Work Text:
Month 1
This was the longest five minutes of your life. Waiting and waiting to see if that little stick showed lines or not. It was horrible, plus you were already tired due to the long bus ride to ZuZu city to buy the damned thing! Pierre didn't sell any, not that you would have asked him, and you were too embarrassed to ask Harvey. Let's face it, Pelican Town is a small town, there's no way you would be able to keep it private. If this test was positive, you wanted to tell Sam first. Not through the whispers of aerobics class.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The alarm on your phone buzzed. You quickly turned it off with shaky hands. What if you weren't ready for this? It could be nothing also. A missed period and some nausea didn't have to mean anything. Yet, that thought also made your stomach sink.
You had been married to Sam for three years now, and you were starting to want more out your relationship. Not that you didn't love each other, but there felt like there was something missing. Whenever you brought up the possibility of having kids, Sam would always chuckle nervously and change the subject.
"We're still young. There's always more time."
You didn't always feel that way. Jas and Vincent were almost middle school age and soon Penny would finish her teaching degree. The plan was for them to go to ZuZu city middle school, so they could have more friends and experience more than Pelican Town. Penny was planning on teaching there too, but you still wanted her to teach your kids.
And Maru and Harvey already have two little ones. Then Emily had adopted the little boy from Ginger Island. Everyone seemed to be growing up and moving on, but you and Sam. And that scared you.
Knocking on the door broke you from your thoughts. "Y/n, are you okay?" Sam asked, his voice muffled by the door.
He must have just gotten home from band practice with Sebastian and Abigail. They were preparing to perform two shows in ZuZu, one for the kids show he composed for and one for their band. You were excited to take Jas and Vincent to the latter, knowing they had grown too old for the Jumino show.
You drew a shaky breath, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Totally, good."
"Alright then.." Sam responded, and you knew you screwed up. Luckily, Sam didn't press the issue. "I bought some pizza from Gus. It's your favorite."
You heard his footsteps shuffle away. You knew you couldn't keep procrastinating. You had to look. You gingerly picked up the plastic stick. Your eyes widen at the result and you choked back tears.
There were two lines. One bright pink and the other a little faded. And you didn't know whether to shout with joy or crumble to the floor.
You knew one thing: you had to tell Sam.
Opening the door, you held the pregnancy test behind your back. Sam was in the dining room preparing the table with plates and napkins. He has grown a lot since you married him. He used to only be able to cook instant pancakes and barely made the bed, now he makes the bed every morning and is able to cook most breakfast foods. He still hasn't evolved to lunch and dinner.
"It was a little awkward at practice today." Sam said, sliding into his seat and taking a piece of pizza, "Sebastian and Abigail have been making googly eyes at each other ever since they started to date."
You slide into a seat, placing the test on the table without a word.
Sam cocked his head, "What's this?" He wiped his hands and grabbed the stick. His eyes widened at the result. He glanced between you and the result. His silence scared you, Sam was never quiet. Perhaps this was a bad idea. Maybe you should have waited until after dinner.
"You..I'm..We're..." It was like he couldn't process the two simple lines.
You wiped a tear from your eye, "I'm pregnant."
Sam jumped up, knocking his chair over and causing you to flinch. He ran over to the other side of the table, lifting you off your feet. He twirled you around with a large smile on his face.
"We're going to be parents!" He exclaimed. Then he saw the tears rolling down your face. He gently placed you down and wiped your cheek, "Are you not happy?"
You shook your head, "No, no these are tears are happiness." You sniffed, "Also I think the hormones might be starting to catch up to me."
Sam laughed which in turn caused you to giggle. Maybe this was going to be okay.
***
Sam's leg bounced up and down nervously as the clock ticked away. He gave you a small smile which you returned. The two of you were at Harvey's clinic to do a proper pregnancy test. The second line was very faint, so it gave the two of you doubts. When you called, Harvey was ecstatic and promised not to tell anyone.
