After a serious hiatus, I have started another fic. I'd like this one to go out to Nina, who helped me immensely.
This is 5 years after s13. Alex is a freshman in college, out of state. Sam no longer lives in Chicago; instead, she lives in a nearby suburb.

“Roxanne Irene Hunter,” Sam Hunter yelled to her two-year-old daughter as she examined the black marks on the wall, “what on earth did you do?!” Sam bit her lip and watched Roxanne, better known as Roxie, toddle into the room. In her fist was a black permanent marker.
It was all Sam could to do keep from breaking down. She knew she couldn’t let Jeff see the mess she’d let Roxie make. It would just be evidence of another one of her shortcomings: her inability to control her children. Sam didn’t need it pointed out to her again; it was evident all the time, from the constant state of chaos that was their apartment, to dent in the wall where Roxie had thrown her Tickle Me Elmo in a fit of two-year-old rage.
Sam reclaimed the permanent marker and tucked it behind her ear before scooping Roxie into her arms and depositing the child into her crib. As she made her way to the kitchen, Sam thought about how Jeff was going to react. Of course he’d make sure she knew how incompetent she was. It wasn’t like she didn’t know already, but he’d make a point of telling her. Just like always.
As she headed toward the kitchen, Sam thought back to when she’d first met Jeff. She’d still been working at County, and he had come in with one of the most virulent strains of the flu that County’s ER had ever seen. It had taken hours to get Jeff a bed in the ICU, and during that time it was Sam who cared for him.
A week or so after his discharge, Jeff returned to the ER to thank Sam for her care and kindness, and so began a whirlwind courtship that led Sam and Jeff to the altar ten months later. It wasn’t long after the wedding that Roxie was born; Sam had been four months pregnant on their wedding day.
Roxie was five or six weeks old when Jeff began to recognize all of Sam’s faults. She wasn’t able to calm Roxie as quickly as he was, nor was she able to function effectively as a wife since all of her time was devoted to their newborn daughter. Sam tried her best to hide her incompetence, but Jeff always managed to see through the façade. If anything, pretending to be a modern-day June Cleaver only hampered Sam’s ability to be the perfect wife, mother, and nurse. That’s why she’d quit her job at County four weeks after returning from her maternity leave.
Sam found herself in the kitchen, where she retrieved a can of white spray paint from the shelf above the refrigerator. She shook it vigorously on the way back to Roxie’s room. Sam opened the window and sprayed Roxie’s “artwork” into oblivion. “C’mon, Roxie-bear,” Sam said as she lifted Roxie out of her crib. “Let’s hope that dries before Daddy gets home.” On the way to the living room, Sam placed the can of spray paint back in its place above the refrigerator. She could only hope she’d adequately covered her mistake.

This is such a great start Natalie! I'm really intrigued now and it'll be far too long until the next update! Keep it up! :happy:

This is great and I'm already loving it. :lol: It's really interesting nd I can't wait to read more. I was looking for something good to read... and I guess I found it. Congrats! :D

I love this first chapter!

I want to know how Sam will be back to the old self!

Update soon!

Very nice Natalie, in the saddening and traumatic ways that befit a good fanf--and omg I just had to run from the computer because I heard the words 'Hey, Luka' come from the television behind me and I realized that my mom had been watching ER(I just came home from work) and it was that seen from early s13 when Luka asks Sam if she's okay and tells her not to beat herself up about everything that's going on, and if I weren't so snobbishly above squeeing I would have squee'd my lungs out--

anyways, I apologize for the distractedness. I really like how this has started out, and I am interested in whatever should happen next :)

PS: Yay! Thanks for the shout-out, Natalie! hahah, I was sooo tired this morning, lol. I'm kidding, it was a good night of phonebook dipping and whatnot. ;)

PPS: I've warmed up to Irene. I think it works out as a middle name...BTW to anyone out there, 'Roxanne' may very well be one of the most challenging names to find a fitting middle name for.

M'kay so you have me hooked right now. I wanna see where you go with this. And "Irene." hmm that's gonna take some warming up to. But who knows? Maybe one day someone we know will name their kid that (:P hehe)

Update soon girlie :hug:

Great story! I can't wait to read more.

Update NOW. lol...