Savannah and I pull into the hospital parking lot, and we aimlessly search for Rian. Soon, I see Dr. Raymond associating with a nurse. I walk over to him, and he smiles at me.

"Alexandrianna Hawkins! I haven't seen you in what seems like forever! How've you been lately?" Dr. Raymond politely asks.

"I'm doing okay," I say hesitantly. "Have you seen Rian? I have something pretty important to tell him."

Pretty important is an understatement.

"He should be right down this hallway. He's been pretty occupied with a patient all day, so I know he'll be there." Dr. Raymond says.

"Thank you." I reply, and I grab Savannah's hand before we walk off.

We walk down the hallway, looking into each room frantically, and desperately trying to look for Rian.

"Okay, Alex, just try to calm down. I know this is a huge deal, but you're only going to make it worse by worrying."

"You don't understand, Vannah! I'm so worried, I feel like I'm going to vomit, and I don't know how Rian is going to react." I exclaim, and I run my fingers through my hair.

I huff, and my breaths are shaking like leaves being moved by a windstorm. Savannah hugs me, and the embrace doesn't ease or comfort me at all. It only makes me more nervous.

What if Rian doesn't even want this baby?

My stomach churns at the thought, and I hold onto the wall for support because I feel nauseous again. All of these thoughts race around, and none of them seem positive.

He's going to leave you, Alex.

Rian doesn't want kids.

He won't love you anymore once he finds out.

You might as well kiss this relationship goodbye.

I don't know why I'm thinking these things, because it's pretty clear that he loves me. Rian has done so much for me since we met, and I'm going to love him no matter what.

Just calm down, Alex. You'll figure something out.

"If a baby changes how Rian feels about you, then maybe he isn't the one. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just being honest. This baby should make him love you even more, Alex." Savannah says.

She does kind of have a point.

Rian and I have been through too much to just let go because of my pregnancy. My mother, Austin and Kassandra, Brendan, and his father passing away.

If our relationship can withstand all of those things, it shouldn't just stop now because I unexpectedly got pregnant.

There's no way that I'd allow him to just walk out of my life.

"I've put so much into our relationship, Vannah. What if it was all for nothing?" I ask, and the tears begin streaming down my face.

"Alex, I'm telling you that it wasn't for nothing. You and Rian have this unbreakable bond that you've created, so this baby should make that bond even stronger." She insists, and my eyebrows shoot up.

"Wow, Vannah, that was the best advise you've ever given me."

"You're my best friend, and there's no way in hell that I'd just let you worry. We have to worry together." Savannah says, and I chuckle.

"Thank you, this really means a lot. I just need someone by my side for this."

Savannah and I hug, and we both tighten our embraces until we're both struggling for air.

Savannah and I hold hands as we continue to walk through the corridor, and I can hear his voice become louder and louder as we get closer to the room.

"Are you doing okay, honey?" Rian asks, and my uneasiness is replaced with anger.

Who's he calling honey?

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Savannah asks, and I shake my head.

"I'll let you know." I whisper.

I walk into the room, and I see a small little girl in the bed. My chest becomes warm and fuzzy when I see her, and I notice that Rian holds onto her tiny hand.

"Not really, Dr. Peterson." The girl replies, and she struggles while saying his name.

She's adorable.

Her creamy skin and curly hair might make her the cutest little girl I've ever seen. Her cheeks are slightly chubby, and her bottom teeth are hanging on by a thread.

I knock on the door a couple of times to get their attention, and Rian's eyes light up when he sees me.

"Alex, what are you doing here?" He asks with a wide smile on his face.

"What, I can't surprise my man while he's at work?" I playfully ask, and he smirks.

His hands reach for my waist, and he gives me a quick peck before smiling at me again.

"Eww!" The girl shrieks, and she covers her eyes.

"There's no reason to say that, Sofia. Your father and I kiss, too." A dark skinned woman says, and I smile.

"It's what two people who are in love do, so it's perfectly normal." Rian explains, and my smile begins to hurt my cheeks.

"Don't you guys worry about cooties?" Sofia asks, and she pretends to throw up.

"Well, you'd be willing to get cooties with the person you love. One day, you'll find love, too." I explain, giving her a smile.

