14. Running Solves Nothing - Part Two - Flashback

*I know I'm finished with this fic but someone asked me to update it on tumblr and I felt bad 'cause this chapter has literally been completed for months and just sat in my drafts lol I don't like this fic but for those who read it I hope it's alright.*

They'd been on the road for a couple of hours now and Nicki was still out for the count. Her head resting lightly on the glass of the window as Drake kept his concentration on the road. He'd never driven to his uncle's before and getting the right roads was proving to be quite difficult. In fact he'd taken a wrong turn three times already and was thankful that Nicki was still sleeping otherwise he'd have her shouting profanities at him in her frustrated and aching pregnant state. Frowning irritably he tried to look at the map on Nicki's knee but it was no use, his only option was to pull over at the next gas station. Making the turn he came to a stop and proceeded to fill up and grab some snacks and a drink before hitting the road again. In the meantime Nicki had awoken to an unpleasant sensation.

"What is that smell?" She wrinkled her brow and looked sleepily at him.

"I can't smell anythin'."

"It smells like burning. It's really strong. You seriously can't smell that?" He shook his head as she continued to looked bothered, until of course she spotted the food. "Hey! When d'you get all this?"

"Made a stop at the gas station while you were sleep. Your twizzlers are in the glove box." Not taking a second to think she reached forward and pulled the bag out happily.

"Thank youuuu."

"You feelin' any better?"

"Mm. Lots." She spoke between stuffing the red coloured candy treats into her mouth. "I think the advil helped."

"Good." Smiling genuinely he pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it before stealing the twizzler from her grasp with his teeth.

"No! That was mine!"

"Not anymore it's not."

"You're such a pig."

"You don't care. You still love me." He couldn't do anything but laugh when she grumpily snatched the bag to herself and stared out of the window whilst she snacked.

"How long 'til we get there?" Her words were slightly warped because of her chewing twizzlers but he still understood.

"A while yet. You should try go back to sleep, time'll pass quicker."

"But I'm not sleepy anymore." She turned to stare at him momentarily, their only source of light now was the headlights of the car and the odd street light they passed. "You look tired."

"I am." Huffing slightly he peered out of the windscreen and shook his head. "I'ont know where the fuck we even are."

"We're lost?"

"Not lost, just a lil' off track."

"Well, can't we pull over for a lil' while? Maybe stop somewhere?" She tried to read the signs too, like it would actually help. "My back's startin' to hurt again. I'ont think I can deal with sleepin' in this Godforsaken car, Aubrey." There was silence for a while.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I need to check the maps anyway and it's late. I'll pull in to the next motel."

"Oh thank God." She sighed a breath of relief and continued to feed herself as they drove.

He kept to his word and stopped at the next Motel, booking them a room for the night. Of course that didn't go without Nicki starting the dramatics. They'd both showered and were now laying in bed trying to allow sleep to find them.

"Yo, what if somebody breaks into our room?"

"Nobody's gon' break into our room, Nic." He dismissed her instantly. "Besides, even if they did they couldn't do shit whilst I was here." He smirked and pulled her even closer, smiling when he felt her bump press into him.

"If you say so."

"I do. Now, go to sleep."

***

"Take some more advil." He kept looking over at her briefly as they drove. They'd been back on the road again since 8am and it was now nearing 7pm. Understandably Nicki was incredibly fed up and quickly running out of patience.

"I already took some earlier, it ain't doing shit!"

"Look just calm down, okay? I'mma stop in a second and you can get out for a bit. Stretch your legs a little." He rested his hand gently on her knee. Breathing in calmly he tried to stay relaxed but her groaning was making that difficult.

"Please hurry, it's gettin' worse!" Squeezing her eyes shut she let a long shaky breath out followed by a small but pain-filled grunt. "Ugh I think something's happening." She opened her eyes and looked at him fearfully.

"With the baby you mean?"

"Yes with the baby, Aubrey!" She spat angrily before resting her head back and talking breathlessly. "Pull over."

"What? Nicki, I can't just-"

"Pull over!" Her loud yell made him flick the indicator and pull on to the side of the road even though there were absolutely no cars around. They were literally in the middle of nowhere.

"Is the pain just in your back?" He asked as he unbuckled himself and rotated to face her.

"No. It hurts all across here too." She motioned to her lower abdomen weakly. Noticing that her voice had softened he guessed the pain had subsided, he just hoped it didn't happen again. That would only confirm his growing worry that she was in labor.

"You good now?"

"Mmm."

"I'm gonna call my Mom, see what she thinks. Has that only happened once?"

"Yeah, that was the first time." The shake in her voice only worsened as she finished talking. "What if I'm in labor?"

"Listen, I promise you we ain't havin' our baby on the side of the road." Grabbing on to her hands gently he made her look at him. "I'mma call my Mom and hear what she has to say and then we're gonna go straight to my uncle's, 'kay?"

"What if we don't make it? I can't do this by myself!" The panic began to overcome her as he remained holding on to her.

"We will make it but even if we didn't you're not alone. I'm here and I'll be there every step of the way, yeah?" She nodded solemnly before he reached for his phone. There was no cell reception. His frustrated sigh was followed by words. "I'm gonna keep driving, as soon as it happens again I'll pull over." She knew he was freaking out and trying to hide it but even at that moment she could fool herself into believing his calmness. That was all she could do. "You okay for me to keep drivin'?"

"Yeah, please just don't let go of me." He felt her small hand squeeze his.

"I won't, just keep breathin' and stay calm. We'll be there in no time." He wasn't quite sure whether he was trying to fool himself or her but he wanted to believe what he was saying. Keeping her hand enclosed in his he turned the key only to be met with the struggling sound of his engine as it continued to turn over. Once again it had bailed on him when he needed it most. "Fuck!"

"What is it?"

"I need to go look under the hood, you'll be okay for a minute whilst I check it out." Delicately releasing her hand from his grasp he headed out of the car to do what needed to be done. As soon as he lifted the bonnet he was greeted with the smell Nicki had complained of smelling yesterday. He should have listened to her complaint.

The minutes soon turned into hours and he still couldn't get the vehicle going.

"Aubrey."

"Hold on, Nic. I think I figu-"

"Aubrey!" The urgency of her tone made him move swiftly around to her side of the car before pulling her door open.

"Is it happening again?" Bending down to her level he watched her face contort in pain whilst he tried to comfort her.

"It hurts so much! I don't know what to do!" Her cries were literally breaking his heart knowing he could do nothing for her.

"It's okay, I'm right here." Wiping away some of the tears from her face her pulled his phone out at the same time, before smoothing his hand over her leg. His anger began to peak as his mind reeled. They were in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception, it was dark and Nicki was in labor. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to stay calm for. Hearing her  humming through the pain brought him back to the moment. "I need you to listen really carefully, okay? There was a payphone a bit back down the road, if I run I-"

"You can't leave me, Aubrey! No, no, no!" She shook her head violently. "You're not leavin' me!" Panting heavily through the end of the contraction she looked at him seriously.

"If I go now I can be back before the next one starts. I promise you." He knew the one thing his Mother taught him about ever encountering a laboring woman was to never ever leave her. He was about to break that rule but he truly believed if he ran he could make it back in time after getting help.

"No, I'm not lettin' you leave me. I need you here."

"Nicki, we need to call an ambulance. What happens after you have the baby, right here? We're still gonna be stuck with no reception and no help. I'm not risking that." Raising his voice wasn't exactly going to make her feel any more at ease but he needed for her to listen and it worked.

"You better run faster than Usain fucking Bolt, Aubrey!" Allowing the tears to spill over her lids she felt his lips on her forehead.

"Here, lock the car as soon as I shut the door." Putting the keys into her hand he cupped them softly. "I want you to sing somethin', anything you want and by the time you finished the song I'll be back."

"Okay." She nodded whilst crying, which was ripping him up but he knew they'd need medical help. Especially if something went wrong. Folding his lips he tried to get rid of his thoughts. He had to go now whilst she was still early on with her contractions. It took everything in him to move back and shut the door, his heart was beating like crazy as he waited  to hear the car lock. As soon as the noise registered with his ears he took one last look at her petrified face and started running, praying he could keep up the speed.

Back in the car she was overcome by an uneasy silence, only her rapid breathing was a comfort to her as she carried on humming her song of choice. She never stopped humming the tune, using it as an outlet of pain as well.

"Oh God. Please hurry, Aubrey." Her little melody was short-lived as she called out again, the pain was too much to handle. "Hmmmm, fuck! I can't do this!" Breathing heavily she swiped at the tears staining her face. Beyond terrified about how things were going to pan out she lay her hands lightly on her bump.


Only a minute or so down the road, a sheriff was trundling along in his car, the long day was finally over, or so he thought.

"What in the hell?" He turned the radio down as he mumbled, straining his eyes through the dark windscreen. He slowed down a little as he got closer. It was the interior light of Drake's car. He saw the fogged up windows and shook his head whilst coming to a complete stop. "I will never understand why people feel the need to show their love to one another on the side of the road." Slamming his door shut he hitched his pants up a little, before crossing the desolate road. What he was greeted with was not at all what he was expecting.


***

"Please, excuse me a moment." Sandi smiled politely and pushed her chair out to leave the room. It was Drake calling. "Aubrey? I still can't hear you." She paused, only picking up the crackling sound. "Aubrey?"

"Mom?"

"Oh, I can hear you now." Smiling with relief she continued walking out of the noisy atmosphere, stopping when she reached the bathroom. "Are you there yet?"

"No, we're not there. I need you to tell me what to do." His panting breath didn't help Sandi's nerves one bit.

"Oh my God, what's happened?"

"It's Nicki, I think she's in labor."

"Have you called an ambulance?"

"Yeah, I'm on a payphone in the middle of nowhere. They're on their way but I'ont know how long they'll be."

"How is she now?" She began pacing whilst she listened intently.

"Well, when I left her she-"

"Left her? Where have you left her, Aubrey?"

"She's in the car, I told you I'm on a payphone, Mom! I got no signal, the car won't start and the only option I had was to run God knows how long down the road to this phone!" Finally losing his temper with this whole situation he pounded his fist repeatedly on the metal frame of the booth.

