THE MUSIC NEVER ENDS
©Mirandagk@aol.com
CHAPTER 1
A great deal can happen to a person in the course of a year. Stronger friendships can be built, a romance can bloom into something that neither person expected...It felt just like it was yesterday when they kissed for the first time.
~~~~
Well it's more than a feeling
When I hear that old song they used to play
And I begin dreaming
Till I see Laura Charles walk away
Laura smiled at JC's quick improv and began to play another song to see if he could catch what it was within the first few bars. She tried her best to change up the beat to throw him off, but he was too good at their little game. JC smirked and proceeded to sing the next song.
You drive a pretty car, you know how fine you are
And nobody needs to say it, no way
They love the clothes you wear, they compliment you
And I just love the way you play it
JC slowly walked over to Laura who was banging away at the keys as she smiled at him. He sat next to her at the piano and poked her in the side as she continued to play. He decided to tease her a bit more and leaned over and sang right into her ear. A tingle passed right through her spine when she felt his warm breath brush passed her ear.
But the only thing you dream of
Money can't buy for you, oh
And in my dreams I'll make your wish come true
For the girl who has everything, I bring you love
I bring you love
'Cause the girl who has everything can't get enough
Of my love
Laura struggled to finish the song. It was becoming harder and harder with each shot of hot air near her ear and neck. She stopped playing and slid off the edge of the piano stool to stand. JC decided to mess with her even more and mimic an old Michael Jackson video as he followed her around the house singing the last part of the song acapella.
Why do you run and hide, say what you feel inside and
Why must you always fake it, oh yeah
Laura rolled her eyes as she tried to ignore him. She reached the refrigerator and opened the door to block him from being close to her. When she closed the door and walked over to the counter with a few strawberries in her hand JC decided to corner her.
Girl you need to understand
Your heart's safe within my hands
JC placed his hand over the middle of Laura's chest as he continued to belt out the tune while staring deep into her eyes.
I promise I'll never break it, oh
I know that you still dream of
What money can't buy for you
And in my dreams I'll make your wish come true
Laura pushed JC out of the way and walked into the living room and sat like a pretzel in the middle of the couch as she flipped the channels on the television.
"I guess this is your way of cowering in defeat" he said as he looked in the fridge for something cool to snack on.
Laura continued to flip through the channels, never looking his way. "No. You just decided to make the game all about pop acts tonight. You planned that out so that you couldn't lose this time. You must have used a two headed coin or something when we were deciding the theme."
JC laughed lightly to himself as he opened up the freezer door. Laura turned up the volume on the television and yelled out, "Oh yeah baby! Lower the camera just a centimeter...Damn!!! I have got to go and buy the "Fight Club" later and just fast forward to this part so I can go to sleep satisfied with thoughts of you and only you, Brad!"
"Yo, have you seem my little container of sorbet?" JC asked as he rummaged through the freezer.
"I ate it earlier when you were in the shower." she said quickly as she tried to get back into the movie.
"You did what?" he asked in dismay.
"I'll buy you another one. There was only like two spoonfuls left in there anyway."
"That's not the point, Laura. The point is that they were my two spoonfuls...I hate when you do that shit!" he yelled, slamming the freezer door shut.
Realizing he was serious, Laura looked away from the tv and over at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you would get so upset over a little jar of ice cream."
"You do it all the time! I get so psyched about a certain dessert or treat that I am going to let myself indulge in late at night...And then when I go to get it, it's gone!" he yelled.
Laura was upset over his reaction to something as trivial as a dessert. She turned the tv off and stood up, "Well if it's that important to you I'll go and get you one right now so you'll shut the hell up about it."
"Forget it now! The moment is gone. I'm not craving it anymore!"
"Then why are you still acting like I shot your dog? Get over it. Quit yelling at me over something so dumb."
"Dumb? What's dumb in wanting to be able to open up my own refrigerator and having food I bought for myself in there so that I can eat it? Why can't you just eat before you come over here?"
"Why don't I just make it easier on the both of us and just not come over here anymore." she said as she slid her feet into her flip flops and headed towards the back door.
