Story Information

Written: 2007
Status: Finished
Starring: Zac
Sequel: Hannah's Song, Welcome to the City
For: The Spark Inside Summer 2007 Challenge
Number of Chapters: 9
16-year-old Aimee thought her life was better than even until a series of events knocked her off her feet. What was supposed to be a fun night at her best friend’s house turned into a life changing event.

Author's Note

While I was doing the rewrite for Hannah's Song I started playing with the idea of writing a prequel that would tell how Aimee and Zac met and how they came to the decision to keep Hannah, but I did nothing with the idea until the Summer 2007 challenge at The Spark Inside. One of the themes was an unexpected pregnancy and I decided that it was the right time.

Theme: Unexpected pregnancy
Things To Include:
“I thought you, of all people, should know that already.”
security blanket
a band poster (could be hanson, doesn’t have to be) that won’t stay on the wall

Chapters

Part 1: Losing Hope

Talia Kuelks sighed as she watched her best friend Aimee Spencer stare aimlessly at the TV.  She couldn’t blame Aimee for feeling down in the dumps, but she wished she could do something help her.

She and Aimee had met two years ago on the first day of their 8th grade year.  They had both been new kids at their school and neither was interested in trying to join a clique.  Aimee’s family had just moved from Arizona to Bixby, Oklahoma to take care of her ailing grandmother and great-grandmother and Talia had convinced her mother to let her attend a public middle school, and hopefully, a public high school.  Aimee and Talia had spent the first six months keeping to themselves and it wasn’t until they went out for softball then volleyball that they found themselves surrounded by friends. 

On their first day of high school, they met an army brat by the name of Cody, who had recently moved back to Bixby with his divorced mother.  His mother lovingly referred to them as the Three Amigos, all the while wondering her son’s sexual preference.  Talia was embarrassed to admit that Cody’s mother had found out her son was straight when she walked in on Talia and him making out on his bed one afternoon.

Half way through the school year, Aimee’s world had been rattled when her half-brother, Jake, whom she didn’t know existed, moved in.  His mother, a college girlfriend of her father’s, had decided that she was tired of trying to force him to go to school and that it was his father’s turn to take care of him.  It wasn’t until their father threatened to send Jake to military school, that he, begrudgingly, went to school to finish his senior year. 

In May, with his diploma in hand, Jake packed up his stuff and boarded a bus back to his hometown of Seattle, much to his parents’ distress.  His mother had hoped that being with his father would encourage Jake to seek higher education.  Jake, however, just wanted to return to Seattle and his garage band.

For the summer between their freshman and sophomore year, the Three Amigos decided if they were going to have to suffer through summer jobs they wanted to work together.  With the help of Cody’s aunt, they all lined up summer jobs at the local movie theater.  With high hopes for a grand summer, none of them expected it to take a turn for the worst.

The excitement over their first paychecks came to a screaming halt after the three returned to Aimee’s house and found her parents sitting at the kitchen table.  It was obvious something was wrong when her father looked up at them with tears in his eyes.  He then proceeded to tell them, in his doctor to patient voice, that Aimee’s grandmother had passed away. 

A few days later, Cody and Talia stood by Aimee’s side as her grandmother’s casket was lowered into the ground.  Each of them remembering the sweet old lady, who went out of her way to take care of those around her.

It was less than a week later when startling news surfaced from Arizona.  This time, however, Aimee’s parents had showed up at work and whisked her away after learning her best friend, in Arizona, had just lost her mother in a horrific hit and run.

Aimee returned from Arizona five days later looking worse for wear.  Talia and Cody could only hope, for her sake, that the summer wouldn’t deal her any more blows.  But it wasn’t meant to be.

A week later, a third blow rocked not only Aimee’s world, but that of the town of Bixby during the middle of the night.  During a lightening storm, a tree next to the farm house Cody and his mother lived in was struck by lightening and burst into flames.  Because their house was twenty miles outside of town and it wasn’t until a passerby saw the flames, by the time firefighters reached the house, it was engulfed in flames and Cody and his mother had been killed.

Aimee and Talia stood arm in arm at the funeral, neither of them really believing that Cody was really gone. Aimee’s parents were so worried about her mental state after everything, that they decided that she needed to quit her job and to their surprise, she hadn’t argued.  Talia hadn’t waited for her parents to do the same, she just told their understanding boss that she couldn’t work there anymore.  It was too painful.

Unlike the summer before when their parents had urged them to get out of the house, neither Talia nor Aimee were bugged about the time they spent laying around, mindlessly watching TV or movies.

Talia was pulled out of her thoughts when Aimee changed the channel and they got engrossed in an episode of Law and Order.  Talia stayed with Aimee for a couple more hours until her brother Todd came to pick her up.

While Talia considered herself a city girl stuck in the country, her older brother Todd was 100% country.  Unlike their mother and her siblings, Talia and her siblings hadn’t grown up on a farm, but her brothers Todd and Trent spent their days helping their Uncle Mike at the family farm.

When Talia and Todd pulled up in front of their parents’ house Talia climbed down from the truck and walked into the house through the side door.  She kicked off her shoes in the mud room and entered the kitchen, surprised to find her cousin Zac chowing down on a meatloaf sandwich.

“Aunt Rachel, this is the best ever,” Zac commented before taking a large bite.

Talia’s mom chuckled before patting her nephew on the back.  “It’s good to have you home, Zac.”

He gave her a big grin then saw Talia.  He gave her a wave then motioned that he wanted something to drink.

Talia rolled her eyes and poured him a glass of milk.  She set it on the table then watched, disgusted, as he stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth then chugged the glass of milk.

“Mmm, that was good.”  He patted his belly and let out a content sigh.  “I haven’t had a meal that good in awhile.”

