I'll Be There For You: Chapters 46 - 50

Chapter 48

Nikki sat in the waiting room nervously looking around. She spotted A.J. and Howie walking in.

"Have you heard anything?" A.J. asked.

"No, no one knows what's going on. Oh, God I was so scared," she said in mid tears.

Howie hugged her tight. "It's gonna be all right."

"I know, but it just felt so scary to see her screaming in pain like that. It happened so quickly. I mean, one minute she was dialing the number to our house to talk to A.J. Then the next minute, she was doubled over in pain. It was horrible."

"Wait a minute, she was going to call me when she went in labor?" said A.J.

"Yeah," Nikki replied in a soft tone.

"Oh, man," A.J. said with a sigh. "I hope nothing happened to her or the baby."

"Me too," Howie replied.

Just then, Amanda's doctor came into the waiting room. "Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. McLean?"

"That would be me," A.J. said as he stepped up.

"I'm Dr. Bryant, Amanda's doctor. It's nice to finally meet you. She has told me so much about you," he replied.

"How is she?" A.J. asked.

Dr. Bryant smiled. "She's just fine. It was a false labor. More than likely it was induced by stress. Both she and the baby are fine. She'll be able to go home tonight., but I strongly advise that she spends the next month relaxing as much as possible."

"Thank you, doctor," said A.J.

"Can we see her?" Nikki asked.

"Yes, follow me. I'll show you to her room."

Everyone followed the doctor to Amanda's room. They stopped at the door. Nikki glanced over at A.J.

"A.J., you go in first," she suggested.

A..J. nodded and opened the door. He quietly stepped in. Amanda was laying on the hospital bed. He scooted the chair that was by the bed closer to her and sat down. He picked up her hand and kissed it. Amanda opened her eyes and smiled at A.J.

"Hey," he said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"A little tired, but I feel okay," she replied.
"Good," A.J. said as he sat down in the chair.

"A.J., I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything?"

"Yes, I did. I was so mean to you. I shouldn't have done that. I mean, it was because I stressed myself out that I almost lost the baby and you. That's not what a good relationship should be about. I should've been more considerate. I promise to never do it again. I don't ever wanna lose you," Amanda said in tears.

A.J. caressed her cheek and kissed the tears off her face. "You will never lose me. I will always love you and nothing you can do would ever change that."

"Thank you," she whispered.

A.J. smiled and linked his fingers with hers. Just then, the door opened as Howie and Nikki came into the room.

"Can we come in?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, come on in guys," Amanda replied.

Nikki ran over to Amanda and hugged her. "Oh ,my gosh, girl you really scared me."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to," Amanda said as she hugged her back.

"It's okay just be more careful next time."

"I will," Amanda assured.

"Well, we're just glad that you're okay," Howie said as he leaned over and kissed Amanda on the cheek.

Amanda smiled and looked around at her friends. "I'm so glad to have friends who are supportive as you guys. I don't think I could ever thank you enough."

"You just concentrate on staying relaxed until the baby comes. That will be thanks enough for us," said A.J.

"I will," Amanda said.

They were all in the room talking when Dr. Bryant came into the room. "It's good to see you smiling Amanda," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better, thanks."

"Good, that's what we like to hear."

"When can I go home?" she asked.

Dr. Bryant looked through his clip board. "Well, everything seems to be going fine so you can go home tonight. All we have to do is get you to sign some papers and you'll be free to go."

"Good, then hand me the papers and I'll sign them." Dr. Bryant handed her the papers and she signed them after reading through everything.

"Okay, now that that's done, I will send in a nurse and she can get you back into your normal clothes and you will be free to leave."

"Thank you, doctor," Amanda replied as he left.

Late that night A.J. and Amanda were snuggled closely together in bed. A.J. gently rubbed his hand on her stomach, humming a soft tune to himself. Amanda smiled as she watched him.

"You know, sometimes I look at you and I wonder how I got so lucky," she commented.

A.J. looked over at her and kissed her on the lips. "It wasn't luck that brought us together."

"It wasn't?"

"No...it was destiny," he replied with a smile. He kissed her forehead and smoothed out her hair. "Get some sleep, it's late."

