fic: Moving On (5/20)
Two days before Christmas, Sam sat at the dinner table with Burt and Carole (Finn and Puck had taken Annika out to see Happy Feet 2 in the theatres) and all was silent until they heard a shuffling from the foyer and a familiar voice call out, “Hello!?”
“Kurt?” Burt called happily.
The three at the table abandoned their food (Sam slower because he was beginning to have troubles moving around thanks to his belly) and walked out into the foyer where a snow covered but still absolutely fabulous Kurt stood. He beamed at them, his many bags gathered around his feet, as he shed his jacket and scarf. “We thought you weren’t coming home,” Carole said, pulling him into a big hug.
Kurt just laughed and let himself be jostled between Carole and Burt. He received many hugs before they finally backed away, and Kurt and Sam’s eyes finally met. “Hey,” Kurt smiled, his eyes drifting down to Sam’s belly. “You feeling okay?”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded, slightly uncomfortable with how obvious Kurt made his glances.
“We’ve got dinner on the table,” Carole interrupted.
“Oh, no that’s okay,” Kurt shook his head. “We stopped to eat on our way home. Blaine drove,” Kurt explained. “Rachel and I caught a ride with him and pitched in for gas. It’s cheaper that way.”
“Well, we’re glad you’re home,” Burt insisted, giving Kurt a tight hug before walking back to the dining room.
Carole followed and soon Sam and Kurt were left alone in the foyer. “You want help carrying that upstairs?” Sam offered, pointing at the bags surrounding Kurt’s feet.
Kurt looked shocked that Sam would offer such a thing. “You don’t need to help,” he insisted. “You should be resting.”
“I carry Annika all the time,” Sam shrugged. “I think I can handle one of your bags.”
Kurt eyed Sam warily but agreed and handed Sam the lightest bag he could find. They walked upstairs and into Kurt’s room, where Kurt unceremoniously tossed himself backwards on his bed with a huge grin on his face. “What’s got you so happy?” Sam asked as he sat down in Kurt’s desk chair.
Kurt fixed his smile on Sam as he said, “I did it.”
Confused, Sam asked, “Uh…what?”
“You know…Blaine and I…we…well…” Kurt trailed off, waiting for Sam to catch on.
It took Sam a moment, but when he did, his eyes widened and he asked, “In front of Rachel!?”
Kurt burst out laughing at that and shook his head. He sat up on the bed as he said, “No, Rachel’s hardly ever around the apartment. I actually think she’s going to move out when we go back.”
“Where will she live?” Sam asked.
“With Jesse,” Kurt shrugged. “They’ve been dating pretty much since we started school there - and about a month ago Blaine and I did it for the first time and I think maybe she found out and that’s why she hasn’t been around as much either.”
Sam frowned and asked, “Is that why you didn’t come home for Thanksgiving? Because I know your dad said he’d give you gas money to come home…”
“Well when you put it that way it makes me sound horrible,” Kurt said, his smile fading. “We don’t do it all the time, but it’s nice - fun, even - and I’m glad I just let go and trusted Blaine.”
Sam didn’t really say anything. He was kind of jealous that Kurt and Blaine could do things like that without having to worry about things like Sam had to - it wasn’t fair and even though Sam was happy to have Annika and this new baby, he was still bitter about it all. Kurt frowned and said, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sam shrugged.
He didn’t really want any sympathy in that moment - it was the holidays and holidays were supposed to be fun and happy. Kurt asked where Finn and Annika were, and when Sam explained it to him, Kurt seemed surprised that Puck was so involved with them still. Kurt and Sam ended up talking most of the night as Kurt unpacked, even after Finn and Annika got home. Annika still wouldn’t let go of Finn, so it was pretty easy for them all.
The next day Kurt was sitting around teaching Annika how to use barrettes and ponytails (Sam made a mental note to get a short haircut so Annika couldn’t put his hair up) when Finn approached and asked, “Uh…can I talk to you?”
Sam instantly became nervous, because those words were hardly ever good. He nodded and followed Finn into the dining room, out of earshot of Kurt and Annika. “I um…I wanted to ask if you’d be okay with getting your Christmas present early because Burt told me what you want to get Annika and it would just be easier to do it before Christmas.”
Sam furrowed his brow and looked over at Finn. He hadn’t understood a word of what Finn had said, or at least what he’d meant. “What?” Sam asked.
