Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for my OC's.

Here's the next update guys! I hope everyone likes it! : )

Jade: Hmm, quite possibly. That's a good storyline but yeah, totally crazy! Crazy and amazing!
I could only wonder what would happen if you ever did drop the food and drinks on the customers. But it's a good thing you aren't clumsy over there, it'd be a health violation to you and others ; )
Yeah and thanks! My next story is going to be relatively short but I do have another announcement to make once I've done this story. I know you're impatient but as always I'm not going to tell you cause I love you so much : D
Good that you can imagine that because that's exactly what I want it to be like. But yeah, they are so cute together.
Emilio, interesting. I think its cute. But don't worry, Mini Seth's name is in this chapter. So you finally have a name to call him by.
These flashbacks are all for you! Plus they tie in with the chapter on how Seth is feeling or what he's doing, I made sure of that. I think quite a lot of babies are hair pullers. Me, well I was a biter. Made my mum bleed! I think we both were already labeled as trouble when we were babies. Trouble was actually my nickname given to me by my uncles whilst I was growing up.
Well, I'm hoping it went well too. Although I could totally imagine you as one of those people that might drop a watch inside a patient ; )
Yeah, maybe I can do a bunch of one shots later for this story and that could be one of the premises. Dean walking around and cleaning!
Yes, here I'll give you some. (Hands over a box of tissues to Jade).
Thanks for reviewing as always! : )

CiCix3: Thank you and I'll think about it. Yes, I'm going to be difficult about it. No one trusts Andrea. But aw, I know everyone wants to seem the trio together as a family. But you're going to have to be patient. She says to the pregnant woman who's hormones are up and down, lol. : )

Becky: Thanks! I love writing cliffhangers! Yes, Seth and the baby are too cute. Thank you, you rock too! : )

Ayesha: (Hands over tissues) Stop crying will ya? Damn it, you always do this to me. But I can't tell you anything about what I'm going to do next, just stay hopeful! : )

Wolfgirl2013: Thank you! : )

Shaq Gaddy: I totally knew it! Cool, I have a nickname that I actually like! Yeah, he is isn't he? Well I hope you like it! : )

AmbroseLover726: I wonder what you're going to say after this : )


CHAPTER 52:

"Seth, what would you do if I wasn't here anymore?" Iris asks her boyfriend, sitting opposite from him at the restaurant he'd taken her to. Iris seemed to be getting more serious about them as time went on but she wasn't getting the same vibes from her boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" asks Seth, his eyes scanning the menu as Iris looks at him.

"Like, what if I wasn't around anymore?" she rewords the question in a way so he can understand it.

"Dead gone or disappeared gone?" questions Seth, Iris rolling her eyes.

"Either, both," says Iris, not really caring. Seth hadn't ever said he loved her. But she knows she loves him. It made her wonder if Seth felt the same. If he was scared about feeling that way about her. Or if he didn't feel that way about her. She did have a tendency to get in too deep too quickly. At least that's what Ariana had told her.

"Uh, dead gone then sad. Disappeared gone then sad still," answers Seth, that not satisfying Iris. Seth wondered why Iris was asking such random questions but he just answered them any way he could.

"Ugh, men!" says Iris, sitting back in her seat with an annoyed look on her face. Seth finally looks up at her and realizes that she's looking upset. He didn't know what he'd done to make her upset but he always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. "Sad? Seriously?" she asks him and then gets up to leave. Not being able to take it any longer.

"Hey, Iris!" Seth calls after her after which he takes off after her. He grabs her by the wrist but she doesn't turn to look at him. "Let's dance," he suggests and all but drags her to the dance floor, pulling her body close to his. "Iris, what is it?" he then asks her, looking at her as she continues to avoid his gaze.

"Well what kind of an answer is that?" questions Iris, keeping one hand in Seth's and the other on his shoulder. She looks up at him and then says, "If I die you're gonna be sad? Or if you don't find me tomorrow you're gonna be sad? Like, what the hell is that?"