"Calm down. That's the first thing I want you to do." There was silence as he cooled off.

"A'ight, I'm good."

"Okay, so she's having contractions?"

"Yeah I wasn't timing or anythin' I was tryin' fix the damn car, I think she's had two in maybe three or four hours."

"Good, that's good. So when you get back to her just try and keep her calm."

"Until the ambulance arrives."

"Exactly."

"What if the baby gets here before the paramedics?"

"Her body'll know what to do, Aubrey. Just listen to her. If she's says stop touching her, you stop touching her. If she tells you to shut-up then keep your mouth zipped. Don't let her feel like she's not in control, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, I got it." He breathed in and out shakily, Sandi could hear the fear in his voice. He was terrified.

"You'll be fine. Just remember the breathing techniques." She heard him exhaling on the other end of the phone and couldn't help but smile tearfully. "Not you, Aubrey. I meant for Nicki."

"Yeah I know, I just thought they might work for me too."

"Call me as soon as you get to the hospital, tell me which one and we'll meet you there."

"I will."

There was a few moments of silence before they said goodbye and hung up, Drake preparing himself for the sprint back. This would undoubtedly be the fastest he'd ever run.

***

Back at the car, the sheriff had managed to talk Nicki into opening the door. She was in mid- contraction, trying to breathe less erratically.

"It's okay, just breathe." He crouched in the door and watched her recovering breathlessly. "That's it, you alright?"

Shaking her head quickly she didn't hold back the tears. "No, I want Aubrey here. He said he'd be back and he's not."

"Hey, come on now. Don't cry." Rubbing her knee awkwardly he tried to take her mind off of what was happening. "What's your name?"

"Nicki."

"Nicki?" She nodded smally. "Okay Nicki, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen."

"And Aubrey, where's he at?"

"I don't know, he went to find a payphone." Letting even more tears stream down her face she looked at the sheriff. He was a kind of oldish, white man with short hair.

"He went to call for help?" She nodded. "How long ago was that?"

"Maybe a half hour, forty minutes. I don't know."

"And do you know how long ago labor started?"

She shook her head and whimpered. "I don't know."

"Okay, well I'm not leavin' you but I gotta head back to my car for a quick second. You gonna be okay?"

"Please hurry, I'ont know if I can hold on." She looked down at herself and tried to stay calm. This was really happening.

"I'll be as fast as I can." He rubbed her knee again and got to his feet, quickly moving back over to his car radio to call for help. Unbeknownst to him, Drake was fast approaching on foot as he  finally made it back. His heart racing, partly from the running and partly from seeing her car door open.

"Nicki, what's happening? You're okay, right?" He crouched, breathing heavily.

"What the hell took you so long?!" She sat up, grimacing as another contraction coursed through her.

"I'm sorry, it was further away than I thought." He grabbed her hands immediately. "But I'm here now, everthin's gon' be fine." Smoothing his thumbs over the top of her hands he tried keep her as calm as he could.

...

...

Well, I think it's kinda obvious already lol but I'm not going to be posting on this fic anymore. I just wanna thank those who did read and comment up until now. I really appreciate that :) I'll leave the story up for a while but I'll probably delete it soon.

Thanks again, Carlee x

13. Running Solves Nothing - Part One - Flashback

*Thanks for the previous comments, I hope this is okay for you all. I had actually forgotten about this fic but somebody asked me about it on Tumblr so, here it is! :)*

"Well, where the hell are they?" His eyes were wide and his palms sweaty as he listened intently to her on the phone. The darkness of the street making his car seem even more desolate.

"First of all, stop yellin' and secondly would you calm down?! They went to some dinner meeting or something. They told you about it last week."

"So you're completely home alone?"

"Yes." There was silence after her response. "Drake? What's wrong?"

"Nothin' Nicki, I promise. Just please keep your phone close. I'll be an hour tops, I love you."

"Love you too." She spoke lowly and frowned as she hung up. Why was he acting so over dramatic? It's not as if she hadn't been home alone before. She carried on thinking along those lines as she made her way into the kitchen to get herself a snack. Upon entering the room she frowned seeing Missy sat staring at her. "Whattya want Moo?" Recieving no verbal reply she patted the dog's head and proceeded to microwave herself some bacon.


Over at their new apartment Drake was bent head first into the hood of his car, cursing to no end. It wouldn't start, which was typical of it's nature. Forever failing him when he needed it most. Continuing to fiddle with the various parts under the bonnet he grinned like mad man when he figured out what was wrong.

"Yes! Thank you, Lord!" Quickly slamming the hood down he returned to the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb. His phone had been chiming in the passenger seat the whole time. Thinking it was a message from Nicki he instantly eased up on the speed and slid across his phone screen to unlock it. It was from Deshaun. The sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach only worsened when he opened the attached file to see a picture of Nicki, it had obviously been taken from outside of their lounge room, with today's date and time underneath. He wasted no time in speeding down the road to get back home. All the street lights began to merge into one long illuminate line on either side of his windows as his mind raced almost as fast as his car wheels. He'd really messed things up and now his pregnant girlfriend was facing the brunt of it all. No longer caring to abide the law he reached over and grabbed his phone from the passenger seat, calling Nicki for the fifth time. She wasn't answering her cell or the landline.

"Fuck! Nicki, come on! Pick up!" In a temper filled rage he quickly tossed the piece of technology to his side once he reached her voicemail, again. Pressing his foot down harder on the accelerator he managed to weave through traffic, praying he wouldn't hit a queue. Thankfully the situation played on his part and a mere forty minutes later he was pulling up outside of their house. Not sparing another second he darted inside, yelling and panting like he had just run a marathon.

"Nicki?!" Dashing through the kitchen he reached the lounge room and his heart sank with relief. "Oh thank God!" Regaining his breath he rested against the door frame, breathing heavily.

"The fuck is wrong with you Drake? You scared the shit outta me!" His eyes flicked to where she was sat comfortably on the couch. Her feet tucked neatly under her with Missy curled up on the cushion beside her.

"Are you okay?! Did anythin' happen while I was gone?!" His breathy questions were begininning to make her feel nervous as she knocked the volume down on the TV.

"I'm fine, Aubrey. Why wouldn't I be?" She frowned and quickly made her way over to him. "S'goin' on with you? You're all sweaty." Leading him worriedly over to the couch she made him sit before lowering down next to him. "What's happened?"

"Nothin', I just...I couldn't get hold of you and I..." He trailed off and breathed out shakily. "Why weren't you answerin' my calls?! What if you'd gone into labor or somethin' and I couldn't get through to you?!"

"Stop yelling at me! Somethin' weird happened to the landline and my cell died after you called the first time." She sniffled. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise how worried you were gettin'." Smudging the outer corners of her eyes she inhaled, feeling an emotional release threatening to overcome her.

"It's okay." He spoke with a sigh. "I'm sorry, c'mere." He pulled her to him and continued to apologise for freaking her out as she tried to relax in his arms. She couldn't though since his uneasy breathing continued to rattle in his chest beneath her head. "What's wrong with the house phone?" His brow wrinkled with confusion.

"I'm not sure, I wanted to order in but when I picked it up I got no dial tone." The softness of her voice was calming but that didn't stop his mind from reeling with sheer panic. This had to be something to do with Deshaun. No doubt about it.

"Here, use my phone. Order whatever you want." Shifting from underneath her she quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'mma go see if I can figure out what's up with the phone, I won't be long. Get me whatever you're havin'." Kissing her temple he lay the blanket back over her legs and headed towards the kitchen.

"Won't be long?" She scoffed under her breath. "Now where've I heard that before?" Gently chewing on the corner of her lip she ordered their food and tossed his phone onto the couch pillow beside her once she was done before flicking through the channels and settling on a good movie. Just waiting for him to come back, which honestly didn't take long.

"You ordered?" He pulled his jacket off and set it on the coat stand beore joining her again.

"Yeah, I got us pizza. You got a message whilst you were gone too." She passed him his phone and looked up at him sweetly. "You figure out what was wrong with the phone?"

"Uhm, no." He lied. "I couldn't see shit, it was too dark out. I'll see if my Dad can sort it tomorrow."

"Kay, well I'm gonna go shower before the food gets here. And if it does get here before I'm done, keep your bigass bear paws off of mine." Moving the blanket aside she tugged her shirt back over her bump, since it had ridden up, and headed down to the basement bathroom. He managed to keep his cool until he heard her shut the door before proceeding to open Deshaun's latest message. He already knew the phone line was cut deliberately and the message now visible on his phone screen confirmed that.

"Looks like you got home just in time." His body quivered as he read it aloud. He knew this wasn't a a matter of threats anymore, this wasn't some sort of sick game. Deshaun would do whatever it took to get his money back, no matter who stood in his way.

***

"Who's this s'posed to be?" James almost spit half of his food out of his mouth as he spoke.

"This is Nicki. Drake's girl."

"Word? She looks young." He paused briefly. "And pregnant?"

"Right you are, Jimmy. She's sixteen and eight months pregnant." Deshaun smiled eerily as he continued to ogle the same picture he'd sent Drake.

"How'd you know all this stuff, man? You been stalkin' the girl or somethin'?"

"I've had people watchin' the house, done a lil' snoopin'. Ain't nothin' wrong with that." He stared intently at his friend as he carried on chewing down his burger.

"Whatever, why you showin' me all this anyways?"

"I want you to pay her a lil' visit. I heard Drizzy's got them sorted with a new apartment on the other side of town. I'mma go check it out whilst you do that." He stood up and grabbed himself another drink.

"No, no , no. Hold up a minute." He swallowed the last of his meal and looked to the back of Deshaun's head in bewilderment. "You want me to pay her a visit, and do what exactly?"

"Give her a message, the kind of message that Drake will respond to."

"I ain't goin' in there and harrassin' or hurtin' a young girl. 'Specially not when she's pregnant!" He squinted angrily. "Are you outta your fuckin' mind?! No way, get someone else to do it." Throwing his chair back he went to leave but was stopped by his boss' bottle hitting the wall metres in front of his face, sending glass shards everywhere. He flinched away dramatically. "The fuck, Dee?! You're fuckin' losin' it!"

