“J invites me out here, makes me fly out last minute, and then he’s not here to pick me up. He better be glad I’m such a good friend,” JC Chasez grumbled as he stood from his place on a chair, where he’d been waiting to get picked up for almost half an hour. 

“Sorry man, I didn’t know you were coming out. I’m sure J was gonna come get you, but him and Lynn are at the hospital,” Trace explained as he led JC out of the Memphis airport and out into the cool summer night. 

“Are they ok? Why are J and Lynn at the hospital?” JC asked, a bit frantic, as he settled into his seat on the passenger side of Trace’s car. He’d just landed at the Memphis airport, and Trace had been sent to pick him up. 

“They’re both good. All I know if that J called me earlier down to the Gen Store to pick up Granny Sadie because some chick was having her baby. Lynn and J took her to the hospital, but I’m not too sure who she is or anything like that,” Trace replied starting up the car and pulling out of the parking deck at the airport. 

“What? Is it his baby?” JC questioned wide-eyed. 

“I sure as hell hope not, but I doubt it. J was like he didn’t know who she was either,” Trace replied. 

“Ha, that’s hilarious! So, J’s delivering a baby. That’s some shit right there,” JC commented laughing loudly. 

“Better him than us,” Trace replied. At that moment, his phone rang. 

“Hey Lynn…yeah, I just picked up Jace at the airport…umm, I have one back at the house…think it’d take me an hour to go and come back…wait, let me ask him,” he spoke into the device before turning his attention to JC. 

“Do you have a camera on you?” Trace asked. JC raised a questioning eyebrow before replying. 

“Yeah, it’s in my bag.” 

“Great, Lynn needs it,” Trace said before hanging up with Lynn. “We gotta stop by the hospital and drop off your camera for Lynn. Says she needs to capture the birth.” 

“What the hell? With my camera? Oh come on, Trace…” JC groaned as Trace laughed loudly. Heading in the hospital’s direction, they settled into a tense silence. 

##At the hospital## 

“Patient is nine centimeters dilated and fully effaced,” the nurse announced as Dr. Nettles and her team prepped everything around a groaning Valentina. Justin stood a bit stone-faced beside her, eyes darting every so often towards the door. Silently, he prayed his mother would walk through it at any moment. 

“My lord, how much longer?” Valentina groaned as she dropped her head back onto the bed in exhaustion. The pushing stage hadn’t begun, but it was going on midnight now. The desperation in her voice broke Justin from his reverie. 

“You’re almost there, Val,” Justin soothed, stepping to her bedside and wiping sweat from her brow. At that moment, Lynn burst through the doors. Out of breath but with a bright smile on her face. 

“I’m here, I’m here. Sorry, I made Trace bring me a camera!” Lynn exclaimed as she held a digital camera up for them to see. Justin visibly breathed a sigh of relief seeing his mother there. 

“A camera?!?! I look like death!” Valentina complained before groaning, another painful contraction overpowering her speech. 

“You’ll thank me later, hun,” Lynn soothed once the contraction was over. 

“Valentina, I think it’s time to get to pushing. Dad…” Dr. Nettles began to say addressing the party of three. 

“Nope, not the dad, nuh huh, not at all. I’m just a friend,” Justin quickly interrupted and corrected her. Valentina laughed loudly at his quick reply. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Well, friend, when I tell her to breathe, I need you to wrap an arm around her and help her sit up. Understood?” Dr. Nettles instructed Justin, who swallowed thickly and nodded. Positioning himself at her side, Justin wrapped an arm around her back and waited. 

“I’m gonna be right here, sweetie. I’m going to try and get as many pictures as possible,” Lynn explained, placing a soothing hand on Valentina’ shoulder. Valentina turned fearful eyes towards her, and Lynn smiled comfortingly. “You’re going to do great.” 

“Ok, let’s meet this baby. Valentina, on the count of three, I want you to push and hold for ten. Ready? 1…2…3…push!” the doctor ordered, Valentina pushed down. Justin’s eyes widened as he supported Valentina’s form, watching Valentina’s face grimace. 

“Oh god…” Valentina groaned as she heard Justin, Lynn, and Dr. Nettles count to ten. Releasing and relaxing, her head flopped back in exhaustion. 

“A couple of pushes, and this baby is here, come on…push!” the doctor ordered. 

Gritting her teeth and tucking her chin to her chest, Valentina pushed down with all her might. Releasing on ten, she groaned. She’d opted to skip the epidural, and now, she was paying for it. 

“The baby is crowning, sweetie. So, one or two pushes more and we’re home free.” 

“You hear that Val, the baby is crowning,” Justin encouraged with a small smile. 

“Do you know what crowning means?” Val snapped, quickly apologizing for her attitude. Justin was silent giving her the answer she was looking for. 

“Means you can see the head, son,” Lynn replied with a slight smirk from her position behind the doctor. Justin blushed slightly before nodding. 

"May I look?" he asked Lynn and the doctor, curiosity getting the best of him. They both shrugged in response. No harm is looking. Unwrapping his arm from Valentina, he moved to step around. Valentina quickly latched onto his arm. 

"Oh my god, DON'T LOOK!" she exclaimed. Her eyes wide in disbelief. 