"The truth," says Seth, understanding what had gotten her so riled. "Do you want me to be happy about those scenarios?" he then asks her, realizing he's in hot water when she sends a glare his way. Something she doesn't do often. "To be honest, I don't know how I'd feel in either of those scenarios. I've never really experienced those with a girl before. I say sad because that's what I should be feeling if either of those things ever happened to you. But who knows, maybe I'll be a right mess. I mean, you won't be there to get me to stick to my schedule. You won't be there to train with me in the ring because Dean or Roman refuse to. You won't be there to tell me what colors look good on me when I go shopping. My life would be…significantly different," he explains to her, knowing he's off the hook as soon as he notices her eyes soften.

"So," starts Iris, taking her hand out of Seth's and placing both her hands on his shoulders as his hands go to her waist. "What you're saying is if I wasn't around then you wouldn't be able to function right?" she asks and he nods his head, anything to make her happy and see her smile again.

"I guess, if that's how it sounds," answers Seth. "But can we please not talk about you not being around? You're here right now and I want to enjoy this time together," he says, swaying back and forth with her in cue to the music. Iris chuckled and nodded her head, complying with his request. If Seth couldn't imagine doing all those things without her then it meant his feelings were deeper than he led on. Which meant it wouldn't be long before he tells her he loves her. And she'd be ready because she loves him with all her heart.


"Hi everyone," says Iris, and all of them can't help but smile at the greeting she gave them. It was filled with her warm smile and a small wave. "I know you're all wondering what this all is but I guess it's quite obvious. I wasn't sure if this video was needed but then I thought of some things that you'd need to know, things that I couldn't tell you in person," she says as everyone looks on. "I don't have much time so I'll get cracking, after all you guys could be back any second". There's a brief pause before Iris starts speaking again.

Seth takes the chance to look at Iris, really look at her. That video was from when she was traveling around with them. Despite the fact she was tired a lot of the time, she still managed to look great and take his breath away.

"If you're all watching this then it means…" Iris trails off and Ariana leans in closer to Dean. Dean wraps his arms around her, protecting her and making her feel safe. "Well it means I'm not around anymore," she says with a sigh, everyone noticing the sad features the grace her face momentarily. "I bet you're glad Ari, you always say I never shut up," she comments. Ariana shakes her head as tears well up in her eyes, she'd rather have her best friend alive and well, talking her ear off, than the silence that follows.

"Anyway," starts Iris. "I know everyone has a lot of questions, about why I did what I did. At first, I thought I'll get out of trying to explain everything because I'd literally be on my deathbed but then I realized that was wrong," she explains, that being a characteristic of Iris that everyone was aware of. "You guys deserve more than that because you're my best friend, my brothers and a great friend," she says, everyone knowing she gave them individual titles. "So, I'm making this and hopefully you won't be able to stay mad for too long".

"As if we ever could," Dean comments to Ariana, making her smile.

"I don't know if I ever got a chance to tell you this but the reason I didn't tell anyone about my condition was because I knew it would make everyone really sad, or is that wishful thinking?" she asks no one in particular. "Um, when I found out from Darren, and please don't beat him for knowing everything, that I had to choose between me and my baby because of some complication…it was tough. We all know what happened after my relationship broke down from Seth, I left without a word. But what I didn't tell you guys was that I kind of, uh, spent a couple of days just inebriated. The only thing I could think about was my next drink and it was a tough few days. Then I met Rick and, I don't know, I sort of just stopped doing that. I focused all my time and energy on him, needing something to distract me," she explains.

"Where are you going?" Ariana asks Seth, Roman pauses the video and Seth has his back to everyone.

"I can't listen to this," says Seth, his heart breaking at every word Iris was telling them. She basically just told them that because of him she'd turned to alcohol and he can't imagine causing something so horrible to happen to her.

