They all looked at her shocked. “We’re good. How are you?” JC asked.
“I’m good. My back and feet hurt, but that’s understandable. I’m starting to get excited.”
They were all happy to see her in a good mood. “I think we all are,” Joey said.
“Where’s BJ?”
“She went out to see her parents,” Justin said.
“I don’t think we should leave you alone. Why don’t you come with us?” JC said.
“I think I will.” They all finished eating and headed to the studio. At about 3:00 Carly started having pains in her stomach. A little while later she felt water run down her leg. Carly grabbed her cell phone and dialed BJ’s number. BJ answered. “BJ, I’m having my baby. Tell your parents and come to the hospital.” BJ started talking a mile a minute. “BJ, shut up and get here.” Carly hung up the phone. The guys were taking a break. “Guys it’s time.”
“Time for what?” Joey asked.
“Time to have a baby.” They were all quiet for a minute then they all started talking at once. “Guys calm down. Joey, go home and get my bag. It’s in the bottom of my closet. The rest of you take me to the hospital. BJ is on her way.” Joey and Lance headed to Joey’s house to get her bag and Carly with the other guys went to the hospital. When they got there JC and Carly went into the delivery room. The others sat in the waiting room. Lance and Joey joined them a little while later. After that BJ and her parents showed up. BJ made interductions between the guys and her parents.
“BJ, can I talk to you in private?” Jane asked.
“Sure.” They walked to the other side of the room.
“BJ, I called Nick,” Jane whispered.
“What?!” BJ yelled. All the guys looked at them.
“BJ, quiet.”
“Why did you do that? He didn’t care before why would he care now?”
“He deserved to know. What he does with it now is his choice.”
“Whatever.” She walked away from her mother.
In the delivery room Carly gave birth to a baby girl. JC kissed Carly’s forehead. “She’s beautiful, very beautiful.” The doctors cleaned her up and handed her to Carly.
“She is isn’t she?” She held her and just stared at her. After a while a nurse came and took her to the nursery.
“You get some sleep. We’ll see you when you wake up,” JC said.
“Ok.”
JC walked out into the waiting room to see all the guys, BJ and her parents sitting there. “She had a baby girl, and she’s so beautiful.”
BJ hugged Justin then her parents. Everyone was hugging everyone else. “Where is she? Can we see her?” BJ asked.
“Yeah. They took her to the nursery.” JC led them to the nursery and pointed her out. They all stood there and stared at her for a while. Then they headed to Carly’s room. She was awake when everyone walked in.
“Hey, guys.”
“Hey, Carly. Beautiful baby you’ve got there.”
“I know.” Just then the door opened and a nurse wheeled her in.
“What are you going to name her?”
“Her name is Jenny Gene Carter.” Everyone was silent. “I know what you’re thinking, but she is his daughter.”
“It’s ok, Cos. We understand. Can I hold her?”
“OF course. You’re her big cousin.”
Joey gently picked her up. “I’m going to teach her to stay away from all the guys.” Everyone laughed. Joey took her around the room. “That’s Uncle Lance. He’s smart listen to him. That’s Uncle JC. All he ever does is sleep so you won’t have to worry too much about him. That’s Uncle Chris. He’s a little crazy. That’s Uncle Justin. He’ll probably teach you way too much about basketball. That’s Aunt BJ. She’ll teach you a lot of good stuff. And here’s your grandparents.” Joey handed her to Jane.
“Carly she is so beautiful.”
“I know.” Jenny had Nick’s amazing blue eyes. Everyone could tell she was going to be a female version of Nick.
A nurse walked in. “It’s time for mom and baby to get some sleep. You all can come back tomorrow.” Everyone said goodbye and left. The nurse took Jenny back up to the nursery. The guys and BJ headed back to Joey’s house. Jane and Robert went up to the nursery to look at Jenny some more. When they got there, there stood Nick looking through the glass.
“She’s beautiful,” Nick said.
“Yes she is son,” Robert said.
“And she’s mine?” It was more of a question then a statement.
