Andrea had been feeling tired and exhausted for a little less than two weeks. When it got to the point where she would rather lay down on the couch and nap than run before work she knew she was pregnant. A home pregnancy test confirmed it. She was afraid to tell Brent, not sure how he would react. If he really loved her as much as he expressed then he would be thrilled but if he didn't ... She was apprehensive. Curt came back into the room and sat down in the visitor chair on the other side of the bed. He sighed, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It was only 2AM but he was dead tired. Andrea had scooted her chair close to the bed and lay her head down on Brent's belly. She would have climbed up into the bed with him if she thought the hospital would allow it but she knew they wouldn't. She felt the numbing sensation of sleep overtake her and she drifted away. Curt sat and worried about Geoff and Kelvin. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed heavily. He mentally kicked himself for not listening to his best friend while he expressed his suspicions about Alex. Why didn't he believe him? Perhaps this could have been avoided! Curt got up from the chair and paced silently. After a while he was tired again, sat down and fell asleep himself.

Geoff drove the van swiftly toward the venue where the buses were parked. He and Kelvin did not speak except for muttering a few expletives here and there. When they pulled into the parking lot and saw their giant vehicles looming in the darkness ahead Geoff turned off the lights and approached silently. They crept up to the bus the roadies were on, dialed in the code to the door and slipped in silently. They found another roadie named William who'd been with them a long time. Geoff woke him gently and put his hand over his mouth. He whispered in his ear as to where he could find Alex. William pointed and Geoff and Kelvin went to work. Geoff went to the head of the bed and clapped his hand tightly around Alex's mouth and head while Kelvin grabbed his arms. The picked him up and carried him out ot the bus. He put up quite a struggle but, between the two muscular men, got him outside and set him down not too gently. Alex was disoriented from sleep, scrambled to his feet and stumbled a few moments. He shook his head, raised his fists and took a defensive stance.

"What the fuck is going on here?" He growled as Geoff raised his fists and rocked back and forth in front of him, Kelvin took the rear, the two boys circled Alex and prepared to beat the holy shit out of him. Alex felt his nerves heighten and tingles spread throughout his body. He was awake now and preparing to take them down.

"You dirty, cocksucking, son of a bitch. I'm going to kill you. I just have one question, why Brent?" Geoff seethed, he felt adrenaline pump through his veins. Alex only sneered.

"Why not that dumb fuck? Perhaps he shouldn't fuck with other people's lives. He spreads his fucking disease everywhere." Geoff glanced at Kelvin, he saw a cue from Kelvin that he was going to kick Alex's legs out from underneath him and take him down to the ground. Alex wasn't a passive foe, he was a boxer, a fighter. He knew to look for these visual clues and was ready. When Kelvin went to make his move Alex stuck his foot out behind him and kicked Kelvin square in the chest. Kelvin fell backwards while Geoff attacked from the front, his fist connecting with Alex's chin. Alex took the punch and swung back. The two went at it. Kelvin recovered and joined the fight. When Geoff got punched in the chest and fell backward against the bus it sent an awakening jolt through the men on the bus and they all scrambled out to see what was happening. By the time they got out there Kelvin had Alex down on the ground and he and Geoff were kicking the shit out of him. By the time the police arrived Alex had been beaten senseless. An ambulance had been called. One paramedic had Alex in the truck ready to go and another was looking at Geoff's face. It was red, raw, and bloody. He recommended the two get checked out at the emergency room before sliding into the truck and heading off, lights flashing, sirens blaring. A police car followed. Another officer was taking statements and the two detectives were inside the bus scouring for evidence. Geoff and Kelvin stood painfully by. The were bloodied, bruised, and broken but the adrenaline was flowing so fast through their veins they barely felt the pain. Kelvin rotated his arm a few times, the shoulder joint hurt immensely, then looked over at Geoff who was dabbing at a cut over his eye. He had a gauze pad and was blotting the blood that flowed down from the gash onto this face. Kelvin smiled at Geoff. Geoff smiled back and then, both of them feeling giddy about what they had just done, started to giggle and then laugh.

"That was fucking awesome, man!" Geoff said to Kelvin and held out his hand for Kelvin to slap. Kelvin did so and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"That bastard will be lucky to live through the night. I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" They sat down painfully on the ground and waited until the detectives came out of the bus then they got up again, not as easily as they had gotten down.

"Well?" Kelvin asked anxiously. The detectives held up a brown pill bottle.

"I think we have him." One said. "We aren't finished yet so make sure you guys don't go anywhere soon. We ought to arrest you for assault." Geoff looked quickly at Kelvin and prepared to say something but the other detective stopped him.