“You say that as if your mom doesn’t cook well,” Rachel commented.  “And I know my sister is a better cook than-”

“Oh, she is a great cook,” Zac assured her.  “But we don’t get a lot of home cooked meals these days, especially since we’re gearing up for a tour.”

“Well you’re all welcome to come over for dinner,” Rachel said.  “Maybe we’ll have a barbeque before you all leave.”

“When do you guys leave?”  Talia asked her cousin.

“The tour kicks of on July 27 then we head west,” Zac replied.

“That’s the week you, dad and the kids are going to Kansas, isn’t it?”  Talia asked her mom.

Rachel glanced at the calendar and nodded. “Maybe we can do a dinner the week before.”

“I’ll have my mom call you,” Zac said.

“Okay,” Rachel smiled.  “Now you two best get out of my kitchen before I put you to work.”

Without a word, Talia and Zac both jumped out of their seats and escaped to the living room.

After collapsing on the couch, Zac looked at his cousin and asked, “How ya doin’ today?”

“Okay, I guess,” she shrugged.  “It’s been a few weeks, but it’s still hard to believe, ya know?”

Zac nodded.  “Sorry I couldn’t be here for the funeral, but-”

“Don’t be sorry, Zac, you being there wouldn’t have changed anything,” Talia cut him off.  “I’m just ready to get my life back on track, ya know?”

“Well, you’re parents are going out of town-”

“No way, I’m not going to let you throw a party here.  Besides, Trent and Todd would never go for it.”

“What wouldn’t I go for?”  Trent asked as he came down the stairs.

“A party with your favorite cousins and a few of our friends,” Zac replied, twisting his body to look at Trent.  “Partly to cheer up your sister and partly as a last chance to party with your cousins until Christmas.”

Trent glanced at his sister before nodding.  “When and where?”  He asked.

“Here while your parents are in Kansas,” Zac replied.

Trent thought for a minute before nodding.  “Okay, but if anything breaks I’m holding you personally responsible, Zac.”

“Okay,” Zac replied.

“Close friends only, Zac,” Talia told her cousin after Trent left the room.  “And no more than 20.”

“Zac, Taylor’s here to pick you up,” Talia’s mom called from the kitchen.

“Deal,” Zac grinned before pulling himself off the couch.  “Guess I gotta go, mom gave me and Taylor money to pick up KFC, so I better get dinner before the natives get restless.”  He flashed her a toothy grin before exiting the house via the kitchen.

Talia sighed as she closed her eyes.  With Zac at the reigns, something bad was bound to happen.

Part 2: Tears In Heaven

“No way.”  Aimee shook her head when Talia told her about the party.  “Not happening.”

“Aimee, you gotta get out of this room,” Talia sighed.  “And it’s not like it’s at a strange place, it’s at my house.”

“I just don’t feel like being around a bunch of strangers,” Aimee retorted.

“Trent will be there,” Talia grinned, knowing Aimee had a big crush on him.

“So?  That still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to go,” Aimee replied.

“Where don’t you want to go?”  Aimee’s mother asked as she entered the room with a laundry basket.

Talia smiled as she turned towards Aimee’s mom, Jill Spencer.  “My brothers and I are throwing a going away party for our cousins,” she explained.  “I invited Aimee to come but she-”

“She’ll be there,” Jill said.

“Mom!”

“It’ll be good for you, Aimee,” Jill replied.  “You can’t stay home forever.”

Aimee crossed her arms and ignored her mother and Talia until they both left.

Was it that hard to understand that she was still mourning?  Sure Talia lost her boyfriend, but Aimee had lost her grandmother, a woman who had been a second mother to her and one of her best friends.

The therapist that her parents talked to said for how much Aimee had been through; she was managing it all better than most people would have.  He said that people mourn differently and for Aimee, mourning came through hiding in her bedroom.

When the day of the party rolled around, Aimee was still searching for any and every excuse that would get her out of going.  She finally settled on pretending to be sick and that worked until half past 3 when her mom came into the room.

“Aimee, I need you to get dressed and go downstairs,” her mother’s normally soft voice was ridged, a sign that something was wrong.

Aimee got out of bed without a word and quickly dressed before scampering down the steps.  She followed her parents’ voices into the living room and paused at the doorway.  Her dad’s face was taunt and her mom’s face was full of emotion.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”  She asked as her heart began to pound.

Her dad’s gaze met hers and he cleared his throat.  “Jake’s mother called me,” he whispered.  “He- he killed himself.”

Aimee felt the floor move beneath her and grabbed onto the wall beside her.  She couldn’t believe it.  Jake was dead?  She’d known her half-brother had issues, but suicide?  It didn’t make any sense.

Before she had a change to speak the doorbell rang.  Her mother excused herself from the room and returned a minute later with Talia.

That’s when it hit Aimee, she now had a get out of party card.

“Sorry, I’m a little early,” Talia said.  “Todd lent me his truck to get food and I thought-”

“I can’t go,” Aimee cut her off before eyeing her parents.  “Jake, well he, uh, committed suicide today.”

Talia gasped and looked at Aimee’s parents for confirmation.  Aimee’s father, Bruce, nodded sadly and Talia gave them her condolences.

“Thank you,” Bruce said before looking at Aimee.  “I want you to go tonight.”

“But dad-”

“There’s nothing any of us can do tonight, Aimee,” he told her.  “Jake’s mom will call us tomorrow once the funeral has been arranged, but until then we aren’t needed.”

Aimee sighed and allowed Talia to pull her upstairs.  Numbly she changed into the outfit Talia picked out for her, not even paying attention to what she was wearing.

After saying goodbye to her parents, she followed Talia out to the truck and climbed into the front seat already plotting out how she would spend the evening.  There was a guest bedroom just off the Keulks’ kitchen and that was where she would spend her evening.

However when they arrived at the Keulk’s house, Talia must have caught onto Aimee’s plan because she put Aimee to work filling up bowls with chips and other goodies.