JC stood there momentarily before calling after her. "Laura, wait!"
It was too late. She had already slammed the door shut behind her. JC stood there with his palms planted on the counter as he cursed himself. He glanced over at the end of the counter and could see her keys sitting there.
A few moments later Laura stormed back into the house and noticed JC standing by the counter looking down. "I left my keys." she stated she walked over to grab them. JC got to them before she could and held them behind his back.
"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to reach around his back to grab her keys. "Just give me my keys so I can get the hell out of here."
JC smile at her as he put his hand up high over her head. She reached up for them but he switched hands. Laura was already visibly upset with tears running down her face. She had, had enough of JC's games and tried to kick his legs from beneath him so she could recover her keys. That didn't seem to work either. He held the keys out of reach once more. She looked up at him and asked, "Dammit JC! Why are you always playing these games?"
He leaned his head down quickly and began to kiss her full on the lips. Laura feverishly kissed him in return, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. The keys fell to the floor and he brought his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. A moment later, Laura pushed JC away from her and gasped for air. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be doing this." she panted.
BANG BANG BANG
Startled by the loud noises coming from her front door, Laura was awaken from her dream. She dragged herself out of bed and walked to the door and opened it slightly. "yeah?" she asked letting her eyes adjust to the light.
"Yeah? I fly all the way over here to see if my friend is dead or alive and all you can say is 'yeah'?"
"Hey, Hallie. I'm not dead. Sorry you had to waste the trip." she said sarcastically.
"Why do you smell and look like utter and complete shit?"
Laura rolled her eyes and she motioned for her to come inside. "I think I'm coming down with something."
Hallie waited for Laura to lay down on the couch before she checked her forehead to see if she was hot. "Well you feel a little warm. What are you symptoms?"
"For the past week I have been really tired. No matter how much sleep I get, it's never enough. I don't have an appetite...I just feel really weak. And I am always dehydrated."
"Are you about to start your period?"
"Nope. My schedule is weird. I'll go three months normally and then I will go a whole month without it...Which used to be a good thing when I wasn't single. I stopped taking my birth control pills and I know it takes a while for things to get back to normal."
"You could be getting the flu. It also could just be fatigue and stress from the move and everything else going on right now." Hallie told her to lay back down and wondered where the closest store to her new apartment could be found. After getting directions she told her best friend she would be right back.
Laura sat back against the pillows and remembered the last time she had seen Hallie. It was during the time when her life was going straight down the tubes. She started to daydream again and found herself back in time to that night at the club.
"...You weren't even worth the effort..."
The words kept resonating inside her head. She must have been daydreaming for awhile because she was soon brought out of her daze when she heard the front door open and Hallie walked back inside with a large bag. She got up and followed Hallie into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
"Okay, I got some Tylenol, Nyquil, vitamin C, soup, and a few other things." Hallie called out as she placed the items on the counter.
Laura stood next to her friend and sipped her water as she watched her unload the bag.
Hallie slid a small box over to her, "Here. Go and pee on the stick."
Laura looked down and noticed it was a pregnancy test. She lightly chucked and asked, "What's this for?"
"Just to make sure all your symptoms aren't attributed to something else." she said as she looked down towards Laura's stomach.
Laura slid the box away and waved her hands. "I don't think so."
"Well, didn't you say you stopped taking your birth control pills?"
"Yeah, but I haven't slept with anyone lately."
"Then I will have just wasted ten bucks.' Hallie smiled.
Laura quickly covered her mouth right after she spoke. "Oh shit! That night at the studio, before I left town…"
"You slept with him? And you didn't tell me?"
"Because I knew you were going to give that judgmental look that you are giving me right now" Laura pointed.
Hallie put her hands up defensively, "I'm not giving any looks over here." She pushed the box over to her friend. "Just do it...This way we can be sure and we can rule it out and move onto other reasons why you look and feel like shit."
Laura knew there was no arguing with Hallie once she got into nurse mode. She took the pregnancy test and went into the bathroom. When she was done she placed the tester on the sinks edge and sat down on the toilet staring at it.