"Why not?" asks Dean and Ariana glares at him for being so insensitive. "No, you're always saying you want to face up to your past mistakes so stop being a coward and sit down, listen to this! That poor girl made this video for all of us and you owe her to sit down and listen to what she has to say!" he tells Seth, Seth turning around and looking taken aback at what Dean just said.

"Dean's right," agrees Roman. "You can't just run away every time someone mentions what you did. Besides, Iris forgave you for a reason so you owe her," he goes on. Seth glances at both his best friends before finally taking a seat once again in the recliner. Roman plays the tape once more and they all sit and listen, Seth looking away from the screen. He knows it's just a tape but he can't meet Iris's eyes after finding that out.

"I felt sick to my stomach one day and found out I was pregnant," says Iris, running a hand through her hair as a small smile stays on her face. "I guess you could say, I felt like I had a purpose again. Like my living meant something to someone. I know I was with Rick and everything but he didn't make me feel the way this baby had made me felt. He didn't make me feel like I was important in life, he was just a way to stop me from feeling so heartbroken all the time and wallowing in self pity," she explains. "Despite me drinking less when I started dating Rick, it was still more than I usually have. More than anybody should usually have. And we were just having fun I guess. Darren wanted to conduct a few tests, routine tests for a woman who's pregnant and he found something. I won't bore you with the details but he told me it was life threatening". At this point Iris's gaze is lowered to her hands.

Seth notices in the video Iris is twiddling her thumbs, something he'd grown accustomed to and loved about her. She could do or say anything but when it came down to that action alone, he always knew something was wrong. And he was glad for it too, there were times when he couldn't read Iris and that action alone helped him to see that she wasn't as fine as she made out to be.

"I don't know for sure if my drinking was a reason why," says Iris, the purpose for saying this in the video was for no one to find out Seth was the Father. But that was moot right now because they all knew he was. "I sort of blamed myself for it all but then Darren, he started to tell me all about the…the abortion process," she says, wiping a tear at the corner of her eye. "He was surprised when I told him I don't need to know about it because I'm keeping the baby. The poor guy did try and convince me on several occasions to think it through but my mind was made up. This baby was so precious to me, in a way that you can't understand. Darren kept trying to get me to consider that option till the date came that I could no longer go through with an abortion".

At first Seth did wonder why Iris didn't get an abortion but then when he realized that that baby could be his, he understood Iris's dilemma. He was a father and for Iris, being a mother began when she found out she was pregnant. He can't imagine just how difficult that decision must have been but he knows for sure he would have made that same decision because no matter what, a parent should put their child first. Its an automatic reaction.

"I was relieved because it meant no more pestering from Darren," says Iris, chuckling as Seth finally looks at her when he hears the sound of her laugh. He smiles subconsciously as he watches Iris smile. "As time went on I came more to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to be around anymore and that's when I decided to fly back out and fix things with everyone. I thought I could come back, make things right and die…peacefully. I couldn't live with myself if I left things the way they were, a mess," she says.

Seth knows it's all his fault. He's the one that somehow got Iris pregnant, he's the one that broke her heart leading to her drinking and he's the cause for everything having been a mess in the first place. He doesn't know if it was gaining everyone's friendship back once again or the fact that Iris's had forgiven him but he was starting to feel less guilty every day.

"So I flew back and well you guys know the rest," says Iris. "And I did it, I managed to get all you guys to be friends again and return everything back to the way it was supposed to be. I know everyone will be mad with my decision but I know for a fact that if anyone understands me, it's Roman. You have JoJo and, well, you know why I couldn't put myself before my baby," she says as Roman nods her head, never having been angry with her for one second. "Ari, I know as my best friend you'll be upset that you were out the loop about it all but I also know that you'd be one of the saddest," she says, a tear escaping her eye as Ariana looks on and can't help her own from falling. "Just know this, it wasn't anything personal and if there was one person that I could tell, then it would have been you. But how could I when you finally got everything you wanted in life. You got the Dean Ambrose to commit and put a ring on it," she says.

"Oh Iris," says Ariana, never having been able to stay mad at Iris for long.