Aimee was putting the chips on the coffee table when Trent walked down the stairs.  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Hey Aimee,” he smiled as he pushed a chunk of his dark hair away from his eyes.  “How’s it going?”

“My brother killed himself,” she told him then mentally kicked herself.  “I mean, I’ve been better.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.  “But I’m sure you’ll have a good time tonight.”  With that he gave her a wink and went into the kitchen.

Groaning, Aimee threw herself on the couch and sighed.  Of all people, why did she have to like her best friend’s 21-year-old brother?  She didn’t stand a chance with him; she was, after all, only fifteen.

“Way to go,” Talia said as she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of ice.  “You seriously bummed Trent out by telling him your brother died.”

“God, don’t rub it in,” Aimee sighed.

“Try to have a good time,” Talia told her friend.  “And try to forget for one night what’s going on, okay?”

Aimee nodded numbly.

“Everything will be okay, Aims,” Talia said as she gave her friend a hug.  “Who knows, maybe something will happen tonight that’ll change your life for the better.”

Part 3: House Party

“LET’S GO!”  Zac yelled up the stairs to his older brothers.  He couldn’t wait until October when he could get his license and not have to wait for his brothers.  He glanced out the window at the olive green van he’d recently purchased.  He couldn’t wait to get it out on the road.

“We’re ready, let’s go,” his older brother Isaac said as he and his brother Taylor came down the stairs.

“Where are you three of to?” Their mom Diana asked as they headed for the front door.

“We’re going to Aunt Rachel’s,” Zac replied.  “We’re going to hang out with Trent, Todd and Talia.”

Diana eyed her sons carefully before nodding.  “Behave and have a good time,” she said.

“We’re staying the night there, so we’ll see you in the morning,” Isaac told his mom.

“Okay, see you in the morning then,” she replied.

Isaac led his brothers out to his car.  He unlocked the doors and Taylor and Zac climbed in.  “Do we need to pick anybody up?”  He asked them.

“No, they’re all getting themselves there,” Zac replied.

“I wonder if anybody is bringing anything good,” Taylor said as he leaned back in the front seat.  “Is Mitch coming?”

“Yup,” Zac grinned.  “Bringing whatever he could sneak out without his dad catching him.”

“Sounds good,” Taylor replied.

Zac leaned back in his seat and sighed.  In a few short days he and his brothers would play the opening show of their tour then they would be on the road for several months.  He loved playing and making music, but he always missed his friends while he was gone.  So nights when everyone could let loose and have a good time, were what he cherished most.

Isaac had barely come to a stop in front of his aunt’s house when Zac jumped out of the backseat to greet two of his friends, Scott and Chucky.  They exchanged high fives and headed for the front door.

When he got inside, Zac saw that a couple of his friends, and some of his brothers’, had already arrived.  They exchanged greetings then Zac headed to the kitchen in search of Talia.  He stopped in the doorway when he heard her voice.

“Aims, come on,” Talia sighed.  “Don’t be like this, just go out there with me.”

“But I don’t know anybody,” Aimee replied.

“So I’ll introduce you to some people,” Talia told her.  “My cousins and their friends aren’t all that bad.”

Zac took that as his cue and marched into the room.  “There you are, Tal.  I’ve been looking all over for you.”  He turned his attention to Talia’s friend and held out his hand.  “Hey, I’m Zac.”

“Aimee,” she said timidly taking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Aimee,” Zac grinned.  “I overheard you telling Tals that you didn’t know anyone, so please allow me to introduce you to some of my friends.”

Aimee glanced nervously at Talia before silently nodding her head.

“Great,” Zac grinned.  “We’ll stop at the drinks first then I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Aimee shot a fleeting glance at Talia before Zac led her out of the kitchen.

He led her to the card table that was setup as a makeshift bar.  “What do you want to drink?”  He asked.  “Mitch, here, can make anything.”

“I don’t know,” she said.

Mitch eyed her carefully before nodding his head.  “She looks like a rum and coke kind of girl,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Rum?”  She looked at Zac.  “I don’t drink.”

“It’s mostly coke,” Zac assured her.  “Besides, it’ll help you feel at ease.”

Aimee chewed on her lower lip and nodded.  It was one drink, she assured herself.  What harm could one drink do?

With her drink in hand, Aimee allowed Zac to lead her around the room introducing her to people who’s names she’d never remember.  The only positive part during the introductions was that she felt more relaxed.  More relaxed than she had been thus far all summer.

By the time Zac left her side to go talk to a friend, Aimee’s glass was empty.  She walked over to Mitch and without giving him instruction, he fixed her another drink.

By three am most of the guests were passed out, more from exhaustion than drinking, and only Zac, Talia, Aimee, Scott and Chucky were still awake.

“I’m going to bed,” Talia declared, standing up.  “Night.”

After she left the room, sleep quickly found Scott and Chucky.

“Wimps,” Zac muttered as his eyes landed on Aimee, who was almost asleep in his uncle’s easy chair.  He knew she’d be hurting in the morning if she slept there.  Quietly, he stepped over his friends and woke her up.

“What?”  She slurred.

“You’ll be more comfortable in the guestroom,” he said.  “Come on, I’ll help you get there.”

She nodded and allowed him to help her towards the guestroom off the kitchen.  Which proved to be a challenging feat for the drunk teens.

“Thanks for tonight,” Aimee said after Zac opened the door to the room.

“No problem,” he grinned.

Her brown eyes traveled from his eyes to his lips as she licked her own.

Zac felt his pulse begin to race as she turned her body to his and wrapped her arms around his neck.  His eyes fluttered closed just as her soft lips reached his own.

As she deepened the kiss, he pulled her body close to his and allowed his hands to run down her back.

“Stay with me,” she whispered.

Zac nodded and closed the guestroom door while she climbed on to the bed.  He followed her lead and climbed on top of her, catching her lips with his.