"You listen to me. When I get back here tonight, I wanna hear what happened when you paid Nicki a visit. Got it?" The throbbing vein in his neck made James swallow fearfully. He knew when Deshaun was in no mood for rebellion and this was one of those moments. He took a while to reply, and when he finally did it was dry and raspy. Giving away his obvious fear and resentment.

"Got it." He made sure to give him a disapproving look before shaking his head and leaving after snatching his coat from the back of his chair.

***

"A road trip? You're kidding right?" Sandi laughed heartily with the misconception that her son was joking.

"I'm not kidding, Mom." He watched her spoon some more porridge into her mouth and her facial expression soon turned serious.

"Aubrey, you cannot just decide to run off on a road trip. What about Nicki?"

"She'd be comin' with me, what's the problem?" He was mentally kicking himself. He knew exactly what the problem was.

"The issue, Aubrey? She could be giving birth at any time now!"

"I know that." He shook his head frustratedly. "I didn't mean like a full on road trip, I was just thinkin' of maybe headin' up to my uncle's for a bit." He stood and carried his plate to the sink as she remained seated.

"Oh my God. That makes it even worse, he lives in the middle of nowhere!" Following him to the sink she dumped her bowl into the soapy water and clocked the time. "We'll talk about this later, I'm already running behind." Shaking her head at her son's bizarre behaviour she left the house swiftly. Drake could do nothing but stand and wonder, how the hell was he going to get himself and Nicki out of town by tomorrow morning? It was a goal which seemed completely unattainable at this moment in time. The night's events had only gotten more worrying. He'd been getting texts from Deshaun like there was no tomorrow and to top it off he knew about their new apartment, there went that plan. It only really hit home how extremely out of hand things were getting when a bunch of random noises startled him from his sleep and out of instinct he flung his arm around only for it to make strong contact with Nicki's chest. Although she'd awoken angrily and was in shock for a second or two she kept reassuring him it was an accident but he couldn't deal with how much this situation was messing with his head.

"I checked out the landline." He jumped at the sound of his Father's voice as he entered the kitchen and moved over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Yeah? You sorted it?" His nerves were getting the better of him and it was blatantly obvious.

"That line was cut Drake. But you already know that, don't you?" He took a seat once he'd dried his big and calloused hands. "Wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

The saliva in his mouth instantly dried. His secret was about to be spilled, but perhaps it was being uttered to someone who could help? He didn't hold back in telling his Father everything, each detail of his situation and what he was planning to do.

Not too far away, a nervous looking James was once again sat before Deshaun, being interrogated about his non-existent visit with Nicki. He had attempted to get into the house but his conscience was too argumentative, ultimately making him walk away.

"I'm positive. Nicki definitely got the message." He was lying through his teeth but Deshaun was hearing what he wanted and he believed it too, which was an added bonus.

"Good." He let out an accomplished laugh. "So they gonna be headin' over to their new place tonight?"

"That's what she said, I'ont see why she would lie."

"I been waitin' too long to get what's mine. You did good." He slapped him hard on the shoulder and went through to his kitchen, giving James the chance to reply to Drake. After almost complying with Deshaun's orders last night he felt the need to offer Drake a helping hand. Inside information which could possibly spare them harm.

***

"I'ont know what to pack? Where are we even going?" She huffed and plopped herself on the edge of the bed. "This is stupid, Drake."

"Just pack your essentials Y'know? Like, underwear and stuff. We won't be gone that long."

"Oh? You want me to pack baby clothes too, I mean I could give birth on the way there or somethin'. How did you even get your Mom to agree to this?"

"Please don't act up, Nicki. Not now." He resumed folding and placing his clothes into the duffle bag, switching between packing her stuff and his stuff since she was complaining of an aching back. He knew what she was up to though, anything to get out of packing.

"I just don't understand why we can't wait 'til after the baby's born to go on this trip. What's the rush?" She placed her hands delicately on her bump and caressed it lovingly. "I mean, your uncle ain't goin' nowhere fast is he?"

"You don't know that for sure though, he could have a heart attack or somethin' and the last time I woulda seen him was when I was fifteen." He folded his lips and widened his eyes whilst nodding. He knew she was rolling her eyes, which made him laugh. Slowing down gradually until he came to a stop he moved over to her and held both her hands with his. "Everythin' will be fine. I swear, in fact I don't swear. I promise, on my life."

"Don't say shit like that!" She hit his arm feebly, causing him to laugh again.

"But really though, what's the worst that could happen whilst I'm with you?"

"Nothing." The corners of her glossed lips turned up into a smile as she leaned forwards and kissed him. "I trust you."

"You do? So what's with all the second guessing and the questioning?" He shook their still connected hands and crouched down to look her in the eye making her smile before sighing.

"I don't know, Drake." She began. "It's prolly just this Godforsaken back ache along with everything else. I'll try and be less moody, promise." Sealing her promise with a kiss he stood up and released her from his grip.

"I'mma pack the Advil now before I forget." He disappeared into the bathroom as she scooted back to lay on the bed with the two duffle bags. "You taken any yet?" She could hear him rummaging around in the cabinet as he shouted out to her.

"No, could you bring me some?"

"Take some before we leave, that way you might sleep in the car." He was talking and reading when he re-entered the room. "Can you even take this when you're pregnant?"

"Mmm."

"Nic?" Stealing a glance at her he dropped his hand to his side. "Nicki, don't lay down. You'll be asleep within seconds. Come on." Sliding the Advil into his pocket he reached for her hand, pulling at it gently but she didn't move from her position on her side.

"My back's really hurting." Not opening her eyes when she murmured he began to worry a little.

"Where at?"

"Right here." She lazily manoeuvred her hand to her lower back and rested her fingertips on the hem of her shirt, lifting it slightly.

"Is it just aching, babe?" He sat down beside her and encouraged her to move on to her other side whilst he continued to gently massage her back with one hand and pack with the other.

Mm."



It didn't take long for her to doze off and in the end he wasn't mad, as long as she wasn't awake and in pain he didn't mind. He surprised himself a little at how fast he'd managed to pack their belongings. Carefully setting them by the front door he turned around to come face to face with his Mother. She looked beyond angry.

"So you're all set to go then?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna shower and then we'll head off." He rubbed his hands together anxiously.

"Honestly Aubrey? I have no idea how your Father talked me into letting you go on this ridiculous trip, but if you're not back by Monday.." She let her sentence fizzle out as she shook her head. "Let's just say, you better be back by Monday."

"We'll be back in Monday, no later."

"And you've got-"

"Yes, we've both got your number in case anythin' happens to Nic." He smiled at her overprotective ways. "We'll be fine, and we'll see you in a couple days."

"Mmkay, be safe and call me as soon as you get there." She hugged him tightly before he pulled away and shot his Father a grateful glance. He owed him, big time. They were saying their goodbyes early since his parents were going out for yet another dinner meal. "Where's Nicki?"

"She's still snoozin', I'll tell her you both say bye." He walked them to the door and waved them off before heading downstairs to shower, his heart warming as he lay eyes on a still sleeping Nicki. He just hoped everything worked out okay. The help he was getting from James was immense. Thanks to him, Deshaun thought they were staying in the apartment and would therefore stay away from his parents house, by which time James will have told him that they've gone on vacation. His uncle was loaning him the money and in his mind, owing a relative was a lot less risky than being in debt to Deshaun.

...

*Hope this was alright, I've reeeeaaaally lost touch with this fic so I apologise if it dragged on :( Thanku to all the people who left comments on the last chapter :)*

12. Losing Control - Flashback

*Hope this is okay for everyone thanku for the comments on the last chapter! ^_^*

Drake remained still in the seat of his car. He was parked up outside his parents house, running through all the various stories he could use to conceal his lie. He hated this. Lying to her, it didn't feel right. Sighing out loud he ran his hand over his face and groaned before making his way inside. The TV was still playing with Nicki asleep on the couch and SB was nowhere to be seen. Quietly turning the dvd off he sat the remote down and covered her with a blanket. By the time he stood up again Safaree was entering the room with a drink.

"Hey, I ain't even hear you back."

"Uh, yeah I figured she'd be sleepin'." There was an awkward silence as the two of them tried to think of something to say. "So, everythin' go okay with you both?"

"Yeah, we all good." He grabbed his keys and folded his lips. "You and her need to talk though."

"Who? Me and Nic?"

"Dude, she cried for most the time you was gone." SB could feel his temper rising but remembering Nicki's wishes for them to get along he managed to stop himself. "Look, just talk to her is all I'm sayin'. I'll see myself out." He nodded goodbye and left Drake with his thoughts. Honestly he felt like he was losing his grip on everything. Trying to support himself and Nicki as well as dealing with all the secrets was losing him and in turn he felt he was losing Nicki in the process. He needed to fix this, before it was too late. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't wash Deshaun's words about Nicki from his mind. It wasn't just his safety that was jeopardised now, it was Nicki's and their unborn baby girl's.

"Drake? When'd you get home?" She sat up and stretched as he moved over to her.

"Not too long ago, you okay?" Kissing her forehead he took a seat next to her, resting his hand on the blanket over her bump.

"Mm, just tired I guess."

"SB said you was upset, s'goin' on with you?" The question threw her off a little as he moved the hair away from her face.

"That boy never knows when to keep his mouth shut." She shook her head before continuing. "I don't know Aubrey, I just feel like...like you're not really here anymore. I mean, you are here obviously but not present. Y'know what I'm sayin'?"

"Actually I do. That's how I feel." He looked down too, holding her hand in his.

"Why? What's goin' on in here?" She pointed to his head and squeezed his hand tightly. "Talk to me."

"How'd you manage to throw this 'round on me?" He smiled a little before turning serious again. "But really though, I don't know. I just wanna get everythin' together and move away from this place."

"You-" She stopped suddenly and placed her palm on the side of her bump.

"What's wrong?" The speed in which he sat forward made her laugh.

"Nothin's wrong, she's just kicking." Pulling her shirt up she exposed her bump properly and smiled down at herself. "Wow, she's never been like this before! Look." He let his eyes wander to the small lump as it slowly disappeared only to become visible again when she kicked once more.

