Okay, guys, we're almost nearing the end. I hope all of you enjoyed reading this as much I did when I was writing it. And thank you for your support. I never thought my story would be this successful. Thanks again for all your amazing review! Anyway, here's chapter 21. Enjoy!

PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – you have a really nice name. Okay, since you're my #1 fan, I'm going to put you into my next story. You can have a sneak preview on it at the bottom of the chapter. Janay, Riven – thanks for the suggestions. Zionne – hey, I read your profile last night. You seem pretty interesting, & did you say you're presently living in the Phils? I love Lechon Baboy & Lechon Manok, too! Koumi – yeah, and I bet it would taste good, too! Maybe you always do it since you keep on saying it, huh!

Chapter Twenty-One

When she woke again, it was ten after three. The house was quiet. She didn't need to go to the bathroom...so she wondered what could have disturbed her. But even as she lay there, staring into the darkness, she felt a tight coil of pain clutch the small of her back. And she knew then what had awakened her: she was in labor.

She lay there, hardly breathing, as she took in the momentousness of what was happening to her. Then swallowing back the sudden panic that lumped in her throat, she levered herself up to a sitting position & switched on the bedside lamp.

The baby decided to come early into this world. And Dr. Joe had warned her that when he did decide to come early, he would probably come quickly. So she'd better not sit around here shaking & quaking. She'd better get her act together & move! The hospital was only three miles away. Even driving carefully, she would be there within fifteen minutes.

With excitement & anticipation making her giddy, she maneuvered her body off the bed & lumbered around the room, gathering up her clothes & getting herself dressed. Then retrieving her small suitcase from the closet where she stored it after packing her hospital necessities a week before, she tiptoed downstairs & crept outside.

She walked over to the Porsche, thankful that the night was dry…but thankful, too, for her warm wool jacket, which she huddled into to protect herself from the cold wind. As she started up the engine & headed off down the drive, she found herself smiling. And she felt a surge of immense satisfaction.

She was going to have her baby. And she was doing this on her own, she didn't need anyone's help; not Matt's, not anyone else's. Independence, she mused with shamelessly confident smirk, was the name of the game!

She was halfway to the hospital when it started to rain. Heavy rain. She switched on the windshield wipers & frowned, confused, when after the first dozen or so swipes, the glass no longer cleared. It was freezing rain.

Rain that coated the windshield with ice, swiftly & with no warning, and it took her completely by surprise. Panicking, she flicked on the windshield washer. No effect. Her panic exploded as she realized she can't see the road.

Heart thudding out of control, she rammed her foot to the brake…a foolish, foolish move for the car went into a wild skid. And at that very moment, a wave of excruciating pain grabbed her around the middle. She cried out…cried out in terror.

And as her scream echoed back in her ears, the Porsche skated over the icy road, & over the verge, to land with a sickening crash against the trunk of a massive tree.


Matt might not have heard Mimi's bedroom door open if he hadn't been lying awake, unable to sleep because of his niggling guilt. His nasty little outburst brought tears to her eyes, & it pained him to know he had hurt her.

He wanted to apologize but by the time he returned from his walk, she'd gone to bed. It frustrated him to realize he'd have to wait till morning to say he was sorry. So when he heard her door open, he decided he'd wait till she came back from the bathroom & then he'd go & talk to her, get it off his chest & his conscience.

When she didn't return after ten minutes, he got up to check that she was all right. But the bathroom was empty. Her bedroom door was open & when he checked her room, he found the bed was empty.

Not particularly worried, he went downstairs, expecting to find her in the kitchen, perhaps drinking a glass of warm milk. What he found was a note:

Have Gone To The Hospital. Baby On His Way.

He stared at it, his mouth hanging open. She'd gone to the hospital? She was in labor…& she's taken it upon herself to get there on her own? He knew she was independent, but this was ridiculous!

Not only was it ridiculous, he reflected as he ran back upstairs, but it was heartbreakingly disappointing. If even at this most traumatic time she was determined to "do it alone," then it was plain she would never seek his help. He should face the reality & accept it. But dammit, he just couldn't; it was too hard!

