20. Labor of Love - Full Chapter

*I know I updated Catch Me last night but I already had most of this typed up, so I'm posting again :) I hope it's alrightttt, only one more chapter :)*

As soon as she heard Nicki was in labor she felt awful about the way she behaved the night before. There was no need to instigate a personal attack on her for something she couldn't help. Yet, once again she'd lost her temper and aimed all her hurt and anger towards her friend. So far the evening had been a little uncomfortable to say the least. If it weren't for everyone else hogging Nicki's attention she feared what the atmosphere would be like. Safaree had helped her upstairs a while ago since she started snoozing on the couch.

"SB? Is it okay if I head up and see her for a bit? I'll be five minutes, promise." The desperation was written all over her face not to mention patterning her voice.

"Sure, just don't turn it into a screamin' match. She doesn't need that right now." He lowered his eyes, causing her to nod sheepishly in return before she moved up the stairway. The walk to her room was nerve-wracking. She just prayed Nicki would hear and accept her sincere apology.

On the other side of the door Nicki was sitting upright against the headboard. She knew if the person she could hear in the hallway was Safaree then she'd be in trouble. She was supposed to be resting but here she was sifting through emails on her laptop. She wanted to be on top of everything so her full concentration could be on the twins and life after they were born. Of course she knew it wasn't going to be that simple anyway. As her thoughts grew she folded her lips and continued to type up a reply at great speed before a knock on the door halted her. It obviously wasn't SB. He didn't know the meaning of knocking on doors.

"You can come in."

"Hey." The small voice became more distinct when she shut the door, letting silence fall upon them. Nothing was said for a moment or two, making Lauren feel apprehensive.

"You cooled down a little?"

"That's actually why I came up here." She played with the knitted sleeves of her jumper as she looked down. "I wanted to apologize, I never meant for things to escalate that far. I'm sorry." The tremor in her voice obviously pulled at Nicki's hormonal heart strings. She pushed her laptop to the side and stretched her arms out with a small smile.

"C'mere." Obliging without question Lauren moved over to the side of the bed and climbed on tearfully, feeling Nicki's arms wrap around her as soon as she settled on top of the sheets. "I have no idea how hard this must be for you." She sighed and rested her head sweetly on Lauren's before carrying on with her little speech. "But you should know we're all here for you. Not to be yelled at or treated badly though, Lauren." Side-eyeing her friend she released her from the loving embrace. "Why didn't you tell any of us sooner?"

"There was never a right time. I felt like I couldn't bring down everyone's excitement 'bout you and the babies and I just...I don't know." She sniffled and wiped away her tears before trying to smile. It was clear to Nicki how hard this was for her.

"You don't need to feel like that." Rubbing her hand gently she tugged the sheets up over herself a little more with her free hand.  "But you're okay though, right?" The worried look on her face was endearing.

"I'm fine, really. I should be askin' you anyway!" Laughing a little she placed her hand on the large looking mound under the sheets. "It's really time huh?"

"Yeah, I can't believe they're gonna be here soon." She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm so scared, Lauren."

"Scared?"

"Yeah, you ever seen birth videos? They're nothin' short of freaking horror movies. I swear!"

"You should document the birth, could you imagine your fans?"

"Nobody is gettin' in there with a camera, I am not havin' myself exposed like that. GMA already seen enough thank you." She smirked as Lauren shook her head.

"So you're really not havin' anyone film? Not even one of us?"

"Well I was kinda hopin' it was just gon' be me and Faree in the delivery room. It'll be less daunting."

"Yeah I guess I wouldn't like all them people up in my business like that." She grimaced at the thought of it before licking her lips. "Anyway, SB's prolly down there timing me. You're s'posed to be sleepin'." She stood up and smiled back at her. "You want anythin' bringin' up?"

"I want Safaree up here with me. Could you send him up?"

"Sure, but before I leave you should hide that laptop and lay down or else he's gon' freak." She laughed and pulled the door closed a little behind her. Nicki did as Lauren suggested and made out she'd been sleeping before she was disturbed by her friend's apologetic gesture.

On his way back up the stairs he could feel the nerves eating at him but he had no idea why though. He just had that same overwhelming feeling of inadequacy within himself. What if he wasn't going to be able to do all he could for her? It continued to plague his thoughts as he entered the dimly lit room and shut the door behind him. She looked so peaceful just sleeping on her side. How was she not freaking out like he was? Seeing her hurt was something he hated and he was about to endure hours of it, let alone feel it and he was jittering with fear.

"Safaree?"

"I'm here, just give me a minute."

"Has everybody gone?"

"Yeah, 'cept your Mom, Dad and brothers." He talked quietly as he removed his clothes before brushing his teeth and climbing into the bed.

"What's up with you?" She whispered tiredly and quickly attached herself to him, laying as close to his body as her bump would allow.

"Nothin', I just been thinkin' about these next few days."

"What about them?" Her words were warped by her yawn but he caught what she said.

"Y'know? Just you and the babies, I just want everythin' to go smoothly."

"Me too."

"Eveythin'll be fine though."

"You think so?"

"I know so, now go to sleep." He kissed her head, not feeling her move again until he heard her light breathing as she slept.


As soon as he awoke the next morning he'd half expected it to be 3am with Nicki screaming next to him. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. Sitting up slowly he squinted as soon as the daylight blinded him.

"Damn." He shielded his eyes for a second. "Time is it, Nic?"

"Uhm, ten. Why?"

"Has anything happened?"

"Yeah. I had the babies already. You missed everything."

"Ha-ha, very funny." He smirked at her sarcasm and turned to look at her. "What you eatin'? And where's mine?"

"Waffles and you was still sleepin'. You snooze you lose, Mister." She shrugged and continued to feed herself before he snatched the breakfast food from her hand.

"Too right." Scoffing his face he could but only smile at how angry she looked. "Anyhow, where's everybody at?"

"Downstairs. Lauren brought this up for me."

"Lauren? I thought she went home?"

"She wanted to be here." She looked at him as he thought.

"Oh yeah, how'd that go last night? Y'all kiss and make up?"

"We both apologised, yes."

"Good, nobody's got time for that kind of drama right now." He wiped the syrup from her lip before moving his hand down to her bump, still under the bed sheet. "'Specially not my babies."

"They got time for anything. They're supposed to be on their way right now and they're just takin' their sweet ass time."

"Definitely somethin' they get off of you then."

"Get away from me." She chuckled and pushed the covers back. "I'mma go take a bath now, I'ont want any last minute runnin' around."

"A'ight, you need anythin'?"

"Nope, we're good thanks." She flashed him a smile before closing herself in the bathroom. Truthfully she was feeling more optimistic and positive than she had in a long time. That didn't mean she'd still feel that way when she transgressed into the next stage of labor though. She just prayed it would be a complication-free experience.

She didn't soak for long before she helped herself out and resumed her position on the bed. Dressed in only her underwear and a pair of track pants.

"That shit's not funny, Nicki." His face remained surly as she laughed loudly. Pretending to have contractions was the way in which she'd decided to relieve her boredom, although quite cruel it was pretty funny to see Safaree's face in a state of pure shock.

"I'm sorry. You shoulda seen your face though!"

"Yeah? Well, we'll see who's laughin' when it really is time and nobody believes you."

"You'd laugh?" She sat forward and frowned.

"You woulda brought it on yourself if I did." He moved over and sat down on the bed next to her. "Of course I wouldn't laugh though. This is serious stuff."

"I know." She sighed. "I can't stop thinking about how things are gonna go."

"Don't be worried, we got this." He held her hand up to his lips and kissed it delicately. "Put some clothes on, your Mom said she was on her way up." He stood up and tossed a jumper to her just as Mama Carol knocked lightly on the door. Safaree let her in once Nicki was clothed.

"Any movement, Nika?" Her face looked hopeful.

"Nope, nothing. I'm still fat and uncomfortable." Carol smiled at the pout on her daughter's face.

"It'll happen eventually. Patience is a virtue, Onika."

"I know, I just hate feeling all anxious and having to wait around like this. I can't settle." She moved her hands around frantically and looked back to Safaree's sympathetic face. He really was sticking by her side like he promised. Months ago she never would have imagined she'd be in this situation. At least not with Safaree anyway.

"You heard what the doctor said though, anywhere between twelve and twenty-four hours." She just nodded as he once again moved over to the bed. "Maybe you should get some more sleep whilst you can?"

"I'm not sleepy, Safaree."

"Hungry?"

"Always. What do we have?"

"I'll bring you something up." He leant down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. He knew exactly how she felt. The same anxious feeling was eating at him too, he was just trying not to show it.

"How are things with you two?" Carol sat next to her daughter and let her eyes roam her face. She felt as though she'd lost touch with her over the last few months. Things weren't the same between them.

"Things're going slow but that's a good thing. I'ont wanna rush right into things with him this time, y'know?"

"I always knew you two would end up together. I just can't believe neither of you could see that." She laughed a little, pulling a smile out of Nicki.

"You really knew, all those years ago?"

"Of course I did." Chortling sweetly she watched as Nicki placed her hands on her bump, waiting to hear the story progress. "You two were more or less joined at the hip when you were younger.

"How did you know though?" The inquisitive tone of her voice was endearing.

"Just the way he was and still is with you. He knows you more than you know yourself, Onika. Even more than I know you, on another level of course. Don't let go of him, will you?"

"I don't plan to."

***

"Seriously? Still nothing?" Cai's face was scrunched up to the max as he glanced at his watch. "It's almost 4pm, how long is this s'posed to go on for?"

"I'on know, I'm gonna call her doctor now." Safaree folded his lips and rejoined everyone in the living room. Nothing was happening with Nicki at all. She'd had a mild cramping sensation when he took her food up to her but she insisted it was hunger-related and soon fell to sleep once she was done feasting.

"She's sleepin' off her lunch."

"Maybe we should just take her in and say her contractions have started?" Carol looked over at him nervously.

"I'mma take some water up in a minute, see what she wants to do."

"If she's being stubborn-"

"When isn't she?" SB laughed before returning his serious stance. "I'll talk some sense into her if she is bein' stubborn. Don't worry." Everyone nodded and let him get back to Nicki with the water.

"I wanted it in a glass. With ice." She opened her eyes after talking as he set the bottle on her night stand. The room was dimly lit, enough to see but not enough to keep her awake.

"Tough. You got a bottle, so you can just deal." Laying down behind her, he positioned his arm over her middle and gently rubbed her bump in small circles. "You okay?"

"Mmm. I'm scared."

"Don't be. I'mma be there and everythin'll be fine."

"But it might not be though. What if somethin' bad happens?"

"Nicki."

"I'm being serious, Safaree."

"And so am I. Stop thinkin' like that."

"How can I?" She sniffled and linked her fingers with his as they still lay over her bump. "I can't do this."

"Onika." He spoke more sternly after hearing her getting worked up. "I know you can do this." She stopped talking for a few seconds as she attempted to calm herself. The doctor's words echoing through her mind whilst she breathed in and out slowly. That was one of the main things worrying Safaree. What if she had another anxiety attack? And during the delivery too. He'd read up on the subject and it didn't sound good.

"I need the bathroom." Wiping at her damp face she sat up slowly and allowed him to aid her to the door.

"Leave it open though."

She did as he asked and left it ajar in case anything happened. Honestly, he was freaking out too. He had no idea how he was going to keep calm seeing her in such a state.

"Safaree?"

"What is it?" He burst through the door in a panic, only to find her still sat on the toilet.

"Could you pass me a roll of toilet paper?"

"Oh," He smiled slightly. "Sure." He felt as though every time she called it would be a contraction but things were moving at snail speed.

After helping her back on to the bed he grabbed the TV remote and settled next to her.

"This gon' bother you?"

"No, just keep it on low." She readjusted her pillow so that she could see the screen, trying to distract her mind. The longer she lay waiting the more worked up and anxious she was becoming. Feeling Safaree's hand resting on her bump again made her relax some more as her eyes finally grew heavier.

He soon followed, preparing himself for the sleepless hours to come but he'd only just drifted into a dream when he was awoken with a start.

"You sleep like a fucking log!"

"What?" He sat up and squinted in her direction, immediately alarmed by her distressed body language and loud yell. Her face said it all.

"Somethin's happening."

"You mean it's time?"

"I don't know." She exhaled slowly and tried to lift herself off of the bed. "Where's the bag at?"

"It's a'ight, I'll do all that in a minute just sit still for a while."

She was about to start arguing but as soon as she felt his hand holding hers supportively she decided to ride out the pain plaguing her body. Trying only to focus on what he was saying to her through the contraction.

"Okay, it's stopped." Attempting to breathe more calmly she looked at him worriedly, only to feel a little more at ease seeing how calm he was. He was bricking it on the inside but he had to be her support through this. And he would be, every step of the way.

Her contractions were few and far apart, making their trip to the hospital a lot less stressful than it could have been. Thankfully SB had Nicki's family as well as their friends to rally around and help them. That wasn't the case now though as they all sat patiently in the family waiting area. Safaree's sole focus was on trying to keep Nicki as calm as he could.

"They couldn't have picked a more decent hour to arrive?" Sitting by her bedside he kept hold of her hand as he spoke.

"I guess not." She smiled weakly and ran her other hand through her hair as she lay back against the enormous pillows. The only thing giving her any sort of comfort was the sound of the doppler ultrasound allowing her to hear the babies heartbeats and Safaree's hand holding hers as securely as he could. "Do you think she's gonna be okay?" Her bottom lip quivered whilst she stared at him, waiting for his reassurance.

"She's gon' be fine, 'cause she's a fighter." He kissed her hand and placed his on the skin showing on her bump. "See, we can hear her." He pointed at the doppler. Trying to keep her positive was difficult when he was worried half to death in his mind. Their baby girl's heartbeat was getting slower and slower as the contractions progressed, even Dr Hall had come to check on her and seemed worried.

"Could you do me a favour?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Can you go find my Mom and tell her everythin's okay?"

He hesitated for a moment but seeing her pleading eyes he couldn't refuse. "Sure, but I'm comin' straight back though."

"Thank you."


***


"Any news Safaree?" Mama Carol's voice sounded as though it was full of sleep and quite honestly he couldn't blame her. They'd been sat in the hospital for hours now and no change had occurred.

"No, nothin'. I just thought I'd come see how you were all holdin' up." He remained in the doorway of the family waiting room, he wanted to stay with Nicki but she kept asking how everyone else was.

"We're fine, it should be us asking about her." She paused and ran her palm of Caiah's head as he slept on her lap. "How is she doing?"

"You know what she's like." He smirked momentarily before his solemn stance returned. He didn't know whether to tell them or just see how things panned out first. "Uhm, yeah she's good. Tired and really, really grumpy but good." It didn't matter what he said though, everyone in the room could see right through his lies.

"Tell me the truth, Safaree." Not a question but a statement. She always got him with that tone and the face she gave him. Feeling everyone's worried eyes landing on him he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"We don't know for sure yet but the baby girl's heartbeat is droppin' like, a lot." His folded lips emphasised how much he was trying to fight his own emotions, especially seeing Lauren and Candi tear up a little.

"So what's gonna happen?"

"I'm not sure 'cause she keeps havin' like, mini panic attacks. They're afraid that if they go ahead with the c-section she'll just get worse." There was a moment of silence before Carol spoke again.

"Has she started pushing yet?"

"No. Not even close to that yet, they tried layin' her on her side but it made her worse so they're tryin' the other side now and if that don't work she's gettin' in the pool."

"And then the c-secton if that fails?"

"Yeah." He sighed and nodded after speaking but before anyone could ask him anything else a young nurse interrupted their conversation.

"Mr Samuels we need you back in here, please?" The urgency in her tone was pretty clear and he followed without hesitation.

As soon as he re-entered the room it seemed as though the amount of people present had doubled for some reason.

"What's happened?"

"Well, nothing yet." She paused. "She's just asking for you, that's all." Smiling up at him she pulled the curtain back and let him walk ahead first, his mind was quickly put at ease hearing those words. "We're getting the birthing pool ready though but we'll let you know once it's done."

"Thanks." He nodded gratefully and resumed his position by Nicki's bedside. "You hear that?" There was no reply, her eyes roaming the room nervously. "Nicki?"

"Why is there so many people in here?"

"I don't know, it's nothin' for you to worry about though." Observing just how visibly bothered she was he leant over the bed railing. "It's fine." Once again there was no response, instead she grimaced followed by a groan.

"Contraction?"

"Mhmm." Pushing her brows together harshly she folded her lips, humming through the pain as she grasped his hand. It felt different this time, she felt like her mind was completely preoccupied. She couldn't block out the people around her as the anxiety kicked in.

...

*I hope this was okay :/ I know absolutely nothingggg about babies or birth or hospitals so, there will be mistakes in there. My bad. lol but thanks again to those who commented on the previous chapter. I know I said this would be the last chapter but the post after this one will be the last :)*

19. Labor of Love *Sneak Peek*

Just a lil' sneak peek of a section of the next chapter, which could also be the last chapter so it'll probably be longer than usual.

~

"Any news Safaree?" Mama Carol's voice sounded as though it was full of sleep and quite honestly he couldn't blame her. They'd been sat in the hospital for hours now and no change had occurred.

"No, nothin'. I just thought I'd come see how you were all holdin' up." He remained in the doorway of the family waiting room, he wanted to stay with Nicki but she kept asking how everyone else was.

"We're fine, it should be us asking about her." She paused and ran her palm of Caiah's head as he slept on her lap. "How is she doing?"

"You know what she's like." He smirked momentarily before his solemn stance returned. He didn't know whether to tell them or just see how things panned out first. "Uhm, yeah she's good. Tired and really, really grumpy but good." It didn't matter what he said though, everyone in the room could see right through his lies.

"Tell me the truth, Safaree." Not a question but a statement. She always got him with that tone and the face she gave him. Feeling everyone's worried eyes landing on him he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"We don't know for sure yet but the baby girl's heartbeat is droppin' like, a lot." His folded lips emphasised how much he was trying to fight his own emotions, especially seeing Lauren and Candi tear up a little.

"So what's gonna happen?"

"I'm not sure 'cause she keeps havin' like, mini panic attacks. They're afraid that if they go ahead with the c-section she'll just get worse." There was a moment of silence before Carol spoke again.

"Has she started pushing yet?"

"No. Not even close to that yet, they tried layin' her on her side but it made her worse so they're tryin' the other side now and if that don't work she's gettin' in the pool."

"And then the c-secton if that fails?"

"Yeah." He sighed and nodded after speaking but before anyone could ask him anything else a young nurse interrupted their conversation.

"Mr Samuels we need you back in here, please?" The urgency in her tone was pretty clear and he followed without hesitation.

~

18. When The Time Is Right

*Thanku for all the previous comments!*

Drumming her long fingernails along the side of the car door, Nicki waited impatiently for Safaree. By the look on his face as he threw his hat on and snatched the door open he was livid. She figured it would be smart to keep her mouth shut right about now and continued looking out of the window as he pulled out on to the road.

"You couldn't just sit and ignore her could you? You had to go an' make some big, dramatic ass exit and storm outta there."

"Excuse me?!" She whipped her head around suddenly. "How the hell are you abouta start yellin' at me?! I ain't do shit SB! Lauren's the one who started makin' bitchy ass comments! Fuck outta here sayin' shit like that!" Shaking her head she turned stroppily to stare out of her window again, feeling the tears of anger threatening to fall.

"Look, I ain't hear what she said but you shoulda just let it slide. Not dragged the both of us away like that. I was havin' fun and now I gotta go home and stay in with-" He stopped himself quickly before he got the last of his sentence out. Focusing back on the road he could feel her teary eyes burning into the side of his face.

"Go on. Stay in and what Safaree?" She sniffled and swiftly swiped at the tear tickling her cheek. "Stay home and spend the rest of the night with me? Is that what you was gon' say?" Her voice was full of hurt, instantly making him feel bad.

"No, it's not that it's just..." He paused for a moment or two. "Can't you see, Nic we've been in the house forever. I'm abouta lose my goddam mind if I spend another second locked in there, it's messin' us up! We always up under each other."

"So you're sayin' you wanna spend time apart from me?"

"No. I never said that and you know that ain't what I'm gettin' at." He let his words process through her mind before speaking again. "I just think that bein' like this ain't healthy and I know it definitely ain't good for the babies for you to be gettin' all worked up like you are now. So could you please stop cryin', I hate seein' you like this." He used his free hand and placed it under her chin, making her look up. He could only look back at her intermittently since he was driving. He wrapped his hand around hers as he carried on driving with one hand, thankful that with her hormones all over the place their argument hadn't escalated to the level it usually would have. Although they'd done the short and easy version of one of their fights and made up at the end she continued to stare out of the window, the tears still trickling down her cheeks.

As soon as they made it into the house Nicki went and changed into something more comfortable whilst SB set the alarm system. She had no idea what was wrong with her right now, she desperately wanted to curse out the fact that she was pregnant but then thoughts of Lauren would pop into her head. She should feel thankful that she can even have babies, just as she lay her hand on her bump that precious heart-warming feeling washed over her as she felt them move. Gently stroking the fabric of her v-neck shirt over them she smiled to herself.

"Mommy can't wait 'til you both get here."

"Neither can Daddy." She jumped slightly feeling his arms loop through hers and rest on her stomach as he stood behind her. Basking in the silence and enjoying their moment until Safaree spoke again. "I love you Nicki, you know that right?" With a momentary falter, she answered.

"I love you too."

"You didn't answer me though. I asked if you knew that I loved you." He waited silently for a response but he didn't get one causing him to move around to the front of her. "Nic?"

"I heard you SB." She looked down and pulled away as she climbed on to the bed cautiously.

"Then why you not answerin'?"

"'Cause I dont know the answer." Her eyes followed his frame as he moved to sit on the bed too. "I know that you're sayin' it but I'ont know if I believe it." She trailed off and looked down at her bump in attempt to avoid his shocked expression.

"Nicki, how the hell could you even question that? I always loved you and I always will. Nothin' is ever gon' change that." He pulled her into his arms and held on to her with just the right amount of pressure. Showing his affection without crushing her and their unborn babies.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

As if words weren't enough he went ahead and showed her how much he loved her that night, giving her endless hours of pleasure until the early hours were upon them. Understandably she was knocked out as she slept heavily next to him. They hadn't been together in that sense since before he left to go live in Florida and even with her eight month bump in the way, they still managed to make it possible. Laying back down he wrapped his arms around her again and followed her to sleep, hoping that she was out of her emotional rut by the morning.

***

The next morning he turned over, reaching out for only to feel the space where she should have been laying. He frowned before relaxing his face again, figuring she was just not sleepy and up feeding herself something she shouldn't be. He was about to allow his eyes to close again but hearing bottles tumble in the bathroom he sat up.

"Nicki?" The covers were thrown off of him before he walked over to the slightly ajar door. "Nic? What're you-" He rushed over to her within seconds of seeing her. She was sat, pain-faced on the side of the large bath-tub. Both her hands resting on her bump let him know it was obviously something baby related. "What happened?!" He was knelt at her level immediately, running his hand along the sides of her thighs.

"I don't know, it just started hurting when I woke up!" She squeezed her eyes shut at the pain, trying to hold back from crying.

"Where at? You think it's the babies?" He was trying to read her expression but she kept hanging her head low.

"I don't know."

"Well, how long you been up?"

"I don't know."

"D'you think you can you move?"

"I don't know Safaree!" He flinched a little at the anger and pain in her yell before jumping into action.

"Aight, stay here I'm gonna go grab your bag. We're goin' to the hospital." He kissed her forehead before moving swiftly back to their room, picking up her hospital bag before reaching for his phone. Remembering she was still in her pyjamas he quickly grabbed some sweats and top for her to wear. Entering the bathroom again he saw her stood tiredly only centimetres from where he was knelt before.

"It's stopped now." She looked up at him with clothes in each hand along with a bag.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She nodded and spoke at the same time as he helped her back through to the bedroom.

"Still, put these on. I'm takin' you to hospital."

"No I'm fine now, really it was pr-"

"Nicki. Just put them on, whatever it was that just happened doesn't sound right. You're goin' to the hospital, even if I have to wrestle you into the car." His gaze looked dead serious as she she took the clothes from his hands.




The drive there was silent during the moments when he wasn't cursing out the early morning work traffic. He managed to steal a glance at Nicki every so often, her face was pale as she stared out of the window whilst rubbing her bump soothingly. Feeling his hand touch hers she flinched slightly before looking at him.

"Faree?"

"Yeah?" The softness of her voice was enough to make him stare at her worriedly.

"Do you think somethin's wrong? With the babies I mean?" She was playing with his hand nervously before making him put his hand over her bump, placing hers over the top with their fingers intertwined.

"No, everythin's gon' fine. I promise." He pulled their hands up to kiss hers before putting them back on her stomach as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. She seemed perfectly fine now but Safaree was risking nothing. Helping her out of the car he kept hold of her hand as they walked in. Luckily she'd picked up a pair of shades and a hoodie to conceal herself before being led to a private room on the maternity ward.

"A doctor'll be thought to see you soon." The young male nurse smiled extra-hard before leaving again. He had already guessed who it was.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanna know what's wrong so we can leave already." Her loud sigh made him move over to her as she sat perched on the edge of the bed.

"It's probably nothin', just a twinge. Stop worryin'."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right." He looked down at her, immediately making her smile.

"You're so cocky." He was about to respond when the doctor entered, their head immediately turned in his direction.

"Sorry to keep you both waitin' I had some things to sort out upstairs." He smiled warmly before laying the file of notes on the food tray attached to the bed and slipping some gloves on. "So what's brought you here?" He asked casually and flicked through her notes as he listened.

"Well, I woke up this mornin' with a real sharp pain across my front that I've never felt before." She shifted uncomfortably and looked back up at Safaree, only to feel her hand become enclosed in his securely.

"Okay, well that doesn't sound too nice does it? You wanna lay back for me so I can take a look?"

"Sure." Safaree kept hold of her hand as she lay on the bed, lifting her clothes up so Dr Hall had the access he needed. His hands weren't as cold as she had anticipated and could only thankful about that.

"Alright, and how far along are you again?"

"Almost thirty-four weeks." She kept her eyes on his hands before he removed them and grabbed the ultrasound.

"I'm just going to take a closer look, okay?" Nodding her head she gasped at the coolness of the gel before he placed the equipment on to her skin. Soon enough the image was displayed on the screen and the sounds of their heartbeats could be heard. A sound they both loved to hear. "Well it all looks good to me, their heartbeats are fine." He looked at the screen intently before pushing the machine away and wiping the gel from her stomach.

"What's wrong with her then?" Safaree's voice was full of concern thinking back to the amount of pain visible on her face as she sat in their bathroom.

"I can't really say, it could've just been a twinge or a strong kick." He looked back at Nicki. "You only had the one pain? No more followed?"

"No, just the one."

"Have you been doing anything out of the ordinary in the last couple of hours? Any strenuous exercise? Heavy-lifting?" She shook he head no after each one before he spoke the last of his sentence. "Sexual intercourse?" Her eyes immediately met Safaree's as she blushed a little. That answered his question as he moved to grab a hospital gown. "Here, I'll leave room whilst you change. I want to keep you in for a little longer just to be sure. Get one of the nurses to give me a shout once you're dressed." He smiled again and let Safaree take the gown as they watched him leave.

"Oh my God Safaree. What if somethin' bad happens 'cause we had sex?" The look on her face was one of absolute worry as her hands automatically moved up to her face.

"Stop it Nicki. I'm sure it's nothin', even Dr Hall doesn't seem worried. It'll be fine. Here, lemme help you put this on." He left his stuff on the chair and helped her to undress before slipping the gown on to her, smirking when she turned around and gave him a view of the slit up the back as she climbed carefully back on to the bed. She sat, consumed with anxiety whilst Safaree told one of the nurses they were ready for Dr Hall to come back. They both returned moments later.

"Alright, we're all gowned up. Perfect." He reached over for some more gloves after sanitising and looked back at her. "Could you just lift your knees up? I need to check your cervix." She did as he asked only for him to look up at her humorously. "But first I'mma need for you to take your underwear of Ms Maraj."

"Oh right, yeah." She shook her head embarrassedly before asking SB for help. She hated this part the most.

"Okay, you won't feel any pain as such just a little discomfort." His reassuring smile made her relax a little whilst Safaree held her hand. He was right, the same feeling of discomfort she felt every time soon washed over her as he inserted his fingers whilst she wrinkled her brow irritably. Safaree's stance relaxed as soon as he removed his hand, although he was a doctor and this was his job it still wasn't exactly what every guy wanted to be watching. "You're only three centimetres dilated, so I'll let you get dressed and go home for now, but as soon as you feel any pain come straight back.." He removed his gloves and motioned for her to lay her legs flat again. Both of their faces displayed the same expression. Shock.

"Woah, wait, you mean she's actually in labor?"

"Well, yes. Probably brought on by last nights events I imagine." He smiled at Nicki looking away before fixing his gaze back on a worried Safaree. "Look, she's only three centimetres dilated and her water still hasn't broken yet. It could be another twelve to twenty-four hours before anything happens."

"So you're sending her home? Just like that?"

"Mr Samuels, I understand how scary this all sounds but it'll benefit Nicki more for her to be at home resting before she returns when it really is time."

***

"I can't believe they just sent you home!"

"Mom, it's fine. They said it could be a whole day before anthin' actually happens." She smiled and grasped her Mother's hand lovingly. "We just have to make sure we get there before the babies decide to arrive." Hearing her laugh made both Mama Carol and Safaree smile. He was glad he already arranged for her family to be flown out when he called them earlier on at the hospital. It was now early evening and he was slightly regretting his decision. Nicki was supposed to be resting but with everyone having fun downstairs she'd somehow managed to talk him into letting her sit with everybody.

"What'd you do to her?"

"What?" SB scrunched his face up at Terrence's weird question.

"To make her pop them babies out before they even ripe."

"Hey, I ain''t do shit. It's just time, that's all."

"Yeah, I heard her talkin' to Joyce before. Somethin' 'bout semen-"

"Yeah okay!" He interrupted his sentence before he could go any further. Dr Hall had explained that the adult activity they took part in the night before had in fact caused Nicki to start dilating early, luckily she was close to what was usually classed as full-term for a multiple birth.

"Damn. So your seed put'm in there and now it's bringin' 'em out. That's some good stuff you got."

"Get outta here." He shoved him jokingly before making his way over to Nicki, she was sat sleepily with a blanket draped over herself. "You feelin' okay?"

"Yeah, just a lil' tired." She answered after yawning. "Where's Candi and all them at?"

"On their way over now, so you can tell'm hi and bye 'cause you gotta go rest. That was the whole point of leavin' the hospital."

"Yeah I am kinda sleepy." She pulled her phone out as he took a seat next to her. "You think I should tell the Barbz now or later?"

"Later." He turned to face her seriously. "If you tell'm now then the whole world is gon' know and be all up in our business."

"Oh, yeah." She frowned before retweeting a few things and sliding her phone back into her pocket and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So, you really gonna do it?" He felt her move as she looked at him.

"Do what?"

"Not have the c-section?" His voice sounded concerned and although he wanted to support her decision he still worried for her well-being.

"Well neither of them are in breech position now babe, we already talked about this." She grabbed his hand gently. "They said I'm fine to have'm naturally and if anythin' goes wrong then they can do an emergency c-section." Scanning his face for a reaction she waited for a while before he finally nodded.

"As long as you're fine about it, then so am I." He kissed her gently as he caressed her bump. "I can't believe they gonna be here soon."

"I know." She cooed and looked down at herself as if she could actually see them. She couldn't wait to lay her eyes on them for the first time and see them, having only ever imagined what they looked like.

