| TAYLOR: She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and put her head down. I could see her shoulders shaking, and her body moving, struggling to breathe. "Oh god..." I groaned out loud and knelt down in front of her, knowing that the position she'd just put herself in was meant for shutting everyone else out. "Jess....baby...look at me.." I practically begged, as people walking by began to slow down and stare. "Jess.." I urged again, and she peeked up at me, only letting me see her tear-filled eyes. "What?" she asked sharply, her voice muffled by her arms and knees. "Why, baby? Why is it so hard for you to understand that I would be totally lost, half a man, if I lost you?" I asked softly. "I hate it that you feel like shit most of the time, but I wonder how much of that has to do with the way you eat, Jess. It's been a LONG time since I've seen you eat anything beside some kind of bland, grilled something-or-other and the blandest looking vegetables I've ever seen. Dr. West AND Jake even said that with the shape you're in, you coud handle ICE CREAM...something fried...your body fat, Jess. I can tell fom LOOKING that's it's still WAY too low. I talked to Dr. West when you were changing last time...YOU NEED it. And so does the baby..." I rambled, needing her to say, and mean, that she understood. "You're NOT competing, Jessie. That's been over...have you trained so long and hard that you've forgotten anything else?" I asked at my wits' end, as she only stared at me, tears streaming down her face. I cupped her face in my hands and tilted her head, until she had to unfold herself and look at me. "Jessie, how many times do I ahve to say that I love you more than anything else? That I can't bear to wait so long to see OUR baby, look at it's tiny face and see where he's like you, or she's like me? That I wish that we'd met sooner, so that I didn't have to be away from you most of the time? Jessie, PLEASE. Say something.." I pleaded with her, not letting my gaze stray from hers for even a second. "Tay.." she began, her voice shaking, "I....love...you.." she sniffled. "I DO. AND the baby..our baby.." she took a deep breath and shuddered as she let it out. "I...hate...this..." she sniffled again, "I...can't...control it. I would...if...I...could..." she sobbed as I played with her errant lock of hair. "Everything bothers my stomach.." she sniffed. "Or I'd EAT some of the junk I haven't allowed myself in YEARS. But if my stomach...can't...handle..it.." she continued, trying to stop crying, "...how good... can it be....for....baby?" she finished, and took another deep breath. "You call Jacob, and tell him NO MORE men around me..please? Dave is good enough..and I PROMISE...I will eat when I am supposed to. And I will sleep..." she said, and ran her hands through my hair. "You'll be next to me....I will sleep.." she said and put her head back down on her knees. "I.." and she stressed the word, "am NOT a baby, or an invalid..just let me do this at MY pace..PLEASE Tay? I KNOW how my body works and what it can do...it's my JOB, okay? NO more bodyguards..." she finished. "Jess..." I groaned and moved next to her, sitting on the bench. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I love you so much.." I murmured into her ear as she fell into my embrace. "I just want you to be safe and take care of yourself..baby..please?" I pleaded softly, stroking her hair as she buried her face in the hollow between my neck and shoulder. "Okay.." she whispered and snaked her arms around my neck, digging her fingers into the ends of my hair. "I DO love you, Tay.." she whispered and placed a soft, tear-dampened kiss on my neck, just behind my ear. "Okay baby...it's okay.." I assured her. "I love you.." ZAC: My dad, Ike and I sat stunned, as we watched Taylor haul Jess out of the restaurant like a sack of potatos, Jess kicking and struggling the whole way. My dad raised his eyebrow at me and I shrugged, "She's probably gonna hurl.." I said, and he gave me a look as if to say, "No shit, Sherlock..tell me something I don't already know." I grinned and took a drink of my coke. I glanced at Dave for a moment, as he got up to stand by the door and watch them, without intruding, then turned back to my Dad. "Tay didn't tell you?" I asked. "Tell me WHAT?" my father growled and rested his elbows on the table, then stared directly at me. Damn, I hated that. But it DID get us to speak up, not one of all my siblings or myself would dare refuse to answer when my dad had THAT look on his face. "She passed out while she was shopping.." I said and took another quick drink, then pushed my food around a little with my fork. "Zac.." my dad prompted and I looked up at him. I sighed heavily. "Dave took her shopping," I began and set my fork down, when what I really wanted to do was see how far it would dig into Ike's forearm. He was grinning like crazy at me behind my dad's back, obviously thrilled that it ws ME getting the third degree and not him. "There were a bunch of people who recognized her, which she wasn't expecting, and she satyed a while signing autographs, when she should have stopped and got something to eat. She was pushing through he crowd and fainted just as Dave got to her to pull her out. You are now witnessing Taylor's stroke/coniption fit/whatever the hell you wanna call it, because Dave called Jake," I rolled my eyes, "and asked for another guy to help keep an eye on Jess, and then Jake called Tay and got him all wound up before Jess could tell him what happened." I looked at my dad and grinned. "That'a all I know, I SWEAR.." I teased. "Except that Taylor is already freaking out, and Jess is probably only weak, because she hasn't slept in a month and her lunch was an hour or so late.." I finished, then turned back to my lunch. "I see.." he said softly, and looked to Ike. "Maybe Watts.." Ike said quickly before my dad could even ask the question. "Lace just got home, Dad. She'd be here in a heartbeat if Jess needed her," he interjected quickly, "but she was looking forward to working for Jake and helping Mom out. She hates this.." Ike said waving his arm in an all-inclusived gesture. My Dad turned to me and grinned. "Call her. Have Jacob book her flight and meet us the day after tomorrow." he said. "Kay..." I said and took a huge bite of my burger, before I had to listen to Ike tease me mercilessly about the giant, stupid-looking grin I couldn't supress. |