Yay! Secret's about to be out! How do you think the other racers will react to Crickle and the twins? And who's ready to see... the CRICKLE TWINS?! XD

Enjoy!

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["He... He's in labor,"]

Those three words. The three words that Crusher had been worried about for the past few months. They sent him back, hitting himself on the wall behind him and causing him to stumble and fall. He dropped his phone as he felt his head spinning.

'Pickle? In LABOR?! ALREADY?! IT WAS TWO WEEKS EARLY! THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT!'

Before he knew it, he was hyperventilating, his breathing becoming unstable as he stared at the ground, eyes wide and panicky while his tires were trembling with the rest of his body. His thoughts of fear rang through his ears, deafening him to the point that he failed to hear both the sound of tires rolling his way and the sound of his name being called by his red rival and his rival's driver.

The one thing that managed to snap him out were two tires that had made it's way to his shoulders.

"CRUSHER!"

Said dark blue truck gasped, eyes going up from the ground to see Blaze holding him by the shoulders while AJ was dismounted from the driver's seat and was standing beside him. Both of their eyes were full of worry and concern as they stared up at him.

"Crusher, are you okay?" the red truck slowly asked.

"I..." Crusher felt his breath stop. Should he tell them? How could he trust them? He couldn't even trust his own parents! What else for the rivals that he had raced against and had cheated on at almost every race?

"Crusher?" AJ moved forward, placing a hand on the dark blue truck's tire. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's okay," Blaze offered him a smile, lowering one tire to give him some space. "You can tell us,"

'Can I really?' Crusher stared at them, untrusting and internally debating whether to say something or not while internally hoping that the two will get impatient with him and leave to prepare for the first race.

But they didn't. They stayed, waiting patiently for a response. They didn't leave his side and stared at him with the same expressions. Their faces didn't change, even when they all heard the announcer yell out from inside the Monster Dome that the first race was about to start in less than fifteen minutes.

'What should I do?'

Crusher felt their gaze softened, yet they never looked away. He gulped before sighing in defeat.

As if he could do anything to get out of this, anyway. He couldn't just shrug it all off and say that he was fine. Say that he was okay and everything was alright. It was obvious that it wasn't.

"It's... It's Pickle,"

"What about Pickle?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah, where is he?" AJ added with a nod.

"He... He's at the hospital," Crusher let out a shaky breath as the duo gasped. "Okay, okay! Let me start from the beginning,"

He took a deep breath and began to tell them everything that happened, starting with his and Pickle's relationship then the pregnancy and the proposal then the twins and finally, the recent; Pickle's early surprise labor. Once he was done, he shut his eyes as he waited for their reactions, expecting something like a yell or at least a disapproval (not that he cares. He totally doesn't care. Nope, definitely not).

But no yelling came. No scolding, no nothing. Crusher opened his eyes and found the two just looking at him in surprise while thinking deeply at the same time.

"I... guess that makes sense," Blaze finally said.

"Yeah," AJ agreed. "On why Pickle was looking larger than usual, why he suddenly got a tire ring, and why he doesn't seem to be present in any of the recent races,"

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Blaze tilted his head. "We could've understood and supported,"

"That's the thing!" Crusher sighed and looked down. "I thought that you guys wouldn't,"

"What?" AJ blinked at the dark blue truck. "Why would you think that?"

"Not all trucks in Axle City approve of... homosexual relationships," Crusher replied, eyes still on the ground. "There are others who... who disapprove or worse... they shame those couples terribly... like what my family did,"

"Your family shamed you and Pickle?" Blaze look horrified. "Why would they that?"

"They hate homosexuals, and they thought Pickle was a terrible choice," Crusher winced. "I fought against them, and they disowned me, kicking me out of our home. Pickle and I've been living together ever since, and only Grammy and everyone in Pickle's family knows where we live since they're the only ones who fully support us,"

"Oh, Crusher..." Blaze patted his rival on the back comfortingly. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I wouldn't know how it feels to have my family not support my sexuality,"

"Your... what?" Crusher looked over at the other in disbelief. "I thought you were straight,"

"Nope, he's bi," AJ shook his head. "I'M straight, but I'm an LGBT supporter,"

"Really?" Crusher still didn't look convinced. "Since when?"

