"Pregnant?!? Mom was PREGNANT??? How???" Nick asked, dumbfounded.

Karen laughed, looking between Nick and Michael. "Uh, Nicky, if you don't know by now, how do you explain your son, there?" she asked sarcastically, and Nick shot her a dirty look.

"Karen, I'm serious. Why didn't we ever know about this??" Nick said, still very surprised.

Cherie smiled. "If you would be patient and let us continue, all your questions would be answered." Nick knew she was right, and he and everyone else once again listened as Cherie continued this story...

The guys had just finished soundcheck. Cherie had informed Howie of Laura's situation, and he in turn decided they needed to have an emergency group meeting.

"What's there to discuss? Just because we think he's an ass, we can't tell her what to do," Kevin said, very matter-of-factly. "I love the girl, but if we tell her what we think of him, she'll end up hating us." Just then Teresa arrived.

"Sorry I'm late, guys... my errands took longer than I anticipated," Teresa said smiling, her face then turning sour when she noticed the somber mood in the room. "Uh-oh, what's going on?? What did I miss??"

Kevin and everyone else filled Teresa in about Derek. "He's bad news, Tessa. I just have a bad feeling about him, not to mention he's a complete ass. You should have seen the way that he treated Laura. The way he talked to her, too. And he apparently 'loves' Laura... I can't imagine how he would treat someone he hates," Kevin said, as Teresa put her arms around him, and he held her close.

"Yeah," Howie continued. "And Cherie didn't tell me all the details, but she and Misty are going to come and fill us in on the rest. Leighanne's going to stay with Laura so she's not alone." Howie looked around and noticed that Nick was not in the room. "Uhh, where's Nick? I thought he was still here."

"Nope, I know for a fact he's not here. I passed him on my way in. He was on his way out, basketball in hand," Teresa said. Kevin sighed as he got up to go find Nick.

Kevin made his way to the basketball court on the arena grounds. Rounding the corner, he saw Nick bouncing the basketball a couple times before shooting a basket. Or, trying to, anyway.

"I didn't think you ever missed," Kevin said, startling Nick as he turned to look at him.

"Yeah, well, I've got things on my mind," Nick said numbly. "What do you want, Kevin?"

Kevin sighed as he approached Nick, who turned to shoot another basket, this time making the shot. The ball bounced back to Nick and he started bouncing it again as Kevin spoke. "We're having a group meeting. Soon."

"How soon is 'soon?'"

"Soon... like, now."

Nick shot another basket, not even looking Kevin's way as he spoke. "What about?" he asked, attempting to be non-chalant. He failed.

"I think you know what we're going to talk about, Nick." Kevin was frustrated, for he could tell that Nick wasn't really paying attention. He grabbed the ball, stopping Nick from picking it up again. He gave Kevin a disgruntled look. "Fine, Nick. Be that way. We're having the meeting whether you're there or not, and we hope you will be. Be in my dressing room in ten minutes." Kevin sharply threw the ball back at Nick before turning to leave. Nick sneered at Kevin as he walked away. He resented how bossy he could be sometimes. Turning toward the hoop, he continued to make shots.

"That's it," Kevin said, throwing the magazine down on the table in his dressing room, glancing up at the clock. "I told that kid ten minutes, and it's been twenty. Let's get this started because--"

"Keep your shirt on, Kev, I'm here," Nick interrupted, storming in the door and sitting down. Kevin glared at Nick, making a mental note to talk to him later about his punctuality, or rather, his lack of it. Drawing a sharp breath in, Kevin began.

"OK, let's get started. I think we all know why this meeting was called. I was appalled by the way Derek treated Laura this morning, as I'm sure the rest of you were, also." Nick let out a huff as Kevin said that. Kevin looked at him again, sympathetically this time, before continuing. "Apparently, there's more to this story than what meets the eye. Cherie, Misty and Leighanne have talked to Laura, and Cherie and Misty are going to fill us in on what's going on. Ladies?" Kevin said, giving them their chance to talk. Cherie and Misty exchanged glances and sighed simultaneously before telling everyone what they knew.

"Aww, baby," Derek said, hugging Laura tightly. "Why didn't you tell me?? How long have you known?? When are you due?? Oh my God, I can't believe I'm having a baby--"

"Um, excuse me?? You're having a baby???" Laura asked, obviously annoyed how even now, Derek was taking all the credit for creating a child. "I'm in this, too, ya know," she huffed, crossing her arms and plopping down in a chair.

Derek smiled as he walked over to where Laura was sitting, passing Leighanne on the way. She glared at him fiercely as he passed her, ignoring her. She wasn't about to let him out of her sight, not unless she could help it. Derek knelt down in front of Laura and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Laura sweetie. Of course it's our baby. I'm sorry," he said again, kissing her. Just then his cellphone rang. He looked at the display. "Damn," he said, standing up. "I gotta take this... excuse me for a minute, baby."

Derek walked out of the hotel room and Laura sighed, resting her head in her hands. Leighanne walked over to where Derek had been and knelt down in front of Laura as well, giving her a hug. "Oh I'm so sorry, sweetie. I know this can't be easy. But honey, the longer you wait to tell him that it's over, the harder it's going to be. And now it's going to be harder still because you're pregnant with his child, but--"

"I can't tell him that it's over." Laura spoke in a monotone voice, not even lifting her head.

"What?? What do you mean, you can't tell him??"

"Just what I said. I can't do this."

"Honey if it's 'cause you're scared, I'm here for you and I'm not going--"

"I can't tell him it's over, because it's not. I need him now, and I have to make this work for our child. I loved him once, maybe I can again. Maybe he'll be different now."

Leighanne couldn't believe what she was hearing Laura say. "Laura... Laura, no. You don't need him. And I say, 'Once an ass, always an ass.' I know that fact all too well. Trust me, they never change. And besides that, there's plenty of other fish in the sea. Somewhere out there, there's a guy who's going to love and respect you the way you deserve to be. Who knows, maybe you've already met him," she added with a hinting tone in her voice. And I'm sure his name is "Nick," she thought to herself, as Laura looked up at her.

"Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but I'll always be wondering, 'What if...' if I don't give this a try, at least. If I weren't pregnant, I wouldn't even think twice about this. But I know what I have to do now..."

"Pregnant?" Nick thought aloud as he sat down in his dressing room, looking at Laura in the picture of the band and crew that was taken a couple months ago. Nick fought hard as he felt tears well up in his eyes. "I've got to talk to her. I've got to tell her what she means to me, and that I'm here for her." Nick stood up and walked out of his dressing room, on his way back to the hotel...