Love Runs Deeper Than Blood

Tough Conversations

Sammie's pov

We had finally made it back to DC after the Olympics, and we're getting back into the swing of things. For whatever reason I woke up early that morning around 6:30, and I couldn't fall back asleep, so I hopped up and threw on some shorts and a tshirt, went downstairs and grabbed my ball to juggle in the backyard. I was thinking about the conversation I had with Tobin about my birth parents when I was sick, and I decided that I had put it off for too long, so I went back inside after about an hour of footskills, juggling, and bounce back drills and turned on the tv to whatever game was on. Mom came down before mama about 20 minutes after I started watching.
"Hey Sam."
"Hey mom."
(Ali will now be mom or mommy and ash will be mama... Got it? Got it. Good.)
"Why are you sweating? Do you feel okay?" Mom asked me. God she can be so worrisome.
"Yeah I'm fine I've just been outside with the ball."
"Why are you up so early?"
"I'm not sure, I just couldn't sleep."
"Oh okay. Why don't you go shower before we go out for the day."
"Okay." I responded and headed upstairs and into the bathroom. As I got up the stairs, mama came out of the bedroom.
"Hey Champ. What's shaking?"
"Just heading to shower."
"Why? You usually shower at night."
"Yeah I woke up early and went outside with the ball."
"Oh okay. I'll see you downstairs. Love you Sam."
"Love you too mama." I said with a forced smile. Truth was, I was terrified to hear their reaction to what I was planning on talking to them about. I was afraid that they wouldn't love me if they knew I still missed my birth parents. I hopped in the shower, and I probably overthought everything. When I got out, I wrapped myself in a towel and went and threw on black Nike shorts a tank and my dad's red Boston University sweatshirt, combed my long hair and left it wet down my back. When I went downstairs, mom and mama were on the couch watching the news, and drinking coffee. I went over and sat on the chair next to the couch.
"Morning Sam."

"Morning mom."

"Why are you wearing a sweatshirt? It's 85 degrees out." Mama asked me.

"Well actually, I wanted to talk to you guys."

"What about?"

"This sweatshirt."

"Okay, shoot." Mama told me.

Ashlyn's POV

"This sweatshirt." She said.

"Okay shoot." I watched as she took a deep breath and began.

"So. When I was four, my parents obviously were killed in a car crash, right? Then my grandmother took me in until she died."

She exhaled a shaky breath and Ali patted the middle seat in between us.
Sam moved over, and sat down where I patted her leg reassuringly. I smiled a her before she continued.

"Okay now about the sweatshirt. So when I was little, my dad. He had to do overnights at his work a lot because he was a fireman, and so he gave me this sweatshirt to sleep with in case he couldn't come home and tuck me in."

She looked straight ahead and twiddled her thumbs like she always does when she's nervous. Ali patted her leg before she continued.

"That night, I was a four year old girl, sleeping with her dad's sweatshirt. It was 11:30 and my grandmother was home with me. I woke up from my sleep with a knock at the door, but I stayed in bed. My grandmother went to answer it, and there was a few seconds of silence before I heard my grandmother's cries. I ran out of the room and I saw my grandmother on her knees at the feet of a police officer. I went over to my grandmother and she looked at me and her words were, "Sammie Mar, baby. Daddy and mommy aren't coming home tonight." She said and stood up. "So I'll see them tomorrow?" I asked. I remember her saying, "No baby. Sammie Mar. Remember how sometimes we go to church and the pastor talks about Heaven?" I nodded. "Well Daddy and Mommy are in heaven." And being four years old, I still thought my daddy was gonna come home. I didn't understand until the following night when they didn't come home. That's when I knew. My mom and dad weren't coming home. Mommy was never going to sing to me, Daddy would never tuck me in again. I stayed in my room for days on end and my grandmother would bring me food. I guess my point is. Well I guess that. Well I'll start here. When I was sick at camp, I was wearing the sweatshirt, and Tobs asked me about it, so I told her. I asked if she thought you guys would get upset when I told you what I'm about to tell you. She said she didn't think so, so that's why I'm telling you now. I unfortunately was old enough when my parents died to still have vivid memories of them, like I just told you. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry."