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I'll Be There For You: Chapters 40 - 45
Romance
 Created on 11-30-07
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Chapter 40
It was a lazy day of nothingness for Nikki. She was bored out of her mind. There was nothing to do except watch TV. She plopped herself on the couch and tried to find something interesting to watch. When Howie came home from a long day of rehearsal, Nikki was sitting on the couch watching soap operas.
"I don't understand how you can watch that junk," he said as he sat down next to her.
"Shh!" Nikki said as she lifted up her hand. "Eric just got into a train accident. I wanna see if he makes it out alive."
Howie chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to grab a snack," he said as he went into the kitchen.
He fixed himself a small salad then rejoined Nikki on the couch. The show has just ended when he sat down.
"Okay the show's over. Hi honey," Nikki said then kissed Howie.
Howie laughed and kissed her back. "You're funny."
"I know," Nikki replied with a smug grin. "So how was your day?" she asked as she picked out a cucumber from Howie's bowl.
"It was rough. A.J. kept messing up every single dance move. The poor guy is all upset about Amanda."
"Amanda?"
"Yeah they got into a huge fight the other night. He's been staying at his mom's since then."
"Oh, wow. I didn't know that. I wonder why Amanda hasn't told me anything about it."
"I dunno, but A.J.'s all worried about her. He said it was like she had a nervous breakdown."
Nikki gasped. "Oh, gosh, that's horrible. I hope she's okay."
"Yeah I know, me too. Not just for Amanda's sake but for A.J. and the baby as well."
Just then the doorbell rang. "I'll get that," Nikki said s she got up to answer it. Outside the door stood A.J.. His face looked pale and sad.
"Hey A.J., come on in. How are you doing? I just heard."
"I'm doing all right I guess," he said sadly.
"Things will get better," Nikki replied then hugged him.
"Thanks," he replied softly.
"Hey, Bone. What’s up?" Howie asked as he walked over to them.
"Not much. I just thought I'd drop by. I needed to get out for a while."
"Any word from Amanda?" he asked.
A.J. shook his head. "I've called, but she won't talk to me. I don't know what I should do."
Nikki gave A.J. a sympathetic look. "Do you want me to try to talk to her? Maybe that would help."
"I. . .I dunno," AJ replied softly.
Nikki sighed and led A.J. to the couch. "Sit down, you're shaking. Howie could you go get him a cup of coffee?"
"Yeah, sure," Howie replied as he went into the kitchen.
A.J. signed and placed his hands over his face. "I feel completely lost. I honestly don't know what's going on with her. It's like she's falling away from me."
Nikki drew in a breath and stood up. "All right, that's it. Amanda's really made me mad now. I'm going over there and I'm gonna find out what's going on."
"Nikki, no--," A.J. protested.
"A.J. I don't want to hear it. I'm going over there and that's final."
"All right, fine."
"Good, I'll be back later. And don't worry things will be fine," she told A.J. sincerely then gave him a hug.
"Thanks," he replied.
Just then, Howie came back into the living room with A.J.'s coffee.
"I'm going to go talk to Amanda. I'll be back later. You stay here with A.J."
"Okay, be careful babe," he said then kissed her.
"I will," she said, then left.
Chapter 42
"How about this one?" Sarah asked as she pointed to a picture of an Aladdin themed baby room.
Kevin laughed and shook his head. "No way. I think I'm a little burned out on Aladdin."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Sarah said with a laugh.
"Why don't we just go with the sun and clouds theme? We both seemed to like that one pretty well."
"I know, but I think we should keep looking. We might find something better.
"If you say so," Kevin mumbled.
Sarah shut the catalog and looked over at Kevin. "I'm hungry. Do you want dinner?"
"Yeah, I could go for that. What are we going to have?"
"How about chicken, broccoli, and homemade bread?"
"Sounds good to me. I'll help you," he said as he followed her to the kitchen.
Sarah go the chicken from out of the refrigerator. "Kevin, could you check the bread in the bread maker? It should be almost ready."
Kevin glanced at the bread and nodded. “It's done."
"Good, take it out and set it on that plate on the counter."
Kevin pulled out the bread and smile. Mm, looks good."
"Thank you," Sarah said then kissed him. "The chicken and broccoli will be done in about twenty minutes."
"Good, I'm starved."
Sarah laughed and put her arms around his waist. "Honey, which would you rather have? A boy or a girl?"
"I already told you it didn't matter to me. Just as long as it's healthy."
