PART SEVEN



    Lance walked in the room and Nikki opened her arms as Lance leaned in for a hug. A short second later Ann and Brook walked in also. Nikki looked over Lance’s shoulder and saw the girl that she had heard so much about the last time she talked to Lance about his relationship.
    “So, you must be the lovely Brook,” Nikki said.
    Brook walked towards the bed and extended her hand. “Yes, I am Brook. And I presume that it is alright for me to assume that you are the famous Nikki that Lance often speaks of.”
    Nikki chuckled, “that would be me.”
    Lance smiled as he watched his girlfriend and his best friend introducing themselves to one another. “So where is this beautiful baby?” he asked.
    “She’s down for a nap,” Nikki said.
    “I can go get her if you like,” Ann said.
    “Thank you, I’d like that. Then I promise we won’t be long. You told me to get some sleep,” Nikki replied and then giggled a little.
    “You hear that Lance? Don’t you stay too long. You can come back tomorrow to see her before she checks out.”
    “Yeah yeah Ann, I hear ya.”
    With that Ann walked out of the room and headed toward the room that Courtney was in. Nikki looked at Lance and said, “you know my nurse?” in a surprising manner.
    “Well yeah actually. She used to date Joey.”
    “No way, you’re kidding. That’s THAT Ann?” she said and pointed towards the door as if Ann was still standing there. “But she’s so sweet. Steve made her sound like a horrid witch.”
    “Steve was just saying it because he knew that she hurt Joey. She just up and left one day. I talked to her on the way down the hall and she acts like she is actually sorry. She wants me to give Joey her number to see if he will call her.”
    “Well are you going to?”
    “Yeah, why not? I know deep down that he still loves her. It would just take some time to ya know, get back in the grove of things, and forgive her for hurting him the way she did.”
    “Well, I totally know what you mean.” Nikki looked down for a brief second and then Ann came in with the baby cuddled within her arms.
    Lance turned and saw the small face of the child and a huge smile took over his face. “Nik, she is so beautiful.”
    “She is,” Brook added.
    Nikki took the baby and kissed its face. “Would you like to hold her Lance?” she asked.
    “Can I?”
    “Of course you can,” she said and the gently handed the baby to him. “Watch her head,” she said as she held her hand under it until he could get him arm positioned correctly. “There ya go,” she said with a warm smile.
    Brook leaned over Lance and rubbed the pad of her thumb over the baby’s soft arm. “Nikki she is absolutely an angel. What is her name?”
    “Courtney. Courtney Michelle.” Lance looked over at Nikki and licked his lower lip. “How are the guys?” Nikki then asked and then began to chew her lip also.
    “They are good. Justin almost caught on fire the other day,” he laughed. Nikki looked at him wide eyed. “Just us guys having fun. Joey is alright too. Just being his normal ‘I can’t sit still for two seconds self’. Chris and Taylor are still together. They are really getting along well.” Lance just seemed to stop there. He handed Nikki the baby and said that they should get going so that she could rest. She needed to get some sleep, and they would for sure see her tomorrow. Brook said goodbye and said that she and Nikki could go buy baby clothes together soon if she wanted.
    Nikki looked at Lance and then at her child nestled in her arms and said, “how’s JC?”
    Lance licked his lips and said. “He’s as good as can be expected Nik. As good as can be expected,” and then he and Brook left.

