Peter drove like a maniac follwing the clues the man at the apartments had given him. He didn't really care that he ran a red light, it's not like any cops were around right now, and he didn't care he was over the speed limit. All he knew was that he had to find his wife... before she got hurt.Steph was sitting on the bed in the motel room as her "mother" sat next to her fussing and talking. Steph really wasn't listening, she was tuning her and every bad karma out.
"Are you LISTENING toYOUR MOTHER?!" came a huge blow and another slap across the face. Steph held the left side of her face as it stung from the huge hand that it came in contact with.
"George, stop it!" Rebecca scolded. She put her hand on Steph's cheek, which Steph flinched away. It was her "mother's" turn to pull her arm hard. "Stay STILL!" she commanded. Steph just stared blanky ahead of her to the wall.
All of the sudden, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" George said, scruffly.
"Delievery," the low voice replied. Steph instantly knew that voice. It was Peter. He was here to save her.
"We didn't order anything," George said icily.
The door bust open. "You did now," Peter said standing there. He pushed the man out of the way, and George tried to connnect his fist with Peter's chin. Peter, using his skills he picked up from the show ducked and punched George right in the stomach. Rebecca screamed. George hunched over and Peter rammed him into the closet door, George falling to the ground.
Steph tried to get up, but Rebecca held her close, covering her mouth with her hand so she couldn't scream. "Don't you dare! You're not taking my baby away from me again!"
"She's not your baby," Peter said seriously. Steph struggled out of the woman's arms and ran to the door. George grabbed her foot almost causing Steph to fall frontward. Luckily, Steph caught the coat rack and steadied herself. Peter kicked George in the arm and slammed the nearby suitcase on his head, causing him to go unconcious once again. Rebecca ran to Peter and tried to choke him with her hands, but Steph ran over and stepped on her foot, then elbowed her in the face. Rebecca fell back on the bed and Peter grabbed Steph's hand and ran out of the motel room. There were several police men running the opposite direction.
"That way!" Peter yelled to them, and they continued to the find the couple and arrest them.
Peter ran with Steph all the way out to the parking lot. The others were there waiting amist the cop cars to make. Kari and Ginger rushed to Steph's side, beating a paramedic.
"Omg are you okay?!" Kari sreeched grabbing onto Steph."Oh your face!"
"Is the baby okay?!" Ginger took her by the shoulders.
"Fine, fine, we're both fine, I'm just a little scruffed up," Steph reassured them with a voice that trembled from the excitement.
The paramedic pried Ginger, Kari, and Peter off of Steph and led her to the ambulance to tend to her cuts.
"Is she all right?" Mike asked Peter, Micky at his side as well. "The baby?"
"Both fine. I don't want to think what would have happend if we hadn't gotten here in time." Peter shook his head. "How could I have been so stupid...?"
"I'm glad we caught you and came along," Mike said gently. "Everybody makes a mistake now and then, it's okay, Shotgun."
Peter was surprised. He'd expected Mike to tell him what a moron he was for getting his pregnant wife in this situation, and possibly getting both Steph and the baby killed. "Thanks, Mike."
Mike gave him a wink, Micky patted him on the back, and Peter climbed into the ambulance with Steph. The paramedics explained that they wanted to look Steph over, especially since she was carrying a child, just to make sure.
Mike and Ginger slid into the Truck, Micky and Kari into Micky's car, and they followed the ambulance.
The procedure lasted about an hour and after the doctor was satisfied that Steph was in perfect health, he let her sit next to Peter in his office. Steph let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned over and rested her head on Peter's shoulder, suddenly exhausted from the day's events. Peter wrapped his arm around her and she knew that she was finally safe.
"Well," the doctor began, smiling at the couple, "Stephanie, let me first start by saying that you are a very lucky young woman and I want you to know that you have my condolences for what you had to go through this morning."
Steph smiled as Peter began to run his fingers through her hair. She loved her doctor. He was so nice to her. She had no idea why Mike didn't like him, but she concluded that it was a "Mike thing" and decided not to look to much into it.
"And your babies are fine."
It took Steph a moment to piece together what he had just said. She sat up.
"I'm sorry, but did you say 'babies'?" she asked, frowning with confusion.
"Yes, I did. You are three weeks pregnant with twins. The scans we did today told us."
Steph's mouth dropped as Peter just stared at the doctor.
The doctor, unaware of the couple's shock, went on, "You're lucky. Normally we don't do these scans on pregnant women, but due to certain circumstances we had to. Can you imagine what a shock that could have been in about nine months?"
As soon as he finished that sentence, Steph, finally, fainted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mike and Ginger had long since left the hospital after Steph's family came and they got the word from Peter that they were going to stay a bit longer (Steph being unconscious, but he decided to leave that bit out) and they went back to their apartment to live their last night before they all had to go back to work the next day. Mike, Ginger, Micky, and Kari had all gone out to dinner and Mike and Ginger announced their engagement.
Micky and Kari (especially Kari) were very happy for the couple and Mike and Ginger were almost glad to get away from all the squealing that, much to their surprise, came from Kari and Micky.
So Mike and Ginger were glad to have a couple hours to themselves before Steph and Peter came home from the hospital, still in shock. When Steph woke up, she was in a hospital bed, and her family was around her. Her mother, father, James, Lizzy, even her brother-in-law Ben. Her nephew was there as well, but he was sleeping. So then came the long dreaded "talk" with her parents and, they didn't freak out on her as she thought they would have. The morning's events must have soften the blow.