"Since... I don't know, exactly," Blaze shrugged. "I had a crush on Starla, but she and Watts got together. Darington used to like Watts, so we talked about it and somehow... ended up together too,"

"Huh," Crusher blinked. "Who knew?"

["Crushy?"] Crusher's Grammy's voice rang through the phone, suddenly catching their attentions as they turned to it on the floor. ["Crushy, are you stilll there?"]

"Grammy!" Crusher rushed to pick up his phone. "Yes, Grammy! Still here!"

["Oh good,"] Grammy smiled. ["Just wanted to tell you that Pickle's been rushed to the emergency. His labor might take a while, so I'm sure the twins won't be here until later. Go on and do your best in the races. I'm sure that's what Pickle might have wanted,"]

"But... But what about Pickle?" Crusher whined. He wanted to race, but not when his fiance and his kids were at stake.

["I'll be here to make sure that they're alright,"] Grammy assured him. ["Now go! You have a race to get to! See you here,"]

"But, Grammy-" Before he could protest, however, the call ended.

"Don't worry, Crusher," Blaze came over to his side with a reassuring smile. "If your Grammy's certain that Pickle's alright, I'm sure he is,"

"Besides, we've got a race to get to, and everyone would be wondering where we are," AJ jumped back into his best friend's driver's seat.

"I... alright," Crusher let out a sigh. "You guys won't... tell them about all this, would you? At least, not yet?"

"If you're not up for it then we won't," Blaze nodded.

"Thanks, Blaze, AJ..." Crusher finally cracked a smile, the tension in his shoulders lessening as he followed the two inside.

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"How is Pickle?" Grammy asked the moment the doctor drove out of the emergency room.

"The labor is difficult, as it should be for a male, but he's handling it well," the doctor answered with a calm smile. "We'd use a C-section, but with Gabby racing with Watts at the Monster Dome and without another mechanic to fix him up after, it would be too risky,"

"So what will happen now?" Grammy frowned.

"We'll try to manage his labor for now," the doctor replied. "He can still hold it, and the twins are still good and healthy, so we'll be able to get him to calm for the labor to go on,"

"Alright, thank you," Grammy nodded and watched as the doctor left.

She let out a sigh, looking down at her phone. She was tempted to contact her grandson about what was happening, but she knew that he was panicking bad enough, and she wouldn't want to be the one to worsen it. Instead, she placed back her phone and drove back to the waiting room.

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Crusher felt his heart thump quickly as he zoomed through the race track, but it wasn't because of the adrenaline of the race or the need to cheat to win the race.

It was his nerves again.

He was worried, very, VERY worried. His stomach kept churning, like it was warning him that something was happening. Like something... bad is about to happen. Or something had happened. To Pickle. To the twins.

"Crusher? You okay?" Blaze asked as he raced by his side.

"No!" Crusher shook his head. "I keep having a... a bad feeling about Pickle and the twins! It's... I just can't shake it off!"

"I know what'll distract you," AJ smiled and pointed front. "You and Blaze are nearly at the finish line!"

"Come on, Crusher!" Blaze called out to his rival with a grin. "Let's see who's the fastest to get there! No cheats, no blazing speed!"

Crusher knew they were trying to snap him out of his nerves, so he gave in and nodded. He accelerated to catch up to the red truck, forcing his mind to focus on the finish line and forcing himself to open up to his desire to win the race and beat Blaze instead of focusing on whatever was happening to his fiancé and his kids back at the hospital.

The two racers zoomed across the track, the crowd cheering their name (well, mostly Blaze's name). They soon zipped through the last turn and were now dashing to the finish line. Crusher was beginning to feel concentrated on the race, eyes narrowed to the finish line as he felt himself speed up faster and faster. The finish line was soon past him, and his eyes widened to realize that he had finished the race.

"And the winner is... CRUSHER!" the announcer cried out, followed by the crowd cheering.

"I... I won?" Crusher blinked in surprise as the trophy was handed to him. "H-Hey! I won!"

"Congratulations, Crusher!" Blaze patted the dark blue truck with a smile.

"I can't believe I won!" Crusher cheered. "Can't wait until I tell Pickle- wait, PICKLE!"

His face went into immediate panic as he remembered his fiancé and his twins in possible critical condition. He began to hyperventilate, causing Blaze and AJ to exchange glances.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Blaze assured him.

"There's been no call from your Grammy yet," AJ told him. "I'm sure Pickle and your kids are alright,"

"AJ's right," Blaze nodded. "How about we prepare for the next race?"

