Sweeter Than Wine (19 page)

"Where's D.J." Sam asked.

"Over at Gina's. She came got him this
morning, she insisted since I haven't been up to par and I'm
overdue." Kasie admitted.

"Good, I'll call her later. Let me get the
bag and we'll be on our way, then."

In less than five minutes he had the bag and
helped her to the car. The hospital was down the mountain and it
would be an hour drive or more. Sam didn't want to let on how
concerned he was but he kept dialing Chayton's number until he
finally got a message machine. He left a message for Chayton and
one for Tanka as he couldn't get anyone there either.

Kasie was trying to relax in the car, but Sam
held her hand and encouraged her to squeeze it when she had pain.
He noted the time and saw that he had to get her there quickly. Her
pains had gone from five minutes apart to just a little over two
minutes apart. In addition, her water had broken so he knew she
could deliver at any moment.

His nerves jangled. And he wouldn't let her
know how much. He had to stay calm no matter what. This was his
sister and he loved her. He smiled to himself. She twisted her
head, "Something funny, Sam?"

"Just thinking how much I love you," he
smiled. "And to be part of this family makes me very happy."

Traffic jammed on the road because a tree
fell across it during the storm the night before and had to be
removed. The option to go around would mean another hour's drive so
Sam waited. He didn't feel right about waiting with her in hard
labor. He had to get Kasie to the hospital. He got out of the car
and talked to some of the workers who noticed his problem. All the
men seemed concerned for Kasie and Sam was grateful but even more
so when one of them spoke up.

"I got a truck on the other side of this
mess, if we can get her over there to it, I can take you guys in,"
one of the workers suggested.

"That would be wonderful, what can I do?" Sam
asked.

"Pull over to the side over there, we'll walk
her around the tree, and it's just on the other side there."

Sam pulled the car over and then helped Kasie
out of the car. Her pains were closer and they were still half an
hour from the hospital.

Kasie laid in the backseat of the truck as
soon as they got her to it, trying to relax as the man sped down
the highway. Sam leaned over the front seat and held her hand,
encouraging her to take deep breaths.

"You ever had a baby, Sam?" Kasie chuckled
between pains.

"No…just watched a lot of TV." He tried not
to let her know how concerned he felt.

Chayton finally called and Sam related that
they were on the way to the hospital and the problems they had, but
everything seemed under control.

Chayton thanked Sam, but Sam heard the panic
in his voice. He told them he'd meet them at the hospital. Tanka
would drive him.

Sam smiled, "Chayton said he'd meet us at the
hospital."

Kasie nodded but another pain hit and she
turned pale again her pains were coming very close together and Sam
wondered if they would get there in time.

When Kasie screamed out, Sam asked the man to
stop, "I don't think she can wait much longer. You ever done this?"
he asked the worker.

"Uh…no…have you?"

"No, but I've watched the discover channel
about it and some TV shows. I don't think we have much choice. I
hate to mess your truck up, but…"

"Don't worry about that," the man yelled
getting out of the truck and shielding the window from anyone
trying to watch. A few cars passed staring but moving on.

Sam hurried to Kasie's side. He went into the
back seat and helped Kasie prepare. She held his hand and looked
into his eyes. "Sam…God must have sent you to me…he knew I was
gonna need you."

Sam tried to smile, but worry and concern for
the situation outweighed it. "We'll do this, together, you just
hang in there."

Kasie nodded as sweat peppered her upper lip.
Then a huge pain hit her and she screamed aloud. Sam held her hand.
Her fingernails nearly cut him, but he didn't seem to mind. He was
almost feeling her pains himself.

Rolling his sleeves up, he took a look and
could see the head crowning, he glanced up at her, "We're about to
have your baby."

"Oh God…" she cried." I'm so sorry Sam."

"Looks like everything is in the right place,
so next time, bear down, real hard." Sam instructed.

"Okay, bro…." she panted and her face turned
scarlet. "I'm just so sorry…"

Sam's face became quite serious. "Don't be,
honey, we're family, and I'm here to help you. God sent me,
remember?"