Amanda smiled and laid her head on his chest. Soon her breathing became slow and steady; AJ knew she was asleep. He pulled the covers over her and soon drifted off to sleep himself.

Chapter 49

"Kevin, I don't understand why we have to drive to Kentucky for the holidays. I'm not that far along yet," Sarah complained as she packed up her suitcase.

"I know, but I just think it would be better for us to drive anyway. Besides, I'm kinda sick of airplanes right now."

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "You are a pain the ass, you know that?"

"Yes, but you love me anyway," Kevin teased.

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."

"Hey!" Kevin said as he grabbed Sarah by the waist. "I know you didn't mean that."

Sarah smirked and stuck out her tongue. "Maybe I do. What are you gonna do about it?"

"This," Kevin said as he kissed her passionately.

"Oooh," Sarah murmured as she wrapped her arms around Kevin's shoulders and kissed him back.

Kevin was reaching up her shirt when he heard the doorbell ring. He jumped and quickly removed his hand from her shirt.

"That must be Rachel and Brian," Kevin said as he got up and walked down the hall.

Sarah straightened her shirt back up and followed him out the living room. Kevin opened the door and there stood Rachel and Brian.

"Hey guys!" Kevin said.
"Hey cuz! Are ya'll ready?"

"We're almost done with the last minute packing. Come on in and have a seat," Sarah replied.

Rachel and Brian walked into the house and took a seat on the couch.

"Man, I can't wait to get to Kentucky. It's going to be fun," Brian said with an excited smile.

"I know it's going to be great," Kevin agreed. "Hey, Brian, come with me to my office for a minute. I wanna show you something."

"Okay," Brian said as he got up and followed him. "So, what did you want to show me?"

Kevin shut the door, locked it, and went into the closet and pulled out a shoe box. He dug around in the box and pulled out a small black box. "This is Sarah's Christmas present," he said in a low tone. Kevin slowly opened the box to reveal a platinum edition white gold engagement ring.

Brian's eyes grew wide as he stared at the large diamond. "Damn!" he exclaimed. "Look at that thing!"

"Shhh!" Kevin shushed. "She'll hear you."

"Sorry," Brian whispered.

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"Heck yeah!"

"I hope so. I'm gonna do it on Christmas Eve in front of my family. Do you think you and Rachel can be there?"

"Oh, yeah definitely," Brian assured.

"Good...I gotta tell you cuz, I'm a little nervous about this. Last time I proposed to a girl she dumped me. I hope I'm doing the right thing. I really love Sarah."

Brian smiled and patted Kevin on the back. "Trust me, Kev, she'll say yes. I have a feeling that she's the one."

"Yeah...me too," Kevin said with a smile. He shut the box and stuck it in his pocket. "Well, we better get back in the living room before she gets suspicious."

Brian and Kevin returned to the living room where Sarah and Rachel were sitting on the couch talking.

"There you are!" Sarah said as she stood up. "Are you ready?"

"I am if you are."

"I'm all set."

"Great, I'll start putting our stuff in the rental car," Kevin said as he picked up two suitcases.

"I'll help you," Brian said as he picked up another bag and followed Kevin outside.

Kevin put all the bags in the back of the SUV. He reached in his pocket and stuck the box securely in his suitcase. Brian put his and Rachel's stuff in the back and Kevin shut the back door. Rachel and Sarah came outside and got into the SUV. Brian got in the back with Rachel and Kevin got in the driver's seat. He started the SUV then opened the door back up.

"I'll be right back I think I forgot to lock the back door to the house," he said as he got out. He ran and locked the back door with his key then made his way back. He heard Sarah honk the horn.

"Come on, slow poke! Lets get a move on!" she shouted out the window.

Kevin grinned and jogged back to the SUV. "Okay, I think we're ready to roll," he said as he put on his seat belt and backed out of the driveway. "Kentucky, here we come!" he joked the headed out to the highway.

Chapter 50

"Nick, are you ready yet?" Kristin said as she stomped into his room.

Nick sighed and looked up at Kristin. "Yes! God what is your problem? I've been trying to pack all morning and all you can do is complain that I'm not ready yet."