So now there were no secrets between her and her family and her parents were exited to have more grandchildren and then asked James when he would get serious and settle down, and everything seemed to slip back into it's normal flow.
So Steph and Peter walked into the living room into the living room to find Mike and Ginger lying on the couch together watching the news.
"Hey," Steph said as she took off Peter's jacket and handed it to him. It had gotten really cold when the sun went down.
"Shhh..." Mike mockingly growled, "...TV..."
Ginger smacked him in the stomach and detangled herself from her fiancé.
"Aww..." Mike protested.
"How are you feeling?" Ginger asked as Mike turned off the TV, they had seen the report on Steph's kidnapping, although the news that she was married and pregnant was never announced, which was a good thing. The press didn't need to know everything.
"Why do you two look funny?" Mike asked as she walked over to where Ginger was standing. "What aren't you telling us?"
"How do you know?" Steph asked, surprised.
"It's a gift. Now spill it."
Steph took in a deep breath and looked at Peter, "I'm carrying twins."
"What?" Ginger asked.
"In there ??" Mike asked lightly poking Steph's stomach. Ginger slapped Mike's hand, not amused, but Peter and Steph got a good laugh from it.
Mike was truly whipped by his girlfriend who, ironically, was way shorter than him. It was too funny.
"Yes, in there," Peter explained. "And never do that again."
"I should go call Kari and Micky. Fill them in. It's so weird that they were here this morning... wait... why were they here this morning?" Ginger asked.
"They were here?" Peter asked.
"Yeah," Steph said, facing him. "It was the weirdest thing. I kind of screamed at them."
"You did?" Ginger asked, grinning. She was imagining what it must have been like to find them both in Steph's bed.
"Well, yeah. I made them breakfast and they wouldn't get up and eat the damn thing," Steph said.
"Nice," Mike said, chuckling.
"Well, I should go home then. I'll pick you up tomorrow, ok?" Peter asked, giving his wife a good night kiss. Had it been up to him, he would have taken Steph straight to his place, but they both decided that they should continue with the "Steph-stays-with-Ginger-and-Mike-until-she's-too-fat-to-make-it-up-the-stairs" plan. The longer they could keep this from the press, the better.
"Bye, Peter."
"Bye, Steph. Bye, guys," he added rubbing Steph's stomach. And with that, he left.
"Oh, so he gets to touch your stomach and I can't?" Mike asked, acting as if he was angry.
Steph just rolled her eyes and went to go call Kari from her room.
"What are we going to do with you?" Ginger asked as she turned to look up at Mike.
"Well... I can think of a few things..." he said as innocent as possible.
"Naughty!" Ginger stated acting shocked.
"Well... you asked me a question..."
"And I liked your answer," Ginger replied in a coy way.
Mike arched his eyebrows and quickly took Ginger in his arms, and dipped her low, the mood quickly turning romantic.
All of a sudden Steph's voice tore across the apartment.
"Why the hell didn't you two tell me you were getting married??!!?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mike stand STILL!" Mike's mother scolded him. He was jumping around like popcorn in a kettle.
"MA!" Mike moved away from the fussy woman. "Ah kin do it mahself!" It was the day of Mike and Ginger's wedding and ever since the week began, Mike was acting more like a baby. "Go do girl stuff with Ginger or whatever," he muttered.
"Fine, do it all yourself." Bette looked at her son. "I'm so proud of you..."
"Aw, ma don't cry..." Mike fixed his bow tie. He put an arm around his dear mom and hugged her. "Now go, you're going to cry all over my tux."
Bette hit her son playfully on the arm and with a tissue went to go help Ginger and the rest of the girls.
"Hiya Papa Nez," Micky walked in the room, grinning.
"Oh, it's you," Mike deadpanned, but couldn't help but grin as well.
Micky stuck his tongue out. "So, big day today," Micky said, sitting on the bench of the room in the chapel. He played with his hands.
"Yep," Mike replied, combing his hair.
Micky looked at him. "I just wanted to say something."
"G'head Mick."
Micky got up and before Mike knew it he was trapped in Micky's arms. "I love you Papa Nez! Good luck!"
"Micky," Mike gasped. "Ah cain't breathe!"
"I know!" Micky pretended to sob. "Isn't it great?"
"MICKY!"
Micky let go and wiped a fake tear away. "I must go now... until the alter..." With that Micky dramatically walked back out of the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginger's mom, Kari, and Steph were bustling about trying to get everything just perfect.
"Kari?"
"Yes Gingie?"
"You've polished my shoes three times already. I think they're shiney," Ginger looked at Kari who was on the floor with a rag and some polish.
"Well..." Kari defended. "I was just making sure..."
Steph crept up behing Ginger. "Steph my vail is straight," Ginger said without looking behind her.
Ginger's mom shook her head laughing. "You are just prepared, aren't you?"
Ginger looked at her mother. "I think so." Tears were about to come to her eyes. She can't let herself cry. She just can't.
There was a knock on the door. "Are you ready?" came Ginger's dad's voice.
Ginger took a deep breath in and nodded to the rest. "Yes Daddy!"
He opened the door and smiled at the sight he saw. "My little girl is getting married," he said softly.
Now Ginger was really going to cry. "Daddy stop," she said, trying to compose herself. "I'll ruin my makeup." They laughed as everyone else was leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The music began to play as Ginger and her father walked slowly up the aisle. As she looked ahead, Ginger saw Kari and Steph there smiling and she glanced over at Micky, Peter, and Davy, who grinned as well. Then she focused on Mike. He looked so nice all cleaned up in a tux. He'd been in one before at Kari's wedding, but this time it was different; it was their own.
