What Should Have Been

Part 19

Connie sat at home the following morning having not heard from Sam since she left him. She wasn't one to normally worry but for some reason she couldn't help think something may have happened.

Grace was sitting on the floor finishing her puzzle while the TV was on in the background. Connie was too distracted to care for anything as she sat fiddling with her phone. Seeing it was almost 10 she tried calling, only for it to be sent straight to his voicemail. Huffing she returned to fidgeting as she wandered why he wouldn't have called her.

After only another ten minutes Connie was getting off the sofa. "Grace get your coat darling, we're going out-" "Where to Mummy?" The little girl followed her mother into the hallway where she pulled her coat on. "To see Mummy's friend-" "Sam? Yay!" Despite the feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't help but smile at Grace's comment.

They were in the car driving towards his house when Connie checked her phone to see nothing still. "Baby Sam might not be very well so I need you to be careful okay?" "Okay Mummy... Will he be okay?" Connie glanced into her rear view mirror to Grace. "Course he will." She forced a smile for her daughters sake before returning to the road.

It wasn't far to his place, and despite the busy roads she was there within twenty minutes. Grace had been singing along to the radio while Connie continued driving and thinking of all the possible outcomes of this visit. She was deep in thought as she turned down his road finding a space outside and parking.

Connie got out of the car looking up at the lifeless house before helping Grace from the car. She took her mothers hand happily as she skipped up towards the front door. She knocked once waiting for any sort of response, looking back along the street. She waited and waited thinking it may have just been taking him a while to get to the door but she soon realised nobody was coming.

"Mummy is Sam at home?" "He should be sweetie..." Connie frowned before knocking once again. She didn't want to admit it but her stomach was churning with the thoughts that something bad had happened. He wasn't well and she had seen that yesterday yet left him alone. This was her fault, if something had happened she would never be able to forgive herself.

Her eyes snapped to the door that was opened with Sam standing in the doorway with an unimpressed look on his face. "Con?" Instantly she lifted a hand slapping him unexpectedly. "Connie!?" "What the hell were you playing at? You worried me." She stepped forwards having dropped Grace's hand to wrap her arms around Sam's back.

He let his arms fall around her holding her tightly while trying to ignore the deep thrumming in his head. "Why are you here?" "You promised me you'd call me and when you didn't I panicked." Sam wore a gentle smile as he looked at her before feeling someone else watching them.

Grace stood calmly a step behind Connie. "Hey you, you're quiet-" "Mummy said you weren't very well and that I needed to be quiet." He smiled bending down to her level lifting a finger motioning for her to come forwards. Grace wandered closer before he scooped her up from the floor. "Well thank you for being quiet, but I'm just fine... Seeing you has cheered me up though." Grace grinned from ear to ear as she hugged him quickly.

Sam looked to Connie who was now looking down at the floor. "Are you coming in, or did you just come here to slap me?" "I'm really sorry about that... It wasn't- I didn't-" "It's fine. Come in." She smirked following him inside before closing the door behind her. Sam carried Grace into the kitchen sitting her up on the side while he got her a drink.

Connie pulled off her leather jacket placing it down while walking to the kitchen. "So you didn't answer the door because..." "I was sleeping Connie, we can't all look as good as you with little sleep." She smirked sarcastically before he got Grace down from the side. "You're welcome to put the TV on Grace."

He turned his eyes to Connie who was biting her lip looking at nothing in particular. "Hey... I'm really sorry I frightened you." She nodded forcing a smile as he closed the space between them. With his hands on her forearms he let her step into his embrace. "I never thought the Connie Beauchamp would be worried about someone else-" "Shut up Sam." He chuckled placing a kiss to the top of her head before pushing her to arms length. "I am right in you caring though aren't I? You weren't just scared about losing a doctor from the hospital?"

Connie pushed his arms away rolling her eyes as she stepped through to join Grace. "Would you like a drink at all?" "Can you be trusted with such a task?" "Ha ha. I'll take that as a no then Beauchamp." Sam smirked diving onto the sofa just as Connie went to take a seat. She almost fell trying to avoid him before his hands were on her hips guiding her down.

She arched an eyebrow looking down at him as she sat across his stomach. "Really?" "Really." His smile was enough to convince her he was okay, at least for now. "This cannot be comfortable for you-" "You'd be surprised... Con you don't exactly weigh a lot and having a beautiful woman sitting on you kind of stops you from thinking about the level of discomfort."

Sam lay across the sofa as Connie sat herself back so that she could lean against the sofa while sitting on him still. One of his hands were placed to the small of her back while the other rest on her thigh tracing gentle patterns. They remained like that for about an hour before Grace was getting up. "Mummy, I need the toilet..." She'd lowered her voice as Connie smiled climbing off of Sam. "I'll show you were it is sweetheart."

He sat himself up taking the opportunity to grab a glass of water and some tablets from the kitchen while she was gone. Gently he ran a hand across his forehead closing his eyes trying to wish the pain away. Sam could hear Connie's voice getting louder so dashed back to the sofa sitting down.

Connie appeared from the hallway with a smile strolling over to the sofa. "Are you sure you're okay?" "Con seriously..." He stopped as she straddled his waist sitting back onto his lap. He gave her one of her own looks bringing a smile to her face. "If us being here isn't helping then just say and we'll go-" "Having you here is helping, honestly."

Her arms came up over his shoulders as their eyes connected. Leaning forwards she brushed her lips against his, teasing him as she smiled briefly. Sam pushed his lips to hers kissing her once and pulling back. Connie quickly replaced her lips on his with a deeper kiss. Sam wrapped his arms up around her back, his hands spread over her skin.

She pushed him backwards until his back was against the cushions on the sofa. Connie shifted forwards as her hands ran down his chest sending a shiver through him. Moments like these were something Sam had spent the last four years dreaming of, as had Connie for that matter. They were interrupted by Grace's footsteps causing Connie to break from his lips and drop to the sofa beside him.

"Subtle-" "Shut up." Her head lay to his shoulder while his arm was still wrapped around her. Grace skipped into the room sitting herself down on the floor watching the TV again. Sam couldn't remove the smile from his lips as he sat there with Connie. Ignoring the pain in his head had never been so easy and he was more than grateful for the distraction.