Rachel looked at the pregnancy test and swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking and she glanced at Melissa. “You sure you read the directions?” she asked as her friend shoved her in the bathroom and shut the door.
“You pee on the stick and recap it and leave it on the counter and I will check it in ten minutes,” Melissa told her, leaning on door outside in the hallway. “It's not that hard.”
“Shut up, you've never taken one.”
“Not like you have either til now. Besides, we have four more if you mess that one up,” Melissa replied. She was nervous for Rachel, not sure what she was going to do to keep her friend from freaking out. “Get to it, Weatherly.”
Rachel did as the directions said, leaving the test on the counter. She wanted to wait and watch the test, to see if said 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant'. It could be a fluke, she told herself as she exited the bathroom. She slid down the wall next to Melissa and sat there. “JC's not going to be happy,” she said quietly. “He plans everything. What if he doesn't want me? Or what if...” Rachel looked at Melissa, trying not to cry. “What if he does what Joey did? I mean, Joey got married because Kristen was having his baby. He doesn't love her. I mean, not like he did you.”
“Don't think like that. You love Josh. He loves you. I mean, it's not out in the open but you two are the cutest couple ever. It makes me wanna throw up every time you send me a picture. He's crazy about you.”
“But what if he doesn't want me?” Rachel asked again, worried.
“Then you can move in with me and we can pretend to be lesbians.” Melissa was totally kidding but it made Rachel laugh. “I guess I'd have to be the dude though,” she threw her arm around Rachel and hugged her. “Let's worry about it all in about six minutes, okay?”
“Six minutes...” Rachel sighed and leaned her head on Melissa's shoulder. “This year has been nothing short of fucked up. Why not add something else to the list?” she muttered. “Grandpa even wants me to head up an office in New York City. I told him I'd think about it. You don't want to move to New York do you?” she asked sarcastically. Rachel wasn't moving to New York.
“Are you kidding? They have winter up there. And Joey's grandparents are up there. I would never have to cook again.”
“I thought you cooked with Holly,” the taller blonde looked at Melissa when she shrugged.
“It's fun and all, but I still don't like just doing it for myself. I made a cake the other day. Or tried...the trashcan ate good. I ate the frosting out of the container and then went to The Cheesecake Factory.”
“If you weren't my best friend, I'd say that was really pathetic.”
“Thanks, I needed someone to tell me it was. Especially since I bought a whole cheesecake so I wouldn't have to cook,” Melissa said, looking at her watch. “Let's go see if you need to go into the witness protection program.”
“Very funny, Bass,” Rachel felt sick as her friend got up and went into the bathroom and was silent. “Mel?” she asked after a few moments, looking at her friend who'd come back out with the test. “Well?”
“It's positive,” Melissa murmured, wiping a tear as Rachel stilled. “You're having a baby, Rach. A Chasez baby...”
“Oh God,” Rachel said as her stomach heaved. She slammed the door and went to the toilet, getting sick. Her head swam and tears came. She jumped when Melissa's hands pulled back her hair as she got sick. “What am I going to do? My parents..grandfather...oh..” she got sick again and cursed to herself.
“Just worry about telling JC,” Melissa replied, reaching for a clean washcloth and getting it wet with warm water. “I think if you tell him, he'll surprise you. It will scare the shit out of him...”
“You're not helping any,” Rachel muttered as she flushed and then took the washcloth. “Should I take another test? To be sure??”
“Knock yourself out. What am I going to do with them?”
“Scare the shit out of some unsuspecting guy,” Rachel told her, sighing. “That oil rig in the middle of the Indian Ocean sounds good.” The girls went to sit on Melissa's bed since they were upstairs.
“You can't just run away,” Melissa told her, frowning when Rachel glared at her. “I know. I have no room to talk, but I'm not having a baby.”
“You should be, we could be miserable together. I feel like my stomach has gotten on a tilt a whirl...” Rachel closed her eyes. All she could think about was JC getting pissed at her. For ruining his life, possibly breaking up NSYNC.
“I doubt the man I wanna have a kid with would want that much drama in his life. Besides, I get to be an Aunt. I'll spoil your kid so much you won't know what to do.” Melissa's smile faded when she saw Rachel with tears running down her face.
“I'm going to be the reason NSYNC breaks up. The media will have a field day and JC will hate me for ruining his life!” she said as she tried to swallow spit and sniffled. She felt Melissa hug her again and she cried more. “I've never been around a baby. I'm not even married, Mel! I wanted to be married. We were supposed to both get married and have kids that would grow up together and be best friends.”
“Life happens. You know your parents will be excited after they get over the shock. My parents will act like it's their damn grandkid too...He or She will have four uncles who spoil them rotten. And Josh will love you. He won't leave you hanging.”
“How do you know? I mean, he makes lists for things. He drives me crazy that he's so meticulous. And this blows up whatever plans he's made for his music career.” Rachel stopped when Melissa pulled away from her and looked at her like she was crazy.
