The cancer had spread.
The doctors couldn't do anything else for her. The cancer, which had started in her stomach, had spread and now covered most of her torso. She had very little time left on this earth.
Tabitha Smith wasn't worried about dying. She had come to terms with her own morality a long time ago. It was just something you learned to do when you lived your entire life running and fighting a war that might never end.
What she was worried about was what she was going to be living behind. Her beautiful daughter, so young and yet so strong.
Samantha Smith didn't understand what dying was. She didn't know that her mother was slipping away faster and faster as the days went by.
Sami still hoped that her mother was going to get better and come back home.
The little girl had been staying with Tabitha's best friend Demona Wagner while her mother was in the hospital. But due to the fact that Demi was only seventeen, it would be impossible for her to get custody of Sami when Tabitha…passed on.
Which is why Tabitha had to make a phone call. Quite possibly, the hardest phone call she was ever going to make. And with her time running out, quite possibly the most important one she was ever going to make.
Tabitha swallowed hard as she dialed the familiar number with shaking hands. One ring…two rings…three. Maybe no one was at home?
"Hello?" A hauntingly familiar voice asked from the other side of the country.
"Bobby? Bobby Drake?" Tabitha asked, wetting her lips.
"Yes…who is this?" The man on the other end of the phone asked.
"Bobby, this is…Tabitha. Tabitha Smith." Tabitha said after a brief pause.
"Tabitha…where in the world have you been for the past EIGHT years?" Bobby Drake cried into the phone, his eyes wide.
"Arizona." Tabitha said simply, chewing on her lip. "Bobby, I need…I need to talk to Sam."
"Sam? Sam Guthrie? The man you left, without saying goodbye I might add, over EIGHT years ago?" Bobby asked harshly, fighting down the urge just to hang up on the woman.
"I know, I know…Bobby, PLEASE. I HAVE to talk to Sam." Tabitha pleaded, tears already rolling down her face.
"He's not here. He and his FINACEE, RAHNE, have gone out to lunch. I'll tell him you called anyway. Goodbye." Bobby snapped, moving to hang up the phone.
"Bobby, please! I HAVE to talk to him!" Tabitha pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"I…I'll have him call you." Bobby promised.
"No, Bobby. It might be too late by then." Tabitha said, making her voice as strong as she could.
"Too late? Too late for what? Tabitha, you're not making any sense!" Drake told her, confused despite himself.
"Please Bobby. He has to call me TODAY." Tabitha begged.
"I'll…wait. I think he…yeah he just got home. Hang on." Bobby told the woman, putting down the phone.
"Sam!" He cried, jogging out the door to where Sam was getting out of the car. Rahne got out of the passenger side and smiled at Bobby.
"Sam, you've got a phone call." Bobby told his younger friend.
"Well, tell them Ah'll call them back. Rahne and Ah've got some things to talk about for the wedding." Sam said, smiling at his girlfriend.
"Sam…you REALLY need to take this phone call." Bobby stressed.
"Alright. Who is it?" Sam asked, reaching out to take Rahne's hand.
"The ABSLOUTE LAST person you ever expected to hear from again." Bobby said gravely, as the trio walked into foyer of the X-Mansion.
Sam looked at his in confusion, but picked up the phone.
"Hello?" He asked, still looking at Bobby like he had three heads.
"H-hello Sam."
Bobby was right. He had NEVER thought he was going to hear from…HER again.
"T-ta-Tabitha?" Sam asked, nearly dropping the phone.
"Yeah. Listen, I know you probably never wanted to hear from me again…" Tabitha began.
"Yer right. Ah don't. Know what is this all about? Or is this a social call? Cause if it is, Ah have better things to do." Sam snapped, all the anger and pain of the past years evident in his voice.
"Sam…I…I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry." Tabitha said softly.
"Your sorry. Well, Ah guess that makes everything alright again, huh?" Sam voice was pure venom.
"Sam…please. I…I have somethings I need to tell you, and I don't think you wanna hear them over the phone." Tabitha told him, her tears starting again.
"Tabitha, Ah want NOTHING to do with you, EVER. And Ah really don't want to be talking to you right now, so…"
"Sam! PLEASE!" Tabitha begged, her voice raked with sobs.
Sam closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into Rahne's green eyes. Sam sighed softly, and smiled at her.
"Alright Tabitha. Ah'll come see you." Sam told her.