He groaned as her hands traveled up the back of his shirt and her nails raked across his skin.  He felt her tugging his shirt up and broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head and toss it on the ground.  They pulled apart seconds later for her to pull her shirt over her head.

Zac longed to have her bare chest pressed against his.  He raised his eyes to hers and watched dumbstruck as she unclasped her bra, slid the straps off her arms and let it drop to the ground.

Zac grinned and lowered himself back on to her, covering her lips with his.

Part 4: The Morning After

Aimee groaned as a beam of light hit her in the face.  She clenched her eyes shut and tried to block the light with her arm.  When that didn’t work, she rolled on to her side, throwing her left arm in the process.  However, instead of hitting her pillow or the mattress, her arm came into contact with flesh.

“God, Mac,” she heard a low voice grumble.  “Next time you sleep on the floor.”

Confused, Aimee opened her eyes, only to find herself staring into an equally shocked pair of brown ones.  She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

“Uh, hi,” the guy, who she now recognized as Talia’s cousin Zac, said.  “You-uh-might want to pull that sheet tighter.”

She glanced down and quickly pulled the sheet tight around her exposed body part.

“Did we-uh-do something last night?”  She asked.

“I- I don’t remember.”  His eyes glanced around the room.  “But by the looks of things, I’d venture to guess we probably did.”

“Oh god,” she groaned as she sat up.

“Whoa there!”  Zac said, quickly covering himself with a pillow.  “But who knows, maybe we fell asleep before we could do anything.”

“My parents are going to kill me.  Talia is going to kill me.”  She put her head in her hands.

“Whoa, you can’t tell Talia anything,” he stated.  “She’d kill me then the band would be short a member.”

“What band?”

He looked at her as if she had a second head before saying, “Hanson.  The band my brothers and I are in.”

“Oh.”  She paused for a second.  “MMMBop, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded before growing serious.  “Look, Aimee, you can’t tell-”

“Believe me, I won’t,” she cut him off.  “I see no need in broadcasting to the world that I had a drunken one night stand with you.”  Zac breathed a sigh of relief.  “Besides, I wouldn’t do that to you.  Talia’s my best friend and you’re part of her family.”

“Thanks.”

They sat in silence for a couple minutes.

“Look, one of us has to get of here, so close your eyes and I’ll get dressed.  Then I’ll leave the room.”

“Okay.”  She laid down with her back to him and covered her face with the comforter.  She heard him fumble around the room in search of his clothes, get dressed then slip out of the room.

She pulled the blanket from her face and stared at the ceiling for several minutes letting everything soak in.  When she finally pulled herself out of bed, she noticed that while Zac had searched for his clothes he had put hers on the dresser.  She quickly dressed and fixed her hair before leaving the room.

“Morin’ sunshine,” Talia grinned when she saw her.  “It’s about time you woke up.”  Aimee shot her a dirty look.  “Zac said you were cranky.”

“He what?” Aimee stopped in her tracks and looked at her friend.

“Zac walked out of that room not ten minutes ago, saying you were crabby,” Talia told her.  “Said last night after all of us were asleep you were feeling sick and he didn’t want to leave you by yourself so he stayed with you.”

“Ah, yeah,” Aimee said.  “I vaguely remember feeling sick to my stomach.”

“Morning,” Trent greeted coming into the room.  “Aimee, I’m headed into town, I can give you a ride home, if you’d like.”

Aimee glanced at Talia before nodding.  “That would be great.”

“Okay, let’s go,” he looked at his sister.  “I’ll be back in an hour to help you clean up.”

Aimee followed Trent out to his truck silently and climbed into the passenger seat.

“You okay?”  He asked her.

“Uh, yeah,” she lied.  “Just tired.”

When she got home she said good morning to her parents before running upstairs to take a shower.

She turned on the water as hot as she could stand it and let the water cascade over her body.  As much as she wanted to believe she and Zac hadn’t done anything the night before, she knew it wasn’t true. 

A month later, Aimee sat in the cab of Trent’s truck that Talia had borrowed to take them to the doctors.

“This is so stupid,” Talia muttered.  “We just had physicals last year.  Why do we have to get them again?”

“Who knows,” Aimee shrugged.

“How are you feeling?”  Talia asked.

“Better, I guess,” Aimee replied.  “My dad thinks I have mono or something since I’ve been so tired lately.”

“Jackie had mono, so could have gotten it from her,” Talia said.

Aimee nodded and yawned.  “Maybe this doctor will be able to tell me what I have for sure,” she stated.  “Then maybe I’ll start to feel better.”

When they got to the doctor’s office, they were given cups and asked for a urine sample.  After they finished, they waited in the waiting room until their names were called.

Aimee followed the nurse into a room after her name was called and changed into a paper gown as she waited for the doctor to come in.

When the doctor, a friend of her father’s, came in she knew something was wrong by the look on his face.

“Aimee, have you been tired lately?”  He asked her.

“Y- yeah,” she replied.

“When was the last time you had your period?”

“Uh, July sometime, I think.”

“And the last time you were sexually active?”

Aimee’s breath caught in her throat.  “The end of July.  Why?”

“Aimee, you’re pregnant,” he told her.

“Are you sure?”  He nodded.  “Oh my god.”

Part 5: There Goes My Life

Zac climbed into his bunk and grabbed his cell phone to check his messages.

“Zac, this is Tal.  Look you really need to call Aimee.  Something is wrong and she won’t tell me what’s going on.  She’s a mess, Zac, you need to call her asap.”  He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down Aimee’s phone number as his cousin rattled it off.

He glanced at his watch and saw that it was too late to call Aimee tonight.  He plugged her number into his phone before settling down in his bunk.  He tried to fall asleep but he couldn’t, his mind was all over the place trying to figure out what was wrong with Aimee.