"You've stuck by me through my crappy childhood and if it wasn't for you then I wouldn't even be here," says Iris. "But I'd like to think that I made up for not telling you by giving to you the most precious thing I have in the whole world," she says. "Which brings me to my next order of business, why you and the lunatic fringe get this," she says, holding on to her stomach.

Dean and Ariana look at each other, they both know as long as Seth is around he'll be taking care of his son. But they were still honored to know that if Iris trusted anyone with her son, it was them.

"Well, I know I'm going to die and when I thought about it, I asked myself one question. Who do I trust most in this world?" says Iris. "And without a doubt it was my best friend. I know you've done a lot for me and I was just hoping you'd do this last thing. It's a big ask, believe me I know but…if I want my child calling anyone 'Mom' , someone who's not me, I'd want it to be you. You know, I always envisioned you being the Godmother to my child but it looks like that's not going to happen so I want you to be his or her Mother. I realized you'd be a good Mother from the way you took care of me as a big sister when we were this small," she says, gesturing with her fingers.

"You're a caring person Ari and I know sometimes you hate showing that but I hope my child can understand that just as I did," says Iris and Ariana holds back her tears. "I've never seen Dean as Father material but I know he has a knack with kids, no matter how much he denies it. Mainly because he acts like one himself," she says, making them all laugh.

As they watch Seth realizes that he's not going to get the answer her wants. He wanted to know why he wasn't told he was the Father but judging by how Iris is going on he knows he won't find out. He's actually quite shocked that Iris wouldn't even mention it after thinking she was going to die, did she think he wasn't worthy of being a Father?

"My baby's Father," starts Iris at which Seth's ears perk up. "He's…great. He's a nice, kind hearted guy but the sole responsibility of a kid is something I cannot drop on him. No one knows I'm leaving and I can't just leave him in quicksand so call me whatever you like but…I want it to stay like this. I really hope he doesn't hold any grudges against me and I know he'll make a great Father to a kid one day but…I can't take this chance with mine. Uh, we all know Rick isn't the committing type," she says and they all know that the entire thing was about Seth but Iris tried to cover it up in the end. The problem is, they all know Seth is the Father. "Sorry, forgot I told you guys about him already. I guess I'd rather call him Father than Rick cause it makes it easier to keep my baby away from him".

Seth knows that's not the whole truth but he also knows that if Iris was more specific then she'd give away him being the Father which he understands. But what he still doesn't get is if she thinks he'd be a great Dad, why did she not give him the opportunity to do so?

"Roman, since Dean gets to play the Father you can be the Godfather," says Iris.

"Gee, thanks (!)" comments Roman, making everyone smile.

"I'm glad it's turned out this way otherwise I'd have to pick between you and Dean and I don't think I could have ever done that," says Iris which makes sense to all of them, especially since they know Dean would have thrown a tantrum if Iris didn't choose him. "Ok, what else," she says and they can tell she's trying to cover all bases. "Names!" exclaims Iris, making them all chuckle, this is exactly how she would be right now and they all miss her like this.

Iris is the giddy, excited girl and seeing her lying in a hospital bed isn't exactly how any one of them imagine her. She isn't normal if she isn't smiling or laughing or sitting still.

"Ok, I want her to be called Lily Buckley," says Iris and then carefully thinks about it. "Lily R Buckley," she says to be exact. "I bet you can all guess what the R stands for but I don't want 'Rick' as her middle name. I want it as 'R'," she says and in that moment Seth knows it means that if it was a girl her name would have been Lily Rollins Buckley. "Rick's last name, lets not even go there because it is horrible," she goes on to say.

Seth smiles and doesn't know if luck was on his side when Iris met Rick because Rick's first initial is his last. But he's glad otherwise Iris wouldn't even be considering putting his name in there, at least that's what he thinks. This all makes him all the more eager for him wanting her awake. He has so many questions running through his mind.