"Unless that guy tells us to, and I sincerely doubt he's doing much talking -- without any teeth left in his head that might be difficult, we won't arrest you. So consider yourselves lucky and get back to the hospital and let a doctor check you out. You both look badly beaten." Geoff looked over at Kelvin and grinned foolishly.

"Yeah, well, we don't look half as bad as he did!" He said and the two laughed again. The detective motioned them away and then the police went to work with their rolls upon rolls of yellow warning tape and cordoned off the scene.

Geoff and Kelvin drove back to the hospital and let the emergency room doctor look them over for any serious injuries. After discovering a few broken ribs, the doctor did an ultrasound on Geoff's chest and abdomen to make sure there was no punctures and no internal injuries or bleeding. Geoff got several stitches in the cut above his eye and one on his chin. Kelvin had a shoulder x-ray and when they both were cleared to go, headed back upstairs to find Curt. Kelvin woke him up and pulled him quietly out of the room. Curt looked at the two guys and laughed.

"Look at you! You look like you took on a Mack truck." Kelvin dismissed that.

"We beat the fuck out of him! If you think we look bad you should see Alex. I'm not sure he's going to live."

"And I hope the prick doesn't." Geoff added disgustedly. He was calmer now but feeling somewhat angry that no one believed him and now Brent was in that room fighting for his very life. "If Brent dies I swear I'm going to rip that guys fucking eyes out of his head and make him eat 'em." Kelvin told Curt how the cops had found a bottle of pills in Alex's stuff and now he would be charged with the crime. Curt sighed.

"Let's just focus our energy on Brent and him getting through this. I think he's well taken care of." The guys went to the waiting room and each took a couch to lay down.

At four, when the night nurse Kelly came in to do her check, Andrea woke and looked at the clock on the wall. It was fuzzy and she couldn't read it.

"What time is it Kel?" She asked the nurse.

"Four." Kelly responded in a whisper. "Go back to sleep. He's doing okay. Pulse is weak but steady." Andrea stretched and stood up. Kelly went over to her and put her arms around her and squeezed. Andrea accepted the hug. It seemed like it was just what she needed. "He'll come through, I just know he will." She whispered again.

"Thank you Kelly." Andrea said back to her and then sat back down on the chair. Kelly lifted her up by her arms and pushed her toward the bed.

"Lay down with him." She ordered. "He needs you and you need rest. No one will know but me and I sure ain't telling." Andrea climbed onto the bed and slid under the covers beside Brent. She snuggled up against him throwing her leg over his and fell asleep once again.

Kelly woke her up at 7 when she was about to end her shift. Andrea got up and went out to the nurse's station for a cup of coffee. She made another pot in case the other guys wanted some. She asked Kelly where all the other people had gone that were there earlier. Kelly said they had gone down to the hospital lobby to wait. Andrea nodded. She strolled over to the waiting room where Curt, Geoff, and Kelvin were sawing logs. They were each flopped on a different couch in different positions. She then noticed that Geoff and Kelvin were badly beaten and frowned. She wondered what happened and then remembered they went after some guy they thought may have been the perpetrator. She left them there and went back to Brent's room. He hadn't moved. She sat down next to him and watched him. She hadn't noticed she'd fallen asleep again when a sigh jarred her. It wasn't loud but it was enough to wake her. She immediately looked at Bretn. His mouth was open when it hadn't been before. She stood over him and whispered his name. She saw his eyeballs move under his lids. He was coming to! She touched him lightly to stir him. His mouth moved and he breathed in deeply.

"Brent, Brent ..." She said again softly. He moaned and turned his head. She hugged him and his hand went up to her head responsively. When he finally opened his eyes and tried to focus on her she was weeping.

"Annie," he tried to speak but his throat was so dry it came out in a rasp. She pulled him close.

"Oh, God, Brent. I thought I'd lost you." She sighed against him. He tried to hug her but he was weak.

"I, I can't ..." He flopped back. She touched him gently.

"It's okay. Just relax." She asked him what happened to him. He said he didn't know. He remembered he was waiting for her one minute and the next was just moments ago. She told him to wait while she went and got the guys, she brought them back stumbling and sleepy but thrilled Brent was awake. Andrea got him some ice chips and fed them to him slow. The feeling of the cold ice in his hot, dry mouth was soothing. As the day wore on he became more aware, still weak, but cognizant. Andrea did not leave his side. Terri brought her a change of clothes and some toiletries since she still had on her scrubs from the work shift the night before. When Brent was out of imminent danger, Curt and Terri went back to her house for a long-awaited reunion. They had dinner and then spent the evening in her bed.

Andrea took the week off from work. After just a few days, the doctor released Brent and Andrea took him home. He was still a bit weak and having abdominal troubles but out of danger. Andrea watched him closely. That night, as they climbed into her bed, they held each other close. She looked up at him, into is eyes.