When the bus pulled up in front of the hotel around 6:30 the next morning, he stuffed his phone in the pocket of his hoodie and followed his family off the bus.  Once he was alone in his hotel room, he pulled it out, found Aimee’s number and called her.

“Hello?”  A woman’s voice answered.

“Is Aimee there?”  He asked.

“This is she,” the voice replied.  “Who’s this?”

“It’s Zac,” he said.

“Oh.”

“Look, Aimee, Talia called and told me you need to talk to me.  What’s up?”

“I-well-I’m pregnant.”

Zac let her words sink in.  “What?  How?”

“I thought you, of all people, should know that already,” she said.  “I’ve seen your family picture, you have four younger siblings, not to mention lots of cousins.”

“Are you sure it’s mine?”  He asked before thinking about it.  “Shit!  I didn’t mean that, Aimee.”

“Yes, it’s yours,” she said after a second.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” he sighed.  “Who all have you told?”

“You,” she replied.  “I don’t know how much longer I can hide this from my parents.  My dad’s friend is the doctor that told me.”

“You didn’t tell, Tals?”  Zac asked.

“What I was supposed to say?”  Aimee asked him.  “Hey Tals, I just thought I’d like you to know I had sex with your cousin and now I’m going to have his baby?  Yeah, that would go over well.”

“Okay, you tell your parents and I’ll tell mine,” Zac sighed.  “We’ll figure something out, okay?”

“Will you tell Talia?”  Aimee asked him.  “I can’t do it.”

“Okay,” Zac nodded.  “Let me give you my number then I’ll go talk to my parents.”

Ten minutes later, Zac took a deep breathe before knocking on his parents’ hotel room door.

His mom let him into the room and after taking a look at him, put her hand on his forehead.  “Are you feeling okay, honey?  You’re looking pale.”

“I need to talk to you and dad,” Zac said as he looked around the room at his younger siblings.  “Preferably alone.”

“Let’s go to your room,” his dad suggested walking over to them.  “Jessi, you’re in charge.  Don’t let anyone leave the room.”

Zac led his parents across the hall to his room and waited for them to sit down on the edge of the bed.  “I need to tell you something you’re not going to want to hear,” he sighed.

“What did you do?”  His father asked.

“That night we went over to Talia’s to hang out, I slept with her best friend,” he told his parents.  “I just got off the phone with her and she’s pregnant.”

He watched as his father got off the bed and started pacing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Zac said, looking at his mom.  “It was a mistake, we were both drunk and-”

“You were drinking?”  His father stopped in mid pace.  “Zac, what have we told you about drinking?”

“I know we’re not supposed to, but it happened and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said as the truth of what was happening sank in.  “I’m not ready to be a dad.”  He felt hot tears rolling down his face.  “I’m not even sixteen yet, what am I going to do?

His mother stood and wrapped him in a hug.  “We’ll figure this out together, Zac,” she said as she smoothed his hair.  “We’ll get together with her parents and we’ll all sit down and hash this out.”

He nodded and took a deep breath.

“Are you sure the baby is yours?”  His father asked.

“Walker!”  His mother exclaimed.

“Well, how do we know for sure that she’s telling the truth?”  His father asked.  “She could be lying about this just to get close to the band.”

Zac shook his head.  “It’s mine, dad,” he sighed.  “Aimee wouldn’t lie about that.  She wasn’t even fazed when I told her about the band.”

“I still think we should be careful,” Walker stated.

“Zac, give me her parents number and I’ll give them a call,” his mom said.

“We have to wait until she tells them,” Zac told her.  “I’ll give you the number when she tells me.”

A week later, Zac sat in parents’ hotel room staring at the floor as his parents met Aimee and her parents.

“I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances,” his mom said as she shook hands with Aimee’s mom Jill.

“Agreed,” Jill replied.  “But I guess we have things we should discuss.”

Zac tuned them out as he remembered the telephone conversation with his cousin.  She had yelled and called him every name she could think of after finding out about him and Aimee.  She went silent when he told her Aimee was pregnant and finally he heard her crying.  He started to say something to her but she cut him off and said she had to go.  He hadn’t heard from her since.

“Jill and I both agree that considering their ages, the best thing for the baby would be for Aimee and Zac to give it up,” Aimee’s dad Bruce stated.

“As much as I wish we could take this burden of our childrens’ shoulders, the decision is theirs alone,” Zac’s mom said.  “All we can do is offer them advice and suggestion.”

Zac felt all four adults turn their eyes towards himself and Aimee, who sat silently on the couch.

“Zac, why don’t you and Aimee go into your room and talk about this,” his mother suggested.

Zac nodded and led Aimee across the hall to his room.

“Talia hates me doesn’t she?”  He asked.

“She’s just upset,” Aimee replied.  “She came over right after talking to you.  She was hurt that we hadn’t told her what happened.”

“So what are we going to do now?”  Zac asked her.

“I don’t know,” Aimee replied.  “I am so overwhelmed right now, I can’t even think straight.”

“How far along are you?”  He asked.

“7 weeks,” Aimee told him.  “My dad was able to get me into a doctor quickly.  Her name is Dr. Smithers and she said I can find out the sex of the baby in a few weeks.”

“Cool,” Zac said with a smile.  “So what are we going to do?”

“Do we really have to decide it all today?” Aimee asked him.  “I mean, one rash decision got us here.  We have until April 16 to decide-”

“Our baby is going to be born April 16?”  Zac asked, glancing at Aimee’s stomach briefly before meeting her eyes.

“Yeah,” Aimee smiled as she placed her hand on her stomach.  “It’s all hard to believe, huh?”

“Totally,” Zac nodded.

Part 6: Thank You For Being A Friend

“I don’t understand why you have to move,” Talia pouted as she helped Aimee pack up her bedroom.

“My parents decided it would be for the best,” Aimee shrugged.  “I’m not going to school here anymore and I’d rather not have rumors spread about me.”

