Finally Home

46. Tyler

Samantha proved just how much she'd grown when she texted us and said that Brendon and Sarah weren't at the airport.

She didn't freak out, she remained calm and just texted me.  She admitted she was a little worried, but she stayed pretty calm.

She'd promised she would call us tonight but by eleven, we hadn't heard from her.

"Tyler, relax," Jenna said. "She's with B and Sarah."

"What if she's had a seizure?"

"They'd call us."

"What if she drowned in the ocean again?"

"Brendon told you, they'll probably go for dinner then go home."

"What if they were in an accident?"

"Tyler," Jenna said, smiling. "I really hope you're going to get over this soon."

Just then, the phone rang. I grabbed it.

"Hello?  Sam?"

"Sorry pal, it's just Brendon. Sam's fine. We went for dinner and the kid passed out on the way home. Jet lag. She's fine. Fast asleep in her room."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, B. She's okay?"

"She's great. We took her for sushi and she seemed to enjoy it. She's an amazing kid, Ty. You guys have worked wonders with her. We went to the wrong terminal to pick her up and when we realized our mistake and went to the right one, she was fine. She wasn't freaking out or anything. She was calm, cool and collected."

"I know. She's pretty amazing," I agreed.

"I figured she was probably supposed to call you before she went to bed, but the jet lag got her before we got home. So I'm calling in her place. But I'll have her call you in the morning when we wake up."

"I appreciate it. Thanks for this. I think she's going to have a great week with you all. Just watch her leg. She needs her crutch if you're going to do a lot of walking. And did you download her glucose monitoring app? I sent you an invite to follow her so you can be on top of her blood sugars, too. And watch out for seizures. She hasn't had one in a while, but still..."

"Ty, we got it. Don't worry. We both have the app, Sam told us about her crutch and we know about the seizures. She's going to be fine. And you know we'll call if anything happens."

"I know. I know. I just worry. You know me."

"Always the protective Papa Bear," Brendon said, a smile in his voice.

"Okay. Thanks for calling. We'll talk to you guys later," I said.

"Stay chill, bro. She's a great kid and she's gonna be fine."

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

"And?" Jenna said, looking at me, her arms crossed over her chest.

"She's fine. She fell asleep on their way home from dinner," I said.

"Mmhm," Jenna said, indicating she had already told me Sam was fine.

I slept better anyway, knowing Sam was okay and that Brendon had called in her place. I knew he'd make sure she called in the morning, so I was able to sleep just fine.

When I woke up in the morning, I didn't have that same feeling of dread I'd had when Sam had been in England. I got up, used the washroom, got dressed and went into Rosie's room. Jenna was still sleeping and with a new baby on the way, I figured I'd let her sleep.

"Hi Dada!" Rosie said, as I went into her room.

"Good morning, RosieRo!" I said, pulling her out of her crib and taking her over to the change table.

"Sammy?" She asked.

"Sammy's at Uncle Brendon and Aunt Sarah's, Peanut."

"I go," Rosie said.

"No, Rosie stays in Ohio with Mama and Dada."

"And Sammy."

"When Sammy comes home, yeah."

Rosie frowned at me.

Having finished changing her, I picked my daughter up and carried her downstairs.

"What would RosieRo like for breakfast?" I asked her.

"Awfuls," she said.

"Waffles?"

She nodded.

"Waffles it is," I said, taking the box of Eggos out of the freezer. I warmed one for Rosie and two for myself. I also made coffee.

Once they were done, I cut Rosie's into strips and gave her a small bowl of syrup so she could dip the waffles into it. She likes it that way.

"Awfuls!!" She cheered as I put the plate in front of her.

I sipped my coffee and ate my waffles (or Awfuls) while Rosie played with and ate hers.

Just as we were finishing, Jenna came downstairs.

"Good morning," she said. "Thanks for the lie-in."

"My pleasure," I said. "You're building a whole new human. The least I could do is let you sleep in a bit."

"I appreciate it. Unfortunately, this little nugget decided my bladder was a soccer ball and kicked me. So I got up rather than wet the bed."

I laughed.

"Awfuls, Mama!" Rosie said, showing Jenna her waffle strip.

"Ooh, lucky Rosie! Did Daddy make those for you?"

Rosie nodded as she dipped her waffle in some syrup. She was a bit of a mess, but she was fed and happy.

The phone rang as I was clearing away our dishes so I was distracted when I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dad!" Samantha's voice came cheerily down the line.

"Sam! How are you doing? How was dinner last night? How'd you sleep?"

"Dinner was great. You're right, sushi is good."

"I told you so," I grinned.

"And I'm good. And I don't remember sleeping. I remember dinner and then it was morning. So I guess I slept good," she laughed. I smiled.

"Sorry I didn't call last night like I promised," she said.

"That's okay. Brendon called and let me know you'd fallen asleep. And that he'd make sure you called today."

"And he did," Sam laughed.

"So, what's on tap for today?"

"We have the Lakers/Raptors game tonight so we're going to hang around the house for the morning then head to the stadium after lunch."

"Sounds like a great way to start off your holiday!" I said.

"I can't wait!" She said.

"Okay, you go do your thing. If you're up, call us tonight and let us know how the game and everything was. Otherwise call us in the morning, okay?"

"You got it, dude," she laughed.

We said goodbye and hung up. And unlike when she was in England, I wasn't worried if she didn't call tonight. I smiled. We were both growing in our own ways.