So after a chaotic morning where Sam almost burnt the house down trying to make scrambled eggs, you two managed to slip into Harvey's clinic without anyone noticing. You scheduled it first thing in the morning in hopes nobody would see you. Plus, Maru didn't work today thankfully, so that was one less person who knew.
There was a small knock on the door and Harvey entered carrying papers. He sits down at his desk and types a few things on the computer before looking between you and Sam.
"Well, doc?" You shyly asked.
Harvey's face broke out into a smile, "It looks like we're going to have to change the population sign."
You gasped and Sam cheered. It was official, you were pregnant.
Month 3
The two of you had decided to keep it a secret for a bit. Mainly so you could get used to the idea of being a mother. Sam wanted to tell his family right away, but after some convincing he decided to trust your judgement. However, it was getting harder to keep this secret. You were starting to show and soon someone would notice. Perhaps it was time to tell people, but you weren't ready, honestly you weren't ready for a lot of things.
Things on the farm were getting harder too. Your dog Marshal had started acting more clingy and followed you everywhere, including into town. The cows and goats seemed to always want to bump your stomach, and there were some days where it would be challenge to go in and grab their milk from the auto grabber. The chickens and your dinosaur didn't seem to mind you, except your blue chicken Aqua. She seemed to glare at you when you walked in the coop and one day starting to lightly peck at your feet. Maybe she was jealous that her babies got turned into mayo while you got to keep yours.
Right now you were resting on the couch, watching some type of comedy show. Your feet were on Sam's lap and he massaged them lightly. You weren't big on massages, but after wrestling with Aqua, your feet were sore. Your hand dangled over Marshals fur due to him laying under you. You sighed contently, wanting this to never end.
Sam cleared his throat nervously, something he did when he has down something without your permission. You narrowed your eyes at him, "What did you do?"
"Well, Mom invited us over for dinner and I asked if Abby and Seb could come.." He trailed off, but you knew where he was going with this.
"You think we should tell them?"
He shrugged, "Yeah. I mean we're going to need their help, and your belly is getting bigger and bigger by the day." His eyes widened, "Not that your fat. Your growing a child! Your belly needs to be big and roomy! I mean--"
"Sam, stop talking." You sighed and drug a hand down your face. "You're right. We'll have to tell them soon.."
He rubbed a hand across your belly, ignoring the dirty look Marshal gave him, "Why are you so against telling them?"
You bit your lip, should you tell him the truth? He deserved to know.
"It doesn't feel real yet." You started into his delicate green eyes, "I want it to be real I really do, but I'm just scared of being a mom."
Sam gently brought your hand to rest on your stomach. He rubbed circles on the back, "You'll be a great mom."
Tears starting to prick at your eyes, "Am I? You know my parents weren't good people. The only escape I had was this farm. Grandpa was my lifeline. What if I'm like my parents? What if I can't be our child's lifeline?"
Sam leaned over. His forehead meet yours and he brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. His eyes were determined, yet soft. You loved his eyes, you fell in love with them as soon as you, well, laid eyes on him. "You're going to be a fantastic mother. You know how I know that? Because your a fantastic person. You work hard to give everyone gifts they love, you listen to other people, and you care about them. Hell, you even befriend Shane, something I've been working on for years."
His lips brushed against yours and you sighed as he left your lips. His laid in your neck and with every word you felt his lips and breath on your skin. "Your going to be great because your great. Our kid is lucky to have you as a mom."
Your fingers brushed through his hair, "Thank you."
"Anytime, Cactus Flower."
***
You clenched the box of roasted hazelnuts close to your chest. You shouldn't be this nervous. You had plenty of dinners with Sam's family. This should be a breeze, and yet your heart pounded in your chest.
Ever since you got married, Jodi has been begging for grandkids. Every dinner the topic of children comes up, whether its Jodi talking about the joys of raising two boys or Vincent wanting a nephew to play with and teach how to climb trees. On the other hand, Kent seemed to be distant on the subject. He would either make remarks about how having kids young is hard and all the responsibility it came to raising it. He didn't trust Sam and was afraid the responsibility would fall to you (you overheard him and Jodi arguing about it one day when you came over to drop off some vegetables and honey).