“So you and Zac are going to keep this as quiet as possible, I take it,” Talia said.

“Yeah, the last thing the band needs is for people to find out Zac is going to be a father at age 16,” Aimee replied.  “Besides, it’s not like I’m moving really far away.  Tulsa is closer than say Seattle, where my dad wanted to move.”

“Still it’ll be so weird without you at school,” Talia sighed.  “It’s all Zac’s fault.”

Aimee laughed and shook her head.  “I did have something to do with it, ya know.”

“I know, but its Zac’s fault,” Talia stated.  “If he wasn’t famous you wouldn’t be moving.”

“We’re not moving for just me, ya know,” Aimee said.  “Dad wants to be closer to work and we’re putting great-grandma in a home in Tulsa and mom wants to be closer to her.”

“I know, I know,” Talia sighed.  “So when does my precious cousin return?”

“November, I think,” Aimee replied.

“AIMEE, TALIA,” they heard Aimee’s mom call them.  “PIZZA’S HERE!”

A week later, Aimee glanced around her new room and nodded approval in Talia’s direction.  “It looks great, thanks for your help,” she smiled.

“No problem,” Talia smiled as she reached for her bag.  “I did get you something, though.”

“What’s this?”  Aimee asked as Talia handed her a tube.

“Open it,” Talia instructed.

Aimee eyed her friend carefully before pulling out some paper.  She unrolled it and laughed when she saw a Hanson poster.  “What’s this for?”  She asked.

“I figured you could put it in here so the baby would know his or her mom and dad was with them all the time,” Talia shrugged.

“Thanks Talia,” Aimee smiled as she gave her friend a hug.

“No prob,” Talia smiled.  “I better get going, but I’ll talk to you later.”

“Thanks for all your help,” Aimee told her friend.  After Talia left the room, she pulled a piece of sticky tack off her desk and used to it to secure the poster to the back of her door.  She was pushing the last corner onto the door when her phone rang.

“Hello?”  She answered.

“Hey, it’s me,” Zac said.  “How’d the moving go?”

“Pretty good, Talia just left,” Aimee replied as the poster fell off the door.

“What was that?”  Zac asked.

“Nothing,” Aimee sighed as she bent down and picked the poster up and pressed it back on to the door.  “How’s the tour going?”

“Good, though I can’t wait to get back to Tulsa and sleep in my own bed,” Zac commented as he heard something that sounded like thunder on her side of the phone.  “Seriously, what is that noise?”

“Your cousin gave me a poster and it won’t stay on the wall,” Aimee grumbled as she picked the poster up off her floor.  “I think I’m going to have to break out the duck tape to get this thing to stay up.”

“Dare I ask what poster she gave you?”  Zac asked.

“It’s a poster of you and your brothers,” Aimee replied.  “It’s pretty cool I guess and recent I’m assuming.”

“Well at least she didn’t give you the one where I’m in the trunk with my brothers,” he laughed.  “That was not a fun photo shoot.  Wait, what am I saying, there is no such thing as a fun photo shoot.”

“Clone yourself,” Aimee suggested.  “Then you can make music and the clone can take pictures.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Zac laughed.

“AIMEE, DINNER,” she heard her mom call.

“I’ll talk to you later Zac, I gotta go get dinner,” she said.

“Okay, call me tomorrow after the doctor’s appointment,” he said.

“I will,” Aimee assured him before hanging up.  She placed her hand on her stomach and smiled at the small bump that was forming.

Part 7: Home

“It’s so good to be home!”  Zac declared as he threw suitcase on to his bedroom floor and collapsed on to his bed.

“Zac, pick up your crap,” Isaac grumbled.  “I almost tripped over it.”

“Sorry,” Zac rolled his eyes.  He picked up his suitcase and put it next to his bed.

“You getting excited?”  Taylor asked as he threw his own bag on his bed.

“Uh, yeah, I get my license tomorrow and Aimee and I find out the sex of the baby the day after,” Zac grinned.

“Have you guys decided what you’re going to do yet?”  Isaac asked him.

Zac shook his head.  “I think she and her mom have done some research on adoption services, but we haven’t talked about it yet,” he stated.

“It’s so weird to think you’re gonna have a kid,” Taylor commented as he sat on the ground.  “You’re only 16.”

“Tell me about it,” Zac said as he took a deep breath.  “It’s weird, ya know?  In five months, I’m going to be a dad.  Even if we give the baby up, there will still be a kid out there who’s my kid.”

“You and Aimee should probably starting thinking about what you’re going to do,” Isaac advised.  “If you’re going to keep the baby you guys have to get ready for it.”

Zac nodded.

Two days later, Zac pulled into the parking lot of Dr. Smither’s office in his van and locked the doors after jumping out.  He was already five minutes late and when he got into the office, he found Aimee’s mom in waiting room.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said.

“It’s okay, the doctor wanted to run some tests on Aimee before the ultrasound anyway,” Jill replied before patting the seat next to her.  “How was the rest of the tour?”

“It was great,” Zac grinned.  “But I’m glad to be home.”

“Did your mother bring you?”  Jill asked.

“No, I passed my drivers test yesterday,” Zac grinned.  “So I can legally drive now.”

“Congrats,” Jill smiled.  “Aimee passed her’s a couple weeks ago, but didn’t want to drive here today.  She’s a little nervous.”

Zac nodded and picked up a magazine to flip through while he waited.

Fifteen minutes later, the nurse came out to get him and Jill and led them to the room where Aimee and the doctor were.

He watched as she spread clear gel over Aimee’s rounded stomach and she placed the instrument on Aimee’s stomach and moved it around until she got a clear picture of the baby.

“There’s the baby’s ten fingers, ten toes,” Dr. Smithers told them.  “And if you guys want to know what you’re having, I’d be happy to tell you.”