"I..." Crusher tried to keep his breathing steady as he nodded stiffly, throwing the trophy onto his back. "Mm-hmm,"

"It's only in a few minutes, so let's get some snacks first," Blaze suggested, leading the other to the food stalls.

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"Excuse me? Ms. Grammy?"

Grammy looked up and drove over to see the doctor in distress. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, but Pickle can't hold the twins in any longer," the doctor told her. "We're going to need a C-section, but we're going to do it carefully, so no oil leaks out and no gear gets lose,"

"Alright, thank you," Grammy nodded and waited for the doctor to leave before taking out her phone. "Alright, this has gone long enough. I need to call Crushy and tell him what happened,"

She took a deep breath and dialed her grandson's number. This call wasn't going to end well, but out of all the trucks in the hospital and in Axle City, Crusher was the one who deserved to know what was happening to Pickle and the twins.

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Crusher had been stress-munching on a pretzel when his phone rang. He nervously swallowed what he was eating and shakily took the phone into his tire, calming his nerves down a bit to answer.

"H-Hello?"

["Crushy, it's Grammy,"] her grandmother's voice rang through the speakers. ["Pickle can't hold the twins any longer. The doctors need to do a C-Section, but it's a little risky because some oil might leak out and some gears might come lose, so-"]

"WHAT?!" Crusher dropped the phone and stumbled back.

"Crusher?!" Blaze quickly grabbed the dark blue truck before he could fall. "Crusher, what's wrong?"

"They... Pickle, he... mm..." Crusher whimpered with a groan. "They're gonna do a C-Section to let the twins out, but... but it's SO risky..."

"Oh..." Blaze and AJ exchanged glances as the red truck helped his rival back on his wheels. "Don't worry, Crusher. We can trust the doctors to be careful, right?"

"I'm sure Pickle and the twins will be alright," AJ nodded as he picked up the phone and handed it back to the dark blue truck. "And don't worry. It's only two more races then we can leave and head to the hospital,"

"I really, REALLY wish we don't have to wait THAT long..." Crusher whined. "I can't BARE the thought of Pickle in surgery, probably freaking out and in pain because of hours and hours of labor!"

"Hmm... I know!" Blaze beamed. "How about you think of winning the next race FOR Pickle and the twins?"

"What... What do you mean...?" Crusher's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, instead of racing to distract you from Pickle and the twins, you should race FOR Pickle and the twins," AJ clarified with a nod. "It's easier if you have a better reason to race than just for distraction,"

"O... Okay..." Crusher took a deep breath and nodded. "I will race for Pickle and the twins... I will race for Pickle and the twins..."

"There ya go!" Blaze grinned. "Now let's get going! The race's about to start!"

Crusher gave a nod and followed his rival to the starting line. He took his place at the end of the line, his eyes in front and full of determination as the announcer called for the signal. At the 'go!', he revved his engine and dashed off.

His mind was buzzing, whispering fears and thoughts of what could be happening to Pickle and the twins in the hospital. He shook them off, however, and continued forward, determined to distract himself and to race FOR his new family instead.

"You're doing great, Crusher!" Blaze cheered as he raced by the dark blue truck's side.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Blaze!" Crusher smirked, his old determination to beat his rival returning as he focused on the race. "Bet you can't beat me without using your blazing speed!"

"You're on!" Blaze felt relief once he realized that the other was FINALLY calm from his panic attack earlier. "Let's... BLAZE!"

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Grammy paced around the waiting room. It had been a few hours since the doctor announced the C-Section. She knew that it would be a very risky procedure and that the doctors should take their time, and they should have patience to not commit any mistakes, but it was taking so long that it felt like there was something bad that happened in the middle of the surgery.

She shook her head out of that thought. No, everything was fine. Everything HAD to be fine, right?

Suddenly, the emergency siren rang through the whole hospital. Grammy jumped at the red lights swirling around the white surroundings, as did the rest of the trucks waiting in the waiting room.

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" A voice rang through the hospital's speakers. "WE ARE IN NEED OF MORE DOCTORS IN THE ER! MORE DOCTORS TO THE ER! I REPEAT; THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! WE NEED MORE DOCTORS IN THE ER!"

The other doctors were all alarmed and immediately rushed through the halls to head to the emergency room. Grammy gulped and looked around to find Pickle's doctor rushing out into the waiting room and to the front desk.

