Author's Note: So I'm in a really good mood tonight. Why you might ask? Oh because I talked to Michael Park today on the phone and didn't come across as a complete drooling idiot (which I was!). He is just too fabulous for words and if you get a chance to listen to the interview please do so (michael park online . net /media ...without the spaces). It's totally worth it! And not only did I decide to update my story, I also put a new CarJack video on my YouTube account, so all in all it's been an awesome day!

In regards to the story, certain things that happen in this chapter might seem irrelevant, but I promise that nothing happens in this story without a purpose :) Enjoy!
~JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"Your modern teenager is not about to listen to advice from an old person, defined as a person who remembers when there was no Velcro."
-Dave Barry
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The week had been one of the paradoxical things where the days seemed to drag on, but at the end of them one was left asking where the time went.

Carly had told the kids that Jack was taking them ice skating on Monday, intentionally re-enforcing that it was just him and claiming that she had things to do at home. So, when Jack came to the house to get them, they were all ready and waiting while she was deliberately still in her bathrobe. She could see the disappointment and frustration in his eyes, but he just tightened his jaw and stayed silent. Thankfully the kids were so excited to spend the day with their father after not seeing him for the past week that they just piled into his car without noticing the looks exchanged between their parents.

Jack and Carly didn't really talk the rest of the week and she knew it was mainly because if they did have words, they weren't going to be pleasant ones. She kept her promise and went to visit Meg and baby Eliza when they were brought home, even though it was on a day that she was sure Jack was working and couldn't pop in to say hi as well. It had been a nice visit, with Meg looking exhausted but happy and Paul running around looking as harried as a new father usually does. Carly had to cover once when she found herself crying as she held a sleeping Eliza in her arms. Meg looked extremely concerned but Carly brushed it off as normal woman hormones that happened when she held a baby. The visit had been cut short after that, but not before Meg had gotten Carly to agree to design a special gown for Eliza's christening.

When Friday finally rolled around, she casually mentioned a "last minute business meeting" and arranged for Sage to go Lily's house with Natalie in case she wasn't home in time for the bus. Parker and J.J. both had after school sports so she wasn't worried about them. Knowing the truth, Lily offered again to go to the doctor with her but Carly just hugged her friend and re-affirmed that she wanted to do this one on her own.

Which was how, at noon in a town 40 miles away, Carly ended up on a gynelogical exam table with her legs nervously dangling in between the stirrups. She was half raised up on her elbows as she took in the warm colored room. Her eyes caught the ultrasound machine in the corner and she was staring at it so intently that she didn't know the doctor had come in until he spoke.

"Oh don't worry, Ms. Tenney. We'll get to that soon enough."

Carly's eyes flew to the man talking and almost instantly she relaxed. The man was average height and looked to be in his late 50s to early 60s, with kind brown eyes and thinning brown hair. He had a mustache that looked like it tickled his nose when he smiled, which by the laugh lines at his eyes was often.

"Hi. Doctor Adams?" Carly asked, struggling to sit up right and still keep the gown relatively closed.

"Oh please don't bother trying to sit up. I'm sure you'd rather stayed as clothed as possible until you feel more comfortable." Dr. Adams said, his eyes twinkling in a smile.

Carly blushed and then smiled back. "Yes, thank you."

"Let me see here," Dr. Adams said, settling down on the rolling stool that was by the sink counter and looking over her charts. "Says here you were recommended by Nancy! How is she? I haven't talked to her in a while."

"She's good. Very nice woman." Carly said simply.

"Yes, she's one of my favorite former partners. Not to mention my favorite ex-wife." Dr. Adams said and let out a laugh when Carly's eyes widened. "It was a long time ago when we were very young but I am happy to say that we still remain very good friends. I even golf with her husband and sons when I'm out in the California area."

Carly was speechless for one of the rare times in her life but in way she was thrilled with the surprising news. Any woman who could remain good friends with her ex-husband and still recommend him to patients must have complete faith in the man.

"So Carly…may I call you Carly?" Dr. Adams asked and at her nod he continued. "What do you say we get down to the hard stuff?"

Dr, Adams conducted the pelvic and internal exam with a gentleness and ease that told Carly why he and Dr. Meyers had gone into business together. They must have had a client list that had a 5 year waiting list if this was how they practiced.