"Well, do you know what I want it to be?"
"What?"
"A boy."
Kevin smiled. "A boy would be nice."
"Yeah it would. I have a name picked out already."
"And what would that be?"
Sarah smiled and looked up at him. "I want to name our son Jerald. After his grandfather. I don't care if it's his first or middle name. I just want our son to carry on your father's name. What do you think?" Kevin stared at Sarah with tears in his eyes. "Kevin, honey what's wrong?" Kevin let out a small sob. "Aw, baby I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought up your father," she said then hugged him.
"No, it's not that," Kevin replied.
"Then what is it?"
"I'm just so happy to hear you say that. You see, when I was engaged to Beth we had a conversation about having children. I told her I wanted to name my first son Jerald, after my father; she wrinkled her name in disgust and said it was an ugly name. It really crushed my spirits when she said that. And to hear you say you want to name our son Jerald...it makes me the happiest man on the planet," Kevin said with a sniffle.
Sarah kissed the tears from off his face. "I'm glad it makes you happy. Nothing could mean more to me."
Kevin smiled with loving eyes and kissed Sarah on the lips. "Thank you," he whispered.
"You're welcome," Sarah murmured. She let go of Kevin and looked at the chicken broiling in the oven. "It's gonna be about another ten minutes. Do you want to set the table?"
"No, I want to get a head start on dessert," Kevin replied while kissing her neck.
Sarah snickered and nudged Kevin in the ribs. "All right, Mr. Horny Ass. Grab the forks and start setting the table."
"Aw, come on," Kevin said with a grin.
Sarah laughed. "You'll get your dessert later."
"Promise?"
"I promise," Sarah replied as she handed Kevin the forks. "Set the table."
"Yes, ma'am," Kevin joked then began setting the table.
Chapter 43
Kristin was standing in the living room working out to her aerobic tape when she heard the doorbell ring. She shut off the tape and answered the door. It was Nick.
"Hey, baby," Kristin said with a smile.
"Hey," he replied then walked in. "Was I interrupting something?"
"No, I was just working out. I was about to stop anyway."
"I would've called but I couldn't wait to tell you the surprise."
"Ooh, I love surprises! Tell me," Kristin urged.
Nick laughed. "Kiss me first then I'll tell you."
"Mm, gladly," Kristin said as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips.
"That's how I like it," Nick said with a grin.
"Okay, dork, tell me what the surprise is."
"Okay, okay. Sit down on the couch with me and I'll tell you." Kristin sat down with him. "Okay, I know you've been kind of frustrated that everyone has special plans for the break except us. So after much thought I've come up with the perfect plan for us."
"Well, what is it?"
"You know how I promised you to take you on my boat?"
"Oh, my god we're going on a boating trip?" Kristin asked excitedly.
"Well, sort of. I was thinking you and me taking my boat to my private condo on a little island off the Florida Keys. Then we'll spend a nice, long weekend filled with romance together. How does that sound?"
"That sounds absolutely wonderful. I can't wait," Kristin said then kissed him. "So when do we leave?"
"I'm glad you asked me that. Pack your bags, we're leaving tomorrow night."
Kristin squealed with delight. "Are you serious?!"
"As serious as I'll ever be."
"Oh, my god I love you!" she exclaimed.
"Thank you, but I hope it's not because of this," Nick joked.
"Oh, please you know better than that."
Nick laughed. "I know, I'm just playin'. Well, I'm gonna go take care of some stuff, but I'll come back later."
"Okay," Kristin said as she got up and followed Nick to the door. "Bye, baby," Kristin said as the reached up for a kiss.
"Bye," Nick said as he kissed her then left.
As soon as Kristin shut the door, she squealed with excitement and began dancing around the living room. Her dance was cut short when she turned around to see Brian and Rachel standing at the door.
"Uh, Kris, what are you doing?" Rachel asked, hiding her laughter.
"Brian! Rachel! Hey guys! How long have you been standing there?" Kristin asked while blushing.
"Long enough," Brian said with a snicker.
"Oh," Kristin said with embarrassment. "I guess I got a little carried away. Nick just told me about the big trip he planned for us. I'm really excited."
"Yeah, we heard. Nick was in the parking lot when we got here. He told us about it. Sounds like it'll be fun," said Rachel.
"Yeah, I hope so," Kristin said as she sat down on the couch. "So, what are you two doing today?"
"Brian's taking me to my monthly check up. I forgot my purse. So, we came back to get it," Rachel replied as she picked her purse up from off the coffee table. "Are you going to be home tonight?"