Kristin rolled her eyes and grabbed the shirt from out of his hand. "Here, let me do it. You're moving too slow. Why didn't you pack last night like I told you to?"

"Well, gee maybe I was spending time with you. What a crime! I don't know what you're getting so upset about. We have three hours before we leave and we don't have to be at the airport for another hour. So, why don't you take a chill pill and let me finish my packing."

"Fine whatever," she said as she walked into his bathroom. She brought out his toiletry items and placed them on the bed. "Nick you really should've just packed last night. I mean this would go a lot smoother if you had."

"I told you, I didn't have time. I didn't get home until late last night and I was too tired to pack. I'm almost done so why don't you just shut up. The more you complain the longer it's gonna take for me to pack. What is your deal? Are you pissed that I decided to go to L.A. instead of taking to the Keys? If that‘s it, chill out. We can ride in my dad‘s boat."

"Why are you being so cranky?"

"I'm not! You're the one who's cranky! You've done nothing but complain since you got here! All I'm trying to do is pack and you're just standing there complaining about every little thing I do! Frankly, it's starting to annoy me."

"Fine I'll just go downstairs then!" Kristin said as she went downstairs.

Nick rolled his eyes and continued packing his clothes. After he finished, they met the taxi outside and went to the airport. When they arrived at the airport, Nick quickly checked in their bags and waited at the terminal to board the plane. Kristin glanced at her watched and let out a huffy sigh.

"Ugh! I just want to get out of this airport and get to L.A."

"Kris, just try to be relaxed on this trip it's going to be a while before we get to LA. If you don't...I'm requesting for a different seat...away from you!"

Kristin looked over at him in shock. "Nickolas Gene Carter!"

"Shhh! Are you crazy! Don't scream my name like that in a freaking airport! Geez!"

"Is that all you care about? Whether people notice you or not?"

Nick pulled down his sunglasses. "Kris, are you forgetting who I am?"

"Oh, let me bow down to you your highness! The all mighty Backstreet Boy!"

"You're being really childish, you know that?"

"Me?! I'm being childish!?" Kristin shouted louder. "You're the one who's so worried about who knows you're here or not." Kristin turned around and faced the crowd behind the. "Everyone look! It's Nick Carter the Backstreet Boy! Right here in the airport! Ahh! Oh, my god it's Nick Carter!"

Nick grabbed Kristin by the arm and covered her mouth. "One more scream and I'll leave you here."

Kristin turned around and glared at him. "That wouldn't be so bad, actually. I'd get away from you!"

Nick rolled his eyes and handed the stewardess his ticket. He boarded the plane and sat down in his seat. Kristin let out a huffy sigh and followed him. She pulled out her headphones and blared the music of NSYNC.

"It's tearing up my heart when I'm with you. And when we are apart I feel it too. And no matter what I do, I feel the pain. With or without you."

Nick pulled her headphones off. "If you think that's going to piss me off ,you're wrong. Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Who said I was trying to piss you off? Maybe I like NSYNC."

Nick laughed. "Yeah, okay. Listen to it for all I care. I'm going to sleep and I'm not speaking another word to you until we get to L.A."

"Fine by me," Kristin said as she put her headphones back on and slumped down in her seat.

Nick sighed and shook his head as he reached for his own headphones. He popped in a Journey CD and closed his eyes. The plane took off the runway and the two of them didn't speak to each other for the rest of the trip.

Chapter 51

Nikki drove to Amanda and A.J.'s house and parked her car in the driveway. She rang the doorbell and A.J. answered the door.

"Hey, Nikki what's up?" he said.

"Not much. I just stopped by to see if Amanda wanted to go Christmas shopping with this afternoon."

"Yes I would!" Amanda said as she waddled toward the door. She grabbed her purse and kissed A.J. good-bye.

"Amanda you're supposed--"

"Bye honey!" Amanda interrupted then walked out the door. "Whew! Boy, am I glad you came over because A.J. is driving me nuts!" she said as she got into Nikki's car.

Nikki laughed as she pulled out of the driveway. "What is he doing now?"

"He's just being overbearing. I mean, I know I'm supposed to be resting but that doesn't mean he has to run my bath water for me."

Nikki busted up laughing. "He ran your bath water for you?"

"Yes!"