    As soon as Lance and Brook left Nikki leaned back against the bed. Ann walked over to her and said, “you okay?”
    Nikki shook herself out of the daze that she was in and said, “yeah, I am fine. Why?”
    “You just seemed a little spooked at Lance’s comment. I take it that you and JC aren‘t on talking terms?”
    “Yeah, you could say that,” she said back with a soft look on her face. “I miss him a lot too. Things are just a little too difficult right now.”
    “Does he know that you just...” she began to say.
    “No,” Nikki said right away. “And I can’t tell him yet either. So if you talk to Joey, please don’t mention it.”
    “Joey? Ahh, so Lance told you huh?”
    “Yeah he did. I hope that is okay.”
    “Yes, it is. I messed up really bad with him. I was afraid of committing and all that stuff, so I just left. It was horrible and I regret it everyday. I really loved him, still do actually. But I know that he has to hate me now. I’ve given him no reason to return the love that I have for him.”
    “I’m sorry Ann. Maybe you should call him.”
    “I can’t. I’m too afraid.”
    “Well if you really care about him that much, maybe you should give it a try. I know how much he liked you, so maybe he won’t be as bad as you think he will be.”
    “I don’t even have his number. Besides I gave mine to Lance to give him.”
    “Ann, I have his number. If you were the one that messed things up, then you should fix them.”
    Ann put her fingers to her mouth and began to bite her nails. “Will you dial for me?”
    “Of course,” she said. Nikki took the phone from Ann’s hand and dialed Joey’s cell number. As soon as she punched in the last digit she handed the phone to Ann. “There ya go!” she said.
    “Hello,” a voice said.
    “Jo.. Joey?” Ann stuttered.
    “Who is this?”
    “It’s... it’s uh... Ann.”
    “Ann?”
    “Mm hmm,” she mumbled. “We need to talk. I mean, if you will talk to me that is.”
    Joey sat down and let out a huge sigh. He hadn’t spoken to her in a long time and he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. “I have a few minutes.”
    “Look,” she started.
    “Yeah, you are sorry. Just tell me why you did it.”
    “Joey, I loved you and I was afraid of it. The whole thing scared me to death, so I left. I know that I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. You know that I would never really want to hurt you. I was just confused and I... I was afraid of loving you too much.”
    Ann hurt Joey a lot, but he did still have feelings for her. He could never stay tied down with any girl that he had been with since her. It was just too much for him to take it at once. Being with a girl and thinking of Ann. “You hurt me a lot. You know that right?”
    “Yes Joey, and I am so sorry. I don’t know how to say how sorry I am. I hurt myself too ya know. That was one of the worst things I have ever done, and I regret it everyday.”
    “Where are you living now?” he asked.
    “I’m in L.A.”
    “I was JUST in L.A. a couple days ago.”
    “I know,” she said. She remembered Nikki saying that she wanted to be kept a secret, so Ann couldn’t exactly tell Joey that she knew he was around because Lance told her that day when he came to visit Nikki at the hospital because she had just had a baby. So instead she said, “I ran into Lance.”
    “Really?”
    “Uh huh.”
    “Small world huh?
    “Yeah.”
    “Well look. I really need to go. I have some stuff that I need to do with Justin. I will, uh, can I maybe call you later. We can talk, see what we come up with.”
    Ann was so happy that Joey was willing to possibly try it again. “Yes. Do you have a pen or something?”
    “Yeah, go ahead.” Ann told him her number and then Joey said, “Alright. I got it. I will call ya as soon as I can.”
    “Okay, bye Joey.”
    “Bye Ann,” Joey said and then shut off his phone.
    “Did I just hear you say Ann?!” Justin exclaimed as he walked in the room.
    “Yeah, yeah you did J.”
    “Oh and enter us into the twilight zone,” Justin joked. “Come on, you can tell me about it on the way. We gotta jet.” They both got up, grabbed their papers and left.

    The next morning Nikki was sitting on her bed waiting for Lynn when lance walked in with a small bouquet of daisys. He knew that Nikki loved them, she always had. “And for the beautiful mother,” he said. “And this is for the beautiful baby Courtney,” he said as he handed Nikki a small pink carnation. “Let her grow to love them.”
    Nikki smiled and couldn’t help but giggle. “Pushing forth father likes and dislikes already?” she asked.
    “Well if I don’t, who will?”
    Nikki sighed and said, “I guess you’re right,” and then looked down at the baby that laid nestled within her warm embrace.
    “Can I hold her?” Lance asked as he sat on the edge of the bed next to Nikki.
    “Of course,” she said and carefully handed Lance the infant little girl. “So where is Brook?”
    “She had to go out this morning. She said that she would call me as soon as she could to see if we could stop by your place to see you. I guess she really just would like another girlfriend to hang out with that won’t spazz anytime that she mentions one of our names. Especially Justy’s.”
    “Justy’s? Why his?”
    “Her friend Stephanie has a huge thing for him and is dying to meet him. But Brook told me that she is to psycho to meet him,” he said and then laughed.
    “Ah, I see,” she said. “Well, Lynn should be here anytime to bring me back to her place. And you two are more than welcome to come visit whenever you like.”
    “You know I am gonna take you up on that offer right?” he smiled. He ran his finger over the side of the baby’s arm and hummed the tune of ‘Sailing’. Lance looked into the baby’s eyes as she fluttered them open and he said, “Nik... when are you gonna...”
    Nikki cut in before he could finish the sentence. She already knew what he was going to say. “I don’t know yet Lance. I need some time. As it is he probably hates me bunches now, and with this whole thing, it will only piss him off more.”
    “Who knows, maybe not,” he said.
    “I know, and it will.” Nikki looked at her child and sighed. She really didn’t want to keep it a secret for forever, but she knew that right now she was emotionally stable to let it all come out. Soon she thought. Soon.



Part Eight