They finally, after it seemed like centuries, made it to the end of the aisle and Ginger's dad gave her hand to Mike. They both smiled as they stood before the pastor.
The ceremony went dreamily, from the moment the doors opened, to the couple's 'I do's'.
Immediately following the beautiful ceremony, Mike and Ginger were off to the airport in a limo where they would get on a plane to Rio.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At the end of their second and final week in Rio, the two were sitting outside their chaetaue overlooking a cliff. It was a truely beautiful scene. Mike had written an ungodly amount of song ideas down while they were there. Their last night at sunset, they were sitting beside their pool that looked like a natural lake, Mike in just his jeans and Ginger in a beach-wrap (nothing more than a eleborate blanket barely covering her). Mike gave a little chuckle as he held his wife and kissed the top of her head.
"What was that for?" Ginger asked mischeiviously.
Mike leaned his head back with a devilish smile as he reviewed the activities of the last two weeks. "You sure have overcome your little 'problem'..."
Ginger slapped his stomach but laughed. "Yeah well, you do what you gotta do..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several months had passed without much incident for the couples. The press had reported that Davy was now the only single Monkee. That went over better than expected, because at least the heartthrob was still single, and maybe the others would be dumped. Or be struck with the Plague. There were still the normal mobbings by the girls on Kari, and the usual silly newpaper articles, but seeing that all the four boys were still in the Monkees and that none of the girls were pregnant, making the press lose at least some credibility, the aritlces weren't having as much of an impact as they had before.
That's because Steph pretty much had to hold up in the house. If anyone caught a glimpse of her, form about three months on, it was very obvious she was pregnant.
Very pregnant.
Now nearining the end of her term she was basically the size a two-family house.
With a three-car garage and bonus room.
The day it had been decided that it was time for her to move in with her husband had been rather comical.
Steph arrived home after a late-night trip to Peter's and looked up the stairs that led to the front door. She sighed. It had been getting harder and harder to make it up them with both her little... huge bundles of joy so convientiently placed to make it near impossible to bend anywhere required to make it up the stairs, not to mention it was like carrying in groceries for a marine troop at the same time.
She started up the stairs, and after great effort, made it up one stair.
This wasn't going to work. She congratulated herself on finally reaching the too-fat part of the 'Steph-stays-with-Ginger-and-Mike-until-she's-too-fat-to-make-it-up-the-stairs' plan.
"Mike?! Ginger?!" Steph yelled in a whisper. They'd have to hear her.
She called again, but no answer. She backed off the step she was on and walked over to Mike and Ginger's bedroom window. With even more effort than it took to climb the one stair, she picked up a rock off of the ground. This was certainly the funniest part of it all, and she was glad no one could see her. She had gone to the side of the house, leaned her back against it, slid down it, then pulled herself back up using the wall and guttering. Then she chuncked the rock at Mike and Ginger's window, hoping that at least Mike would here it. She knew Ginger wouldn't, as she could sleep through anything.
She heard something moving in the house, then the window opened. Mike saw super-sized Steph standing down there and leaned out the window, no shirt on, hair flat against his forehead, and his eyes squinted.
"I told you want would happen if you went around standing on street corners!" he called in a whipser.
"Very funny!" Steph answered, flinching as the babies kicked the stuff out of her for yelling, aparently waking them up. "I'm too fat to come up there."
"What?!"
"I. Am. Too. FAT. To. Climb. The. Stairs."
"Well..." Mike tried to think. Nothing was coming to him. "Go into labor and give birth or something..."
"NESMITH! I'm not even due for another four months!"
Mike hadn't really thought about that. "Oh my God, you'll be like... You not only won't be able to climb the stairs, but you won't even fit through the door when you're due! You may not even fit in the house..."
"MICHAEL. NESMITH. Help me!"
"Okay okay... You don't need to be so hateful... Hormonal pregnant women... Pft... For the love of God..." He closed the window and went to Steph.
He took her arm and helped her all the way up the stairs with a nice effort from both of them, Mike having to pretty much haul her up one step at a time. They went inside and Steph sat (with, again, much effort) down on the couch. Mike took a deep breath. "Man that's too much work even for two people!" He sat down beside her.
Steph cut him a look as she held her stomach. "No kidding..."
"Bite my head off why dontcha... Are they kicking?"
Another look.
"Geez..."
Steph sighed. "I'm sorry. Yeah they are. Here." She picked up Mike's hand and put it on her stomach, and Mike felt a baby kick for the first time. It pretty much amazed him, Steph could tell.
"I gotta get me one'a these..."
Steph laughed. "You do that. But don't tell me about it. I'm going to sleep now. Or rather, I'm going to go plop my fat ass in bed and not get any sleep... Night. I'll probably have to move in with Peter this weekend..."
"Night... Hey, maybe you and Peter should sleep in seperate beds when you move in with him. You may crush him..."
Steph flung a empty plastic cup at him.
"Hormones, hormones, hormones..."
"My hormones are fine! You just aggravate me!"
"Yes Miss Stephanie..."
"Don't call me Stephanie!." Another cup.
So now Peter and Steph were living together, waiting for the twins to arrive. Peter was so much more than happy to have his wife with him and to watch as his children grew. A year ago he would have been scared to death of all of this, and he still was, but he was more excited than scared.