"I know I've been saying it's a girl but I know that there's a chance it could still be a boy," says Iris as Seth eagerly awaits for the name that his son will be called by. As long as it's something Iris likes, he's not bothered. He knows any name she chooses will be the one that they're meant to call their son. "Evan R Buckley," reveals Iris, smiling at the sound of it. "What do you guys think? They're ok right?" she asks even though they all know she knows she won't get a response. "If it doesn't suit my baby then you're welcome to keep something else as long as it's not Batman," she says as Dean lets out a disgruntled sigh.

"She knew you too well huh?" says Roman, looking at Dean. All of a sudden the baby starts crying and Seth shoots off to the side, picking up his son and cradling him close to his chest.

"Ssh," says Seth, bringing him back to where he was sitting and sits down with his son in his arms. "It's alright Evan, Dad's here," he says as the rest of the group smile at the exchange before continuing to watch the video. It was official, Seth and Iris's son is called Evan.

"Well I guess that's it, I hope I addressed everything," says Iris, all of them knowing she didn't address the baby's paternity properly. But they also knew she had her reasons and would have to wait till she was awake before that particular question could be answered. "I know that I've given the parenting role to Dean and Ariana but I want you all to be involved. Roman, Seth, you guys are my friends too and I want you to teach my baby things that I won't be able to or things that Dean and Ariana can't. But moreover, I want you to look after him or her. Never let him or her feel that something's missing in their life, make him or her feel like they've been given everything in the world and so much more," she says and everyone can tell Iris is wrapping it up. "I am so proud of all of you and I love each and every one of you, please don't ever forget that. And don't be sad about me not being there, I'm leaving this place with everything that I ever wanted. I'm leaving peacefully unlike others who don't get the privilege to do this. Please take care of each other and…just live," she finishes. The video then shows Iris getting up to switch of the camera, the screen now going blank.

No one says a word as Roman presses the button and then proceeds to take the tape out. They all sit there, taking in what they've been told. Roman, Dean and Ariana know that some of the things Iris said may have hit Seth hard but as they watch him looking down on Evan they know it'll get sorted.

"I don't care what she says I'm still calling him Tidbit," comments Dean, breaking the tension and it works because everyone laughs.

"Well you called her Hot Mama ever since she was pregnant so I think it'd be weird if you did call Evan by his actual name," says Ariana, placing a kiss on Dean's cheek.

"Right, I think it's time we head off to bed, I'm tired," says Dean and Ariana agrees with him.

"You got everything handled Seth?" asks Ariana, looking at Evan. Seth nods his head knowing exactly how to take care of his son. He doesn't know what Iris did or didn't see in him but he was going to prove to her that her decision to not tell him about his son was a mistake.


"Hey Iris," says Seth, coming into her hospital room. He greeted her like this always, at first it felt kind of weird but he had gotten used to it. And it made him feel better because he was actually talking to her. It made everything seem a little more normal and a little less intense. Seth sits down and puts Evan to one side who'd fallen asleep on his way over here. He knew Evan shouldn't really be here but Seth knows that Evan needs his Mum as much as he needs his Dad. "I had a surprise but he fell asleep," he says, putting the brakes on the stroller and sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

Seth looks at the heart monitor and it always soothes him when he can see Iris's normal heartbeat. It always gives the reassurance that she's alive and well and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He takes Iris's hand in his and just looks at her, he was actually starting to see a bit of color in her cheeks. It wasn't very noticeable but there was definitely an element of pink there that wasn't there before.

"Evan, as we've just found out you named him," starts Seth. "Is an angel. Just like you actually," he says, gently bringing her hand up as he leans his elbows on the bed. "He's no trouble, maybe a little in the night but I don't mind because Dean ends up looking like a zombie the next day and I like to think I'm getting my own back since he laughed his ass off when I got thrown up on," he says with a small laugh to himself. "I have so many questions Iris, and you can't answer them. You said it yourself that I would be a good Dad so why couldn't I be trusted to look after our child? I like to think you have a reasonable excuse but…I don't know why I'm even talking about this," he says and sighs to himself.