Aimee glanced at Zac and he nodded.  “We’d like to know,” she told the doctor.

“It’s a little girl,” Dr. Smithers smiled.  “Congratulations.”

After printing out ultrasound pictures, Dr. Smithers shooed Zac from the room and he went into the waiting room to wait for Aimee and her mom.

They arrived fifteen minutes later and Zac saw how big Aimee was getting.  At only 16 weeks along, she was noticeably pregnant with her rounded belly.

“I have to get back to work.  Do you mind taking her home, Zac?”  Jill asked him.

“No problem,” Zac smiled.  He waited as Aimee made another appointment then led her out to his van.

“This is what you’re driving?”  She asked when her eyes landed on the ugly green van.

“Yup, pretty sweet, huh?”  Zac grinned.

“It can’t be safe for babies,” she muttered to herself as she opened the passenger door and pulled herself into the seat.  In the process of putting her seat belt on, she looked behind her and saw that there were no other seats in the van.  “Zac, where are the other seats?”

“Oh, they didn’t come with the van,” he grinned.  “It looks pretty cool, I think.”

“Zac, say we keep the baby. Where are you going to put her car seat when you have her?”  Aimee asked him.  “She can’t sit in the front seat.”

Zac opened his mouth to say something but shut it quickly.  “I’ll get a new back seat,” he said after a few minutes.

“Wouldn’t you rather have a new car?”  Aimee suggested as she looked around.  “Maybe something that doesn’t smell like dirty gym socks.”

Zac sighed. “I’ll think about it,” he told her.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

After he dropped her off at home, he drove to his parents’ house and parked his van along the street.  He locked up his van and walked up the driveway and into the house.

“How’s Aimee?”  His mom asked him.

“She’s great,” Zac grinned.  “We’re having a girl.”

Part 8: I'll Be There For You

Aimee sighed as she pulled herself out of bed on Christmas morning.  At seven months pregnant, she felt like a blimp.  Her mother’s only encouragement had been that she’d only get bigger.

She had just pulled on a sweater when her mom knocked on the door and came in.

“Oh, good, you’re up,” Jill smiled.  “Your grandparents are ready to open some gifts.”

“Is Zac here yet?” Aimee asked her.  “I told him we’d wait for him to get here.”

“I wasn’t aware Zac was coming over this morning,” Jill stated.

“His family had Christmas with Talia’s family last night and they’re going to his paternal grandparents’ house this afternoon,” Aimee told her.  “He said he had presents for us and I had one for him.”

“Oh, well okay,” her mom replied.  “I guess I’ll go throw in another batch of cinnamon rolls.”

Aimee followed her downstairs and five minutes later left the kitchen to answer the door.  Instead of seeing Zac at her front door, she saw Zac, his six siblings and his parents.

“Merry Christmas,” they said cheerfully.

“Uh, come in,” Aimee said as she stepped out of the way.  She watched as Zac stood back and let his family enter the house before him.  “Thanks for the warning.”

“My mom found out I was coming and they decided it would be better if we all came in one vehicle so we could go straight to Grandma Hanson’s house,” he replied as he took off his coat.  “You should just be happy Mac didn’t get his wish of bring Trixie with us.”

“He wanted to bring your dog?”  Aimee asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, but then again he’s 8, can you blame him?”  Zac asked.

“Aimee, come on, we need to do these presents,” her mom called.

Zac shot Aimee a grin and headed towards the living room.

“This present is for you and Zac, Aimee,” her great-grandmother said as she handed Aimee a box.

Aimee glanced at Zac before carefully sliding her hand under the tape.

“Oh come on!”  Mackie yelled.  “Just rip it open!”  He threw his arms up in defeat.  “Zac, show her how to open a present.”

“She’s doing fine,” Zac replied.

Aimee shook her head and finished unwrapping the gift.  She pulled the lid of the box and smiled when she saw a pink knitted blanket.  “Grandma it’s beautiful,” she said as she pulled the blanket out of the box.

“It’s just like the one she made for you when you were born,” Jill told her daughter.  “You carried your blanket everywhere.  It was your security blanket.  I had to hide it from you for you to get over it.”

“She found it the first time you hid it,” her dad stated.  “We had to hide it at my parents house in order to-”

“Dad, it’s your turn to open a present,” Aimee cut him off.

Twenty minutes later, Zac followed Aimee upstairs with her gifts.

“So I know this is last second in all, but my Grandma Hanson is only expecting my family today and she really wants to meet you,” Zac stated.  “She wanted to know if you wanted to come spend Christmas with us.”

“But what about my parents and grandparents?”  Aimee asked him.

“They can come too,” Zac suggested.

“Zac, I don’t really want to go anywhere,” Aimee sighed.  “I haven’t been sleeping well and I’m sore and my feet-”

“What if I told you my mom and my grandma have talked and they’ve already setup a guestroom for you to go take a nap or rest?”  Zac grinned.  “I’ll even give you one of my super massages.”

“Fine, but only if my parents agree,” Aimee replied.

Ten minutes later, Aimee found herself following Zac out to the car.  She stopped when she saw an unfamiliar car parked in her drive way.  “Who’s is that?”  She asked.

“That is my Subaru Impreza,” Zac grinned.  “I took your concern over my van to heart and-”

“In other words your van bit the dust,” Aimee cut him off.

“Yeah, something like that,” Zac replied as he unlocked the door for her.  “Climb in.”

After another round of presents in which Mackie showed Aimee how to properly open a present, Zac led Aimee to the guestroom his grandmother had prepared for her.  She climbed on to the bed and sighed sleepily.

“I can’t wait for this to be over,” she muttered.

“What hurts the most?”  Zac asked her.

“My feet,” Aimee muttered.  “My mom had to buy me a couple pairs of shoes last week cause my feet are swelling.”  She jumped when she felt Zac touch her feet.  However, as he began to massage them, she let out a content sigh and closed her eyes, basking in the pleasure.