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"It's not bad it's just annoying because he won't let me do anything for myself. It's like he has to watch my every move. It gets annoying after a while. I'm like, A.J. I'm pregnant not paralyzed."

Nikki laughed again. "I think it's sweet."

"Well, it's not. It's annoying. I love A.J. with all my heart, but man he can be very annoying sometimes."

"Just try to ignore him until the baby comes. After that, he'll calm down."

"I dunno about that. He's already doing stuff to prepare himself for that."

"He'll calm down. A.J.'s like a child with a new toy. He'll be all excited about it for a while then when the newness wears off he'll calm down. All men are like that when it comes to new things."

"I hope you're right," Amanda said with a sigh.

"Trust me on this one," Nikki replied as she parked into the parking of the mall.

The two of them went into the mall and spent the entire afternoon shopping. When they had gotten everything they needed, they stopped by the food court for lunch. They both ordered a sandwich from the sandwich shop and sat down at a table.

"So, what are you going to name the baby?" Nikki asked. "Do you know yet?"

Amanda nodded. "If it's a boy we're going to name it Alexander James. If it's a girl we're naming her Alexandria Michelle."

"Aww that's so cute! A.J.'s determined to name his first child after him, I see."

Amanda laughed. "Well, it's important to him. Besides I like both of those names. They're both very beautiful names."

"Yeah I agree with that," Nikki said.

"So, what are you and Howie doing for Christmas?"

"Well, we're having dinner at his mom's house. She's going to have this huge dinner prepared. It should be fun. What about you two?"

"We're going to A.J.'s mom's house. It's going to be us, his mom, and his grandparents. I'm sure it'll be fun, but at the same time I'm kinda nervous."

"Why's that?"

"Well, because I've never met his grandparents before. I'm not sure if they'll like me or not. A.J. has told me a lot about them, and I'm not sure if I'll give them the right impression, you know? Getting along with A.J.'s family is very important to me."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, you're a really nice person. Why wouldn't they like you?"

"I dunno, but there's always the small doubt in my mind."

"Don't worry about it. Are you ready to go? I've gotta get these presents home before Howie gets back."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Amanda said as she got out of her chair.

The two of them left the mall and Nikki dropped Amanda off at her house. "I'll see you later, Amanda," Nikki said as Amanda got out of the car.

"Bye," said Amanda.

Nikki drove out of the driveway and went back to her house. She grabbed the bags of presents and hurried to the storeage room of the house. Suddenly, she heard the sound of Howie opening the front door. Nikki hid the presents in a large box and quickly left the room.

"Hi honey!" Nikki said with a smile.

Howie smiled. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

"Because you've got the word secret written all over you. Were you hiding my Christmas presents?"

Nikki grinned and walked over to Howie. "Maybe...maybe not," she said then kissed him.

Howie stared at her for a moment then laughed. "You know I'm too tired to figure this out so I'm just gonna let this slide.

"Figure what out?"

Howie laughed and picked Nikki up by her legs. "Okay, you asked for it!" he said as he walked toward their room.

"Howie, put me down!" Nikki said while laughing.

Howie plopped Nikki down on the bed and straddled over her. He gently kissed her on the lips and smiled. "I love you," he said gently.

"I love you too," Nikki replied back then continued to kiss him.

Chapter 52

Kevin pulled up to the drive way of Brian's parents' house. "Okay, guys we're here," he said as he parked the SUV.

"Thanks, Kev," Brian replied as he got out of the SUV. Brian looked up and noticed his mom running out of the front door toward him.

"Ooh, there's my baby duck!" she said as she hugged him tight.

"It's good to see you too, Mom," he replied.
"How was the trip?"

"It was good, we had fun."

"Good, I'm glad." Jackie looked over at Kevin and smiled. "Kevin, you better get out of that car and give your aunt a hug."

Kevin laughed and got out to hug her. "It's good to see you too," he replied.

"Sarah, you come out here too. I wanna see how big you've gotten." Sarah smiled and got out of the car. "Oh, my goodness look at you! You've gotten so big!"

Sarah laughed as she hugged Jackie. "Don't remind me. I feel like a giant beached whale."

"Well, get used to it. It happens to all of us women."