“Okay, Burt told me that you want to get Annika a toddler bed, right?” Finn asked.
Sam nodded. He’d been planning to get her a toddler bed for Christmas so they could use the crib for the new baby. What this had to do with his own Christmas present, Sam had no idea. “Well,” Finn continued. “I was thinking that we could set the bed up for her so she can go see it on Christmas morning.”
“What does that have to do with my…?” Sam asked.
Finn cut him off with, “Just, hear me out, okay?”
Sam stopped and looked up at Finn curiously. “I have something for you guys, but for Christmas I wanted to…well…give you more space,” Finn explained. “I’m hardly ever around and you’re here all the time, and you’ll have the girls with you so I was thinking we could trade rooms. Then you’d have my bigger bed, and then Annika’s could go across the room next to it, and Burt measured and said the crib fits right in that little desk area that’s cut away from the rest of the room. My room is kind of huge and you’d all fit in it just fine, and then we could just leave the room you’re in right now for a spare bed for me and like, all their toys, because they’ve got tons.”
When Finn finished, he looked down at Sam nervously, wondering what he thought of it all. “That’s nice of you,” Sam admitted with a smile. “You don’t have to give up your room, though.”
“I want to.”
Sam pulled Finn into a hug, happy to hear that he insisted. If Finn was giving up his room to Sam and the girls, that meant he was thinking about his family, and if he was thinking about his family, maybe things were going to work out better than Sam originally thought they would. He smiled and said, “Thanks Finn.”
“So we’ll move stuff before Christmas, then?” Finn asked, his arms wrapping around Sam to hold him close.
“Yep. I’ll ask Carole or Kurt to take Annika out for a while and we can do it then. Annika’s bed is already in the garage - I bought it for her already,” Sam explained.
The day before Christmas, Carole and Kurt decided to take Annika to see Santa at the mall, leaving Sam, Finn, and Burt to rearrange Sam and Finn’s rooms. Sam didn’t do much because his back was hurting him so bad, but he didn’t feel too bad because he had some last minute gift wrapping to do anyway, even if all he was doing was shoving gifts in bags with tissue paper.
As it turns out, Annika cried and cried the entire time Kurt sat with her on Santa’s lap. The one photo they got was of Kurt frantically trying to shush Annika as she cried on a very confused Santa’s lap. Sam and Finn laughed quite a bit at the picture, but Annika just clung to Finn, frowning. She was rather whiny the rest of the night, and they all went to bed early.
Just as Sam expected, Annika was much more excited about the dresses and dolls she got from Kurt, Carole, and Burt than she was about her bed, but the real test would be that night when it was time to go to sleep. What surprised everyone was what Finn gave Annika, though, and Sam couldn’t help but think it was adorable even when Kurt complained about how annoying they were going to find it in two days.
He’d gotten Annika a little drum set; nothing fancy, just four pieces, and even though she was a little too young to play it now as Kurt had reminded Finn, he still thought it was a good idea. Finn knew that by the time Annika was big enough to play it, he’d be able to be around her and teach her, and until then she could just hit the drums randomly and annoy everyone while he was away at school.
Annika was well occupied in the living room for most of the day, and around mid-afternoon Kurt offered to keep an eye on her so Sam and Finn could hang out. Sam still hadn’t given Finn any sort of gift, and Finn had a little something for Sam to go along with the new room. Sam pulled out his gift for Finn first; it had been moved stealthily within his dresser so Finn hadn’t seen it when they moved Sam’s stuff upstairs. It was a long, thin box and Sam held it out to Finn. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
Finn looked down at the box then up at Sam. “Thanks,” he said with a smile, taking the gift and sitting on the end of Sam’s new bed to open it.
Finn ripped through the wrapping paper like a small child would and anxiously opened the box. Inside was a set of drumsticks. They were mahogany colored and were still in their plastic packaging. “Your mom said you’ve been looking at these forever,” Sam shrugged, sitting down next to Finn.
“But they’re so…”
“Nice,” Sam cut him off, not wanting to be told that they were too expensive. They were fancy drumsticks, one of the best pairs a drummer could own, and Sam didn’t need to be reminded of their price. How much the gift cost shouldn’t matter - Sam had learned that over the years - it was the thought behind the gift that mattered. “Do you like them?”