That's why you brought the hazelnuts. To hopefully win over Kent.
Not that you had to win him over. He was practically a father to you and accepted you with open arms. He even offered to walk you down the aisle. Before you and Sam got married, he often joked about wishing he had a hardworking daughter like you.
Sam gently grabbed your hand, "It's going to be okay."
You took a shaky breath and smiled at him. He led you inside the house. In the living room, Seb and Abby sat on the black couch, Seb had an arm wrapped around Abby. Meanwhile, Kent stood in the corner glancing in the kitchen. He look as if he wanted to help Jodi prepare, but knowing Jodi she rather do it herself. Vincent sat on the floor chatting with Seb and Abby about Solarian Chronicles. He had watch the four of you play and was now hooked.
When Vincent saw the two you, he ran up and first bumped his brother. "Mom's making fish casserole."
You decide to let the two of them talk and catch up. It's been a bit since they have seen each other. You give a small wave to the couple on the sofa as you walk towards Kent.
You hold out the roasted hazelnuts, "This is for you."
Kent smiles, "Thanks, Y/n!" He leans in close to you and whispers, "Don't tell Jodi but I think your cooking is better than hers."
You giggle and pat him on the arm. You decide to walk to the kitchen. Jodi is setting her casserole on the table along with other sides. "Here, let me help you."
You walk to the cabinet and set the table with plates and forks. As you walked past Jodi to get the spoons for the mashed potatoes, she raised her eyebrow.
"There's something different about you."
Sweat started to pool at your forehead, "I don't know what you mean." You nervously laughed.
Jodi hummed and studied you for a moment. Luckily, the others started to walk in the room.
Abigail sniffed the air, "It smells so good!"
Soon you were all gathered around the table. Everyone was laughing and joking around. As you almost choked on your mashed potatoes laughing at Sebastian's joke, you felt warmth spread through your body. It was nice to be apart of a family.
Sam cleared his throat. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder, "Y/n and I have something to tell you." He glanced down at you with a warm smile, "We're going to have a baby!"
All chaos broke out. Jodi jumped out of her seat and hugged you. She pressed her hand on your stomach rambling something about pregnancy brain and cravings. Sebastian clapped Sam on the back congratulating him. Abby and Vincent started to list of dozens of baby names, none reached you in the chaos. When things settled down, Kent was staring at his plate. You bit your lip. This was what you were worried about.
"Dad?" Sam whispered, his smile melting from his face.
"Kent, dear?" Jodi nudged him.
He shook his head and looked at Sam. "Son, I have always known you to be immature and perhaps not as skilled as I would want you to be." There was a gasp from Jodi and tears threaten to fall from both you and Sam. "But, these past three years I have watched you grow into a young man. You work hard for your family and you love your wife. You're going to make a great father."
Sam hugged Kent and Jodi pulled you in. Everything was going to be okay.
***
"Sam! Come quick!" You yelled from the couch, holding a hand to your stomach. Your face was scrunched due to the weird feeling inside your body.
You heard crashing from the kitchen as Sam bolted into the room. He was wearing a sunflower apron and flour was covering his face from head to toe. He had been getting into cooking, trying to prepare for the baby. He had been getting a bit better, but every now and then he needed some extra help.
"Is something wrong? Do we need to go to the hospital? I can have Sebastian drive us on his motorcycle! It can go really fast!" Sam's eyes were wide with panic and he continued to ramble.
You giggled at his frantic state cause him to tilt his head, "No, I'm okay. The baby is kicking. I thought you might want to feel."
He gasped and launched himself next you. His hands covered your belly, gently rubbing across the skin. He frowned, "I don't feel anything."
You moved his hands to where you thought the baby's feet were. "There. Do you feel it know?"
The baby kicked and Sam smiled so wide you thought he was going to hurt himself. He laughed and kissed your belly.
"That's our baby. That's our baby!"
You chuckled and moved a piece of hair from his face, "Yeah, that's our baby."
