& Them | A Stardew Valley FanFiction (Sequel to "Us")

Chapter 5 - Fall 8

The sound of a fist repeatedly hitting the front door echoed through the house, the four of us stirring on the tile of the bathroom floor. Haley let out a soft sigh as she sat up, gently jostling Alex awake and glancing over at Sam—he was fast asleep, his cheek pressed against the toilet seat.

"Gross," she murmured, leaning over to look at the bowl's contents. "He's had a rough night."

"As always," Alex said as he stood up, reaching a strong hand down and pulling me off of the ground. "What is up with people showing up here first thing?"

I shrugged, hoisting Haley onto her feet and tiptoeing out of the bathroom. Alex and Haley both retreated to their rooms, leaving me to answer the door. Typical.

"Sadie," Jodi said gingerly as the hinges squealed open. "I was hoping you'd answer...Good morning."

I rubbed my eyes as sunlight poured into the otherwise dark common room, sending a shooting pain down the back of my skull. "Good morning, Jodi. What can I do for you?"

A wave of nausea spread through my abdomen as she began to speak, her voice grating against my hangover. "Listen, I need to talk to you about something important—about Sam."

Anxiety overtook the sick feeling, my eyes finally meeting hers. Worry was written all over her face.

"What's the matter?" I questioned, stepping aside and gesturing for her to come in. "Please, come in."

She quickly traversed from the porch to the couch, sitting down with alarmingly good posture. She clutched her purse to her side, as though someone was going to take it from her. "Sam needs to move home."

"What?" I snapped, sitting in the chair across from her. "What do you mean?"

"As I'm sure you know, our family is going through a big adjustment right now," she said. "Vincent was born once Kent had already been deployed again, back when Sam was sixteen—he was gone so sporadically, even before that...God. Anyway, this is Vincent's first time meeting Kent, and Sam's first chance to really get to know him. In order for our family to heal, I think we should all be under the same roof."

"Jodi..." I sighed, burying my head in my hands.

"Sadie, he won't listen to me," she pleaded. "Please. I know you care about him, but he's my son...I raised him—by myself. I want us to be the family that we never had a chance to be."

"I understand where you are coming from, and I appreciate you coming to me," I started, feeling defeated. "But...as much as I empathize, I don't feel comfortable getting involved."

"I haven't seen him since you two left, almost a week ago." She responded, her tone tinged with annoyance. "How are we supposed to bond if he won't even visit?"

"Jodi, that night was a lot to handle; you should know that better than anyone," I shot back, disgusted by the defensiveness in my voice. "I care for Sam very deeply, and I want him to have the life you guys have always wished for...but not like this." I couldn't look at her. "I will relay the message to him—if that's what you still want—but I won't advocate for a decision I don't agree with if he seeks my advice."

"You don't agree?" She asked quietly. "Why?"

"Sam is an adult, and he has been for a long time now. I know you don't want to hear it, but from an outsider's perspective, the only way to truly heal is to cope with that at face value—you and Kent both. Moving Sam home may, on paper, solve the issue—but it's a short term, 'easy way out' solution. He can't stay forever, and when he leaves years from now, you'll find yourself here again. As much as it sucks, you have to let Sam be an adult, who makes adult decisions, and let him set the pace. This is as big of a change for him as it is for you, and Kent, and Vincent...so let him proceed in the way that he sees fit."