"You scared?"

"Mm, a little bit." She chewed her lip anxiously. "But as long as you're there I'll be okay."

"I'mma be there through everythin'. The tears, the screams, the blood-"

"Okay Safaree, I get it! You'll be there." She blurted out to cut him off, not wanting to think about the pain or blood she was about to encounter.

"And the names? You still like 'em?" He was worried that she was only saying yes to the names he'd picked because of how much he'd missed out on her pregnancy, but honestly she really did like them.

"I love them." She kissed him again and snuggled into his side as her parents and brothers conversed with Safaree's Mother, Terrence and Joyce. She was glad they were with her too, having not seen them in what felt like forever. Plus Joyce had given her a raw idea of what to expect as opposed to her Mother's rosy version of how beautiful childbirth was. At least now she had a realistic idea of what she was about to endure.

"Hold up, don't fall asleep yet. I think Candi's here." He let her sit up before he went to get the door, it was Candi who'd kindly brought TT and Thembi along with her and much to Nicki's surprise Lauren too.

...

*Thanks for reading :) I hope this was okay!*

17. Behaviour Uncalled For

*Okay so I hit a brick wall with CM right now but I'm trying to get it together so I decided to post on here and WTWC today ^_^ Hope this is ok! And thx so much for the comments on chapter 16! The posts I'm doing today are quite small but that's only for today I'mma start posting again as usual and try get some longer chapters in :))*

It was getting late and everyone could see that Nicki was tired as she lay pathetically into Safaree's side. Her parents along with Safaree's were stopping in the spare rooms and everyone else was leaving. In the space of thirty minutes every person had cleared out of the house.

"You want somethin' to eat before you go to bed?" Safaree couldn't help but smile at how Carol would talk to Nicki as if she was still a child living at home.

"No thanks, I ate like a truckload for lunch." She rubbed her stomach before taking a seat at the table. Her friends were the only non-family members still there, everybody was in the lounge room down the hall and as soon as Mama Carol left the kitchen it was just Nicki and Lauren. She could tell she wanted to leave but spoke up before she could make a move. "You okay Lauren?"

"I'm fine, I just need an early night." She smiled and rubbed Nicki's hand. "I think I'm gonna head off but I'll-"

"No, don't go yet!" she felt her small hand grip on to hers as she tried to stand. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" The curiosity on her face wasn't genuine as she returned to her seat. Nicki knew that she knew what she was going to ask her.

"What's goin' on with you? And don't even think about lyin' 'cause you already spun enough of those. I'm not stupid Lauren, there's somethin' up with you." She looked like a deer caught in the headlights but that expression changed as Safaree walked in, placing his hands on Nicki's shoulders as she took no notice of him. He kissed her head and carried on over to fridge, Lauren's eyes followed him all the way and Nicki didn't fail to notice. Turning her own head she looked at him and then back to Lauren, her gaze still hadn't broken. "What are you starin' at?" Her demanding voice made her tear away her eyes and look back at Nicki's face.

"I'm really fine Nic, don't stress yourself out. It ain't good for-"

"No, don't turn this back on me. I asked you if you were okay, now could you please answer me truthfully?" Safaree could feel the tension in the room and grabbed his plate of scraps before leaving quickly.

"I'm just goin' through some stuff right now, but it's fine. I'm gettin' through it."

"You don't have to just "get through it" though, y'know you can talk to us? Why didn't you say somethin'?"

"I can't talk about this, 'specially not with you." Nicki's face contorted as she gave her a look.

"The hell is that s'posed to mean?"

"Look at you! You got everythin' anyone could ever want. You wouldn't understand."

"Wait, if you're talkin' 'bout bein' famous and-"

"I'm not." She took a breath and started playing with her nails as she avoided making eye contact with her friend. "I mean your life right now, you and Safaree are gettin' things together. You're abouta have twins. I'on know I just want what you have and sometimes it's like you can't even see how blessed you are." She finished her heartfelt explanation and left Nicki sat there speechless.

"Don't think I'm not grateful for what I have, 'cause I am. Really, Safaree's the best thing to have ever happened to me!" She smiled as she spoke but Lauren's face remained the same. "You'll have all of this soon, hopefully more planned and thought out than the way I'm experiencin' it."

"That's the thing though, I won't. I can't." The sudden crack in Lauren's voice made Nicki frown and grab her hand.

"Sure you will, you're-"

"Nicki, you don't get it. I ca-" She cut herself off and huffed. "I can't."

"You can't what?" This was becoming more and more confusing to Nicki's already frazzled mind, she didn't know whether it was because Lauren was actually being confusing or if she was just tired after a relatively big day.

"I can't have kids Nicki."

***

"Just like that? That's all she said?" Safaree was removing his watch as he sat on the edge of the bed with Nicki laying behind him.

"Yeah." Her answer was followed by a deep sigh causing Safaree to turn and look at her.

"She can't be mad at you 'cause you can have babies though, that's just messed up."

"She's not mad with me Safaree, she's just..." Her thoughts cut into her sentence as she became quiet again. "I feel so bad that she felt like she couldn't speak to us, y'know?" SB was listening as he ripped the cover up and climbed in next to her.

"Wait, when did she find out 'bout all of this?"

"After you left. And there I was sat tellin' her how a got pregnant by accident. And with twins too." She slapped her hand on to her face and groaned. Lauren hadn't told her the whole story but she was more than cut up about the whole thing, especially having to watch one of her best friends experience all of this and not be able to ever know what it's like herself.

They lay together and talked for ages. By the time they actually got to sleep Nicki had been in tears about Lauren and tired herself out even more, leaving Safaree with his own thoughts. There was no doubt about it. He felt so bad for Lauren, even more when he thought about how much he was always going on about the twins, he was mentally kicking himself but couldn't carry on like that. How was he supposed to know what was wrong with her? Feeling Nicki stir next to him he sat up and peered over at her face, her brow was furrowed deeply. She had done this two nights ago and as soon as he started rubbing her back she became still again and her face relaxed. Sleep wasn't far away from him as he continued rubbing at her skin and before he knew it he was fast asleep too.

As the weeks passed by Nicki and Safaree were well on their way back to normal and they were taking things slowly in terms of her leaving the house. She didn't for a while but then whenever  Safaree would head out to go get something she'd just ride with him in the car so she could leave the self-made prison. The word was out that she was pregnant and now everybody knew but she figured that would have to come out sooner or later. As for Drake he hadn't been heard from in a long while but he definitely wasn't forgotten. With his focus purely on the road Safaree kept the speed up as they headed across town to Rex's place, it was Candi's birthday and a couple of them they were going around to celebrate. They already decided before hand that they weren't staying too long, just a quick hello, happy birthday and goodbye.

"S'up with you?"

"Nothin'.

"Yeah, 'cause that's exactly what it seems like." He shook his head and carried on concentrating on the road whilst she just ignored his last comment and played mindlessly on her phone. Honestly she was already feeling uncomfortable with the thought of being around Lauren right now, she just wanted the night to be over so they could go home. Not to mention her new worry of going into labour at any moment. The rest of the short car journey was silent until they pulled up to a stop and he helped her out of the car. They just let themselves in and followed the noise of people people talking before they actually found them all in the back lounge room.

"Oh my God, is that Nicki? Actually outta the house?"

"Fuck you." Her dry response matched with a blank stare made Rex laugh as he walked over to them.

"Nah I'm just playin', they all through there." He gestured behind him and let her past before greeting Safaree.

The room went a little quiet as she walked in, mostly out of surprise that she'd even come out. The silence was temporary before Candi jumped up to see her. Embracing her in a hug she led her to the couch. Everything was going smoother than she thought after she'd wished her a happy birthday and gave her a gift, until TT started asking about baby names.

"How can you be ready to pop 'em out any time now and still not have come up with any names? That's the first thing I'd do!"

"I'on know, it's just somethin' we haven't really spoke about." She shrugged under their gaze and caught a glimpse of a very uncomfortable looking Lauren as she played with one of her bangles.

"You must have some ideas?" Now Candi was offering her input too, much to Nicki's annoyance. She wanted to keep the focus on the main reason they were here but it was all turning back on to her. She was glad the guys had all moved outside, the only reason being that they didn't want to smoke around her.

"I really don't though." She smiled before looking between their faces. "Anyway tonight isn't about me, it's your birthday."

"How kind of you to notice." The spiteful comment wasn't just noticed by Nicki as all three girls turned to look at Lauren's scathing face. TT was about to open her mouth but Thembi stopped her.

"How 'bout we get some birthday drinks goin' or somethin'? Orange juice for Nic of course. Come help me." Thembi nudged her before jumping up and moving through to the kitchen. There was silence once again as Nicki looked down at herself and Candi switched her eyes from her two friends.

"Okay, the hell is wrong with you two?" The anger was more than clear in her tone and facial expression as she spoke.

"What, you mean aside from her makin' everythin' about herself?"

"Lauren I'm tryin' to understand what you're goin' through, I really am! But you can't keep actin' like this with me, it ain't my fault!"

"What the hell are you two talkin' about?!"

"Look, I think I'm just gonna leave. I have an appointment early in the morning. Happy birthday Can." She stood up with a struggle and grabbed her purse. "Tell Safaree I'll be waitin' in the car." That was all she said before she left.

...

*Again, I'm sorry it's short but I did this one as well as CM and a sneak peek for WTWC today so I'll do some more tomorrow :)) Hope it was ok*

16. Diagnosis - Part Two

* I haven't updated this one in a while so here goes, the last chapter was really not good and I apologise! I'm trying to get it back on track though :) Hope this is ok!*

Safaree stood as soon as the Doctor entered, he had a bunch of files in his hand. Slipping them under his arm he shut the door behind himself. Nicki was still alseep, reminding them to keep their talking at a low volume.

"So what was it you needed to talk to me 'bout?" It was obvious how nervous he was feeling as he stared anxiously.

"Oh it's nothin' too serious but it is quite important."

"Is it the babies?"

"Please, sit down Mr Samuels and I'll explain everything." Safaree did as he was asked and resumed his seat by Nicki's bedside. The doctor did exactly as he said he would. Running through every aspect of what had happened to Nicki, reasons why it could have happened and everything Safaree could do in future to prevent it from happening again. SB caught himself feeling overwhelmed listening to all the signs and symptoms, some of them sounded terrifying. Then he moved on to another topic, her celebrity status. He discussed the fact that the added stress and pressure she was under from the public would probably have contributed greatly not to mention any traumatic experiences she's had. Safaree's mind swilled back to thoughts of Drake and everything he'd done to her. The guilt of leaving her would never leave him. Ever.

"Mr Samuels?" He looked up at the sound of his name.