"I need someone to get in contact with Gabby!" she cried out. "This is NOT a drill! We are in need of Gabby's help!"

"Doc, what's the matter?" Grammy asked, rushing to her with worry. "What had happened to Pickle?"

"Him and the twins are losing too much, and the crack we made is too big," the doctor shook her head. "We're gonna need a mechanic to help fix him and the twins up before they lose too much oil and break any more parts,"

"Oh dear!" Grammy gasped.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Gabby can fix them," the doctor reassured her before driving through the halls to get back. "Doctors! NURSES! We need more doctors and nurses to help stabilize the patients before they lose too much!"

Grammy grimaced as she watched more doctors and nurses neglect their paperwork and rush off to help. She took out her phone and swallowed, half-tempted to call her grandson to tell him the news, but the last call didn't really end well, so she was having doubts on whether to call him to tell him the latest news about Pickle and the twins or not to not spark up another breakdown.

But she knew the news would get to him even without her help. Gabby was racing with Watts in the Monster Dome, after all.

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Crusher took a deep breath as he lined up with the other racers for the last race. He and Blaze had tied (surprisingly) in the second race, causing the trophy to magically split into two for each of them to keep. Now, he was determined to win again.

"Ready for the last race, Crusher?" Blaze grinned at his rival.

"Oh, YEAH!" Crusher returned the expression as he gave the other with a side-glance. "I'm DEFINITELY going to beat you this time!"

"Racers, start your ENGINES!" the announcer called.

They all revved their engines, all eyes at the race track as they prepared to go. Before the announcer could say anything else, however, a phone rang out from where Watts was standing.

"Oops!" Gabby took out her phone to answer the call. "Hello? Oh! Okay, okay, I'll be right there!" She then hung up and looked down at the pink truck. "Sorry, Watts, but I've got to go. There's an emergency in the hospital that needs me,"

Crusher felt his heart stop at the news, eyes widening in horror. Emergency? AT THE HOSPITAL?! Oh no, no, no... PICKLE! THE TWINS! He KNEW that things weren't going to be well that day!

"It's alright, Gabby," Watts smiled. "I'll drive you over there,"

"You sure?" Gabby looked surprised. "You might miss the race,"

"It's alright. It's just a race," Watts backed up and turned. "See ya, fellas!"

The other racers waved her goodbye, sans Crusher, who was too frozen up in his thoughts to notice them leave. Blaze and AJ exchanged glances before the red truck patted the dark blue truck.

"Hey, it's okay, Crusher," he reassured him. "I'm sure that it's not THAT bad,"

"If they need a mechanic to help them out then something MUST be wrong!" Crusher began to feel all shaky and jittery again, his whole body trembling, all the way to his wheels as he gritted his teeth.

"Well... you've got a point," Blaze winced.

"That's IT! I'm sitting the race out!" Crusher turned to leave, but his rival stopped him.

"Crusher, NO!" Blaze grabbed him by the tire. "I know you're worried, but we both know that Pickle wouldn't want you to sit out a race JUST because of your fears and worries,"

"Besides, you don't want anyone to know, remember?" AJ reminded the dark blue truck. "If you leave now, everyone will wonder where you left off to, and we can't answer for you because we promised not to tell,"

"I... ugh! I hate it when you guys are right," Crusher groaned, forcing himself back on the line. "Alright. This is the last race anyway. I can hold in my worries and fears for ONE MORE RACE,"

"That's the spirit!" Blaze smiled.

"As soon as the race is over, we'll all head over to the hospital," AJ said.

"Wait, 'all'?" Crusher blinked at them in shock. "What do you mean by 'all'?"

"Well, Gabby and Watts would've found out by now," Blaze told him. "And the others would be wondering how they're doing, so we'd ALL have to go to the hospital,"

"I... ugh..." Crusher let out a groan and a sigh. "I can't believe this..."

"GET READY!" the announcer yelled out.

"Come on, Crusher," Blaze urged the other to focus. "We'll be right by your side when you tell them,"

"GET SET!"

"Promise?" Crusher didn't want to sound desperate, but in all honestly, he IS. Pickle and the twins were probably DYING, and he needed all the help and comfort he could get a the moment.

"Promise," Blaze nodded with a smile.

"AND... GO!"

With that, they all dashed off to start the race.

