Chapter Sixteen
"Sam! What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Isaiah" Naomi asked in a near panic. She quickly looked over her son. He didn't appear to be sick or in any pain, but he did look grumpy and irritated.
It took Sam several seconds to respond. He was having an extremely difficult time getting past the fact that Naomi had male company so late at night. Not just any male company; it was Jake Reilly. In addition to recognizing Naomi's guest, Sam also couldn't help but notice the state of their clothes. They were rumpled and crooked, like they'd been discarded and thrown back on in a hurry. Sam's gut clenched, twisting so hard he almost felt like throwing up. It's not that he was jealous or even cared that Naomi dated but…this whole situation unsettled him. Holding Isaiah a little tighter, he shook his head "No, he's fine; health wise at least. This guy" Sam started to explain, poking Isaiah in the stomach "is just in a very bad mood. It wasn't until Maya tried to put him to bed that we realized Mr. Blue was still at your house. We tried everything to distract him but he's just so damn stubborn. So after hours of fighting with him, and losing, I finally put him in the car and decided to drive over. I didn't realize you had plans this evening. I apologize for interrupting". Sam looked Jake up and down out of the corner of his eye.
Naomi had temporarily forgotten Jake was standing next to her; once she'd seen her son, everything else had taken a backseat. Now that she had been reminded of her present situation, she became uncomfortable and self-conscious, like she had been caught doing the walk of shame. She fought the urge to straighten her clothes. 'Stop it' Naomi mentally chided herself. There was no reason for her to feel embarrassed or guilty. This was her house and if she wanted to have sex, she would have sex…eventually. It didn't matter whether Sam knew or not nor did he have the right to an opinion. Their personal lives were off limits to each other. "It's fine. Jake was actually just leaving. I would make introductions but I think you two already know each other".
Jake stood a little straighter. He had always been a confident and self-assured man but the tension between Naomi and her ex-husband was disconcerting. It fed into his theory that whatever Naomi was avoiding was preventing them from having a real shot. But whatever was going on between them was evidently oblivious to the both of them. "We've run across each other a few times at the hospital. It's nice to see you again Sam" Jake said diplomatically.
"Likewise" Sam nodded, stepping into the house. He turned his attention back to Naomi. "If you'll just tell me where the bear is, I'll grab it and we'll be on our way".
In spite of the awkward situation, Jake found himself smiling at the baby that Sam held in his hands. Clearly, Isaiah had other plans; he was reaching for Naomi. "I think your son has other plans" Jake commented, echoing his thoughts.
Naomi and Sam looked at Isaiah at the same time. "Zay, this is not our night. What happened to you being a good boy for daddy" she admonished, though her heart wasn't in it. Isaiah only tried harder to get to her and Naomi would be lying to herself if she didn't admit she wanted to hold him. She bit her bottom lip. "Do you mind Sam? Just for a few minutes".
Sam shook his head at Isaiah but couldn't help smiling. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought his son threw a temper tantrum just to see his mother. "Sure, I guess it won't hurt" Sam obliged, handing him over.
"What's going on with mommy's baby" Naomi cooed as Isaiah flung himself into her arms. She kissed him on the cheek and rubbed his back. Looking up at Jake, Naomi gave him a rueful expression. "You want to meet mommy's friend? Say hi to Jake" Naomi prodded. Isaiah took one look at Jake and turned his head in the other direction. He grabbed at Naomi's dress and begun to whine. "Wow" Naomi exclaimed. "You really are in a bad mood. I'm so sorry about this Jake. Normally, Isaiah is very friendly".
"It's fine. He's probably tired and just wants your undivided attention. I can't say that I blame him. Hopefully we'll get to try it again some other time. He's adorable Naomi". Jake headed towards the door. The air in the room was getting thicker by the second. He needed his own space and time to regroup. But in the back of his head, he did feel slightly apprehensive about leaving Naomi alone with Sam and their love child.
"I hope so too and thank you" Naomi said genuinely. "Have a nice night Jake".
"You too Naomi". Jake smiled back, equally genuine. Despite his uneasy feelings, he wasn't ready to throw in the towel. "I'll call you tomorrow". Out of respect and civility, he glanced at Sam. "Goodnight Sam".
"Night Jake, take it easy" Sam responded, waving politely.
