Through the Open Door || Change My Mind Sequel || SP

In Town

Monday May 19th, 2025

6:15 AM

Regina stood on her sister's balcony, out of view of anyone who passed through the living room, smoking a Black and Mild. She was trying to control her anxiety and chill out. She ran out of her prescription and realized too late, so getting it filled the day before was not an option. With 2 hours before the drug store opened, and no sleep, Gene got her fix.

-

Inside, Sam finished her shower, and got out as her husband came in and handed her a towel. "Good morning. You feeling better?" Matt asked, pecking his wife's cheek. Sam dried off her body and walked into the closet through their bathroom.

"I guess. He went back to sleep while I was in the shower," Sam replied, pulling on her undergarments and starting her moisturizing routine.

6:22 AM

While getting dressed, the music playing through Sam's speaker died down, forcing Sam to grab her phone. Her mother was calling. "Hello?" Sam answered, flipping her hair out of her t-shirt and glancing at her sleeping son in her bed.

"Samantha, what time are you coming to get us from the airport?" Peg asked. Sam sighed, dropping next to her warm child. He threw up in the middle of the night and Matt couldn't resist taking him into their bed.

"I don't know, mom. Zeek is sick and our babysitter is out of town. Matt, Nick, and Gene are at work, so I have all the kids today," Sam answered, before pecking her son's head and moving towards the girls room. Inside, she saw Avie on the bottom bunk and her twins on the top. Sam slid out of the room and shut the door. The girls didn't have a Meet until 9, so she was letting them sleep in until 8. "Just call an Uber and I'll send you the money for it. Go to the hotel, check in, and come by around 11. The kids have their first break at 11:30," Sam said, dropping on the couch and kicking her feet up.

"Okay. Do you need anything? Dad and I are going to the store before going to the resort to get some groceries for the week," Peg asked. Sam looked around for a moment.

"If you see any, can you grab some ginger ale and kiwi? I've been craving kiwi and I think the ginger ale will help with Zeek's stomach," Sam requested. She could hear the horns of cars and engines of planes around her mother.

"Kiwi? I didn't know you liked kiwi," Peg said. Sam shrugged.

"Gene brought some home last month and I've been craving them ever since," she replied. She'd gone through two or three kiwis a day since then.

"Cravings? Dad is listening. He said that sounds like a pregnancy thing. But you're not pregnant. Matt got a vasectomy after Zeek, right?" Peg asked. Sam sighed, she didn't really want to tell her mom over the phone, but she didn't want to lie.

"No, mom. I am. Matt got a vasectomy, but it reversed itself. We are having another baby. Hopefully, the last one. I plan on getting my tubes tied after I deliver," Sam answered. She heard a gasp, but the next noise confused her. It was a squeal.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Peg beamed. Sam's eyes went wide as she looked down to her stomach.

"What? You're not pissed?" Sam asked, poking at her bump lightly so as to not wake her baby.

"Why would we be? You and Matt have grown to be amazing parents. The twins and Zeek have turned out amazing. And with this move, you and Matt will be saving a ton of money that can go towards the baby," Peg honestly answered. Sam was Durand sort of on edge. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she didn't want to cut it down herself.

"Oh, okay,"

"We can talk more when we see you. Our car is here!" Peg announced. After hanging up, Sam set an alarm and slumped over on her couch. The dog walker had already taken and been back with Dale meaning she was good until 8. A nap was where she was heading.

12:07 PM

The girls sat on their Meet at Matt's computer in the master bedroom while Zeek and Avie took naps in the other rooms. Peg and John sat at the kitchen table with Sam trying to figure out what was going to happen the next few months. "With the wedding coming up, and the move in a few weeks, we are busy. The kids are staying in school until the end of the year. And I'm trying to figure out if I'm giving birth in New York or Jersey," Sam said. Peg nodded.

"Does the new house have enough room for the new baby. I tried to get on the link you sent me, but our internet has been messing up," the mother said. Sam nodded

"Yeah, it's a seven bedroom house. Gene and Nick will have a sort of apartment style in the basement with three rooms. And we will have four rooms upstairs. Ours, the twins will have their own rooms, and Zeek and this baby will have their own rooms," Sam answered, pulling up pictures. Peg and John inspected the property while Sam went on about the future plans. "The girls are throwing me a gender reveal party next month. And I have to start planning Gene's bridal party. She wants something small like a dinner in the city, but everything is booked around the time of her wedding," Sam sighed.

"When are you due?" John asked.

"I'm getting induced on October 29. The doctor wants me no quiet to term since my pregnancy with Zeek was considered high risk," Sam answered. Peg's eyebrows jumped, hanging the phone back.

"You're going to be almost nine months pregnant in Gene's wedding?" She asked, concerned for her daughter. Sam nodded.

"This baby was definitely not part of the plan. She or he definitely decided to come at a good and bad time," Sam muttered. "My job is paying me as if I was working, even though I'm technically on maternity leave. I come to the theater once a week now to see them. The few times I've gotten to perform when Courtney was sick, we did a sit down version. It's embarrassing," Sam said, lying her head on her arm. John grabbed his daughter's hand.

"It's not! You're pregnant-,"

"I wasn't supposed to be! This was supposed to be my last show before I took a break for a while to settled down and focus on the kids," Sam said, jerking her hand away. The peace and boring of every day is driving me insane. My friends are getting to do what I want and I can't," Sam sighed, wiping her tears away. "I'm trying to be grateful. This baby is a blessing. I know that. I just... she or he could have come 18 months later and it would've been perfect," the actress said. Peg slid her daughter a tissue as her sons door opened.

"Mommy, my tummy hurts," Zeek cried. Sam used her sleeve to quickly wipe the tears and jumped up from the table to make sure her soon made it to the bathroom.

"Not on the floor, buddy," Sam said, moving him to stand in front of the toilet. The grandparents heard their grandson get sick in the bathroom around the corner, their heart breaking for Sam and Zeek. They were going through a rough patch, giving Peg an idea.

-

Sam came out of the bathroom holding Zeek on her hip, his jeans on her shoulder. "He's still running a fever, I'm going to give him some Motrin and put him back down with his IPad. If the girls come out of their meet, they know how to set the time before their next meet and they can have a snack if they ask. Avie will be up soon and Gene likes for her to do her colors and sight words for thirty minutes everyday," Sam announced to her parents, while grabbing the medicine and taking her son back to his room.

Sam laid her son in the bed and turned a movie on the tablet, watching it with her son. "Mommy, I gotta potty," Zeek mumbled as Sam got comfortable. She carefully lifted him over her and laid her head on one of his pillows waiting for his return.

3:16 PM

Gene came into the house, her daughter running up to her. "Mommy! You're home!" Avie cheered. Regina picked up her child and shut the door to see her parents in the living room with Ella and Ellie.

"Hey, guys. Where's Sam?" Gene asked, quickly hugging her parents and moving to grab a snack from the fridge. Peg pointed to Zeek's room, where Sam had disappeared to.

"She and Zeek are sleeping. His stomach is still upset and she's tired, so we are watching the girls. And can I say, Avie is very smart? She needs harder sight words," Peg said, making Gene smile. She pecked her child's head just glad to see her parents. After her mother's stroke she was just glad to see her moving and happy.

To Be Continued