Veronica had also stayed in the picture. She'd captured a picture of Steph and Peter when Steph was about seven moths pregnant, so all the fans knew about it. They had been rather supportive for the most part and happy for the couple.
Kari and Micky hadn't been so lucky with the press. Kari was demonized in every article printed about her. On the upside, she and Micky had purchased a beautiful, big, elegant house. Then finally, they got a dog, which Micky named "You".
"We have the house, we have the dog... Let's see... what else is it..." Micky had said right after the purchase of You and the house.
"Hmm..." Kari had said. "Does it involve the both of us?"
"I do believe it does..."
A few weeks later, Kari found out she was pregnant as well.
With that, all of Davy's hopes of wooing Kari had disappeared, and for the first time, he seemed happy for them. He even quit chasing after Ginger, but he was still a little depressed at times.
Mike and Ginger had escaped a whole lot of the press. The press knew about the wedding, but they weren't having a baby so they had managed to stay out of the spotlight for the most part.
For the most part.
After work one day, Kari (about four months pregnant) and Steph (Steph was alowed to go back to work after now that every one knew about her and the twins. She still did all of Peter's laundry and his paperwork, but in the safety of the apartment) went out to go baby shopping. Steph had all her stuff and was ready to go (her mother made sure of that) but Kari finally felt that she needed to get her baby some more things.
When she wasn't at work or with anyone, Kari'd go home and start to arrange the baby's room. She'd leave after about an hour and then would come back seconds later and rearrange the room again. It amused Micky to no end.
Peter and Micky had decided that they were going to go hang out at a bar to unwind. Working a full 7 to 7 day and living with their pregnant wives took a lot out of them. Davy wanted to go to the bar as well. He'd been looking for a nice girl to hook up with every single day since God knows when, trying to hide his jelousy towards the other guys. Mike was going to go to the studio to lay out a few tracks.Ginger just wanted to go home and rest. She had a very bad headache.
Mike dropped her off at the apartment and she slowly walked up the stairs and she just wanted to go lay down on her bed....
...but as soon as she entered her apartment, that quickly didn't become an option.
"Hello, Ginger..."
Ginger screamed at the sound of Pierce's voice and spun around as he came out from behind the door. With a very evil smile, he shut and locked the door, never taking his eyes of her.
Ginger froze, panicked. What as she going to do? Mike was gone, he'd probably spend hours at the studio... hours that she'd have to spend with... she didn't want to think about it.
"How'd you get in here?" Ginger asked aggressively as she slowly began to back away from him, heading to the kitchen.
"You have a very poor lock on your door."
Ginger chided herself for being so stupid. She needed to act... but she didn't know what to do... maybe when she got to the kitchen she'd find something to help her. Right now, she just needed to keep him talking, not acting.
"What if I wasn't alone? What if Mike came in with me. He would have killed you as soon as he saw you," Ginger said, trying to act tough. Her act fell to the ground when he produced a gun from the hand that he had been hiding behind his back.
"I would have killed him first."
Ginger's hand flew to her mouth as she set out on a new course... Steph's old room. If she got in there, she could lock the door, put the matress and dresser in front of it, and call the cops.
That was the new plan.
"Why'd you do it, Gingie? Why'd you marry him?"
"Pierce, we got married months ago."
"I know... it just took me awhile to break out of that mental hospital you put me in... you're going to pay for that..."
Ginger turned and bolted for Steph's room, the talking part over.
Pierce quickly caught up with her and roughly grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.
"Why'd you do it, Gingie? Why'd you leave me? We were perfect for each other. We're soul mates!! Why can't you see that??"
Ginger cried, his grip on her arm felt like her arm was caught in a bear trap. She gathered her strength and kneed him in the groin.
This didn't seem to phase him.
"You just don't get it, do you? I have been waiting for over a year, but I am going to have you. The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt."
"No!" Ginger screamed, thrashing against Pierce's grip, but it was useless.
He wasn't going to let go and the gun was pointed right at her.
Almost as if sensing her defeat, Pierce threw her on the couch and got on as well. As she wriggled to get away from him, Ginger closed her eyes, trying to imagine that this wasn't happening to her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice.
She was doomed.
It was at this moment that someone knocked at the door.
"Ginger? I forgot my house key and the door is locked. Let me in." Ginger sighed in relief at the sound of Mikes voice. She was going to be ok. Mike was going to save her.
Pierce stopped attempting to get his pants off and looked at Ginger, pointing the gun at her.
Ginger had forgotten about the gun.
"Gin? Honey? You there?" Mike called from the hallway. Something wasn't right about this. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. On the couch, Pierce still aimed the gun at Ginger's head.
"Tell him to go away. You're busy and can't open the door," he whispered.
"Mike, I can't come to the door right now," Ginger reluctently said. She was glad it was a lame excuse.
"Why? Ginger, what's going on?"
"Nothing... just... I'm busy," Ginger said praying to God that everything was going to be alright.
"Ginger, is something wrong?"
"No."
Mike shook his head. Something was definately wrong.
"I'm coming in!"
Pierce slowly aimed the gun at the door as Mike attemped to kick the door down.
"NO!!!!" Ginger screamed. A new sort of strength pumped through her veins, fueled by rage. She was not going to let Pierce ruin her life. He had hurt her for the last time.