He'd never dressed faster, & was out of the house within a couple of minutes. Then when he did go out, he almost went flying on his back. To his dismay the ground was like a skating rink. What the heck happened to the warm weather earlier? When he got into the car, he discovered he couldn't see out the windshield because it was blocked with ice.

Freezing rain, that's what happened. But when did it happen? Before or after Mimi had reached the hospital? He quickly scraped the ice off the windshield & tried to keep his apprehension from taking over. But as he jumped into his Honda & drove it gingerly down the driveway, he felt a rush of panic, panic that increased as he turned onto the highway & the car almost went into a tailspin.

Slowing to a snail's pace, he continued on his way, cursing with frustration, aching to accelerate but not daring to; & then, when he had gone about a mile along the deserted country road, he heard from up ahead the sound of a car horn…a continuous blare…as if someone had their hand pressed hard to the horn & was keeping it there.

Was it a cry for help? Breath catching in his throat, he peered desperately through the windshield as he drew closer to the sound; & all the time prayed aloud that Mimi was all right. Then as suddenly as it started, the sound stopped. He drove the car forward, inch by inch, all the while darting his gaze here & there, frantically trying to find the source of the now ominously silent horn.

And when he rounded a bend in the highway his worst fear became reality, for there, up ahead & starkly illuminated by the headlights of the Honda, was the very thing he most dreaded seeing: a car that skidded off the road & smashed, headfirst into a tree. And in his soul he knew, even before he was close enough to recognize it, that the vehicle was a midnight blue Porsche.


Mimi fought to survive yet another wave of pain. It had come so fast after the last; it sent her fear spiraling to an even higher level. And when it finally passed, leaving her limp & exhausted, she pulled open her coat & desperately ran her palms over her belly, searching to feel the impatient jut of an elbow or the aggressive thrust of a foot. But nothing happened.

Despair threatened to overwhelm her. Even if she could have managed to get the car door open…which she couldn't…she knew that trying to walk to the hospital would be unthinkable. She'd never make it. She'd lose her balance on the icy road before she could take two steps.

Her only hope was that someone would drive past, hear her horn, see her car…& save her baby. She pressed a hand to the horn again & kept it there, until another wave of pain hit her, making her cry out. She tried to relax & go with the contraction, but it was too much. Dear God, she prayed, please help me. I should have asked Matt to go with me; I shouldn't have been so independent, if only, if only…

Someone wrenched open her car door. Gasping, she jerked her head around & winced as the white beam of a flashlight dazzled her eyes, blinding her. "Help me," she cried. "Oh, please, help…"

"Damned right I'll help you." Matt's voice was grim but it shook with emotion; & it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. "Hang in there, sweetheart. I promise you I'll get you to the hospital in time.


And he did. But afterward he swore that an angel must have taken over & driven his car over the ice-glazed roads for him, because he had no recollection of anything other than talking quietly to Mimi, trying to reassure her while she struggled to cope with the contractions that were getting closer & closer together.

When finally he saw the lights of the hospital's Emergency Entrance ahead, he said with enormous relief, "We're here, princess. We've made it!"

Her response was a groan so agonized it made him want to cry. But this was not the moment to offer comfort. He stopped under the wide-canopied entrance doors & with a breathless, "Be right back!" ran into the building.

Within thirty seconds he was striding back out again, accompanied by two hurrying attendants with a wheelchair. And from then on in, it was out of his hands. He had done all he could for the woman he loved. Now all he could do was wait…and pray.


"You did well, Mimi." Dr. Joe stood at Mimi's bedside & smiled down at her. "You baby is truly beautiful."

"He is, isn't he? And…you said he was healthy?" Mimi asked anxiously.

He laughed. "How often do you have to hear it? He's just great."

"I know…it's just…it's so hard to take it all in." Mimi threaded back her hair & felt it damp with perspiration. But even though the delivery had been the hardest thing she'd ever done, & her body felt as if it had been run through by a truck, her soul was soaring, powered by joy.

She saw the doctor yawn & she said softly, "I'm sorry I had to get you out of bed in the middle of the night!"

