Sam's Gift

******

Three week later, the day of Sasha's appointment finally arrived. An 15-minute cab ride and an hour in the waiting room found her in the doctor's office. The doctor explained to her everything they would cover in her examination, all the tests, etc. Having already made up her mind about this, she readily signed her name on the clipboard that was handed to her. After what seemed like forever, the doctor announced that the examination was over and that she would receive a call about the results in a few days.

True to his word, he called her four days later.

Sasha picked up the phone on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Sasha Emmerson?"

"Yes," she acknowledged.

"This is Dr. McKellan."

"Oh! Hey! Is everything okay, Doctor? When can we do the procedure?" She was absolutely sure that she was in perfect health.

"Well, I'm afraid I have some good news and some bad news." He paused for a moment. "Which would you rather hear first.?"

Sasha closed her eyes and braced herself. "I might as well take the bad news first . . ."

Predictably, Dr. McKellan said, "I'm afraid that we simply cannot help you at this time."

Her heart sank at the news. "Can you tell me why?"

"Ah!" McKellan seemed a bit cheerful about her question. "That's the good news, actually."

"What?" she asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You see, the reason we can't go ahead with the insemination procedure is because, well, you're already pregnant."

"What?" she asked, incredulous. "Are you certain?"

"Oh, yes, there's no mistake."

Suddenly, the image of her brother's naked body pressed against hers sprang to mind.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Then she dropped the phone.

******

"So, Sis. You going to try to make it out to Mom's house for Mother's Day? I was hoping to surprise her."

Sasha smiled at her brother's image on the Skype call. "Yeah, if I can, I will."

"Do you want me to come out to your place the day before to pick you up?"

She shook her head. "No, you don't need to. I'm planning to rent a car and drive out there myself. Besides, it way too long of a drive for you.. Ten hours from your house to mine, eight to Mom's . . . double that for the return, and you're looking at thirty-six hours of road time. That's not counting any unforeseen problems like a flat tire."

Sam gave her that handsome half-grin of his through the video feed. "Sis, I can do the math. No need to write the problem on the blackboard."

She stuck her tongue out at him. In the first couple of weeks since she'd found out she was pregnant, she'd been nervous every time she heard the Skype chime and saw that it was him calling. She wasn't sure how to act. But bit by bit, she'd slowly become comfortable enough behave normally without it being much of an act. There was something about Sam that made it easy to fall back to normality, regardless of how awkward an experience one had faced. Now, just over nine weeks since they'd been at their mother's house, she could mask her nervousness with very little effort.

"So when are you planning to head out? Tomorrow? Or you going to wait until Mother's Day and just show up in the middle of the day?

"Actually, I meant to take off work tomorrow, then start out around ten o'clock or so. Should get me there no later than seven, even if I have a flat." She was proud that she knew how to change a flat tire. Too often, men in their arrogance tended not to give women enough credit for being able to some something so mundane.

Sam suddenly looked down at the corner of his screen and Sasha could here the familiar Skype chime through the speakers. "Ah, great. Hey, Sis, I really need to take this other call."

"Alright, Sam. I probably won't be back online until I get back from Mom's, so I guess I'll see you there."

"Okay, Sis. Take care. Love ya."

The call ended and Sasha sat back in her chair, trying to think of what clothes she wanted to pack. It was only for a couple of nights, and she hated to pack more than she needed, despite the myth that women always carried everything but the kitchen sink in their luggage. She finally decided on something simple, just a couple of pairs of jeans and three t-shirts. She started to pack some panties, but at the last second, she decided to leave them out, though she didn't know why.

She added a hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. . . All of the basic hygiene necessities. When she was finally satisfied with what she'd packed, she zipped up the bag and set it by the front door.

She was looking forward to seeing her mother in person again, but she was already getting a little anxious about seeing Sam again. She didn't know if she should tell him about what had happened between them. And she certainly wasn't sure if she should tell him that she was carrying his child. She only hoped that she would be able to keep her morning sickness in check while she was there. Part of her wanted to just avoid any and all questions about the artificial insemination thing, maybe even pretend she wasn't pregnant at all.