"Sorry it's been a long day." Trailing his eyes back over Nicki's peaceful face he was glad he didn't have to see her go through any of that today. He would have preferred it if he was there for her but all the while he was just glad.

"I understand, I'll get the discharge papers sorted for you." He smiled kindly and turned to leave, stopping briskly in the door frame. "Oh and we'll try and minimise the amount of crowding outside when you leave."

"What?"

"Well, I assumed you knew that there was dozens of photographers outside." His brow furrowed confusedly as Safaree's face dropped. Now her secret was out.

"Aight, thanks." He nodded back at him and left.

Although the hospital security tried their up most to clear the hospital entry there was still people piled outside. Instinctively Safaree kept a firm hold on Nicki as they made their way out, he could feel her clutching on to him desperately as they tried to get into the truck. The driver didn't hesitate to get out and hold the door open for the pair of them, it took a while understandably since they were trying to pry themselves through all the people in the dark. Only temporary flashes of cameras illuminated the environment around them. He could hear some of them yelling to give them space to walk but they weren't listening. Finally reaching the vehicle he made sure to get her in first, she was still holding her jacket over her bump in attempt to conceal the view but she knew as well as him that they'd already got pictures. Climbing in next to her he slammed the door, not caring if anyones extremities were in his way.

"You good?" He watched over her as she sank back into the seat, nodding. This was ridiculous, he knew this was what they signed up for when she pursued this career but hounding her like that when she was pregnant and just suffered and anxiety attack? He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stand this. What would happen when she had the twins?

"I know what you're thinkin'." His thoughts came to an immediate halt as he looked over at her. The car was moving now, thankfully leaving behind the incessant clicking and flashing of the paparazzi.

"You do?"

"Yeah, of course I do. It's written all over your face Safaree." She gave him a knowing smile before grabbing his hand. "Talk to me." He hesitated, wondering whether or not to tell her about the text from Drake. Ultimately deciding that she'd had enough to deal with for today he pushed the memory to the back of his mind.

"I was jus' thinkin' 'bout when you get further on with the pregnancy will they still be hasslin' you like that? Y'know? And what about when they're actually born they gonna be in talks 'bout who the Dad is and-"

"Safaree?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." She laughed as she said it and snuggled into his side as he smiled. "It'll be fine, and if they start askin' questions I'll just tell 'em who their Dad is."

"But you don't know who the Father is, could be Drake for all we know."

"Biologically he could be. But you're gonna be the one raisin' them. Feedin' them, changin' their diapers, teachin' them to walk and talk." She tilted her head up to look at him. "Either way, you're gonna be their real Father. No matter what."

"You mean that?"

"I wouldn't say it otherwise." She blinked lazily as he smiled down at her before relaxing back into the seat with her.

Before they knew it they were back at the house and obviously with it being close to 10pm they settled on having something quick to eat before going to sleep. Laying in bed his thoughts continued to spiral as she was resting comfortably into his side, her head resting on his outstretched arm.

"Safaree?" He jumped a little hearing her voice, he thought she was sleeping.

"Yeah?"

"Did you think Lauren was actin' weird today?" She kept facing the same direction until he turned his head to look at her.

"Didn't really notice, why?"

"Oh, I'on know, she just seemed really off. Like, almost mad but..." She trailed off in thought as she chewed gently on her lip. "I feel like I'm bein' so selfish."

"How are you bein' slefish? You've had a traumatic day. It ain't your fault."

"I know but even she said today-"

"She said you were actin' selfish?"

"No, lemme finish." She blinked slowly and began again after he shut his mouth. "She was talkin' sarcastically and told me she was sorry that they couldn't have their own problems to deal with."

"Oh and that made you feel selfish?"

"Yeah. Like, I've been too wrapped in my own shit that I haven't noticed that she's goin' through somethin'. You think she's okay?"

"Well you've had a lot to deal with Nic. Nobody is holdin' that against you. As for Lauren, I'm sure she's fine, she seemed okay with me but you could just give her a call tomorrow. Now, go to sleep 'cause I got a surprise for you in the mornin'." He kissed her one last time as they re-settled to go to sleep, but she still wasn't done.

"Wait, we're not-'

"No Nicki. We're not leavin' the house if you don't want to." He felt her relax again and snuggle back into him as he shook his head.

Amazingly they both got enough sleep that evening. Safaree thought he was going to be kept awake with her frequent waking during the night but she slept like a log the whole way through, in turn giving him a peaceful night's sleep too. Having already got up and performed his usual morning routine he was sat downstairs on the laptop. There was pictures all over the internet already, feeling himself becoming irked he slammed it shut.

"S'up with you?" She approached him from behind and ran her hands over his shoulders and down his chest as she got to be as close to him as her bump would let her.

"Nothin' that you should be worryin' 'bout." Clasping on to her hands he pulled her around on to the stool next to him. "I'm gon' make your food-"

"What about my surprise?"

"Well if you were patient enough I was just gettin' 'round to that, food first and then I'll get on to the surprise." He kissed her pouting face and moved over to the counter, making her food. Bringing his eyes up to stare at her he sighed seeing her scrolling down the endless articles on the laptop, he knew he should have moved it but she'd find out sooner or later.

"Do they really have nothin' better to do?" She let out a long sigh. "Whatever, I'm not gon' let it get to me. Not today." Slamming the piece of technology shut she slid it away from herself and sat her elbows on the table. "How long will the food be?"

"It's done." She spun around quickly hearing how close he was. Her excited face dropped as he placed a bowl of cut up fruit in front of her.

"Where's the actual food?"

"That's it. It's fruit, it's good for you." Throwing the tea towel over his shoulder he waited for her to eat it. "I'm not allowed what you had?"

"Nicki I had this too."

"How are you about to tell me that when your damn plate is still sat on the table?" He followed her eyes as they fell upon his plate which had previously been home to strips upon strips of turkey bacon along with the whole deal.

"Fine. Eat that, then I'll think about it." She rolled her eyes and started picking out the pieces she wanted to eat.

"So, what's my surprise?"

"Get your fruit, I'll show you." Holding his hand out for her she grabbed it with her free hand, her fruit bowl secured in the other. As they got closer to back of the house she could hear people talking, at first she thought it was on the TV but noticed it was turned off.

"Safaree-" She stopped dead when he opened the sliding door to the back yard, revealing the whole of both his and her families along with all their friends staring at them. "Oh my God! How did you-"

"That doesn't matter, they're here aren't they?" He kissed her before releasing her from his hold as she went to say hello to everyone. Honestly he'd been organising this for ages and was thankful that it all played out. Watching everyone stood around and sat at the tables he set out he smiled seeing Nicki with her Mom. He saw Lauren stood alone, she looked troubled to say the least. Making his way over to her she hadn't even noticed him slide up to her.

"Aye, s'goin on with you?" The question was asked out of genuine concern as he grabbed himself a steak off of the barbecue. Now he was glad that he'd set out paper plates, no cleaning up.

"I'on know what she's been tellin' you but I'm fine." She forced a weak smile and looked over at Nicki, she looked a lot calmer than yesterday. Truthfully that had really scared her and she was relieved to know she was okay for now.

"Nicki never said anythin'. It's obvious that there's somethin' botherin' you. What's up?" He was lying as he cut greedily into his steak, paying attention to her sadness at the same time.

"Please? Can we not do this here?" She looked down before throwing her empty paper plate into the trash bag next to them. "I'm just gon' go use your bathroom." Leaving before he had chance to speak another word he watched her disappear inside, Nicki was right she was acting out of character.

The day rolled on pleasantly until the biting cold of the evening weather forced them back indoors. Safaree was in shock about the fact that Nicki hadn't fallen asleep yet. Getting her alone in their bathroom he shut and locked the door behind him.

"Oh? So now you're following me to the bathroom?" She was just drying her hands as he moved closer to her, securing both of his hands on her hips.

"What, I'm not allowed to have you to myself for a lil' bit?" He smiled into her neck as he kissed and nipped at her skin starting something he definitely intended to finish, to which she happily complied.
Thankfully all the commotion downstairs drowned out her moans as he had her sat on the sink whilst he devoured her.

***

After kissing her deeply he wiped his mouth and let her down so she could put her panties back on.

"I'm never talkin' to you again if anyone heard us Safaree." Raising his brows at her smirking he tapped her on the ass as they left the bathroom. Nobody had heard them, at least that's what they thought. Sat in the bedroom next to theirs Lauren had heard everything as she fought to hold the tears back. She shook her head angrily and tried to force the tears away and when she finally succeeded she checked herself over before joining everyone else downstairs again.

*Hope this was alrightish, I was gonna do HIA tonight too and I already typed a bit but I can only post in between revision hours so I might post it tomorrow if I get chance :) Thanks for all the comments on chapter 15 ^___^*

15. Diagnosis - Part One

*Okay I officially do not like this chapter after writing it FOUR times! Yes that's right I wrote it four times and got angry before posting it as it is >:( Moving right aloooong, hope this is ok for everyone It's a little rushed and short and Im sorry but I'll give myself more time for the next one I promise it will be better!!*

After he watched them leave he felt the anger consume him. How the hell was Drake about to text Nicki asking her to meet up with him? After everything he'd done to her, everything he was still doing to her. He'd been woken multiple times last night with her crying out in her sleep but he would just pull her trembling body to him and hold her until she drifted off again. He didn't know what else to do. Grabbing his keys and phone he headed out. He needed some time to forget all his troubles and be with his friends too just like Nicki was right now.

***

Their car ride was awkwardly quiet as Nicki just looked at her nails and Candi played on her phone in the back whilst Lauren kept her face on scowl as she drove them. That was another thing, Nicki wanted a driver to take them in one of the cars but Lauren deemed that idea ridiculous if she wanted to keep a low profile. Especially since they'd gone against Safaree's orders of taking some form of security with them.

"I ain't sittin in the back on the way home, just sayin'." Feeling her temper flare Lauren tried to keep a lid on it but when Nicki responded equally as childishly as Candi she felt as though she was about to flip if another word left either one of their mouths.

"I get motion sickness Candi, fuck outta here wantin' the fat pregnant lady to sit in the back and be throwin' her goddamn intestines up!" Candi rolled her eyes and looked out of the window as Lauren exhaled shakily and ran her hands over her face. They were stuck in traffic, sat silently.

"Stop it."

What?" Nicki looked at Lauren confusedly.

