A/N: This is my first piece of writing in 25 years, and my first ever story written for pleasure, as opposed to class assignment. (Please leave kind and constructive criticism.) The characters and setting are obviously not my own. I was inspired to fill in the gap between Angela's Ex Part II and Eye on Angela.
Spring 1985
Sam rushed around helping her dad pack their few belongings into the old van before riding back to Oak Hills Drive on Sunday morning. It felt like a homecoming. She still missed Brooklyn at times, but Fairfield was growing on her. She was happy to return to the cozy Bower house, even if it didn't have tennis courts. To be honest, she had missed Jonathan. The feeling must have been mutual, because the boy threw himself at her as soon as his mother opened the front door. Then a lizard caught his attention, and he ran into the front yard to observe it.
Angela greeted the Micellis warmly, but immediately retreated to her home office. "Michael didn't like her working at home, so she's probably got a lot to get through," Tony explained to Sam.
"But her job is really important to her. How could he stop her?" Sam wondered.
"Well, maybe that's part of why things didn't work out."
Sam tilted her head and peered up at her dad. There was a lot about adults she didn't understand. "I'm going to unpack in my room now," she announced as she darted upstairs.
Tony took most of their boxes up and unpacked the essentials before turning to overdue housekeeping tasks. Jonathan shadowed him as he did load after load of laundry, made all the beds, and put away clothes and linens. Mona brought pizza, and everyone squeezed in around the kitchen table, just like old times.
Later that night, Sam woke up feeling like she had been punched in the stomach. She wondered if it was the three slices of pizza she had eaten. She hopped out of bed and flipped on the light, turning to see her sheets stained with blood. She ran out and knocked on her dad's door, but he didn't respond. Instead, Angela padded over, barefoot, pulling a matching satin robe over her blue nightgown. She curled a gentle hand over Sam's shoulder.
"Samantha? Are you ok, honey?" Angela looked down at the dark splotch on the back of the blue and grey rugby-striped nightgown. The distraught girl turned, allowing her to see the tears running down her face. Angela glanced through the open door of the brightly lit bedroom, her eyes landing on the unmade bed and stained sheets.
Crouching down, she asked softly, "Have you ever gotten your period before? Do you know what to do?" Sam shook her head, her face scrunched so tightly that she could not see the woman in front of her. Angela sighed, "Come with me, sweetheart. It's ok. I'll help you." She stood back up and put her arm around the girl, leading her into the primary bedroom, then further, into the pink bathroom. She gently sat her down on the edge of the tub. Sam doubled over and groaned.
"Do you want to get cleaned up? A bath might make your cramps feel better. I can grab you some new PJs and show you how to use a pad."
"I'm sorry, Angela. I shouldn't be keeping you up."
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't sleeping anyway. Let's just get you taken care of." Angela reached over and turned on the faucet. "Go ahead and get in the tub. I'll be back." Sam nodded, sniffling and wiping the back of her hand across her face.
Angela pulled the bathroom door shut as she exited, and Sam continued to sit for a minute, waiting for the bath to fill. She stripped off her PJs and sank into the water. It felt nice. She stopped the hot water and splashed her face with the cold, before turning that off as well.
Angela crept into Sam's still-lit bedroom. She pulled up the bed covers and turned to the dresser, opening the top drawer to find a pair of blue cotton panties, then opening and rifling through the other drawers until she found a dark pink flannel nightgown she had never seen before. It didn't look like Sam, but it would have to do.
She flipped off the bedroom light, closed the door, and crossed the hall. After retrieving a clean towel from the linen closet, she returned to her own room. She stood by the bathroom door for a second and listened. The faucet had been turned off. "Sam? Can I come in?" she asked, tapping lightly on the door. She didn't want to invade the girl's privacy.
"Yeah, go ahead." Sam was too upset and too tired to protest. She crossed her arms over her chest and sank down a little more.
Angela pushed open the door and saw that Sam was submerged up to her chin, with her hair sticking out in a short ponytail. She set the clean towel on the edge of the tub, walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a box of maxi pads. "Have the rest of this pack. I can get more. And if you ever need supplies when I'm not around, feel free to come in and grab some." She sat down on the pink carpeted step next to the tub and set the nightgown in her lap.
"This is how you do it. Are you watching?" Angela asked, as she held the navy blue panties with the last three fingers of her left hand and a maxi pad in the right.
"Uh huh," came the response. The water sloshed a bit as the girl sat up straighter, with her shoulders just out of the warm water.
Angela pulled the backing off the adhesive with her left thumb and pointer finger and smoothed the pad against the inside of the panties. "That's it. Easy. I'll leave you to get out when you're ready."
Angela set the clean nightgown and shielded panties on the counter and picked the soiled clothing off the floor, depositing it in her hamper. She closed the bathroom door and sat down on her bed. It had certainly been an eventful few weeks. She had been wrapped up in Michael until it was resolved that Tony and Sam would leave. The decision seemed to be out of her hands, and she missed them more than expected. She rested her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, too tired to continue ruminating on the structure of her family and household.
