Sparks

15

Sam stumbled down the stairs at 6:30 on Saturday morning to find Bryson and Brooklyn sitting at the table, two cups of black coffee in front of them.

 "Wow, I didn't expect the whole house to be up this early. You Ramseys are always up at the crack of dawn." Sam yawned and rubbed his neck.

 "We were just talking. I couldn't sleep." Brooklyn smiled at Sam and squeezed his hand.

 "Are you still going to go shopping for the babies room today?" Bryson fiddled with his coffee cup nervously.

 "Yes. We were going to have lunch out." Sam looked from Brooklyn to Bryson, confused.

 "I just was wondering if I could go along." Bryson looked over at Sam.

 "Sure Bry. You can help Sam paint the babies room upstairs too if you like." Brooklyn smiled at her younger brother.

 "I need a shower." Bryson mumbled to himself as he walked to his room.

 "There's towels under the sink!" Brooklyn called after him.

 "I'm going to need new clothes soon." Brooklyn looked at Sam when they were back at the bedroom. Sam pulled on a t-shirt and shrugged on a grey crew neck sweater.

 "What's wrong with the clothes you have now?" Sam saw Brooklyn's face and leaned over and kissed her. "Just kidding."

 "Sam, where's your red striped sweater?" Brooklyn said riffling through a basket of clean clothes.

 "It's in the closet. Why?" Sam sat on the edge of the bed and made an effort to find two matching socks to please Brooklyn.

 "I just wanted to wear it." Brooklyn said guiltily as she did her hair in a messy bun, some hair falling around her face.

 "Since when did you want to wear my sweaters?" Sam came behind her and helped her put on her favourite necklace.

 "Uh, it hides my baby bump. And it cozy and smells like you." Brooklyn blushed furiously, tucking some hair behind her hair.

 "Babe, you shouldn't hide it. It is your baby." Sam laughed and grabbed his wallet and keys.

 "I know. It's a self conscious thing I guess. It's like people can't tell if I'm just fat or pregnant so I'll wait a few more weeks to show it off. It's silly really." Brooklyn started to walk into the hallway but stopped and turned around to grab the sweater. Sam smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

 "It looks better on you anyway." Sam knocked on the guest bathroom door.

 "Bryson! Hurry up in there!"

 "Sorry! I'm almost done." Gabe burst out of the bathroom door with his lap top in his hand.

 "I'm not even going to ask." Sam whispered in Brooklyn's ear as they walked out to the garage.

"Bry, I think you ate more than Sam and I combined!" Brooklyn threw away their garbage and brushed her hands off on her jeans. "Were Mom and Dad starving you?"

 "Nah, I was just really hungry. Looking at the same crib all morning is tiring."

 "They were not the same! One had a different finish! It totally looks different in a room than..." Sam held up his hand and laughed.

 "Ok, you two! Enough fighting or else I might have to leave you here!" Sam backed out of the parking lot and looked in the rear view mirror at Bryson. "By the way what were you doing in the bathroom this morning with your lap top?"

 "I'm, um, making a CD." Bryson blushed and looked out the window. "Just some editing stuff."

 "Fair enough. Anything you'd like to look at before we go to the torture, I mean paint store?" Sam snuck a look at Brooklyn and smirked.

 "The music store? I was looking at one guitar in particular..." Bryson stared out the window. Sam and Brooklyn exchanged a look.

 "You play guitar?" Sam asked.

 "Yeah. I don't have any money to buy any more though. I kinda got fired." He looked at his hands.

 "Hey you know what I have an old drum set kicking around in the basement and I'm pretty sure I could find my old guitar collection at my parents. Want to try them out?" Sam caught Bryson's grin in the mirror.

 "Yeah? That would be awesome!" Bryson gladly argued over paint colours with Sam and Brooklyn for the rest of the day.

On the way back home, Sam looked over at Brooklyn.

 "I had no idea a couple old guitars and a drum set could make that kid so happy." Sam said in astonishment. Bryson was smiling to himself and playing a game on his iPod classic.

 "I didn't even know Bryson liked music. I mean we all took piano lessons when we were kids but I had no idea he played guitar." Brooklyn wrapped her arms around herself and twisted around to look at her seventeen year old brother. 'He might not seem so little anymore.' Her baby brother was growing up.