Finn beamed and said, “These are awesome. Thank you.”
Sam just nodded and they stared at each other, their expressions unreadable, before Finn jolted and grabbed his gift for Sam off the dresser. It was wrapped in shiny silver paper and topped with a red bow. He held it out to Sam and said, “This is for you.”
Silently, Sam took it from Finn and opened it slowly. The suspense was killing him, but he knew it was killing Finn too, and that art of the game was fun. When he finally unwrapped it, Sam pulled the lid off the box and inside was a picture frame masked by tissue paper. Once the tissue paper was out of the way, Sam looked down and couldn’t help but smile.
In the frame was one of the first photos of the three of them where they all looked happy. Annika was cradled in Sam’s arms and Sam and Finn stood together, their graduation robes bright red against the green grass and blue sky of the football field where the ceremony had taken place. Sam didn’t seem to be able to find words at first. He just stared down at the picture. “Mom took the picture, but I asked her to send it to me because I really like this one,” Finn said. He pointed down and the picture and said, “Even Annika is smiling. All of us are. We’re one big happy family, right?”
Sam nodded and looked over at Finn, a smile still playing on his lips. “Thank you,” Sam said earnestly.
Their eyes locked and Finn just nodded, connecting their lips slowly. Sam sighed into the kiss as Finn’s hand moved to cup Sam’s cheek. The kiss deepened gently, Finn’s tongue running just barely along Sam’s lower lip. Sam inched closer to Finn on the bed as the kiss became more heated, and he reached over for Finn’s lap, his hand resting upon Finn’s thigh. Finn moaned softly into the kiss and -
“Kiss!”
Finn and Sam separated quickly, their faces flushed, as they saw Kurt approach the door, chasing after Annika who had apparently gotten away. Kurt said a rushed goodbye to whomever he was speaking to on his cell phone (most likely Blaine) and muttered an apology. He scooped Annika up in his arms and said, “You need to leave Daddy and Papa alone sometimes, sweetie.”
“Kiss!” she squealed again.
“Let’s go play dolls, Annie,” Kurt said, walking away with her, leaving Finn and Sam alone once more.
They turned to face each other, a look of relief and amusement on their faces, before connecting their lips once more. It wasn’t more than a few seconds into the kiss when they were interrupted once again, this time by Annika’s screams of anger instead of her cries of amusement. They heard Kurt struggle with her, but it was obvious that she didn’t want to go play with him anymore. “Dada! Papa!” she screamed, crying against a struggling Kurt. “No! Dada! Papa!”
“Bring her here,” Finn called out, knowing full well Kurt had barely gotten a few steps down the hall with her.
Kurt reappeared in the doorway looking frustrated as Annika kicked and flailed in his arms, ruffling his hair that he’d spent so much time on that morning. Annika’s cries subsided as Finn reached out for her. Sam stood slowly and went over to the TV that they’d kept in the room. “Want to watch a movie with us?” Sam asked, turning around to face Annika.
“Yeah!” Annika clapped.
She looked up at Finn and he smiled, “Do you like movies?”
“Yeah,” she smiled, nodding enthusiastically.
Sam turned around again and asked her, “Which movie is your favorite, Annie?”
Annika looked at Sam and thought for a minute before she replied, “Avtar!”
Sam beamed proudly and looked at Finn, whose face was full of amusement. “Isn’t she a bit young for that one?” he asked Sam.
“I think she’s too young to understand any of it,” he shrugged. “It’s the scenery and explosions that she likes. It’s one of the few full length movies she’ll sit through, though.”
Finn looked impressed and Sam started Avatar in the DVD player as Finn changed Annika into her pajamas. It was late and she’d probably fall asleep while they were watching it. Sam and Finn changed as well, just switching into pajama pants before the three of them climbed into Sam’s bed and the movie began. Throughout the first half of the movie, Annika “oooh”ed and “ahhh”ed at all the scenery and exciting moments, but about halfway through her comments dissipated into light snores. Finn wanted to complain when Annika was making noises because the one time he’d watched Avatar with Sam, he wasn’t allowed to talk - that was Sam’s rule. That rule really sucked, too, because sometimes Finn didn’t really understand what was going on. Now Sam let Annika make noise during the movie whenever she wanted to? Sure she was cute and adorable, but still.
