One day, Sam returned to the Dingle home, acting strangely. A couple of weeks later, Alice appeared – explaining that Sam had upped and left after she fell pregnant. Although his family were shocked Sam could be so callous, Alice understood that he was just freaked out about the prospect of being a dad and soon the couple were back on track. However, Sam had missed home and wanted to remain in Emmerdale with their family around them to help with the baby. Things were fine, but Alice soon began feeling ill. Tests confirmed that she had cancer but, in an effort to protect Sam, she lied and said she'd been given the all clear. After a few weeks, Dr. Adam Forsythe forced her to come clean, devastating Sam. To make matters worse, Alice was advised to terminate her pregnancy so she could start chemotherapy immediately but Alice had no intention of getting rid of her baby. Against all advice, she refused the termination and gave birth to baby Samson prematurely in January 2006. The birth left Alice very depressed as Samson was rushed to intensive care before she got a chance to bond with him.