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"We're here!" Gabby cried out as she and Watts burst into the hospital.

"Thank GOODNESS you're here, Gabby!" the doctor sighed in relief, driving towards them. "It's getting worse, and we don't know how to fix up the cut we made for the C-Section,"

"Alright," Gabby nodded and got off of Watts, toolbox in hand. "Lead the way!"

"Hop in. I'll lead the way," the doctor offered.

Gabby gave a nod and went into the truck's passenger seat then the doctor drove back into the emergency room. Watts watched them leave and found her way to the waiting room. She saw an elderly truck amongst the crowd of waiting trucks and patients, with a familiar design and build-up as she wore a big pink hat. She was knitting, her tires trembling in possible fear and worry, so the pink truck decided to approach her.

"Um, excuse me?"

The elder turned and smiled. "Oh, you must be Watts! Gabby's your driver, right?"

"Yes, that's me, and I just dropped her off to deal with the emergency," Watts nodded and went beside her. "How do you know me?"

"Pickle's shared many stories whenever I came to visit him and my Crushy," the elder said. "He always admired the other racers, even if he always followed my grandson around,"

Ah, that's why Watts thought she was so familiar. She was Crusher's Grammy!

"Oh, you're Crusher's grandmother," Watts blinked in surprise then she held out a tire. "Nice to meet you,"

"Likewise," Grammy's smile widened as she shook tires with the pink truck, but her smile faded as fast as it came. "I just wished that I could have met all of you racers in goo circumstances,"

"Why? What happened?" Watts asked, her expression turning to worry in an instant.

"My Crushy will explain everything later, I'm sure of it," Grammy assured her. "All I can tell you is that Pickle is dying because of a... a procedure, and that's why your driver was called to help fix him up,"

"Pickle? Dying?!" Watts's eyes widened.

"With Gabby to help, I'm sure the doctors can save his life," Grammy said before grimacing. "Well, hopefully. I told you that Crushy will explain everything later,"

"I sure hope so..." Watts hissed as she turned away. Pickle? Dying? Crusher sure owes them a big, BIG explanation for all this.

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Crusher was revving his engine as he zoomed faster and faster. HIs determination to win the race was stronger now. He NEEDED to race to the finish line first. He NEEDED to get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY. He NEEDED to be there for Pickle and their twins.

He wasn't thinking any longer. He was racing, racing as fast as he can as he felt his heart thump hard and fast in his chest. He could barely his rival releasing his blazing speed as he dashed over the ramp and zoomed to the finish line.

Everyone cheered, the announcer yelling out his name as a victor, but he didn't heed it any attention. Instead, he grabbed the trophy and placed it on his back then he dashed out of the Monster Dome as fast as he can. A familiar horn followed behind him, along with more trucks zooming behind his rival in an attempt to follow him, but he heeded them with no care.

His vision was all hazed, his mind buzzed with thoughts as he zoomed through, turning from corner to corner and taking every ramp he could find to jump over any and every obstacle that got in his way. His priority was clear.

He needed to get to his new family, and he wasn't letting anything and anyone stop him.

Soon, he made it to the hospital, bursting through the doors and making his way to the waiting room. From a distance, he spotted his grandmother and dashed faster.

"GRAMMY!"

"Crushy?" she turned to him in surprise, with Watts turning after. "You're here! How did the race go?"

"Grammy!" Crusher frowned.

"Hi, Ms. Grammy," AJ greeted as he, Blaze and the rest of the monster machines came from behind the dark blue truck. "Is Pickle alright?"

"No news yet since Gabby came to help," Grammy offered them a smile.

"Pickle? What's wrong with Pickle?" Darington asked, looking around for someone to answer.

"He's dying!" Watts blurted out with a hiss, causing everyone to gasp and Crusher to pale.

"What?!" Stripes cried out.

"What happened, Crusher?!" Starla demanded, turning to glare at the dark blue truck. "Why is Pickle dying?!"

Crusher didn't answer. He instead turned to his grandmother with a desperate expression. Grammy sighed.

"The doctor hasn't come out yet since Gabby went in," she told him, patting him on the shoulder. "We just have to be patient, Crushy,"

"I've been patient for the WHOLE time I was racing!" Crusher shook his head. "I don't know how much longer I can be patient!"