~~~~~~~~
"...Maybe one of each. It all depends on my husband and what he wants."
"Well, I can tell you right now that I want a boy and girl. Not necessarily in that order. Whatever you come out with first would be fine." he joked.
"So confident that I would actually marry you someday huh?"
"You'd probably marry me and then only wear your wedding ring when no one else was around…."
~~~~~~~~
"You okay?" she questioned as she leaned up against the doorway with her arms folded across her chest.
Laura snapped out of her daze. "Hmm? Oh yeah. Just waiting for the 5 minutes to pass."
"You've been sitting there staring off into space for the past 10 minutes already. I'm pretty sure it's done by now."
"Have I really?"
"Yes, goof-ball."
Hallie walked over to the counter and looked down at the test. Laura tried to read her face for the results but Hallie showed no expression whatsoever. She looked back over at Laura and asked, "How would you react if you weren't pregnant? Would you be relieved or disappointed?"
Laura sat there and thought about it for a moment. "A part of me would be briefly disappointed, and the other part of me would be extremely relieved."
Hallie picked up the test and walked over to the toilet where Laura was still sitting and crouched down in front of her
. She went to hand Laura the test and said, "Well it's official. You are positively pregnant."
Laura thought she was going to say 'you are positively right for feeling relieved'. The words didn't sink in until much later when she finally looked down and noticed the light blue plus sign in the display window. She dropped to test onto the floor and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God…What am I going to do?"
She looked over at Hallie who was rubbing her back and again asked, "What am I going to do?
CHAPTER 2
"I wanna see some pussy tonight!" Joey called out as he, Chris, Justin, and JC walked through the red curtains.
"Joey!" Justin called over to him.
"What?"
"Welcome to the Pussycat Dolls review, gentlemen. Please follow me to your seats." the hostess said as she greeted the men.
The guys were invited to a benefit in Las Vegas that would aid in more funds for Cancer research. At $5,000 a ticket, it seemed like it should have been the best show on earth. The founders decided to put a twist on it this night. Instead of having celebrity guest stars such as Gwen Stefani, Carmen Electra, and Christina Applegate, they decided to put a few not so popular artists on the stage as well.
JC leaned over and whispered something to Justin before being interrupted by Rachel who had chased Nikky into the room to find JC. She picked up the toddler and headed back outside into the banquet hall to wait on the adult oriented show to end. As she was leaving she took one last look over at JC, who barely paid her any attention and was enjoying his discussion with Joey and Justin.
When everyone was seated Christina Aguilera walked out and grabbed the mic. "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Pussycat Dolls Review. Tonight we are going to do it a bit differently than usually. We've gone and picked out some great artists for you to see tonight. Although you may not see all of them in front of the camera's or the mics...Know that they are there. We decided to put them in our shoes for a night to see if they could handle the pressure. So let's show them some love when they come out to perform." she yelled into the mic as she tried to get the crowd revved up.
Justin was sitting on the end of the isle in the front row and turned around to talk to Bruce Willis who had just sent his daughter out of the hall back into the banquet room to wait until the show was over. Justin scribbled down his autograph and handed it down the line to the guys to sign for Willis' daughter. Christina went on to explain to everyone all the work that went into training everyone for the show.
"Do you know who's performing?" Joey asked JC.
"I have no idea. It didn't say anything on the invitations and there aren't any programs so I am thinking it's one big surprise."
Christina waited for the applause to die down before yelling out "With no further ado, I would like to present our first performer. She has become a very good friend and mentor. I am very proud to say that she has worked with me on my albums."
Justin quickly looked up to find out who the woman could be. JC was too busy whispering to Joey to notice what Christina has said. Justin poked him in the chest with his elbow.
"Not only can she write the most amazing music, but she can also sing her ass off. Please give a big welcome to Ms. Laura Charles everybody!
Justin's eyes widened as he tried to look past Christina to see Laura. The curtains were still closed as Christina disappeared offstage. The band began to play as the curtains opened revealing a scene any man would die to be in. There were three red plush circular couches scattered onstage. At the top of the couch was a small platform with a pole that reached all the way to the ceiling. There were 9 women onstage. Three on each couch...Wearing only lingerie. JC immediately recognized the moans of the singer who was hidden somewhere onstage. Justin kept grabbing at JC to get his attention before finally being punched in the arm. "Stop. Dickhead! I know! he whispered loudly.
