Nelle heard a knock at her office door. She had the door locked, because she was trying to rest and didn’t want to be disturbed by someone just walking in. “Hang on a second,” she said. Slowly she got up from her seat. She stretched her hands behind her back. ‘Nine weeks to go, how will I make it?’ she wondered. She opened the door to find Michael. “Michael,” she said stunned. “Nelle,” he said, pausing briefly, “Look at you.” She looked down at her bulging stomach. “It happens to the best of us,” she said, “Michael, why are you here?” “I-I just wanted to see you,” he stammered. She pointed her hand toward her office. “Come in,” she said. She sat down at her desk. After an uncomfortable silence, Michael asked, “When are you due?” “August 31st,” she answered. “So it’s not mine then?” he asked. “No, “they” are not yours,” she said, “I’m having fraternal twin boys, you and I were together after I got pregnant, although I didn’t know it at the time.” “Are they John’s?” he asked. “Yes,” she said. “Do you have names picked out?” he asked. “Mm hmm, Nicholas Jesse and Nathaniel Jonathan.” “Are you two married?” he asked, “Engaged?” “No,” she answered. “So you are available?” he asked. “No,” she replied. She stood up. He walked over to her, and ran his finger down the side of her face. He started kissing her neck. She grabbed onto the back of his head and began kissing him. She pushed him back, “I can’t do this,” she said, I’m betraying John.” He stopped. “Ever since I met you, 10 years ago, you’ve had this hold on me,” she said, “The last time I let you take hold, things happened that we weren’t ready to handle, and we also broke up, and I’m not going to let that break up John and I. We are getting ready to become parents, we don’t need any interference.” She pushed him further away. “Please leave,” she said crying, “Now.” He left, slamming the door behind him. She held her stomach with both arms. She sunk to the floor crying. Upset that she had betrayed John, that Michael had come back. She heard a knock at her door. She quickly dried her tears. She couldn’t get up from the floor. “Come in,” she said still sniffling. John walked through the door. “Oh my God, Nelle are you okay?” he asked, helping her up. “Yeah,” she said with reserved laughter, “Just thought I’d-oh never mind.” “I just came in to see how you were doing,” John said. “I’m fine, these boys are really kicking today,” she said, “I had someone tell me that her twins came 7 weeks early, and they struggled, what if that happens?” she asked him. This is a side of Nelle he’d rarely seen. She seemed so different then when they first met. She was depressed and scared, like a little girl. “It’ll be okay, sweetie,” he said, holding her, “Maybe the childbirth classes we signed up for will be helpful.” “Yeah, the first one is tonight,” she said. “I love you,” he said. “I love you too, my little biscuit.
“I hope everything goes okay,” Ally said to Larry as they entered the courthouse. This was not an ordinary court case; it was day the judge would rule to see if Larry would get to be the custodial parent of Sam. When they entered the courtroom, Sam came running up to Larry. “Hi, Sammy,” he said. “Hi, daddy, hi Ally,” said Sam, hugging Larry. Larry, Ally and Sam sat on one side and Jamie sat alone on the other side. “Please rise, the honorable judge Zoey Hiller, presiding,” said the bailiff. “You may sit,” she said, “After going over all of the testimony, I cannot see any reason not to let Mr. Paul be the custodial parent. Custody granted to Mr. Paul. We are adjourned.” She banged her gavel and got up. Upon rising, Larry hugged Sam then Jamie walked up behind them. “Congratulations, Larry,” she said. “I love you mommy,” Sam said. “I’ll see you in a couple of months,” Jamie said to Sam, take care of your daddy now, okay?” she walked out of the courtroom. “Oh Larry,” said Ally kissing him, “I knew you could do it.” Sam grabbed Larry with one hand and Ally by the other and the three exited the courtroom.
“Wahhhhh,” screamed Courtney. “I’ll go,” said Billy. “Thank you, honey,” said Georgia. He looked at the clock as he left the room. 4:00 a.m. “Second time tonight,” he thought out loud. “Hi my Courtney,” he said reaching over the side of the crib and picking her up. He changed her diaper. Then he sat in the rocker and rocked her back to sleep. Georgia awoke a few hours later to find Billy asleep in the rocker, still holding Courtney; it was such a precious sight. Georgia got out her camera and took a picture. The flash woke Billy up. He shook his head awake, “How long have you been standing there?” he asked. “About three minutes,” she said taking Courtney from his arms, and putting her in her crib, “She is so precious.” “So are you,” Billy said, grabbing Georgia around the waist. They kissed deeply.