Naomi walked over to the door, opened it, and then slowly closed it after Jake had stepped past the threshold. Taking a quick pause, she turned around and walked back towards the living room, not bothering to look at Sam. Naomi already knew he would follow and there was bound to be a discussion. "That wasn't very nice Isaiah" Naomi chided. "What's wrong"?
"So...you and Jake" Sam said quizzically as he stepped into the living room. He caught the half empty bottle of scotch sitting on the coffee table out of the corner of his eye.
Isaiah was still whining and had begun to fidget. Still not looking up from her son, Naomi asked "was there a question somewhere in there"?
"Not so much a question as an observation" Sam said cryptically. He was observing a lot of things; like the partially undone zipper on the back of her skintight dress.
Naomi rolled her eyes but didn't say anything; she was not going to be baited. If Sam wanted answers, he was going to have to ask direct questions. And even then, she wasn't obligated supply those answers. Isaiah tugged at her dress again, making it clear what he wanted. However, she was in no position to give it to him after drinking for the last few hours. She'd have to wait almost a full day before her milk was clean again. "Mommy can't breastfeed you right now" Naomi said, kissing Isaiah and rocking him. "Besides, it's the middle of the night; you should be asleep, safe and sound at daddy's house". She finally turned and looked up at Sam. "Mr. Blue must be upstairs in his crib. I didn't notice it anywhere else in the house today".
"Really Nae"? Sam smirked. Was his ex-wife really going to skip over talking about Jake like he was never there?
"What Sam" Naomi said exasperated. "That's what you came over here for, right? The bear is upstairs. Why don't you go get him so you can get Isaiah back to bed".
Sam nodded his head, disbelief covering his face. Apparently she did plan to skip over it. "Fine, I'll be right back".
As soon as Sam left the room, relief swept through Naomi's body. Then Isaiah's whines turned into a full-blown meltdown as he began to scream and cry and Naomi's stress reappeared instantly. "What is wrong with you? Daddy will be right back" Naomi said, her eyebrow arched in concern. Isaiah tugged at her dress once again. Naomi was beginning to believe that he had been using breastfeeding more as a form of comfort than food lately. She would have to start weaning him soon. Time had sped by; Isaiah was already eight months old. "Come on Zay-Zay, everything is all right. There's no reason to cry" Naomi said softly as her son continued to throw a fit. Remembering she had some frozen breast milk in the freezer, she walked towards the kitchen. Taking a bottle out, she walked over to the sink and ran the bottle under a warm stream of water until it unthawed. Naomi could barely get the bottle to his mouth before Isaiah began drinking in greedy gulps. He grabbed the bottle with his chubby little hand and rested his head on his mother's shoulder. "That's better" Naomi cooed.
Drifting into the kitchen, Mr. Blue in his hand, Sam looked on in amazement as his son ate ravenously. "This boy is going to eat both of us out of house and home. He eats all the time and acts like every meal is his last".
"Tell me about it" Naomi agreed. "But it still doesn't make sense why he is so upset. This isn't like him".
"I know. In truth, he was fussy all day, like he couldn't get comfortable" Sam admitted. "The more I think about it...do you think he's teething"?
The light clicked on in Naomi's head. "I think you're right. It would explain why he's so restless and irritated. I guess we didn't realize sooner because Maya was so..."
"Different" Sam said, finishing her sentence. "She barely ate or moved. Isaiah is acting the exact opposite. He can't stop eating or moving. Man, they don't lie when they say every child is different". Sam closed the gap between him and Naomi. Gently, he tucked the bear in the crook of Naomi's arm next to Isaiah. He patted Isaiah on the back and kissed him on the forehead. He tried to ignore how close his face was to Naomi's and the stray strawberry scented hairs that brushed his face. But he couldn't ignore the scent of Jake's cologne all over Naomi's dress. Sam had been prepared to let the subject of Jake drop, but it was impossible to now. He wanted answers.
"They sure don't" Naomi managed to get out. She wished Sam would back up a few steps; his closeness was making her feel as restless as Isaiah.
As if reading her thoughts, Sam obliged and took a few steps back. "At least he's doing better now, if only for the moment. You seem to have a natural calming effect on him".
Naomi looked at him, confused. Even though his words were complimentary, Sam's voice had turned cold and expressionless. What was his problem? "You're giving me too much credit. I think food is what has a calming effect on him" she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Sam didn't crack one smile, not even a tiny little grin. "How long have you been seeing Jake" he asked, not beating around the bush.