Mmm. . .my lips hurt
Mmm
Uhh
Oooh
The couches mechanically circled around and sitting on the couch in the middle of the stage was Laura. Wearing a Fedora hat cocked to the side and a pair of headphones as her mic, she cocked her hands on her hips and looked out into the crowd with a come-hither expression that raised male blood pressures for kilometers in every direction. The lights that were pointing to the stage were so bright that it was hard to see out into the audience...Laura took pleasure in knowing that she couldn't see how people were reacting to her. Her body was covered with a long red feather robe and a velvet rope hanging down on her shoulders.
Uhh-ooh
Ooh
Uhh
Ooh
Oh
She stroked the blood red velvet rope draped over her shoulders before standing up and walking to the edge of the stage with two other women. She looked over at them longingly and licked her lips. They leaned their faces close to hers as they took the edges of her robe in their hands and pulled it off her arms quickly as the chorus began to play.
(tie me)
Tie me up, tie me down
(make me moan real loud)
Make me moan real loud
Laura was wearing a bright white satin renaissance corset with garter belts and thigh highs along with feathery white Marabou high heeled slippers. She ran her hands up her body as she continued to sing.
(take off my clothes)
Take off my clothes
No one has to know
Whisperin I wanna feel a soft rope burn
(no one has to know)
Wanna feel a
Laura stopped and looked out into the audience and quickly slid the velvet rope back and forth across her shoulders to the beat as she whispered "Rope burn."
A hard beat from a drum punched the air, and she kicked her leg up and walked backstage to dance with the other girls. She played around with the rope as her shoulders worked back and forth, moving her ample breasts to and fro. Joey called out to her in encouragement, "Work it, girl! Work it!"
When you walked into the room you knew just what to do
Ya coulda gone from door to door but you knew just where to go to
Another drum punch, another kick, and one of her hands reached to her neck and rested on the top of the satin corset.
Come into my velvet room and tell me your fantasies
(tell me your fantasies)
When the lighting changed she could see the audience more clearly and spotted Justin, who was frozen, his mouth gaping. She was terrified to see who was sitting next to him, but her eyes drifted there anyway and she noticed JC. She looked next to him and eyed Joey and Chris, who were slack-jawed. She looked back over at JC who was sitting there stunned.
The passion in your voice I wanna hear as you start to tell me
While you take the blindfold and tie it gently on me
Don't wanna see but feel the things you're gonna do to me
(wanna feel it)
A smile crept across her face as she sang. She would use this night to show him exactly what he had given up. She would torment him with the thought that she no longer belonged to him. Confidence began to ooze out of her pours as she walked up closer to the edge of the stage and started down the steps. Stopping at the last step, she began to sing the chorus with the other girls while swaying her hips to the rhythm of the beat.
(tie me)
Tie me up, tie me down
She finished down the steps and walked up and down the middle isle as if she were looking for someone to sing to. Justin clapped, hooted, and whistled, egging on Laura's performance. Everyone in the crowd pointed his way because he was the most boisterous of them all. She smiled as she walked over to him. Chris hid his smile behind his hand. JC twitched when he felt her arm accidentally bump into his, in her attempts to drape the velvet rope around Justin's neck.
(make me moan real loud)
Make me moan real loud
(take off my clothes)
Take off my clothes
No one has to know
She ran her hand along Justin's cheek and under his chin, giving him a pleasant case of goose bumps.
Whisperin I wanna feel a soft rope burn
(no one has to know)
Wanna feel a
She then slid the rope back and forth on the back of his neck and got really close to his face and whispered, "Rope Burn." while he mouthed it to her with a deep grin on his face.
Laura turned around with her back facing Justin as she sat down on his lap and sang. A hand caressed down her back and then pinched her lightly on the ass. She glared back at him before curling up into his lap for a second before moving on.
