Dawn woke up and just lay in bed,
staring at the ceiling. It had been a couple days since her and AJ’s fight, she had
been a wreck. His words still echoed through her head like he had just said them.
"You fucked him, didn’t you?!!" She heard Alex’s angry
voice. "That baby is his, isn’t it!?"
Tears started to fall down her face as she remembered everything that he said.
"I didn’t sleep with him…I know I didn’t," she began to cry. "This is our baby..."
She turned on her side and sobbed. She couldn’t believe AJ had said that, that he would even think such a thing. She just knew their baby was conceived that romantic night on the beach. Just like she knew, deep down in her heart, that she did not sleep with Noah. She turned to reach the tissues on the nightstand. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She clutched her stomach in agony.
"Oh God, please, no," she cried as she attempted to get out of bed.
When she started to walk, the pain got worse. She stopped and clutched her stomach once again, the pain overwhelmingly excruciating.
"Please, not my baby," she pleaded as she made her way to the bathroom.
D was in the kitchen making breakfast for Arianna when she heard it, it was a blood curdling scream that made her drop her coffee cup into a million tiny pieces on the floor. It was Dawn. Arianna started to cry at hearing her mother scream.
"Sshh, it’s okay, sweetie. You stay here and eat your breakfast, I’ll be right back."
She went running down the hall to Dawn’s room.
"Dawn? What’s wrong?" She asked, terrified.
The door slowly opened and Dawn appeared in the doorway, doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. D froze as Dawn looked up at her, she could see the pain and fear on her face.
"Dawn? What is it??"
"Something’s wrong, D...it’s the baby! Please help me…" she cried.
"Oh my God, what happened?" She put her arm around her.
"I don’t know, but I need to get to the hospital. I can’t lose this baby. Please...get me to the hospital!"
"I’ll go call the ambulance. Stay right here!"
She ran into the kitchen, Arianna was still crying
"Mommy!" She wailed. She knew something was wrong with her mother.
"Ssshh, it’s okay." She picked up the phone and dialed 911. "Mommy doesn’t feel good, we’re calling the doctor."
She stroked her hair as she tried to calm the little girl down, it didn’t seem to help, she just cried harder. D didn’t know what to do, she was trying her best not to panic.
"Please, Arianna, don’t cry," she was on the verge of tears herself.
After gave her address to the operator she went to help Dawn to the couch. Arianna was still sobbing in the kitchen.
"It hurts so much," Dawn cried sitting back on the couch.
"What can I do?" D asked. She hated to see her in pain like this.
Dawn was sweating and shaking and was as white as a ghost. D was scared to death that something was going to happen to the baby.
Before Dawn could answer Arianna came running into the living room. She was crying hysterically now. D caught her before she jumped onto Dawn.
"Be gentle with Mommy. She’s not feeling well."
Arianna slowly crept onto the couch and fell into her mother’s arms. Dawn held onto her as best she could. She was still in a lot of pain, but she tried to stop crying and calm herself down, for Arianna’s sake.
The little girl had calmed down a little, but she got worked up again when the paramedics came in and took Dawn away. She didn’t know what was going on and she was scared. After they left D pulled Arianna into her arms and rocked her back and forth.
"Mommy is going to be fine. She’s going to a place where they are gonna make her all better."
The little girl looked up at her.
"Mommy get better?" She sniffed.
"That’s right, sweetie." Arianna held onto D for comfort. "Do you want to go see Grandma?"
She expected her to say yes, she loved going to Denise's.
"No, I want my Mommy".
"I know, honey, I know," D soothed as she hugged her.
She started to get ready to leave with Arianna clinging to her, she picked up the phone and called Nick.
"Lo?"
"Nicky." D couldn’t keep her voice from shaking.
"What’s wrong, baby??"
"An ambulance just came and took Dawn to the hospital. It’s the baby."
"Oh my God. I’ll meet you there. Where’s Arianna?"
"She’s attached to me, she’s terrified, and she wants her Mommy. I’m gonna drop her at Denise’s on my way to the hospital. She doesn’t need to be there. Can you call Denise real quick and let her know that I’m coming over and tell her what’s going on?"