Part 9: Sweet Child of Mine

With a yawn, Zac settled into his bed and was almost asleep when the phone rang.  He chose to ignore it, knowing his mom would answer it.

“ZAC!”  He heard his mom yell as she ran towards his room.  She threw the door open and flipped on the light.  “It’s time!  Jill and Bruce are taking Aimee to the hospital now.”

“Now?  But it’s-” he glanced at his clock. “-midnight.”

“It doesn’t matter.  Babies don’t wait for you to be ready,” his mother replied.  “Get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Okay,” Zac replied.  He quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt before racing down the stairs where he found his parents waiting for him.

He climbed into the backseat of his parents’ minivan and closed his eyes as his dad drove to the hospital.  Any time now his baby girl would be born.  He’d get to hold her once then he and Aimee would hand her off to an adoption agency who would make sure she was given to a loving family.

“You made the right decision,” his mom said glancing back at him.  “As much as we’d love to keep her, you and Aimee are so young.”

“I know, mom,” Zac nodded.  His age had also been a deciding factor in why it was going to be Aimee, her mom and his mom in the delivery room and him in the waiting room with their fathers.  Part of him felt sad for not being able to see his daughter born, but another part of him was okay with it.  Blood made him queasy.

When they got to the hospital a nurse led them to Aimee’s private room and they entered as she road through another contraction.  His father put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he watch her face contort in pain.

An hour later, Zac, his father and Aimee’s father were shooed out to the waiting room while Aimee was whisked off to the delivery room.  Zac watched as his father and Aimee’s father paced in front of him while he nervously tapped his feet on the ground.

His mother came into the waiting room fifteen minutes later with a big grin on her face.  “We have a baby girl,” she declared with a smile.  “They’re cleaning Aimee up right now, but we can go see her in a few minutes.”

“You go in there first,” Aimee’s dad said when they got to Aimee’s room.  “We’ll wait out here.”

Zac nodded and he entered the room.  “Hey,” he smiled as he greeted Aimee.

“Did you see her, Zac?”  Aimee asked him. He shook his head.  “She’s beautiful, Zac.  I don’t want to give her up.”

“Aimee, we already decided-”

“Zac, I held her and she smiled at me,” Aimee said as tears rolled down her cheeks.  “I don’t want to give my baby away.”

“Aimee,” Zac sighed he opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when the door opened.

“Knock, knock,” her mom said coming into the room.  “Look who we brought.”

Zac’s breath caught in his throat when he laid his eyes on the precious blonde haired baby peacefully sleeping in the hospital crib.

“You can hold her,” Aimee encouraged him.

Zac took a deep breath and carefully picked up the sleeping bundle.  As he situated her in his arms, her little eyes opened and her blue eyes stared into his.  As he tried not cry a small smile spread across her little face.

His face full of emotion, he looked up at his parents and Aimee’s parents and shook his head.  “We can’t give her up,” he told them.  “We can’t do it.”

“But you’ve already decided,” her mom started but was silenced by her dad’s hand on her shoulder.

“Guys taking care of a baby is hard work,” he told them.

“And Zac, you have the band to think about,” his mother reminded him.

“So, the baby will live with us,” Aimee told her parents.

“And I can pay for all her stuff like diapers and what not,” Zac stated.  “And I can help out around their house too.  I can even bring the baby to our house every once and awhile so they can get some sleep.”

“Let us go talk about it,” her father said.  “Why don’t you guys decide on a name for her and we’ll be back soon.”

After their parents left the room, Zac carried his daughter over to Aimee and handed her over.  “So what do you think we should name her?”  He asked.

“I want to name her Hannah,” Aimee told him.  “That was my grandma’s name.”

“Hannah, I like that,” Zac nodded.  “What about a middle name?”

“I don’t know,” Aimee shrugged.  “What were your grandmothers’ names?”

“Grace and you know Grandma Bea,” Zac stated.

“What if we named her Hannah Grace,” Aimee suggested.  “In memory of our late-grandmothers.”

“I like that,” Zac smiled as he placed his finger carefully on his daughter’s cheek.  “Hello Hannah Grace Hanson-” He paused.  “Her last name is Hanson, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll put on the birth certificate,” Aimee nodded as the door opened and their parents filed into the room.

“We’ve decided that you guys can keep the baby, but you need to know how hard this is going to be,” Zac’s dad told them.  “This won’t be like having a pet, the baby-”

“Hannah Grace,” Zac and Aimee said at the same time.

“Hannah-” his dad smiled.  “-is your sole responsibility.  We’ll be here for guidance, but don’t expect us to drop everything so you can go out with your friends.”

“Thanks,” Aimee smiled she handed Hannah to her mom.

The proud grandparents passed the small baby around before handing her back to Zac.

“We’re going to head home and get some more sleep,” his mom said.  “Do you want to come with us, Zac?”

“I’d rather stay here with Aimee and Hannah,” he replied.

“Okay, we’ll be back later today with your siblings,” his parents told him.

“We’re going to go too,” Aimee’s dad said.  “We’ll come back later today.”

“I’m so tired,” Aimee yawned.

“Get some sleep,” Zac told her.  “I’m going to stay up until Hannah falls asleep.”

“Okay,” Aimee nodded.

Zac pulled the crib between Aimee’s bed and the recliner and turned off the overhead light before setting into the chair.

He smiled as he looked down at the blonde haired, blue eyed baby in his arms.  “I love you, Hannah Grace,” he whispered.  He glanced over at Aimee and saw she was asleep.  He looked back at their daughter and smiled when she looked up at him.

“Go to sleep my little one,” he sang quietly.  “Daddy’s here by your side.”  Her eyes fluttered shut.  “Go to sleep little one.  In daddy’s arm you can always hide.”