She quickly sat up knocking Pierce, who had been sitting on top of her, to the ground. She stepped on his arm that held the gun and he let go of it. He moved to reach it, but she kicked him in the face and grabbed the gun instead. Pointing the gun at Pierce in one hand and buttoning up her shirt with the other she moved to go unlock the door so Mike, who was still attempting to break the door down, didn't hurt himself.
She unlocked the door and Mike burst in. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that Ginger had a gun in her hands. He looked his wife over. Ginger's hair, that had been in a neat little pony tail, was all over the place. Her shirt was half buttoned and her skirt was ripped at one point along, with a huge hand mark on her right arm that was beginning to turn blue. When he looked over to where Ginger was aiming the gun and saw Pierce sitting there, his nose shattered, bloodrunning down his face, everything seemed to click.
"Mike, go call the police," Ginger calmly said.
Mike did so, and soon the police arrived. They were getting used to coming over. They also arrived with men in white coats.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Micky and Kari were walking into the studio when they heard the sound of a camera go off a few times. They husseled into the building to avoid any more pictures. Kari could still hussel even though she was showing decently, but she was showing nothing like Steph had when she was at Kari's stage. No woman had ever shown like that...
They made it inside to find Peter, Davy, Mike, and Ginger already there. Steph had been staying at home the last few days. It was getting hard for her to... uh, move. At all.
"Why are you so outta breath?" Mike asked them.
"Reporter," Micky said. "I think it was Veronica again."
Everyone groaned.
"You'd be right then," came a voice from the entrance. Veronica wagged a pass at them.
"Who let you in?" Mike growled.
"Security. Now, can I have a word wi--"
"No you cannot have a word with anybody unless it's goodbye. No, I'm not going to give you even that. I'll just tell you to go to hell and slam this here door in your face," Mike said on his determined trek over to the reporter."
"Danny was my brother!" she yelled as Mike locked her out.
Mike shook his head. "Good for you..."
Kari was frozen.
Micky knew what was wrong. "Danny was the one in the car with Kari..."
"Aw..." Peter rubbed her back.
"Well that explains a lot..." Mike fumed.
The rest of the day the group stayed in the studio. Not so much from chosing to but rather from having to from the tight shooting schedule. Ginger did her best to try to comfort Kari, but it had still bothered her. Veronica had lost her brother, and Kari was blaming herself for that.
Micky and Kari went straight home at the end of the day, Kari being distraught, and Mike and Ginger did the same. Peter, of course, went home to his lovely fat wife.
Mike and Ginger walked into their house and Mike took of his shirt and laid down on the couch while Ginger got him something to drink.
He sat up. He, unlike usual, wasn't tired after such a hard day. "You tired?" he asked Ginger.
She shook her head as she handed him a drink. "No, are you?"
"Nope."
"Would you like to go out for a drive on your own? Or I could go to the store if you want to work on something here..." She had learned Mike needed alone time, and was happy to give it to him. It was just something he needed, and she enjoyed getting away for a while herself. After all, a husband and wife that also work together all day wasn't an easy thing to achieve, even with tours and concerts.
"I was thinking we could do something together..." He raised his eyebrows, and Ginger laughed.
A few hours later...
Ginger was touching Mike's chest as he laid on his back and held her. She wanted to ask him something. "Mike?"
"Mm?"
She had to think about how to approach this. "I love you."
He looked down at her. "I love you, too."
There was a pause, then Ginger continued. "Do you want... want to have a family...?"
"Yeah." He thought for a minuet. She was pregnant. "Do you?"
She nodded against him.
She wasn't saying it, so he asked her. "Are you...?"
"No," she said, with a little laugh. There was another pause. "I was sort of wondering... We've not been... um..." She decided to blurt it out at once. "We've not been using anything so why aren't I?"
Mike was a little stunned that spilled out of her. Then he thought about it as Ginger held her breath. "Well... It takes time sometimes to conceive... We can just keep trying..." Mike turned onto her a little.
"But Mike," Ginger said. "We have been trying. I think... I think something has to be wrong..."
Mike looked at her concerned. "Are you okay?"
Ginger nodded. Everything seemed normal to her about herself. "Yeah... What... what about you?"
"Well I remember a certain someone who kicked me right in th--"
"Mike."
Mike was uncomfortable now. Was there something wrong with him? They really should have been in the same situation as Peter and Steph and Kari and Micky by now. "I don't... I don't think so..."
"I think that maybe we should see someone..."
Mike let out a loud sigh. "No we shouldn't, I'm fine, you're fine. It just takes some couples longer than others. It'll happen when it should."
"Mike I--"
"It's alright!" he said, defiantly. He rolled over and went to sleep. Or pretended to go to sleep as Ginger drifted off. The thought that he'd never have any children-- and that it would be his fault-- kept nagging at him, preventing him from falling asleep and kept him staring straight ahead. He turned and looked over at the now sleeping Ginger. He gave a heavy sigh as he turned over and put his arm around her, snuggling up to her and continuing to think.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Steph couldn't sleep.
Something wasn't right.
She tossed and turned, trying to force herself to go to sleep. She almost succeeded at 3-o-clock in the morning, but her eyes snapped open when her sheets were suddenly soaked.
She sat straight up, panting as the first of her many contractions began.
Now, she had already had the Braxton Hicks contractions, but this was different.
This was real.
Steph shakily poked Peter until he woke up.
"What? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up, looking at his wife, concerned.
Steph just leaned into him, clutching her stomach, the contraction still going.
Peter understood immediatly. It was time.