Month 5
Farm work was getting harder the bigger your belly got. Bending over to get the stuff out of the auto grabber was awkward and the scythe got heavier and heavier as the months went by. You were getting tired more often too, most of the time Sam had to close the barn and coop doors at night. Thankfully, the fish seemed content for now.
Sam rubbed your belly as the two of you laid in bed. It was late, yet neither of you could sleep. Your head laid in the crook of his neck, you felt his shoulders rise with each breath.
"I've been thinking, Cactus Flower."
You chuckled, "Oh no, do I need to call Harvey to check on your brain?"
Sam shook his head, "I'm being serious."
You frowned, "Oh."
"I think you need to stop working on the farm."
You jumped up, causing Sam to almost fall off the bed. "I can't just stop working!" You exclaimed, "That's not how a farm works, Sam! It's always going and so am I! If I don't, the chickens will get crabby, the cows and goats will be sad, and the crops will die!"
Sam, once steady, placed a hand on your cheek, "I know, but you can't keep working yourself to the bone. You have to think about the little one."
You sighed and look down at your belly. As much as you were excited to have this baby, you were extremely worried and scared about how this would effect the farm. You had given your life up for this farm, and you weren't about to lose it!
"I've been talking to Shane and Marnie. They said they would be more than happy to help, especially when the baby comes. Shane only wants your pepper poppers in return." Sam smiled, "Plus, you can show me more things to do. I already fix fences and water the animals. Let me help you more."
Your anxiety waver as you listened to Sam. Maybe everything would be alright.
Taking your hand in his, you smiled, "Okay, I'll teach you how to run a farm."
***
Sam was...trying his best.
First, the crops. It was fall and you mostly planted wheat to prepare for the upcoming winter, but you also had some cranberries, grapes, and pumpkins. While the other plants were easily harvest-able, the wheat was not. You had showed Sam how to use the scythe, but being the clumsy boy that he is, he almost chopped off a finger. After that, you decided that the animals had enough hay for the winter season.
Then, the animals. The cows and goats seemed to really like Sam and enjoyed his constant ramblings and pets. He would compliment them on the quality of their milk, earning him a pleasant bleet in return. However, the chickens weren't so kind. They didn't take too kindly to strangers and tried to peck Sam's fingers as he reached for their eggs. Aqua even jumped at him and left him with scratches on his arms. The two of you decided Shane should probably look after the coop.
Despite his shortcomings, Sam did great with the fish ponds. He complemented the fish and the color of their water. You had collected each of them due to their water changing property, you basically had the whole rainbow. Except for the legendary fish, you put them in a fish tank so you could view them everyday. The fish jumped when they saw him, and your pretty sure they gave him extra roe too.
Sam did great with collecting the honey, though that was probably the easiest job along with roe collecting. You never once saw the bees, they come and go as they please. So, not having to deal with buzzing insects, Sam was able to collect all the honey.
After hours of work, you were done teaching Sam about the farm. It had taken the two of you three times as long as it did when you were by yourself. It brought you back to when you just started farming. Planting the first five parsnips that would kick off your profitable farm, passing out in the mines, and meeting everyone for the first time. It was all so much, but it had been worth it.
"What's on your mind?" Sam asked, caressing your cheek.
You shifted on the bed to stare into his eyes. Even though it was dark, you were able to picture them perfectly. "Just about how we meet."
"You mean when I ran over you with my skateboard?"
You chuckled as you relieved the memory.
"Thanks, doc!" You shouted behind you as you hobbled out of Harvey's office. You rubbed the bandages on your knee, thank goodness the hoe didn't do too much damage to it. You were still getting used to farming and small injuries had become common at this point.
Sunlight coated your face as you stepped out into the warm spring air. You thought about taking it easy and fishing today when there was a shout. Suddenly, you were on the ground, gasping for air as your back hit the hard cobblestone.
"Oh my Yoba! Are you okay?" On top of you, was a young man with a gelled blonde mullet. You hadn't met him yet, but his green eyes seemed to captivate you. He gasped, waving a hand in front of you, "Oh no! I think she has brain damage!"
"Can you get off of me?" You grunted, finally gaining some awareness.