Eugene Young walked into Renee’s office. “Is Renee Raddick here?” he asked the receptionist, Kenny. “Yes, through that door,” he said, pointing to Renee’s office. “Thank you,” Eugene said, making his way to her office, “Hey Renee,” he said. “Eugene, hi how are you doing?” she asked, getting up. “I’m fine,” he said kissing her on the cheek. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Well a little bird told me you are available, personal wise, and I thought I’d ask you for a date,” Eugene said. “Oh a little bird, huh, and would that little bird be named Helen Gamble?” Renee asked. “That would be the bird, alright, she’s been trying to have me ask you out since you were still a DA.” Renee laughed, “Sure I’ll got out with you,” she said. “How does 8 o’clock Thursday sound?” he asked. “Sounds great,” she replied. They hugged and he left.
“You know uh, Ling, I’ve been thinking, you know about Nelle and John and Billy and Georgia, maybe you and I ought to uh, have a baby.” Richard said, sitting at his desk and playing with his tie. Ling growled. “Richard, I’m not having any children, if Nelle wants to have babies with that funny little man, then let her,” she said, “Have you seen her stretch marks?” she asked. “No I hadn’t looked,” he said. “They’re gross, and I will have no part in that,” she answered. She squinted at him, turned around and walked out the door.
“Can we go to the zoo again?” Sam asked his father. “We just went last week, next week okay?” Larry said. Sam mulled over the proposition for a moment. “Okay, I love you daddy,” Sam said hugging Larry. “You are so good with him,” Ally said, as Sam rushed past her. “We are alone tonight, Elaine and Mark said they would take Sam to the arcade and Renee told me she has a date,” Larry said, “So me and you at your place tonight.” She kissed him saying, “I’ll be there.”
“So do you like the arcade?” Elaine asked Sam. “I don’t know, I’ve never been to one before,” Sam said. “I think you’ll love it, we’ll play lots of video games, and maybe win some prizes,” Mark chimed in. “Okay let’s go,” said Elaine, taking one of Sam’s hands. Mark took the other and they walked out the door.
“I’m glad we went out tonight, Eugene,” said Renee as they slow danced at the martini bar. “You’re a great person to be with,” Eugene said. They danced the night away.
“I have something to tell you John,” Nelle said to John as they were sitting on the couch, “Um, Michael came by the office the other day, he started to come on to me,” Nelle started crying, “And we-we um, kissed.” Nelle put her face on John’s shoulder. John stroked her hair. “It’s okay Nelle, I love you, you and Michael share a past, I can’t deny that,” he said, “I want to be with you.” John said, kissing her. “I love you too,” she said as he dried her eyes. They spent the rest of the evening wondering about the babies, what they would look like, what they would do.
Billy and Georgia spent the evening playing with Courtney. She was growing into a beautiful girl, she favors Billy, but has her mothers eyes. She is always laughing. Even at four months, she is very intelligent. Billy and Georgia can’t wait to see her grow up.
While Sam was with Elaine and Mark, Nelle was with John, Renee was with Eugene, Ling was with Richard, and the Thomas’s were enjoying parenthood, Ally and Larry were busy making sweet love.
The end part 5..............
Love Is Alive (Part 6/?)
10:00 am August 28th.......
"I can't believe they are holding this party for your brother in Wellesley, I especially cannot believe you have drug me out here when I am 9 months pregnant. My father at least offered to come out to Boston, which reminds me, when the party is over, we are visiting him," Nelle said sounding more and more tired with each word. "My family wanted to meet you, after all you are having my children," John said. "I know," she sighed. "Boy," said John, "I haven't traveled this road in years, it sure is rickety." "They need to repair it," said Nelle. Right then John hit a bump. "Damn John, could you be a little more careful, please?" Nelle asked. Suddenly Nelle felt something funny. She reached down and felt car's seat where she was sitting. It was soaked; she knew immediately what had happened. "Um, John," she said. "Yeah?" he asked. "My water broke," she said. The car then came to a screeching halt. "WHAT?!" he screamed. "Turn around," Nelle said, trying to be calm, "And head back to Boston Memorial, now." "Have you had any contractions?" asked John, as he turned his car around in an old abandon driveway. "Not yet, but the doctor told me to go right to the hospital, should this happen," Nelle said, panicking. "Don't worry," John said reassuringly patting her leg, "It'll be okay." About 20 minutes later John and Nelle arrived at the hospital, John drove as fast as he could the entire time. Nelle didn't have a single contraction on the way to the hospital. Once inside, they found their way to the maternity ward; John gave the attending nurse all of Nelle's information, while another nurse whisked Nelle away in a wheelchair. John made his way down to LDR room 305, just three doors down from where Georgia had Courtney. "How are you doing?" he asked kissing Nelle on the forehead. "Fine, they've put me on pitocin," she said. "What is pitocin?" asked John. "It'll force contractions," she said. "How long will that take?" he asked. "It depends, but if they don't start they'll up the dose," said Nelle.