"That is so weird, she can hear us right?"

"I'm pretty sure she can. Talk to her Aubrey." Allowing her eyes to follow him he knelt down in front of her and lay his hands on either side of her abdomen. He began talking to their baby, seeing her kick as he spoke. After around ten minutes or so he looked up to see what Nicki was thinking but she was fast asleep. He made sure to carry her cautiously down to his room before placing her in their bed, at that moment as he stared down at her he really understood what was important in his life and he wasn't about to lose it because of some stupid mistake he made.

***

Touching up her makeup one last time Nicki scraped her hair up into a bun before putting her coat on. She'd been avoiding Drake all afternoon because he was having one of his days. She shook her head thinking about it. Surely with her being the pregnant one she was supposed to be the parter to be exerting more mood swings but it seemed as though Drake had taken on that role. Her anger only peaked when she reached the kitchen and found him sat at the table.

"Where you goin'?"

"Out."

'"Out where, Nicki?"

"Just out." She was angrily rummaging through her purse, trying to find some gum as she spoke.

"It's almost ten, I'ont think you should be goin' out alone."

"Oh my God. I've been locked up in this house for almost a week, Drake! A week! I need to get out!" She exhaled slowly and collected herself. "I'll call you when I get to SB's, let you know I got there." The volume of her voice was low as she spoke her last sentence. There wasn't much else he could say without pushing her away any further. Obviously he understood where she was coming from and why she was so angry but watching her from the window he couldn't help but start to feel anxious. The past few days he'd been receiving unsetting texts from Deshaun, all of which involved something to do with Nicki. Hence the reason he hadn't been letting her leave the house. Quickly kicking into panic mode he followed out of the house and jogged to catch up with her.

"Nicki? Nicki wait!"

"What?" She turned angrily on the spot.

"Look, I know I've been actin' real difficult lately but please just come back inside? It's gettin' late, you can go see SB tomorrow." He held onto her hand as she stared at him under the streetlight. Honestly she was tired and she didn't really want to be going out so late but she wanted to prove a point. That and she knew she was behaving foolishly to be going out alone at night being eight months pregnant.

"You can't hold me captive Drake!" He tried to interject but she cut him off again. "I know! I know you're just tryin' to look out for me, for us. But I feel like I'm suffocating." She moved closer to him, tightening the grip she had on his hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm just freakin' out I guess."

"You guess? Babe you won't even let me take the trash out!" She smiled with amusement as he blushed. "I'ont even wanna know what you're gonna be like when the baby's born!" She let out a light laugh, which slightly eased the tension as they began walking slowly back to the house. "You're gonna be a super protective Daddy."

"I hadn't even thoughta that." He paused, letting her through the gate first. "What's wrong with bein' protective?"

"Nothin' but what are you gon' be like when she gets a boyfriend or whatever?"

"Oh...She's not allowed a boyfriend."

"Seriously? But what if she had what we have? Would you deny her of havin' that?" Her eyes were full of intrigue as she looked up at him.

"Damn, thas a good question. He'd have to gain my approval and ask permission first."

"You gon' be doin' security checks on every goddamn boy she brings home." She entered the house, letting him close the door behind them. Continuing to talk about the topic at hand they went downstairs, showered and changed before moving back up to the lounge room. Their eyes fixed to the screen as they watched Nicki's favourite movie. He was quite surprised that she'd given in so easily and that's when he realised she obviously had no intention to leave and she knew he would follow her. His smile slowly diminished when he heard the trashcans tumbling in the backyard.

"Babe, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it was prolly just Missy." He lied, referring to his pitbull in the yard. "I'll go feed her now." Moving out from under her he entered the kitchen and peered out of the window. His vision was hindered by the darkness and the light reflections but not hearing Missy barking he figured it was nothing. Nevertheless he couldn't help but act on edge about weird noises. Shrugging it off he opened the backdoor and grabbed Missy's food bowl and filled it before giving it back to her.

"What was it?" She asked concernedly as she chewed on a strawberry twizzler.

"The dog, she musta knocked the lid off the trash or somethin' I'onno." Sitting back down again, she moved forward to let him back under her.

"You missed my favourite part."

"Oh, damn." He laughed at her unimpressed face but he knew her favourite part would have been some soppy love line. His mind was pulled away from the funny moment as he felt his phone vibrating. Removing it from his pocket he clenched his jaw seeing it was a message from Deshaun asking why he looked so tense tonight. Quickly bringing his head up he looked to the window, it was no use though he wouldn't have been able to see anything.

"What's wrong?" Her worried voice stopped him from looking around frantically as he lay eyes on her concerned face.

"Nothin', it's nothin'."

"You sure? 'Cause you look like you just seen a ghost."

"No I'm fine, really. I'm kyna tired though." He forced a yawn out, making her do the same.

"Me too." She carried on eating her twizzlers and lay her head on his chest before he nudged her slightly.

"C'mon, I'm not lettin' you fall asleep on here again. We're goin' to bed." She sat up and got to her feet steadily, clutching the twizzler bag to herself.

"Fine, but I'm bringin' these with me. The baby wants them."

"No, you want them Onika. Don't be tryin' to blame our baby." Smirking through his words he tapped her ass and kissed her angry face. "Baby I'm kidding, now go to bed. I'll be down in a minute." As soon as she disappeared down the stairs he dropped the pretence that everything was fine. Scrambling to each and every window as he locked and drew the curtains, double checking them all before doing the same to the doors. This shit was getting too real for his liking. Heading downstairs he stripped off and sorted himself for bed before climbing in with her. He wasn't even surprised that she was asleep already and with the twizzler packet still clutched to her chest.

The next morning he'd been doing some serious thinking whilst she was still asleep. He needed for them to be out of the house pretty soon and moving into the apartment seemed like the only choice they had left. Deshaun had no idea about that place, so he knew for a fact it would be safer there. Well, safer from him but not all the other dangers. Letting the idea tick over in his mind he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"What're you thinkin' about Aubrey? You've been awfully quiet these last few days, is everythin' okay?"

"Yeah Mom, everythin's fine." He paused and looked down as she took a seat opposite him at the table. "Actually, there is somethin' I need to talk to you about."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Well, it's abou-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before the phone rang on the wall behind them. "It's aight Ma I got it." Jumping up he silenced the phone as he quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Drizzy, just thought I'd let you know that you can't run away from this mess you've got yourself into." The sound of Deshaun's voice made his skin crawl, making sure his Mom had moved over to the sink he spoke again quietly.

"Look, I told you I'm tryin' to get your money. I just need some more time." He snapped through a gritted whisper, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah and I told you I want it now. You don't want me to have to start payin' you and your girl lil' visits do you?" He talked in a chillingly calm and kind tone. "Or I could even drop in and keep Nicki company whilst you're out gettin' my money? It's up to you."

"How the fuck d'you know her name?"

"I thought you of all people would know I got people everywhere. I don't miss a thing, Drizzy. I want my money."

"I'm gettin' it, just make sure you stay the fuck away from her and my family." He wiped at his mouth nervously. "And don't even think about callin' here again." Not giving him chance to respond he slammed the phone down and leant against the wall in state of pure fear. The situation was spiralling well out of his control.

"Aubrey dear? Who was on the phone?"

"Hm? Oh uhm, nobody it was just a wrong number." Fiddling with his keys momentarily he fixed a plan in his mind and moved back into the kitchen. "Look, I gotta head out for a minute. Don't wait up for me and I'll see y'all later." The sudden outburst of words only just registered with Sandi's ears as she heard the front door shut, not able to stop and question him she shook her head and continued to prepare something for Nicki and Dennis to eat when they surfaced from their beds.

***

"Thank you, that was so good." Nicki patted her stomach contently and started washing her plate in the sink. She felt bad that Sandi had cooked her breakfast, lunch and dinner but she made sure to show her appreciation.

"You don't have to thank me Nicki! As long as you're both eating what's good, my mind is at rest." She took a moment to admire her bump before looking back at her face. "Anyway, we're about to head off now but Aubrey shouldn't be too long. I thought he'd be back by now to be honest, are you okay being left alone?"

"Sure, we'll be fine." She answered whilst caressing her bump. "Go, have fun! You been runnin' 'round after us all day, you deserve a break."

"Well, my number is on the fridge so if anything happens just call me and I'll come straight back." She fumbled around with her purse before clipping Dennis on the back of the head as she walked past. "Would you turn that off?! We're going to be late." Nicki couldn't help but laugh as Dennis didn't even flinch before he stood and switched the TV off.

"This how you treat Drake?"

"No sir." She couldn't help but laugh as she spoke.

"Oh be quiet and go get in the car." Dennis did as he was told, leaving Nicki stood in the doorway as Sandi made her way out on to the steps. "You have your midwife's number don't you?"

"Yes, I have your number, I have Aubrey's number and I have my midwife's number." She laughed again. "Now go, you're gonna miss your reservation."

"Okay, okay be safe and don't be eating anything spicy." She called the last part out as she opened the passenger door and hopped in. They reversed out slowly as Nicki watched them disappear. Receiving this sort of maternal attention was really having a positive effect on her, she felt as though her own maternal instincts were being strengthened by Sandi's caring and loving nature. She wanted the best for her baby and she was sure that no matter what happened she would always try and give her the best life they possibly could.

***

"No, I need the keys tonight! Please?" Drake had been arranging to get things sorted for their apartment so that once they'd told his parents they could move in and hopefully escape the watchful eye of Deshaun. He kept panicking about not being home with Nicki but he knew his parents were still there, little did he know they'd gone out for a business dinner with some of Sandi's colleagues and Nicki was home alone.

*Sorry I took forever to post! I was gonna just give up and do it tomorrow but I decided to stick it out lol I hope this was okay for everyone and I apologise for any typos or if it seemed rushed :/ Thanks for reading ^_^ Also if you follow me on @CarleesBlogs could you please leave your @ names so I can note who my Dricki readers are and who my Onikafaree readers are? I keep getting confused with which followers read which fics lol*

11. Doubting You - Flashback

It was late evening before drake returned, he'd missed dinner and was home just in time to say goodnight to Sandi who was more than unimpressed with his disappearance. Down in the basement Nicki was laying on his bed, trying not to listen to their arguing but it was pretty hard not too. As soon as their yelling stopped she could hear the faint sound of Drake jogging down the basement stairs before letting himself in and shutting the door behind him.