One in the mornin I'm feelin so free and sensual
Lyin here wearin just my imagination for you
Sensation will do
Laura stood up and danced in front of Justin and swayed her hips from side to side. Everyone was now hooting and pointing to JC who was still sitting there stunned. She walked up and ran her hands down JC's arms and back up his sides, avoiding any sensitive areas. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
Can you feel the warmth of the fire
Candlelight embrace your body
I'm feelin the hot candle wax drippin down the small of my back
She sat down on JC's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as she sang. JC was trying everything in his power to think of anything else but how good she looked in the outfit to keep his member from rising. He breathed in deeply and could smell the scent of her perfume. She leaned back and let her head fall almost into Justin's lap and winked at him. She scooted over back into Justin's lap locking her ankles behind his legs. Justin reflexively placed his hands on her back to hold her steady. She looked deep into his eyes and sang, "You wanna know what my tongue feels like?" She leaned forward and nibbled on his neck. The crowd went crazy as they watched. Justin's eyes rolled into the back of his head. JC sat there and watched in utter dismay. He didn't know how to react. On the one hand he was jealous but at the same time, was extremely turned on as he watched her with his friend. He knew exactly what it felt like and knew Justin couldn't help but be hard from her touch. She let her tongue slide from his collarbone to his ear, digging in a little.
Mmhmm
You like that?
"Hell yes!" Justin yelled as he high fived Bruce Willis. Laura smiled at him as she got up off his lap and made her way back up onto the stage. She and the rest of the dancers walked back towards the couches. Laura and two other girls found themselves on top of the small platform holding onto the poles.
(tie me)
Tie me up, tie me down
(make me moan real loud)
Make me moan real loud
(take off my clothes)
Take off my clothes
No one has to know
Laura and the two other girls wrapped their velvet ropes around the pole as they danced around.
Whisperin I wanna feel a soft rope burn
(no one has to know)
Wanna feel a........
(tie me)
Tie me up, tie me down
(make me moan real loud)
Make me moan real loud
(take off my clothes)
Take off my clothes
No one has to know
The crowd went ballistic when they noticed the girls had started swinging around on the poles. When Laura stopped her body was almost upside down and she was holding onto the pole with only her legs and her hand. With her free arm, she slid the rope from her breasts all the way to right below her belly button as she whispered, "Rope burn."
When the song ended everyone in the room stood up and began cheering. Laura's face immediately turned red when all the lights came on and she noticed all her peers watching her in the scantily clad outfit she had chosen to wear for her performance. Christina came back out clapping and leaned over and hugged Laura and whispered that she did a great job. She waved to everyone and looked down at Justin and mouth, "Thank You." Justin lifted his two hands up clapping towards her and nodded before she disappeared behind the curtain.
"Ahhhh." she screamed as she jumped up and down backstage with a few other dances. "I can't believe I just did that!" They sat around and talked briefly before the girls motioned for her to go and get changed before other people took over the bathrooms which would prevent her from freshening up for the dinner party that was to follow the show.
"You okay, dude?" Joey looked over and asked Justin, who was slouched back in his chair. Sweat beads were running down his face as he let out a deep sigh, "Whoooo." He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and started to fix his pants nervously.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked.
"I think I just came." Justin said in shock. JC rolled his eyes as they all started to laugh at Justin's little joke.
Joey yanked Justin out of his seat and made him switch places, "Shoot, this has got to be the best seat in the house!"
The show continued on, but JC's mind drifted off completely with thoughts of Laura. He wanted to get up and go backstage and talk to her, but knew Rachel would be two steps behind him.
Laura had never gotten a chance to get into the bathroom and decided to head back to her dressing room in defeat. She could hear the hosts wrapping up the show and knew that it was almost time for the dinner party. She began to take her earrings out when she heard a knock on the door. She tied up her robe and yelled, "Come in!"
Justin pushed the door open and looked over at her smiling, "Hey girl! That was...Words can't describe what that was." he muttered.
She leaned up and hugged him gently, "Thank you...I don't know if I would have been able to do that without you. I was so scared about doing that with a complete stranger...Then I spotted you and was like, 'phew'."