She shook her head. There were simply way too many variables for her to plan how she would explain things. She simply wouldn't know what she would do until she was there. But she definitely had to go. If she didn't, Sam would make the trip straight to her house to see what was wrong. He was like that.

Trying to set her mind at ease, she made herself something to eat and settle onto her sofa. Flicking on the TV, she surfed through the channels, looking for some good to watch. When she spotted an old black and white film, her curiosity made her pause long enough to recognize it as the opening scene to the old James Stewart movie, "Harvey". She couldn't help but smile, remembering how she'd first seen it as a little girl, snuggled up against her dad on the couch. That decided it for her, and she turned up the volume, then set the remote aside.

After she'd finished eating and the movie was over, she switched off the TV, washed her dishes, then decided to call it a night and headed off to bed.

******

The drive took longer than she'd thought it would. Two times, she had to quickly pull over to the side of the road because of the morning sickness. The second time, she'd only barely gotten the car door open in time. But she finally arrived.

Before she got out of the car, she look a long drink from the bottle of ginger ale she'd bought, hoping it would stay off any further nausea for a while. Then she trekked up the steps and rapped on the door.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened and her mother's face peered out.

"Sasha? Goodness, what are you doing here?!" she asked with a pleased laugh and embraced her daughter.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood . . ." Sasha teased. She returned the hug warmly. "Actually, I'm so we can spend some time together tomorrow."

Jane released her and stood back a step. "Tomorrow? Why?"

"Tomorrow is Mother's Day, Mom."

Her mother seemed a bit surprised. "Is it? My goodness! The time has just flown by!" She laughed again. "I guess time flies when you're hard at work writing." She stepped aside, inviting Sasha to enter. "Come in, come in! It's starting to get a little chilly out there."

"How's the writing coming along?" Sasha asked, obliging.

"Oh, you know how it is. Some days drag by, and others you wake up writing and look up to see the whole day has passed. But the book itself is coming along just wonderfully. I should be finished with the first draft in just another month or so. I'm even working on another book when I need a break from this one."

"That's great! So I guess this place is really helping you relax into the writing, huh?"

Jane nodded emphatically. "That it is. Have you already had something to eat? Would you like me to fix you something?"

The mention of food made her stomach twinge, but she didn't let it show. "Oh, no, I'm fine, for now. Maybe later. Has Sam called you?"

"Samuel? Oh, is he with you?" She back toward the door to look outside.

"No, he'll be getting here in the morning, I think."

"You two didn't have to come out all this way just for Mother's Day. A card in the mail would have done fine."

Sasha frowned. "Are you kidding? The drive is the very least we could do for the world's greatest mother."

"Oh, you!" her mother chuckled, kissing her on the cheek. "I know it's not true, but thank you for saying it anyway."

The two of them chatted about this and that for the next couple of hours, catching up, though Sasha didn't bring up the subject of her plans to be inseminated, and she was glad that her mother didn't either. As it crept past ten o'clock, Jane fought off a couple of yawns.

"I'm sorry, honey. I've been up since six. It's been one of those 'dragging by' days."

"I know what you mean, Mom," Sasha said. "I've starting to feel pretty well worn out as well. You know how long drives and me get along."

"Oh, yes, I remember. You could barely hold your head up when I got you home last time. Go ahead and get what you need from your car and I'll go make up the guest bed for you." She paused. "When did you buy a car, by the way?"

Sasha smiled. "I didn't, Mom. It's a rental."

Jane nodded with a "I should have known" sort of expression and moved toward the guest room.

Once Sasha had retrieved her bag and was settled in, she fell asleep easily and only woke up once in the night with her stomach growling. Being as quiet as she could, she crept into the kitchen and found a jar of dill pickle spears in the fridge. After wolfing down three spears, she felt like her hunger would be held at bay until breakfast. Then she closed the jar, put it back in the fridge, then returned to bed, licking the juice from her fingers along the way.

******

Sasha woke to the light of late morning coming in through the window, shining on her face, soft and warm. Stretching languidly, she groaned pleasantly from the night's rest and sat up. When she glanced at the clock, she noticed it was past nine o'clock. She was surprised how well she'd slept in the unfamiliar bed.