"Your foot. Stop tappin' it like that. It's annoyin' as fuck." Looking down she realised that she'd been absent mindedly tapping her foot on the side of the car door. Stopping immediately she widened her eyes and looked out of the window too after sighing. This horrible feeling she had wouldn't go away, it was heavy on her mind as she felt her hands trembling. They reached the mall in silence and honestly the only one who was completely unaffected by Lauren's mood was Candi. Who carried on acting as normal as they strolled in. Nicki kept her shades on as she felt her heart thumping, she had no idea why she was freaking out so much about leaving the house but she'd been having eerie feelings. She figured it was probably nothing or if anything just her acting strange because she was pregnant. Luckily nobody knew she was carrying, it made her more difficult to identify.

"Why'd you bring me here?" She huffed as they walked around.

"Oh my God, Nicki if you really don't wanna be here then just go wait in the fuckin' car!" Angrily looking through her bag Lauren searched for the keys.

"By myself?" She laughed dryly."Yeah, like that's gon' happen!" As Candi roamed off after rolling her eyes at a snappy Lauren Nicki stood by her aggravated friend. "The fuck is wrong with you today?"

"Nothin'." Pulling her purse over her shoulder some more she looked at Nicki's face which showed that she knew she was lying. "Really, it's nothin'. Now can we please get on with this, get what you need and get you home before SB thinks we got yo' ass kidnapped or somethin'?"

"Ion believe you but I'll figure it out. Right now though, I want a smoothie so let's go." She shook her head and followed behind Nicki as they caught up with Candi again.

They'd been walking around aimlessly for ages after getting smoothies and amongst a few giggles Nicki still couldn't shake that weird feeling. On top of that all the walking had made her feel tired and achy.

"Can we please sit down?" Lauren looked back at her fed up friend and agreed as she watched her trying to stretch her back out. She'd been really quiet actually, and honestly she had expected more whining to have occurred.

"Yeah, you wanna go eat?"

"Oh my God! Yes!"

"Shit, you act like you've never been fed before!" Candi cackled as they headed over to the food court, luckily it wasn't very busy.

"I'm eating for three." She looked her dead in the eye as they walked and held up three fingers just to make her point clear.

"Whatever. Where d'you wanna eat?"

"Somewhere away from everyone." She scanned her eyes across her surroundings and jumped slightly when a store worker nearby accidentally knocked off a shelf of items.

"Well, we're in a food court so, there are people everywhere and why you actin' mad jumpy and shit?" Throwing her empty smoothie cup into the trash Lauren fixed her eyes on Nicki waiting for an answer.

"I'm not."

"Uhm, yes you are!"

"Whilst you two argue 'bout that I'm gon' get me some food." Walking off ahead she left Nicki and Lauren to sit down. They were both moody and quite frankly pulling her into a depressive state too. Sitting in silence Lauren kept her focus on Nicki as she kept checking her phone and bouncing her knee.

"Aight, what is up with you?" Bringing her head up she stayed still.

"Me? I could ask you the same freakin' question! You been actin' so bitchy all day! Anyone would think you're the one that was fucking pregnant!" She had no idea where that outburst came from and immediately regretted opening her mouth. After staying silent almost all day she felt drained, tired and now after her angry explosion she felt as though she was on the verge of tears. This was the part of pregnancy that she hated, for no reason she felt like she hated everyone around her and they were purposely trying to annoy her. She loved her friends but was in no mood to be in their company right now.

"Wow, I didn't realise we couldn't have our own problems to deal with, I'm sorry." She placed her hand  on her chest as she spoke sarcastically.

"Lauren-"

"No, don't talk to me. Ion wanna hear your mouth right now." Rubbing her temples she took herself some painkillers out and took them with her water. She gave Nicki a look again.

"Now what?"

"Stop bouncing your leg like that, you look like a nervous wreck." She hadn't realised what she was doing as she stopped her limb from moving. Suddenly feeling really warm she pulled at the scarf that was around her neck as she fanned herself.

"I don't feel right." Lauren looked up momentarily as she heard her trembling voice.

"You kay Nic?" She let her eyes wander over her shaky hands and flushed face. "Nicki?" She didn't answer as she stood up swiftly, she had no idea what was happening as she tried to breathe.

"No, no I feel like I'm gonna pass out." She squeezed her eyes shut and used the table to steady herself as Lauren stood up too, looking more and more concerned by the second by her friend's strange behaviour.

"Is it the babies?"

"Ion know." She paused and looked at Lauren pleadingly. "Please can we just go?" Grabbing at her chest she tried to steady her breathing but the more she tried the worse it got and people were starting to stare. As her shaking became more visible Lauren felt her stomach drop, this could be serious.

"Shit Nicki, you're really scarin' me! I'm callin' an ambulance!" she did as she said she would and dialled as Candi neared them with her McDonald's bag in her hand.

"Are you okay ma'am?" An older man asked worriedly seeing a pregnant woman in such a distressed state, she'd sat back down again and was still trying to stop herself from breathing so fast and deep.

"Oh my God, what's happening?" Candi rushed over to the seat next to Nicki and held her hand as the man pulled the brown bag from her grasp and emptied the contents.

"Here, breathe into this, I think you're hyperventilating." As Lauren spoke on the phone Candi helped Nicki hold the bag to her face and the stranger coached her through her breathing, hoping it would have the desired outcome. They watched Nicki as she shut her eyes, allowing the tears that were forming to fall down her face as she struggled to control the rapid rising and falling of her chest.

***

Sitting with the Vaks he'd been more reserved than usual, stuck in his thoughts about the whole Nicki and Drake situation. What if he hadn't deleted the text? Would she have agreed to see him? He answered his own question as he shook his head, she wouldn't do that. Not after the way he treated her, no way. Popping another chip into his mouth he saw Rex staring at him.

"You aight?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Sleepless nights that's all." He re-adjusted his hat and stood up. "Well, Imma make a move now I was gon' take Nicki out to eat but I have a feelin' she ain't gonna want to leave the damn house." As he was about to head out his phone vibrated in his hand, looking down he saw it was Lauren. He'd missed three calls from her and as he opened her text he didn't hesitate in leaving immediately.

Pulling up to the hospital he parked way out of the lines and darted straight to the front desk. After asking quite rudely the lady pointed him in the right direction. Exiting the elevator he saw Candi and Lauren sat outside looking worried.

"What's happened? Is she ok?" He was talking a mile a minute as Lauren stood to talk.

"We don't know yet, the doctor-" Before she could go on she was interrupted by the man himself.

"Safaree?"

"Yeah thas me, is she ok? Can we see her?"

"Yes, yes just a moment. I wanna explain some things first and then you can go see her. She's been askin' for you." He smiled which reassured them that there was no bad news.

"Well what's wrong with her?" Candi crossed her arms across herself nervously as the doctor moved his eyes across the three of them.

"Nicki appears to have suffered an anxiety attack, which accounts for the hyperventilation, trembling, heart palpitations and all the rest."

"An anxiety attack? I didn't even know she was suffering from anxiety!" Lauren cupped her hand over her mouth feeling awful for having made Nicki leave the house when she didn't want to. Obviously it was being out in the mall that had set her off.

"A lot of people don't until the first attack, but with Nicki it could be a number of things. I'll talk about that later with you alone Mr Samuels. I'll let you go see her now, she's fine. A little tired but she and the babies are fine." He flashed them a smile and patted Safaree reassuringly before going around them and  heading toward his next patient.

As they entered her room they saw her laying sleepily on her side. He was right, she looked exhausted.

"Hey, how are you feelin'?" Each taking a seat Lauren asked guiltily as she looked over her.

"Sleepy." She pulled her eyes away from Lauren as Safaree walked over to kiss her. They both let him take the seat closest.

"I'm so sorry for makin' you go out. I had no idea, why didn't you tell me?" He held her hand supportively as he sat down.

"Honestly? I didn't know either I just felt weird." She sighed quietly before feeling herself dropping to sleep. He stayed there, holding her hand until she properly asleep again. Candi and Lauren left at around 7pm and Safaree was sat wondering why they were still in the hospital, surely if they were fine then the could leave. Just as he was about to stand up he heard the door open as the doctor walked back in.

* I hope this was alrightish, excuse any medical errors, I am no doctor although I do have experience with Social Anxiety Disorder since I suffer from it so some of it should be similar! Lmao, thx for all ur comments on the previous chapter I cried at how mad you all were with the cliffhanger XD My next chap will be less rushed and more mentally planned!*

14. Back To Normality

* Okay kids! Massive ass apology first! I'm sorry I've been neglecting this one a lil bit but I'm posting now so it's all good! Also some of you may have noticed that there is a link on all of my blogs for Cassie's Dricki Blogs, I know most of you are Onikafaree fans but some ppl read Dricki fics too, so if you're one of those ppl I believe she just posted her first chapter on Sweet Dreams so check it out of you can, I've heard she is a good writer and she's sweetly displaying my blog links on her fics too ^_^ Kay Imma stop waffling on now!! Enjoy!*

As he slowly blinked his eyes open her reached over to touch Nicki laying next to him but she wasn't there. Sitting up some more her scanned his eyes around the room, she was nowhere in sight. Before he had chance to throw the covers back he heard the TV downstairs and looked over at his phone. It was 5am.

"The fuck's she doin' up this damn early?" Rubbing his eyes he let his legs fall out the side of the bed and stayed there for a minute before heading downstairs. Surely enough there she was. Looking like she was wrapped in some sort of cocoon sat in the dark with her pink blanket draped around her, only inches away from the TV screen. Walking over slowly and quietly he placed his hands on her shoulders causing her to scream out and spill her bowl of cranberries everywhere.

"Safaree! The fuck?! I almost peed myself you asshole!"

"Shit, I ain't mean to scare you that bad. Maybe if you sat further away from the freakin' speakers you woulda heard me! Why you sat so close anyhow? You gon' get square eyes." He took a seat on the floor next to her as she tried to regain her breath. He felt a little bad seeing how much he'd actually made her jump.

"I wasn't sleepy and I didn't wanna wake you up." She looked at him sweetly as she popped another cranberry into her mouth.

"You know yo' ass is gon' be sleep again by ten don't you?" He looked at her knowingly as she frowned.

"Uhm, no I won't. 'Sides, so what if I am? The babies like sleepin'." Placing her free hand on her bump she massaged it lovingly, still eating her cranberries.

"Oh? Well they better keep on likin' it when they're born too. I ain't doin' no midnight diaper changin' sessions!"

"What? So you'll let me do all that when I'm the one that has to carry 'em 'round for nine months, feed 'em AND give birth to them?" Pausing with her snacking she looked at him expectantly.

"well when you put it like that-"

"Exactly. So that's cleared up then. You're doin' diapers." Licking her fingers she sat forward and stood herself up. "I'm goin' for a shower. Could you please make me some-"

"Pancakes?" She grinned widely at him knowing what she wanted.

"Thank you Faree." Kissing him gently she tightened the blanket around herself and shuffled back upstairs as he watched, shaking his head.

