Chapter 36

                                    

                                          
I looked at Samantha. 
                          
"What?"
                          
"I'm kidding!" She said, her blue eyes sparking. "Gee Dad. Lighten up.  I'm fine."
                          
Jenna was smiling behind her coffee cup. 
                          
Rosie was looking at Samantha and grabbed her face with her pudgy little hands and brought her face to Samantha's.
                          
"Rosie!" Samantha laughed. "My nose is not a bottle!" 
                          
"I think she's trying to kiss you," Jenna said. 
                          
Samantha wiped her nose. 
                          
"Yucky," Samantha said, wiggling Rosie. Rosie laughed. 
                          
I loved watching the two interact. It reminded me of  their connection.
                          
Sam put Rosie in her high chair and helped Jenna bring breakfast to the table. 
                          
We sat and ate and chatted, trying to decide what to do today. 
                          
"I have some homework to finish," Sam said. "For some reason I didn't finish it last night."
                          
Jenna snickered. 
                          
"But you feel okay?" I asked. 
                          
"Yeah. I feel fine, Dad. Promise," she said. 
                          
"Okay. Well, once your homework is done, what do you want to do?"  
                          
"Mark is supposed to call around two. So maybe just hang around and relax?  Maybe play Xbox?"
                          
"Okay. I have some work to get done for next week and I might have to run out later,"
                          
We cleaned up and Samantha went upstairs to shower and get dressed, then came down and did her homework, and played some Xbox with me before I had to take some calls to get ready for tour.
                          
I was worried, a little, about Samantha maybe having more seizures while I was away.  With the baby, how would  Jenna manage if Sam needed the hospital?
                          
I knew she had Erin. She'd probably drop everything for Jenna and Sam. But when someone happens, I hate being so far away. And this time we'd be in Europe. It takes a lot more work to cancel shows and fly home from Europe. 
                          
I had to stop thinking the world was going to come crashing down if I left town and left Jenna and the kids behind. Jenna is a very capable person. 
                          
I sighed, thinking about calling Erin and giving her a heads up. Something I should probably discuss with Jenna. I don't know if Samantha even told Jill about the seizures. 
                          
I finished making the calls I needed to make, checked on a few logistical things that our tour manager asked me to look at, finalized the design for the tour merch for the European leg, and went back upstairs. 
                          
I hadn't realized the time. When I came upstairs, Samantha was in the kitchen with her laptop open. 
                          
"Hi, Dad!" She said as I came into the kitchen. "Dad was just doing some stuff for work in his office. He leaves on tour next week."
                          
"Oh, what is it you do, Tyler?" Mark asked as I came into view of the screen. 
                          
"Dad's in a band. Twentyone Pilots. They're touring Europe next week," Sam answered for me. 
                          
"Really?" Mark said. 
                          
"We are," I said. "We'll be in London on the 12th, if you and your family would like to come. I can arrange tickets and passes for you."
                          
"Please Daddy!" Emma said. "Wow!  You really are Tyler Joseph!  My cousin knows Tyler Joseph!!  Wait! Does that mean my uncle is Tyler Joseph?!"
                          
"Not exactly, darling," Mark smiled. 
                          
"How does that work out?  If Samantha is our cousin, doesn't that make Tyler our uncle?" Emma asked. 
                          
"Not exactly," Mark explained. "Samantha is my sister's daughter, but Tyler and his wife, Jenna, adopted Samantha.  They aren't related to us, not by blood anyway, but Samantha is."
                          
"That makes no sense," Emma said. "Tyler is my cousin's father, but not my uncle?" 
                          
"Correct," Mark said. 
                          
"I still don't get it," Emma said, rolling her eyes. 
                          
"Samantha, will you be coming to Europe with your father?" Mark asked. 
                          
"No," she answered. "I have school and basketball."
                          
"That's a shame. But Tyler, if it isn't asking too much, we'd love to come."
                          
"I don't want to go!" Benjamin said. "That's Emma's music. I hate it!"
                          
"No offence, Tyler," Mark said. 
                          
"None taken," I smiled. "So two?"
                          
"I suppose so. Benjamin can stay at home with his mum," Mark said. 
                          
"Okay. Two tickets and passes," I said, typing into my phone. "I'll have them at Will Call for you."
                          
"Wonderful. Thank you. Emma, what do you say?"
                          
"Thank you, Mr Tyler Joseph!!"
                          
I smiled. 
                          
"It's no trouble and no problem. I look forward to seeing you in London," I said. 
                          
This would give me a chance to see if Mark gave me any more feelings that were... off. 
                          
Samantha continued chatting with him and Emma and Benjamin and Carol when she came back in, for about another ten minutes before they had to go have their supper. 
                          
"That was really nice if you, Dad," Samantha said, coming to give me a hug. 
                          
"It was the least I could do. How was the rest of the call?"
                          
"Good," Samantha said. 
                          
"What did you talk about?" I asked. 
                          
"Stuff," Samantha said, putting a snack together for herself.
                          
"What kind if 'stuff'?" I asked. 
                          
"You know. School, holidays, he told me some stuff about my mom," Sam said nonchalantly. 
                          
"What about holidays?" I asked, wondering if he was laying the groundwork for Sam to live with him. 
                          
"We talked about how they have an extra day off in December for holidays. They call it Boxing Day, and they have all these long weekends that are called Bank Holidays because the banks are all closed. And schools and no one works."
                          
"Oh. Those kinds of holidays," I said. 
                          
"Yeah. They asked when my summer holidays start and when they end. They start school the first of September there. At least, Benjamin and Emma do."
                          
"What if September first is a Saturday?"
                          
"Well, duh. They start on the Monday," Samantha rolled her eyes at me. 
                          
I have to admit, I'm a little worried about Sam having these calls while I'm away. Luckily, it's less than a month.  I'll tell Jenna to keep an ear out during her calls. 
                          
I hate feeling so distrustful, but we've learned to be careful around people when it comes to Samantha. And something tells me Jake is looking into Mark and his family.