Carter house, three hours later
"Hello?" Jane asked cheerfully as she picked up the phone.
"Hello, are you Mrs. Jane Carter?" the voice asked.
"I am," she replied, curious.
"I'm sorry to bother you at this hour Mrs. Carter. I'm Officer Reynolds of the Corpus Christi Police Department." the officer said.
A sudden feeling of doom washed over Jane. "Yes?" she asked in a choked whisper.
"I'm deeply sorry Mrs. Carter, but your son has been shot and he is gravely wounded...and Miss Quintanilla, his girlfriend was struck down by a tractor trailer three hours ago." Jane shook.
"Their conditions?" she asked hoarsely.
"Miss Quintanilla is in semi-critical condition. She had bleeding in her brain that luckily we were able to stop in time, but she still remains in a coma. Her right leg and left arm are severely broken. She is damned lucky to be alive. But the longer she stays in a coma, the less likely it'll be for her to live. Your son is in very critical condition. I cannot tell you to what extent he was injured, but we removed the bullets and sewed him up, but who knows how hard the fever'll be when it takes him. Again, I am deeply sorry."
Jane wanted to bellow her pain. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks. "Thank you, officer. I'll be on the very next flight to Texas." she said before hanging up the phone. It was then that she finally let the tears fall. She gathered everything she would need for the trip and she packed herself, her husband and four children onto the first available plane to Texas.
She was sentenced to life in prison. She cursed the Quintanilla family for ruining her life even further. Now she would die in here and it was all that bitch Gina's fault. She slowly began to think of some sort of escape plan...but no, she would just be put on death row and found that she preferred prison to death. So, the Quintanillas had finally won. She was no longer a threat to them. She laid down on the harsh woolen cot, giving herself into her new way of life.
That night the Carters and the Quintanillas and the Perezes arrived at the hospital. They all took one look at poor Nick and began to weep. They looked at Gina and saw a hope that she might awaken. The boys were all there with their girlfriends and their families. Brian and Jaime in particular were weeping over Nick and Gina. But then after getting fed up of simply watching Gina take her labored breaths on a respirator, Jaime found just the thing that might wake her up. She plugged in the CD of BSB and put it on repeat all. They left and went to sit in the waiting room after that.
Hazy. Everything was hazy as she opened her eyes. What was that lovely music that was playing? She turned over and saw the cover for the BSB CD on her nightstand. She turned over and saw the same familiar blonde man from the album cover. And suddenly everything came back to her in one big swoop. Yolanda. Gun. Nick. Herself. Truck. Blood rolling down the driveway. She remembered everything. She bolted up in bed and cried out for him.
"Nick?" no response.
"Nick?!" she asked more loudly. Still no response.
"NICK!!!!! NOOOOOOO YOU HAVE TO WAKEUP!!!!" she screamed as shrilly as her lungs would allow her, which was very shrill.
Immediately the room was filled with concerned family, friends and doctors. Jane was the first to reach Gina's side. "Ginny, you're safe honey, thank god! Are you OK?" she asked urgently. Gina blinked.
"I think so.." she began to sob "But Nicky, Nickers...Oh my God.....damn it all God it should have been me who got shot! Why him?" She sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. BJ came forward and embraced the girl. Gina sobbed into BJ's shoulder as she held her.
three weeks later......
Gina was now fully recovered and was going to be dismissed from the hospital that day. But her Nickers was still combating the raging fever that had taken over his body. The effects of the fever plus the massive blood loss had weakened his immune system tremendously and now he had a kidney infection. When she was finally released, Gina refused to leave Nick's side. She didn't eat, she seldom slept and only left his side to go to the bathroom. Every day she would watch powerless as her beloved Nickolas slipped further and further away from her.
One day she couldn't take it anymore. She asked the doctor how critical he was and he had told her that it might be any day now that he'd go, that he'd leave her for good. Unable to take her sadness anymore, the doctor suggested that since they were so in love that he have the hospital priest marry them. And so on the very next day, Regina Jasmine Quintanilla married Nickolas Gene Carter. And now that she had his ring on her finger, she never moved from him at all.
A week later, Gina was about to give up on her husband. Even her will for his survival which had been stronger than anyone else's, even Jane's was failing. So, she decided to say her last good-byes to him by singing to him the song that she'd written especially for him.
