Enjoy lovebugs ;)
Sam had gotten a look at his baby girl last night, and she was small, but she was so beautiful. She looked like her mother, but he could still see hints of himself there. Mercedes hadn't awakened yet, and that was when the worry was about to creep in. They were nearing the twenty-four mark, and yes, her breathing was steady, and her pulse was steady, but if she didn't wake up soon, there would be no use. Francine and Mary had decided to stay with the baby, while Deion and Dwight accompanied Sam in the hospital room with his wife. Sam sat by the bed and just stared at her, willing for her to wake up so they could be together again.
Flashback:
While people tended to assume that the most romantic place in the world was Paris, Sam thought it was London. The fantastic lights at night, the food, the culture, and the small British couple slang he had been introduced to. Even the tiny remnants of Harry and Meghan were romantic as far as Mercedes; he was growing more and more in love with her as they spent so much time together. They were walking the streets of London, and Mercedes jerked from him as she saw the Big Ben clock.
"Oh my God, Sam, it is so beautiful," Mercedes exclaimed.
"Yeah, but not as beautiful as you." Sam insisted.
"So smooth, Evans." She giggled as he pulled her in close for a kiss.
"I love you so much," Sam whispered against her forehead.
"I love you so much more," Mercedes replied.
Sam looked at Mercedes some more, reached into his pocket, pulled out the small velvety box, and opened it, showing the diamond ring. Mercedes put her hands up to her mouth and looked back at him.
"Mercedes, I know the way we met was not ideal and not romantic in the slightest. However, I love you, and I want nothing more than to be your husband, and for you to be my wife, and for us to have some kids. I want to grow old with you, and I want to do everything with you; I want to do life with you forever. So, will you marry Mercedes Jones?"
Mercedes swiped away the tear that fell, "I want nothing more than to marry you, Samuel Evans."
A few more hours had passed, and Mercedes hadn't woken up yet, but the group of five decided to switch shifts. Francine and Mary headed down to sit with Mercedes while Sam, Deion, and Dwight headed upstairs with the baby.
"You know," Francine began, "Mercedes never ever thought she would get married and have kids. Sure, she was with Sena for a long time, but after their breakup, she became nonchalant about marriage and kids. Sam really cracked her resolve. I hope she wakes up soon so they can name her. We have all just been calling her baby girl."
Mary made a weak smile, "She is going to wake up. As far as the baby's name, do you know if they had chosen any names? I know they had been waiting on the gender, but surely they had chosen two names before the baby was born."
Flashback:
Sitting in the bed of their Nevis home, Mercedes and Sam were trying to decide on names for the baby. While both were sure that they wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise, they still figured it was thoughtful of them to figure out two names just in case.
"What about Alex? It is unisex." Sam tried.
"Nope, too generic." Mercedes pointed as she smeared one of her apple slices in a dollop of peanut butter.
"For a girl, I was thinking about Aria, and if it is a boy, why don't we do Alvin," Mercedes added.
Sam thought about it as he took one of the apple slices, "I like Aria. However, I am not sure about Alvin. Maybe they will be one of those babies that we have to look at, and then we can figure out their name."
"Well, we already chose not to even look at their gender, so why not? I am fine with whatever." Mercedes insisted.
"I'm not sure, but I need my baby to wake up soon so we can name that beautiful child. I know I say this every time I see you, but I am truly glad that our children found each other. I mean Mercedes, she was all work and barely any play, and it saddened me. She got her work ethic from her father, and while it is a blessing, it is also a curse. She works hard and barely plays hard, but I am glad that Sam changed that." Francine complimented.
Mary smiled, "You know, in a way, Sam was the exact same way. I mean, sure, he would take days off and have a few beers, but barely did I ever see him really take time off to himself. That is why I was so happy when he first told me he was going to Nevis with Mercedes. However, I was surprised he just told me he was leaving the country with his girlfriend, and I knew nothing else of the matter."
Francine laughed, "Two sides of the same coin. Maybe that is why they work so well together."
Mercedes had been wandering in this space for a while. It was covered in white, and it was like some angelic island, and she felt safe, happy, and free amongst the animals, the clear blue sea, and the green grass meadows. It was something extraordinary that she never wanted to leave. However, she couldn't find Sam yet, and that is who she really wanted to see, and yet he was nowhere to be found. She was sitting on the grass, letting the symphony of quiet overtake her, when a figure sat beside her.