Joey popped his head in the door and said, "Girl! Can I just say..." Joey frowned at her closed robe until she opened it so he could get one last look before she changed. He stared her up and down and then yelled, "...Got Dammmnnnn!!"
Laura blushed and went over to hug him. She noticed Chris pushing JC towards the dressing rooms and smiled slightly towards him as she went to hug Chris. The five of them talked briefly until Chris and Justin spotted Christina and went to talk to her. Joey had wandered away somewhere to find an old dancer that toured with them a couple years before. She and JC found themselves alone for the first time in months. They stood there with an uneasy silence before he finally told her, "That was a great performance."
"Thanks. I was really nervous. I hope I didn't suck too bad."
"No no...Not at all. It was very...Very stimulating to say the least." he chuckled.
Laura smiled and then looked behind him out the door to make sure that no one was around. "JC...There is something that I really need to tell you."
"What is it?" he questioned.
"Umm..." Laura took a deep breath and gazed up into his eyes. "I'm more than positive that I am pp-"
"Da...Da" JC quickly turned around and noticed Rachel carrying Nikky into the room. He had his arms outstretched towards him.
"Hey, big boy. What are you and mommy doing? Checkin' out the ladies?"
Rachel smiled as she handed him the baby. She looked over at Laura and noticed her outfit and her smiled soon faded.
"Daddy was just coming to see about you. I needed to say hi to Aunty Laura." JC pointed out.
Nikky looked over and recognized her instantly. He outstretched his arms to her. Laura wanted to hold him, but knew she shouldn't. Instead, she waved at him and said hello. She looked over at Rachel and greeted her.
"Hi. Congratulation on the show. I heard it was very good." Rachel said.
"Thanks." Laura watched the three of them and noticed that JC looked so happy with Nikky.
How could she be the one to come in between that? Rachel looked up at JC and said, "We better get going back up front before they start serving, Honey."
"Ok." JC went to leave, until he stopped in his tracks and turned around to Laura and asked, "What was it that you needed to tell me?"
"I just wanted to say..." she looked at him and then over at Nikolas before plastering a fake smile on her face and saying, "I'm more than positive that they are going to start recording the album this month. I just wanted to give you a heads up just in case you hadn't heard."
JC found it strange that she would tell him that. She seemed like it was more important than just business. "Oh..Okay...Thanks."
Laura watched as the three of them walked down the hallway back towards the banquet hall. She watched how JC wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder and held Nikolas in his free arm. She slowly shut the door and started to change thinking about how happy he seemed. In that moment, she decided to skip dinner and head to the airport to catch an earlier flight home.
CHAPTER 3
"You miss her." Justin stated matter-of-factly as he looked over at JC who was starring off into space.
"No...It's not that." He replied as he looked down at the mixing board.
"You don't have to lie." Justin commented as he wrote something down in his notebook.
JC brought his hands down away from under his chin. "I just wish I could have talked to her more. I was curious as to where she was living now. How she was doing...Things like that."
Justin watched his best friend as he fiddled with buttons and faders trying to seem like he was unfazed by what was going on his personal life. "JC...You are really going to sit there and tell me that not one piece of you misses Laura in the slightest?"
"I miss her. But it's something I am going to have to deal with."
"Well only for the rest of the month. The two of you have to go into the studio with Michael Stewart soon right?" Justin asked.
"Yeah. It's around the same time you go up there to work on your stuff right?"
"Yeah, Rachel was interrogating me earlier about it. You must have her really paranoid." he laughed.
"I don't know why. I don't go anywhere unless it is for work. I don't do anything unless I am working...And she is right in toe every time I turn around. Part of me wants to believe that she missed me and that she is trying to make up for lost time. But another part of me thinks she is trying to keep tabs...Like I am the one who is prone to cheat out of the two of us."
Justin never looked up from his work, when he asked, "You fuck her yet?"
JC looked over at Justin in shock. "Where did that come from?"
Justin rolled his eyes at JC's ignorance. "You knew I was going to ask."