The man scrambled off you and helped you to your feet. You gritted your teeth as your knee throbbed. That fall definitely didn't help.
"Let me bring you to Harvey!" The man offered, but you shook your head.
"I think some ice should be fix it."
He shook his head, "No, your knee is already wrapped and I need to do something cause this was all my fault."
You sighed, "Fine."
He gave you a crooked grin as he lifted your arm over his shoulder, "I'm Sam."
"Y/n."
"Y/n...that's a pretty name."
"I'm pretty sure Harvey wanted to kill me." Sam chuckled.
You laughed, "Yeah, he was not happy at all."
Sam shook his head, "No, he wasn't. I'm just glad he wrote me a doctor's note, so I didn't get in trouble for being late. Morris put me on freezer duty that day."
You ran your hands through his hair, still damp from the earlier shower, "At least you don't have to work there anymore."
Sam leaned into your touch. With a content sigh, he replied, "I'm glad I'm on the farm."
"Me too."
Month 8
"No, Sam! The painting needs to be centered, or it'll drive me crazy!" You shouted, waving your arms to the left.
Sam slightly adjusted the Muzzamaroo painting, "Is that better?"
"Perfect." You smiled as you admired your handy work. Well, it was mostly Sam's as you couldn't do much decorating due to your large belly. The two of you had decided on a sea theme for your child's room. So, the carpet that Kent put in was a light blue and Leah had painted a beautiful sea mural that featured mermaids, dolphins, and a large humpback whale swimming along the sandy ocean floor. Leah had also painted seaweed and coral on the blue wardrobe. Along the roof of the wall, there was soft fairy lights that cast a soft glow on the room. And Robin had crafted a gorgeous crib from some spare hardwood you had laying around as an early baby shower present.
Speaking of baby shower, you and Sam had planned a baby shower and gender reveal party for tomorrow. Everyone was going to be there. Luckily now it was warm enough that you were able to host it outside, and to keep with the ocean theme, the two of you decided to host it at the beach. Gus and Harvey were the only two who knew the baby's gender as Gus was going to make the cake. Sam tried to convince him to bake pizza, but you shut down that idea quickly.
You still didn't know whether you wanted a boy or a girl, and the two of you hadn't decided on names. Harvey and Maru named their twin girls after the Greek goddesses Panacea and Iaso, who represent the remedies and recuperation while Leo already had his name when Emily adopted him. You could follow the theme by giving your child an oceanic name, but all the names you thought of were pretty cringe.
You let out a defeated sigh. Who knew naming a child could be this hard?
Sam tilted his head, "Everything okay?"
Rubbing your temples you replied, "At this point I'm considering naming our child Chicken Nugget to get it over with."
Sam laughed, "I don't think Harvey would allow you to put that on the birth certificate."
"Probably not." You collapsed in the rocking chair, another one of Robin's gifts, and rubbed your belly, "Do you have any name ideas?"
Sam thought for a moment then shook his head, "Nope. Sorry, Cactus Flower, this naming thing isn't easy."
Tears threatened to pour from your eyes. If you couldn't do something as easy as picking a name, then how were you ever going to be a good mom? Sam crouched down in front of you and placed his large hands on your belly, "Hey now. It's going to be okay. Maybe it'll be easier once we know the gender."
He placed a gentle kiss on your stomach. The worry you had earlier began to drift away. Perhaps he was right. Maybe it would get easier once you two cut the cake and showed either blue or pink. Hopefully, the two of you didn't land on a pun name like you named most of your animals. Poor Kylo Hen, she never stood a chance.
***
The beach looked wonderful as Sebastian and Abigail removed your and Sam's blindfolds. The dance platform used for the Luau had been dug out and lit. There was a large buffet of food and drinks, non-alcoholic to Pam's dismay, and a circle table with a pile of presents. Off to the side, a chalk board had been placed with bets of whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. Most of the bets seemed to lean towards boy.
"This looks amazing!" You exclaimed in awe as you took in the sight.
Sam sniffed the air, "And the food smells great!"
