Family in Progress

The Old House

Louis POV

As I drive away, so many thoughts are swirling in my head. I reach for my phone and dial Luke's phone number. I wasn't completely honest when I said I was meeting my old college roommate, but I am meeting an old friend. That is if he ever decides to answer his phone. I hang up and try again, this time getting sent straight to voicemail. I toss the phone back onto the passenger seat. At this point I'm driving around aimlessly, I take the next turn and get on the freeway.

After about 30 minutes of driving I take the next exit, weaving through the small town until I come to a stop. I park the car and look up to the old, beaten up house. It's horrifying really, flashbacks of old parties from high school appear in my head. Those steps right ahead was the spot Samantha and I first kissed. She was with her friends that night, and somehow she managed to escape from the crowd and that's when she stumbled into me out here. I was sober, and I could tell she had a few drinks in her from the way her eyes were glossed over. Regardless, we began talking and we really hit it off. She told me how much she hated partying, she didn't like to drink because it always made her throw up. She was afraid if she told her friends, they wouldn't like her anymore.

Her friends were the ones at the party that tore her apart for being "a slut" and supposedly sleeping with a guy in the bathroom, that wasn't me. But now I know that she wasn't with a guy in the bathroom, she was pregnant. With my baby. When will it finally kick in that I'm a father? I wonder to myself.

I get out of the car and walk up to the house. Nobody lives here anymore, obviously, but back in high school my friend Michael lived here and his parents were never home, so he always threw parties on the weekends. It was almost burnt to the ground, after a huge party the summer after graduation.

I walk up to the steps and take a seat, admiring the broken space around me. I don't know what urge came over me to drive here but there had to be a reason. I can't get the thoughts out of my head, the conversation Kyle and I had lingers in my brain aimlessly. How am I supposed to be "just friends" with someone I have very deep feelings for?

I sat in front of the house for what felt like hours, but in reality it had only been half an hour. I get back into my car, and dial my mom's phone number. She answers after the first ring.

"Hi sweetheart!"

"Hey Mom. Are you home? I'm in town and thought I'd stop by for a visit." I can tell through the phone she must be out shopping with my little brother and sister.

"Yeah, I'm out at the moment but feel free to go to the house. We should be back shortly."

"Alright, see you in a bit."

I get back onto the freeway, taking the exit that will lead to my mom's house. Opening the front door, I take in my surroundings of the home I grew up in. I plop myself on the couch, turning the TV on in search for something to watch to pass the time. My phone buzzes through my pocket and I quickly reach to grab it.

"Samantha?"

"Louis, please you have to..." I push the phone closer to my ear, confused by the commotion in the background.

"Samantha, is everything okay?"

"Micah, it's Micah... The ambulance is here... Louis..." I'm in panic mode, I quickly run to my car, immediately starting it.

"I'm coming." I go over the speed limit once I hit the freeway, I don't care about the consequences at this point.

I get to the exit for Samantha's house in half the amount of time it would normally take me. What the hell happened? I was there just hours ago and everything was fine. I pull into the driveway when I notice Samantha's parents standing outside, meaning the ambulance must have not left long before I got here.

"Louis." Sophie runs to me, engulfing me in a hug. "It's Micah, he was having a seizure. They took him to the hospital to get checked out. He wasn't responding to any of us."

"Are you guys going to the hospital?"

"Yes, we were going to grab Kyle and drive over. Do you want to ride with us?"

"That would be great, yeah." We walk back into the house; Sophie makes her way to Kyle's room, leaving Mr. Foreman and I in the living room.

"Has this happened before?" I ask.

"This is the first time." He just shakes his head, and takes a seat on the couch rubbing his hands across his face.

Sophie returns, with Kyle standing next to her.

We pull up to the hospital, and they decide to drop me off at the front entrance; I make my way to the front desk, and give them my last name. They direct me on how to get to the room Micah is in and I politely thank them. I text Sophie the room number as I take the elevator up to the fourth floor. I walk into the room and immediately see Micah wrapped in blankets on the bed. Samantha is asleep in a chair next to his bed, holding onto his hand. I quietly kneel down, opposite of Samantha and take his other hand in my own. Samantha sits up and is startled at first, by the sight of me, but than she smiles and runs her hand through her messy hair.

"The doctors haven't said anything to me yet. Dr. Mallow is out of town, so he isn't able to come in. I don't know what I'm supposed to do Louis, nothing like this has ever happened before." She begins to sob quietly, because I know she doesn't want to wake Micah.

I quickly make my way to her and wrap her in a hug, comforting her. I don't know what to say in a situation like this. This is all new to me, but it's not just about being a new dad. Micah is losing his hearing, that's the most I know, and to be honest, that scares the shit out of me. So I can't begin to imagine how Samantha has been through all of this, alone.

"I'm here for a - " the young man looks at his clipboard for a moment "- Micah Tomlinson?" He's not much older than me, and he doesn't quite look like a certified doctor.

"I'm his mom, Samantha; and this is Micah's dad. Is everything okay, doctor?"

"I'm actually not a doctor, I'm assisting Micah's doctor today. I'm here to check up on him, we're still waiting on some test results. Anyways, my name is Timothy, I'll be here most of the time checking back with you guys on Micah's well being. Has he been sleeping long?"

"Just a little over half an hour now. When we first got here, he had some jello that the nurse brought us but that's about it."

"Oh good. Ok, well the doctor should be in shortly as soon as we receive the test results. In the mean time is there anything I can get you guys?"

"No I think we're fine. Thank you." Samantha answers, and he leaves with a little nod of his head.

I reach for Samantha's hands and pull them to my chest. I look into her empty eyes and I can't quite make out what she's feeling right now. She's a mom, and our child is here in the hospital over something neither of us has control over. She's lost, and quite honestly, so am I.

We stay in this position for just a moment, and I can feel that pull that we share. I can't resist her, I've never been able to. I rest my index finger just underneath her jaw and nudge just an inch, enough so our eyes meet. That's when I'm completely lost, I've lost myself to this beautiful women. She has me now and forever, and all I want to do is kiss her. And that's exactly what I do.

New chapter!! Sorry it's taken me so long, but I'm currently working on editing this story for publishing! I promise to get better on updating you guys more. I love you all, thank you so much for reading. All your support means a lot❤