Nick drove all the way to the hospital in his limo, and ran out when he arrived. Nick ran into the building, up to the maternity floor, where Tara was supposed to be.
"Where's Tara?" Nick said quickly, out of breath from all the running up the stairs, he didnt want to wait for the elevator.
"You must be her husband?" The nurse asked.
"yes!! Where's my wife?" Nick asked once again.
"Room 415" the nurse said, and then Nick ran down the hallway to find the room. Nick ran down the long corridor of the hallway, and reached room 415. Tara was having another small contraction, which came every once in awhile.
"Tara!!!!" Nick said as he ran into the room, and gave Tara a hug and a kiss while she lied in her hospital bed.
"Nick! Im soo glad you are here!" Tara said, happy to see Nick.
"What happened?? Your not due for another two weeks!!" Nick asked, wondering if anything was wrong.
"Nick, sometimes young adults give birth a bit early, its normal" Dr Timberlake said as she entered the room.
"So nothing is wrong with her or the baby?" Nick asked.
"No, nothing at all! Dont you worry about them, they are perfectly fine! it looks like you will be here awhile, though, the way that the contractions are coming" Dr Timberlake said.
"oh god" Tara said, wanting to get the pain over with quickly.
"It'll be okay hunny!!!" Nick said.
"Thats easy for you to say, Nick! Your not the one thats going to be going thru all the pain!!" Tara said.
"Hey! hehe I know not to listen to you while your in labour, you already warned me not to take listen to anything mean that you say." Nick laughed.
Tara laughed too, and then kissed Nick.
"I cant help it if I will say mean things to you, if I do, just dont take notice, ok? Cuz like, I'll be in lots of pain.. so I'll probably just yell stuff at u!" Tara said.
"I'll be right back, im going to call the family!" Nick said. "Is that alright with you?" Nick asked, not wanting to leave her.
"yeah, i'll be alright, Karine will stay with me till you come back!" Tara said, and then Nick left the room and went to the office to use the phones.
Nick called his parents, his grandparents, Taras parents (who were going to catch the next flight to Florida), Brian, Kevin, Howie. Nick debated whether or not to call AJ, not knowing if it was a good idea to invite him. Nick dialed the number, and AJ picked up.
"hello?" AJ said.
"Hey man, its me, Nick! What are you doing?" Nick asked.
"Was going out to a club.." AJ said.
"You think you could come to the hospital instead? Taras in labor! And Id really like it if all my close friends and family were there in the waiting room, waiting for us!!!" Nick asked.
"uhh, yeah sure! I'll be there" AJ said, and then they hung up.
Twenty minutes later, Nicks family showed up, Aaron and his sisters included, and then Brian, Kev, Howie and AJ showed up. Karine was in the room with Tara, while Nick was outside thanking everyone for coming.
"Are you sure you all can stay? It may take awhile.." Nick said.
"Yeah, we wouldnt miss this for the world!" Brian said. Everyone crowded into the waiting room, and Nick arranged it so that everyone could eat and have some coffee or drinks while they were waiting. Nick ran back to the room where Tara was, whos contractions were getting closer, but still had a bit to wait.
"How long do you think this is going to take?" Tara asked her doctor.
"Well, by the rate things are going, Id say you only have about 3 hours" Dr Timberlake said, and then she left the room.
"Just think, Karine.. this will be YOU in six months" Tara said, giving out a partial smile.
"Oh great!" Karine said "Although the only difference is my man wont be by my side" Karine said.
"Karine! I'll be there with you, if you'd like!" Tara offered.
"Yeah, id like that, thanks!" Karine said.
Two hours later, the contractions were very close now, and Nick and Tara's baby would be born sometime this hour.
"NICK!! WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ME THRU ALL THIS PAIN??" Tara screamed at Nick between pains.
Nick was holding onto Taras hand, and Tara kept squeezing his hand harder and harder each time she got a contraction that was really painful.
"I just want all this to stop!!!" tara said, with a few tears. Tara doesnt like pain.
"It'll be over really soon!!!" Nick assured Tara, as Tara squeezed his hand again.
Finally the time came for Tara to start pushing, so Karine left the room. When Karine walked into the waiting room, and informed everyone that it was time! Karine saw AJ waiting in the room, he was over on the couch sitting with Brian and Howie. AJ looked at Karine, and then looked down at the ground.
"Man why dont you just go talk to her?" Brian nudged AJ.
"Stop being soo stubborn, AJ!" Howie said. AJ just sat there, then picked up a magazine and started reading. Karine went over to Nicks family and sat down with them, talking to them.
Tara was moved to the delivery room now, since the baby was ready to be born. Nick was with her every step of the way, and he wouldnt leave her side.
