fic: Moving On (6/20)
“Sam, we’re prepping the ER right now,” Dr. Lopez said as he walked into Sam’s hospital room. Sam was breathing heavily and had taken to squeezing Puck’s hand since Finn still wasn’t there. “We’ll be able to take you down the hall in about ten minutes and then you can meet baby number two.”
Sam looked panicked and shook his head. “No, no no, Finn isn’t here, we can’t do this yet,” he winced and squeezed Puck’s hand.
“We can’t wait much longer than that, Sam,” Dr. Lopez shook his head. “It’s going to be dangerous if we do.”
With a frown, Sam nodded and looked at Puck, “If he’s not here I need you to go with me. I can’t do this alone.”
Sam looked pale and weak and Puck knew it wasn’t his place, but he couldn’t leave his best friend alone like that. He nodded and said, “I’m going to go call Finn and see where he is first, okay?”
Sam nodded and leaned back against his pillows, pain coursing through him. Puck walked out into the hall and dialed Finn’s number quickly. The phone just rang without any answer, until Puck heard a ringtone emanating from down the hall. He stood and looked around the corner to see Finn bolting down the hallway. “Get in there, dude!” Puck practically shouted. “You were so close to missing this.”
Finn slowed down and nodded. “Is he doing okay?” he asked Puck.
“He’s fine, just get your ass in there before he has a freaking panic attack,” Puck replied, practically pushing Finn into Sam’s room.
Sam looked relieved as Finn walked over to his bed. Their lips met quickly and Finn asked, “What’s going on?”
“Ten…ten minutes,” Sam winced. “We’re going to the ER.”
“So she’ll be born like Annika was?” Finn asked, looking between Sam and Dr. Lopez.
Sam nodded as Dr. Lopez helped get a few things in order. They slowly moved Sam to the stretcher they’d prepared for him. Finn had the horrid blue scrubs tossed at him again and this time he put them on without question. Finn felt so helpless as he watched Sam struggle through the pain. It was much too soon in Finn’s opinion for them to be wheeling down the hall to the ER.
His eyes locked with Sam’s as they walked and things were all so different now. The baby would be fine, they knew that, but it was still scary. They were still only teenagers and here they were, about to welcome a second baby into the world.
In the ER the nurses set up the same curtain they had before, blocking Sam’s belly from view, leaving him to stare over at Finn nervously. Sam instinctively reached out for Finn’s hand and they stared at each other before Finn laughed and said, “Don’t pass out on me this time, okay?”
Sam smiled and nodded. He didn’t feel as weak as last time; with Annika things had been bad. Dr. Lopez took better care of him this time, though, so everything should go just fine.
It was weird how time seemed to drag on forever but pass in seconds all at the same time. Finn and Sam’s hands were tight on each other and they waited - just waited - until finally they heard cries from across the room. Finn’s eyes widened and he looked like a little kid in a candy shop, so excited to hear cries that in a few weeks would be the most dreaded sound in the world.
One of the nurses walked to the other side of the curtain that was hiding Sam’s belly from view and she held out a little bundle of blankets. Inside was a squirming little baby. Sam’s arms curled around the girl instinctively and he looked down at her adoringly, not even disgusted by the bits of blood still on her. She cried and cried, but Sam could tell already that she would look just like Finn; she had a thin layer of dark hair across her head, and she even looked tall when she was curled up in the blankets. “I’ll get her cleaned up and we’ll get you all to a room,” the nurse said. “Dr. Lopez is just finishing up your stitches.
Finn and Sam stared after the little baby as the nurse walked away to clean her and measure her. Neither boy really knew what to say; they just stared at each other in awe. Finn leaned down and pressed a kiss to Sam’s lips before sitting up straight and smiling down at Sam.
Everything happened so fast; Finn was ushered out of the ER first while they cleaned Sam and the baby up. He sat in the waiting room with Puck, the only person that was there at the moment. “I got a text message from Kurt - he and your parents are on their way,” Puck told him. “They left when you guys were walking down to the ER. How is he? And the baby?”
Finn just smiled and pulled Puck into a hug. “They’re fine. They’re both fine,” he smiled into Puck’s shoulder. “Everything was okay.”
Puck smiled too, and he hugged Finn back, his grip firm as he found himself at a loss for words. “They’re getting cleaned up and then you can see them if you want,” Finn said as he stepped away from Puck.
Puck just nodded, and the two of them waited impatiently for a nurse to come get them. Finn bounded eagerly down the hall behind the nurse as she led them to Sam’s new room. Soft cries could be heard from inside, and as they entered, they saw Sam lowering a bottle to her lips. The baby’s cries subsided and Sam looked up with a big smile on his face.
Finn and Puck wandered over, both of them in awe of the little bundle in Sam’s arms. Sam was trying not to panic at the thought of having two little girls to take care of now, and instead he was just enjoying the feeling of holding her in his arms; something he hadn’t been able to fully enjoy with Annika and he always regretted. “Oh god,” Puck said, looking down at her. “She looks like Finn.”