8:00 pm.......
"Oh God John, it hurts so bad," Nelle cried. "Breathe honey," said John, while he was standing beside her holding her hand. She squeezed his hand so hard he knelt to the floor. "How are you doing, Ms. Porter?" asked the nurse, as she walked in. Nelle was in the middle of a contraction, so John answered for her. "She is in a lot of pain," he said. "I can give you something for the pain, if you like," the nurse said. "No," Nelle said breathlessly, "It may hurt the babies, I don't want to take that chance." "Okay Ms. Porter, let's check you then," the nurse continued, "Mmm, you're about 4cm, I'll let the doctor know." The nurse walked out of the room nearly knocking Georgia over. "Hey, how are you?" she asked Nelle. "Tired, sick, in pain- all of the above," Nelle answered. "Been there, done that. Here I brought you this," Georgia said. She handed Nelle a little plaque that read: 'Twins are two of life's greatest pleasures'-Anonymous. Nelle started to thank Georgia, when she had another contraction. "Who has come by today?" Georgia asked John, "Well Ally and Larry and Renee and Eugene Young came in a couple of hours ago. Richard and Ling are coming back with Ally and Larry in about an hour. Elaine and Mark are on their way and Whipper is in Springfield," he said, "By the way, where is Billy?" he asked. "Home with Courtney," she answered. About 45 minutes later a voice spoke up from the hallway "Hey, hey," said Elaine walking into Nelle's room with Mark. "Hi, Elaine, hi Mark," said John. "Hi, everyone," said Mark, "How are you Nelle?" he asked. "Alright, considering," remarked Nelle. "I have got to go it's almost 9:00," said Georgia, "Let me know when something happens, bye everybody." "Bye Georgia," said everyone. 15 minutes later Ally, Larry, Ling and Richard walked in the door. They all sat and talked for about an hour. "John, can I talk to you a minute?" asked Nelle. John walked over to her. "Please make everyone leave," she whispered, "Please." "Why?" he asked. "I just want to rest, pretty soon I'll be giving birth, and I just want everyone gone, and I'm not in the mood to deal with anybody else," she said. "Okay," he said. The doctor came in the room at that moment. "Time to check you, Ms. Porter," he said. "Let's go outside," said John, "Come on everyone." Once they were out in the hall, John told everyone Nelle's feelings. "We'll wait in the waiting area," said Ally, "Come on people."
11:00 am August 29th......
"Doctor," the nurse said, "Her blood pressure is dropping, it's now 100/60." "Thank you," said the doctor, "Nelle, I need you to push hard, we need to get these babies out." With that Nelle pushed. She screamed as her first son was born. "Oh," the doctor said, "This is a big boy for a twin." "You did great, Nelle," John said kissing her on the forehead. They looked over as the hospital staff weighed and measured the new baby. 6lbs., 11oz. and 20 inches long. The nurse handed the baby to John. "Welcome to the world, Nathaniel," he said holding him down for Nelle to see. "You are so beautiful," Nelle said, crying. "Okay, Nelle, get set to deliver baby number two," the doctor said, "Push." She did and Nicholas was born. All of the sudden Nelle felt light headed. She couldn't speak or move. She could hear people talking. "Oh my God she's hemorrhaging, Mr. Cage, you'll have to leave," one nurse said. Nelle tried to tell the nurse she wanted John to stay, but couldn't. Just before she blacked out Nelle heard him say, "I love you sweetie."