Rising, she dug a pair of jeans from her jeans, but couldn't find any panties, then she remembered not packing any. Pulling on the jeans, she pulled off her night shirt and tossed it on the dresser, choosing a Firefly t-shirt to replace it. Brushing back her shoulder-length black hair, she smiled at her reflection, then used a band to tie it into a pony tail.

Satisfied with her casual look, she ventured from the room, intending to head for the kitchen. But as she stepped into the hall, the all-too-familiar nausea hit her and she had to change course toward the bathroom. Once the sickness had passed and she'd washed the taste from her mouth, she flushed the toilet, making sure all signs had been erased.

Suddenly worried that her mother may have heard her, she went toward the living room. But Jane wasn't there. With a frown, she went to the kitchen, then to her mother's bedroom, but she simply wasn't there. Finally, Sasha went out to the front porch and found her answer.

There was Jane talking to a very handsome young man who was leaning against a beautiful 2014 Ducati Monster, black body with red rims. It wasn't until the man glanced toward her that she realized it was Sam.

"Oh, wow, Sam!" she exclaimed. "Where on earth did you get THAT?!" She'd always wanted to try riding a motorcycle, but she never quite mustered the courage.

Sam's wide smile greeted her as she came down the steps. "Thought you might like it, Sis. Got it a few weeks ago. Just never had the chance to break it in on a long trip. She's a beaut, isn't she?"

As she approached, Sasha arched an eyebrow. "She, huh? And does she have a name?"

He laughed, grinning all the wider. "Yeah. Her name is Xena. Because she kicks ass and takes names."

Sasha shared his laugh. The two of them loved action shows, and they'd grown up watching Xena together.

"So where's your bag?" She asked him. He turned slightly to show the slim backpack he wore. "Oh."

"Yeah, it carries what I need, but it's aerodynamic enough so it doesn't bother me at higher speeds."

"'Higher speeds'?" their mother repeated in question. "Just what do you mean by that, young man?" Her tone was leaning toward scolding.

Sam slipped an arm around Jane's shoulders. "Relax, Mom. I stayed within the speed limit the whole way. Lucky for me, there's a few good stretches where the limit is 85, so I did get to open up the throttle a little." He felt his mother cringe slightly at the thought of him flying along at 85 on what she felt was just a bicycle with a motor.

"Statistically, motorcycles have far fewer accidents than cars," Sasha offered. She gave her brother a wink that said "I got your back".

All of a sudden, a strange sound erupted from Jane's pocket. Still thinking about her son on a motorcycle, the sound startled her and she jumped visibly. "Oh! Goodness!" Holding one hand to her chest, she dug her cell phone from her pocket and looked at the number. "Uh oh. It's my editor. I have to take this." She excused herself and walked toward the porch.

"So, did you really stay in the limit the whole way," Sasha asked after her mother was out of earshot.

"Of course, I did, Sis!" A sly grin spread across his face. "I can't make the bike go any faster than its own limits, now can I?"

"Oooooh, I'm gonna tell Mom!" she teased.

While they chatted and laughed, Jane continued her call for a few minutes, then finally ended and returned.

"Kids, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I know you've both driven all this way just for me, but I have to get my latest chapter to the post office and get it sent to my editor. I meant to do it yesterday, but I just got so busy that I forgot."

"Are you sure, Mom? It can't wait?" Sam was frowning, as he'd just got there.

"I'm afraid it can't, Samuel. It'll take me about three hours to get there and back, and I need to go ahead before they close. Joys of living so far from civilization . . ."

"Don't worry about it, Mom," Sasha said. "We're not going anywhere. We'll be right here when you get back. Right, Sam?" She nudged her brother.

"Oh, I don't know," he pondered jokingly. "After a nine hour drive, I kinda feel like just hopping back on the bike and heading right back home."

Jane grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled his face low enough for her to kiss his cheek. "That's my boy. Always so sweet."

Patting him on the same cheek, she turned and jogged up the steps and into the house. By the time Sasha and Sam had made it up the steps, Jane had already retrieved her manuscript and keys and was on her way back out.

"See you when I get back, kids!"

Both of them waved as she pulled out of the drive, then they went inside.

"You look good, Sis. Been doing okay?"