"Why not?" he asked turning back to look at her and halting his motions at taking a peek. He didn’t see any harm in looking either, and they were holding up the last push. 

"Why? Because, oh my god, you're Justin Timberlake!" she exclaimed as another contraction hit her and she pushed down as the doctor ordered her. Quickly rushing to her side, Justin helped her sit up and counted for her. 

##Minutes later### 

“One final push, Valentina, and your baby will be here. Come on, you can do it. Push! Hold it, push, push, push!” 

“I am pushing! Ah!” Valentina yelled as she tucked her chin to her chest, Justin softly coaxing her all the while supporting her back. A small wail filled the air as a wave of relief washed over Valentina, collapsing against Justin’s side. 

“Congratulations, Valentina! You have a healthy baby boy!” Dr. Nettles announced as the baby was pulled out and placed on Valentina’s chest. 

“Friend, would you like to cut the cord?” Justin was offered. Quickly looking for permission from Valentina, he received a nod and he scrambled to get the scissors. Delicately, he snipped the cord and the baby was wrapped up in a sheet.  

"My baby," Valentina sobbed as the doctor and nurses continued to wipe him down.  

“We’ve got to take him to get him checked out, hun,” the nurse announced, allowing Valentina to give her baby a kiss before walking away. Valentina was overcome with emotions and tears as she watched her baby go away.

"You did it, honey," Lynn said softly, coming to her side and kissing her forehead. 

“Yeah, I did,” she sobbed in response. Justin grasped her hand in comfort and kissed her temple lightly. 

“I can’t believe I just watched you have a baby,” he said incredulously, causing Lynn and Valentina to chuckle. 

“Are you kidding me? I can’t believe I just had a baby,” Valentina replied. 

“You both did great,” Lynn stated. 

“Mama, you left me alone!” Justin exclaimed. Lynn laughed loudly once more before stepping aside and letting the doctor and nurses finish up with Valentina. 

##An hour later##

Valentina had finally been settled into a private room, and was awaiting the doctors to come and update her on her baby. 

“Have you thought of a name yet sweetie?” Lynn asked as she took a seat beside Valentina’s bed. 

“I think so, Evan Scott,” Valentina smiled as her eyes fluttered in exhaustion. Lynn smiled at the name, liking it so much. 

“Any special meaning?” Justin asked, standing by the room’s door. 

“Well, when I got pregnant, so many people said this was such a mistake on my part. But, I’ve come to know that this was God’s grace in the form of a child. He’s gonna be my rock, my little warrior. So, Leoni helped me find a name,” Valentina replied. 

“Knock, knock” came from the door. Justin moved to aside to allow whoever to enter the room. An older, middle-aged man in a white coat walked in with a tired smile on his face. 

“Valentina, pleasure to meet you, my name is Dr. Rogers and I’m the neonatologist on duty right now. I’ve had time to take a look at your son, and I am pleased to inform you that he is in perfect health. Normally, preemies stay at the hospital until about their due date, but it’s never set in stone. I see that you were 35 weeks along, so he had much more time inside to develop on his own. Your son is not having any trouble breathing on his own, but his suckling seems to falter a little bit. We’re going to treat him with antibiotics to ward off any possible infections, but he’s a healthy strong baby. We’re going to recommend that he stays here for a couple of days just for precaution, but please believe that he is perfectly healthy,” the doctor introduced himself, shook hands with all, and delivered wonderful news. 

“Oh thank you so much doctor,” Valentina sobbed, failing to hold it back like she wanted to. It was wonderful news to hear that her son was healthy, despite being born prematurely. 

“No need to cry, sweetheart. He’s fine,” Lynn soothed getting up and wrapping an arm around Valentina’s sobbing form. Justin turned to the doctor, giving his mom some time to calm Valentina down. 

“The baby will stay in an incubator for one or two days, but the nurses will bring him by in the morning to stay with her for a little bit. After that, if all is well, the baby will be put in the regular nursery with the other newborns until he’s ready to go home,” the doctor explained to Justin before heading out and bidding them all a goodnight. 

After a bit more crying, Valentina announced she was exhausted. 

“You go ahead and sleep, sweetie. We’re just waiting on Trace coming back to pick us up dear,” Lynn said from her seat on Valentina’s bed. 

“You guys have my car here, take it. Go home and rest,” Valentina offered through half-shut eyes. “It’s the least I can do.” 

“Goodnight, Val,” Justin followed Lynn’s suit, gently kissing Valentina’s temple and stepping out of the room. 

“Mama, you might wanna spoil this kid,” he commented wrapping an arm around Lynn’s shoulder and walking out of the hospital. 

“Why is that?” Lynn turned up, looking at him in the minimal nighttime light. 

“Because I am never going through that again,” Justin chuckled, causing Lynn to swat his stomach. Reaching Valentina’s car, they both climbed in and settled in for the thirty minute drive back to Millington. 

“Never say never, Justin,” Lynn taunted as they pulled out of the parking lot. Turning her eyes to the hospital as they drove away, Lynn sighed. 

“I hope she’ll be ok,” she whispered. Justin turned inquisitive eyes towards her, but didn’t say anything. 

“We’ll come back in the morning, ma,” he reassured her, patting her knee, and holding onto her hand. 

“Yeah, I know.”