John walked down the hallway to the waiting area. He threw down the mask and hat he'd been wearing in the delivery room. He briefly thought about the night the babies had been conceived, how he and Nelle almost hadn't done anything, but passion stepped in, and they weren't as careful as they usually were. He hung his head as he turned the corner to the waiting area. Waiting there was Ally, Larry, Elaine, Mark, Renee, Richard, Ling and Billy. They all looked at John anxiously, but Ally immediately sensed something was wrong. "What is it John, one of the babies?" she asked. John shook his head. "Nathaniel Jonathan was born at 11:07 am, 6lbs. 11oz. 20 inches long. Nicholas Jesse was born at 11:15 am, 7 lbs. 1 oz. 20 ½ inches long," he said. "Well what's wrong then?" asked Billy. "It's Nelle, she began hemorrhaging," John replied, sobbing. Elaine brought her hand to her mouth. Ling got up and ran out of the room, not wanting the others to see her cry, and Richard followed her. "Is Nelle alright?" Ally asked. "I don't know," said John, "They wouldn't tell me anything." John sat beside Ally and put his head on her shoulder. Ally stroked his hair and kept saying, "It'll be alright, it'll be alright," although she wasn't sure herself. Tears came to her eyes, as she was patting John on the back.
About 45 minutes later the doctor that was taking care of Nelle came out to the waiting area. "Mr. Cage?" he asked. "That's me," he said, "Is Nelle okay?" "Ms. Porter has lost a lot of blood, she's in fair condition right now, in intensive care, you can go see her if you'd like, be warned however; she's still sedated," the doctor said. John rushed off in the way of the ICU. "Is she going to be alright?" Elaine asked. "She should be okay," the doctor replied, "But she'll need lots of rest." "What happened?" asked Ally. "She hemorrhaged right after her second son was born," the doctor explained, "We were able to stop it before any major damage was done, we had to give her a transfusion." Ally shook her head.
"Hi, honey," John, said to Nelle. He looked at her, she was pale and her beautiful blonde hair was messed up. She had an I.V. in her arm, had an oxygen tube in her mouth and a tube in her nose. He turned his head away, holding back tears. "Nelle if you can hear me, I just want you to know I love you," he said stroking her hand, "You gave birth to two beautiful babies. I can't wait for you to see them. Nathaniel looks exactly like you, and Nicholas exactly like me. Thank you've made me a happy man," with that, he kissed her in the forehead. She slowly began to open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered a bit, and suddenly they were wide open. She shook her head in angst, trying to get the oxygen tube out of her mouth; her hands were tied down, so she wouldn't rip anything out. John pushed the button on the wall and called the nurse. Nelle's doctor came in and removed the tube from her mouth. She coughed for a few seconds. "John," Nelle said in a dry voice. "Shh, don't talk right now, sweetie," said John. The doctor spoke up, "Ms. Porter you have had a very serious complication, a blood vessel leading to the placenta burst and caused you to hemorrhage, we were able to stop it, and you're going to be okay. You'll probably be able to go home in a week." Nelle tried to clear her throat, "The babies?" she asked, "Are they okay?" "They're just fine, Ms. Porter," he said, "Mr. Cage can take them home in a couple of days. Oh! One more thing, in a few minutes, we will move you into a regular room near your babies." "Thank you, doctor," said John, shaking the doctor's hand. With that said the doctor left. "Nelle, I am so proud of you," John said kissing her, "Now I am going to get everyone that's waiting outside, and go to the nursery to meet Nathaniel and Nicholas."
"My God, John, that one really looks like you," Ally said, pointing to Nicholas. Nicholas was the spitting image of John, with reddish-brown hair and his eyes. Nathaniel on the other hand was just like Nelle, blonde hair and he had her nose. "Hey John, did you know that your son's name is Nicholas Cage?" asked Mark. John chose to ignore the comment. The nurse came out and joined the group. "Mr. Cage, would you like to come in and hold your sons?" she asked. John followed the nurse into the nursery. He picked up Nicholas and held him in one arm and the nurse handed him Nathaniel and put him in the other. Ally took a picture through the glass. "Elaine, Ally!" said a voice from down the hall. Everyone turned around. It was Nelle. She was on a gurney and a nurse was wheeling her to her new room. Her eyes were puffy and she looked so tired. "Where's John?" Nelle asked, as the nurse stopped. "Look in the nursery," said Ally. Nelle softened when she saw John and her two babies. She saw John talking to the nurse, and then John came through the doors carrying both babies. "Hi baby," he said kissing her. John handed Nelle the babies. "Oh, oh my God," she said sobbing. The nurse wheeled Nelle to her room, with John following closely behind.