"ok, Tara, nows the hard part! I need you to push!" the doctor said. Tara started to push, and then she stopped cuz she was hurting.
"That was good.. you have to do it again!!!" Dr Timberlake said. Nick held Taras hand even harder, while Tara did it again. Tara screamed cuz of the pain, and then took large breaths.
"Very good, Tara!!! We can see the babys head.. all you need to do.. is ONE MORE LARGE push, and then its ALL over!!!" The doctor said.
"I cant do it!!!" Tara said, crying because of the pain.
"You can do it, Tara!! I know you can!!" Nick said, while looking at Tara. Nick kissed Taras head, and then sat back down again, holding onto her hand. Tara took one large breath, and then pushed really hard! A few moments later, Nick and Tara heard the baby crying. Tara felt soo relieved now, the majority of the pain was over. At this point, Nick was soo happy too that he was also crying.
The doctor cleaned the baby off, and then wrapped him up in a towel.
"Congratulations Nick and Tara, its a boy!" Dr Timberlake said, holding out the baby, who was still crying. Tara was crying now for happiness, not pain, and then she reached out for their baby and held it for the first time. Nick had his one arm around tara, and the other was helping Tara hold the baby. Their son was soo small, and soo adorable! It had little hands, little fingers, cute little eyes that were barely open. Nick and Tara asked for some time alone with the baby first, before all the family and friends came in. Nick and Tara kissed romantically, Nick was even more in love with Tara now, which he thought never could be possible because he loved her soo much already!! As Nick looked at his son, he was crying happily also.
"Thats your daddy!" Tara said to the baby, who had stopped crying. Nick smiled and then he picked up the baby and held him.
"we havent thought of a name.." Nick said, looking at his son, and at Tara also. Nick gave his son a kiss, and then placed him back in Taras arms, then helped her hold him again, with his arm around her and the other helping with their baby.
"What about Josh?" Nick suggested "Joshua Carter".
Tara thought about it a moment, and then smiled at Nick.
"That sounds really good! We need a middle name too.. how about.. Robert, after your dad" Tara suggested. Nick looked at her proudly. "I'd like that" Nick said and then he kissed Tara.
"Joshua Robert Carter" Tara said to the baby, playing with its little hands. The doctor let the family and the friends come in, and everyone piled into Taras large private room she was in.
"Hey everyone!!!" Tara said proudly, while Nick and her both held their baby. "We'd like you to welcome Joshua Robert Carter to the world!" Nick smiled and then said "Its a boy!". Everyone was aweing over the baby, and Nicks mom took pictures for Nick and Tara.
"Robert?" Nicks dad said.
"Yup! His middle name is named after you, dad! It was Taras idea!" Nick said. Nicks dad was very happy, and grateful, he also felt very honored.
"Would you like to hold him?" Tara asked Nicks parents.
"sure!" Jane said, and then Tara passed Jane and Robert the baby. Nicks parents held Josh for awhile, and then Tara passed him to Karine. While Karine was holding the baby, AJ came up and stood beside her.
"Hey there Joshua!!" Karine said softly to the baby. "Im your aunt Karine!!" Tara always told Karine that Karine would be an aunt to the baby, not just a godmother! AJ reached out his hand and touched little Josh's hand. Karine looked over and saw AJ standing there.
"Did you want to hold him?" Karine asked AJ.
"yeah" AJ said, and then he held Joshua for awhile. AJ was soo amazed while holding the little baby, and it made him think twice about the way he treated Karine, and about his unborn child.
"Karine, Im really sorry for the way I acted towards you. I was really mean, and I should have said things that I said" AJ said to Karine. Karine stood there, not knowing what to say, and let AJ talk.
"Standing here, holding this baby, made me realize how wrong I treated you, and how bad my life has been since then. I really need to change my ways, Karine. I never would have thought this, but holding this baby feels really good" AJ admitted.
"What are you trying to say, AJ?" Karine asked.
"Well, I want things back, the way they used to be. I want to change my life around, Karine, and I want both you and the baby with me. I love you, Karine" AJ said, looking into karines eyes, then at the baby.
"Alex, how am I supposed to believe this? I mean, I love you! And I do want to be with you, but I really need to know for sure that you mean it" Karine said.
"Dont worry, Karine! I will prove it to you! I'll do whatever it takes to change my life around, and when its all ready, we'll be together!" AJ said.
It was really late at night now, about 1am. Everyone left the hospital to go home to bed. Karine went back to her bandmates house, and AJ back to his. AJ stayed up all night that night, thinking about different ways on how to change his life around.
Nick stayed in the hospital with Tara, laying in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand throughout the entire night.