Brian sat sulking in his room, the TV blaring the annoying music from ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'.  Who was he kidding?  He hated this show.  He got so upset when he watched it, the contestants irked him.  None of them ever knew the answers to the really easy questions, and then they ended up talking to themselves for 5 minutes before they even answered.  And it certainly wasn't worth fighting over with his girlfriend.  He couldn't really explain why he'd decided to pick a fight with her; it was like he'd just snapped.  Why couldn't he just be the happy- go-lucky Brian that he'd always been before?
 
    He flipped the TV off and lay back on his bed.  He heard footsteps coming closer, and then a knock on his door.  "Come in."
 
    Lindy opened the door and came inside.  "Ok, tell me right now what's been going on with you lately.  Personally I'm sick and tired of dealing with your temper mental personality.  Either you tell me what's wrong, or I'm going back home to Grand Forks.  It's up to you."
 
    Brian stared at her, not sure what to say.  How could he explain to her what he was feeling, when he wasn't even sure himself?
 
    She waited for his response, and when she got none, she threw her hands up in the air.  "Fine, if that's how it's going to be, then you know where you can find me when you decide you want to talk.  Later, Brian."
 
    She briskly left the room and closed the door behind her.  Brian leapt off the bed and went to follow her down the hall.  He got to her room and found her packing her stuff up.  "Lindy, wait.  I don't want you to leave."
 
    She turned to him, looking like she was ready to cry.  "I don't think you know what you want right now.  I think what you really need is some time to yourself to think."  She looked at her watch.  "Besides, don't you have to be at Nick's right now?"
 
    His face fell and he nodded.  He turned and left as Lindy stared at his back, trying to suppress her tears.
 
 

 
    "Ok guys, these are the songs we've picked so far.  Kevin and I are working on this one, maybe if you" he pointed to AJ, "and Howie would like to work on this other one with us, then that's what we'll do first."  Nick checked the clock on the wall and frowned.  "Brian should be here by now."  As he finished saying that, the doorbell rang.  "Like clockwork" he muttered.  He sprinted upstairs and opened the door just as Brian was poised to ring the doorbell again.
 
    "Hi" he said solemnly.  His face was drawn and pale, and his hair was mussed.  Nick couldn't believe this was the same Brian that was his best friend.
 
    "What's up man?" Nick couldn't tear his eyes away from the sullen figure that stood in front of him.
 
    Brian stepped inside and brushed past him, heading down to the studio in the basement.  "Nothin', you wouldn't understand."
 
    Nick followed him downstairs, terribly confused.  Nontheless, he decided it would be best not to press the issue.  Like Sam, Brian always told him what was wrong on his own time, not before.
 
    As soon as the other guys saw the look on Brian's face, they all stopped talking and stared.  Brian finally looked up, and when he saw everyone looking at him, he scowled.  "What do you think you're looking at?" he demanded.  Everyone guiltily looked away except Kevin.  He walked up to Brian and grabbed him by his shirt sleeve.
 
    "What the hell's the matter with you?" he hissed.
 
    Brian tugged his sleeve out of Kevin's grip.  "What's wrong with me?  What's wrong with all of you?  Why do you feel the need to stare at me like I'm a zoo animal or something?  Like I told Nick before, I'm FINE.  Now leave me alone."
 
    Everyone was silent following Brian's outburst.  Then hesitantly they all turned back to the music sheets they were holding and started murmuring to each other.
 
    Brian rolled his eyes and snatched up a copy of the music from the top of the piano.  Even though he was in a foul mood, he had to admit the song, titled "If Only" was pretty good.  He glanced up at the top corner of the page and noted Nick had written it.  Well, he'd have to compliment him on it later, now wasn't the time.  He was still too upset with Nick and everybody else to say anything nice right now.
 

 
 
    I turned the keys in the ignition and listened to the car turn itself off.  I sat for a moment, still trying to digest the news the doctor had told me not an hour earlier.  A baby.  Wow.  I still felt like a baby myself sometimes.  When something went wrong or I was upset over something, I had an urge to reach out to my mommy.  But now, a baby of my own.  No words could express how elated I was feeling.
 
    I gathered my things from the car and headed inside the house.  Faintly, I could hear voices from downstairs, followed by the occasional note from the piano.  I saw a few cars in the driveway, so I knew all the guys were here.  Taking a deep breath and dumping my stuff onto a nearby chair, I made my way to the basement.
 
    Everyone looked up as I came down the stairs.  I smiled at all of them, and noticed Brian sitting by himself by the piano.  I made a mental note to sit down and talk to him later.  Nick looked expectantly at me.  I made a motion with my head for him to come to me, and so he dropped the sheets he was holding and came to my side.  I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'm pregnant."
 
    It took a second for this to register, but as he realized what I'd said, he let out a loud whoop, picked me up and swung me around, lavishing kisses all over my face while all I could do was giggle.
 
    "Oh, honey, I'm so happy."  Nick was laughing and crying all at once.  We hugged and laughed and cried together, until we could feel everyone else's questioning eyes on us.
 
    "I guess you guys wanna know what's going on huh?"  I wiped a tear from my cheek and laughed.  "Do you want to tell them?"  I kissed Nick and waited.
 
    He tried to build up some suspense, but in the end it was too much for him.  All at once he just burst out with, "Samantha is pregnant.  We're going to have a baby!  I'm going to be a father!"
 
    The guys all smiled and cheered, and rushed over to join in the group hug.  But Brian stayed by himself, then suddenly stood, swore under his breath, and raced up the stairs.  We could hear the front door slam behind him, and all anyone could do was stand there, mystified at his behaviour.
 
 

    ***Meanwhile...***

 
    Kayla tugged on her jacket and reached for her shoes.  She hated going grocery shopping, but since her roommate refused to do it, she had no choice.  After all, they had to eat.  She exhaled loudly and checked her pockets to make sure she had the keys to their apartment.  Satisfied that she had everything, she called out to Cheyenne, "I'll be back in an hour or so.  Try to clean up a little while I'm gone, ok?"  She heard an exaggerated sigh from the other room, followed by the TV clicking off and the sound of her roommate getting out the vacuum cleaner.  Kayla then turned and walked out the door.
 
    It was a hop, skip, and a jump away to the nearest Safeway.  One block north, half a block east.  At least it wasn't far away.  She didn't use her car any more than she had to, the thing was ready to fall apart anyways.  But her little Chevy Sprint was good on gas, so she couldn't complain too much.  She stepped in the doorway to the store, her mind all tangled around Howie.  She missed him so much.  They only got to see each other every few weeks, if that.  If he was on tour, it was much less.  Her boss had been getting a little irritated with her cutting out early on Fridays so she could catch the flight Howie had arranged for her down to Orlando, so they'd had to cut back on their visits a little bit.  She hadn't seen him now in one, two, three, no almost 5 weeks.  She missed him terribly, and their emotional phone conversations didn't ease her yearning.
 
    Suddenly she heard screams.  She shook herself out of her daydream and looked up to see several clerks and customers face-down on the floor.  And she barely had time to notice the masked figure pointing the gun in her face before it went off.
 
 

Chapter Thirty-Six
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