The Babysitter

Testing

Samantha

"Hey, wake up," Andrew shakes me awake. I sit up on the couch and rub my eyes.

"What time is it?" I say.

"It's 5," he says, "go home."

I slip on my Toms and grab my keys off the coffee table then walk to the entry.

"Sammy," he says and I turn around. "I'm sorry about what happened between us." He stares at me with that look. But it isn't working this time.

"Is that all?" I say.

"Becca had to have emergency heart surgery," he says.

"Oh my god," I say, "Is she going to be okay?"

"We don't know, it's too early to tell," he says and sits on the steps. "They had to airlift her to Seattle. She is stable now. I just came home to shower and get the kids. We're going back to be with her."

"Well, let me know if I can help," I say.

"This whole thing just reminded me of how important she is to me," he says and walks towards me. I step back. "How much she means to me. I forgot that." Andrew wraps his arms around me. "I can't lose her," he says and starts to cry.

I feel bad for the guy. He is an asshole but everyone makes mistakes I guess. I hug him back.

"I can't lose her," he says and softly cries. I hug him back.

"It's going to be okay," I say, "everything is going to be okay."

Andrew lifts my face and starts kissing me. I immediately pull away.

"I'm sorry," he says and steps back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He pulls out his wallet and grabs a fistful of cash and hands it to me. "Thank you for your help, I need to get the kids ready," he says and shuffles me out of the door.

I can't stop thinking about Rebecca. She could die and I don't know what will happen to the kids. They need their mother. I can't imagine growing up without a mother but I know it messy with your head. It would be like growing up without experiencing an entire part of life that normal kids get. I'm worried about her.

Mitch stops in the hall and pulls me aside.

"Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday," he says, "I was just upset."

"Thank you," I say, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Don't worry about it," he says, "We were going to have to tell them eventually, but listen, I have to tell you something and you aren't going to like it."

"Okay?"

"My mother wants to pick you up after school and take you out shopping for the baby."

"What? No way. That woman hates me."

"She hates everyone until she loves them, then it's all good. So you have to go."

"Mitch, I don't want to go."

"I know you but you have to."

We bicker about it through 4th-period bell.

"Fine," I say.

"Great. It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay." He says and kisses me. "I'll see you in 6th," he kisses me again and is off.

"Nice to see you're doing well," Charlie says from behind me. I turn around.

"Oh hey," I say and try to brush off the awkwardness. Did she hear our conversation?

"Everything going well with you and the bf?" She says with a smile.

"Charlie, it's not like that, well it wasn't supposed to be like that," I say and realize I'm speaking in generalization.

"Be like what?" Charlie says.