After re-iterating the due date details that Nancy had gone over in California, he rolled the ultrasound machine towards the exam table.

"Are you ready to see your baby?" Dr. Adams asked and Carly beamed at him.

"Very ready." She answered and then winced as the nurse that had come in to help, spread the conductive jelly on to Carly's abdomen.

Dr. Adams turned on the machine and then with the transducer began sliding it across her stomach. An instant later, a small black, grey, and white grainy image appeared on the screen.

"Ah, you have a very healthy looking baby in there, Carly." Dr. Adams said, approvingly and Carly's eyes took in every fuzzy little detail. Dr. Adams smiled and then flipped a switch, before placing another wand on Carly's stomach.

A sound filled the room, not unlike someone banging a snare drum inside of a wind tunnel. Carly looked at Dr. Adams who smiled back at her.

"Who has a very healthy heartbeat too."

Carly just shook her head lightly in wonder, the sound she was listening to consuming her attention.

"Why don't you go get dressed and by the time you are done, the printout from the machine will be ready and waiting." Dr. Adams suggested and with a small dazed smile, Carly did just that.

When she came back out, gently smoothing her thick winter weight peasant top over her stomach, she shivered in anticipation. It was real to her now; her and Jack's baby. There was truly a little person inside of her that combined the best of both of them and Carly couldn't help but be enormously happy no matter what the underlying situation was.

"Carly, why don't you have a seat in a normal chair and we can talk, okay?" Dr. Adams said and silently Carly sat where he gestured.

"First I want to say that everything looks great so far. The heartbeat rate was where it should be, your vital signs are good, and the gestational sac looks healthy."

"But?" Carly said, hearing it in the doctor's voice.

"But I know that you know the reason Nancy referred you to me is because I primarily deal in high risk cases." Dr. Adams said and settled into his stool, crossing his arms over his chest. "I have read your medical history and conferred with Dr. Schiller."

Carly's eyes flashed and he held up a hand to stop her before she started.

"When I say I conferred with Dr. Schiller, I mean only Dr. Schiller. She is a good doctor and she understands patient confidentiality. You need to understand that in order for me to help you and this baby properly I need to have all the information."

Carly thought a moment and then sighed, knowing that he was right. She had never had a problem with Dr. Schiller before so why would she now? Carly looked up from where she was twisting her hands and nodded for him to continue.

"As Nancy mentioned to you the risk of you developing pre-eclampsia again with this pregnancy is extremely high. However, I have worked with many of these cases in my time and I want you to know that I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that you and your baby make it through safely."

"Thank you." Carly said, no other words sounding appropriate.

"Okay, so here's the game plan. I want to see you back here in three weeks to do some screen testing. These will help determine any health risks that the baby might have such as Downs Syndrome or trisomy 18. I didn't see anything abnormal on the ultrasound but it is very early to tell and those tests will give us a clearer picture."

"Your professional opinion, Doctor, do you think my baby will be okay?" Carly asked, the sonogram photo that he had handed to her earlier clutched firmly in her hands.

"Carly, I promise you that I don't sugarcoat things. It takes too much time and doesn't do anyone any good. And right now, I'm being honest when I say that it really is too early to tell."

"Okay. I'm going to hold you to that 'no sugarcoating' thing." Carly said and Dr. Adam's smiled widely at her.

"Somehow my dear, I'm not surprised."

After shaking the doctor's hand and receiving her prescription for her pre-natal vitamins, Carly moved out to the front desk to set up her next appointment. She had just finished receiving the business card with the date written on it when someone bumped into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." The voice said and Carly froze upon recognizing it. Praying she was wrong, she turned slowly only to be met with the blue eyes she was hoping not to see.

"Carly?" Liberty's voice went up an octave even as her eyes widened.

"Hi." Carly said and she just blinked, her brain pretty much shutting off as she stared at the teenaged girl.

"What…what are you doing here?" Liberty asked, tucking a strand of long brown hair nervously behind her ear.

Carly panicked for a split second and then her uncanny ability to fabricate a story on a whim kicked in.

"I needed a last minute routine test done, but my doctor in Oakdale was booked up. She was able to get me an appointment with one of the doctors here instead."