He hopped out of bed, quickly throwing on some clothes that had been on the floor, before helping Steph out of bed.
"Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ring.
Mike looked at the clock.
3:12.
Ring. He rubbed his eyes and picked the phone up. When had he fallen asleep?
"Hullllllo?"
"Mike?"
"Peter? This had better be good or Ah am goin' ta kill yew..." Mike said, his accent particularly strong when he was tired.
"Steph's having the babies. I mean, not at this moment, but she's in labor," Peter mumbled in a controled panic.
Mike was wide awake now. "Whare are you?"
"We're at the hospital."
"We'll be right there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mike and Ginger walked into the hospital and over to the maternity ward. There they found Steph's dad and brother pacing, Lizzy sitting next to her husband on the nearby bench, and Micky rubbing Kari's back.
As soon as Kari saw them, she ran (more like waddled) over to them, "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!"
"Kari, calm down," Ginger said soothingly even though she wanted to scream right along with Kari.
Mike walked over to Micky, leaving the two girls to freak out together.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Micky said in mock acusation.
"Well, you try waking Ginger up."
Micky laughed, shaking his head.
Ten hours later....
"Push!" Mrs. McKnight encouraged her daughter. She knew how much this must being killing Steph, but she admired her for staying strong the whole way through.
"Come on, honey. You're almost there," Peter soothed, moving Steph's sweat soaked hair out of her eyes.
Steph let out a painfilled cry. "I can't. I can't push any more. I just..." But she couldn't finish her sentance because another contraction had started.
"Come on, Steph. Push!" Mrs. McKnight said grabbing Steph's hand. "Squeeze my hand when you push."
Steph did so and nearly crushed her mother's hand. Her mother didn't mind though. She was too caught up in the moment.
Steph turned and glared at Peter. "I blame you for this," she growled.
Mrs. McKnight shot Peter a sympathetic smile as Steph began to crush her hand again.
"Ok, the first one is crowning," the doctor narrated. The other doctors/mid wives stood around, anxious.
"This is it," Peter soothed again. "You are doing so well. You are almost there, just a little bit more."
Peter was now getting his hand crushed as well.
"It's a girl!" The doctor exclaimed as he cut the first ambilical cord, and handed the newborn to the waiting mid wife.
"A girl..." Steph panted, taking a brake from pushing. "I have a daughter. We have a daughter. It's a girl!"
Peter was practically crying with joy as was Mrs. McKnight. She had a granddaughter.
"Ok, Stephanie, get ready. The second on is coming out now," the doctor warned. "I just need one big push."
Steph screamed as she gave the doctor what he asked for.
"Another girl!"
Steph let go of her mother and Peter's hands and rubbed her eyes.
She couldn't believe it.
Two girls.
As soon as she was done with the after birth, two mid wives came over to her and handed Steph her two crying newborn daughters.
As soon as they were in her arms they stopped wailing and opened their eyes.
"I'll leave you two alone," Mrs. McKnight said, crying with joy as she turned to go inform the group outside on what had just happened.
As the mid wives and doctors began to clean up, Peter sat on the edge of the bed, his arm around his wife, looking down at the three most important women in his life.
The newborns opened their eyes.
The first one to have been born had light brown hair and deep brown eyes. Peter and Steph called her Willow. Willow Skye.
The second one had bright blonde hair and deep blue eyes. They called her Erika. Erika Quinn.
They both looked so much like their mother, yet so much like their father at the same time. They were staring at their parents with mild curiosity as Steph began to cry for no reason. Her post birth depression and weepiness kicking in.
"We are never having two at the same time again," she sobbed, smiling at her two girls.
"Agreed."
After Peter and Steph had had a minuet to digest a little bit of what had taken place, Kari, Micky, Mike, and Ginger all came in to see.
"How are all your women, Peter?" Micky teased.
Peter beamed. "Great. Uh... tired, but great."
Steph and both her daughters were both looking very sleepy as everyone got a good look at the kids and "ooh"ed and "aw"ed at them.
"So tell me," Kari finally said. "How was it?" She cringed.
Steph rolled her eyes emphatically. "Hell. But worth it." She smiled at her now sleeping babies.
"I think we should all let Steph pass out... We'll come back after you've rested up," Mike said, and then, with final "ooh"s and "aw"s, everyone filed out of the room.
Steph's family and a nurse came in past them, and Steph promptly crashed after greeting her sister, brother-in-law, brother, and father, and again her mother.
Kari looked a little frightened as the rest gathered back out into the hall, preparing to leave.
Micky laughed. "Feeling a little nervous, Kar?"
Kari straightened. "No... Not a whole lot. What about Ginger there? When she heard Steph while she was delievering? And when her mom told us about it?" Kari laughed at blushing Ginger. "I thought she was going to die! Peter's supposed to be the one with sympathy pains, Gingie..."
Ginger shrugged with an embarassed smile. "I can't help it..."
"Are you guys leaving?" Mike said suddenly to Micky and Kari.
"...Yeah? Aren't you?" Micky said.
"Yeah. I wanna ask Steph's brother something, though. He said something about sellin' a car he'd worked on... Then maybe we'll go out to eat..."
Kari laughed. "Say no more. A car. Sorry, Gingie, you'll be here for a while..."
"That's what I get..." she laughed.
"See you later then," Micky said, and he and Kari left the hospital.
Ginger turned to Mike. "What car was this?"
Mike fidgeted. This had all been too much for him. "I... There's no car."
Ginger just stared him down. "No..."
