Seeing as Albert had left to buy her food, she'd made tea to soothe her stomach, opting to lounge on the couch, as she binged a show on Netflix. She had actually understood his denial. After all, when she found out she was pregnant, she'd almost convinced herself that everything was a dream.
If he decided to stay, where would that leave her? At this point, it was all but guaranteed that he would stay if only to see the child, and Sam accepted that. Would he settle for weekly visitations? And if he decided to fight her for custody, what then?
She shook her head.
No, he seemed like the love-'em-and-leave-'em type, so she was fairly sure he wouldn't knowingly saddle himself with a baby.
As for her, she didn't care for child support. Sam had a great business and her friends have been tapping her as a marketing consultant for their companies. Life was good, and she couldn't wait to meet her baby.
She paused the movie as her doorbell rang. Albert was drenched from head to toe. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and he was dripping, quite literally.
It was comical to see the always composed man looking like a drowned rat for once.
Albert held up the wet paperbag with two golden arches printed on it. Sam grabbed it and ushered him to come in, leaving the bag on the kitchen counter as she ransacked a cabinet in the guest bedroom for her Kuya's clothes.
She wasn't entirely evil that she would leave him to dry in his soaked clothes. Besides, he brought her fries and some chicky nuggies.
"Here," She began, holding out a towel, some gray sweatpants, black shirt, and some boxers. "Bathroom's over there."
He nodded, grateful to finally rid himself of his wet clothes.
Sam settled back on the couch and started munching on the fries. It was heavenly.
She was watching intently, morbidly fascinated with Holden Ford's interrogation when she felt the couch dip. She wasn't prepared when Albert snatched a couple of fries.
"What?" He asked as she frowned. "I bought them!"
"That doesn't mean they're yours!" She sniped, irritated at his faux innocence.
They shouldn't be fighting over fries. "What do you want?" Sam glared at him. "Why are you really here?"
Albert sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't really know," He chuckled. "Heck, I don't even know what I want to do with myself these days. But I want to be here. I want to be part of the child's life."
"We don't always get what we want."
He shook his head ruefully. "Don't I know it."
Sam smiled sadly. What she wouldn't give to have someone who would love her as Albert did his late wife. She knew their story, knew how much he loved the beautiful Katherine.
She felt a little guilty for envying a dead woman, but she'd never belonged anywhere. Her mom thought her too quiet, her dad had always found her lacking, and the people around her thought her too serious. And when she talked, they thought her strange. When she allowed herself to feel, they thought her sensitive. Whatever she did, she couldn't quite fit the puzzle.
So she took what they had broken and retreated in her cave with the handful of friends that were true. Nobody would hurt her so carelessly with their words anymore.
"I'll be having an ultrasound tomorrow. Do you want to come?"
He smiled. "Yes, I would like to come."
It wasn't a grand declaration of love, nor a promise to stay, and they were likely a ticking time bomb waiting to happen, but it was a start.
——————
The day started out fine. She and Albert had gone to St. Luke's for the ultrasound. They filled out some paperwork, and at that moment, she'd never been more grateful of the hospital's patient confidentiality.
If the media got wind of the situation, the spotlight would be turned to Albert, and, by extension, Sam. She would be followed, pressed to defend herself from accusations—for there would be accusations, of that she had no doubt.
They were led into a room by a particularly vivacious nurse, who kept stealing glances at both her and Albert, probably disbelieving that a guy like him and a girl like Sam would—it was daunting to be judged for one indiscretion.
Dra. Cornelio was the complete opposite, however. She was a professional through and through. If she was shocked to learn that Albert Martinez fathered Sam's baby, she did not show it. Her clinical detachment put Sam at ease as she lay on the gurney and the gel was spread over her bump.
A few minutes later, a whooshing sound filled the room, and the parents-to-be were awed by the steady thump thump thump of their child's heartbeat. It was surreal—one that both Albert and Sam previously resigned themselves to never experience due to the death of a wife for him, and the death of hope for the her.
It was funny in an ironic—kind of cosmic—way that the two people who thought they would never have children were now having one together.
They were pulled out of their respective reveries when the good doctor cleared her throat. "From what I can see, everything looks good. The baby has a strong heartbeat, and is ticking all the check marks in the development checklist." She moved the wand. "Are you having problems? Spotting? Cramps?"
Sam shook her head. "None of the sort, but the morning sickness is awful."
Dra. Cornelio smiled, her intelligent eyes crinkling at the edges. "Morning sickness is quite normal, and should gradually disappear now that you have entered your second trimester. However, this does not apply to all women. Some are lucky enough to have morning sickness until their last month."
With her luck, Sam figured she would probably suffer until she gave birth.
"Would you like to know the sex?"
Sam nodded eagerly. "Yes please," She said, glancing at Albert, who hadn't uttered a word since they came in.
He nodded, realization of his impending fatherhood solidifying his resolve to do what was right.
"Let's see here," Dra. Cornelio began, moving the wand over Sam's belly, trying to find a better angle.