Liberty paused, thinking for a moment, but then nodded her head slowly apparently buying the story. Then Carly's "mom switch" turned on and she frowned at the young girl.

"But I guess I could ask you the same thing. Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Carly said and Liberty blinked in a similar motion to what Carly did a few moments ago.

"Um…well, I had to get more B.C. pills but the private clinic in Oakdale is like, anything but private, and I can't go to the hospital cause that's like telling the whole town through a bullhorn and…oh God, please don't tell my mom." Liberty rambled on as her defiant look slipping into a normal freaked out teenaged girl.

Carly studied the girl in front of her and weighed her options.

"Well, that depends." Carly said and Liberty frowned. "Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Liberty looked at Carly in confusion and let out a tentative smile.

"No, not yet."

"Good, me either. What do you say I buy you lunch at the diner I saw down the street and we can talk. Did you drive here?"

"No, I uh, I took the bus."

"Okay then, let's go." Carly ushered the bewildered girl out the door and to her car. They sat in silence the short drive to the diner that Carly mentioned and stayed that way until after the waitress took their orders.

Carly waited patiently for the girl to talk first, calmly sipping on her extra thick vanilla bean milkshake. Liberty anxiously touched every piece of silverware, ripped up her straw wrapper and twisted two paper napkins into something resembling origami swans before she finally broke.

"Look, are you going to tell my mom where I was or not?" Liberty demanded but Carly just pulled her straw out and licked whipped cream off it before sticking it back in her milkshake.

"Why doesn't she know already? I thought Janet was cool with everything?" Carly replied and Liberty sighed.

"She was…I mean, she is. It's just, well, after Parker and I…"" Liberty stopped shortly, glancing up at Carly's face and then down into her cherry coke. She twisted a piece of her hair around one finger and frowned. "My mom said that I should slow down and…she was right."

Liberty looked up sharply at Carly and licked her lips nervously. "I mean, I care about Parker, I really do. He…he is a really special guy."

Carly didn't say anything, just nodded, even though she was screaming on the inside at the reminder of just how much her baby wasn't "a baby" anymore.

"It's too weird…too much…to think about doing that again right now." Liberty said and let go of her hair to take a small sip of her soda.

"Then why…" Carly started to ask and Liberty gave a small smile.

"Why do I need the birth control pills?" Liberty finished for her and at Carly's nod, she sighed. "Honestly, it helps with my cramps and stuff. I didn't even know they could do that but the doctor here said that it's actually the most common reason girls my age go on them. Not sex."

"So why not just tell your mom that?" Carly said, knowing that whatever her personal opinion of Janet was, she loved her daughter.

"Mom's a little pre-occupied these days." Liberty said with a trace of bitterness in her tone. "Besides, then my dad will find out and even though Katie's baby has taken some of the spotlight off of me, this would to send him through the roof. It's just easier this way for now, ya know?"

"Hmm, I see." Carly said and smiled up at the waitress as she placed their food in front of them. Liberty paused as well and then as soon as the waitress moved away she leaned forward.

"Why are you being so nice anyway?" Liberty asked, frowning at the woman across from her. "It's not like you've ever really liked me."

Carly put down the piece of grilled chicken from her salad that she had speared on her fork and sighed.

"Liberty, that's not true. While I you and I have had our problems in the past, I think you are a very bright and sweet girl. I guess the situation between your mom and I clouded a lot of things…"

"…and Parker..." Liberty interjected and Carly paused to acknowledge what she said.

"Yes, and Parker too." Carly said and then tilted her head to look at Liberty closely. "I think you also remind me a bit of myself when I was your age and knowing the path that I headed down, I don't want to see you learn the things that I had to the hard way."

Liberty didn't say anything and reached out to eat a couple of her fries. Chewing thoughtfully, she looked back up at Carly.

"How old were you when you first had sex?" Liberty asked causing Carly to nearly choke on her second attempt to eat her salad. Liberty just took a bite of her cheeseburger and kept going. "I mean, I obviously know when my mom did, which is why she is kinda nuts about the whole thing. I was just wondering about you."

Carly took a long drink from the glass of water that had accompanied her milkshake and gave the girl sitting across from her a long hard look. Then realizing that she had opened this can of worms, she let out a small breath.

