Liz looked both ways down the quiet hallway. I did the same noticing it was mostly empty, except one nurse checking a chart far enough away not to hear our conversation.
My gaze swung back to Liz, questioningly. I hadn’t realized this was a confidential discussion, but she looked nervous enough. Liz was actually ringing her hands and biting her bottom lip. It was surprising to see her that way. The few times we met, she always had a cool confidence about her. She was definitely rattled.
"Tell me," I urged.
"I’m leaving for Europe in just a few days. It’s something that Sam and I have known about for a while and before the accident. I was a little worried about leaving her alone, but she insisted she would be fine. Now, she really is going to need help."
"Can't you cancel the trip?" I asked cautiously.
I was not completely sure where she was going with the conversation, but I had a feeling, a hopeful feeling.
"What about her parents?" I asked as an afterthought.
She shook her head. "Her parents are doing the usual, traveling around the country. She called them and assured them she was all right. Of course, they went back to doing what they do best, avoidance. I think they're in New Mexico right now."
I shook my head and blew out an exasperated breath. Those people never made any sense to me. They seemed like good parents in some ways, but they couldn’t take the time to visit their only daughter? Even when she was laid up in a hospital bed after a debilitating accident?
"And no," she continued. "I can’t cancel the trip. The traveling is part of my job and if I don't go, there’s a good chance I’ll be fired. I promised I would take care of Sam and the…" She paused a moment, her gaze darting around nervously.
I felt my eyebrows pulled together. What in the hell was going on with her? She was acting out of character, and I was ready for her to get whatever she was trying to say over with.
After a brief moment, Liz took a deep breath and seemed to pull herself together. I was rather impressed at how she could go from looking so anxious and unsure one minute, to confident and bold another.
With a much steadier voice, she said something so shocking and unreal it had me speechless.
"I can't lose my job, because I promised I would take care of Sam… and the baby."
My brain went numb, just shut off. I know my face probably looked funny with my mouth hanging open and my eyes blinking rapidly, waiting for different words to come out of her mouth. Baby? Whose baby?
"Whose baby?" My voice sounded distant. Damn, I was starting to feel a little lightheaded.
Liz nodded slowly, as if she knew what I was really asking. "Well, she is either yours or Jordan's."
"So, the abortion was cancelled?" I was so confused.
Licking her lips, she said, "Yeah, you’ll have to talk with Sam about that. Right now I need to know if you’re willing to take care of her while I’m gone."
Oh yeah, that was what we were getting at. My mind was still on the baby news. Liz called it a girl. I was having a baby girl. Oh my God, Sam didn't have an abortion!
My mind raced. Shit! I didn't know which way to go. A mixture of emotions assaulted me all at once. I was pissed Sam had kept her continued pregnancy a secret. However, I was also ecstatic that she had kept our baby, and then fear shot through me. Would she let me be a part of their life?
Liz cleared her throat.
"Oh… eh… yeah," I stumbled over my words. It seemed actually speaking was becoming a bit difficult. So was standing up. I leaned my back against the wall for support.
"Eh, sure, I can help take care of her. Do you think she’ll be okay with this?"
"She has to be," Liz shrugged. "Listen, I’ve told her she needs to come clean with you guys, and truthfully, I think she would have eventually. But right now she needs you. With those broken bones and the pregnancy, she really will have a hard time getting around."
I just nodded my consent, feeling scared and yet excited about being with Sam again, even if only to take care of her for a short time.
Plans began forming in my mind almost instantly. Screw what Jordan thought! I wanted Sam back, and I was going to do everything in my power to make it happen.
I loved her and our baby. I didn't care if the baby might possibly be Jordan's. The baby and Sam were mine, had always been mine. It was time to grovel, to show Sam how important she was to me.
Liz and I talked a little more about getting Sam's things from their house. I planned to be ready before she was discharged in two days. When I brought her home, she would have all she needed, for a month anyway. We could figure out the rest later.
I took a quick peek into her room. She was asleep, so I slipped inside and quietly studied her. I didn’t want to wake her and stood a few feet away from the bed. She lay on her side, looking so small and pale against the white hospital blankets.