(written by Lacy) Kevin couldn't help but smile as his cousin came running down the stairs at full speed without even looking where he was stepping. "I don't think his feet even hit the steps," Kevin said as he sat back down on the couch next to Jade after Brian had grabbed the phone from his hand and ran upstairs with it. "I hope she's okay," Jade said, looking toward the staircase where Brian had disappeared.
"Jess, are you okay?" Were the first words out of Brian's mouth as he reached Jess' old bedroom and closed the door behind him. "Yeah, of course," she said in an airy voice. "Okay, good...," he said. "I'm glad you called." He heard her sigh into the phone and couldn't help but wonder if he had done something wrong. "I just wanted to... to say goodbye... again. My plane doesn't leave for another 15 minutes and I had to call you... Brian, I love you," she said, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "I love you too... you know that, Jess. I always will," he said, trying not to cry. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to make sure that you did too," she replied. Brian was about to say something but Jade walked into the room and he knew what she wanted without her even saying anything. "Jade wants to talk to you. Goodbye, Jess. I love you," he said, handing the phone to Jade and watching with a sad face as she took it, gave him an it'll-be-okay look, and walked into her bedroom.
"Jess, I can't believe you!" she said as she closed the door and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Jade, it's for the best, you and Kevin belong together," Jess said, knowing exactly what she was gonna say to her before Brian even gave her the phone. "Jess, you don't understand, I can't stay here," Jade said, her voice getting considerably low. "Jade, why are you whispering?" Jess asked, straining to hear her best friend. "I'm not," Jade said, yet Jess still had to hold the pay phone right up to her ear to hear her. "You are. What's going on?" Jess asked.
"Nothing. Look Jess, go back to Philly now, I'll meet you there tonight. I'm leaving on the 6 o'clock jet," Jade said. "What?! What are you talking about? Kevin will never let you leave..... he doesn't know, does he?" Jess asked, the last sentence coming out slowly. "No... look, I'll explain everything when I get back to Philly tonight," Jade said. "No, you'll explain now! I have 7 minutes before I have to board," Jess said, knowing she wouldn't be able to last the 3 hour plane trip not knowing what was going on. Jade gave a shaky sigh and cradled her head in her left hand as she held the cordless phone with her right. "Jess," she said finally in a whisper that was barely audible, "I'm pregnant." The last sound Jade heard before Brian yelled something up the stairs at her was Jess dropping the phone.
"I'm still on!" Jade yelled back at Brian as she waited for Jess to pick the phone back up. "Jade... you're... you're... what???" Jess muttered, fidgeting with the phone and not believing what she had just heard. "Yeah... I didn't believe it at first, either. But I kinda had to after the doctor told me two days ago," Jade said, placing her hand over her abdomin as if to see if she was showing yet. "Oh my God... you're pregnant. How... how far...," Jess stuttered, but Jade answered her question before she even asked it. "Three weeks," she said, standing up and walking to her window. She could see Nick as he played tag with Aaron in their backyard and she couldn't help but smile. She remembered thinking everytime she saw Aaron that he was gonna look just like Nick when he grew up. He was already starting to.
"Three weeks... Jade, you can still get an--," Jess started, but Jade immediantely cut her off. "No!!! Jess, I'm NOT getting an abortion. I couldn't ever do that... ever. I'm keeping it, it's my child Jess," Jade said, trying to make her understand. "It's Kevin's child too, Jade. Don't you think he should know that he's gonna be a father?" Jess asked. Jade didn't answer her, she just stared out the window at the two blondes below her. She could hear Jess sigh and she felt a pang of sadness that her best friend didn't understand. She couldn't tell Kevin about the child she was carrying inside of her... it would ruin his whole carrier and everything he had ever worked hard for. She knew what would happen. His family would end up hating her, it would put up a brick wall between the Backstreet Boys because Kevin would have a family to tend to, AJ, Howie, Brian and Nick would all end up hating her because of it, and the paparazzi would get a hold of the story and smear it all over the papers. No, she couldn't tell Kevin. She loved him too much to do that to him.
"Jade, are you still there?" Jess asked. "Yeah, still here," she said, not moving from her spot infront of the window. "I have to go, they just called my gate number. Jade, please consider what you're doing before you do anything. Just think for once, okay? I'll see you later. Bye," Jess said. "Bye," Jade said, clicking the off button and throwing the phone onto her bed. As she continued to stare out at Nick, who was now sitting alone in the grass beside the lake, she could feel as the tears started to fall. Yet she didn't wipe them away. There was no use, she knew what she had to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As she picked up the last bag to carry out to her car, Jade stopped and looked around her. Everything looked the same --- the kitchen was still bright and happy; the living room still had its cozy glow; the hallway still greeted you with it's high chandelier; and as she looked out the sliding glass back doors, she saw that even the hammock was still swinging in the breeze. No, nothing would change when she left. Everything would go on the same as it always had. As she turned the door handle, the memory of the last thing she had said to Kevin flased into her mind. It had been only an hour before when Kevin had stood right in that very spot and kissed her goodnight. He didn't know that kiss was actually a kiss goodbye.
She had told him she was going to write most of the night therefore he could go home and sleep in his own bed. He had finally given up after about thirty minutes of arguing with her that he wanted to stay and then kissed her goodbye before walking out the door. Walking out of her life. "I'll see you tomorrow," he had said to her. "I love you." "I love you, too," was what she had said back. She didn't want to think about the pain she would be putting him through when he came over the next day to find a For Rent sign back up in front of the house.
"I love you Kevin," she whispered into the darkness of the empty house as she turned off the last light in the hallway and closed the door behind her.
THE END
Back to "All That Heaven Allows" Index