~~Saturday, September 30th, 2000~

"Jess..." Nick laughed as she kissed his face all over. "I'll only be gone for 4 days."

"I know... but I.... just wanna... make sure... I have... every inch... of... you... memorized," she giggled.

"It's times like these when you convince me not to leave the house," he stopped her from moving and held her face. "I'll miss you both," he said referring to Jess and the unborn.

"You won't stay?" she whined and pouted.

Nick rolled his eyes at her antics. "You're such a trip."

"I know," Jessica sighed overdramatically and walked through the airport with him towards his gate. They approached the rest of the group, which were preparing to board their private plane they had reserved to make the trip to New York.

"Call me at anytime, for any reason," Nick reassured Jessica and she nodded. He kissed her forehead and pulled her, gently, into his embrace.

"Don't I always?" Jess tried to smile, though she didn't feel like it. She kept having this sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. "Have fun on MTV and tell Carson and Thalia that I said 'hi'."

"Will do," Brian said and came over to hug Jessica. As he did, he felt something rather odd bump him. "I think I was just kicked," he smiled and put his hand on Jessica stomach gingerly. This was met with another bump.

"I think he likes ya, Bri," Jess giggled. Keeping that in mind, she hugged the rest of her friends about to make their departure. It was basically the guys, Megan and Sanya. Just as they were being escorted towards their plane Jessica pulled Nick aside. "I'll be here on Tuesday to pick you up, ok?"

"Yeah. At the same time as right now. 1 o'clock."

"All right," she kissed him one final time, said good bye, and was about to walk off when she remembered. "Bye, Babe!"

"C-ya, Sexy!" Nick yelled back with a dopey smile on his face.

Jessica smiled back, turned... and scowled. Pain shot through her entire body as she walked through the seemingly over crowded airport. Entirely too crowded for a lunch hour. She actually made it out to her car in time to see their plane fly over head. It was then, when she felt like collapsing. Carefully, Jessica got into her car and had to blink a few times to regain her focus. She started to make her way out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

After tuning off onto an exit, not knowing exactly where she was taking herself, another sharp pain registered though her body. Looking down into her lap, she saw blood steadily staining her pants. Quickly picking up her cell phone and dialing her doctors number with one hand, Jess felt another sensation. "Yeah, hi Kate?"

"Hey, What can I do for you?"

"It's Jessica, and I'm bleeding like a geyser and my water just broke."

"Holy shit!" Kate covered her mouth as people around the desk looked at her she ordered some of them to go prepare a delivery room. "How fast can you get here."

"I'm outside now," Jessica stopped her car. "I don't know how or why, but I'm here. I'm on my way up."

"Good. Hurry, hun," Kate hung up as Jessica did. "I was afraid of this," she said to herself as she fan to the filing cabinet and found Jessica's folder with her x-rays. Searching past all the sonograms she pulled out a recent one and one from before she found out that she was pregnant. Holding them both up to the light, she saw something that had gone undetected until now.

And now it might be too late.

"Kate, I've got a bleeder here," a nurse called from around the corner. She was pushing an almost unconscious Jessica down the hall in a wheelchair. "I found her in the elevator by herself."

"I've gotta call Nick," Jessica said jumping up, startling herself and the nurse. She pulled out her cell phone and hit one of the automatic numbers.

"This is Nick, speak your piece," he held his head in his hands. He could feel that something was wrong and just wanted to speak with Jessica to make sure everything was ok.

"I need you here, now."

"Jessica? What's wrong?!" Nick sprang up in his seat and the others looked at him with perplexed expressions.

"I'm at the hospital now..." she began to feel weak.

"Jessica!" Nick yelled.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm at the hospital. Something's wrong and I don't know what and I need you here 'cause my water broke and I'm in pain and I think-"

"You're 2 month's early, hun. You've got to be joking with me... right?" he said in disbelief at the fact that his girlfriend could be going into labor at anytime with their child. When he received no response Nick began to shout. "Guys we gotta go back! Turn the plane around, NOW!"

"Nick? This is Kate. Jessica's fading in and out of consciousness so we moved her into a room. I think she'd really like to have you here. We've got some technical difficulties on our hands and so that's gonna buy you some time."

"I'm on my way," Nick said and turned off his phone. "Someone turn this damn plane around!" Nick stood up and Brian got up, following him to the cockpit.