Finn kept his mouth shut though, and when the movie ended he looked over at Sam, who looked attentive even as the credits rolled, and then down at Annika, who was slumped against Finn’s chest, fast asleep. Carefully Finn scooped Annika up into his arms and carried her over to her new bed, lying her down underneath the covers. She snuggled in to her blanket and didn’t even fuss.
Finn pulled off his shirt and climbed under the blankets without a second thought. Sam did the same and they found each other in the darkness. Finn held Sam around his shoulders and pulled him close. Sam’s belly pressed against Finn and while he would have been embarrassed last time, he wasn’t now; it was just sort of something that they were used to. Finn’s lips met Sam’s lazily and they kissed slowly, the passion from earlier gone and instead turned into soft, gentle kisses. Neither felt the need to press for more, nor would they want to with Annika lying in the room near them.
Sam pulled away to take a breath and before Finn could stop himself, he whispered, “I love you.”
Sam smiled; he didn’t hear it nearly as often as he liked, and the reminder made his heart beat a little faster. “I love you too, Finn,” Sam whispered in reply, kissing Finn softly.
Their lips connected a few more times as they became more drowsy until Sam let out a soft hum and said, “I’ve missed you.”
He rolled over in Finn’s arms so Finn was pressed against his back, an arm draped lazily over Sam’s waist. “I’ve missed you too,” Finn whispered in reply.
Finn planted a soft kiss on Sam’s shoulder and sleep slowly claimed the two of them.
When the time came for Finn to say goodbye and go back to school, it was a little easier. It was strange for Finn to think that the next time he’d be home would be for the new baby, but it was the truth. Annika was a little better with saying goodbye. “I’ll be back when baby gets here,” Finn told her as he hugged her goodbye. “I’m just going to my other room. Remember the one you saw?”
Annika nodded and Finn said, “I’m going to stay there for a little bit and then I’ll come visit you again. How does that sound?”
She looked disbelieving, but she nodded, “Okay.”
“Good girl,” Finn smiled.
He kissed her forehead and set her down before turning his attention to Sam. “Remember, call me right away,” Finn said seriously. “I promise I won’t speed too much.”
“I’ll call, don’t worry,” Sam nodded. “I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”
Finn smiled and pulled Sam into a hug. Neither moved for a moment as they realized what would happen the next time they were in each other’s presence. Slowly Finn stepped away and said goodbye to his mom and Burt before he gathered his bags and walked out the door. Annika turned to Sam and asked, “Again?”
“He’ll be home again soon, Annie,” Sam insisted, carrying her into the living room.
Carole and Burt noticed that he was moving slower than he used to and they worried that maybe it wasn’t good for the baby. Carole decided to call Dr. Lopez before Sam’s appointment the following week and ask him to be sure that Sam could keep up the physical work he was doing. As Sam found out at his eight month appointment, he couldn’t. “I’d recommend minimal movement for the next month if we want this baby to be born full term,” Dr. Lopez told Sam as he turned off the ultrasound machine.
Sam sat up slowly and frowned. “You’ve already reached month eight, which is fantastic,” Dr. Lopez told him. “This is about where you were at when you had Annika. The vitamin regimen and medications we gave you have helped get you this far, but to be sure, I’d highly recommend minimal movement. I’m not restricting you to bed rest, but keep everything slow. If you feel any pains, give me a call, but I think we’ll be safe to call it good and we’ll see you in four weeks or when the baby comes. If you make it full term, we’ll induce you, but I don’t see it coming to that.”
Sam listened to Dr. Lopez’s instructions and decided that yeah, it was probably best he follow his rules even though Sam really thought he could work without many problems. He called in to his boss that afternoon and she was more than understanding of his situation. She was even so nice she assured him that his job would still be there for him after the baby was born.
Now it was a waiting game.
Annika and Sam sat home every day playing games, watching movies, and more often than not they would color. Kurt had given Annika crayons and giant Disney Princess coloring books and she was addicted. Her coloring was mostly scribbles, but Sam still smiled and thanked her whenever she would give him another picture. He appreciated them because they were from her, and even if she colored outside of the lines, they were precious.
It was the first week in February when the two of them began getting restless. It was a relief to Sam when he got a text message from Puck asking if they could hang out. Within two hours, Puck was at the front door looking worse for wear. “What’s going on?” Sam asked as he invited Puck inside.