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you were still awake." He walked over to her after kicking his shoes off. "How're you feelin'?" The bed sank a little as he rested on the edge whilst she just stared at him.

"Where were you?" By the way he sighed and rolled his eyes briefly she could tell he didn't want her too start asking questions.

"Nicki, please. I told you I had some work to take care of, that's all." He stroked the hair from her forehead gently as her eyes followed his movement.

"Promise?" There was a long silence before he leaned down and kissed her.

"Promise. Now go to sleep, I'mma go take a quick shower." He smiled and kissed her forehead before walking towards his bathroom, stripping off along the way and turning in the doorway to give her a wink as he threw his boxers at her. That was what she hated about him, no matter how much she was trying to be mad at him he would always do something like that which would send her into a fit of giggles. Which is exactly what she was doing now.

"Oh my God. Go away!"She laughed obnoxiously and swiped his underwear away from her face whilst watching him disappear into the bathroom smirking.

That was the last thing she remembered before waking up the next morning, still wrapped in his arms. Just where she wanted to be. She didn't want to move, the idea of staying this way forever was more than tempting but her growling stomach had other plans. Only managing to ignore her body's wants for a couple of minutes she lay still for a while before cautiously sliding out of his arms. He didn't stir luckily. She could tell he was tired and there was one thing she was even more certain of, he was lying about where he was yesterday, she just knew it. With it being only 6am she made sure to be quiet when she headed upstairs after performing her morning rituals. She smiled when she reached the kitchen remembering being congratulated by Drake's father about being pregnant. She and Sandi laughed more at the fact that he didn't really know how to react and shaking her hand seemed to fit the news well. He was so awkward in a sweet kind of way. He and her own Father shared similar addictive traits but he'd been scared to the point where he sought help and wanted to turn his life around, which he had done oh so well. He'd been sober for almost a year now and like any recovering addict he'd focused his attention on other things the main one being puzzles. He was the only one other than herself who was awake at this time, sitting at the table with one of his jigsaws.

"Another one?" She asked cheerfully as she made her way over to him.

"Yeah, they keep me busy." He chuckled. "You wanna help?"

"Sure." She smiled whilst pouring her cereal and taking a seat opposite him. He'd already done quite a lot of the puzzle, she figured he must have been up for a while.

"Drake still snorin'?"

"Mhm, completely dead to the world." Her small giggle made him smile as he held a puzzle piece in his hand and scanned the table for its spot. "How long you been awake? You're almost done." Her talking was muffled by her polite crunching.

"I couldn't sleep, I been sat here since three."

"Wow, you're not sleepy?"

"Not a bit." He looked up at her curious face and smiled before following her hand to where she was pointing in front of him.

"There." She motioned to a gap in the puzzle to where his piece went and continued eating her breakfast.

"Thanks, that one's been nigglin' at my mind all damn mornin'." He fitted the piece in and let the silence fill the room again before catching a glimpse of her face, she looked troubled to say the least. "Somthin' wrong?"

"Hm?" Her brow crinkled when he interrupted her thoughts. "Oh, no I was just thinking." She smiled unconvincingly before finding the courage to speak up again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." She smirked at his little joke. "I'm just playin', go ahead I'm all ears."

"It's personal, so don't feel like you have to answer."

"Okay, I'm listenin'." He dropped whatever was in his hands and leant forward as he rested on the table ledge, she looked a little nervous as she began talking.

"Why did you leave them all those years ago?" She'd finished her cereal and was now playing nervously with nails, her panic levels began to rise when he wasn't replying. "I don't mean it in a-"

"No, no it's fine." He folded his lips in an attempt to smile about something so solemn. "Honestly Nicki, I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" She moved forward some more, intrigued to find out his answer.

"Well, of failing I guess. Failing as a father and as a husband, so I did what I knew best. I ran."

"But you regret it."

"I always said if I could go back in time and fix what I did, I would. But what's done is done." He felt a little uncomfortable and continued doing his puzzle as he talked. "I don't think some women understand what exactly is goin' through a man's head when he finds out he's gonna be a Father."

"What d'you mean?" Her little face wrinkled up as she spoke, waiting for an answer.

"A lotta people say a woman becomes a Mother when she gets pregnant but a man only becomes a Father when he holds his child for the first time." Taking a sip of his coffee he proceeded with his little story which Nicki was becoming more engrossed in. He knew she was trying work out how Drake was feeling. "I was terrified about not bein' able to provide for them and not havin' that same connection a Mother has, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess." She trailed off and looked down as there was along pause.

"Aubrey's never gonna leave you, you know that right?" He tried to peer at her face but her head was low.

"I don't know that for sure though, I mean Sandi didn't have a clue you was gon' leave, did she?"

"That's true but Drake knows the pain of being abandoned. I didn't, but I had I been able to see into the future and witness the heartache I caused I would never have left them." He could see her eyes were filling up but he was always awkward in these kind of situations. "He'll be there for you, he won't do to you what I did to him. It's not in his heart."

"I feel bad for doubtin' him but I don't even know what to expect, it's scary." She sniffled and looked back up at him once she knew she had her tears under control.

"Just know that you have all of us here, you're not alone." He reached across the table and held her hand sweetly, something her own Father hadn't done in years.

"Thank you." There was a moment of quiet before they heard movement.

"Hey, why y'all up so early?" They both jumped hearing his voice as he approached them, Nicki wondered how long he'd been listening for.

"Not long." She stood up to greet him as he kissed her forehead. When he felt her just staring up at him he caught on and said good morning to his Father too before getting himself some poptarts.

"You're not busy today are you?"

"Yeah, we have an appointment at eleven. Your Mom sorted it yesterday."

"Aight, well after that I'm takin' you out shoppin'." He pushed the toaster down and turned to look at her.

"Oh? Where to?" She asked as she moved over to the dishwasher.

"Just somewhere, that's all you need to know."

"Okay then, well I'mma go take a shower." She smiled up at him after squinting at his suspicious behaviour and headed back towards the bedroom, making sure to give Dennis an appreciative smile before she disappeared. Drake noticed they were talking about something deep but didn't know what.

"So, what were y'all talkin' about?" He tried to ask casually as he sat at the table with his plate.

"Oh, just puzzles. She's was helpin' me out." He half lied and carried on with his jigsaw with Drake looking on in thought.

***

"Nicki, come on we're gonna be late. You've changed three times now." He let his arm drop to his side, jingling his keys.

"It's fine. We'd only be sat waitin' in the damn waitin' area anyway." She huffed and grabbed her purse. "Why've you got your keys babe? Your Mom's drivin' us."

"What? Why?" He followed behind her with a confused expression.

"Because they're comin' with us." She said it as if it was already fact.

"Since when?"

"Since I asked them too, now come Aubrey on we're gonna be late." She mimicked him and walked out to the car leaving him to lock up the house slightly angry that his parents were intruding.

The drive was short and before they knew it they were sat in the waiting room with a load of other people. Sandi and Dennis were involved in their own little conversation as Drake stared them down. He didn't know it but Nicki was doing the same to him.

"Bein' angry at him forever isn't gonna solve anythin' y'know?" She touched his arm gently, making him look at her.

"You don't know what it feels like though. I'm so angry and I wanna forgive him but I can't."

"He's really tryin' though, and look how far he's come. He's been sober for like, a year and is back in your life. Y'know how lucky you are? I would give anythin' for my Dad to turn his life around like that." He didn't respond, knowing she was right. "So promise me you'll try?"

"For you? I promise." He kissed her sweetly but his face remained troubled.

"Onika Maraj?" They all turned their heads when they heard her name and left their seats to follow the woman through to the room. After helping her up on to the bed Drake took a seat at her side while Sandi and Dennis sat across the room. "Dr. Taylor should be though to see you in a minute or two." The young woman smiled again and left.

"You still think she's a girl?" She asked quietly as she grabbed his hand.

"I know she is."

"Do you want her to be a girl?"

"I'm happy with whatever she turns out to be." He placed his hand on her stomach and smiled again. There was something about his smile that made her feel so relaxed. She loved that about him.

"Morning all." Dr. Taylor entered just as cheerfully as always, Nicki loved him because he was from the UK. His accent was everything to her so she couldn't help but smile as they all greeted him back. "Let me just grab some ultrasound gel and we'll get started." He smiled, emphasising his bristly stubble on his face as he grabbed the blue dispenser. "We've finally got a get warmer for this room now, so the gel won't be cold." He pulled the wheelie chair to himself before noticing Sandi and Dennis properly. "So, you must be the parents?"

"Yes, I'm Sandi and this is Dennis. We're Drake's parents." She smiled as though she was smitten and shook his hand with Dennis doing the same.

"Well it's lovely to meet you both and with greetings aside let's get this scan underway." He rubbed his hands together and wheeled over to the side of Nicki and pulled her top up a little. "You might need to tug your trousers down a bit too." She giggled at the way he said "tug" and "trousers" before doing as he asked. He was right, the gel was warm. It felt kind of nice as he spread it over her small bump. All five of them had their eyes fixed on the monitor, waiting for the image to appear.

"We can find out the sex today, right?" Her hopeful voice made Dr. Taylor turn to look at her.

"You want to find out today?" He locked eyes with them both as they nodded. "Well, I already know." He smiled again as he moved the head over her abdomen, his gaze was fixed on the screen again. "Looks to me like a very healthy baby girl."

"A girl? Really?" Nicki's hand went straight to her mouth as she looked to her other side at Drake. "You were right."

"Told you I knew she was a girl." His smile was from ear to ear across his face before he looked at his Mom. She was in tears. "You good Mom?" He chuckled as Nicki and Dennis laughed at her waving her hand at him, telling him to shut-up.

"Well, everything looks extremely fine to me. Good heartbeat, good size, no problems." He pulled the paper towel from her leggings waistband and used it to wipe off the gel. "I'll just fix you up with some more pre-natal vitamins and you're free to go."