Oh
When I see you there
I’m so aware
Of how lucky I am baby
Cuz I don’t deserve
I don’t come close
To understanding baby
The logic of your kind of trust
It amazes me
That someone like you
Would care enough
To just believe
Your faith in me
It pulls me through
When there’s nothin around
To hold onto
When I fall
When I’m weak All the strength that I need
Is your faith baby
Your faith in me, oh
Even when we fight
I get along
Cuz our love is real baby
It’s like salvation to my soul
Cuz that’s how it feels baby
It’s a sacred thing
That I keep close
To carry on
And I know that I will be alright
And you’ll heal it all
Your faith in me
It pulls me through
When there’s nothin around
To hold onto
When I fall
When I’m weak
All the strength that I need
Is your faith baby
Your faith in me, oh
You make me feel I can walk on water
(I can reach the farthest star)
And nothin comes against me
Safe within your arms
Your faith in me
It pulls me through
When there’s nothin around
To hold onto
When I fall
When I’m weak
All the strength that I need
Is your faith baby
Your faith in me, oh
When I fall baby (oh)
When I’m weak baby
All I need baby (all I need is your faith in me)
Is your faith in me
Ooh
Your faith in me
Tears were flowing from her eyes by then. She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips before getting up to leave. But she found that she could not move. Because a rather strong looking hand had encircled its grip around her slender wrist and wouldn't let go. Her breath caught and when she looked down she was looking into the same bright blue eyes she'd learned to love all those months ago.
Her hand shook as she reached up on touched his forehead. The fever had broken. Tears suddenly began to course down her cheeks and she leaned into him gently. His arms flew around her and held her there. "That was so beautiful, baby...." he said in a hoarse voice. Gina smiled down at him, tears still coursing down her cheeks. He gingerly reached up with the pad of his thumb and wiped her tears away.
Gina sighed shakily. "Nickers...I thought I'd lost you there." she said softly.
His grip tightened around her. "No way babe, I have too much to live for right here with me." she smiled. "Where is everyone else?" he asked softly.
Her lovely face grew sad. “They left weeks ago, Nick. They gave up, but I never did. Brian, BJ and Jane were the last to leave. But I couldn't let you go.." her breath hitched in a sob "I could never let you go, I love you so damned much. And now we have our entire future ahead of us." she said softly.
He looked up at her. This was a different Gina. It was like she had finally spread her wings and flown out of her mother's haunting shadow. She obviously no longer felt like she was the heiress to some legacy of talent anymore. She was her own person. He smiled tenderly up at her.
"Always my greatest fan. I guess we were really meant to be together, huh? You've stayed with me through thick and thin, learned to love me for all my faults and we've survived a near-death experience." then his brow furrowed. "Then why are your arm and leg in a cast? Why are you on crutches? Why do ya have a bandage around your head?" he asked confusedly.
She smiled bitterly. “I was run over by a huge truck right after you were shot. My arm and leg are broken, but they should be out of their casts in a few days. The bandage is there because I sustained a head injury. Apparently, they thought I was never gonna wake up, coz I was in a deep coma. But we really are a miracle Nick, you and I." she said softly, kissing his lips.
He held her close, tears stinging his eyes. "Oh babe, you were hurt...."
"Shhh, baby. I wasn't hurt nearly as badly as you were. But now we'll be okay!" she exclaimed happily.
He smiled tenderly at her. The as he reached up with his left hand to caress her cheek, he caught an unfamiliar glint of metal. He pulled his hand close to his face and saw that it was a wedding band. Shakily he picked up her left hand and sure enough he found the matching ring. His eyes filled with tears of joy. "We're married?" he asked softly. She nodded happily.
"For how long?" he asked just as softly.
"A week, honey. A whole week. And now you're awake. Do ya wanna have a huge ceremony again or simply leave it like this?"
He played with a tendril of her hair. "I believe we shall have that grand church ceremony, Miss Gina. I wanna see you in that white gown that I know will look spectacular on you." she blushed prettily and he chuckled.
Nick was released the next day after having some final tests run on him. He was proclaimed to be healthy as a horse and the next day they flew to Nick's house In Fort Myers, Florida where they had a huge welcome home/engagement party for the happy couple. On August 24, 2000 they were married formally, much to the delight of the entire Carter and Quintanilla clan. Even Abraham was overjoyed to see them both up and walking again.
seven years later....
Nick and Gina stood over Selena's grave, wondering what could have been if her life hadn't been ended so quickly. But for Gina, this was the final step in her release. She no longer lived in her mother's image, she no longer had people pressuring her to take her mother's career and bring it to new heights. Gina Carter had her own career. Her own musical style, and now a real family. She smiled adoringly down at their seven year old daughter, Karisma Geneva Carter, their five year old daughter Drewsylla Chyrisse Carter, Their two year old son Tristan John Carter, and their two month old triplets, Selena Maria, Hunter James and Nolan Andrew Carter.
“Mama, who's that pwetty lady?" Tristan asked her.
Gina smiled. “She was your grandmama on my side, precious. She was a wonderful woman, like Grandma Jane." she replied to her oldest son. Nick smiled down at her as he squeezed her hand. They left the grave moments later, walking off into the sunset and never looking back.
And now I've spread my wings
And I can be free
I can fly like a bird
Wild and free
and now I've spread my wings
and I've conquered all my fears
because I have you by my side
You are my guiding light
Without you I am nothing,
with you I am complete
And now that I've spread my beautiful wings
I can leave my old life behind and never look back