The Meaning of Family: The Collections

Unplanned (4/5)

It was nearly two months after her first ultrasound that Sammie heard from Jake again. She was getting settled with her cello before class officially started when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. After checking to make sure her dad was still in the office at the back of the room, she quickly pulled it out, seeing a text from the boy.

Meet me in the stairwell after class.
Delivered 11:04 am

She felt a tug at her heart seeing those words on her phone screen, but her anger towards the 17-year-old was far greater, so she just slightly rolled her eyes at her phone.

"Please put your phone away, Sammie." Sammie jumped slightly at her dad's voice, sliding her phone back in her pocket immediately as she looked up at him innocently. "If I see it out again, I'll have to write you up." The tone of Yoongi's voice was serious as he took his place at the front of the room, but the slight upturn of his lips was enough for Sammie to smile as she arranged her sheet music on the stand in front of her.

The lunch bell rang as they were running through Blood Sweat and Tears, the token pop song for their fundraiser concert that she knew her dad had picked because it was by the biggest boyband from her grandparents' generation and her grandfather's favorite (Jin still blasted their music on weekends when the family was over), so they ended up being dismissed a bit late. After packing up her cello, she hung around for a bit longer to talk to her dad before finally leaving to go get lunch.

As soon as she stepped off the final step, she was pulled under the staircase, nearly screaming until she saw that the culprit was Jake. "Was kidnapping me really necessary?" She asked while glaring at him, ignoring the way his gaze seemed to be stuck on her slight baby bump.

Jake forced himself to snap out of it slightly, but his attention kept going to her slightly protruding abdomen as he spoke. "I didn't kidnap you, and we need to talk."

"You've had two and a half months to talk to me." Sammie said, crossing her arms. "So, at this point, I have nothing to say to you."

"Sammie, believe me, I've tried-"

"Obviously not hard enough." Sammie cut him off, earning a small sigh from the 17-year-old.

"You know how my dad is." He said sadly. "He took away my phone to make sure I wouldn't try to call or text you. He only lets me have it when I'm out of the house, and I'm only allowed to leave for school, football practice, and work."

Sammie shrugged slightly. "And you couldn't talk to me in school, like you're attempting to do now?"

"He employed Alan and Tyrone as my 'bodyguards'." Jake explained. "He's paying them to keep an eye on my and make sure you don't 'try to ruin my life further'." Sammie rolled her eyes at that. "The only reason I was able to come talk to you now is because Tyrone is making up a test and Alan decided to sneak into the old cafeteria and get high instead of eating lunch."

Sammie stayed quiet for a second. "Okay, all of that makes sense." Jake's eyes lit up a bit. "But you are not forgiven nor is everything okay between us, and I'm not sure if it ever will be." Jake opened his mouth to speak, but Sammie stopped him. "Your dad called me a whore and a bitch to my dad. In front of my baby sisters. And you just stood there. You said nothing." Sammie's voice broke slightly with her last statement, and she could feel the tears trying to push their way out.

"I know." Jake said quietly, looking like he was about to cry himself. "And I'm not even going to try to defend myself or try to get you to forgive me or anything because it was a shitty thing to do and there is literally no excuse for it." It falls quiet between them for a while, and Sammie is ready to walk out and go get lunch because the baby was currently screaming for the tacos she knew were on the menu that day. But then Jake speaks again. "If you'll let me, I do really want to be a part of our baby's life."

Sammie scoffed quietly. "How do you expect to do that if your dad won't even let us be within a few feet of each other."

Jake shrugged. "I'm only a few feet away from you right now. Plus, it's not like we haven't snuck around behind his back before." Sammie tried to hide it, but she couldn't help the very tiny smile that came out at that.

She managed to suppress it fairly quickly, though. "If you're serious about helping out, then you need to prove it." Jake opened his mouth to ask how, but Sammie was already supplying an answer. "I have an appointment this afternoon at 3:30. I get to find out the sex today. If you really want to be a part of this baby's life, then be there." Without giving Jake another chance to talk, she pushed past him, not a single part of her expecting him to show up that afternoon since she knew he had after school football practice.

***

"Thanks again for bringing me today, Grandpa Joon." Sammie thanked her grandfather as he pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. Sammie didn't like going to her appointments alone, but neither of her parents had been able to come with her thanks to meetings, and Alessia. Namjoon had taken the day off, so he was more than happy to offer to come with her that day.

"Of course, Sammie!" Namjoon exclaimed as he parked the car. "I'd do anything for my oldest grandchild." Sammie beamed at her grandfather. "Plus, now I get bragging rights over your grandpa about how I got to find out the sex before him."

Sammie snorted out a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Of course~" She muttered climbing out of the car. Once she was out, she froze in shock upon seeing Jake leaning against his car, obviously waiting for her. "What are you doing here?" She asked after rushing to him, sensing her grandfather watching her in a protective manner.

"You said if I was serious to come." Jake said. "And I am more serious about this than I've ever been about anything."

"What about football?" Sammie inquired.

Jake shrugged. "Told coach it was an emergency and while he was pissed, he agreed to me coming in early tomorrow morning to get some extra practice in."

"Your dad's henchmen?"

"Told them I had to cover someone else's shift last minute and I told my dad the same."

Sammie stared up at him, contemplating asking one last question. Eventually, she decided to go ahead and ask. "Being in the baby's life means helping pay for it, helping take care of it, and everything that comes with having a baby. How exactly do you plan to do that without your dad stepping in, and even further, when you move to Fayetteville next year for college?"

"I'm not going to Fayetteville." Sammie's eyes widened, but she couldn't ask him to explain due to him still talking. "And I already talked to my manager yesterday and she agreed to give me more hours and a slight raise. I'm gonna save up my money and I'll move out as soon as I turn 18, graduation at the latest. I've really thought this through, Sammie."

"Really? You've 'really thought through' giving up on going to your dream school?"

"Dream school means nothing if my baby's not there with me." Sammie could sense a double meaning behind his words, but opted to ignore it, turning around and gesturing him to follow her and Namjoon inside the clinic.

It didn't take long for her to be called back and for the standard check up procedure to be completed. Before they knew it, the image of their baby was on the ultrasound machine and the doctor was asking if they'd like to know what they were having. "Yes, we'd like to know." Sammie told her, and she moved the wand around on her stomach to get a clear image of the baby's genitals.

"Well, there is no doubt in my mind that you are having a little boy. Congratulations~" Sammie smiled at the news already imagining what her baby would look like. It would have her nose but Jake's eyes. She turned her head slightly to see Jake completely captivated by the image, tearing up at seeing his baby for the first time.