Don't own.

Caleb came in every other day. Each time he had the same thing. A hamburger no lettuce, tomato cheese and mayonnaise. For desert a sundae. I felt like I was falling in love. I think he felt it too. About a month after I met him, I was sitting alone at home.

My shift was supposed start in about half an hour and I was in my favorite recliner resting my back. The baby was due any day and excitement filled my veins. I was ready to have the baby. Both physically and emotionally. I desperately wanted the comfort of my child.

Just as I was standing to leave for work, fluid started dripping down my leg. For a minute I couldn't move. Shock consumed me.

I jumped into action and ran to the phone. My common sense told me to call Caleb. But my fingers flew over the dials on their own.

"Hello?"

"Derek! I need your help. Don't tell mom and George."

"Casey? Oh my god." He paused for a moment before. "Where are you?"

"Two-twenty-one Oak Heart Street. Derek please don't tell anyone."

"I won't. Don't worry. I'll be there in a second. Or a minute. Ten minutes. You and the baby just hold on. Kay?"

"Kay." Pain suddenly shot through me. "Hurry."

"I will." We hung up and I collapsed on the chair. For five minutes that's all I didn't. Finally, I dragged myself to my feet and filled a small bag with a shirt pair of shorts and a book. A few minutes later, the buzzer rang. I pressed the button and spoke into it. "Derek?'

"Yeah." His voice came through the speaker.

"I'll be right down." I walked down the steps and out the door.

"Casey." He practically tackled me in a hug.

"Derek…baby coming." I reminded him.

"Oh yeah…come on." He grabbed my hand and helped me into his Jeep.

The hospital was about forty-five minutes away from my apartment. For the first fifteen minutes or so, we were silent. There was so much I wanted to ask him. I opened my mouth to speak when he cut me off.

"Everyone misses you. Your mom was in tears for weeks. Your sister didn't come out of her room for a month." He sighed. "Edwin was pretty broken up too. My dad ended up burning our meals because he was so distracted."

"And you?"

"Me? What about me?"

"Don't play dumb."

He sighed again and glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I was staring at him intently.

"I don't know. I mean I just…"

"You what?"

"Never mind. Can we talk about this later?"

"Yeah I guess." I turned and stared straight out the front. "Did you get the note and binder?" I didn't think I had the strength to look him in the eye when I asked that.

"Yes. I turned it into the police. Mr. Robinson was found guilty just two months ago. Then he was sentenced to thirteen years in prison."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you Derek."

"Welcome." He paused. "Why didn't you just tell me? I mean I let the bastard in our house!" he growled in anger. "Such an idiot. How could I…ugh…we wouldn't be in this mess if you'd just told me." he slammed the steering wheel. "My fucking fault. He did it to you that day, didn't he?"

I didn't answer him.

"Oh god…" I felt the car speed up a little and I knew he was getting angrier. I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh.

"Derek, slow down. You're ten miles over the speed limit and I want to get to the hospital with all three of us alive."

The only sign that showed he heard me was the defiant decrease of speed. Other then that he gripped the steering wheel and stared hard out the windshield.

A little while later, we arrived in the emergency room. Derek was suddenly back to frantic mode. I could hear him yelling at the nurse at the desk.

"My friends having her baby."

"Okay sir. Please fill these out and a doctor will be with you soon."

"Soon? She's having the baby now. I'm not sure the little tike's gonna wait."

"Sir a doctor will be here soon to deliver your baby okay?"

"But she needs-,"

"'A doctor now.' I know sir. But most births take at least ten hours. Your son or daughter can wait ten minutes."

He growled and walked back over to me with a clipboard and a pen. There was a packet of papers attached to the clipboard. I was snickering when he sat down.

"Ugh...that woman. Can't she see you're in labor?" He growled once more and started writing down answers on the papers. I continued to laugh. He glanced up at me once before shaking his head and turning back to the clipboard. I covered my mouth and giggled harder. After about thirty seconds of that, he slapped the pen down and glared at me.

"What is so funny?" he demanded.

I only laughed harder. "Th-that nurse," I said trying to calm myself. "said that this baby is yours."

"Huh?" he said thoroughly confused.

"She said that my baby," I gestured to my stomach. "was also your child."