"Thank you. Congratulations, by the way. Can you make it to the Mother of Mercy Hospital in Manchester, Arizona, by tomorrow? It's near Camp Verde. Room 213." Tabitha told him.
"By TOMORROW? Ah don't know Tabitha…" Sam said slowly, chewing his lip.
"I know it's short notice, but Sam…just please come." Tabitha asked, her voice still shaking.
"Alright."
The next afternoon, at the hospital…
"Well, this is it. Wonder why Tabitha wanted me to meet her at a hospital?" Sam asked himself as he stood outside of Mother of Mercy. He shrugged and pushed the doors open and made his way to Tabitha's room.
Sam arrived at the designated room and pushed the door open. Tabitha was sitting up in bed, reading a book of some sort, and a young woman was sitting in a chair next to her bed.
The young woman was startling, to say the least. A thin sheet of blue fur covered her body, and her eyes were solid yellow. A tail was wrapped around the leg of the chair that she was reclining in. In short, she looked exactly like Kurt Wagner.
Tabitha looked up when Sam entered the room. She smiled softly, and marked her place in her book. When she set it on the table, Sam noticed that she was reading the Holy Bible.
"Hello." Tabitha greeted them, smiling softly. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, and was no longer blonde, to Sam's great surprise. It was a beautiful auburn, with light gold highlights. Her face was thin, almost gaunt, and her gown hung on her too-thin body.
But she still smiled softly at the him when he entered, and her eyes where still the same aqua blue. "This is my friend, Demi Wagner."
"Hello. Ah'm here, so would you mind telling me what was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Sam demanded, looking at the woman.
Tabitha looked away for a second, seemingly gathering her thoughts. When she looked back at Sam, her eyes where bright with tears.
Demi stood up. "I think it would be best if I was to leave. I'll be back in a bit, Tabitha."
"Okay." Tabitha said as her friend left the room. Then she turned to Sam and said, "Since you're in such a hurry, I won't waste words. I'm dying. I'm not real sure how much longer I have left in this world." Tabitha said, her voice sharper then intended.
Sam's eyes widened and he struggled to breathe.
"Oh, Tabitha. Ah'm sorry." Sam said, his voice shaking with emotion.
"It's alright. I've come to terms with it. But that's not why I wanted you here, Sam. You see…"Tabitha began, when the door suddenly burst open.
A little girl, with long auburn hair and bright blue eyes, ran in the doorway, waving a piece of paper like a flag.
"Momma, Momma! I got an A on my spelling test!" The child cried, clambering up on Tabitha's bed.
"That's wonderful, sweetie! I'm so proud of you!" Tabitha told the child, hugging her tightly. Then Tabitha turned to the shocked man standing a few feet away.
"Sam, this is my daughter. Her name is Samantha Zacharia Smith." Tabitha said softly, a single tear finding it's way down her cheek.
"Samantha Zacharia…"Sam started, staring at the child in amazement.
"She was named after her father." Tabitha stated softly, hugging her daughter tightly.
"She...she was?" Sam asked, his heart pounding in his chest.
"I was?" Sami squeaked, looking up at her mother in surprise.
"Yes, baby, you were." Tabitha told the little girl.
"You mean…she's…" Sam stuttered, unable to make his mouth form the words.
"Our daughter." Tabitha said, looking Sam dead in the eye.
Sam stared at the mother and daughter on the bed in shock, unable to say anything. All he could see was Tabitha, and the small child she claimed…was his.
"She's…she's…Ah can't handle this." Sam said turning away.
"That's my Daddy, Momma?" Sami suddenly piped up.
"Yes, it is, baby." Tabitha said softly, hugging her daughter close.
"Why are you telling me this now, Tabitha?" Sam asked, his back to Tabitha.
"Because, when I die, I…I want you to take care of Sami." Tabitha said softly.
"What?!" Sam cried.
"What?!" Sami cried.
"You heard me." Tabitha said simply, looking at them both.
"Tabitha…you…Ah…"Sam said slowly, staring at the child. Sami, for her part, stared right back at him with the same blue eyes.
Sam turned away from his daughter's penetrating gaze, and ran a hand through his blonde hair.
"Tabitha…Ah've got to think about this." Sam said softly.
"She is your daughter Sam." Tabitha told him, hugging the small child.
"How do you know that?" Sam asked still not facing either one.