Once everyone had gathered in Nelle's room, they passed the baby around. "I don't mean to sound rude, but uh, could you all leave? Please? Nelle asked. "I'm really tired." "Sure, sure," said Ally, "Come on Larry, let's go." They left, with everyone else trickling out over the next five minutes, leaving just John and Nelle. Nelle rang the nurse's button, "Could you come and get the babies, please? I really need to rest." The nurse came and took the babies back to the nursery. After the nurse had left, Nelle began crying. "Are you okay? Should the nurse bring the babies back?" asked John. "No just leave me alone, please leave," she said, turning her head away from John. "Why? are you al" "NO!" she yelled cutting him off "Get out!" He backed out of the room and stood outside the door. "What could be wrong with Nelle?" he wondered.
The end Part 6...........
Love Is Alive (7/?)
by: Stephanie Pennington
Disclaimers: See part 1
Spoilers: Another John/Nelle story. Although there is more mention of
everyone else.
August 31st.......
John sat in his office playing with his geometric figurine. "Something wrong, John?" asked Richard, walking in. John pointed to the chair, motioning Richard to sit down. "I've got problems," John said, putting down the figurine. "Well, John, I've known that for years. Bygones," said Richard, fiddling with John's figurine. John took it from him and said, "Richard, it's Nelle, she has severe postpartum depression, she wants nothing to do with me, the babies, or anybody else. She won't brush her hair; change her clothes, or anything. The nurses or I have to feed the babies, she just sits in the chair in the hospital, and stares out the window. She hardly eats, and barely speaks to anyone, I have to take Nicky and Nate home today, away from the hospital and her, because she has to stay until Wednesday and I'm afraid that taking the babies away will make her feel worse," he looked at the expression on Richard's face, "What do I do?" he asked. "Talk to Georgia Thomas, she just had a baby, maybe she can help," Richard patted John on the arm and left. "Troubled," said John, sighing heavily.
Nelle was sitting looking out the window. She didn't respond when there was a knock at the door. "Nelle?" asked Georgia. Nelle turned her head, briefly, to see who came in. "Nelle, what's wrong?" Georgia asked. Nelle continued to stare out the window. Georgia went and touched Nelle's shoulder. She slapped Georgia's hand away. "Leave me alone," Nelle said. "We're all worried about you, especially John," Georgia said. Nelle continued to ignore her. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me, so talk," Georgia finished. Nelle turned around; tears were streaming down her face. "I can't raise the babies," she said, "I couldn't do it with my daughter, and I'm afraid I can't do it now either." Georgia walked over to Nelle. "Why?" Georgia asked. "I'm too selfish to be a good mother," Nelle answered. "That's what I thought too, until I had to go back to work, I cried for three days, the first day I called the babysitter 14 times; and when I got home I held Courtney for two hours straight," Georgia sighed, "You'll forget about yourself, the first time they cry in the middle of the night, Courtney's 4 months old now, I still feel that way." Nelle looked at Georgia with her swollen eyes. "I hope you're right," Nelle said sniffling.
Sixteen days later, 3am .......
"Nelle, Nelle, the babies are crying again," said John, "Nelle?" he reached over and felt the bed beside him, it was as cold as ice, "Where on earth is she?" he wondered. He looked out the window, and noticed her car was gone. He went and took care of the babies, changing Nicky's diaper and feeding Nate. After they were taken care he tried to find her. He first tried calling her cell phone, but he only got her voice mail. "Maybe Ally can help," he thought out loud. He dialed Ally's number. "Hello?" Ally asked groggily. "Hi it's John," he said, speaking in a tone Ally had never heard before. "What is it John?" she asked. "It's Nelle, she's missing. Has she called you?" he asked. "Missing?" Ally asked. "Yeah, I can't find her, can you come over and watch the boys while I look for her?" he asked. "Sure John," Ally said sighing, "I'll be there in 20 minutes."