Finn slapped Puck on the arm, not enough to hurt but enough to shut him up. Sam laughed and said, “Yeah, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Triumphantly, Finn puffed out his chest a little and turned to Puck with a big grin on his face. “You two are too adorable,” Puck rolled his eyes. “And I’m tired. I’ll come back with Santana and Annie tomorrow morning, how’s that sound?”
“Thanks, Puck,” Sam said.
“See you tomorrow, man,” Finn said, clapping Puck on the shoulder.
Puck left the room and Finn sat down next to Sam eagerly. He peered over at the new baby, who was sucking at the bottle hungrily. “We never talked about names for her…” Sam trailed off softly.
The last nurse left the room, leaving Sam, Finn, and their new daughter all alone. “You’re right,” Finn replied.
They just stared down at her, pondering names, until Finn broke the silence. “She’s going to take your last name too, right? Just like Annika did?” Finn asked.
He sounded a little disappointed when he asked it, and Sam was brought back to years ago when they were contemplating Annika’s name. Sam hadn’t known back then whether he and Finn would really end up together, but since he was sure he’d keep Annika with him, at least for most of the time, she’d taken his last name, so her birth certificate read: Annika Lucy Evans. Sam looked over at Finn and said, “It would be easiest - I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but it would be a little confusing if the girls had different last names, you know?” Sam asked.
It hurt him how sad Finn seemed to hear that the new baby wouldn’t be taking his last name, either. He just wanted them all to be one big family, but if you looked at them, Finn just kind of seemed like the awkward outsider. “Hey,” Sam said, trying to capture Finn’s attention. “It’s just for now.”
Finn nodded and flashed a quick smile before asking, “What do you want to name her?”
Sam shrugged and said, “I honestly don’t know. I kind of like the name Nicole, but…I don’t know. I don’t think she looks like a Nicole.”
Neither spoke as they gazed down at her, trying to figure out what name fit her. “We could um…kind of name her after my mom…kind of,” Finn stammered. “I mean, my mom is pretty awesome, and like, Caroline is a good name.”
“Caroline,” Sam tried it out. He looked down at the little baby girl in his arms. “Caroline,” he repeated, watching as she opened her eyes for the first time.
She stared up at him innocently, her dark hazel eyes gazing up into his, and he smiled. “I think that means she likes it,” he commented.
Finn grinned and said, “I think it fits her.”
Sam thought about it for a minute before nodding, “Yeah it does. Caroline Nicole Evans.”
Finn and Sam’s eyes met and they kissed quickly before Sam tugged the now-empty bottle away from…Caroline. It was exciting for Sam to be able to call her by name, and he rested her gently up on his shoulder to burp her. Finn watched with a smile as Sam seemed so much better this time around. “Do you want to hold her?” Sam asked softly.
Caroline looked like she was about to fall asleep, but Finn didn’t mind. He’d love it if she fell asleep in her arms…it was so adorable when Annika did it. He reached out and slowly scooped her up into his arms. Sam watched with tired eyes as Finn stared down at the little bundle in his arms in awe. He gave a goofy grin as she squirmed in his arms, slowly settling down into his arms. “She’s so cute,” Finn muttered.
Sam nodded and said, “Yeah she is.”
He leaned back against his pillows as Finn rocked Caroline to sleep. Sam was asleep almost instantly, exhausted from his evening, and Finn found himself dozing off after he noticed that Caroline had fallen asleep. “I’ll take her to the nursery for you,” a nurse said, reaching out for Caroline.
Finn hadn’t even noticed the woman walk in, and he offered his arms up to her without a word. The nurse settled Caroline into her little bed and pointed to a chair in the corner. “That pulls out into a bed, darling. You get a good night’s sleep,” the nurse told him. “You’ll need it.”
Finn nodded and wandered over to the chair slowly. He folded it out and practically collapsed on top of it he was so tired. He woke to soft crying and rolled over to see Sam about to feed Caroline. Finn smiled softly and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Morning,” he mumbled.
Sam looked up and said, “Morning.”
Finn climbed out of his fold out bed and wandered over to the bed where Sam sat with Caroline. “Have you been up for long?” he asked.
“Not really, no,” Sam replied. “The nurse woke me up to give me medicine and then I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
Finn just nodded. He really needed a coffee or something because he would certainly be able to fall asleep again if he tried. Almost as if on cue, Burt, Carole, and Kurt walked in and Kurt held out a steaming cup of coffee for Finn. Carole was at Sam’s side instantly, cooing over Caroline. Kurt stood next to Finn and smiled, “It went better this time, huh?”
With a goofy grin, Finn nodded and said, “Yeah it did. I barely made it in time - Puck had to bring him.”
“Yeah, I was wondering why Puckerman of all people was sending me a text message,” Kurt rolled his eyes.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Finn said proudly, his eyes never leaving Caroline.
