Chapter Two-Hundred and Fifty-Eight

John collapsed on his bed, happy to take pressure off of his side and relax for a while before he had to meet with Steven to discuss promotions for the band. "Holy fuck…" He sighed, closing his eyes and listening to the ocean outside through his open window.

Clarissa bit her lip, leaning on John's doorframe as she noticed the spot where his bandage had seeped through his t-shirt. "How do you feel?" She asked, brushing her fingers over his side before she pulled his shirt up.

He adjusted his arm, granting her more room to help him. "Like I got hit by a bus…" He winced as she tugged the cotton off of his wound, the way it pulled on his stitches irritating him.

She nodded, kissing her hand and pressing it to his side. "It's looking better." She smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed after she'd finished with his bandage. "The fever's gone."

He shrugged, holding the giant teddy bear that Kaylie and Brian had gotten him close to his chest. "I wanna sleep…"

She stood, knowing that he needed rest. Ever since the fireworks had gone off, he'd been unable to sleep during the night, and when he was able to get a short rest he was plagued by nightmares. "Try to get a good nap." She whispered, combing his hair back from his eyes.

Steven settled on the sofa in the music studio, smiling when he saw John limp through the door. "Good to see you alive, Kiddo." He stood to greet his best-selling lead singer, patting him on the shoulders and giving a low bow to Claire with a gentle kiss to her fingers. "And how is the beautiful Princess Claire today?"

Claire gave a small smiled, her cheeks pinking at the way that Steven treated her with respect and always stepped right up to the line that John had drawn in the sand without crossing it. "Hi Steven." She looked up at John, watching as he sipped on a cup of coffee that she'd seen him pour half of an energy drink into.

John rubbed his jaw, scratching his neck as he pulled up a chair. "So, what did you have in mind for promotions?"

Claire took the black coffee mug from him, fully aware that if he drank the whole thing the caffeine would give him a heart attack or at least keep him from sleeping even more than he already had been.

Steven smiled, looking around at the other members of the band. "You know how they say sex sells? Well, I was thinking, that if we had some photos of you all with your girlfriends, or boyfriends, that we would sell more records."

John looked around the group, his brows furrowing when they all nodded. "What kind of pictures?"

Steven looked between John and Claire, able to see the chemistry between the two even when John was exhausted and in pain. "I was thinking… that maybe one or two of you and Claire in a prop bed, maybe staring into each other's eyes with that passion you share."

John met Claire's eyes, glancing over at Dominic and Jade with her growing belly. "We'll have to talk it over."

Jade gripped Dominic's hand as they looked at the ultrasound in their OB/GYN's office. "Quadruplets?" She asked, fear rising in her chest with the thought of pushing four little humans out of her lady parts —that Dominic had nearly destroyed when they were making these little ones.

Dominic's eyes rolled up in his head, his body going limp as he fainted.

"I recommend you have a backup coach for the delivery." Smiled their doctor, kneeling down beside Dominic and gently tapping his cheek to bring him out of it. "Or, if you don't want to go through pushing four babies out of you, I recommend scheduling a C-section for a few days before their due date."

Jade nodded, placing her hands on her belly and smiling as she felt something similar to an elbow. "Well, now I know why I'm so big…"

Dominic bolted awake, looking up at his fiancée and her pregnant belly. "Please tell me I was dreaming…"

"Nope." Smiled Isabel writing a prescription for a few creams to help with stretchmarks, hemorrhoids, and other pregnancy problems for Jade to fill when she felt they were needed. "Four identical babies."

Jade kissed his lips, her green eyes meeting his dark brown. "Would you hate me if I wanted to do a C-section?"

He shook his head, placing his hand on his unborn children. "I'd rather you do that… I don't want you to go through that much pain." He leaned down, tracing his lips over her stomach and whispering to his babies. "I can't wait to see you all."