"Thank you." She showed her dimples and pulled the hoodie back over herself before sliding off of the bed.

Drake couldn't believe it. They were having a baby girl. They all seemed to be super elated after the appointment and driving home on a high. Sandi and Dennis had plans for the afternoon so Drake intended to keep his arrangements for taking Nicki shopping. Since she was almost five months pregnant now he wanted to start buying baby stuff to be ready for when she was born. It took him a while to convince her seeing as she was tired but buying things for her baby sounded fun in the end. She was enjoying walking around the store, holding his hand as they looked at cribs.

"What about this one?" She ran her free hand along the edge of the furniture piece as Drake grabbed the tag. Everything was so much more expensive than he'd originally thought.

"Uhm, yeah this one's good."

"You okay babe?" He nodded and smiled before walking past her to a crib on the opposite side, seeing the price tag swinging she pulled it up to see how much it was going to cost. A bomb, that's what. She sighed and walked back over to him.

"You picked one?"

"First of all we are picking one and second of all I'm hungry. We can do this another day Drake, and besides I'm pretty sure we could get a cheaper one from somewhere else. Actually I could even take Caiah's old crib." She shrugged, wide-eyed as she stared at his face.

"Nic, that's just it though. I'on want second-best for you guys, for us. I want the best of the best."

"I know you do and so do I but we gotta be realistic, all this is stuff we can't afford." She took his hand in hers as he sighed angrily. This is exactly what Dennis had been talking about. "Let's just go home, we could look online?" She let him lead the way back to the store exit and thanked the sales assistant before heading home. Neither of them spoke a word the whole journey.

***

Over the next three months things only seemed to get worse. Her parents had completely shunned her and refused to have anything to do with her or the baby which was a major setback. She'd hoped that the situation would have had the reverse effect and brought her Mother to her but she was wrong. Along with that problem Drake had been acting more than a little odd as of late. He was distant, quiet and even more irritable than usual. Tonight was no exception, he'd been at work all day and was just about to shower when he got a phone call. She didn't know if he was upset that he'd been called out by his friends or the fact that she'd answered his phone.

"I'm gonna be an hour at the most." He kissed her forehead and then her lips. "Don't answer the door and call SB now, tell'm to come over."

"Drake, I'm fine by myself I'm not-"

"Nicki, just do it please. For me?" He was resting in the doorways as she watched from the couch. She and SB had built bridges when he came over to see her, grovelling for her forgiveness. Truthfully she missed him a hell of a lot and he missed her too.

"Fine but bring me back a box of-"

"Chicken wings, I got it." He winked and waited for her to start calling SB before leaving. She stayed on the phone with him for a mere few seconds before hanging up, he'd be over any minute.

Having pulled up to where he was supposed to be meeting Deshaun he tapped his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel before a bang at his window made him jump. It was Deshaun's little buddies, laughing their heads off before making their way inside. He gave it another minute or so before following them in. He hated it in there, the smell, the atmosphere, the people. Everything.

"Aye Drizzy, you made it!" Deshaun lit up another smoke and walked slowly over to him before dropping on to the ragged couch.

"I'on want any shit, not tonight. Just tell me what I gotta do so I can do it." He growled frustratedly and waited for the instructions.

"Actually, I thought tonight could be your lil' reward night y'know? Call a couple girls over, have some fun." The others laughed as Drake's patience ran out.

"Just tell me where I gotta go." Deshaun paid his attitude no mind as he continued on about the night he had planned.

"Actually, you could call over your girl, y'know? The one I spoke to on the phone." He smirked at Drake's flared nostrils. The rage within him was rising.

"Leave her the fuck outta this, y'hear me?!"

"Chill Drizzy! I'll get her when I want her." He laughed and stood up again but Drake's heart dropped. "Oh so now you catchin' on?" He scanned Drake's torn face and grinned. "I know what I want if I don't get my money, Drizzy. So for her sake you best cough up and quick." He gritted his teeth and took a step closer to Drake's tensed up frame as he spoke.

"You so much as look at her I-"

"You'll what? Kill me?" They all sneered again, watching him live out his own nightmare.

***

"Here." Safaree sat at her side slowly after handing her a tissue.

"Thanks." Wiping her tears with it she sat back and looked at her best friend. "You said when everythin' crumbled around me you wasn't gonna be here. But here you are as always, sittin' by me with tissues."

"Nic, nothin's crumblin' around you. You're pregnant, hormonal and emotional. Everythin's gettin' the best of you right now." He lay back too and pulled her too him.

"Yeah, includin' Drake."

"Well, you need to fix that. I know I don't care for him too much but even I can see he's tryin'." He squeezed her gently to try and get a response as her hands were resting protectively over her bump. She was eight months now and was counting down the days.

"Yeah I know, you're right." She sniffled and started massaging her abdomen.

"I'm always right. Now, let's do what I had planned." He pulled away and grabbed the dvd from the coffee table and went to put it in before getting her snack bowl. Neither had a clue what was about to happen.

*Thanks for all the comments on the previous chapter ^_^ I shld be posting on Sweet Dreams tomorrow along with Here I am for Onikafaree readers :)) Hope this was okay for everyone!*

10. In Too Deep? - Flashback

*Okay I know I deleted this fic but someone asked me to undelete it cuz they hadn't finished reading lol my bad! This chapter was typed up AGESSSS ago but since I had deleted the fic there was no point posting lol anyway I've decided to post it :// Hopefully it's okay, please excuse any mistakes! Thanku to those people who commented on the previous chapter :)*


Dr. Truman sat his his stuff down on the chair in the corner before moving over to Nicki's side of the bed.

"You said she was pregnant?" His gaze turned to Sandi as she stood watching.

"Yes." The look on his face matched hers. "I know, it came as a shock to me too. Trust me." Flicking her eyes back to Drake he just sat sour-faced as the doctor grabbed his stethoscope and some other equipment from his bag.

"Has she been like this all day?" He nodded his head in her general direction, she was still asleep. Completely oblivious to what was going on around her as she slept.

"Yeah, well for the most part. This mornin' she was okay but she's just got worse as the day's gone on." The amount of worry in his voice made Sandi feel guilty for being so hard on him.

"Okay, what about eating and drinking?" Honestly Drake was getting frustrated with the amount of questions and lack of examining as the doctor continued to question her illness and sort out his things.

"Well she couldn't keep anythin' down this mornin' and she's been throwin' up all day. I'ont know if she's even had a drink." He let his eyes follow the man's every move whilst he got closer to Nicki and pulled the covers back, at first he wanted to stop him when he remembered she was only in her underwear but she needed to be checked over. He was fighting the urge to crack a smile when Nicki grumpily pushed the doctor's hand away from herself.

"We might have to wake her up, sorry."

"It's fine." Drake smiled and gently touched her arm, giving her a shake to try and wake her. "Nic? Nicki?" Increasing the intensity of his grasp on her they soon saw her eyes flutter open lazily. "Babe, the doctor's here." He folded his lips and watched her as she looked around before snatching the duvet back up over her exposed body. "It's okay, he just needs to check you over."

"But what about-"

"It's fine, she knows." They both looked slowly back towards Sandi as she continued to stare at them. She could tell Nicki was both embarrassed and upset but they'd deal with that once Dr. Truman was gone.

"Hello Nicki, I'm Dr Truman but you can just call me Sean." Rubbing his hands together he stepped forward with the stethoscope in hand, he tried to keep things slow and calm seeing how uncomfortable she looked. "Alright, I'm just going to do a quick check to see if everythin's runnin' smoothly okay? Could you pull the covers back?" He saw her look up at Drake unsurely but he gave her a reassuring smile before she did as the doctor asked. As she did so all three of them heard Sandi exhale shakily seeing Nicki's small rounded belly. Honestly she was fuming that Drake had told his mother but at least it was out in the open now. "This might be a little cold, I tried to warm it up though." She nodded in response before gasping quietly as he pressed the cool metal of the stethoscope head onto her chest. The room fell silent as if everyone inhabiting it were trying to listen. "Take a deep breath in for me Nicki." She did what he asked before being instructed what to do next. "And out again." He had her do that another two times before pulling the instrument away from her chest. "Mkay,your heart rate's a lil' fast and so is your breathing." He coiled the stethoscope up and placed it back in his bag. "Have you had anything to drink at all today?" He intertwined his own fingers together in front of his pudgy stomach as he stared down at her.

"Uhm, no. No I haven't." She shook her head delicately and moved closer to Drake who had taken a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Okay, and how long have you been feeling like this?"

"Well the past few morning's I've been really sick and I just can't eat anythin'. It got worse today though." She looked back at Drake when she felt him pull her hand into his.

"When was the last time you used the bathroom?"

"Excuse me?"

Urination, when was the last time?"

"Oh, I don't know." She wrinkled her face trying to remember all whilst being slightly embarrassed by his outright questions.

"Look, Dr. Truman do you know what's wrong with her or not?"

"Aubrey." He whipped his head around to look at his angry Mother as she scolded him for being rude.

"Looking at the signs and symptoms Nicki, I'd say you're dehydrated." He spoke casually as he piled his stuff back into the bag. The next five minutes or so consisted of him explaining what they had to do to help her replenish her fluids before Sandi left to show him to the door. Drake got to it and did everything Sean had just explained and was now laying next to Nicki on the bed.

"I look so stupid." She moved her head on the pillow and feebly pushed her hair away from her face. She was referring to all the cool, damp towels she had on her neck, collarbone, wrists and inner thighs. She felt like she couldn't move, which was partly the idea as she was supposed to be keeping her movement to a minimum.

"No you don't. You look better than earlier. I was really worried 'bout you." He smiled and pulled the towel off of her neck before turning it over and putting back down again. "That cool enough?"

"Mm, it feels good." Shutting her eyes slowly she let a small smile appear on her face before she opened them again to stare at him. "Is your Mom really mad?"

"Well yeah, she just found out I got a sixteen year old pregnant."

"Why do you do that?" The way her brows were pushed together angrily he knew he'd upset her.

"What?"

"Bring my age into it?"