Mike gave a flustered sigh. "Okay, fine... I thought since we were here we'd... you know... what we talked about..."
Ginger was a little shocked. "R-really?"
Mike nodded. "I figure if we hang around long enough, a doctor will have an opening for us sometime..."
Ginger was really surprised by this. She thought she'd absolutely murdered Mike's pride earlier and figured she'd never get him to a doctor. She nodded at him as they started to walk to the apporiate wing.
Mike stopped. "But we're not doing anything weird. If they say whatever it is that's causing a problem can be helped naturally--if there is a problem-- then fine... but no weird surgeries or drugs or anything." He waited for her answer to that before he took another step. He wanted a family badly, but while he'd done all that pre-sleep thinking, he'd decided that if it wouldn't come naturally, it must not have been meant to be.
Ginger actually understood that. "Okay," she said, and they walked off.
After waiting for a couple hours, an older male doctor called the couple into his office.
They got through the preliminary introductions, then Mike sat there and tried his damnedest to memorize the pattern of the woodgrain on the bottom of the doctor's desk. After he'd achieved that, he began to count the pores on the back of his hand.
"Uh..." the doctor said. He decided to ask Ginger some questions about herself first. She was embarassed at first, but when Mike didn't seem too uncomforatable about her answers, it helped.
"Well, from what you've told me everything seems to be working fine. We can run some tests, but usually when things are functioning normally like they are with you, the girl is fine."
Mike subconciously slumped. Why did he come in here in the first place? Why'd he put himself in this situation? They could have went home, kept on, and she would have been pregnant in no time. He was quite capable of a making a child. There was nothing wrong with him, he was man enough to do that. If he wasn't though... that meant he had been born that way... and he'd lived his entire life as a guy that couldn't get a girl pregnant... He had no right to be so fond of cars... to like John Wayne... to wear Levis... Oh God, what if it was the Levis?... Everyone said they were too tight... Were they right?... He'd done this to himself... Why couldn't he just wear normal pants?...
"Mr. Nesmith...?" the doctor said for the third time.
"Hmm?" Mike was out of his trance. There was a cup in front of his face. "What's that?"
"Mr. Nesmith, I was saying that we'd like for you to give us a sample in this cup and bring it back so we can run a few more tests," the doctor replied.
Mike stared at the cup. "I have to do what in there?" he deadpanned.
"Oh Mike, just do it," Ginger said. She wanted to get this over with.
"But..." Mike was beginning to protest. "I can't do that!!!" He was mortified.
"Sorry, Mr. Nesmith, but it's the only way," the doctor replied.
Mike sat there staring at the cup and looked at Ginger. He looked back at the cup and then at the doctor. Looking at the cup again he sighed and asked where the restroom was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was the next day and everyone, except Steph since she was passed out, was at the studio. Kari was showing just a bit more, but she could still hide it pretty well. Mike came in, his hands in his pockets, in sort of a moping kind of way.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Micky.
"Nothing," Mike muttered. He sat down.
"Aww c'mon Mikey, what's wrong?"
Mike didn't reply. Kari nudged him. "He had to go to the pee-pee doctor," she whispered, very quietly.
"MIKE HAD TO GO TO THE PEE-PEE DOCTOR?!?!?!?!?!?!" Micky screamed, almost horrified. Everyone around them dropped what they were doing. Mike buried his face in his hands, mortified once again. Kari began to snicker, but hit Micky all the same.
"Thanks, Mick," Mike said, face still in his hands.
"Heh..." Micky didn't want to go near Mike for awhile, afraid he just might murder him.
"What's all the racket?" Ginger came walking out of Mike's dressing room, sipping on a bottle of Coke.
Peter was still trying not to laugh. "Mike had to go to the..." He couldn't stand it any longer and never finished his sentence, on account of his finally busting and rolling about on the floor.
"Oh," Ginger replied, looking at Mike sorrily.
Kari hit Micky again. "Owie."
"Ah'm going tah kill yew," Mike decided as he suddenly stood up and lunged at Micky in a playful yet dangerous manor.
Micky screamed like a girl and ran for it.
Peter continued to laugh and Kari lost it. Even Ginger had a smile on her face.
Everyone in the studio could hear Micky's high pitched squeal as Mike chased after him around the set. The stage crew found this highly amusing, even the director laughed at this even though they were already behind schedule. He even gave Mike a long pipe to hit Micky with.
"KAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIII!" Micky ran and grabbed Kari around the waist and hid behind her. Mike stopped dead in his tracks, "Hayoucan'thitmebecauseyou'dhavetohitherandyoucan'tdothatbecausesheispregnantandthat'dbewrong!"
Kari calmly pried Micky's hands from her side and stepped to her right leaving Micky in open veiw.
Micky shrieked again as Mike resumed chasing him, swinging the pipe like a lasso above his head, "Ah'll give yew somethin' tah go tah the pee pee doctor about."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the end, Micky made it out that night alive, and he, Mike, and Davy headed to the studio. Peter left early to go to the hospital to be with Steph, who had been hit with post pardom depression hard and, he learned after Mrs. McKnight had called him at the studio, refused to eat.
Ginger was driving Kari to her house, and Kari was subconsciously rubbing her stomach.
Ginger noticed this. "Come on, Kar. It's not going to be that bad."
"Who are you to talk? I just say the word "labor" and you freak out."
"I do not."
"Labor. A 40 hour long labor. 2 hours straight pushing. Laborlaborlaborlaborlabor!!"