"I'm not sure yet. Nick hasn't told me if he wants to do anything tonight or not. Why do you ask?"
"I was just curious. I'll probably stay at Brian's tonight anyway."
"Okay, well, I'll catch you later then."
"All right, well we've gotta go or I'll be late. Bye, Kris," said Rachel as she walked out the door.
"Bye, guys," Kristin called back. When they were gone Kristin wandered back to her room. "Time to pack," she mumbled to herself then began going through her closet.
Chapter 44
Nikki banged loudly on Amanda's front door. "Amanda, open the door right now!" she demanded.
The door slowly opened and Amanda stood there with a tear stained face. "What the hell do you want?"
"Don't give me an attitude, Amanda," Nikki said as she pushed her way through the door. "What is going on with you? A.J.'s worried sick. He's at my house in tears right now because of the way you've been acting. Now, can you give me a reasonable explanation to why you would do this to not only him, but yourself?"
Amanda shut her eyes and sighed. "I don't think you want to know."
Nikki grabbed Amanda by the arm and led her to the couch. "I'm all ears."
"No, I don't think--"
"Don't make me get nasty," Nikki said harshly.
Amanda was silent for a moment then began to cry. "Ugh, I'm such a stupid bitch. I'm surprised A.J. didn't kick me out onto the streets. I was really mean to him Nikki. I mean, really, really mean. I think I've gone crazy."
Nikki hugged Amanda. "No, you're not crazy. Just tell me why you did it."
"I'm just so scared that everything will fall apart for me when I have this baby."
"What are you talking about? I'm not sure I'm following you."
"I'm afraid I'll be a failure. I mean before this baby came along I had so many plans. I was gonna finish college and get a job at a good business. Now I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to get what I wanted. Plus I feel like I'm going to be holding A.J. back."
"How would you be holding him back?"
"His music career means so much to him and this baby is going to be such a burden on him. Ugh, I don't know what to do. I'm just so mixed up inside," Amanda said with a loud sob.
"Come here," Nikki said as she wrapped her arms around Amanda. "Everything is going to okay. It'll all work out. A.J. loves you and he would never do anything that would hurt you or the baby. Believe me, he has no intentions on leaving you. Right now, he just wants things to go back to the way they were."
"So, what am I supposed to do now?" Amanda asked, wiping the tears from off her face.
"I think you need to call A.J. and let him know you want to talk. Right now, he thinks you've shut him out and he's hurting really bad. You both need to sit down and have a discussion about all of this," Nikki said as she stood up.
"Okay, I'll call him. Is he at your place?"
"Yeah, I left him there with Howie. Do you want me to stay here with you while you call him?"
"No, I'll be fine. Thanks anyway," Amanda said as she hugged Nikki. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you earlier."
"Don't worry about it. You're pregnant, it happens," she joked.
Amanda laughed. "Okay, well I'll call you later after A.J. and I have a talk."
"Okay," Nikki said as she headed to the door. She was about to turn the door knob when she heard Amanda scream.
"Oh, my god!" Amanda cried.
"What?!" Nikki said as she quickly turned around.
Amanda dropped the phone and doubled over in pain. "Nikki wrong...with....the baby," she gasped as she fell to the floor screaming.
Nikki grabbed the phone and dialed 911. "I need help I think my friend is going into labor!"
"How far along are the contractions?" asked the operator.
"I dunno, she's only eight months pregnant. I don't know what to do!" Nikki said in a panicked voice.
"Okay, ma'am, stay on the line with me. What's the street address?"
"Uhh...3680 N. Wilder," she said with her voice quivering.
"Okay an ambulance is on its way. I need you to stay on the line with me until the ambulance arrives. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes," Nikki replied.
"Oh, god it hurts!" Amanda screamed. "Make it stop!"
"Amanda you've gotta breathe. Come on breathe for me. You can do it," Nikki said as she breathed along with Amanda.
Minutes later, the ambulance arrived and rushed Amanda to the hospital. Nikki followed closely behind in her car. Hastily, she dialed her number.
"Hello," said Howie.
"Howie, you and AJ have to get the hospital right now."
"Why what's wrong?"
"Amanda's in labor."
"What? She's only eight months pregnant, how can that be?"
"I dunno, but it's happening. Get in the car and get to the hospital as soon as possible."
"Okay we're on our way," Howie said, then hung up.
Nikki gripped tightly to the steering wheel and tried hard not to blur her vision with tears. Please let everything be okay, she said silently to herself as she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.