"Because you're only sixteen."

"So? It's never bothered you before has it?"

"It's a lil' different now Nic-"

"The fuck is so different now?!" She snatched the cloth from her neck and collarbone as she sat herself up.

"Nicki could you please lay back down? You're supposed to be restin'." He tried to pull her back down but she ripped her arm away from him.

"Don't." Holding her hand up she gathered the covers around her self and turned to lie on her side. "Could you shut the door behind you?" She exhaled regretfully when she heard him sigh and get off the bed.

"I'll come check on you later."

"Don't bother." The hallway light remained shining into the room for a few more seconds as he lingered in the doorway watching her. After shutting the door he headed downstairs, knowing that his Mother would be there waiting.

"She feeling any better?" her voice was low and she didn't even shift her position on the couch as she spoke whilst staring at the TV screen.

"Yeah, I think so. And thanks by the way, y'know for callin' the doctor over." He smoothed his hand over his head and took a seat on the separate couch.

"As long as she's okay, that's the main thing right?" her dry tone was making him uncomfortable.

"Look, Mom I get that you're angry but don't blame her. Please?"

"Aubrey, I'm not angry. Just really, really disappointed. I thought you'd have known better, that I'd raised you better." Turning to face him she let him see just how upset she was.

"You raised me fine Mom. If you hadn't I woulda gone and left Nic but 'causa you I know better. I wouldn't put her through the shit you had to deal with. Never."

"Watch your mouth." She took a sip from her glass and spoke up again. "Is that the only reason you're sticking by her side?"

"No, of course not!" She didn't need for him to say anymore, just the look on his face was proof enough that he was telling the truth.

"I can't believe all of this Aubrey." She shook her head sadly and looked down at her lap.

"Well, I put a deposit down on an apartment last week so we'll be outta here by the end of next month." He went to stand up but she got to her feet before him and blocked his way.

"No, no I'm not sayin' I want you to move out I'm just a little taken by surprise that's all. It's a lot to take in, but..." She hesitated before continuing. "I want to be here, for you and for Nicki and honestly it's your decision but I'm not sure you moving out is such a good idea. Caring for a baby is a huge thing Aubrey. Nicki's going to need all the support she can get." Her words filled his mind as they stood in silence. She was right, with him working to pay bills that would mean Nicki being at home with the baby all the time.

"I'll have to talk to Nic tomorrow, but I'mma go to bed I have an early start." He half smiled and she returned the gesture before letting him past.

"I am proud of you y'know? For not leaving her. I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially Nicki." She smiled kind of emotionally as he stood in the basement stairway causing her smile to turn into a frown. "You're not stayin' upstairs with her?"

"Not tonight, she's not a huge fan of mine right now."

"Oh, well she's goin' to be actin' moody a lot from now on so be prepared boy." She raised her eyebrows and wrapped her small cardigan around herself some more as he chuckled lightly. She could be extremely moody not pregnant so god only knew what was in store for him over the next few months. "I'll check on her before I head up for the night if you want?"

"Thanks, but it's fine. She was goin' to sleep when I left." He smiled and drummed his fingers on the doorway. "Well, goodnight I guess."

"Night Aubrey."

***

She couldn't get back to sleep for how bad she felt after acting the way she did with Drake. Thinking of it from his point of view it was a whole different story. Once he'd left the room she couldn't stop the tears, it was almost 1am and he still hadn't come to bed so she figured he'd gone to sleep in his own room. Laying with her thoughts she couldn't take it anymore and threw the light sheet off of her body and slid out of the bed before throwing Drake's overly huge hoody on to her tiny frame. It was super quiet and dark as she made her way down the stairs being careful not to make any noise. Finally reaching the kitchen she got herself a drink first and then headed towards the basement stairway, she could feel the heat already and silently cursed the un-repaired heating system whilst turning the door handle. There he was, sleeping wild in the middle of his bed in just his boxers. Shutting the door quietly she sat her drink on his dresser and gently climbed on to the bed with him, trying to find a spot near his body. Settling in a comfy position she just stared at him as she felt her eyes getting heavier and before she knew it she was asleep. That didn't last too long though, less than fifteen minutes later he awoke in light sweat feeling her body heat pressed into him. Blinking confusedly he looked over her sleeping next to him and sat up.

"Nic? Babe you're supposed to be keepin' cool." Her eyes fluttered open hearing his gravelly, sleep-filled voice.

"Hm?"

"Come on." He nudged her gently.

"No, I wanna stay with you."

"You can, we just gotta go back upstairs. It's too hot down here for you." He caught her eyes looking at him as he scanned her flushed face, some of her hair was sticking to her clammy skin. "Look, you're way too hot already." Cautiously climbing over her he stood firmly on the ground and tugged at her hand. "Nicki?" He didn't have to say it twice before she joined him in standing up, still holding on to his hand. Kissing her forehead affectionately he led her back upstairs and shut the bedroom door behind them, letting her climb in first before sliding in next to her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. I was actin' childish, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." He let a little smile creep across his face before kissing her again. "Where's all your towels gone? You're s'posed to keep 'em on all night."

"They're too cold."

"Nic, they're s'posed to be cold." He straightened his face and climbed out of the bed to get them. After running them under the tap he squeezed them out before putting them back on her after removing the jumper. "You good?" He smiled at her laying stiffly as he climbed back into the bed.

"No. I'm cold and wet Aubrey."

"It's gon' make you better, now c'mere." He gently pulled her to him and enveloped her in his arms. She was right, the towels were freezing. Feeling him try to pull away from the coolness she kept shuffling back into him.

"I'm cooooold. Stay near me, please?" She pouted and even though she wasn't facing him he could just tell. Not saying a word he braced himself and brought his chest close to her back, moving the towels away from his own skin in the process.



The Next Morning



The incessant whizzing sound of the blender was what woke her up as she reached over to touch Drake. Feeling nothing in her presence she turned slowly and squinted at the light, realising that she was alone. Her mind was groggy and she felt like her energy level was at zero but at least she didn't feel nauseous this morning. Suddenly feeling the urge to pee she smiled remembering that Dr Truman said that was a good sign. Slowly letting her legs out from under the bed sheet she stood and took herself to the en-suite bathroom to relieve herself and shower before she got dressed. The whirring of the blender diminished as she made her way down the stairs. Truthfully she was extremely nervous to see Sandi and was terrified of what she would say to her but she was too hungry to care at that point. Treading quietly she stopped timidly on the stairway but it was too late to run back upstairs to safety, she'd already been seen.

"Oh I was wonderin' when you'd be up." She licked something off of her fingers and smiled at her. That was a good thing though right? That she was smiling? "How are you feeling today?"

"Uhm, yeah I feel better. Thank you." She smiled shyly and walked into the kitchen.

"I made you this." Her smile soon faded as the familiar feeling of nausea rippled through her. It was some weird brown looking, lumpy liquid in a glass. "It'll help. And it's good for pregnant women."

"Just a minute." She ran as best she could to the nearest bathroom, brushing her teeth again once she was done. Upon returning she lay her eyes on a regretful looking Sandi.

"I'm sorry, I forgot you're probably not feelin' up to anything so disgusting right now. You okay?" She rested her small hand on Nicki's upper arm as she looked at her sympathetically.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a lil' queasy."

"Well you need to eat somethin', how 'bout I make you somethin' a bit more mild?" Rubbing her arm she smiled when Nicki nodded sweetly. "Go sit down, I'll bring it over to you."

"Thanks." She did as Sandi said and got herself comfortable on the couch, making sure to take a glass of water with her. She still didn't know where Drake was but hoped he would be home soon, she didn't want to sound pathetic or needy but she was sick and wanted him to sit with her and make her feel better. Hearing Sandi's little feet shuffling over to her she made space for her on the couch before taking the bowl from her hands.

"There you go, just somethin' to fill your stomach." She took a seat by her side whilst Nicki tucked in to the more favourable snack of cereal. "I can't believe I didn't even notice the signs, I'm a midwife for goodness sake!" She started laughing but Nicki could still hear the nerves taking over the giggle.

"I didn't even know to be really honest." She kept feeding herself as Sandi stayed silent. "I am sorry y'know? It wasn't planned or anythin'." Her voice was quiet and shaky as she spoke.

"Oh, no don't be silly Nicki! I already told Aubrey I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed and honestly really worried." She increased the pitch of her voice towards the end of her sentence. "You're so young and about endure something extremely life-changing." She swept a strand of Nicki's hair away from her face as she looked down sadly. "Hey, it's okay though. You've got me, Aubrey and Dennis here. We're gonna look after you." She hadn't intended to make her cry but comforted her nonetheless, pulling her tiny body to her as she hugged the inconsolable teen.

"I'm so scared." She managed to speak between sobs and sniffs.

"I know you are, but you're a strong little thing. You'll get through all of this, you and my little grandbaby." She smiled and pulled away from the embrace whilst placing a hand on Nicki's bump. "Do your parents know?" She answered by merely shaking her head no, keeping her gaze fixed on her small belly. "I don't mind you not talking to them or living with them but this is something you need to tell them. Not today though, once you're well enough it has to happen, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." She let out a small chuckle as Sandi wiped away the tear from her cheek.

"Now, since I know about your lil' secret how about you tell me everything." She shuffled on the couch to get more comfortable. "Boy? Girl?"

"We don't know yet, they told us that we'd find out at the next appointment." She smiled and sniffled again seeing Sandi's face.

"Wow, I can't believe this is gonna be my first grandchild. How many weeks exactly are you?'

"Eighteen, I think." She sat forward a little and placed her now empty bowl on the coffee table as Sandi stood up.

"Wait here, I'll be back." Although she was a bit puzzled she did as she was told and waited patiently for Sandi to return, when she did she had a long black box with her and resumed her seat. "Did they let you listen to the baby's heartbeat yet?" She was unravelling whatever was in the box as she spoke.

"No, the midwife just told us that the baby looked healthy, why?" She sniffled once again, still recovering from crying only minutes ago.

"Would you like to listen?" Just as she asked the question Nicki saw a stethoscope being pulled out of the packaging.