“Do you not think that JC would give that up? That if he had to take a break or God forbid not sing like this..touring, that he'd do it for his kid? What more reason would he need than to be with you and your baby? Give him some damn credit, Rachel. Save for maybe Justin, the other three guys would give this up for their family if it came down to it.”
“Then why didn't Joey?” Rachel shot back, her arms folded across her chest.
“I don't know. I can't speak for Joey anymore. Kristen obviously doesn't care if he's home or not.”
“What if it was you?”
Melissa sighed. “If it was me, I'd be on that tour bus. I wouldn't care where I was as long as I was with Joey. And if I was in Florida, I'd go to him. Joey would be over the moon-is over the moon. I suspect JC will feel the same way. You have to talk to him, Rach.”
“I'm acting like a bitch, aren't I?” Rachel muttered, sighing heavily and running a hand through her hair. “I'm scared.”
“I know. I would be too. And you aren't being a bitch. You're allowed to freak out a lot. I mean, it's not every day you find out your pregnant with JC Chasez's baby,” Melissa sat back down by her. “So many girls will be devastated.”
“I'll get hate mail, death threats...” Rachel whispered.
“Not if they don't know. You can keep this private,” Melissa stated simply. “I mean, you're not that far along. Save for your baby daddy and Lance and me...maybe your parents and his, no one has to know.”
“So then what happens when JC and I come out as a couple and all that? I just magically got pregnant?”
“I swear it was the Vodka flavored skittles.”
“That shit was nasty. I can't believe you and Chris did that to candy. It was sacrilege. And you threw up on my new purse.” Rachel shook her head at the memory, shuddering a little. Melissa had ruined a brand new Dulce & Cabana purse when she and Chris had decided to put skittles down into a bottle of vodka and let them soak up the alcohol before eating them.
“That was two years ago and you're still bitching about it,” Melissa laid back on her bed and sighed. “I'm still hungry.”
Rachel laid back and rolled over to face her friend. “I'm not hungry. At all.” She was still thinking about how she was going to tell JC. There was no easy way to tell him. “Should I call him?” she asked, just talking out loud.
“No. You're going to tell him in person. That's not something you tell a guy on the phone,” Melissa told her, sitting up. “Least you and Kristen will get to swap baby stories.”
Rachel rolled her eyes and groaned. “She says she still has four weeks and looks miserable. Her sister is at her and Joey's house since this leg of the tour doesn't stop for another couple of weeks. She's huge. I'm going to look like the Staypuff Marshmallow Man.”
“Nah, you'll look like you swallowed a watermelon,” Melissa chuckled as Rachel frowned. “Close your eyes,” she instructed when Rachel got a panicked look on her face. “Do it, Rach,” she instructed her friend. “Now picture yourself holding a sweet little dark haired, blue eyed baby.” Melissa smiled as Rachel's facial features relaxed. “Think of snuggling that baby after giving him or her a bath and then handing them off to JC. JC smiles and kisses a tiny forehead and nuzzles a cheek, humming softly.”
Rachel could picture all of this and it made her feel better. She was still scared, but it helped to think about the end result. She opened her eyes and stared over at Melissa who'd stopped talking and was staring off into space, a slight frown on her face. “You're thinking awful hard, Bass.”
“Nah, not really,” Melissa said, pushing her own thoughts to the back of her mind. Her eyes met Rachel's and she smiled. “We'll figure it out, Weatherly. You have a week until you go back on tour.”
“I'll be booking my flight for the Indian Ocean then,” Rachel quipped, placing her hand on her stomach and thinking of the tiny life growing inside her. It was going to be a long week with a lot of decisions to make. She also had to tell Lance. That almost scared her as much as telling JC. It hurt her heart to think about Melissa's brother going back to being single and still hiding his sexuality. She wanted Lance to be in a relationship like she had with Josh. Someone who would love him through all of life's up and downs. Her eyes met Melissa's and realized the shorter blonde was looking at her expectantly. “Did you say something?”
“I asked if you felt like going downstairs and watching a movie?”
“Why not? We're not sleeping,” Rachel told her as they both changed into pajamas. She fingered her fuzzy flannel pajama pants and sighed. “These wont fit in a few months.”
“You'll look adorable. You know Chris or Joey will want to poke your belly to see if you laugh like the Pillsbury Doughboy.”
“I'll break their fingers. They don't need those to sing,” Rachel pointed out, a smile on her face.
“I'm sending you back to NSYNC with a warning that you are dangerous,” Melissa pointed out, pulling on a shirt out of her drawer, her back to Rachel. She looked down at the shirt and half smiled. It went with a pair of silky shorts. “This shirt has been through the mill. Lance sent it to me from Europe.” It was faded and had a big hole in the bottom. The only letters in the group's name that were readable were the S and the Y.
“I know. I got one too remember? I left it in a hotel in Atlanta, I think.” Rachel hooked her arm through Melissa's. “Thanks for letting me freak out. What would I do without you?”
“Your life would be one horrible, depressing sequence of events that spiraled into an enigma of loneliness and despair,” Melissa told her as they went downstairs.