"I was fourteen." Carly said, moving pieces of lettuce around in her salad, not needing to look up to see Liberty's astonished stare; she could feel her eyes on her.

"Fourteen?" Liberty repeated and shook her head. She knew that she and Parker had been young but fourteen boggled even her mind.

"I was young and stupid and it hurt like hell. I cried the entire time."

"Then why…?' Liberty trailed off, not sure how to ask the next question.

"Because he said that he loved me and promised he would take me away from…everything." Carly said with her faraway tone of voice eyes telling Liberty that she was momentarily in the past. "It wasn't until a week later that I realized that he had gotten what he wanted and I wasn't going to hear from him again. It took me a long time to trust another guy again and when I did I made an even worse mistake than him. That turned out to be my pattern for a long, long time."

"God, I…I'm sorry." Liberty said, not knowing what else to say.

"It's the past and I can't change that no matter how much I would like to. I was just lucky that I eventually ended up finding someone who showed me what it could be like when you are truly and deeply in love." Carly said and she looked up, thoughtfully. "But there are days when I wonder if I had to go through what I did then just to appreciate the magic that can happen when you find that right person to make love with, not just have sex."

Liberty was quiet for a moment and then glanced away, slightly uncomfortable for the first time in the conversation. Not because of what Carly was saying but because of the awe and love in her voice when she was saying it. No matter how much she cared about Parker, she knew it wasn't even close to how Carly was describing it. Looking back at the woman across from her, she gave a small smile.

"You're talking about Uncle Jack, aren't you?"

Carly didn't answer the question but they both knew she didn't have to. They both started eating again, but then something Parker had said in passing came to the forefront of Carly's mind and she frowned. She knew that Liberty had been sort of seeing one of the football players at the high school since just after New Year's Eve and while she believed the girl's reasons for the birth control pills, she still felt there was something she wasn't saying.

"Look Liberty, here's the thing, okay? I'm not your mom and even if I was, I can't tell you what to do. It's your body and your choice and whether I or anyone else agrees with those choices is irrelevant. But I need you to listen to me for a minute." Carly said and Liberty put her cheeseburger down and stared back at her, the tone of Carly's voice commanding her attention.

"Now, while Janet and I may not ever be anything more than two people who glare at each other from across the street, I still respect the fact that she is your mother and by that same token, I feel that I have to say this on her behalf. No matter what you and your mom are going through right now, she did everything she could to make sure that you had a good life since the moment you were born. Every decision she has made has been to protect you and guide you to the best of her ability and though it may not always be the way you want it to be, that is a mother's prerogative. And until you are a mother yourself…which I hope isn't until you are adequately ready…you won't be able to understand some of the things that she has done. So as a fellow mother, I need to ask you to do something for me, even though ultimately it is for Janet and for yourself."

Liberty still didn't say anything but she gave a small nod of her head and Carly leaned forward.

"You need to promise me that when, not if, but when you decide that you are even thinking about having sex again you will talk to your mom first." Carly said and Liberty's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak. Carly held up a hand and shook her head. "I'm not going to tell her about today, because I really do believe what you said about needing the pills and not being ready to have sex again. But I'm also not stupid and I know that things change rapidly when you're a teenager. Please trust me when I say decisions like that are hard enough to make, without lying to the one person who has been by your side your whole life. Your mom deserves that kind of respect and truth from you and I think you know that."

After a tense moment, Liberty nodded again.

"I promise."

Carly nodded back and gave her a small smile. Liberty studied Carly a moment and then returned her smile with one of her own.

"Hey, um, Carly? Thanks."

"For what?" Carly asked, her brow furrowing.

"For being honest…and for giving a damn." Liberty said. She then proceeded to chow down on her food again as if sitting in a diner booth, 40 miles away from home, with her mom's ex-fiancée's ex-wife and talking to her about sex was the most natural thing in the world.

"You're very welcome." Carly said back softly before joining the young girl in finishing up their meal.

But even as Carly paid the check and convinced Liberty that she would drive her home to Brad's house, her last few words of advice nagged at her.

With the sonogram picture and prescription for pre-natal vitamins practically burning a hole in her purse, Carly knew that sooner or later that same honesty policy she was pushing for Liberty would force her to examine what she was doing to Jack.

And no matter how justified it started out being, Carly had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what she found.