She nodded in response as she took in his appearance. The black jeans, the black leather jacket, the close-fitting white t-shirt, it all complimented his physique very well. Unfortunately, it made her think about what lay beneath it all, and since she'd already seen it, she could imagine it pretty well.

"Yeah," she answered autonomously. "I'm good. You?"

"Great," he said, "just great. Got a pretty good raise at work. But I'm actually thinking of opening my own fitness studio."

"Really?" she said, trying hard to pay attention to what he was saying. But being this close to him made it difficult. "Glad to hear it. You've worked hard, Sam." She smiled at him, then paused. Oh no, she thought. Not now! That familiar queasiness twisted in her gut. "Oh, God . . ."

Sam frowned. "What? What's wro-"

He didn't get out the rest before Sasha bolted toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her, then dropping to her knees in front of the toilet. She had no doubts whatsoever that Sam could hear her retching. Several minutes passed until she felt like it was over, then she gargled some mouthwash to get the taste out. When she finally opened the door, Sam was right there, concern all over his face.

"Are you okay?"

Dammit, she thought. Well, here goes . . .

"I'm fine, Sam. I'm just pregnant."

To his credit, he didn't freak out or get excited. "Really? That's great! So the A.I. thing worked out?"

For a few seconds, she considered following along with that, pretending it was from a sperm donor. Then she discarded that idea and decided to come clean, shaking her head.

"Actually, no. I wasn't able to go through with the A.I. procedure." She paused for effect before she added, "I couldn't do it because I was already pregnant." Then she waited for him to ask who she was dating, who was the father.

Instead, he completely surprised her by grinning proudly. "I see. So that birthday present I gave you just kept on giving, didn't it?"

Now she frowned, confused. "What? What birthday present? What are you talking about-" Then she figured it out. "Oh my God! You were awake the whole time! Sam, why didn't you stop me?!"

"Because I didn't want to, Sis," he said. "When I was laying there that night, I realized how much I wanted you." Sasha just stared. "I don't mean that I just wanted your body, Sis. I wanted YOU. It wasn't Jessie that broke up with me. I broke up with her. I realized that I wanted to be with you, I just didn't know how to say it. And when I heard you talking about wanting to have a baby . . ."

She leaned against the door for support. "Sam . . ."

"Sasha, I couldn't stand the thought of you having some stranger's baby."

"But why did you pretend to be asleep the whole time?"

He looked down at the floor. "I . . . I was afraid you'd think I was just a sick pervert. That I was trying to just take advantage of you."

She looked at her handsome brother for several long minutes.

"Sasha, please say something . . ."

But she didn't say anything. Instead, she took his hand and lead him toward the guest room. Stopping by the bed, she turned to face him. She reached up and hooked her fingers behind his neck, then pulled herself up, pressing her lips against his in the very first kiss they'd ever shared. He tasted wonderful, so warm . . .

When she finally lowered herself, she stared into his blue eyes. "Sam, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night. At first, I thought I was just infatuated with you because you were my first." His eyes widened at the news, and she smiled at him. "But now it makes sense to me. I can't stop thinking about you because . . ."

Sam touched her cheek softly. "Because you love me?" Sasha nodded.

"And you love me," she finished for him.

He leaned down and took her lips with his again, kissing her slowly, but with passion. After a minute or so, he felt Sasha peeling back his leather jacket and he let her remove it, flinging it to the floor. Next, she pulled his shirt up, forcing him to break the kiss until it was over his head. It joined the jacket.

As they continued their kiss, they both kicked off their shoes and pushed them aside. Her hands course along his abs, tracing the muscles as they worked steadily toward his belt buckle. She got the belt loose and had unbuttoned his jeans, then had to wait as he lifted up her t-shirt and pulled it off, tossing it on the dresser.

Breathing in his essence, Sasha felt his strong hands reach behind her, easily unhooking the clasp of her bra. As he hooked his fingers under the straps, she felt the slightest hint of self-consciousness, knowing that this would be the first time her brother had ever seen her breasts.

He slid the bra off and let it drop, staring at her longingly. "You're absolutely perfect, Sis." He followed his compliment by kissing her again, then trailing his lips down her chin, her neck, all the way down to her breasts. First one, then the other, he gently suckled them, sending tremors along her spine. Her nipples tingled with sensation as he nursed her.