"What's wrong with Jessica?"

"She's going into labor," Nick said calmly and then turned to the pilot. "How fast can you get us back to where we just came from?"

"A half an hour maybe," the pilot had the plane running on auto so he turned around and glanced at Nick. "What's wrong Mr. Carter?"

"My girlfriend is going into premature labor as we speak and something's wrong but they don't know yet, but I have to be there."

The pilot immediately took off the auto and sent the message that they were turning around. Once given the all clear, he turned the plane around slowly to head in the opposite direction. Nick watched as the clouds parted around them and Brian laid a comforting hand on his best friends shoulder.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Nina, one of their promotions managers ordered as she came into view. Nick pushed by her and went back to his seat to stare out the window. "You guys have an appearance to make tomorrow. Now, someone tell me why the hell the plane is turning around."

"Jessica needs me," Nick said simply and stared out the window helplessly wanting to be with her at that moment.

"Unless she is having your child right now I suggest we get back on task here," the woman approaching her 30's stood firm with her hands on her hips.

Nick looked at her coldly, imitating the emotions plaguing him at that moment. "She is."

"Whoa," AJ and Megan dropped their conversation and picked up on what was happening, just like everyone else.

"What?!" Sanya screeched and felt her heart stop. She had been there the first time Jessica went through labor, and nothing was going to stop her from being in the waiting room this time. "But-"

"Yeah, she's 2 months premature. I know! Don't you think I know that?! Don't you think I'm worried?!" Nick began to scream and fell back into his chair, holding his face in his hands once more.

"Sorry."

"It's ok," he sighed and felt an arm sling around his shoulders.

"It is going to be ok, Little Man."

"Thanks, Kev."

"We're all here for the both of you," Howie reinstated what everyone else was thinking.

"Thanks everyone but right now nothing is helping," his face was drowned of all expression and seemed to get more pale by the minute.

~~45 minutes later~~

"WHY ISN'T ANYTHING HELPING?!" Jessica screamed as she went through daggers of pain.

"Because we haven't given you any drugs, Jess. We can't," Kate explained as people busied themselves around the room.

"Can't I have something?" she laughed as the pain subsided for a second.

"I'm really sorry," Kate could tell she was about to go through her 4th contraction. They were coming in increments of every 10 minutes.

"Where's Nick?!" Jessica heaved as she went through another contraction.

"I'm right here, babe," he was in full scrubs.

"Oh, thank god," she let out a cry of pain.

"How far along is she?" Nick asked as he took Jessica's hand and let her squeeze it unmercifully.

"We've delayed the dilation at 2 inches but we haven't been able to stop the contractions," Kate paused before continuing. "This comes as a problem. Jessica's walls are tearing slowly and with each contraction, they get strained more, thus causing her to lose more blood. Now since the babies both have to get out so we can operate to correct this, Jessica needs to choose between a C-section or normal child birth. With a C-section, we become in jeopardy of hurting the babies, due to their position. With normal childbirth, we're in jeopardy of tearing her walls more than they already are, which would cause more blood loss, which could in turn be very detrimental for you, Jessica," she explained. "So the choice is yours."

"Babies?" Jessica and Nick repeated at the same time.

Kate laughed. "Yes, we found another heartbeat which hadn't been there before. One of the twins is laying directly under the other. You have one female and one male."

The two of them sat in silence as this thought processed in their minds.

"I want to have them regularly."

"Jess-"

She cut Nick off. "I'm not about to endanger one of their lives. I can't take that chance," Jessica looked into his eyes and he could clearly see her fear and determination.

"Fine," Nick sighed and Kate nodded.

"After the last shot we gave her wears off in about 10 minutes, we'll go through with it. Until then... discuss names."

Jessica laughed and laid a comforting hand on her stomach, which had just been beginning to show with the premature life forms inside of her. "Thank you."

"No problem. It's my job," Kate said and left the room with a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

Nick pulled a chair over to the bedside and kissed Jessica's lips quickly before taking a seat. "How ya feeling?"

"Not too good. I think my body is slowly being drained," she shifted to face him easier. "You were right. We're gonna have a girl."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have argued with a mother's intuition... So, you name the boy and I'll name the girl?

Jess nodded and had already decided. "Jordan Thomas," she smiled at the look of recognition across Nick's features. "Your turn."