"Sure. Did you call J?"
"No. Try to find him. I have to go."
"Okay. I’ll see you there."
At the hospital D was pacing the floor. She was waiting for Nick to get there. He had called and said he was still trying to find AJ. She told him to just leave a message on his voicemail and get to the hospital. She needed him there.
She turned when she heard the elevator doors open. Nick came rushing out and she ran into his arms. She let out the tears she’d been holding in.
"Shhh…baby it’s okay. I’m here," he soothed.
He held her for a while until she calmed down. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. He kept his arms around her, needing the comfort himself.
"Still no word from J?"
"No. I have no clue where he is."
"He better show up soon or he’s gonna wish he hadn’t."
"Have you seen Dawn yet or heard anything?"
"Not yet. The doctor is still in there with her. She was in so much pain, what if she loses the baby Nicky? It’s going to devastate her."
"I know," he sighed, pulling her closer.
They held each other for a while. They didn’t notice AJ show up until they heard his voice at the nurse’s station. He came rushing over to them.
"How is she? Is she okay? How’s the baby?"
"Where the hell have you been????" D shouted, approaching him with her arms crossed.
"I was out of town," he explained, stepping back.
"Out of town?? And you didn’t tell anyone???"
"I don’t have to tell anyone where the hell I go," he defended.
"When you have a fiance’ who’s pregnant and a two year old you damn straight better tell someone where you’re going!!" She fired.
"Don’t start with me, D. I’m not in the mood."
He turned and started to walk away. D grabbed his arm and swung him around.
"Don't walk away from me. I’m not finished with you yet."
AJ was shocked at the way she was acting. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her so angry before, not even with Noah.
"I don’t think you realize what the hell you may have done! The doctor said no stress and what the hell do you do?? You say all those assanine things to her and send her into hysterics. Are you out of your mind?? She may lose this baby and it’s going to be all your fault!"
AJ cringed at her words.
"That’s right J…all…your…fault. I hope you can live with yourself if that happens".
He started to say something but she stopped him. She was on a roll and didn’t want to be interrupted.
"And all that shit you fed Nick about not caring about Arianna, I would have slapped you so hard you wouldn’t have been able to see straight. How dare you say a thing like that! That little girl worships the ground you walk on! You’re her Daddy, you son of a bitch! You make me sick! I don’t even want to look at you right now!"
D stormed off and AJ looked after her. He looked back at Nick, who was taken aback by his girlfriend’s outburst.
"Now I know why I never piss her off," Nick chuckled.
"She’s a pistol when she gets mad. You’re a smart man."
"She’s right though, J. You should have told someone you were leaving."
"I know," he said, running a hand through his hair as he turned away.
Everything D said was right on the money. He never should have said those things to Dawn, especially in her condition. What if she loses the baby? Would he be able to live with himself?
"God Nick, it is my fault….what have I done?" He whispered, on the verge of tears.
A little while later D, Nick and AJ were still waiting to hear word on Dawn. The doctors were still in with her.
Nick had called the rest of the guys to tell them what happened and Kevin rushed over to lend moral support.
"The doctor hasn’t talked to you yet?" Kevin asked them.
"Not yet. I hope everything’s okay," AJ said, looking worried.
"I’m sure she’s fine. She’s strong," Kevin assuredhim, patting him on the back.
"She wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for your big mouth," D scoffed at AJ.
"I don’t think we need to go there right now D," Kevin mediated. "He’s upset enough as it is."
"He's upset?? Oh please, Kevin. What about the rest of us huh? You didn’t hear her scream that ran my blood cold. You didn’t see her face when she came out of that bedroom…the sheer terror that she might lose this baby. This baby, who is a miracle," she added looking at AJ. "I don’t care what you say about it AJ, this baby is yours. There’s no way that Noah’s sperm could make something so wonderful. I can’t believe you would even suggest it."
He sighed. "She slept with him D, and she was with him 24/7 for the last few months. I was with her only a few times. The odds are against this baby being mine. I can’t help the way I feel."