"But only when you're thirty years old!" The man adds, and we all laugh.

Sofia doesn't say anything back, she just smiles before pulling the blankets back up her body. Her parents walk over, and the mother places the back of her hand against Sofia's forehead, while the father grabs her hand and kisses it.

"Hey, I need to talk to you. It's urgent." I shakily say, and he nods.

Rian grabs my hand, and we walk out into the hallway. Savannah isn't there anymore, and my heartbeat increases.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about, babe?" Rian asks, and his eyes are full of concern.

"Okay, uh—," I croak, and I clear my throat. "Before you freak out, let me explain."

"Baby, you seem to be freaking out. What's wrong?" He asks, and he reaches out to grab my hand.

I hesitantly open my mouth, but I choke on the words that are about to come out. I try again, but nothing passes my lips. Rian moves his hands to my waist, and he still stares intently at me.

I can't even speak.

"Alex, are you okay?" Rian asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

All of a sudden , the world is spinning around me. I don't bother trying to speak anymore, so I just focus on not collapsing onto the ground.

"I j-just feel really faint." I stammer, and his grip on my waist tightens.

"Baby, let's just sit down and talk."

Rian leads me to a chair, and I sit down on it, but everything still makes me feel extremely dizzy. My lips and throat have become dry, and my breathing quickens.

Oh, no.

This feels awfully familiar.

I remember when I still had my crutches, and I passed out in the bathroom stall because I was worried sick about what my mom was going to do me. I remember seeing Rian in front of me with Xiu, Savannah, and the rest of the cheerleading squad after regaining consciousness.

Rian goes to the drink machine that's around the corner, and he returns with a bottle of water. I thank him as he hands it to me, and he carefully strokes my back as I sip the water.

"Do you still want to talk, or do you want to wait until I get home tonight?" Rian softly asks, and I feel my heartbeat instantly slow down.

"I'll tell you about it when you get home. Besides, I'd rather tell you about it there than here." I say, and I chuckle to try and lighten up the mood.

I don't have to tell him...yet.

"So, have you had a good birthday so far?" I ask, and he smiles.

"My girlfriend woke me up and surprised me with a homemade cake and a surprise for me when I get home, so yes my birthday has been excellent." Rian says, and I kiss his cheek.

"That's good, babe. I saw you talking to that little girl and holding her hand, you seemed really concerned for her."

"Yeah, she has a really high fever and it might cause some brain problems if it continues to rise." Rian explains, and I frown.

"Oh no, that's horrible. I hope everything works out for them. Sofia seems like such an angel."

"She is, she really is. My heart goes out to her, though. This poor little girl doesn't know what's going on with her health." Rian sighs.

"You seem really worried, R."

"It's hard enough to see a patient going through an ordeal, but when it's a child, it's even harder. I hate having to break the news to the parents about their child, it just rips my heart out sometimes."

I wrap my arms around him, and he kisses my temple as his finger moves up and down my spine. We both sigh, and I feel warm and whole as this hug seems never ending.

Suddenly, I see Savannah walking towards us, and my eyes widen briefly. Her footsteps stagger briefly before she turns around completely to gawk at another doctor.

We pull away, and I briefly kiss him before I run my thumb over his knuckles. He places his palm on top of mine, gently massaging it, and he arches an eyebrow at me.

"Your hands are really sweaty, Alex." Rian observes, and I wipe my free hand on my jeans.

I didn't even realize how clammy my palms were.

"I don't know why they're like that," I quickly blurt out. "Maybe I'm just sweaty or something, I don't know."

Rian stares at me, and his eyes trace my entire face. He bites his lip as he stares at my mouth, and my already hot cheeks warm up even more.

"I know it's hard, but just try to hang in there. Besides it being your birthday, you should just try to have a good day." I say, changing the subject, and he smiles.

"I know, and I will. Your voice rings in my head sometimes, and I'll just grin to myself and wish that you were here with me."

"That's so sweet," I swoon, placing a hand on my chest.

We hug again, and Rian stands up and pulls me up with him.

"I've got to go, Sofia really needs a lot of attention right now." Rian announces, and I nod.