You giggled as you walked onto the sand.
Despite having the whole town there, the party went by pretty fast. First, you ate and complimented Gus on matching your pregnancy cravings perfectly. Then you played a few games: guessing the baby's weight (the highest being 12 lbs by Vincent, causing everyone to laugh), a trivia game about you and Sam (Jodi of course won that one), and a diaper change race (surprisedly Haley won that one, she has a way with clothes). Then you opened presents with most of them being gender neutral clothing and diapers, the most notable items were gems from Emily (to give the baby the right vibe), a children's book from Elliot which he wrote himself, and a knitted blankets from both Caroline and Jodi.
Finally, it was time to cut the cake. Sam wrapped his arms around you to help guide the knife, similar to your wedding day.
You smiled up at him, "You ready?" You whispered.
Sam beamed, "Yeah"
Together you cut the cake. The inside was pink. You were having a girl.
Month 9
It was a storming day. Thunder was booming ever other second with lighting flashes soon following. Unfortunately, this was a bad time for you because you had gone into labor. You and Sam had tried to go to ZuZu, but the road was block by a fallen tree.
"Damnit!" You screamed through gritted teeth.
Sam, poor Sam, tried his best to comfort you on the drive back and didn't get mad when you told him to "Shut the hell up" and threatened to put laxatives in his pizza so he could feel a fraction of your pain. Sam would just nod and go back to his kind words as if he accepted his fate.
You knew later you would regret being mean, but right now you were in agonizing pain. Your baby girl wanted to see the world and she wanted to do it NOW!
You were freaking out. The original plan was to have your baby at ZuZu hospital. You were already seeing an OBGYN and had planned on having her deliver your baby. Not that you didn't have faith in Harvey, but he's more of a general practitioner, not a baby deliverer. Maru had recommended the OBGYN who delivered her girls, so you knew you were in good hands.
But Yoba had other plans.
When your water first broke, Sam was in the shower after tripping into a puddle of mud on his way out of the coop. You didn't rush him. Despite all the movies making water breaking hectic, you knew you had plenty of time to get to the hospital and get ready for your baby girl. The two of you even had the hospital bag packed and ready for about a week now (and an extra bag to snag some diapers). Sam borrowed Lewis' truck, and the two of you set off until the tree had blocked your path.
Pelican Town started to come into view as the rain lightened up. "Thank Yoba!" You grunted as Sam pulled in front of Harvey's clinic.
"Stay here while I go get Harvey!" Sam stated before bolting out the truck. He banged on the clinic door while you decided to do some breathing exercises you saw on YouTube.
Breathe in. One. Two. Three. Four.
Hold. One. Two. Three. Four.
Breathe out. One. Two. Three. Four.
Hold. One. Two. Three. Four.
Maybe the two of you should of hired a midwife, you thought as you watched Harvey come out in what can only be described as a nightgown but for men. His eyes widened as Sam quickly explained the situation. Harvey and Sam rushed to your side and help you clambered down the truck. Harvey quickly got you settled in one of the hospital beds in the corner. Maru came downstairs to see what the commotion was about and quickly went into nurse mode.
Soon, you were in a hospital gown with Sam clinging to your hand as Harvey examined you. It was a little uncomfortable having Harvey of all people take a look at your lady bits, but you were in so much pain and with no epidural you didn't really care.
"Okay, Y/n, you're at ten centimeters. I'm going to have you start pushing now."
Sam moved to hold one leg as Maru held the opposite one. You screamed as you pushed down on your stomach, harder and harder. Then you took a quick break before pushing again. The pattern was agonizing. Sweat dripped down your face and your whole body was sticky. Your lungs felt like collapsing. You were in so much pain it was hard to describe.
Finally, after an hour of pushing, cursing Yoba, and declaring that you and Sam were never having sex again. You were able to hold your baby girl in your arms. Sam had his arm wrapped around you and you laid your head on his shoulder.
"She's beautiful." You whispered as her little hand wrapped around your finger.
"She's just like you." Sam kissed your cheek and together you watched your bundle of joy sleep soundly.