“No. She’s yours and Carly’s. It took both of you to make that wonderful baby,” Jane said.
Nick looked at his parents for the first time since they had walked up. “You’re right. I have to walk to her.”
“She’s in room 506. Go talk to her,” Jane said.
“Thanks.” He kissed Jane on the check then ran off to find Carly.
Nick walked up to Carly’s room. He stood outside for a long time before he went in. When he finally did go in he found Carly standing by the window staring out. “I knew you wouldn’t stay away for long. What do you need, Joe?”
“I’m not Joe.” Carly slowly turned around.
“What are you doing here?” She spoke slowly.
“I came to talk to you. I’ve thought about us a lot lately.”
Carly walked slowly to her bed. “There’s nothing to say. You said it all that night.”
“Carly, you wouldn’t ever let me explain. I didn’t mean that. I never did. I know you would never cheat on me. I don’t know why I said that. I have been asking myself why since it happened and I can’t figure it out.” Carly just sat there. “Angel…”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Ok. I want us to work through this. We owe it to ourselves and to that precious little girl down there.”
“Her name is Jenny. Jenny Gene Carter.”
“That’s a beautiful name. Please give me a second chance. I will make everything right.”
“Nick, I can’t get back together with you.”
“Why? I love you and I know you still love me.”
Carly was getting angry. “How do you know that? For all you know I could hate you for accusing me of cheating and then not coming after me.”
“What?”
Carly put her head in her hands. “I wanted you to come after me. I never did think you meant what you said, but you never even tried to get me back. I figured you would think about it for a while, come out of your shock, and come after me, but you never did. You’re right Nick. I do still love you, but I can’t get involved. I can’t risk it. I have Jenny to think about now.”
“Don’t you see I want to be there for you and her. I want us to be together. I made a mistake. Please don’t punish me for the rest of my life.”
She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was sincere. “Nick, I can’t decide anything right now. I go home with Jenny tomorrow. Give me time.”
“I’ll give you as much time as you need.”
“Ok. Thanks. Come by tomorrow afternoon and see Jenny.”
“I will.” Nick turned around and walked out the door. Carly laid down and fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning JC and Joey walked into Carly’s room. She was sleeping and she had a huge smile on her face. They had come to pick her and Jenny up and take them home.
“She must be having a wonderful dream,” Joey said.
“I know. I hate to wake her up. I haven’t seen her smile like that in a long time.”
“I know what you mean, but she’s my cousin so I don’t have to feel bad about waking her up.” He walked over to her and leaned down to her ear. “WAKE UP!” he screamed into her ear. She jumped and threw her arms up hitting Joey in the side of the face. “Owww!”
Carly put her hand on her chest. “Oh my God! Joey you want to give me a heart attack?”
“Well I think you gave me a concussion.”
“You deserve it,” JC said. “Carly we’ve come to take you and Jenny home.”
“Ok. Just let me get dressed.” She got up and grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom. When she got out they got Jenny and headed home. “Who is all at home?”
“All the guys and BJ.”
“Ok.” They rode the rest of the way in silence. When Carly walked in with Jenny in her arms everyone surrounded her. Jenny got passed around to everyone then Carly put her down. She looked at her watch and saw that it was noon. She walked in to the living room to see everyone sitting around talking. “Is everyone staying for a while?” Everyone nodded their head. “Well then I need to tell everyone something.”
JC looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone came to visit me yesterday after you guys left.”
“Who?” BJ asked.
“Nick.”
“What?” Joey screamed. “He had the gall to come near you?”
“Calm down. He came and we talked. He’s coming by this afternoon to see Jenny.” Joey started to say something, but Carly stopped him. “If any of you can’t handle that or control yourselves while he’s here then leave. He has every right to see his daughter.”
“Really he doesn’t. Not after he left you on your own for 9 months,” Joey said.