"I hate to chat and run, but we better get to my mom's house. It was good to see you again," Kevin said.

"You too, we'll see you later. You two be careful."

"We will," Kevin said as he backed out of the driveway.

Jackie turned around and smiled as she saw Rachel. "Rachel, sweetheart, how are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied quietly.

"I'm glad to hear that. You look much better than the last time I saw you."

Rachel laughed. "Thanks."

"Let me help you with your bags," she said as she grabbed a couple bags from Brian and led them to his old room.

"You two get situated. If you need me, I'll be downstairs finishing up dinner."

"Is that lasagna I smell?" Brian said as his mouth began to water.

"You bet it is."

"Yes! Mom, I love you!" he said with a laugh.

Jackie laughed. "Brian just loves my lasagna."
Rachel smiled. "I'm sure it'll be delicious.

Jackie smiled as she walked toward the hallway. "Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Okay, Mom," Brian said as he shut the door. He began unpacking his suitcase and putting his clothes in the dresser. "Do you want the top drawer or the bottom?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Rachel said as she plopped down on the bed.

Brian glanced over at Rachel. "Are you okay?"

“Yeah, I’m just really tired. Car rides are exhausting,” she said as she yawned.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he said then kissed her. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said as he walked into the bathroom.

When he finished his shower, he grabbed a towel and dried his face. As he was drying off his body, he heard the sound of someone singing. He listened for a moment and wrinkled his brow. Brian finished drying off and put the towel around his waist. He slowly opened the door and saw Rachel sitting on the bed singing Christmas carols along with the radio. His mouth dropped as he listened to her. Her voice was sweet and pure. He couldn’t help but continue to listen. Rachel was singing with her eyes closed and had no idea he was standing there. She opened her eyes and saw him and jumped a little. Brian smiled and walked over to her.

“Why did you stop?” he asked.

“Because I hate singing in front of people,” she said softly.

“Why, it was beautiful,” he said as he sat next to her.

“Brian, don’t humor me. I know I can’t sing.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t think we’re hearing the same thing. Who told you can’t sing?”

“Everyone in my life. I’ve always been told I can’t sing, so I don’t sing in front of anyone.”

“Well, they’re wrong,” he said with a smile. “Sing to me,” he continued.

“No,” Rachel said timidly.

“Please? I won’t laugh at you,” he said gently.

“What do you want me to sing,” she asked.

“Whatever you want. Just sing,” he said while looking into her eyes.

Rachel swallowed and thought a moment. She took a deep breath and sang the first song that came to mind.

“When you have no light to guide you and no one to walk to walk beside you, I will come to you. Oh I will come to you. When the night is dark and stormy, you wont have to reach out for me. I will come to you. Oh, I will come to you. Sometimes when all your dreams may have seen better days and you don’t know how or why, but you’ve lost your way. Have no fear when your tears are fallin’, I will hear your spirit callin’ and I swear Ill be there come what may.”

Rachel stopped singing when she saw Brian staring at her with a strange face. She blushed and looked away.

“I know, it was a corny song. I was listening to Hanson on the way here,” she said. “You don’t have to tell me how bad it was. I already know.”

Brian kissed her on the lips and smiled. “You have a beautiful voice. More beautiful than anyone I’ve ever heard.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and snickered. “You’re taking it a little too far. I can name a million famous female singers who can sing better than me.”

“Well, that may be true, for now,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“When we get back home, I wanna take you up to Denise. I want you to sing for her,” he said with a straight face.

“Brian, I don’t know…”

“I’m serious. I think you have a gift. You should do something with it.”

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t believe what I’m hearing.”

“Just think about it, will you? I won’t pressure you about it, but think about it.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” she said then kissed him. “Go get dressed. I’m sure dinner’s ready.”

Brian smiled and kissed her back. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” he said.

Before Rachel could even respond, he’d already gone back into the bathroom to get dressed. Rachel stared at herself in the mirror. She felt happy, but a little confused. She didn’t understand how everyone could tell her she couldn’t sing and Brian thinks differently. It wasn’t making any sense to her. The idea of becoming a singer bounced in her head for a while. Finally, she put it in the back of her mind and went downstairs for dinner.