JC got up and looked out the door and up the steps to see if anyone was around. He shut and locked it behind him before sitting back down. Justin was steady writing when JC leaned in close to him and said, "We didn't start sleeping together till very recently. And the second time...it was terrible."
"What did she do?"
"It wasn't her...It was me."
"What? You couldn't get it up?"
"Noooo!" JC defended. "I'm in bed...Doin' my thing...And I call out Laura's name."
Justin covered his mouth his balled up first and exclaimed, "Ooooooo….You didn't?!"
JC nodded his head. Justin's mouth dropped wide open as he let his pen fall. "What did she say?"
"She stopped me and asked what I said, and at the time I really didn't notice that I had said Laura's name. So she told me and all I could do was apologize, but she wasn't havin' it. She went on and on all night about how I must still be fucking around with Laura...knowing damn well that I have no idea where she is right now...And she starts in on how I must still be in love with her, and all this other bullshit to try and make me feel bad."
"Were you thinking about Laura when you were with Rachel?"
JC sat there in silence for a few moments and nodded. "I mean, I know I was wrong for doing that. I was so used to being with this one person that we had our own groove. It's hard for me to get back into the old groove with Rachel. I'm trying my best to erase the visions I have of Rachel and Jerry in my head. And to keep myself excited I have to visualize certain things. All guys do it. I just made the mistake of calling out the wrong name. I know I am wrong, and I've been trying to make up for it, but she is taking this guilt trip to the extreme...She's acting like she is some fuckin' angel, and you and I both know she is far from getting her wings."
"Then why are you with her?"
"Nikolas."
"That's a sorry ass reason to be with someone, JC. My parents tried that before they got divorced. It didn't work. It caused more harm than good."
"My biggest fear is that my child will have to grow up without me in his life everyday."
"Yeah...It's well and good what you are trying to do, but you forget that he is going to be without you when we go on the road and do promotion and things like that. We are gone months at a time. So either way he is going to be without you, man."
"I only want to be away from him if it is absolutely necessary. There is such a thing as bringing him on the road with us. I see how you are your dad aren't as close as either of you would like and I just don't want that. I just need time to get back into the swing of things. Learning to forgive and forget. It's not like I don't still love Rachel."
"Yeah but are you in love with her is the bigger question. I could never see myself spending the rest of my life with someone that I am not in love with. I'd be miserable."
Justin went on to explain his ideas of love and marriage. JC kept fading in and out of the conversation into his own thoughts. Justin had noticed his constant gazing off into space and asked, "Are you okay?"
With a disturbed look on his face he said, "Something just doesn't feel right today."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laura let her head fall against the steering wheel as she sobbed quietly to herself. After a few minutes she looked up into the rear view mirror and wiped her eyes. She pulled down the brim of her baseball hat and grabbed her small duffle bag before getting out of the car and walking towards the building.
"Ma'am can I speak to you for a minute?" someone called out from the sidewalk.
Laura didn't look towards the woman and just kept walking up the path.
"It will just take a moment, Ma'am!" she yelled over.
Laura ignored her and opened the doors to go inside. She rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. A larger man opened the door and asked her name. He looked down the list and check it off and allowed her entry. She walked up to the front desk and waited for the receptionist.
"Good morning. You'll need to fill these out for me and I also need a urine sample." The woman handed her a little plastic cup and a clipboard with a small stack of papers attached to it.
Laura disappeared into the bathroom. When she returned, she placed the cup into a plastic bin and went and took her seat and started to fill out the paperwork. As she read through everything, tears began to slowly trickle down her face. When she was done she returned the papers to the woman and re-took her seat. She looked around at the other women sitting in the waiting room and noticed a couple quietly speaking amongst themselves. The man was leaning in towards the female whose head was on his shoulder. He let his fingers slide in between hers and held her hand tightly before kissing her lightly on the top of her head. She tried her best to focus her attention towards the television but her mind couldn't help but wander.
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"How many?"
Laura looked up at the ceiling thinking quietly to herself. "Maybe two. I think a girl and a boy would be nice."
"Oh yeah?" JC asked as he let his fingers walk along her stomach. Laura looked down at him and smiled, "Yeah."
