John had gone back to work for a few hours waiting for Michael to give him a call when he knew something about Jessica. He wanted to be there for Natalie, Natalie had been so excited about Jessica having her baby and about being apart of it. Witnessing it first hand. He wanted to share the joy with her, they shared so much misery, he wanted to be there for her with the happiness too, he wanted to show her he could be there for that type of stuff too and that he wanted too. He was still very much unsure of where they still stood but he knew one thing, if he got anything out of their heart to heart talk earlier it was that she still loved him, even if she didn't want to. He was sure of it, now he just had to figure out away for them to get back to where they once were, or even better, a new place. What they had before was jaded with lies, a new trust, a new understanding, a new place.
Another hour or so went by and he hadn't heard from Michael, Michael said he would call but if things got busy at the hospital he might not be able to. John decided to call his cell phone but got his voice mail. While he was leaving a message Nick walked into his office.
"What can I help you with Nick?" john asked as he put his cell phone in his pocket
"I hate asking this and I figure you probably don't know but.. but the Buchanan's asked me if Natalie was here and If I had seen her. I haven't, so I don't know if you had or not" Nick asked John
"Last I saw Natalie she was at the hospital, Jess was having her baby, but that was hours ago. Is something wrong with Natalie? The baby? Jessica?" John asked getting panicky that something was wrong with Natalie, maybe even the baby or Jess.
"Well, it seems the baby was born and there was complications.. Jessica's in a coma and.. and .. Natalie witnessed the whole thing, her sister.. She is suppose to be taking care of the baby.. Jessica had asked her to before she fell into the coma and Natalie took off, no one has been able to find her in a few hours, they're really worried." Nick trailed off worried himself about Natalie and what had occurred.
John didn't say anything else to Nick. He grabbed his jacket and ran out of the station. He knew right where she would be, where she always went when she was upset or even scared. He drove as fast as he could to the Buchanan cabin.
John arrived at the cabin and he knocked on the door, she didn't answer so he tried the lock and it was open. He went in and called for her, she didn't answer and then he walked into the living room and he saw her, she was sitting in front of the fireplace bundled up with a blanket but there was no fire burning. She looked lost in her own little world and he gently approached her.
"Natalie, Natalie, talk to me, please talk to me" John said as he leaned down into her back
Natalie just sat on the floor silent. John got down on the floor with her and put his arms around her, he pulled her back close to his chest and he held her. She didn't resist. She could never resist his arms, his warmth, the warmth she needed at this moment. After a few minutes he spoke to her.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked as he turned her face to look at his. She shook her head no.
"I'm here for you Nat, you know that right? I'm here for you. but..but.. that baby, Jessica's baby it needs you, you Nat, it needs you till Jess is better and she can take care of her baby herself" John said trying to get thru to her, trying cause he knew if Natalie didn't get back to that hospital soon and if something happened to either one of them Natalie would feel regret the rest of her life.
"There's plenty of people there to take care of her, she doesn't need me" Natalie spoke in almost a whisper
"That's not true, Jess needs you, and so does her baby" John reassured her
"I was talking about her baby, it was a girl, a beautiful baby girl and my sister didn't even get to hold her, I did, I was the first person to hold her but Jess didn't get to." Natalie said refusing to shed the tears forming in her eyes.
"Natalie, Jess wanted you to take care of her for a reason right? Isn't Jess a smart person? She knew you'd take care of her daughter and not let anything happen to her. Now we really have to get you back there, they need you" John told her as he stroked the back of her hair
"No, I'm not going" Natalie said softly almost a whisper. John turned Nat's head gently but quickly and made her look him in the eyes.
"Natalie, your acting like a child now, now get your ass up and stop being so selfish, you need to do this." John told her sternly. Being nice and supportive didn't always work with Natalie and he knew it. Sometimes getting her pissed off was the only way to get thru to her.
"Who the hell are you to tell me I'm being a child and selfish, screw you Mcbain" Natalie said as she got up from the floor and without a second glance she went out to her car and headed to the hospital to take care of her sisters baby.
Natalie arrived at the hospital and John trailed a few minutes behind her. He followed her the whole way back to Llanview in his car. Natalie walked into the waiting area in the Maternity ward for which she was told they moved Jessica to just in case she woke, that way she would be close to her baby. As Natalie approached the sitting area she noticed a confrontation of some sort between her family, Nash and Antonio.
"What's going on? Is Jessica and the baby alright?" She asked as she approached them.
"The Baby's fine, and Jess is still in a coma" Clint told Natalie as he reached over and gave her a quick hug assuring her he was happy she decided to come back
"Then what's going on?" Natalie looked between her dad and the other men standing there.
"We just got the results of the baby's paternity, it's neither Nash nor Antonio's baby." Clint informed Natalie, Natalie took a few minutes and she was shocked.
"What? How could that be?" Natalie asked trying to figure things out.
" We figured when she was Tess, well we know she slept with other men," Antonio answered disappointment in his voice.
"So what's all the commotion then, what the hell are all of you fighting about?" Natalie asked as she again took a look at the man around her.
"Nash wants another test run, he says it's impossible not to be his. We don't want to have to subject the baby to any more tests if it's not necessary." Clint told Natalie and he looked at her and then he glanced back at Nash.
"She won't be having anymore tests, my niece will not being having another one, you got your answer" Natalie said straight into Nash's face and then she walked passed everyone and went to the nursery to see her niece. John had walked in just in time to see Natalie, being Natalie and setting Nash straight on the baby's paternity test.
A few minutes later the nurse and Natalie brought the baby down to Jess' room. Natalie had insisted that she and her niece would be in Jess' room when she woke, and that Natalie would take care of her in the room so maybe, maybe the baby might help to wake jess up from her coma.
it was later that night and everyone had gone home but before he did Asa had pulled some strings an got another bed put in Jessica's room for Natalie. John had stayed most of the night just hanging around with the Buchanan's not wanting to leave Natalie.
Sometime in the middle of the night after waking up in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs John walked to Jessica's room to see Natalie. He looked in thru the door and saw her. Natalie was sitting in the rocker Asa had put in their room, she was holding the baby. she was talking to her, and he saw a single tear fall down her cheek. Natalie glanced up at John for a second when she noticed him move into the room and then she looked back down at niece in her arms.
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Natalie asked him as she played with the baby's fingers.
"She sure is" John answered and he saw Natalie shed another tear.
"I was pregnant once, I've never told anyone that," Natalie said looking into John's eyes.