"Because I'm not a slut Sam. I know who her father is." Tabitha growled, not liking what he was implying.
"Ah know that Tabitha. But how can you be sure…?" Sam asked, turning around to face Tabitha again. Sami was looking at him with an expression he had seen before. He saw it every time he looked in a mirror, and didn't like something.
Sam swallowed hard, and turned away again. "Ah've got to think."
"I can accept that. But, Sam, I need an answer soon. Or I'll find someone else to name as her guardian." Tabitha said softly, her eyes on his face.
Sam nodded and left, his eyes still clouded with thought.
As soon as he left, Sami turned to her mother. "Momma, I don't want to live with him."
"Why not?" Tabitha asked, confused. "I know you don't know him, but that'll pass."
Sami didn't say anything for a while, but then she looked back at her mother. "Momma, I'm nearly eight years old. Why is now the first time I've ever seen him?"
"Baby…that's my fault. I…kept you from him." Tabitha tried to explain, but Sami would have none of it.
"But he's my Daddy! Why did he act like he didn't want me?"
"Oh, he does want you, baby. I know he does! It's me that he's mad at." Tabitha tried to explain to her distraught daughter.
"I don't wanna live with him." Sami said again. "Why do I have to?"
"I wish I could stay here with you, baby. You know I do. But, it's my time to go. And nothing on earth is strong enough to keep me here now. I'm so sorry. I want to stay with you. I want to so much. But I can't…I can't." Tabitha's voice had been getting fainter by the minute.
"Momma?" Sami cried, reaching out to touch her mother's hand. "Momma, what's wrong?"
"Hush, baby. Come here. Let me hold you for a little while." Tabitha asked, her voice still fainter.
Sami crawled over to her mother and lay down with her head on her mother's chest. Tabitha softly reached up and stroked her hair for a little while.
Tabitha coughed once and then she began to sing the lullaby that she had sung to her daughter, every night of her life. "Tell the world to stop turnin' around, tell the sky not to be so blue, tell the rain to stop fallin' down like tears, but don't tell me to stop loving you, don't tell me to stop loving you…"
Sami looked up when she felt a tear fall on her head. She looked up into her mother's face and saw to her shock that her mother was crying softly. "Momma? What's wrong?"
"Your daddy use to sing that song to me." Tabitha choked out, her voice fading away.
"He did?" Sami asked, surprise. Tabitha nodded her head, to tired to even say anything. She took a deep shuddering breath and hugged her daughter as tightly as she could.
"Sami…I love…you…" Tabitha's voice died away, and her eyes slowly closed. Sami looked up at her mother and touched her cheek.
"Momma? Momma, wake up!" Sami cried, shaking her mother gently. Tabitha didn't respond, her head falling limply to one side. "Momma!"
It was then that Sami noticed that her mother was no longer breathing. For a long second, Sami sat and stared at her.
Sami began to cry softly, hugging her mother's limp body. She continued to weep when the doctor came in, and when Demi gently lifted her from her mother's lifeless body.
She wept for three days straight, often times refusing to eat. She could barely sleep, and the thought of going to school wasn't even a possibility.
Tabitha's funeral was held four days after she had passed on. Sami stood in the front with Demi, holding the older girl's hand as the priest talked on and on about this and that. Sami was at the head of the line, still with Demi as they carried her mother's body to her gravesite.
To the little girl's surprise, there were several people dressed in brightly colored spandex at her mother's burial. She had never seen them before, and wondered who they were.
Then she caught sight of her father, and forgot the oddly dressed people. He slowly made his way though the crowd with a small red headed woman, until he was standing in front of Demi and Sami. He looked down at the little girl for a minute and then closed his mouth, his eyes filling with tears.
"Ah'm sorry this happened to you." Sam told his daughter, kneeling down in front of him.
"Me too." Sami said softly, looking him in the eyes. Sam suddenly realized something.
"How old are you?" He asked, still looking at her.
"I'll be eight on Christmas Eve." Sami told him matter-of-factly.
Sam nodded. "Sami…" He began looking at her. "Do you want to live with me?"
"I don't know." Sami said softly.
"Is there anything that Ah can…do for you?" Sam asked. He really had no idea what he should be doing, or what he should say.
"No. I don't want anything from you." Sami said with conviction.
"Why?" Sam asked, confused.
Sami looked at him, her calm dissolving into angry tears. "Because you're the man that made my Momma cry!"