Do Us Part

39. "Your choice..."

Chapter 39

Sam

"Sam." I heard the familiar voice call my name.

"Hey, Maria. What's up? I'm busy now. Do you mind coming back later? " I replied, not glancing up from my laptop.

"No, it's urgent."

"Oh, OK.. shoot," I replied, still looking up from my laptop.

"I don't know how to say this."

"It's me. You can tell me anything. "

"Sam, I'm leaving."

"Leaving? For home already? " I checked the time. Well, it's past seven and I don't think I'll be needing you for the rest of the day anyway, so you can go. But before you go, I would like the process report that Miles submitted. "

"Sam."

"Yes?"

"Ben is leaving for Canada. He was picked for the Canadian football team. "

"Really?" My eyes brightened. "That's so cool, M. I'm happy for him and you must be proud. "

"I am." She smiled, and I nodded, then continued signing the documents. "He asked me to come to Canada with him," she added, "and that stopped me."

"What?" I asked, giving her my full attention now.

"Yes."

"Wow." I sighed. "How did he take it?"

"Take what?"

"I mean, obviously you told him no, so how did he react?"

"Sam"

"I mean, you told him no. Right? "

"I... no."

"Ok, good."

"No, I didn't tell him no."

"Why not?"

"Because he's my son and he wants us to start a new life together."

"No. You can't do this. I need you. " I let out a shaky laugh.

"I know and I honestly really don't want to do this. Especially not after what just happened. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Then don't. Just go back to work. I'll pretend like this conversation never happened.

"I can't do that."

"You can't do this to me, Maria. I need you the most right now. "

"I'm sorry. My son also needs me to choose him. I have refused him things for you. I cannot ruin this for him."

I nodded, feeling anger building inside of me. "I mean, leave the boy who has no mother to be the mother to your son, right?"

"Sam."

"You must think that I will crash without you." I scoff. Well, you are wrong. "You can go and be with your son and leave this orphan alone."

"How dare you, Sam? You know, I have never thought of you any less than my son. I have been here for you most of your life. "

"And now that I need you the most, you are leaving me?"

"And I am sorry but this is the one time Ben asked me for something. He has let go of other changes because of my commitment to you and your family, but now he..."

"Wow. I didn't know we were such a burden."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"You know what? You can leave. Go. In fact, I reject your resignation. I fire you. You're fired. "

"Sam..." she says with a broken voice. Tears rolled down her cheeks and I struggled to hold mine back.

"Leave my premises." I raised my voice.

"Sam, what are you...?"

"Just go..." He stops , then says, "You know what?  I'll go. I'll leave. " I said and opened the door.
I was surprised when I saw Natalie, and from the look on her face, it was obvious that she had heard everything. We held eyes, and I looked away and headed for the elevator.

"Sam, wait." I heard Nichole say as the elevators were about to close. I pushed the button and let her in.

"Sam...you should go back and apologise."

"For what?"

"For being rude and unreasonable."

"I'm sorry." I scoff.

"That was such a cowardly act on your part."

"Oh, and you are her advocate because you are a big coward yourself. Isn't it? "

"Excuse me?"

"What? She's leaving when I need her the most, and that just reminds me of you. You don't think I forgot how you ran out of your marriage life? Do you? "

"Wow." I scoffed and clicked on the elevator button, and it opened on the floor. "I'm going to get off before I say something I can't take back either." Just then, the elevator doors opened and she got out. Once the doors shut, I hit my hand against the wall in a rage.

Damn it!

Natalie

"You don't think I know that?"

"Are you sure you do? Because it seems to me like you're enjoying your little reunion with your ex-husband"

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Sam and me. I will.. "

"I was disappointed, you know. I thought of us as being beyond boss and assistant. I thought of you as a friend, and you lied to my face.

My friend, my foot.

I am sorry, but this is my case to finish and I will do it. I don't need Beth. "

"You're sure about that?"

"I am."

"Natalie..."

"Alex, please. You know, I'm damn good at my job. If I wasn't, you wouldn't have sent me this far across the ocean. "

"I know."

"Good. Then let me do my job. "

"You can do it with Beth assisting you."

"I don't need Beth."

"Well, you don't need to, but we need her to be there."

"C'mon, Alex."

"Don't argue. I'm being nice by not sending you back home. Be grateful and better not screw it up." He replied, and just then, I heard the sound of my doorbell.

"I have to go."

"Go be productive." He replied, and I rolled my eyes, then ended the call.

I walked to my door and opened it. I was taken aback to see it was

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"Umm.. sure." I replied, and I locked the door after he got in.

" What are you doing here?" I said, and offered him a seat.

" I.. I came to apologise." He sat, and I sighed, then sat on the couch adjacent to the one he was sitting on.

I'm really sorry for saying those things to you. You have only been trying to help since my mum passed away and I was such an asshole to you tonight and I

" You were." I agreed, then smiled a bit. His tense face reduced a bit when he noticed my smile.

"But I get it. It's alot. Your mum just passed away and the woman who you feel nearly as close to as you did with your mum is now leaving the country. "

"Yea... But that's not just it. What I said earlier about you..being birds of a feather with Maria was... "

"You don't have to apologize, Sam. I get it. "