"Gabrielle Ariana," he said confidently. "It means 'a beautiful melody'."

"It's perfect," Jessica looked at the clock on the wall.

"Extremely," Jessica sat up as the pain started to come back to her.

"Well, don't be... I'm scared enough for you. Jess... If I lose you or these children, I don't know what I'll do with myself."

"Nick-"

"No, just listen. I need you to know how much I love you, Jessica. Truly. With all my heart... I can't do this on my own. I can't be someone's father all by myself. I already depend on you. What makes you think that I can live without you, huh? I just can't," the tears welled up in his eyes and he got up.

"Nick... "Jessica reached out for his hand and used it to pull him closer to her bed. "I promise that as long as I'm here and even after I'm gone... I'll always be with you," she cupped his cheeks in her hands and kissed his lips softly. "I can tell, like I've told you a million times before in the middle of the night when you start doubting yourself... you're going to be a wonderful father... You've already shown me that with Kayci. She's not even yours and you treat her like a princess."

For the first time since she had started reinforcing that point with him, he said it back. "You're going to be a wonderful mother to our children. Just like you have been to Kayci."

"I hope I get the chance to be..." Jessica looked up to the heavens as she felt another wave of pain surge through her body. "Dear Lord, I'm so sca-"

"Are you ready?" Kate asked, trying to smile, coming back into the peach colored delivery room.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jessica panted and held onto Nick's hand she was holding a bit tighter.

"Good. Let's get this started," the young doctor called in her team and in about 7 minutes time, Jessica was in position and already going into induced, full labor. With each contraction came more blood which spilled from Jessica's lining, eliciting screams of pain from her.

"Can't you give her something?" Nick wiped Jessica's brow and kissed her forehead as she went through another round of rhythmic breathing before pushing again.

"Unfortunately, no. She needs to be fully aware of what's going on inside of her. If she was numb then we wouldn't have any way of telling whe- I can see a head!" Kate cut herself off and a nurse that was standing at bay wiped the body from the baby's head clearing it's nasal passages. "Jessica, I need you to push on 3, ok?"

"Ok!" she gritted through her teeth and another nurse and Nick had to hold down her body from arching. As Jessica pushed Nick could see the life coming out of her, in both ways. A new born child, and the love of his life slipping through his fingers.

"One more, Jess and we'll have one," Kate urged her on and soon a newborn, 2 month premature Jordan was being carried to another station.

Nick watched as his baby was taken away. "Nick, I need you," Jessica sucked in her breath as she was ordered to push again.

"I'm not going anywhere," he redirected his attention as she squeezed his hand tighter and screamed in pain.

"A few more, Jessica," Kate stood at the ready when a gush of blood came out into her hands. "Shit. She's tearing!" Kate yelled to one of the nurses and she brought over another towel. "We've got to get this baby out now!" Kate directed and calmly spoke to Jessica. "I need you to push, and don't stop until I tell you."

Jessica nodded and pushed with all that she had in her, forcing out the head of her second daughter. Before the nurse could wipe the smeared blood off the baby's face, more came out. Letting out an anguished wail, Jessica continued to push until the baby was naturally forced safely from her body. Afterwards, she blacked out for a second. "Are they ok? Nick?"

"Let's get her to an operating room!" Kate yelled as people scattered about to move Jessica down the hall. "Nick, I'm sorry, but I can't let you in. Go be with your newborns."

"Not yet. I'm staying with her till the last possible second," Nick looked into Jessica's drooping brown eyes that used to always seem so vibrant. "I love you, Jessica. They're... our children beautiful," Nick couldn't hold back his tears as they entered the elevator leading to the 5th floor from the 3rd they were on.

"That's because they look like their father," she whispered. "I love you, Nick. I always have and I always will," she smiled as they wheeled her out and down the hall. Nick was by her side the entire time. "I'll never forget you," she could feel her time coming slowly.

"Nor I you."

"Make me proud," she felt tears slip sideways down her cheek, mirroring the tears falling down Nick's face.

"I'll try."

"Then you already have," she choked back on a tear as someone held Nick back from entering the operating room.

"I love you!" he yelled as the sobs racked his body uncontrollably.

Jessica touched two of her fingers against her heart and then kissed them. She blew them back to Nick and waved. He blew her his own heart back in the same fashion as the doors swung closed behind the cart.

Back to Kayci and The Sunshine Band