"Excuse me" Naomi asked, caught off guard. The quickness in which Sam had changed the subject back to Jake had a dizzying affect.
"How long have you been seeing Jake? You are dating him, right" Sam asked, mimicking her earlier sarcasm.
"What if I am" Naomi asked defensively, avoiding Sam's question. She didn't know what she and Jake were doing. After tonight's events, the picture had become hazier instead of clearer.
"Don't you think I have a right to know"?
"No" Naomi responded indignantly. "Sam, I realize we're trying to work on our communication and I think we've been doing a good job so far. It's been great reconnecting with you over the last month. I hadn't realized just how much I missed you as a true genuine friend. But I think part of what is making our new friendship so successful is that we've agreed to stay out of each other's personal lives. I don't ask about your relationship with Addison and you don't solicit any information about your relationship either. And as long as she's treating Isaiah properly when he's with you, I don't need to hear anything about her. The same goes for me and my personal life".
"I understand and even agree with what you just said. But you also proved my point on why I have the right to know; because of Isaiah. You might not hear any intimate details about me and Addison, but you know we are together. You know who is around Isaiah when you're not present. You've neglected to give me the same courtesy. It's not like I asked you how long you've been sleeping with Jake. I asked if and how long you've been dating him because I have the right to know who you've been bringing around our son".
'There it was' Naomi thought to herself. Sam was trying to be sly but she could tell he was curious as to how far things between her and Jake had gone. Naomi was sure his concern for Isaiah was authentic, but he was using it as a scapegoat to retain more information. It was still none of his business. If and when Naomi slept with Jake, it would stay between her and Jake. Sam was going to have to use his own assumptions to satisfy his curiosity. He shouldn't care anyway. And Naomi shouldn't be feeling defensive for keeping her private life private.
"Naomi" Sam shouted, snapping his fingers. "You have nothing to say" he asked, looking bewildered.
Naomi blinked her eyes, as if coming out of a trance. She hadn't realized she blanked out. Isaiah, who had begun drifting off to sleep in the middle of eating, stirred from Sam's raised voice. Naomi took the bottle from him and placed it in the sink. She rubbed his back and rocked him as Isaiah wrapped his arm around Mr. Blue and settled into the crook of Naomi's neck, closing his eyes again. She looked back up at Sam and sighed. "Jake had never met Isaiah before tonight. And if you had never shown up on my front door in the middle of the night, I don't know when I would have introduced them. Regardless, I would never bring anyone new around Isaiah I didn't trust or without letting you know. You're his father Sam and I respect that".
"Not even in the hospital" Sam asked skeptically. A tiny forgotten memory had resurfaced. He remembered asking...no, yelling at Naomi demanding to know who had sent flowers and balloons to Isaiah's hospital room. Sam winced when he thought about his behavior. Though his anger had been justified, he'd crossed the line more than once and he now regretted it. Pushing back his remorse, he continued "it was Jake that sent gifts to the room. Why would he send gifts if he never met Isaiah? How did he even know Isaiah was in the hospital"?
"Sam, are you serious? A baby showed up in the emergency room whose parents wound up being a divorced couple, as well as best friend and boyfriend to one of the most reputable doctors in Los Angeles. Add on the fact that the father had no idea the child existed previously and you have a full blown scandal on your hands. It was impossible for Jake not find out about Isaiah; everybody found out about him. We're still the hot topic of gossip around the hospital. Hell, between you, me, and Addison, we've single handedly given them something to talk about for years. Our triangle of a dysfunctional relationship fascinates them. Isaiah just added fuel to the fire". Naomi took a moment to catch her breath. She'd started off in a calm voice but had gotten more agitated as she went on. If she kept going at her current pace, she was sure to disturb Isaiah, who had finally fallen asleep. Sam's face looked stricken by her words. "Look, I'm not trying to dredge up the past. I'm just trying to reassure you that while Jake was aware of Isaiah, they had never met. There was no chance encounter or incident that slipped my mind. Jake was just being a nice considerate guy".
Sam sighed in relief. "Thank you".
Naomi was still on edge. "You're welcome".
