| Mark�s mouth fell open, instantly sobered. He stammered for a few seconds, and then thought twice, finally just shutting his mouth. �ibhleann sighed and leaned against the counter, rubbing her forehead with shaky fingers. �I wasn�t going to tell you, you know, with your good-boy image and all, but�� she trailed off, looking down at a stunned Mark, who was just shaking his head in disbelief. �Mark, I�m sorry.� For the first time, he looked up at her. �Sorry?� he whispered. She nodded slightly. �For what, darlin�?� He stood slowly, reaching out to pull her against him. �There�s nothing to be sorry about.� �ibhleann fought, but the tears didn�t listen. She pressed closer to Mark as the sobs neared, praying she could hold them off until she was alone. No such luck. He held her close as the sobs racked her body, shaking the couple standing in the bathroom. The muffled cries echoed against the tiles, the tension filling the atmosphere. �ibhleann pulled away slowly, her face red and tear-stained, her breath still coming in short, sporadic gasps, her nostrils flaring violently with each intake of air. Mark smiled weakly as he reached out to cup her cheek. �It�ll be okay, Ayvee.� �How?� The weakness in her voice scared him. Even being so timid, he had never heard her sound so small and fragile. He kissed her forehead and pulled her back to him. �I have no idea.� She laughed slightly. �We�ll figure it out.� She nodded against him. He buried his fingers in her hair as he kissed the top of her head. �I�m so scared, Mark,� she said, sniffling. �I am too, baby,� he admitted, giving her a gentle squeeze. �I am too.� *** �Hey, Scott?� Stapp looked up and nodded as Tremonti sat next to him on the couch in the green room. �Can I talk to you?� �Sure, man,� he said, returning his attention to the newspaper in front of him. �Alone.� Stapp�s eyebrow rose as he looked around, seeing that no one was paying them any attention. �In the dressing room.� Stapp nodded, his curiosity piqued. Once safely behind the closed door, Tremonti took a deep breath, his hands on his hips. Stapp looked up at him expectantly, but there was only silence. �God,� Tremonti laughed, �this is harder than I thought.� �Mark, you know you can trust me. Just spit it out already,� Stapp encouraged. With a heavy sigh and a slight nod, Tremonti took a breath and spilled the beans. ��ibhleann�s pregnant. I have no idea how to tell Sean, seeing how he�s so protective of her and he�ll probably want to kick my ass, but he�s gonna find out eventually.� Looking like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Mark let his eyes meet Stapp�s. Stapp just stared, shocked. �Wow.� �I know,� Mark whined, throwing his hands in the air. �What�re you gonna do?� �I have no idea, man.� He sighed. �I guess I thought you might have some ideas or something.� Stapp shook his head slowly. �Damn.� �Well, if you love her�� Stapp trailed off, and Mark caught the implication. He sighed. �I don�t know if I�m ready for that.� �Just an idea,� Stapp said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. �But I hope you know how hard it�s gonna be for her to raise a kid on her own.� �I never said I wasn�t gonna pay child support or anything. I just don�t know if I�m really ready to get married.� The word �married� fell off Mark�s lips as the word �manure� would have. Stapp chuckled as Mark plopped down onto the couch next to him. �You�ve got a while to think about it, man, so don�t stress about it right now. The answer will come to you eventually, and you�ll know it when it hits you.� Mark nodded slowly. �In the meantime, I wouldn�t neglect �ibhleann if my life depended on it. I mean, we all know how moody women get when they�re pregnant.� Mark nodded. �You mean, kinda like she�s been lately?� �Exactly,� Stapp said with a laugh, launching into one of his stories about Hillaree�s pregnancy. *** �ibhleann gulped down a sigh and wiped her trembling, sweaty hands on her jeans before knocking on Sean�s door. He opened it a second later, and she smiled nervously. After the usual greetings, �ibhleann took a breath. �I have something to tell you,� she said slowly, eyeing Sean warily. �I know you�re not going to like it, but it can�t be changed now. Sean nodded slowly, his eyebrow arched. �Go on,� he encouraged. �Honestly, I�m scared shitless right now, so if you could try to be a little understanding, I�d really appreciate it.� Sean laughed slightly. �I promise. Now spill it.� �I�m pregnant.� Sean just looked at her for a second. �I know, I know. Mark had the same reaction,� she admitted �Wow.� �Yeah.� They sat there in silence for a good five minutes before Sean spoke again. �So what�s going to happen?� �I have no idea,� she moaned, falling back onto the couch. It had been a lot easier getting it out than she thought it would be, but she knew he was going to ask questions, and she didn�t have a single answer. �Did you� you know?� �ibhleann�s eyebrow rose. �Of course. But they�re not a hundred percent. That�s the only thing I can figure. I mean, this wasn�t planned, and we tried to prevent it.� She sighed. �Sean, I�m scared right now. I don�t need a big-brotherly-cousin, I need a friend.� �I know, honey,� he said, pulling her against his chest in a warm, comforting hug. �I�m sure Mark�s scared, too. You�ll get through this.� *** �Hello?� �ibhleann said with a heavy sigh as she picked up the phone. She was now in her own living room, four months pregnant. The guys at work had definitely raised their eyebrows when she walked into the office with a baby on the way. Thankfully, they hadn�t said anything, and �ibhleann hadn�t volunteered any information. �Ayvee?� �Mark? Why the hell are you calling?� She heard him laugh on the other end and couldn�t suppress a smile. �How are you?� �Just fine,� he said. �How are you?� She smiled again. �I�m okay.� �And how�s our little package?� he pressed. She smiled, rubbing her enlarged belly with the flat of her hand. �Doing fine. I went to the doctor the other day and everything seems fine.� �Seems?� She could have sworn she heard anxiety in Mark�s voice, but couldn�t tell for sure. Damn the phone lines for suppressing emotions! �Well, you know. You can never be sure until it�s born. I mean, the heartbeat and all is regular, development is normal, and it�s a girl.� Mark grinned. �It�s a girl?� �Yeah,� �ibhleann said, grinning. �I�m due November 23.� �Awesome. You know, at first I was really apprehensive about all this, but I�m really starting to like the idea. I mean, it�s exciting.� �ibhleann smiled slightly, but it fell quickly as the wheels started turning. �We need to figure this out, Mark. I mean, I want you to be in her life in some way, not just watching you on the TV and cashing checks, you know? I want her to have a father.� She heard Mark sigh. �I know, baby.� She rubbed her forehead. His voice had fallen. That couldn�t be a good sign. �Look, I�m flying down to see you next week, if that�s okay. We can talk about it then.� �Sounds like a plan,� she said, rubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers. �I�ll see you next week then,� he said slowly. �Okay.� ��ibhleann?� �Yeah?� �I love you, baby.� She smiled. �I love you too.� �Bye.� She sighed as she hung up, a smile slowly working its way across her lips. |