***

Setting them both some pancakes on to plates he whisked them over to the table and placed the cutlery next to them. Nicki was still showering as he waited in the kitchen for her. Slowly losing his patience he decided to head upstairs and see what was taking her so long. He knew it, walking into their room what else does he see but Nicki fast asleep in the centre of the bed. He chuckled softly to himself and rearranged her blanket over her.

"Told her so." He sat with her for a bit before deciding on a time to wake her up since he wasn't sure when Lauren and Candi were coming over. Once that was done he headed back downstairs to eat his own pancakes, throwing hers away. If she wanted more later then he'd happily make her some. After texting Lauren and finding out what time they were coming to get Nicki he went back upstairs to shower and all that good stuff. They were going to drop around at about midday and then take her out which gave her two hours to get ready if he woke her at 10am.

The girls stuck to their word about coming over but they came a lot earlier than he expected and understandably Nicki was still laying in the middle of their bed.

"Hellooooo?" Candi threw her shades on to the side table as they let themselves in.

"Why d'you do that?"

"what?"

"Add way too many O's on to the end of your 'hello'?" Lauren curled her lip as she shut the door. Candi had been irritating her all the way in the car and honestly she felt as though she was close to kicking out of the damn vehicle. "And besides, she could be sleepin' so keep your mouth zipped, hear me?" Candi rolled her eyes and headed in to the living room, then the kitchen and then back again.

"Must be upstairs."

Once they made it upstairs Lauren headed in the direction in which she heard music playing, it was coming from Safaree's room as he was just getting dressed after his shower. But she stopped hearing Candi's hushed whisper.

"Lauren! Come look at this mess!" She stifled her giggles as she stood in Nicki's doorway staring at her. She was curled up on the bed, her pink blanket still layering her body.

"Awww! She's too cute, let's go get a picture 'fore she wakes up." Silently agreeing they cautiously entered and climbed on to the bed with their friend. She didn't stir as they snapped a few pics on their phones.

"Ew, that is so weird! Did you see that?" Candi's face looked horrified as she stared down at Nicki.

Lauren peered over before talking. "What?"

"Look!" She whispered and pointed at Nicki's bump as one of the babies moved.

"Oh my god, can't she feel that?" Lauren asked as Candi gently poked at Nicki's stomach. Neither of them knew Safaree was watching in amusement from the doorway.

"Y'all havin' fun over there?" Jumping at his voice they both snapped their heads around quickly, in turn making the bed wobble and waking Nicki up.

"Ughh, why are y'all sat starin' at me when I'm sleepin'? Weirdos." Laughing at her not even opening her eyes to speak they pulled her blanket off of her.

"'Cause we love watchin' you sleep, you look cute. Now come on, we're goin' out so get'cho ass outta bed Onika."

"No." Still laying looking sleepy she waited out the silence before blinking her eyes open slowly. "Safaree, make 'em leave? Please? Ion wanna go out, I'm tired."

"I'm not helpin' you this time Nic, you need to get outta the house. You're gonna rot away in here, 'sides I thought you said you needed maternity clothes?"

"I do but there's this new thing called online shopping, Ion know if any of y'all have heard of that but it's pretty damn handy."

"Aight, I'm not really likin' pregnant Nika right now. She's lazy as fuck." Holding eye contact with Lauren, Candi folded her lips after speaking before switching her eyes back to Nicki as she moved from her side and on to her back.

"Oh? Hows about you carry two babies inside of you and then see if you skippin' around bein' all energetic and shit."

"Nicki, get up. We'll be waitin' downstairs and you've got exactly thirty minutes." Leaving her laying there they all filed out and headed downstairs. Hearing her groaning in a tantrum-like manner after they'd gone.

"Wow, you guys are gon' have fun with her today!"

"SB, don't even!" He could tell Lauren was riled about something but didn't want to press her so toned down his jokes as he shared a look with Candi.

Flopping gracefully on to the couch she ignored Lauren's huffing and faced Safaree. "Anyways, s'been goin' on SB?"

He shrugged before remembering the text Nicki got from Drake last night, but he decided not to say anything. "Nothin'." I been playin' housewife and Nicki's done nothin' but sleep forever."

"Yeah, is that even normal?" She raised her brow slightly and watched Safaree's face scrunch up.

"Ion know, I was readin-"

"Wait! SB, reading? Wow, you really are serious 'bout this huh?"

"Candi we're talkin' 'bout the woman I love and my possible kids here? Of course I'm serious!" He sat back and tilted his a hat a little.

"My bad, sorry I asked." She rolled her eyes playfully. "But really though, I'm happy for y'all and it's about freaking time too!"

Almost thirty minutes later a furious looking Nicki appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Kay, I'm ready are we goin' or what?" They all shared a exchange of glances as she grumpily shoved her shades on and threw her bag over her shoulder.

"Oh, so you're not gon' say goodbye?" He walked over with his arms outstretched as she stood sulking.

"No. You're forcing me to leave the comfort of my own home. I'm mad with you."

Feeling his arms wrap around her from behind and rest over her bump she tried hard to stop the smile from spreading across her face. "You still mad?"

"No."

"But?"

"But pleeaaase don't make me go? I really, really, really don't want to Faree." Hearing them both whispering Candi and Lauren interrupted them, instantly knowing what Nicki was probably doing.

"Aight! Lets go!" Gently grabbing and arm each the dragged a reluctant Nicki out of the door, letting Safaree peck her lips quickly.

Not one of them had stopped to think of any reasons why she might not want to go out though...



dun, dun, duuuuuun >:)

*It's a liiiiiiittle short, I know AND I typed a majority of this in one of my psychology lectures BUT don't worry and don't yell at me it was the last lecture of the term and I'm re-watching them before exams anyways ^_^ so it's allllll good :) But you got this chap and tmrw I'm gonna be typing like a crazy bitch cuz I'm doing CM, WTWC and FY :)) I'm rethinking my decision to completely end FY cuz I had a few DM's about it and ppl wanted it updating soo....Imma sleep on that :) OH and more drama with the next chap for this fic ^__^ Thx for all ur previous comments too! x *

Which blog am I posting on this week?

Kay, I have a time slot for writing a chapter on Thursday night soooo which blog would you like updating CM, WTWC, CAHM, HIA or FY? ^__^ Or if it's easier you can just DM me on twitter :))
It's Barbie Biiiitch! :*

13. Shadow (Full Chapter)

Without warning Nicki stood up in a state of anxiety causing Safaree to understandably start to panic.

"Nic? What is it? What's wrong?" He grabbed her hand as she tugged at him to leave.

"Please can we just go? Ion wanna be in here." She let go of him and started to swiftly make her way to the exit when he just stood still in confusion. He only let her get two steps away before he was on her tail again.

"Nicki?" His large hand grasped on to her tiny wrist as she kept trying to get to the door.

"Safaree please?!" The volume of her plea made people enjoying their meals turn around to stare. Including Drake. He hadn't even considered bumping into her just yet, this was just coincidence. Dropping his napkin he rose to his feet and headed towards them. He knew SB wouldn't cause a scene in public, especially when Nicki was with him. You could call her his protection in a way.

"Fancy seein' you two here. Of all the places, weird huh?" He sidled up to the couple, Safaree could feel her shaking and knew he had to get them out of the eyes of everyone in the room. They were more visible now and people were starting to whisper and point, noticing who she was and what was different about her. It wasn't hard to miss, she was six months pregnant, with twins. He would deal with Drake's ass another time, knowing that if he started screaming, yelling and throwing punches more attention would be drawn to their presence.

"The fuck do you want?" His hushed whisper was only heard by tables close by as Nicki attempted to stay out of Drake's view.

"Ion want anythin'! 'Specially not from you." He made eyes at Nicki before following the contours of her body down to her bump. "S'up Nic? Cat got yo' tongue?" She turned away, hating that he had this hold on her. She was, and still is a strong individual but with him, it was different. He was dangerous, more so given her current state.

"DON'T!" Safaree paused, attempting to regain his composure. "Don't talk to her, and stay the fuck away." He put emphasis on the right words, making his message more than extremely clear as Drake backed away a little. More people were staring which caused him to hold his hands up and walk off backwards. He wasn't don with them just yet. Watching walk off Nicki let out a breath of relief as Safaree took her hand in his. "Come on, let's go."

The journey home was silent as Nicki continued to stare out of the window. Safaree was beyond pissed. He felt like he'd broken through her barriers and was terrified that the little confrontation with Drake would be a set back. As he pulled into the gated driveway he cut the engine once they were fully in the garage. Silence drowned the atmosphere.

"You kay?" He ran his hand down the length of her arm, slightly pleased with the effect as he saw a tidal wave of goose bumps overtake her skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Although the smile she presented told him otherwise, he still nodded and let himself out of the car making sure to go to her side and get her door. She looked tired and honestly he wasn't sure if it was actual fatigue or the series of events taking effect on her. He didn't want to seem overly keen or pushy but he'd been doing his reading on the quiet, being pregnant with twins did result in a higher level of exhaustion so he put it down to that. Once they were inside she headed straight upstairs causing him to sigh, he didn't know what to do. Starting trouble with Drake would make things worse, he was sure of it but all the time, at the back of his mind his sick face was there. Laughing. Inhaling and exhaling slowly he ran his hands down his face, if they couldn't go out and eat then they would stay in and eat. As long as she had food in her cupboards he'd make something for the pair of them. Rummaging around he managed to put together some things that would make a nice breakfast, well lunch now but that was ok. He shut the fridge door and did a double take at the calendar. At 4pm today Nicki had an appointment for an ultrasound scan. He let his eyes wander upwards and noticed the same scribbling down only it had been crossed out, obviously she had either missed her appointment or couldn't make it. She definitely wasn't going to miss this one. Not on his watch anyway. His chef skills were put to the test as he prepared their food, but everything came out perfect. He'd made bruschetta and was actually quite pleased with his work, smiling proudly he made his way up to her room. But hearing voices he stopped, not breathing he relaxed once Judge Judy's voice became more audible. Her and that show. Shaking his head he knocked and entered whilst trying to balance the tray carefully.

"Hey, I made you a little somethin' to eat. You hungry?" She was curled up on her bed watching TV, her big pink blanket draped over her tiny body. The outline of her bump looked even bigger underneath all the fabric.

"Uh yes!" She lowered the TV volume and sat upright, making room for him and pulling her blanket back so that he could climb under with her. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek as he handed her plate over.

"I, uh, made it myself so don't be expectin', y'know, like some Top Chef shit kay?" She giggled genuinely which made him smile. 

"Don't act stupid, it smells really good." Her voice became harder to hear as she started slicing into the crunchy bread.

"Oh yeah and you have an appointment today, you forget?"