"I am really sorry, Mercedes," Kurt Hummell spoke.
"Kurt! What the hell! Am I dead!" Mercedes questioned.
"No, far from it actually, you just haven't woke up yet. I am probably the last person that you want to see, but Mercedes, I am sorry. I never took accountability for my own actions, and I ruined my marriage and my friendship. If I could take it all back then, I would, but this is my only way to communicate with you now."
"I don't understand," Mercedes admitted.
"Just know I am sorry, and it is time for you to go back home. To Sam, to your family and friends. You have to wake up now, Mercedes." Kurt insisted.
Mercedes's eyes slowly opened as she looked around and took in her surroundings. She was still in the hospital, and it was dark now, but she saw Sam sitting on the small couch with a thin blanket covering his torso. She remembered the C-Section and Sam yelling at the nurses that the babies were crying, but that was all some time ago, she was sure. She clicked one of the buttons on the remote to alert the nurse. Soon enough, Melodie was in there, and when she clicked on the lights, that was when Sam arose from his slumber.
"Hey, glad to see you are awake; I am going to get the doctor to come and speak with you." She smiled before exiting. Sam looked over at Mercedes and started breaking down in tears.
"Why are you crying, baby," Mercedes's voice came out in a weak whisper.
"They said after twenty-four hours that we would have to explore other options and baby, I don't ever want to walk this life without you. Not ever." Sam sobbed out.
"Baby, come here to me." Mercedes gently insisted. Sam stood up and knelt to Mercedes. She played in his hair with her free arm as his tears started to subside. She wiped the remaining tears, abandoning his head, before leaning down and kissing her husband.
"I am not ever going to leave you. I love you entirely too much." Mercedes smiled.
"Ok, and baby, she is here. She is so beautiful," Sam explained. The doctor came in and examined Mercedes, complimenting her for waking up. He checked her vitals to make sure everything was fine, and luckily everything was. A few moments later, Melodie had wheeled in their beautiful baby girl and assured both parents that it was okay to hold her. Especially Mercedes, since she didn't get to do the skin-to-skin contact with the child. Mercedes held the baby against her chest and looked up at Sam.
"So what are we thinking for a name?" Mercedes questioned.
"Do you still like Aria?" Sam questioned.
"No, I think I am leaning more towards Ember Aria Evans. Ember because it means the remains after an extinguished fire, and something tells me she is always going to rise to the occasion." Mercedes explained as Ember let out a sneeze.
"I love it, Ember Aria Evans."
Eight Weeks Later
Ember had been unceremoniously taken by both sets of her grandparents for the weekend. All four of them decided that it was time for Mercedes and Sam to actually complete Ember's room. For the past eight weeks, it had been nothing but making sure both Ember and Mercedes were fine, so much to the fact that Ember's room had gotten abandoned. Sam had moved their portable crib into the master bedroom, so the only time anyone went in there was to gather clothes and diapers. However, both Francine and Mary had insisted that they needed to get the baby's room done. This is why Mercedes was working on painting a sunset picture on the wall while Sam was organizing the baby's furniture.
"I can not believe they took our daughter and forced us to do her room," Sam grunted as he moved the rocking chair to the corner.
Mercedes snorted, "I know how dare they. Anyways, I am nearly done with this, so then I can get working on the closet." Sam looked over and saw Mercedes admire her work as she added a few more details. Once she put down the brush in the bucket of paint, he walked over to her and turned her to face him.
"Have I told you how much I love you as of late?" Sam questioned.
Mercedes sighed dramatically as her hands rested on his chest, "As of late, no, I started to think you wanted to divorce me."
"No, never; I would never do that to the woman I adore, cherish, love more than anything else. You, my dear, are a rare jewel in a sea of diamonds, and I am not really a fan of diamonds." Sam insisted. Mercedes reached up and kissed him.
"I love you more than you could ever know." Mercedes insisted.
"Want to go show me how much you love me in the bedroom?" Sam questioned.
Mercedes laughed, "Yeah, I think I need a little break anyway." Without further words, Sam had Mercedes on his back as he practically sprinted to their bedroom, and Mercedes laughed on his shoulder.