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

Christmas Eve

Wednesday, December 24th 2025

3:18 AM

Sam woke up to Ezra whimpering. The family was sharing a two bed room with Sam and the girls in one queen bed, Ezra and his pack and play in the middle of the beds and Matt and Zeek in the other. With that being said, Sam had to move quickly. She made the bottle and shook it, while pulling her baby out of the pack and play. "Shh, don't wake them up," she whispered. Sam tiredly sat her baby in her lap and pressed the bottle to his lips. Sam only made a four ounce bottle to hopefully trick her mind into thinking he would drink it all.

Normally, she would close her eyes and try to stay as sleepy as possible, but she had too many things going on in her head for that. She had to find Zeek's last gift and wrap the kids presents while they were at her parents. She and Matt had to go the venue where Gene and Nick were getting married, to do her matron of honor duties. And on top of that she had to make sure her kids had the best Christmas ever.

Ezra pushed his head away from the bottle ripping at the nipple. "And that is exactly why you are not breast fed. I'd like to keep those, thank you," Sam smirked, setting her son up and burping him. "Now listen, we aren't throwing up okay. We are burping and going to bed," Sam said, even though she was literally talking to an almost two month old.

7:15 AM

Sam stood in the bathroom, holding Ezra while doing her makeup. "I need you to go to sleep, so I can't put you down," Sam said, lazily swaying to the music. Behind her, the toilet flushed and out came Matt.

"I'll take him while you get ready," he offered, holding his hands out. Sam looked her man up and down in disgust.

"What you can take is some soap. You are not touching my baby with your pee hands," she grimaced, moving Ezra farther away. "Zeek! Come here!" Sam called, ready to do his hair. She was going for a simple braid, since she was going to put the girls hair up in ponytails for the day. While coming around the corner, Zeek smacked his head into the corner of the doorframe. "Oh, Jesus!" Sam said, dropping to one knee, rubbing her child's head hoping to break up any forming bruises. "You gotta be careful with your head buddy," Sam said, pecking her child's head and standing up. The mom of four laid her half asleep baby in his car seat, and pulled her other son to the counter.

"I'm okay," Ezekiel chirped, holding his action figure. Samantha gently ran a comb through her child's hair, while Matt dried off his hands.

"I'm taking the baby and helping the girls get dressed. I will send them in one at a time," Matt said, going for the baby.

"No! Leave him. Get yourself ready. He's fine. You're not dressed and we have to leave in twenty minutes," Sam grumbled.

"Calm down, Smeeps," Matt antagonized, poking at her sides. Sam smacked his hand with the comb. "Owe!" Matt squealed.

"Get. Dressed."

8:35 AM

The entire Pauly, Sheehan, and, well Nick family sat around the Pauly's home eating breakfast. "I'm not exactly sure why he thinks fucking with me early in the morning is the way to go?" Sam mumbled, watching her father hold her son and her mother hold Avie and Ella on her lap.

"He's so rude," Gene laughed, taking a bite of her pancakes. Sam rolled her eyes, pushing her plate back. "Sam, you better eat! We've got wedding things to do before everything closes!" Gene practically yelled.

"I'm tired," she mumbled, a headache coming over Sam. Gene pursed her lips together.

"Bitch, your baby just turned 8 weeks! You better not have done it again! I'm not changing the date for you, again," the younger Pauly growled. Sam waved her sister off with her middle finger as Zeek came and slid into her lap.

"I'm not pregnant again, fool. Matt and I haven't even had sex since Ezra was born," Sam admitted, forcing her father to shun away.

"I've gone this long without knowing your sex lives. Let's keep it that way," their father mumbled, taking his coffee cup and grandson away.

"Sorry, daddy," Sam mumbled. But it was the truth. She and Matt still hadn't even touched each other since the week Ezra came home.

"Did you get your tubes tied, like you were supposed to?" Gene asked. Sam shook her head, gently pushing Zeek off of her lap.

"No. I went in for my six week to schedule it, but I went with the pill instead. It's going to be easier. And I can't afford another surgery. Matt getting a vasectomy was useless, so I'm sticking with what I know," she replied, as Zeek tried again to get in her lap. "Zeek, get down," Sam scolded. "Alright, Gene let's go. If I stay any longer, I'm going to sleep," Sam said, getting up from the table as Zeek threw his body on the floor in a tantrum. "Grandma, that's your issue now," she said, taking her plate to the sink and leaving the room. Her headache was worsening by the minute and her sons screaming was only going to make everyone's mood worse.

12:58 PM

Sam and Gene sat in the parking lot of the nearest mall with their kids gifts in the backseat. "I think we've done everything," Gene smiled, checking off her list.

"Umm, great," Sam huffed. A gag hit her throat before she opened her car door and threw up in the parking lot.

"No, seriously. Are you okay? Why are you sick?" Gene asked. Sam reclined her seat and shut her eyes. "Do you want me to take you home or to the ER?" She asked. Sam slowly shut her eyes. "Nope, nope, nope. Wake up," Gene said, starting the car and pulling out of the parking spot. Sam mumbled a few words, but her eyes didn't even flutter. "You can not die on me!" Gene yelled, having the car call Matt as she headed to the local ER.

1:45 PM

Sam laid in a hospital bed, still throwing up with doctors and nurses in and out of her room. "What is going on?" Gene asked, holding her sister's hair back. The doctor looked at Gene with sad eyes.

"We think your sister may have Toxic Shock Syndrome. We when we were examining her, we found a bruise covering a once opened wound on her hip," she said. "We are starting her on aggressive antibacterials. But-,"

"But what?"

"But, this wound is so infected that the bacteria may have infiltrated other parts of her body. We will have to test some more, but we aren't going to give up. We will do everything we can," Dr. Hampton said, before leaving. Sam laid in her bed hooked up to IV's sweating and in pain. Her body was on fire and freezing at the same time. She couldn't think straight, but her thoughts were consumed with her children. Tears fell down Sam's cheeks. Her stomach was churning.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay. I'm right here. The doctors will figure it out" Gene mumbled, sliding in the bed with her sister, holding her close.

2:59 PM

Matt sat next to Sam's bed on the couch, Gene still in bed with her sister. Stroking her sister's hair, Gene aided in Sam's comfort along with the morphine. "The doctor said she's going to be home in a few days. They are flushing her system with antibiotics penicillin. They caught it before the damage was irreparable. She's going to come home," Matt reiterated. Gene rolled eyes, continuing to hold her big sister.

"You didn't see her! Or the fear! Or the pain!"

"Yeah, but she's my wife-,"

"And she's my sister! I don't give a fuck about whether or not you've said I do! We've been together since I was born! So, if something happens to her my devastation will reign a lot longer than yours! So, don't give me that "she'll be okay shit" like I'm overreacting. You showed up with meds kicked in and she passed out. You didn't see her throwing up every ten seconds, or her agony while they figured out what to give her. You didn't even see the bruise...the massive bruise on her side. It's probably been growing for weeks, infecting her body. And l no one noticed. So don't treat me like it's nothing and she'll be fine when we don't even know how she got infected in the first place." Gene laid her head on the pillow above her sister's head, continuing to hold her. Matt could see the trauma in Regina's eyes. Her own fears were painted across her face. Matt knew losing his wife would be the worst thing to ever happen to him, so he could only imagine what it would do to Gene.

To Be Continued.