Tyler's POV
We spent Sunday at home. While usually we'd go to church, we didn't want to pressure Samantha. We hadn't discussed church or religion with Samantha yet, so we decided there was time to discuss that.
We'd just finished up breakfast and Samantha was helping Jenna with the dishes and I was putting the leftover food away.
The doorbell rang.
Jenna and Samantha looked at me, I looked at them. Samantha looked terrified.
"You expecting anyone?" Jenna asked.
"No. You?" I asked. She shook her head. Samantha moved behind Jenna, ready to bolt out the kitchen door, if she felt she needed to.
I went to the door and looked out of the peephole. A hand was covering it. I rolled my eyes. I had an idea who it was.
"DUDE!" Josh said when I opened the door. "You've had something going on for, like a week and you kept saying you'd let me know what was going on then you totally ghosted me! What the fuck, dude!"
He pushed his way inside.
"Jenna, Samantha! It's okay. It's just Josh!" I called into the kitchen.
"Just Josh? Thanks, man." Josh smirked at me. "And who's Samantha?"
"The 'something going on for, like a week'. Come into the kitchen. I'll introduce you."
Josh followed me into the kitchen, and sat at the breakfast bar.
Samantha was still behind Jenna, and edging ever so slowly towards the back door.
"Samantha, this is the other guy on your t-shirt. My buddy Josh."
She moved back behind Jenna.
"Josh, meet Samantha," I said.
"Hey. So, you're the kid I FaceTimed in the hospital last week?"
"What?" Samantha said, from behind Jenna.
"So, what's the story, fam?" Josh asked.
"So, you remember when I called you to prove to Samantha that I am who I said I was?"
"Yeah," Josh said.
"Well, this is Samantha, and we've sort of, well, we're in the process of adopting her."
"Hold on. Adopting? When did this happen?"
I told Josh the whole story about Samantha. About her dad and how he'd been treating her, and how he'd lost his parental rights when Samantha told her doctor about the night her mom died. Josh listened, rapt. He was quiet for a long time while he was absorbing the story.
"Samantha, is this all true?" he asked, looking around me at Samantha, who was still standing behind Jenna.
She nodded.
"So, you got emergency approval to foster her, and now you're adopting her?"
"Well, we're in the process. There are some hoops to jump through still, but I don't see any reason it won't work out."
"So. You have a kid. We have a kid."
"Jenna and I have a kid. You have, um, I dunno. An honorary niece?"
"Hey, kid. What do you think of that? Call me Uncle Josh, huh?"
Samantha stared at him.
"Does she speak?" he asked, looking at me.
YOU ARE READING
Running on Insulin
FanfictionSamantha's life had never been easy. Her abusive father was the only family she had left. Her mom had died when Sam was just a kid, and when she was eight, Sam had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The healthcare costs enraged her father and made...