"It's alright, Crusher," Blaze assured him. "I'm sure with Gabby helping out, the operation will be finished soon,"

"Look, it's the doctor!" AJ pointed to the truck coming out from the emergency room.

"Hello, everyone," the doctor looked exhausted, but she managed to flash a smile at them anyway. "Good news; Pickle is stabilized!"

The group cheered, with Crusher sighing in relief and falling into his grandmother's tires. Gabby soon came out, a little pale and looking like she had seen a ghost.

"You all wouldn't believe how much oil was spilled from the operation," she shook her head. "but thankfully, Pickle's alright,"

"And he needs some rest before getting any visitors," the doctor added. "but the twins are all cleaned up and at the nursery. Would you like to see them?"

"Twins?" Everyone but Blaze, Grammy, Crusher and AJ all cried out in surprise.

"Really?!" Crusher looked eager, excited and nervous as he grinned widely. "Yes, yes, YES, PLEASE! TAKE ME TO THEM! PLEASE!"

"Right this way then," the doctor lead the way, and Crusher and Grammy followed after her, with the dark blue truck rushing faster than his grandmother as they made their way through the halls.

"Come on, guys," Blaze called on the others. "Let's go see the twins,"

"What twins, Blaze?" Stripes asked as Gabby hopped onto Watts before following their friend through the hospital halls.

"We can't say," Blaze replied. "It's not really our business to say. Crusher'll tell you all when he's ready,"

"Yeah, and when he's not frantically shaking in excitement," AJ chuckled.

Starla, Zeg, Darington, Stripes, Watts, and Gabby exchanged doubtful glances, but they trusted their friends enough to nod and keep silent all the way to the nursery. The doctor opened the nursery door and motioned them to follow her with a smile, adding up an extra motion to be quiet as they entered. Crusher looked around, nervous and excitement written in his actions as he drove forward.

"Here they are," the doctor whispered, leading them to two cribs, where two baby trucks were bundled up in blankets.

One baby truck was shaped almost exactly like Crusher. It was a girl, and she was ocean blue with lime green markings all over her body and two dark green stripes at each side of her hood. The other baby truck was shaped almost exactly like Pickle. It was a boy, and he was aquamarine with two dark blue stripes over his hood while the sides of his body had a few pickle bumps.

"Aww!" the trucks all cooed as Grammy picked them up gently in her tires.

"They're SO adorable!" she then turned to her grandson. "Would you like to hold them, Crushy?"

"M-Me?!" Crusher gulped but went over to take the two in his tires anyway. "O-Okay..."

Grammy gave them to her grandson, helping him to adjust his tires to hold them properly. Crusher felt them squirm in his hold, causing him to freeze up, but a pat from his grandmother made him calm down as the twins slowly opened their eyes. This caused the other trucks coo again.

"Babies so cute!" Zeg cried out.

"They sure are!" Starla agreed.

"They're adorable, Crusher," Blaze grinned. "What are their names?"

"I... I don't know..." Crusher stared down at the babies and smiled. "I... I bet Pickle's got some good ideas to use for their names,"

"Speaking of Pickle, I better check on him to see how he's doing," the doctor offered before turning to leave the nursery.

Once she was gone, the friends glanced at one another with a nod. Blaze and AJ caught their eyes but didn't say anything, which allowed them to drive forward towards the dark blue truck.

"Crusher, we kinda need an explanation now," Stripes spoke up first.

"Yeah, Crusher explain why Pickly dying," Zeg agreed. "And who babies mommy and daddy?"

Crusher took in a deep, nervous breath before turning to them. "O... Okay... first of all, Pickle and I are... we... erm... We're together,"

"Really?" Watts didn't seemed surprised, neither were the others. "As... boyfriends?"

"Not... anymore," Crusher flinched, his fear to their reactions returning. "He... We... I proposed to him months ago,"

"So THAT'S why Pickle was wearing a tire ring," Gabby gasped. "Congratulations, Crusher!"

"Yeah, congrats!" Starla nodded with a grin, patting the dark blue truck on the back.

This caught Crusher off-guard. His eyes widened as he looked around to find the others with happy and excited expressions, sans Blaze and AJ, who each had a 'we told you' expression. He blinked at them with a bewildered look.

He never expected them to react so... positively.

"You... guys don't mind?"

"You guys weren't really good at hiding," Darington chuckled. "but we expected you guys to be boyfriends at least,"

"Oh..." Crusher swallowed. "And... it's not a bad thing...?"