"Have you ever thought of what they would look like? Color of their eyes? Hair?" he questioned as he looked up at her while letting his lips graze her abdomen.
"You know I am ticklish there..." she giggled. JC smirked and blew air out of his mouth over her navel as he waited for her answer. "Hmmm...I never really put anymore thought into all that detail."
"The girl would most likely have your eyes. Maybe long curly hair and the cutest dimples. And of course the boy would have deep blue eyes..." he stated confidently.
"Oh really?" she grinned as she ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her sides and worked his way back to her stomach.
"My princess will have to be as beautiful as her mother and of course my little prince charming will inherit his father's good looks and charm."
"Just as long as he doesn't inherit your cocky attitude." Laura joked.
JC dawned a shock look on his face before tickling Laura almost to tears. Buddy hopped up onto the bed and began to playfully tug at JC's shirt to protect her. She then got the upper hand and returned the favor before losing her balance and falling on top of JC's chest. They both laid there starring deep into one another's eyes while struggling to catch their breath.
As JC was watching Laura, her face suddenly turned red before she let her head fall into his chest.
JC pushed her hair back trying to look at her face as he asked, "What? Did I scare you with all the baby talk?"
"No. It's just..." She finally looked up at him"...Everyday that I am with you, I become more and more dependent on these moments..." She then slowly ran her index finger across his lips. "...You're like coffee to me. I can't get through my day without you."
JC leaned up and kissed her gently on the lips while he turned her onto her side so they could face one another. Laura let her nose rub up against his as she closed her eyes and let the warm feeling of his tongue on her neck soothe her. "Mmmm." he moaned. "Our daughter will never be allowed to hang out with you alone...Ever."
Laura laughed, "Why not?"
"With all these lines you are throwing my way, she will all the boys in the playground eating out of her hand by the time she is 6."
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"Laura?" The nurse called out into the waiting room.
Laura grabbed her bag and followed the woman into the back. They went into a small room and sat down on the couch. The woman went over everything that was going to happen during her appointment and handed her a Valume to take.
"No one pressured you into coming here today right?"
"No, ma'am. No one really knows except my best friend."
"You did not inform the father of your decision to terminate your pregnancy?"
"Well it's a long story, but I don't want to disturb his life with this, and I am not ready for the added responsibility right now. My job keeps me on the road a lot..." The nurse could see Laura was having a hard time discussing the matter.
"If you need more time, we can always re-schedule your appointment."
Laura cleared her throat trying to push back the tears. "No. I've had plenty of time to think this through."
With that, the nurse took her into the lab where another nurse drew blood. Laura was then instructed to go and change into a gown and wait for the doctor. She sat on the edge of the table and looked around nervously. Her fingers were trembling and she was doing everything in her power to keep herself from crying. The nurse came in and took her blood pressure. The doctor soon walked in and greeted her. The nurse then instructed her to lay back on the table. The loud sounds of the paper underneath her made Laura jumpier than usual. The doctor asked her to scoot down more while the nurse helped her put her feet in the stirrups.
"Okay, now this is going to be cold against your belly." he said before pushing the gel substance from the tube onto her lower stomach. He pulled the equipment cart closer and took the device and slid it across her stomach as he looked at the screen. "Yeah, this seems to be showing you at about 14 weeks now."
Laura nodded in agreement that he was right. He looked at the screen again and said "I think I might be seeing two sacs here...Let me look again. This machine has been giving me trouble today."
Laura's eyes lit up. 'Twins?' she thought to herself.
"Ah, no it's just one baby." The doctor almost stopped in mid sentence at his mistake in saying baby. "Right now, I need to double check with you, because by law we have to inform you on the status of your pregnancy before we conduct the procedure. Are you still sure you want us to proceed?"
Laura laid there for what seemed like an eternity as she looked up at the ceiling and thought to herself. Tears were rolling down the sides of her eyes when she looked over at the doctor and said, "Yes, I'm sure." She shut her eyes tightly and tried to take her mind to another place as he told the nurse to prepare to start the procedure.