Despite the fact that if it wasn't for Evan looking like him he wouldn't know Evan was his, he can't seem to stay mad at Iris. He just sits there and looks at her, waiting for those eyes to open. So he can look in to them and tell her he loves her. So he can let her know how much he cares about her. But most of all, so they can become a family.

"I know you haven't had a chance to see or hold Evan since those nurses laid him on you so, even though he's asleep, I'll put him next to you. Maybe he can get his Mommy to wake up," says Seth and then gets up and picks up Evan, careful not to wake him up. "The funny thing is that you're both asleep, like Mother like son," he says with a smile. He gently puts Evan down next to Iris, making sure to keep his hands on his son at all times. He then moves Iris's right arm and puts it around Evan. Seth keeps a hand on Evan and takes Iris's right hand in his. "See? Perfect," he says, more to himself.

He wishes it could be like this all the time. He wishes that in reality Iris was sleeping just like Evan, at home in bed and he was lying with them both, holding them close. They'd be the perfect family in his eyes. All of a sudden he feels Iris's hand squeeze his. He doesn't know if his mind is playing tricks so he looks at his hand and can actually see Iris's grip on his.

"Iris?" says Seth quickly, looking at her for any signs to see if she's opening her eyes. "Iris, can you hear me?" he asks but she doesn't respond, her grip remaining tight on his hand. "I-I have to get Darren," he says to himself and takes off Iris's hand from, even though he didn't want to. He puts Evan back in the stroller and then opens the door, telling one of the nurses to get Darren. "I felt her hold my hand," he says to Darren, no other explanation needed. Darren starts to check Iris over as Seth keeps a hand on her forehead, excited for the first time in days.

"Hmm," says Darren to himself as Seth gives him a questioning look.

"What? Is everything ok?" asks Seth worriedly.

"That's the thing, yeah," says Darren, looking closer at Iris. "She's in the same state I left her in, I've checked all the vitals and they're all coming off the same," he then says, looking Seth in the eyes.

"You don't believe me, do you?" asks Seth as Darren tries to think of the right words to say.

"I'm not saying that," says Darren. "It's just, well you're a new Father and you have been mostly taking care of Evan by yourself or spending your time in here with Iris. It is understandable-" he doesn't get a chance to finish off his sentence because Seth cuts him off.

"I am not lying!" protests Seth. "She gripped my hand, I could feel it. I'm not imagining things, she-she-she held my hand," he says, not looking to back down.

"Everything I see suggests otherwise," says Darren. "I'm not accusing you of anything its just, it can get on top of people. The stress," he explains but Seth shakes his head.

"I know what I saw," says Seth adamantly. Darren nods his head but Seth knows he still doesn't believe him. Seth knows he didn't imagine it either, Iris was responding to him meaning that he got through to her, she could hear him. He looks at Iris and takes her hand in his again, wishing for her to do it again.


"What's the update doc?" asks Liza, as soon as Darren closes the door to Iris's room behind him, leaving Seth in there.

"No change," answers Darren sadly and after glancing in the room one more time he leaves from there.

"What happened? She awake?" asks Jade, quickly coming over to where Liza stood outside the room.

"No," answers Liza in confusion. "But Seth, he said she moved. I don't get it," she goes on to say.

"Do you think he's imagining things?" asks Jade, feeling sympathetic towards the man in there as he held onto Iris's hand and continues to stare down at her.

"No, do you?" asks Liza at which Jade shakes her head. They'd both seen Seth coming and going and if anything, this would be a less stressful time so he couldn't be seeing things. By now, it was obvious he was falling into a routine of some sort. One in which he was dividing his time between his son and Iris.

"Keep an eye on her?" asks Jade and Liza nods her head. They knew Darren didn't want to build up his own hopes but at the same time the checks conducted came back unchanged. They'd have to keep a closer eye on Iris to see what was actually going on.


Reviews are always appreciated because I love them all so much! : )

Next Chapter: Seth tells the gang about what happened!