Noticing her tense posture, Sam stepped closer to Naomi and lightly touched her cheek. "I'm sorry Nae. If it seemed like I was attacking you or accusing you of doing something wrong...that was never my intention. I guess I got a little crazy and possessive. You're an incredibly beautiful and sexy woman; men always have and always will flock to you. And that's fine. I just don't want Isaiah to ever forget I'm his father; I don't want another man replacing me in his heart. Deep down, I know you wouldn't let that happen but the idea still scares me". Sam's voice was trembling as he stared at his peacefully sleeping son.
She hardly registered his compliments; what he'd said next was too potent. Sam's confession punched Naomi in the gut and punctured her soul. His words were riddled with pain; a pain deeper than what they were talking about. It was as if Sam not only feared being replaced, but that he already knew how devastating it felt. But who had he lost that affected him to such great magnitudes? Naomi knew Sam's past like the back of her hand and couldn't recall any such person hurting him like that. And it certainly couldn't be...Naomi immediately shut down her train of thought. She placed her free hand on Sam's chest to console him. "You're Isaiah's father; you Sam. Nothing or no one can ever change that. If there's ever someone I deem special enough to be a permanent fixture in my life, I'll be the first to let you know. And I'll be damned if I let any man affect the relationship you have with you son, okay"?
So Jake wasn't special enough Sam deduced; at least, not yet. But he saw the way Naomi looked at him; had smelled his scent on her. It was very possible they could grow into something more. Sam didn't want to think about it; he wanted to concentrate on Naomi's words of comfort. He took her hand in both of his and squeezed it tightly against his chest. His heart was racing. "Okay. Thank you Nae".
Naomi felt her own heart going haywire. She ignored it and kept talking. "It's going to be fine, I promise. I might not show it, but Isaiah being around Addison is really hard for me. But you know what helps me cope"?
Sam was shocked. Naomi never seemed to break a sweat whenever Sam picked up or she dropped off their son. "I had no clue. What do you do"?
"I focus on Isaiah. I look at the way his eyes light up and the smile that spreads across his face when he sees me. He knows who we are and no one can make him forget that easily".
Sam smiled as he thought of the way Isaiah jumped into his arms. "You're right". He kissed Naomi on the cheek, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted. "I guess it's easy to be when you're so unforgettable, our son manipulated me into bringing him to see you in middle of the night" Sam teased, his sense of humor returning.
Naomi laughed. "It was the bear and you know it. You're pretty memorable yourself" she reciprocated, as her laughter faded. They stared at each other for what seemed like an unending moment until Naomi broke eye contact. She glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was almost three am. "Well, it looks like this little guy is finally out for the night. You should probably get him home before late night turns into early morning".
"Yeah, you're probably right…again" Sam joked halfheartedly, a little shaken from the intense moment. He turned his attention to Isaiah. "Alright buddy, let's go" he whispered as he gently removed Isaiah and Mr. Blue from Naomi's arms. Isaiah began to cry and complain in his sleep but as soon as Sam embraced him in his arms and laid his across his chest, Isaiah settled down and went quiet again. "I'm starting to get offended" Sam said, shaking his head.
"He just doesn't feel well so any and everything is bothering him; like being moved in his sleep. But he'll be fine". Naomi grabbed one of his little feet and kissed it. "Goodnight Zay-Zay. Mommy will see you tomorrow". She trailed behind Sam as they walked to the front door.
"You know, you never did answer my question".
"What question" Naomi asked.
"Sam stopped at the door, his hand on the handle. "How long have you and Jake been dating? Has it been since he came to the office a few months back"?
"No personal discussions Sam. That's a rule we agreed on and should stick to" Naomi reminded him for the second time.
"It's just one simple question" Sam shrugged. "What's the harm? I'm just being a nosy friend who cares".
Naomi couldn't help but let a tiny smile slip. At least he was admitting his nosiness instead of hiding behind Isaiah this time. "I appreciate it. Goodnight Sam".
Sam smiled too, knowing despite his best efforts, he wasn't going to get an answer. He leaned over to kiss Naomi on the cheek at the same time she reached up to do the same. When their faces collided, their lips came dangerously close to touching. As if time had stopped and stood still, they froze in place with their cheeks pressed tightly together; their faces slowly but unquestionably turned towards each other. Then Isaiah hiccupped in his sleep. Time started up again; Naomi and Sam jumped back immediately. "Go..Good…goodnight" Sam stuttered, opening the door in a hurry.
"Yeah, goodnight" Naomi repeated in a daze as she closed the door and hurried up the stairs, forcing herself to forget what almost happened.