"I can't believe I almost lost you." She said softly. He kissed her mouth.

"I thought for sure I'd lost you. Never again, you hear? Never!" They kissed gently at first and then, when their tongues met and the kisses became hotter, wetter, Andrea climbed up on top of Brent and they made love. Afterward, it was Andrea who fell sound asleep first. Brent held her tight feeling calm and protected.

During the day the house was full of people, coming and going, visiting with Brent. The phone rang, Andrea answered it. It was Detective Davidson. He told Andrea that Alex was going to live and charged with attempted murder. He also told her that Alex had an several accomplices including Roberta. Andrea's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She frowned and bit her thumb nail. The New York Police were going to arrest her that very day. Andrea hung up feeling at odds with this information. She couldn't believe Roberta was in on it! As a woman, Andrea could certainly understand feeling hurt by Brent rejecting her but to go to such lengths to do permanent damage - perhaps even death, that was unbelievable. It was unfathomable. She looked over at Brent who sat on the couch next to their manager. He was smiling and laughing at something his friends were saying. She felt warm inside watching him, alive and animated. She put her hand to her abdomen automatically. To think Roberta almost took him from her and his own child. She thought about it for a moment. If Roberta had taken Brent away from her in the physical sense, it would have hurt but she could live with it. At least he would have been able to see his child grow and his child would know it's father. If he had died ... She shook the thought away and went into the kitchen where she got him a Coke and brought it to him. He pulled her down onto his lap. She put her arms around his neck and sat there half listening to the conversation going on. She was anxious to tell Brent about her little discovery but worried about the time and place to do so. She planned it out in her mind and then focused on what was going on in the room.

The next afternoon Andrea shooed everyone out of the house. She told them plainly that she and Brent needed time alone. They understood and left without argument. He lay on the couch and watched TV while she prepared a dinner consisting of stir fried vegetables and chicken with white rice. She set the table and poured two glasses of Tabor Hill white wine, lit some candles placed strategically in the center of the table and then pulled him up by his hands and led him to the dinette. It was getting chilly and so she had changed into a white, fuzzy, low-cut sweater and black jeans. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders. Brent looked at her and then smiled.

"You are beautiful. And, have I said this before? I owe you my life." He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled at him and then pressed her head to his chest. He held her head to him. She felt his heart beating against her temple and squeezed. "I love you, Annie." He said softly. She pulled away, kissed him lightly and then sat him down.

"Time to eat, snuggling later." They ate the meal she had prepared and drank the wine. When they were finished, Brent helped her clean up. When that was done, he built a fire in the fireplace while Andrea changed into an oversized t-shirt. She threw an armful of oversized pillows down on the floor in front of the now roaring fire. She refilled their wine glasses and then lay down on the floor with him. He pulled her closer and they lay together watching the logs burn. The heat of the fire warmed them and the flickering of the flames made the room glow. They began their lovemaking with long, wet, passionate kisses. She pulled off his shirt and touched his chest and arms lightly making goose bumps appear where her finger nails had just been. He unsnapped and unzipped his jeans and slid them off. Still kissing her he got up onto his knees and pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. She lay back on the pillows in a soft, pink, lacy corset. His eyes opened in pleasant surprise and he grinned. Her hair fell around her head and lay in disarray on the pillows. Her eyes sparkled with desire. He growled. She smiled then, pleased at his response, and giggled when he fell on top of her biting and licking. His pleasure heightened when he reached between her legs and found she had on crotchless, lace panties. He slid his fingers inside and, feeling her wetness, her excitement, yanked off his boxers and mounted her. Filled with hot, searing, passion he made love to her roughly and came quick. When it was all over and they lay in each other's arms, once again enveloped by the heat of the fire, Andrea decided it was time he knew her secret. They lay for a while not speaking and then she whispered.

"Brent, I have something to tell you." He cleared his throat and moved his body slightly but didn't let her go.

"Hmmm?" He said in response. He felt warm and relaxed.

"How would you feel if I told you that you were going to be a father?" She felt his whole body jerk. He pulled away from her and searched her face for a trace of humor. He found none and gulped.

"Are you kidding? You're kidding, right?" He said quickly. She wasn't liking the response he was giving, it frightened her.

She felt tears burn her eyes and shook her head.

"No, I'm not kidding." His chest heaved as his breathing became heavy. He looked up at the ceiling, the flames making shadows bounce. He looked back down at her. A tear fell down her cheek. He wiped it away and kissed the wet spot.

"I would say I feel luckier than the luckiest man in the world." He said softly and kissed her mouth. Her heart leaped with joy and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. They fell asleep in front of the fire, Rory curled up on the blanket between Brent's legs.

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