"Starla and I have been together for almost a year," Watts smiled. "There's nothing wrong with being not straight,"

"Wow... I didn't know that..." Crusher sighed.

"I told you that not everyone can be as harsh and as bias as your parents, Crushy," Grammy patted his back with a smile.

"What about the kids?" Stripes questioned.

"Yeah, how Crusher and Pickle get babies?" Zeg tilted his head, confused.

"Honestly, I have no idea either," Crusher answered. "It just... happened. We... We DID do something, but we have no idea how Pickle was able to get pregnant in the first place. Grandpa Pickle said that it was natural for their family, though, so... yeah, I think it's either from his blood or a miracle given to us,"

"Wow, I never knew males can get pregnant before," Gabby blinked in surprise. "But then, this a new kind of truck anatomy, so..."

"So when is the wedding?" Blaze asked with a grin.

"Yeah, when's the wedding?!" Darington nodded in agreement. "Are we invited?! Can we be invited?!"

"Yeah, can we?!" Stripes was practically begging. "I LOVE weddings!"

"Well... since you guys did accept me..." Crusher offered them a smile. "Sure. Pickle and I would love to have you all at the wedding,"

"We'd all love to come!" Starla grinned.

"Excuse me?" the group turned to see the doctor come in. "Pickle is stable and awake now. Would you all like to see him?"

"Can the twins see their mother too?" Crusher asked, driving forward.

"Of course, of course," the doctor smiled and nodded. "Come,"

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Pickle groaned as he tried to keep himself still on the bed. His whole body hurt, burning in pain, especially his stomach. It wasn't really a surprise since the doctors had to literally slice his stomach in half to get the twins out before they died. At least Gabby helped fix the cut and repaired him before he could lose too much oil and gear.

Didn't really lessen the pain, though. Unlike human surgeries, trucks didn't really have any anesthetics to numb the pain. Only a temporary knock-out gas to knock him out, so he couldn't feel anything until the effect wore off.

"Pickle?" There was a sudden knock at the door, and Pickle turned to see the doctor peeking from the door.

"Hey there, doc!" he greeted her with a weak wave.

"Hey there, Pickle," the doctor smiled and opened the door completely. "How are you? I've brought some of your friends over,"

"Hey, Pickle!" Blaze greeted as he, AJ, Darington, Gabby, Watts, Starla, Stripes, and Zeg came in, each greeting the green truck.

"Guys! You're here!" Pickle's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course we're here," AJ laughed. "After Gabby and Watts missed the last race for your surgery, we had to go and see if you're okay,"

"And after Crusher explained everything, we all reckoned that you both needed some friend support," Starla added with a grin.

"Crusher... told you guys what happened?" Pickle blinked in surprise. "And you guys don't... don't mind?"

"Starla and I are together," Watts chuckled. "So are Blaze and Darington, so it's no big deal,"

"They accept you and Crushy just fine," Grammy said as she made her way to the green truck's side. "And they're excited for the wedding as much as your family is,"

"I... THANK YOU, GUYS!" Pickle beamed. "I'm so happy to have friends like you all!"

"We're happy to have you as friends too," Darington grinned.

"Hey, love," the group turned to see Crusher slowly drove forward, with the twins in his tires. "How are you?"

"Hey, sweetie," Pickle smiled softly at him as he came to his side. "I'm fine. Well... better now. Still a little sore, though,"

"That's great," Crusher returned the smile and moved forward to let his fiance see their newborn twins. "Wanna see them?"

Pickle nodded and leaned over. He cooed at the sight of them, reaching over to slowly take the baby trucks into his arms.

"They're so ADORABLE!" Pickle gently pulled them into a hug. "I love them already,"

"They're hard to unlove," Crusher chuckled, leaning closer to rest his head softly on the other's bed. "What do you wanna name them?"

"Hmm... I can think for a name for the boy," Pickle shrugged. "A little hard for the girl,"

"I kinda got one," Crusher offered, eyes glancing at the blue and green baby truck. "Terra, because she looks like the Earth,"

"Pretty name," Pickle nodded in approval then he turned to the aquamarine baby truck. "I wanna call this one... Aquario. What do you think?"

"Love it," Crusher pressed a kiss on his fiance's cheek. "I love you all,"

The group watched the scene from the distance.

It was too beautiful to interupt anyway.