Chapter 45
Rachel sat in the doctor's office with Brian. She nervously fidgeted with a button his her shirt. Brian grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"Don't be so nervous. Everything will be fine," he assured.
"I know, but I can't help it. Every time I come into a doctor's office something happens."
"Nothing will happen this time. I'm sure of it."
"I hope so," Rachel replied as she bit her lip.
"Miss Crawford, the doctor will see you now," said the nurse.
Brian gave Rachel's hand a squeeze. "You'll be fine."
Nervously Rachel stood up and followed the nurse into the doctor's office.
"The doctor will be with you in a moment," the nurse said then walked out of the room.
Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. She whispered a silent prayer to herself and relaxed. A few minutes later the doctor came in.
"Good afternoon, Rachel. How are you doing today?"
"Fine, thanks," Rachel replied quietly.
"That's good to hear. Lets start with your blood pressure, shall we?"
The doctor wrapped the armband around Rachel's arm and began to pump the air. Rachel tensed her body as the arm band pulled tighter. The doctor let the air out and listened to her pulse through the stethoscope.
"Your blood pressure's a little high. Let me check your heart rate," he said as he removed the band and checked her heart rate. "Hmmm," he mumbled softly.
"What?" Rachel asked in worry.
"Rachel, have you been under any stress lately?"
"A little why do you ask?"
"Well, your heart rate seems to be a little high. It's nothing to be alarmed of, but too much stress can be a strain on your heart."
"Can it do any damage at all?"
"Well, in the long run, yes. Eventually your heart can weaken. I suggest you try some stress relievers. It would really help you. Here's a pamphlet on stress relievers," he said as he handed it to her. "I'm sure Brian could help you on a few of those. He uses them too. You'll feel the difference."
"Thank you," Rachel said with a smile.
"You're quite welcome. Well, I believe that's it. There's nothing else I can do for you today. The stress was your only drawback. Just as long as you do the stress relievers and take your medication, you'll be fine."
Rachel sighed of relief. "Thanks," she said then followed the doctor out of the office.
"Have a nice day, Miss Crawford. I'll see you next month."
"Okay, bye," Rachel said as she walked over to Brian.
"How did it go?" Brian asked as he hugged her.
"Everything went find. The only problem I had was my stress level, but he said I could do stress relievers for that."
"Why would you be stressed? You've been out of school for a while now."
Rachel grabbed Brian' hand. "Lets talk about this on the way home."
"All right," Brian said as he followed her outside. They got into Brian's BMW and drove to his house. "Okay, so what has been stressing you?"
"Nothing, Brian," she replied then patted him on the leg.
"I did it didn't I?" Brian blurted out.
"Honey, you're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm serious."
"Brian it's not you."
Brian frowned and continued to drive down the road. They arrived at his house and went inside. Rachel went into the refrigerator and got out a coke.
"Do you want one?" she asked.
Brian shook his head and sat down at the table. "No," he mumbled.
"Baby, would you stop looking so glum. You're making me depressed," Rachel said as she took a seat next to him. "What's wrong?"
"I know I'm the one who made you stressed."
"I already told you, you didn't do it. Why do you think you did it? What could you have possibly done to stress me out?"
"Bring up your mother," he said straight faced.
"You didn't stress me out by doing that. If she wasn't such a bitch I wouldn't be stressed. She's the cause of everything, not you. Now, will you stop blaming yourself so we can have a good time together tonight?"
"I'm sorry, I just can't help feeling so bad about all of this."
Rachel smiled and stood up, straddling herself on Brian's lap. "I love you and that's all that matters. There's nothing that would ever change that. My mother may be a burden on my life, but you make up for all the pain I've ever experienced. In a way you're my savior, but most importantly...you're my best friend."
Brian smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."
Rachel kissed him lightly on the lips. "You're welcome. Now, how about showing me some of those stress relievers?"
Brian smiled seductively. "I've got a better idea."
"Brian you're such a pervert," she commented with a laugh.
"But you love it," he said as he kissed her on the neck.
"Oh no, not the neck."
"Oh yes," he said with a soft chuckle.
Rachel looked at him and smirked. "I'm all yours."
"Oh, baby, yeah," Brian murmured then the two went upstairs.
Comments
Please Login to post comments| On December 1st 2007 WaitingAlone Said : | |
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awsome |
| On November 30th 2007 necrosiss Said : | |
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keep me poooosted. =] |