"Hey, delivering babies is one of the neatest perks of this job. But I'm going home now…my wife will have my breakfast waiting! Before I go, though…there's a young man outside who's waiting to see you."

"Matt? He's still here?"

"Are you kidding? If I didn't know better, I'd think he was the new dad! He's been standing outside the nursery, looking through the glass at your baby with so much awe & happiness as if the baby was his own!"

Mimi felt her heart give an odd twist as she pictured him looking at the babies. "Thanks to Matt," she murmured, "that my baby & I got here safely. I owe him…everything."

"Why don't you tell him? I want you to rest, Mimi, but he can visit for a couple of minutes."

As the door swung shut behind the doctor, Mimi closed her eyes & se a hand gently on her stomach. It felt flat under the light cover. Amazing. Wonderful. After all those months of being big as an elephant, so ungainly, so…

"Hi."

Her eyes flew open at the sound of Matt's voice. He was standing in the doorway, hesitantly. She noticed that his navy sweatshirt was back to front; he must have dressed in a hurry. And his hair was tousled, his jaw unshaven. "Matt," she whispered. "Hi."

He walked slowly over to the bed. She'd never seen him look so serious, yet at the same time, his eyes were alight with wonder.

"You've seen the baby?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," a grin creased his face, banishing the seriousness. "A beautiful healthy baby boy. What could be nicer?"

"You didn't have to stay, Matt, after all you've done & it's been hours…"

"Where else would I be?" He dragged a chair over & sitting down by the bed, took her hands in his. "Where else would I want to be! Baby, we've been living together for the past months, I've watched that baby grow, I feel…involved with him. As involved as if he were my own. Mimi, he's beautiful. I've never seen a baby so new before, and he's so sweet & tiny." Tears came to his eyes. "It makes me blubber just thinking of him."

Mimi felt her own yes fill up. "Matt, how can I ever thank you for getting me here? How did you know I went out? I tried to be so quiet; I wanted to get here on my own, but…"

"I have never known such an independent woman!"

"I was wrong, Matt. I know that now. I endangered the life of my baby with my stubborn insistence on being independent. I thought I could do everything by myself, but when it came to the crunch, I did need help. I ended up begging for it. And you…instead of saying, 'I told you so!' you couldn't have been kinder." Her voice cracked, but she managed to go on & say what had to be said. "I'm ashamed of myself, Matt, for the way I've been to you since I came back home. Can you ever forgive me? I know it's…"

"I love you, Mimi."

He wasn't even listening to her; she could see that now. His eyes were dark with intensity, fixed on her with an expression that made her giddy.

"Mimi, I've never loved anyone but you. And I never will. I'm a one-woman man, always have been, always will be. If you weren't so exhausted & vulnerable, I would get down on my knees by this bed & ask you to marry me. Besides, the doctor gave me only a minute. But I'll be back later on today. And I'll be asking you that question then. Please try to have the right answer ready."

And then, with a heart-melting smile & a farewell salute, he was gone.


AN: Aw, isn't that lovely? On the last chapter, Mimi will discover Matt's secret. The one about the fight, & she will find out who he fought with. Would she say accept his proposal now that she knows the truth? Stay tuned & find out. One chapter left people! Don't forget to review! (BTW: I'm celebrating my 18th birthday on Saturday! Yay!)


Here's the NEW story I was telling you about. I'm gonna give you a sneak peak on my next story entitled Bet Gone Wrong:

"You've had a lot of crazy ideas in your time, but this one definitely gets the award."

He folded his arms across his chest & waited.

"I mean, you & me…a couple? Who's gonna believe that?"

He sighed. "Mimi…"

"And to suggest that we'd ever be able to fool anyone…I mean, there are days we have difficulty just getting on well enough to still like each other as friends!" She started pacing in front of him.

He sighed again. "If you'd just…"

"We'd have to be able to look at each other without sniggering every two minutes. And as for the kissing thing…" She stopped pacing long enough to waggle a finger at him. "You do realize if we were actually dating we'd be expected to kiss &…well, other stuff like that…"

There was a deadly silence as they stared at each other in shock. Matt swallowed hard. "I know that…"