"It's fine, I actually have to go home, too." I reply.

Rian kisses me and he turns away, and I do a sigh of relief. Once he goes back into the room, I run my fingers through my hair and walk back over to Savannah.

"What happened? What did he say?" Savannah curiously asks, and I sigh.

"I chickened out," I admit, and she has an appalled look on her face. "I just couldn't do it."

"This is a baby that you two made! How could you not tell him?!" Savannah asks, and I groan.

"I don't know why, Vannah! I just can't! I felt like I was gonna pass out."

"Well, you can't keep this from him for long. You're gonna start ballooning, and with Rian being a doctor, he'll probably already know that you're pregnant." Savannah says, and I sigh.

"Dude, I know that! I'm going to tell him tonight when he gets in from work." I shout.

It stays silent between us for a while, and we both walk side by side out of the hospital and back to Rian's flat.

"I can't wait to see how this plays out." Savannah adds.

I huff one more time, and under my breath I mumble, "That makes two of us."

~~~

Later on that night, I'm sitting on the couch, and the three positive pregnancy tests are staring right back at me. My chin rests in the palm of my hand, and I sigh.

"God, what am I going to do?" I whisper to myself, and I rub my temples.

Bruno jumps on the couch, and his head rests on my knee while he whines. I reach over and give him a squeaky toy that he can play with, and he jumps off of the couch and walks away.

I reach for my phone, and I dial the other person who would be by my side through this.

"Hello?" Xiu says, and I smile as soon as I hear her voice.

"Hey Xiu, what's going on?" I ask.

"I just got out of class, and I'm about to study."

"How's New York been?"

"It's been really great! Because of classes, I rarely have time to do sight seeing. If I do, I always try to go to the best places." Xiu explains.

She sounds so happy, and I'm glad that she fees that way.

"Where'd you go?" I inquisitively ask.

"A couple of days ago I went to the One World Trade Center. It was so beautiful to see the whole city from the observatory, it felt like I was in a dream." Xiu says.

"I bet it was."

"Okay, enough about me. What's going on with you and Rian?" She asks.

"That's the reason why I called you. So much shit has happened recently, it's like I can't even breathe."

"Oh, no," Xiu gasps. "You guys didn't break up, did you?"

"No, we didn't. I feel like we might, though." I admit.

"Why do you feel that way?"

"Rian and I had been staying in Sacramento because of his father, right? So after the funeral, we had sex and before that I've been having these strange stomach cramps and nausea." I explain, and I can picture her nodding while twirling her hair around her finger.

"Okay, and?"

"I found out that I'm pregnant today." I admit, and she gasps.

"No way? Are you serious?!" Xiu exclaims.

"Yep," I reply, nodding my head. "I bought more than one test, and they're all positive."

"This is great!" Xiu squeals.

"The thing is, I'm not entirely sure if Rian wants a baby yet."

"Well, do you know if you want this baby? Or are you not prepared?" Xiu asks.

"I mean, this is my first child. Of course I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'm still going to commit myself to this baby. I just don't know if Rian does, and that's why I'm afraid he'll dump me."

"Why would you even think that? Rian loves you to the moon and back, and there's nothing that would ever separate you two." Xiu says.

"That's very similar to what Vannah said to me. I'm still overwhelmed with this information, and it doesn't even seem like real life."

"It's surreal isn't it?" Xiu asks, and we both laugh.

"It is, and today when I went to the hospital to try and tell him, he was with this little girl who's sick. It just melted my heart seeing him hold her hand and call her these cute nicknames." I say, and I feel my entire body warm up again.

"Do you think he would be a good father?" She asks.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be a great father. It's just that we're both so young, and I'm not sure if I'd be the best mother that the baby should have."

"Wait, wait, wait! Did you guys have sex with the intention of making a baby, or not?"

If this baby had a definition, it would be .

"No, we didn't. This baby wasn't planned at all, Rian and I just had sex and I guess he didn't—"

"Pull out in time? I thought that his pull out game was strong." Xiu jokingly intrudes.

"I guess not." I reply.

I hold my stomach, and I look down at it. Of course I'm not showing a lot, but it still slightly sticks out.

