam kept holding the makeshift ice pack on Edward's face, hoping that the swelling would go down a bit. A few minutes later, he realized why Edward was being so quiet. His breathing had evened out and he'd fallen asleep. Sam pulled a throw blanket over him, but didn't leave his side.