She smiled and then it hit and she screamed
and Sam yelled, "Push…."

She pushed, he nodded, "Keep
pushing…honey."

"Oh dear God," she cried.

"Push honey." He yelled softer this time.

She did and in seconds Sam was holding the
baby and helping her come into the world. The worker stood outside
with his back turned, his shirt open to give privacy and a grin on
his face. Someone stopped their car, got out and came up to him,
"What's goin' on?"

"We're havin' a baby," the worker
chuckled.

"No kidding?" the couple asked and smiled
brightly.

Just then a cry from the baby affirmed it and
everyone laughed.

Sam held the baby close to him, giving her
the shirt off his back as he helped his niece snuggle against him.
"My God, Kasie, she's beautiful. Look at that hair, would you?"

Kasie smiled, "A girl? Oh how wonderful. How
very perfect, let me see her…." She insisted.

Sam placed the baby into her arms.

Suddenly an ambulance came roaring up and
parked on the side of the road in front of them. Chayton and Tanka
got out running to the truck. "When you weren't there, we decided
to highjack an ambulance and get up here."

"Is she okay?" they yelled.

"They're fine," the worker smiled.

"I'm the father," Chayton explained, and the
worker put down his shirt and smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, the baby?"

Sam came out of the backseat and carried the
baby with him, "You have a beautiful daughter, Chayton." He
announced proudly, as the paramedics surrounded them and began to
bring Kasie out of the truck. Chayton took his daughter into his
arms and pushed back the shirt that Sam had wrapped her in. His
eyes were big and round and a tear escaped him. "My God, she's so
beautiful." He cried when Kasie looked up into his face.

"Behold your daughter, Chayton, look at all
that beautiful black hair, she's lovely."

Chayton gave the baby to Tanka, who instantly
cradled her and started making faces at her, cooing as he went, as
Chayton leaned down to kiss Kasie on the lips. "And how's my other
girl?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm fine, thanks to my brother there," Kasie
nodded toward Sam.

The paramedics took the baby from Tanka and
assured them all they would take good care of her. Loading Kasie
into the ambulance, Sam and Tanka followed in the worker's
truck.

Even the worker wanted to go to the
hospital.

At the hospital, Chayton was waiting in the
waiting room until they could clean Kasie up and get the baby
all-snug in clean clothes.

Chayton stood up and looked at Sam, then in
an instant he hugged him close, "Thanks for being there for
her…."

"You bet," Sam laughed. "That's what family
is for, right?"

"What are we gonna call her?" Tanka asked as
they gathered in a circle.

"How about Samantha?"

Sam nodded, "Perfect."

"So, have you decided what you're going to do
about Lacey?" Kasie asked Sam from the hospital bed that same
evening as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

Sam moved about the room restlessly. "Kasie,
I'm sure of my feelings for her. I know I want her, I want her for
life, but we haven't known each other that long. That's what is
throwing me. It was sort of a whirlwind romance and I don't want to
act foolishly. Can you know someone a week and know you're in
love?" Sam asked looking straight at Kasie for the answer.

"To tell the truth, I don't know, Sam. I mean
I've heard of some making a wonderful marriage and knowing them a
very short time, but I guess it sort of depends on how committed
you are to loving her. And she you."

"I didn't want her to leave. The fact that
she did, kind of threw me." Sam admitted.

Kasie nodded, "But Sam, she has a job, you
have yours. Life can't stand still while you figure out what to do.
If you want her, you should go to her."

"Yeah, you are right. I didn't tell her in so
many words that I loved her. It all hit so fast, I found myself
backtracking. So I guess she had no reason to stick around."

"Maybe you should have."

"Do you think it's too late?" Sam asked.

"Love is never too late. That much I know for
sure. Chayton and I were separated for eight years, knowing we
loved each other and we still got together. It's never too late, if
you love her. I have to tell you, I think she's crazy about you,
but a girl has to hear the words, Sam." Kasie admitted with a
sigh.

Sam glanced at her, "I shouldn't even be
worrying you with this, and you just had a baby, for crying out
loud."