D stared at him in disbelief. "What the fuck is wrong with you??? You’re going to throw away what you have because the odds are against you? You know nothing for sure and you throw accusations at her! She doesn’t deserve it J, and she doesn’t need it! If she did sleep with him it wasn’t all her fault! You know what slime Noah is and how he manipulated the situation. You want someone to be pissed at, Noah’s your man."
"No, you just wait a damn minute. Dawn is not a child, she can make her own decisions. Don’t feed me this crap about it not being her fault…she should never have been drinking as much as she was and gotten herself in that kind of situation, and you were supposed to be there to help me out and keep an eye on her so make sure she didn’t get in trouble…."
"Don’t you dare blame this on me, AJ! She would have never been drinking so much had you not cheated on her and she not felt like you abandoned her!! And maybe you should remember what you just said about her not being a child and being able to make her own decisions and stop treating her like a damn baby!!"
"Alright guys, calm down," Kevin stepped in between them. "This is not the place for this. We need to think about what is important here, that is Dawn and the baby. Pointing fingers is not only juvenile, it’s pointless."
Nick came up behind D and put his hands on her shoulders.
"He’s right, I think that’s enough. Let’s go get some coffee."
"No," she shrugged him off. "I’m not finished."
"What else needs to be said?"
"I don’t think there’s anything else I need to say, but there’s something I need to do".
She walked up to AJ and slapped him hard across his face.
"That’s for being the biggest dick on the face of the earth and for hurting Dawn the way that you have. If she loses this baby I hold you solely responsible."
They all looked after her as she walked away, in shock at her hostility. No one more so than AJ. He just stood there in shock rubbing his stinging cheek.
"You should go after her Nick. She’s upset and she needs you right now," Kevin told him while AJ turned to walk away.
Nick nodded. He walked over to AJ and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I just want you to know that I don’t blame her for being so pissed at you. You said some really shitty things to Dawn. I’ve wanted to hit you myself but she beat me to it."
AJ laughed a little but stopped when he realized Nick was dead serious.
"You better get down on your knees and pray that this baby is okay. While you’re down there you should say a few prayers for yourself." Nick walked off to find D.
AJ sighed and ran his hands over his face.
"I can’t believe this. Everyone fucking hates me," he groaned.
"Not everyone. I don’t," Kevin said.
"Thanks man. At least I have someone’s support. My best friends are blaming me for putting Dawn in the hospital."
"Do you blame them?"
He looked at Kevin sadly. He didn’t blame them one bit. He was blaming himself too. Even if he still believed that the baby wasn’t his, he never should have said all those things to Dawn.
"No, Kev, I don’t blame them in the least."
"Well, I, for one, am not blaming you for this. Although she didn’t need the stress."
"I know, I know. I wasn’t thinking."
"No, you weren’t. You tend to get that way when you’re angry. Trust me," he laughed. "What’s done is done. There’s nothing you can do about it now. She’s here and all you can do is hope that she’s okay."
"But…..what if she’s not, Kev? Why haven’t we heard anything yet??" He looked at him sadly. "Putting everything else aside, everything that she’s done, everything that I’ve done, I still love her with all my heart. She’s my best friend. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen…"
He couldn’t hold it in any longer, he started to cry as he buried his face in his hands.
Kevin put his arm around AJ, he didn’t know what to say to make him feel any better.
"I know you love her, but I’m not the one you need to tell that to."
"I don’t know if she’ll listen. After all of this, I’m sure she’ll hate me, too."
"She won’t hate you, AJ, she loves you."
"Kev, how did things get so bad? What happened between Dawn and I? Everything was going so well. We were so happy, we were planning our wedding…..then it just fell apart. I tried, I tried so hard to make it work. I swear….." he started to sob.
"I know you did, and I wish I could tell you, AJ. Unfortunately, I can’t, and I can’t tell you what to do to get it back, if that’s what you want, and I’m pretty sure you do. You guys will get through this."
"I don’t know, Kev, I really don’t know." He said softly.
Kevin looked over at him and sighed. For the first time in his life, he had absolutely no advice or words of wisdom to give.
They sat in silence as they waited for the doctor to finally come and tell them what was going on.