"You can really hear it through one of those?" The quizzical look on her little face made Sandi laugh.

"Well, we should be able to! You're not in the super, super early stages of pregnancy and you have a slim waist. You wanna give it a try?"

"Yes please!" The level of excitement in her voice made Sandi smile, maybe this wasn't such a horrible situation after all? Drake was happy and behaving, or so she thought. Nicki seemed more than content and she herself actually felt cheerful. Not to mention Dennis was moving back into the picture, and now her son was in a happy and loving relationship about to give them their first grandbaby. She felt her face twisting into a smile as she lifted Nicki's shirt a little, pressing the head of the stethoscope on to her skin. There it was, a little heartbeat as clear as a bell. She felt silly getting all emotional, this was something she performed all the time on pregnant women, it was her profession. But this was different, it was her grandchild she was hearing. Slowly removing the ear pieces she handed them to Nicki, letting her listen to her baby for the first time.

"Can you hear?"

"Oh my God, I can hear her." It came out as a whisper as she felt herself filling up again.

"You think she's a girl?" Nicki shook her head no before answering properly.

"Drake thinks she's a girl, so we're callin' her a 'she' until we find out forreal." Her dimpled smile warmed Sandi's heart as she continued to watch her listening intently in between talking.

"Well then, she sounds very healthy to me." At that moment Nicki felt more secure than she had in ages. Ever since her fallout with SB she'd felt as though Drake was the only person she could rely on  with this situation they were in but now she had Sandi there for her too and things were finally looking up. For now.



Across Town



Drake was sat in his car contemplating deeply. He could drive away and have nothing to do with what he was being asked right now if he wanted, but he needed that money. He was earning plenty with his current job but now he owed Deshaun quite a large sum of cash. Borrowing the deposit money from him was starting to seem like a really, really stupid idea.

....

9. Leaving The Nest

*Thanks for the comments people left :) hope this is okaay ^_^*

She kept hold of his hand as they walked in to meet the person who was going to show them the apartment. He looked a little dodgy but she was with Drake so at least she had some security. He didn't talk for long before leading them up the stairs, Nicki already had a kind of weird feeling about the place but she didn't want to seem like she was turning her nose up so she kept quiet.

"See, it ain't too shabby." He opened the door after the man just left them to look for themselves.

"It smells funny."

"Nicki, we can get rid of the smell." She could tell he was getting annoyed with her whiney behaviour but she had a good reason. He continued to look over the place as she just stood in the middle of what she assumed was supposed to be a lounge room area. "Aren't you at least gonna look around?"

"I'm doin' it in my own time." She stood still for another few seconds just to prove her point as he stared at her before she walked towards a bedroom. It wasn't as small as she was expecting which was a plus. Letting her eyes scan across the room she flinched when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind.

"This should be the baby's room, 'cause it's smaller." He was resting his head on her shoulder even though he had to crouch considerably to stand like that.

"So you're dead serious about this? You wanna move outta your Mom's place?"

"Positive. Besides, how we gonna carry on livin' in the basement once you've had the baby?" He pulled away and turned her to face him.

"Yeah, I suppose it ain't fair." She looked up at him and frowned seeing his face. "What?"

"You okay? 'Cause you're really, really pale." He emphasised his words as he looked over her. Truthfully she felt incredibly sick but figured it was just morning sickness. "Have you eaten today?"

"No, I couldn't keep anythin' down this morning."

"Aight well, let's finish up here real quick and we'll stop somewhere to eat on the way back." He smiled before grabbing her hand as they looked at the last room and the bathroom before leaving. He still hadn't told her that he'd actually put a deposit down but the way things went it seemed pretty positive. The car ride was quiet since she'd fallen asleep against the window almost as soon as he'd set off. He was keeping a close eye on her, especially since he noticed how hot she felt. KFC wasn't his first choice but they were passing by and she hadn't eaten since the day before so it would have to do.

"Nicki?" He shook her gently to let her know they were there, he thought she'd have perked up a little after being asleep but if anything she seemed worse. They made their way inside nonetheless and queued for their food before finding a table. Like an animal he quickly tucked into his food only just realising that she'd pushed hers away. "Nic, you gotta eat somethin'."

"I know but just the smell is makin' me feel like I'm gonna throw up." She ran her hands through her hair before shutting her eyes and exhaling slowly. He stopped chewing and looked over her face to try and see what she was thinking but he knew that look all too well.

"The restroom is right behind you, do you want me to come?"

"No, I'm good." Without saying another word she got up from her chair and walked swiftly to the bathroom. He felt really bad that she was having a hard time as he delightfully scoffed his face. He was finished in no time and was just waiting for her to return. After almost five minutes had passed he was beginning to worry but seeing the door open he relaxed.

"You just wanna leave?" His question was answered when she nodded her head weakly. For the rest of the trip home he tried to drive smoothly but had to stop twice for her to throw up again.

***

"Has she had anything to drink?" Sandi had her hand held to Nicki's forehead as she slept on the couch. She was burning up.

"I'm not sure, I know she hasn't eaten anythin' and she can't keep any food down."

"Could you go get me a cool towel?"

"Sure." He did as he was asked and brought the towel through to her and just watched as she folded it neatly and pressed it to Nicki's head.

"Maybe if she wasn't wearing such a ridiculously large jumper she'd wouldn't be running a high temperature!" She shook her head and attempted to lift it but Drake stopped her.

"No, leave it. She hasn't got anythin' on underneath." He felt his breath being held in his throat before a wave of relief washed over him when she pulled away.

"Oh. Well, just keep this held to her head and see if she cools down a little. If not then she's goin' to see a doctor." She raised her brows at him as she stood up and walked away letting him squeeze on to the couch with Nicki. She looked completely drained. His Mom was right though, keeping the hoodie on was probably making her ten times worse. Carefully balancing the small, neatly folded towel on her brow he slid his hands underneath her and pulled her up off of the couch.

"I'm gonna take her up to the spare room, it's hot as hell in the basement."

"Okay, well lunch is almost done when you're ready to eat." She smiled at him carrying her cautiously up the steps until he disappeared. He shut the door behind him and lay her on the bed before opening the window wide and drawing the curtains a little to block out the light. Now came the tricky part of trying to undress her without waking her up. Slowly and steadily starting with her sleeves he pulled her arms out one at a time before trying to shimmy the fabric up over her head, which was an epic fail when it got stuck and he accidentally woke her.

"Sorry babe, we gotta take this off. You're on fire." She merely mumbled in response and let him take it off for her as she fought to keep herself awake. He was starting to get even more worried when he looked down only to see her asleep again. Sighing aloud to himself he moved down to her leggings and pink socks, removing all clothing except her underwear before getting her under the fitted sheet. It was really cool in the room at that moment os he just prayed her temperature would come down. He lay with her for a while and was still holding the towel to her face when he saw her whole body heaving. Without thinking he jumped up to grab the trashcan and held it to the edge of the bed as she leant over but nothing was happening. Rubbing her back soothingly he held the trashcan up and looked down at her worriedly. "You good?"

"Mm."

"You really need to eat somethin' Nic. You've got nothin' in you, you can't even throw up any more." Hearing a small knock at the door he turned to look just as his Mother was entering.

"How is she?"

"Not too good." They both stared at her weak and fragile state as she lay still on her side with her eyes shut again.

"Aubrey she looks like she's getting worse." She stared at her son's face for a second and bit her own lip as he watched his girlfriend, suddenly darting forward again she saw him hold the trashcan in place as her body started to heave, but still nothing was coming up. "Oh this is ridiculous I'm going to call Dr. Truman and ask him to come over." Disappearing nearly as quickly as she'd shown up she shut the door behind her, leaving Drake to start freaking out. What if she stayed in with them? Then she'd definitely know she was pregnant. But not telling her was just denying the inevitable, she was going to find out sooner or later anyway. Maybe this was the time to spill. He listened to her on the phone, he voice drawing nearer as she climbed the stairs and came back into the room.

"He gonna come check on her?"

"Yeah, he said he'll be over within half an hour." She crossed her arms over herself and took a seat on the chair by the window as she spoke.

"Look, Mom there's somethin' I really think you should know." He ran his hand nervously up the back of his neck and over the top of his head whilst taking a seat next to a lethargic Nicki. He had no idea how she was going to react and quite seriously he was scared. Not just about her being disappointed with him but for Nicki to lose more people out of her life would just be catastrophic, she'd literally have nobody but him and her friends.

"What is it?" The furrow in her brow deepened with worry.

"I'on even know how to tell you." His stalling was another sign of how nervous he was, something which Sandi instantly picked up on. Her mind was reeling with the idea that he'd gotten involved with some people from his past again.

"Aubrey, just tell me?" There was an extremely long pause whilst he collected himself to just blurt it out quickly.

"Nicki's pregnant." She had to strain her ears to catch what he'd said but she definitely heard it. His head was low and he was picking at an embroidered pattern on the bed sheet as he tried to avoid her eyes.

"Aubrey, if this is some sort of stupid joke I-"

"It's not a joke Mom! You think I'd actually joke about somethin' like this?!"

"Oh my God." Standing up slowly she folded her lips and shook her head. "Aubrey you told me-"

"I know what I told you and I'm sorry but it's happened and there's nothin' we can do about it except keep movin' forward."

"Oh God." She continued to switch between which foot she was resting on as she thought. "How far along is she?" Her eyes were focused on Nicki as she talked lowly.

"Just over four months."

"And she's keepin' it?"

"We decided that's what we wanna to do."

"You do understand that a baby is a lifetime responsibility? Not just somethin' you have a crack at for a while and then stop when you realise it's not all fun and games?"

"Of course we do! Why you gotta be treatin' us like kids all the time?"

"Because Nicki is a child Aubrey! She's sixteen for God's sake!" No longer able to hold herself together she breathed a sigh of relief when the doorbell sounded. "I'll get that, I need to go clear my head." She walked out briskly leaving Drake to bask in the silence of the cold room. He couldn't believe this was how it was going down, and Nicki didn't even wake up through the whole thing. He readied himself when he heard their voices approaching the doorway.

...

*Hope this was alright and thanku to those who left comments on the previous chapter :)*