"OK! FINE! You win, it's going to be hell, but DEAL WITH IT!!" Ginger yelled as she pulled into Kari's driveway.
The car stopped Ginger and Kari just looked at each other and laughed.
The two both walked into the front hall laughing, but suddenly stopped when they saw the note that was nailed into the back of the front door. "You killed my brother. You ruined my family's life. I'll ruin yours...someday..." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Veronica sat there in her dark room developing the latest of her photos. The walls of her dark room were plastered with pictures of Kari, Kari with Micky, Kari with Ginger and Steph, Kari, Kari, Kari.
That bitch was going to pay and Veronica didn't care how many people she took down with Kari.
She picked out a few delicious photos, jotted down a few things for an article to come out tomorrow. This should be one of her best attempts to take that murderer down for good.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After Ginger had called the studio when she knew it was time for the boys to leave, not wanting them to have to stop work for worry, Kari had started a conversation on a new subject to take her mind off things.
She giggled. "So what do those doctors that Mike went to do again?"
Ginger gave her a dirty look. She had never intended for anyone to find out about any of this anyway. "How'd you find out about any of this anyway?"
"Steph's brother came out right after us at the hospital. I told him Mike wanted to talk to him, that he'd better go back inside. He said he just saw you two headed to the--"
Ginger gave her a look to prevent her from saying her name for what sort of doctor they went to.
"Saw you two headed to that doctor. He didn't mean to tell, he didn't know it was a secret. So I sort of put two and two together. Knowing you and Mike, I'd excpected you two to be the first to have kids, then I just kinda figured since you weren't, and you were seen going to that doctor..."
"Oh..." Ginger said. She was uncomforatable with everyone, even Kari, knowing this. She was sure Mike wanted to crawl away and hide somewhere.
"So... How is... everything?" Kari asked seriously.
"Fine," Ginger said. "The doctor said it was probably nothing, that we just had to give it some time. We've only been trying for a little while..." she lied.
"Oh, well that's good!" Kari said encouragingly.
"Yeah..."
Micky came running through the door to Kari. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Kari said. "No harm done."
"Lemme see the note," Mike said. It was still hard for him to be comfortable. He was glad he'd left the studio a little early. He had been fidgety around all of the guys the entire time he was there, scared to death they were going to ask him if he thought the color scheme of the studio was really working for it or stand up whenever he did or open doors for him or anything like that. He'd done his stubborn best to really punch every low note he sang all night.
"I think you'll be safe, Kari. Micky will be here with you. I'll go call the cops and tell them that we've had some threats from fans. They'll watch the house the rest of the night." Mike walked over and dialed the phone.
Soon a police officer had arrived at the door and informed them that they'd keep an eye on things. Everyone said goodnight, and, having taken Micky's car (Mike insisited on driving), Ginger and Mike got in the car Ginger had driven (Mike insisted on driving) and went home.
As soon as they walked in the door, Mike blurted, "So how'd the entire world find out? Huh?"
Ginger explained just as Kari had, and he calmed down after he heard what Ginger had told Kari in regard to what the doctor had said and how long they'd been trying.
"Well... she'd better blab that just like the rest..." he muttered as he changed into his pajama bottoms.
Ginger laughed. "I think she may," she said as she came out of the bathroom and climbed in bed beside Mike.
Mike kissed her, then sighed. He didn't feel like doing now what he'd felt like doing, having thought about everything too much. "So when's he supposed to call with the results again?"
"First thing in the morning, before we go to work."
Mike breathed out hard.
"Oh will you relax?!" Ginger reached over him and turned out the light.
"I am relaxed..."
Ginger sighed, annoyed. She kissed him. He laid there. She kissed him again. Nothing.
"Oh I give up..." She turned over.
"No, don't give up... I was just playing..." Ginger didn't move. "Aw c'mon... Kiss me again, I'll show ya... You're not asleep... Gin?... Gin, c'mon quit playing..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Peter was sitting beside Steph's bed, for what seemed like the 100th hour, trying to talk to her.
"Steph, really it's alright. You look great. The babies are healthy, you're healthy, everybody's happy--"
"Everybody's happy?! Everybody's happy?! I'm not Peter! I'm not!" Steph screeched.
"Baby, calm down, it--" her mother tried, to no avail.
"Calm down?! I can't calm down!" Steph started crying. Again.
"Steph, really, this is--"
Peter just sighed. He addressed Steph's mom. "Do you think maybe she can get some more... uh... drugs?" "No! I don't need more drugs!! It's just that...well let's see you give birth to two children at the same time!" Steph sighed rubbing her face in annoyance. "I didn't mean to snap at you Peter. I'm sorry, it's just...hard."
Peter ran his fingers through her hair and sighed. "Hey, this is the easy part. As soon as we leave this hospital we have two girls to raise for the rest of our lives. And just wait until they're teenagers..."
Steph giggled as she realized that she was now an official mommy.
"So," Peter started cautiously. "How about eating a little bit of this yummy looking soup."
Steph just looked over at Peter. "Do I really have to yell at you again?"
Peter just slumped in his chair. "Steph, you haven't eaten since you gave birth. You really need to eat something."
"How about," Mrs. McKnight said stepping up to stand beside Peter. "We go see the girls and then I'll go out and sneak you in a nice big veggie burger. The ones you always love. The hospital food here is very questionable."
Steph considered this for a moment and finally nodded her head.
Peter turned to his mother-in-law. "I love you..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~