After a minute, Angela heard the water draining and looked up to see Sam in the doorway. She pushed herself off the bed and approached. "Are you feeling better? How's the pad?" she asked.
"Kind of like a diaper," Sam mused, as she waddled into the middle of the space.
"Well, that's how the overnight ones are. You can wear a smaller pad for daytime. You'll just have to check it every few hours." Angela paused, nervous about overstepping. "Your bed needs to be remade. Do you just want to stay with me tonight? There's plenty of room."
Sam's eyes widened, but she said nothing. Angela cringed, thinking the invitation had made her uncomfortable. After all, this was not her real daughter. She hoped Tony wouldn't be upset with her.
"Could I?" Sam asked. Angela nodded, relieved, and turned down the bed. Sam hopped in and pulled the covers up to her chin, grinning.
Angela went around to her side and turned off the light before climbing in. She was feeling extremely tired, but not sleepy. She stared at the ceiling through the darkness and recalled shopping for Sam's first bra just weeks earlier. It had been exciting to spoil a little girl, so different from mothering a little boy. Going through these female rites of passage with Sam made her nostalgic for something she hadn't quite experienced as a girl.
As if reading her mind, Sam whispered, "Did Mona help you when you got yours?"
Angela took a deep breath and sighed. "No, I was older, and away at school. All my friends had already gotten theirs, so they helped me."
"Marci hasn't had hers yet," Sam revealed. "She's gonna be so jealous,"
Sam's mind was restless. She didn't quite know how to express her feelings, but it felt important to try. "Angela? Um, I'm sorry that Jonathan's dad left again. My dad said he must not know how lucky he is. I mean, my mom never would have left us. She would have been here with me for this. You know?" she rambled, her accent growing stronger. "I just...it sucks for Jonathan, but I'm really glad my dad and I could come back here."
Angela reached over and found Sam's hand on top of the covers. "Samantha, I wish you still had your mom. And I wish Jonathan's dad would be there for him. But I don't want to be Michael's wife anymore." She squeezed the girl's hand. "I'm glad you and your dad are back, too. I missed you both." Her thoughts about exactly how much she had missed Tony were immediately banished. Listening for a response, she heard nothing but steady breathing. She relaxed, but kept hold of Sam's hand, whispering "It won't happen again. You'll always have a home here with me." It was a comforting notion, and she soon drifted off to sleep, as well.
When Angela awoke a few hours later, they were still hand in hand. She slowly got out of bed and crept into the hallway, pulling on her robe along the way. Tony was just coming out of his room. "I need to talk to you," she said.
"You're not kicking me out again already, are you?" he laughed.
"No, Tony. It's about Sam. She got her period last night."
"My little girl? No!" He rushed toward her room and pushed the door open.
"She's in my bed. It was late. You were exhausted. And this is the sort of thing moms usually handle."
"I'm sorry, Angela. I should have dealt with it." He rubbed his forehead in distress.
"Oh yeah? Do you have a box of maxi-pads?" she joked. "It's fine. I'm glad I could be there for her."
"Well, I appreciate it, but this isn't the sort of thing you signed up for. I'm supposed to be helping you."
"You get to deal with her sheets." Angela chuckled and gestured toward the bed. "And when Jonathan hits puberty, he'll need a man to see him through it. God knows his father won't be around."
"And you think I will?" Tony shot back. "Wait, that came out wrong. I want to be here whenever Jonathan needs me. And I know Samantha wants to be part of a family. Is that how you see things going?"
"Well, yeah. When you and Sam were gone, even though Michael was here, it didn't feel right. I know we haven't known each other that long, but you're already one of my best friends, Tony. And the kids love each other. Don't you think we should keep this arrangement going for as long as we can?"
"You bet!" Tony scooped Angela into a bear hug just as Sam emerged, rubbing her eyes.
"Did you tell him?" she asked, sleepily, as she drifted toward the two.
"Yes, darling. I hope that's alright." Angela half pulled away from Tony's grip and reached out for Sam.
"I'm so proud of you, baby!" Tony exclaimed as he pulled Sam into a group hug.
"I didn't do anything, Dad!" she responded.
"You're growing up. That's not easy. And it's not easy to let other people be there for you." Tony glanced at Angela, who stepped away and started pacing.
"Samantha, I know I hurt you when I let you and your dad leave. I'm sorry and I hope you can trust me again someday." Angela felt bad about how she had nearly destroyed their fledgling family trying to save her marriage.
"You don't have to be sorry." Sam said. "I know you care about me."
Angela immediately began to sob, as she bent down and opened her arms. "I do." The girl tolerated the emotional embrace. It wasn't entirely unwelcome.
Tony was impressed by the open display of affection. He couldn't believe how fortunate his daughter was to have such a warm and generous female role model. A smile took hold as he gazed at Angela. Her hair was disheveled and her robe had slipped off her shoulder, but she looked utterly content to have Sam in her arms.
When his daughter broke for the bathroom she shared with Jonathan, Tony found himself unable to stop looking at Angela, who was now standing and looking back at him with her eyebrows raised. She smirked and asked "What is it?"
He pulled the lapel of her robe across her chest to cover the distracting expanse of skin. "I'm just happy we're home."