John made his way to the Martini bar. He found Nelle drinking alone. "Nelle, please come home I need you and the babies need you," he said. "Can I have another?" she asked the bartender, completely ignoring John. The bartender set another drink on the bar. John grabbed it and dumped it on the floor. He then picked up Nelle and carried her to his car. Nelle put up a good struggle, but finally surrendered when they reached John's car. No words were shared between the two as they drove back to John's house. When they arrived, Nelle waited in the car as John came over and opened her door. She fell into his arms and started crying. He held her saying, "It's alright, it's alright," he stroked her hair, and hugged her. He could smell the liquor on her breath; it was stronger than he had ever smelled before. She was stumbling around so he helped her inside. Ally was watching all of this from the front window. She sighed, wondering how such bad things could happen to two good people. They came through the front door and John led Nelle back to the bedroom. After Nelle was asleep, John came into the living room where Ally was sitting. John sat down on the couch next to her rubbing his face in his hands. "What will I do?" he asked her. "She'll get better," Ally reassured John. "I don't know, there's something I have to tell her, and it'll break her heart," he said. "What's wrong?" Ally asked. "Nate has signs of fetal alcohol syndrome," he replied. "Nelle drank while she was pregnant?" Ally asked quietly. "No, it's a form of postnatal FAS, she's breastfeeding and has passed some of it to him, I didn't know she was drinking until the doctor told her she needed to quit, I saw her hang her head, and that's when I knew she had been drinking," he said, "And I'm thinking she may know that he's sick, instinctively, which may be causing some of her depression." "I-I'm sorry I didn't know," Ally said, wringing her hands. "You didn't see it a lot but Nelle was very depressed while she was pregnant, stressed out even, she didn't like to show it much," he said, "She became even more icy than normal, and a month or so before the boys were born, she went into labor, fortunately she and the babies were okay, but it depressed her even more." "You know I noticed she seemed different," said Ally, "But I thought she was just tired." "I think it has to do with the daughter she gave up for adoption," said John, "Not having all of her children here is hurting her, I think." He sighed. "Well I'm worried about you, John you can't carry the load of caring for Nelle and two babies, maybe I can help you out some," said Ally, "You know, baby sit, things like that," Ally yawned, "I've got to go." John walked Ally to her car, kissing her on the cheek. Nelle saw of this from her bedroom, "I'm losing him," she said quietly to herself.
Richard walked into Ally's office, "What's up with John?" he asked, "He didn't say hi or anything he just went into his office and shut the door." "Richard, just leave John alone, okay?" "Bygones," said Richard.
Richard left Ally's office and promptly ran into Ling. "Hey, uh cupcake," he said. Ling grabbed Richard by the tie and led him into the elevator. "Where are we going, uh Ling?" he asked. "Shhh," she said. She pushed the button for the fourth floor. When the elevator started moving she pulled the stop button. "Wha- What are you doing?" asked Richard. She put her hand to his lips and without saying a thing she began kissing him and unzipping his pants. He caught on and before they knew it they were at it.
Meanwhile Billy and Georgia were waiting to leave for the day, "What is with this elevator today?" Billy asked, banging on the down button. A couple of minutes later the elevator door opened and there stood Richard, his hair was a mess. Ling was holding his tie and was fixing her hair. They walked by Billy and Georgia in a rush. They stared at Richard and Ling in disbelief then stared into the elevator.
John heard a knock at his office door. "Come in," he said. In walked Nelle, she was dressed in her long over coat. She turned around and closed his door. "Why on earth are you wearing that?" he asked. She unbuttoned it and it fell to the floor reveling that there was very little underneath, just a lace nightie. John instantly started stuttering, "W-What what uh er er ah Coney Island," he said waving his hands, "What are you doing here?" "I just thought I'd surprise you," Nelle answered. "Well you certainly did," he said, "Um, where are the boys?" "They are with Elaine, I told her not to disturb us," she said in a seductive tone. She walked over to John's desk, "I want to do something we haven't done for about 11 months or so," she said. "Uh," was all John could say, as Nelle was loosening his tie, "Ling gave me this idea," she said. "Thank her for me," he said, breathlessly as they hit the floor of his office.
Two days later........
"Waah!" cried Nicky, as the doctor examined him. He was looking more and more like John each day. His hair was reddish-brown and curly. He had John's greenish-brown eyes and his nose. "Well," said the doctor, "Nicholas is in fine shape," he said handing him to John, "I'm still concerned about Nathaniel, the blood tests came back okay, he doesn't have FAS." Nelle and John breathed sighs of relief. "But," the doctor continued, "His motor skills seem behind his brother's, so I'm going to run some more tests." Nelle was holding Nate who was falling asleep in her arms. He was starting to look like Nelle, with her nose, deep brown eyes and white-blonde hair. "What could be wrong?" asked John. "I don't know, I just don't know," said he doctor.
Nelle and John put the twins in their car seats, and drove off. John was driving while Nelle sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window. She began crying. "Don't worry," John said, putting his hand on her leg, "Nate will be okay, and we'll get through this together, I love you." Without thinking, he turned to give her a kiss. Suddenly, Nelle screamed, "JOHN WATCH OUT FOR TH-!"
The end part 7..............