"When did your nausea and stuff start?" Xiu asks.

"A while ago. Like, I think a month or month and a half."

Was I pregnant this whole time, and I didn't even know?

"Oh, God. Dude, I think I might've been—"

The door opens, and I see Rian walks in. My mouth automatically shuts, and I stand up from the couch and walk over to him.

"Okay, Xiu I'll call you back later. Rian just got back."

"Okay, call me back and tell me everything when you get the chance." Xiu says.

We both say goodbye, and I put my phone in my back pocket.

"Rian, I'm going to get this off of my chest right now." I blurt out.

"Okay, baby. Tell me what's so urgent."

It's now or never.

"Well, you remember when we were in Sacramento and I was complaining about my stomach?"

"Yeah, why? Are you okay? I'll examine you right now if you want." Rian offers, and I shake my head.

"It's fine, really. I'll just show you the reason why that was happening."

I grab his hand, and I lead him over to the couch. Rian looks down at the coffee table, and his eyes go wide. He reaches down and looks at it.

My heart pounds so fast and hard that I can feel it in my throat, and I wipe the sweat off of my palms.

"Are you really pregnant?" Rian asks, looking over at me.

I look down, and I nod. Before I know it, Rian lifts me off of the ground, spinning me, and he laughs.

"Is this a dream? I'm actually going to be a father?" He ecstatically asks.

"Wait, you want this baby?" I ask, and he nods.

"Why wouldn't I want my own child?" Rian asks.

Man, I always worry for no reason.

"I was so afraid to tell you because I thought that you'd leave me. I didn't think that you'd want kids yet." I admit, and he scoffs.

"How could you possibly think that, baby?"

"Well, we're still so young and you're so busy with your career, plus we never really talked about this yet." I say.

"Baby, just because we're young doesn't mean a thing. I know my job is exceptionally busy, but of course I'll take days of to spend time with our son or daughter."

"You will be an amazing father, but I'm doubting if I'll be an amazing mother." I admit, and I sigh.

"How can you say that? Alex, you're kind and nurturing and so many other things. This baby will be blessed to have you as a mom."

Rian rests his hands on my shoulders, and he looks me straight in the eyes. I can see some tears coating his eyes, and he has one of the happiest smiles I've ever seen.

"It's going to be you, me, and this baby. We are going to be parents, and there's no denying that we will love this child unconditionally. You don't need to worry about any of my thoughts about you changing, Alex. Whatever happens, I'll hold your hand throughout the way." He whispers.

A smile spreads across my face, and a tear streams down my cheek. Rian wipes it away with the pad of his thumb, and he hugs me tightly.

We melt into each other, and I lose track of everything else. It feels like the whole world is at a standstill as we embrace, and I feel safe. Not one ounce of worry is in my bones anymore, and I'm more than relieved to know that Rian is by my side.

I can hear Rian sniffling, and he pulls away to wipe away a tear from his face. I do the same, and we both chuckle.

"We're going to be parents!" I shriek, and he smiles at me again.

Rian places his hand against my stomach, and he another tear falls from his eye. Our lips meet, and I smile into the kiss.

Quick, desperate kisses unite our mouths together. My body has this fluttery feeling, and his soft lips make us into one. His hands press against my sides, and I run my fingers through his hair.

"Is this actually happening? I can't believe this!" I exclaim, and he wraps his arms around me.

"You can believe it, babe. I can, too."

We grab each other's hands, and our eyes speak better than our words. Rian's smile hasn't left his face, and neither has mine. We both kiss again, and look back down at the pregnancy tests.

"Your mother is going to be a grandma, and Vanessa will be an aunt and Brendan will be an uncle!" I exclaim.

"This is the best birthday present ever, baby. This is the greatest day ever." Rian excitedly says, and I smile.

"Your present should be arriving in nine months." I playfully say, and we both laugh.

We're going to be a family.

"We'll tell them tomorrow, okay? I just want to celebrate with you."

"Of course."

We sit down on the couch, and Rian can't take his eyes off of the tests.

"When did you find out?" Rian asks.

"Today. Savannah took me to the store to buy the tests a while after you left." I say.