Kurt smiled and replied, “She is. She looks like you. What’s her name?”
“Caroline,” Finn told him reverently.
Carole now had Caroline cradled in her arms, and she smiled down at her proudly as Burt peered over her shoulder. Finn felt really grateful that his family was so accepting of all of this - the babies, Sam living with them - and he was even more grateful that Kurt had come home for the occasion. Everyone took turns holding Caroline and feeding her until finally she was back in Sam’s arms.
He felt better this time than he had with Annika; he wasn’t ashamed or upset or embarrassed about anything…it just was what it was, and he could accept it now. There was a light knock on the door and a nurse walked in. “You’ve got some more visitors,” she announced.
Behind her were Puck, Santana, and Annika. Annika was snuggled into Puck’s shoulder; she looked like she had been very confused when she woke to find Sam completely gone. She saw Finn first and cried out, “Papa!”
Finn smiled and reached out for her. She climbed from Puck to Finn eagerly, wrapping her tiny arms around Finn’s neck and squeezing tight. “Hey sweetie,” Finn laughed, patting her back. “Guess who’s finally here?”
Annika didn’t reply and Finn shifted so he could sit on the edge of Sam’s bed. He pointed over to Sam, who had Caroline cradled in his arms. “Baby sister is here,” Finn explained as Sam shifted Caroline a little.
Caroline’s big hazel eyes met Annika’s blue ones and the room was silent for a moment. “Annie, honey, this is Caroline,” Sam explained.
Caroline cooed in his arms and Annika looked torn between being terrified and excited. “Car?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, Car is your new sister,” Finn told Annika gently. “She’s going to live with you and Daddy.”
Annika didn’t seem to understand what it all meant, yet. She reached out for Caroline slowly, one lone finger pointed out to touch this new stranger lying in her daddy’s arms. “You can touch her, Annie, just be gentle,” Sam told her.
Now that she had her father’s permission, Annika reached out and touched Caroline, her eagerness skewing her aim and instead of touching Caroline’s cheek or face, she poked Caroline right in the eye. Caroline burst into tears at the contact, and Annika looked around, terrified. Sam started rocking and comforting Caroline, trying to calm her down, but the crying had done its damage already. Hearing the cries from her baby sister made Annika panic and burst into tears as well. Finn tried to quiet Annika down as Sam did the same for Caroline, and they both tried to ignore the laughter coming from everyone else in the room. “I am so glad I got that on video,” Santana commented from the corner where she was, in fact, holding a camera.
It took the boys several minutes to quiet down their daughters, and when they did, Annika refused to go anywhere near Caroline. “Don’t you want to hold her?” Sam asked.
“No,” Annika said flatly, crossing her arms and shrinking in to Finn.
“Well, what do you want to do, Annie?” Finn asked.
“Food.”
Sam snorted a little at this reply. It was so random and out of nowhere, even though to Annika it made perfect sense. “C’mon, girlie, let’s get you some food,” Santana said from the doorway. “Give you a little break from your baby sister.”
“No sis,” Annika pouted.
She reached out for Santana, who took her with a sympathetic smile on her face. “Thanks, Santana,” Finn said softly.
“No problem,” she said with a small smile.
She and Puck took Annika down to the cafeteria, leaving everyone else to chat. “We should go eat, too,” Burt said, looking over at Carole and Kurt. “We’ve gotta get Kurt back to New York before he misses too many performances.”
Sam had almost forgotten that Kurt was in the middle of a full week of performances at his school. “Thanks for coming to see us, Kurt,” he said.
“No problem,” Kurt said with a smile. “Besides, visiting for a day gave my understudy a chance to shine.”
The drive to Kurt’s school from Lima would take almost eleven hours, meaning he’d miss a full performance that night. Sam was amazed they’d gotten to Lima as quickly as they had; they probably ended up driving all night. Kurt gave Finn a hug before moving over to the bed where he gave Sam a quick hug and planted a kiss on Caroline’s forehead. “You need to send me pictures all the time,” Kurt said with a smile.
“Of course,” Sam nodded. “I’m sure Carole will be all over that.”
Carole smiled and waved her camera in the air. Kurt said one last goodbye to everyone before he, Carole, and Burt were out the door. Sam and Finn turned to face each other and let out nervous laughter they hadn’t known they were holding. “I’m not quite sure Annika is a fan of Caroline right now,” Finn laughed.
“She will be…eventually,” Sam said. “Or at least, I hope so…”
Finn shrugged, “I don’t know how this brother and sister thing works but I hope so, too.”
They both looked down at Caroline, who was now snoozing in Sam’s arms, and they smiled. “She’s really adorable.”
Sam nodded and said, “Yeah, I think so too.”
He looked up at Finn and gave him a small smile. “I love you, Finn.”
Finn pressed a kiss to Sam’s lips and nodded, “I love you too, Sam; and our baby girls. I love our family.”
Sam’s smile grew and he leaned back against his pillows, content. “Me too.”