“Puck!” Annika squealed, running into the foyer where Puck was shedding his letterman’s jacket. “Hi Puck!”
“Hey Annie,” Puck said, offering a weak smile as he lifted her up and held her as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
She wanted to be put down almost right away, and Puck and Sam watched as she scampered away. Sam turned to Puck slowly and gave him a questioning look, not wanting to push too much. “Lauren broke up with me,” Puck said with a frown. “I was really into her…like, I was faithful and I wooed her and stuff and it was all for shit.”
Sam didn’t quite know what to say to this. “I’m sorry,” he winced.
He wasn’t sure if it was the strange cramps he’d been having all day or what Puck had told him, but he was rather uncomfortable. They walked into the living room and Puck took the crayon that Annika was offering him. He helped her color Snow White as Sam asked, “What happened?”
Puck explained that Lauren just didn’t like being a state away from Puck, and even had the audacity to say that he was holding her back. Puck seemed pretty upset about it all, and he also seemed rather appreciative of how distracting Annika was. She was excited to have someone new to play with, especially since Burt and Carole were away in New York for the week to see Kurt’s first theatre performance at Juilliard.
Sam took some medicine for his cramping while Puck got Annika into her pajamas, and the three of them sat on the couch, Annika curled up into Puck’s side, as they watched Barbie Nutcracker for probably the fifth time that evening. When she had fallen asleep, Puck carried her upstairs to her bed. “You okay, dude?” he asked as he walked back downstairs.
Sam wasn’t okay, though, and he knew it. It was a week before his due date; it all hit him at once as Sam realized that this was it. He was going into labor and there was nobody around. “I…I don’t think so,” Sam shook his head nervously. “I…where’s my phone?”
Puck looked around and spotted it on the dinner table. He grabbed it and brought it over to Sam. “Shouldn’t we like, get you to the hospital or something, dude?” Puck asked.
Sam shook his head and dialed Finn’s number with shaking hands.
Finn was about to go down the hall to brush his teeth when his phone started ringing. His roommate Micah and a few of his friends were still playing Call of Duty, and they didn’t bother to turn the TV down as Finn answered his phone. “Hello?” he asked eagerly when he noticed it was Sam calling.
“Finn? It’s happening. You need to come home. It’s time,” Sam said between pants, his breathing already ragged as the pain hit him in strong waves.
“Wha…now!?” Finn shrieked.
He scrambled around his room and Micah finally paused the game. “I thought mom and Burt were gone though? Who’s there with you?” Finn asked, worry evident in his voice.
He tripped over his backpack as he scrambled to toss some clothes into his duffel bag. “Puck’s here,” Sam explained. “He can take me.”
“What about Annika? She can’t stay home alone and she needs to sleep tonight,” Finn questioned. A million things came to mind that needed to be done, and he couldn’t stand that Micah and his friends were starting to laugh at him. “I need to know what’s going on, Sam.”
“I…I don’t know I think…Puck is calling Santana to get her to stay here with Annika,” Sam explained as Puck spoke on the phone in the other room. “Then we’re going to call Burt and Carole on the drive there. You just need to get here, Finn.”
Panic filled Sam’s voice with the last sentence, and Finn nodded, forgetting that Sam couldn’t hear it. “I’m on my way,” Finn said bravely, tugging on his jacket while holding his cell phone with the other hand. “I’ll be there soon, I promise. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Sam said quickly, hanging up his phone.
Finn hung up his own phone and tucked it in his pocket before rushing out the door. “Where are you going?” Micah asked with a sneer. “It’s a Wednesday night. You have class tomorrow, dumbass.”
“I’m going home,” Finn shook his head. “I have to…it’s…”
He stammered through his words but didn’t care to explain anything else. Instead he rushed out of his dorm and down to his car.
Sam and Puck had to sit for barely ten minutes before Santana got there, and she looked wide awake and a little worried. “I told my dad,” she said to them as they walked out the door. “He’s on his way to the hospital. Let me know when I can bring Annika to see you guys.”
Sam nodded and Puck helped Sam walk slowly out to his truck. They drove across town faster than was probably legal, but they got to the hospital in time, and Sam was put on plenty of pain medications to dull the aches coursing through his body. Puck sat nervously at Sam’s side, wondering just where Finn was, and when he was going to get there…