"Oh, look here." She was pointing at a specific part of the screen, directing the parents' eyes. "You're having a boy. Congratulations!"
Sam gasped, eyes transfixed on the screen. "Can we have a copy of that?"
"Sure thing. I'll have it printed and attached to your chart, so you can get it in the information center later."
Sam wiped the gel off, and sat up. "Would you like a copy of the sonogram?" She asked Albert as the doctor went out.
"Yes," He swallowed. "That was unbelievable. Thank you for letting me come."
"It beats Disneyland." Sam shrugged. "And you have every right as I do to be here."
Their ultrasound odyssey ended as they collected the pictures from the information center. After, Albert dropped Sam off, and he was left alone with his thoughts, processing his new reality.
About 30 hours earlier, he did not even know he was going to be a father. And now, proof was in his hands. In about five months, his son would be born.
In about five months, he would have a son.
With Samantha.
Once, a lifetime ago, he only ever let himself dream of white picket fences and children with Katherine, but she was gone now, and he was having a son—a boy, whom he always imagined Katherine would give him.
A boy borne by Sam, a woman who was both familiar and a stranger.
Was the baby the reason why he couldn't stop thinking about that fateful night, about Sam? Was it possible that he knew, somehow; that some primal instinct or sixth sense, driven by the primordial need to propagate, recognized the union of cells that ultimately formed their child?
It sounded spooky, but how else could he explain what he felt?
God, he could feel himself getting hard at the thought of having her again, her belly swollen with their child.
He shook his head.
His basic male id was making him a Neanderthal.
But first, he had to tell his family. Personally, he didn't care whether they approved or not, but he supposed Sam would. When he brought her to meet his parents and siblings, she would undoubtedly feel their rejection, which he didn't want to happen because she was horribly good.
It was his fault, and that much he would reiterate to his family. He was the one who seduced her and forgotten to use protection in his eagerness. He would also make sure to tell them that she did not care for his money, and would likely throw it back to his face if he gave her any. But he wasn't a deadbeat, so he would provide financial support to his son.
And if they asked if he had moved on, he would tell them that he was not replacing Katherine. At best, Sam and him would be co-parents to their son, and that was all it would be.
The little voice in his head disagreed.
—————
As expected, telling her family went horribly.
"Hi, Ma!" Sam greeted, a little nervous but firm in her resolve. She had always been a lousy liar, and she knew the fallout would be worse if she prolonged the inevitable. "I have something to tell you."
She bolstered her nerves by thinking of one of her cousins, her aunt's son, who went through the same thing. At 17, her Kuya Daniel had gotten his high school sweetheart pregnant. At first, Sam's mother and Tita Tess had all but disinherited Dan, but babies had a way of softening hearts of stone. Little Maddie had melted the hearts of both of her lola with her gummy smiles and doe eyes.
Sam was wishing the promise of a new baby in the family would be enough to appease them.
But of course, when had she ever been that lucky?
"What is it?" Her mom had asked, and Sam sent a picture of the sonogram to the chat. She imagined her mother squinting at the photo, and waited for the pin to drop. Thank God she had refrained from video calling and settled with a voice call.
Then all hell broke loose.
Her mother was livid. "What is the meaning of this? Is this a joke?"
Sam gulped. "No, Ma, it's real. I-I'm 4 months pregnant."
Silence fell over the line, and Sam was not ready for that. She had prepared herself for a lengthy sermon, yelling, and maybe some crying, too. But the silence was unfamiliar as it was unnerving, and it was making her feel more agitated by the second.
Curse me, yell at me, do what you will, but please, say something, anything, She wanted to say, but this was a battle of wills, and Sam would not let her mother intimidate her as she did countless times before.
She was a grown woman, and she made her own choice. Sure, some of those choices left a lot to be desired, but she made them, and she would deal with the consequences. Her mother did not have to remind her of the shame her pregnancy would bring to the family, especially in a tight knit community like theirs, where everybody knew everybody.
Finally, her mother had spoken. "And the father..." She trailed off, but Sam understood her anyway. It was a loaded question, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. Her father never married her mother, but Sam was able to take her father's family name. He was already married when he met her mother—she learned—a family man, but he never told Mom until they had Sam.
But Sam's situation with Albert was different. How could she explain to her mother that Albert was THE Albert Martinez? She could not tell her mother that he was her boyfriend because he wasn't. And she definitely could not say that she had gotten pregnant because of a one-night-stand.
"We just got back from an ultrasound check-up. Doctor says everything is well and progressing on schedule." Good deviation. It was both an answer and a non-answer.
"Will you come home?" Mom asked, and Sam felt tears pricking in her eyes. When was the last time she spoke to her mother? She'd been so mad when Mom told her she was useless, book-smart but still so stupid. Those words had cut through her, and she decided she wouldn't talk to her mother anymore, unless asked first. Sam had remained civil but it was never the same after that. Until now.
"I would have to fix some things before I go. Then I guess I can come up for a visit," Sam hedged. "But not now. Soon."