“Joey, God, just get off it. Whether anyone likes it or not he is her father.” That shut everyone up. “I’ll tell you right now. If you’re going to make a scene leave, I don’t need to deal with that.” Just then the doorbell rang. Joey got up and went to his room. Carly went to the door to answer it. It was Nick. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, then her head reminded her of the last 9 months. “Hello, Nick. Glad you could make it. Come in.” When BJ saw him she got up and ran out of the room. Justin went after her.
Chris stood up. “Carly, I’ve got to be going.” He walked up to her and kissed her check. “I’ll see ya later.”
“Bye.”
“I’m going to check on Joey,” JC said standing up and leaving.
“I’m going with him,” Lance said following him.
“Well I guess it’s just you and me,” Nick said.
“Yeah. Well I just put Jenny down for a nap. She’s had an exciting day.”
“I can bet. Do you mind if I stay until she wakes up?”
“No. That’s fine. Do you want something to drink?”
“No.” They both sat down.
“So have you told the other guys yet?” Nick looked down at his hands. “I didn’t think so.”
“It’s not that easy, Carly. Things are complicated.” Nick was angry.
“Do you think it was easy to tell those guys?” She stood up and pointed upstairs. “Do you understand how hard it was? Don’t talk to me about easy and hard. How easy do you think it was for me to carry a baby for 9 months by myself?”
Nick looked up at her. “Carly, I don’t know what to say.”
“Nick, there is nothing to say. All that is in the past. Let’s leave it there.” Just then JC walked down the stairs.
“Is everything alright down here?”
Carly sat down. “Yeah, Jace. Everything’s fine. Could you go check on Jenny for me.”
“Yeah sure.” He left.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Nick said.
“Yes it was. We just have to put our past in the past and leave it there.”
“I guess you’re right.” They sat in silence until JC walked into the room with Jenny.
Carly got up and took her from him. “She was awake so I thought I would bring her down.”
“Thanks, Jace.”
“I’ll go back upstairs,” JC said.
“Nick, do you want to hold her?” He nodded his head. She carefully put Jenny in his arms.
“She’s beautiful.”
“I know. She looks like you.” Nick looked up at her. He could see the love in her eyes.
“Carly, we really need to talk.”
“I know. Not now. Later.”
“Ok.” Nick held Jenny until she fell asleep. Carly tried to take her from him. He just shook his head. “Tell me where her crib is and I’ll lay her down.”
“Ok. Follow me.” She led him upstairs to the nursery. “I only put her in here during the day. At night she sleeps in my room.” Nick laid her down and covered her up with a blanket. As they were leaving the nursery, Carly saw Joey, JC, and Lance heading downstairs. “Let’s go to my room. We’ll have more privacy there.”
“Ok.” Nick entered her room and looked around. It looked exactly the same as it had 9 months before. Nick picked up the framed picture of himself that sat beside the bed. “You still have it here?”
“I couldn’t bare to take it down.”
Nick put down the picture and walked to Carly. “Carly, I love you. It hurts to be around you and know that I can’t hold you.” He started to reach out for her.
“No.” She stepped away from him. She turned her back to him. “You can’t do this.”
“Do what? Love you with every ounce of my being? I’m sorry, but I can’t stop that.”
“You can’t come back after 9 months and expect every thing to be the same. It’s not. I can’t just forget everything.”
“I don’t expect you to forget, but I would like your forgiveness.”
“You had that the minute I saw the look of love in your eyes when you looked at Jenny.”
Nick walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I love her and I love you. I think, no I know, we need to be together.”
“I know that too.” She stepped out of his embrace. “But I don’t know if I can.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I can’t get hurt again, and face it Nick. That’s all that happens when we’re together.”
“Carly, I love you! I would never hurt you! NEVER!”
“I know you wouldn’t on purpose, but you did.” Just then Nick’s cell phone started ringing.
“Hello?...Now? I’m kinda busy...Ok. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” Nick turned the phone off and looked at Carly.
“Go. Your career calls.”
“I’ll be back. We’re going to finish talking about this.” Carly nodded and sat down on the bed. She watched him walk out the door.
To Be Continued…