"I'm glad you did. We might not have had the
best starts in life, but we are making up for lost time now." Kasie
said reaching for his hand. "Tell her you love her, Sam."

Sam stood close and kissed Kasie on the
forehead. "Thanks, sis."

Kasie squeezed his hand. "And hurry up and
bring her back…."

Sam laughed, "What would I do without you?
All the women in my life seem to rush in, and then I'm lost without
them."

"You'll never know now, you done got yourself
anointed into this family and we won't let you go." Kasie
chuckled.

"Little Samantha sure is pretty," Sam added
looking around the room at all the faces. He'd come to care about
all these people in a short time, was Lacey any different?

Chayton walked up to the bed, and took his
daughter in his arms... "I've got to get more pictures."

Everyone groaned, "Again?"

He leaned and kissed his wife on the lips,
then rose up to look at Sam. "If this doesn't make you want to go
grab that little gal of yours nothing will, Sam."

Sam laughed, "Well, looks like I got the
family approval, I guess I better hustle."

"See ya Sam," they all called to him as he
rushed out the door.

***

Lacey moved into her new apartment with high
hopes of improving her emotional state. She'd bought many new
things so she could change her décor and start anew. She didn't
want reminders of her losses. Her mother was gone and Sam was no
longer a part of her life, so she had to get a fresh start.

She unpacked her dishes and began putting
them away when a knock came at her door.

Not expecting anyone, she had put her hair up
in a ponytail and stood there in shorts and t-shirt when she opened
the door to Howard Newcomb.

"My goodness, what are you doing here?" she
asked surprised to see him and flustered that he came
unannounced.

"Not exactly the greeting I was looking for,
but it's a start. I heard you were moving, wanted to see if you
needed any help." He smiled into her eyes.

Lacey felt as though she should go and
change, Howard had never seen her in anything but dresses and
heels.

"Oh, I'm fine. I got a couple of the girls'
boyfriends to help me move, and now I’m just putting things up
where they belong. Come on in." she motioned.

He moved inside, unbuttoning his suit and
laying the jacket on the top of her sofa.

"I can help if there's anything you need?" he
insisted. "I'm sure you want to get squared away before you start
back to school."

"Oh, well, if you could move that box closer
so I can go ahead and put those away." She motioned for a big box
that held pots and pans.

"Sure," he smiled and lifted the box with no
trouble. He set it down and watched her as he leaned against the
counter. "Nice place you have here."

"I was in luck to find it. So close to the
school."

Lacey wondered why he had come, but ever
since she got back from her trip Howard had been more attentive to
her and was very interested in the pictures she had of her
vacation. He'd asked who the man with her was and she explained he
was her guide. Why she had called Sam her guide she didn't know,
but she wasn't about to explain her relationship with Sam to
Howard.

She looked at Howard again.

"You got quite a tan while you were up there
in Oregon, I wouldn't think there was that much sun," he asked,
noting her legs and smiling. "Do you have family up there, is that
why you chose that part of the country?"

"No family. I've always admired the area, and
hadn't seen it. I wanted to take in the redwoods and see the ocean
at the same time. It was so beautiful. You know we have beautiful
trees but it's so hot in the summer here in Texas it's hard to get
out and appreciate them."

"Oh, I just thought it strange to go
there…"

"Really? I can't imagine why, it's the most
beautiful place in the world if you ask me. Part of why I love
Texas is the trees." She shrugged.

She felt a little uncomfortable with his
questions about her vacation. Howard had never noticed anything
about her; he had treated her like any other teacher, but never
seemed to see her as a woman. What had changed him?

Lacey knew the minute she laid eyes on Howard
things were not the same. She didn't want to admit it, but Sam was
the only thing on her mind, and trying hard to concentrate on
anything else just made things worse.

"As for the tan, I was on the back of a
motorcycle a lot and near the water a lot so I guess I got a little
sun. I went deep sea fishing one day, and then I fished from the
shore another. I guess you've seen pictures of the trophy,
huh?"