"Shit, I did. I'll change it to next week."

"No. You were supposed to go last week, weren't you?" He saw her mouth twitching as she tried to think up some excuse which he already knew would be a lie. "I saw it on the calendar Nic. It's a 4pm today, so be ready to leave." Rolling her eyes she nodded and finished off her lunch.

"I was putting it off." Safaree turned to look at her.

"Why? Don't you wanna know how they are and if everythin's alright in there?"

"Of course! But, Ion know. Going alone it just made me sad." Her words were slightly warped as she pouted halfway through her sentence.

"Well I'm here now. I can go with you."

"Thanks Faree." She leant in to kiss him sweetly but the innocent gesture got a little heated as she deepened the kiss, causing him to put more force into his actions. Taking her bottom lip into his mouth he felt her moan quietly against him before pulling away. "Well Imma go take another shower before we go." As soon as she hopped of the bed carefully he felt bad, he didn't want to seem like he was pushing her too much. Especially with how Drake treated her. She was delicate, fragile even. He desperately didn't want to force himself on her.

***

Sat in the waiting room his thoughts were running wild. He was really freaking out. He wasn't ready for this. Seeing all the parents and babies around him started fuelling thoughts of inadequacy and panic. Truthfully he'd been feeling like this since he found out Nicki was pregnant even if they were his. Leaving her was definitely not an option, he loved her unconditionally so if that meant taking on kids he'd do it. Knowing he was going to struggle if they were his own babies was hard enough, he had no idea what he would do if he was faced with the possibility of having to raise another man's children. He wasn't so sure if he could handle that.

"Ms Minaj?" A tall slender woman walked over to them, she'd said her name quietly so as not to draw attention to her being there. "You can go through now." With a small smile she headed back through to the room with Nicki and Safaree following close behind.

"Hello Nicki." Hayley's cheerful voice welcomed them inside. "Here you go, you get yourself comfortable on here whilst I get set up." She lay a protective sheet across the bed and let Nicki climb on with a little help from Safaree.

"Oh yeah Hayley, this is Safaree and Safaree this is Hayley." She smiled at them shaking hands.

"Well Safaree, if you want you can just pull that chair forward and take a seat?" Pointing to the furniture helpfully she smiled as he took her offer. "Ok well let's get this show on the road then. Also today I'm gonna talk to you a little bit about birthing options. You have any idea how you wanna do it?" She continued to talk as she prepared everything.

"Uhm no not really. I'm not quite sure what the options are?" She frowned and looked over at Safaree worriedly, he inched forward so that he could hold her hand. Not sure whether he was the one who needed to be reassured right now or her.

"Oh, well that's fine. We'll discuss that now and get an idea of what you want and then I'll get the scan on the way." Leaving what she was doing she pulled herself a chair out and sat down whilst Nicki sat herself up some more to be involved in the conversation. "Okay, seeing as this is your first pregnancy and with twins for that matter, I wouldn't really recommend a home birth. So it looks like you'll definitely be in a hospital kay?" They both nodded seriously. "But that's ok, it doesn't mean you're in any way limited in choice. You can still opt to use the birthing pool or just y'know be laying comfortably in a bed!" They shared a little laugh before she continued. "But, and this is a big but, it all depends on these little ones." She lay her hand gently on Nicki's bump as Safaree looked apprehensively at her. She squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke softly.

"Well, let's just call them baby A and baby B for now." She stood up to show them where each baby was positioned, using her hands to point on Nicki's bump. "So baby A is here, and over this side we've got baby B. If baby A is in breach position then we'll have to perform a caesarian. There are some positives however, results and research indicate that a caesarian birth actually benefits the babies in the case of multiple births. The only down side for some women is not being able to deliver naturally and the recovery time is a bit longer than what you'd experience through natural delivery." Once again they both nodded as she moved away to stick some gloves on. "So I've given you the run down, maybe just have a little think and then we can get some things prepared. Unless of course the babies decide for you! Oh and that's another thing, usually with twins it's extremely common not to reach full term with your pregnancy."

"Meaning?" She switched her eyes back to Safaree's concerned face.

"It just means that it's not rare for women to give birth prematurely with twins." She looked back at Nicki. "So don't panic if your waters break when you're in the later stage but not quite full term." Her smile reassured the couple before she asked Nicki to lift her top up and slide her pants down a little. Safaree felt like a bundle of nerves. He felt deep down that was a good thing though, he was obviously feeling something about this whole thing. All of that changed though. As soon as the image appeared and he could literally see the shape of both babies his whole stance relaxed. He saw Nicki's eyes glistening as she looked over the screen. Moving closer her gripped her hand more and carried on staring at the image. "So here's your little girl and up here you've got your boy." She let them have their little moment before turning back to the screen as she scribbled some things down on a clipboard. "Don't start worrying because this is not uncommon and right now it's not causing a huge issue but the baby girl is looking a lot smaller than the little man." She folded her lips and continued to look over the notes.

"Well, how bad is that? She'll be ok right?" Safaree's question mirrored Nicki's thoughts as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I'll go get Dr Hall to come take a quick look to be sure but right now everything seems to be in check barring the size difference." She removed her gloves after setting the scan up to remain attached to her abdomen before leaving to go get the doctor.

"Hey, calm down. Eveythin's gon' be fine, she'll be ok." He kept stroking her hand to try and soothe her whilst they waited. Before long Hayley returned with Dr Hall following.

"Good afternoon Ms Minaj." They returned the greeting as he smiled warmly before applying some gloves. "Okay, I'm just going to have a listen to their heartbeats and see if everything is running smoothly." Doing what he said he was going to do he squinted as he listened. They all stayed silent, waiting for him to finish. "Yes, that's what I thought." He pulled away and stood to the side. "Baby B, which is the girl has a sightly weaker heartbeat, but it's not causing an issue now. Hayley was right, y'know, they're still developing so we'll see how everything goes and check up on that at your next appointment ok?" They just nodded again, that's all they felt they could do for the time being.

***

"So what's gonna happen now?" Lauren was leaning against the kitchen counter as Safaree cleared away the plates and food scraps from their dinner. Nicki was quiet again all the way home but he knew she was worrying about the baby. Sensing that her spirits were down he called Candi and Lauren to come over but they beat him to it, they were already on their way at the time. He cooked dinner for them all and now he was tidying up, Candi as always was sat unhelpfully watching TV and Nicki was asleep on the couch next to her.

"Well they said there was nothing to worry about, for now."

"For now? So, later on it could be bad?" Her face was full of concern as they finished up in the kitchen and headed back through to join the other two in the lounge room.

"They wanna keep an eye on her progress, in comparison to other one, the boy."

"Poor Nic." She sat down, careful not to wake her sleeping friend and looked back up at him. "So how are you holdin' up? Everythin' goin' ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Baby steps but we're gettin' there." She smiled hearing that things were going well.

"Just don't let her go back to the way she was, please. It's not healthy." At that point Candi looked over and decided to chirp in.

"Yeah and her freaking mood swings were a nightmare when she was pining for you!" Lauren and Safaree laughed resulting in Nicki shifting slightly.

"Well, we better leave you guys to it. We'll call 'round tomorrow though." She went to stand up but Safaree stopped her.

"Actually guys, could you try and persuade her to go out with you tomorrow? Y'know and do all that girly stuff that y'all get up to, shoppin' and shit?"

"Uhm, yeah sure. Ion know if she'll go though." He walked them both to door as their conversation carried on.

"No I think she will. She was cryin' this morning 'cause none of her clothes fit her!"

"Aww, wait...You didn't laugh at her did you?" Lauren placed a hand on her hip with a knowing smile on her face as Candi cackled.

"Oh that girl is a mess! We'll be here at 11am! Tell her to be ready or she's just gon' have to go in her jammies and Ion give a fuck who sees her!" They both said goodbye before he shut and locked the door behind them. He walked back to Nicki and smiled at how cute she looked, almost as if her body was curled around her bump. Going to the appointment with her was a really good move. Just seeing the babies like that and knowing they could be his had a completely different effect on him. In fact, now he was excited. It seemed ridiculous that after only one scan his mind was completely changed but it was true. All three of them right in front of him were his babies.

"What are you lookin' at?" Her voice was full of sleep as she turned to look at him.

"You." She smiled up at him and pulled her top down a little as it was riding up.

"You're so weird." He ducked just in time as she laughed a threw a cushion his way, trying to sit herself up some more. "So, did the scan change things?"

"Well yeah-" He stopped and sat next to her. "Wait, what do you mean? I was always ok with it y'know?" Her raised brow told him she already knew.

"Safaree I can read you like a damn book. You were freaking the fuck out!" She laughed as his face relaxed into a smile.

"If I'm bein' honest with you, yes I was a little overwhelmed. I've only known for two days but after today, seein' their little weird lookin' alien bodies on that screen made me love 'em already." She was about to open her mouth and talk but he knew what she was going to say and beat her to it.

"Yes! Even if they're not mine. And I honestly I really mean it this time." He pulled out his wallet and showed her the ultrasound image neatly placed inside next to a picture of the two of them together. "I'm gon' be there for you, always. You and these two." He placed his hand over hers on her bump and kissed her forehead already knowing that she was probably crying. She was.

"I love you." She sniffled as he said it back after she hit him softly. "Our babies don't look like aliens Faree." What she said caused him to start laughing as he pulled his wallet out again.

"Yes they do! See!" He pointed out the similarities that they shared with aliens before turning the playfulness down. "Well just because they look like lil' martians doesn't mean I don't love 'em. 'Cause I do."

"Yeah, me too." She exposed her dimples with a small smile as she looked down at herself, Safaree was rubbing her stomach softly. He noticed her relax some more as he kept up the movement and decided to stop before she fell to sleep again.

"Come on, Ion know 'bout you but I'm ready to pass out." He stood up and tugged her little hand, encouraging her to stand up as well. They speedily changed and got into bed, just laying together for a while in silence until he realised she was already asleep, breathing softly. She was tucked with her back right up to his bare chest, holding on to his arms which were wrapped protectively around her. He was about to let his eyes start to close when her phone screen lit up on her nightstand, reaching over gently to grab it he felt his body tense up instantly as he opened up the message and read it.

*Ahkaaay I did this so that It was out the way cuz I wlda lost my train of thought and all that so yeah! here you go ^__^ Hope it was ok for you all and THANKU for al the comments on the sneak peek I didn't expect to get many on that but thanks!! Sorry for any typos and Imma try and do CM tonight also If I havent got ur @ names on twitter and you would like to be notified via twitter when I post just leave them with your comment and I'll mention you whenever I post ^_^ OH and I know NOTHING bout babies and medical terms so if Im wrong that's why!*