“You've been talking to Chris way to much,” Rachel pointed out as she went to rifle through the movies. She grinned big and pulled out a Disney move. 'The Little Mermaid' always made them laugh, even now that they were supposed to be grown up. “Are you burning the kitchen down?” Rachel asked, coming in after hearing a noise, holding up the movie. “I got our flick.”
Melissa laughed and shook her head, watching the popcorn in the microwave. “Good choice,” she pointed out, grabbing a Coke out of the fridge and a water for Rachel. “You want something to eat?” she asked, watching as Rachel took her popcorn. “Brat.”
“You love me, Bass.”
“Sometimes. And only for your money,” Melissa teased her, bumping her slightly with her shoulder.
“Whatever. I could be living in a van down by the river-”
“Selling used tires,” Melissa finished, sticking out her tongue. They got more snacks and went to the living room, flopping down on opposite ends of the couch, the movie playing a few minutes later after Rachel put it in. “I love you, Rach. And I'm excited for you,” she said quietly.
“Thanks. I am too, I think,” Rachel replied. She knew her mind wouldn't be totally on the movie, but it was a nice distraction for now.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
“Look who the cat dragged in,” Holly said with a smile as she came through the door of Melissa's apartment. “Honey, you look like crap,” she told Rachel who was sitting there trying not to get sick. “Whatever it is, I don't want it.”
Rachel tried to smile but her stomach rolled. Even though it was almost five in the afternoon, she felt worse now than she had in the morning. “You might wanna not hug me,” she told her, “but I am glad to see you.”
Holly's phone chirped again and she groaned. “I swear Chris is worse than a damn kid,” she pulled her phone out and stilled. “Joey's flying to Orlando. Kristen's sister is taking her to the hospital,” she said, quickly typing out a reply to him before her phone rang. “Hey stud.”
“Hiya, sexy,” Chris replied, a smile coming to his face. “We just sent Joey on a first class flight from Milwaukee to Orlando. He's going to have a nicotine fit and drive everyone crazy....” his voice trailed off and he sighed. “The baby is early so Joey's worried, ya know?”
“That's understandable,” Holly replied, giving Rachel a smile and then waving to Melissa as she came into the living room. She frowned when Melissa swallowed hard and showed Rachel her phone, hearing them talk about Joey. “Chris, call me when you find out more. I think I'm needed here...I love you.”
“Love you too, baby, see ya,” Chris told her, hanging up.
“You okay?” Holly asked, pulling her friend into a hug and heard sniffles. She watched Rachel and raised an eyebrow. “C'mon, talk to me, Bass.”
“I'm fine, I just need a moment. Joey's probably freaking out. And the baby's a month early. That's not good, it can't be good,” her voice stilled as her phone rang and she looked at caller ID. It was her mom and Melissa hit end. She didn't feel like hearing anything right now, having had missed calls from everyone but Joey and text messages. It felt like she was there even though she wasn't and in a way it sucked.
“I am sure everything will be fine,” Holly told her with a smile. “She's going to a good doctor, right? To one of the best hospitals.”
“She went to Pennsylvania a lot for her appointments since Joey was gone on tour,” Rachel told them, getting up and standing by Melissa. “For the other appointments though, yeah, she was in Orlando.”
Melissa knew there was nothing she could do about it, but her stomach was knotted up anyway, she gave both of her friends a smile and just prayed for the best.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
“The contractions won't stop,” Kristen whined to her sister as another one hit. “Where's my husband?” she asked, looking to Phyllis who was on the phone with Joey.
“I know, honey. She's doing fine. How long is the flight delay?” Phyllis asked, listening to her son's voice. There was a storm in Atlanta that had grounded flights since there was lightening but it should be through within the hour. “Kristen's dialated to a six...you'll be here in time,” she reassured him. As his mother, she was going to tell him whatever didn't drive him crazy first.
“Why is the baby coming early?” Joey questioned, pacing a quiet hallway in the airport near the gate to his connecting flight. Rick had come with him for security. He'd told the guys to give Chris his parts and left them all as fast as he could. “Nothing better be wrong,” he muttered, sighing.
“These things happen, Joey. You were a week early, perfectly healthy,” his mother told him, walking to the waiting room. Joe Sr., Janine, David and Steve were all there. She gave them all a small smile as she sat down next to her husband. It wasn't that she didn't think Joey could handle this, it was just that she knew how much he wanted to be there. “I'll call you if anything at all happens, Joseph. Do you want me to have Kristen call you?” she asked.
“No, I talked to her before I called you. She said she was fine and for me to hurry the hell up,” Joey gave a small chuckle. “I'm excited, Mom. I mean, it's been a hell of a ride and now it's here...” he took a deep breath as lightening flashed. “Just pray the storm leaves Atlanta really quick.”
“I will, baby. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom,” Joey closed his phone and ended the call, going to sit down beside Rick. “I'm going to be an old man by the time this all goes down.”
Rick laughed and shook his head. “The moment you hold that little baby, Joe, you won't give a crap what happened. Trust me on this. It's the best feeling in the world. It will all be fine, man.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I am really hoping I get reviews for this chapter. :) Enjoy
Story Tags: joey