"Oh." He said then. "What?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I said-"

"I knew what you said." He snapped. "I meant why would someone think that? Do we look like we're a couple?"

I shrugged and picked up an out dated issue of Cosmo. Derek looked at me for a moment before going back to his writing. Not five minutes later, a man in a white lab coat came up to us.

"Are you the couple having the baby?" he asked.

Derek opened his mouth to correct him but I cut him off. "Yes."

"Hi, I'm Dr. Kohan." He extended his hand. Derek and I both shook it. "I'll be helping you through this."

"Hi, I'm Casey and this is Derek." I said to him.

"Please take a seat." He said to me and gestured to a nurse with a wheelchair. I sat down. "And follow me." The doctor took us down three or four halls before we entered a room.

"Would you please change into this?" The nurse handed me a hospital gown. Dr. Kohan left to check on other patients and would be back in time for the delivery. As soon as I was changed, Derek helped me lie down in the hospital bed.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Nora and Dad?"

"Yes. You didn't tell them about my problem did you?" fear suddenly rose in my chest.

"No. But they did pester me about why you'd gone for months." he sighed and took a seat in an orange plastic chair beside my bed. Derek slumped back and sat in silence for a moment before turning his head slightly to look at me. "Lookin' good by the way." He commented.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

He chuckled and stood up. "I'm going to go find a cafeteria. You want something?"

"Uh…yeah." I said and reached into my bag pulling out the book. "Get me a coffee or something."

"Hmm…" Derek mumbled before stepping out. I turned my attention to my book. As I read Twilight, I gently ran my fingers over my abdomen. The baby would be coming soon. Coming right out into the world. What would I tell it about its father?

Would I tell it, its father loves it? No. I would never be able to handle the heartbreak in its eyes when it found out that wasn't true.

Maybe I would find a man to love us before it came time to explain the father situation. He could help me take care of the munchkin. That would really help me out. I don't even have to love him. As long as he loved my child. That would be enough.

A couple minutes later Derek stepped back into the room. He had two cups in his hand. And what looked like a sandwich wrapped in cellophane in his mouth.

"Ey." He said through the sandwich. "I ot oo kahee ang ha hangwiss."

"Take it out of your mouth then tell me what you said." I said annoyed.

He placed the cups on the table and dropped the sandwich beside them. "I…got…you…coffee…and…a…sandwich." He said it with an exaggerated amount of space between words.

"Ugh…you're so barbaric." I said and closed my book. I got a full sentence read in the book.

"Why thank you Miss Priss." He bowed and handed me the sandwich.

"What's on this?" I asked. He was busy pouring sugar into one of the cups.

"Relax. It's ham cheese and mayo just how you like it." Derek finished pouring the fourth packet into his coffee then turned to me. "You want sugar?"

"No. Black's fine."

"Kay. Here ya go." I took the Styrofoam cup and set it on the serving tray that could be pulled over the bed for meals.

"Hey Derek." He glanced at me. "How did you know what my favorite sandwich was?"

He smiled then chuckled. "Casey, I lived with you for a year and a half before you scrambled off. I picked up on your habits."

I took a bite of the sandwich and grimaced a little. Hate hospital food. "What other habits do you know of?"

"When you're angry your eyes get this thing in them. It's almost like a flare."

"Uh huh." I said unbelieving.

"And in the morning you have this really groggy edge to your voice."

"Everyone does Derek."

"Yeah but yours is different. Everyone else just wants to go back to bed. But yours is strange. Like you're glad to be awake."

I raised my eyebrow at him.

He chuckled and suddenly he got an evil look in his eye. "I also know that every night before you go to bed you have this vib-,"

I blushed and my eyes widened. "Shut it!"

Derek broke out in hysterical laughter.

"How did you know that?" I asked in fear.

"You're not exactly quiet, princess."

My blush darkened. "Does anyone else know?"

"I don't think so. I mean my room is separated form yours by a wall. I could hear everything."

"Everything?" I asked.

"Everything." He confirmed.

"So you heard what I was saying?" fear bubbled in my stomach.

"Not names. Only…sounds."

I sighed in relief. "Good." Suddenly I gasped in pain. Pressure pushed on my back and sides.

"What? What? What is it?" Derek asked in concern and came over to me. I couldn't answer him. Soon it passed and I relaxed a little. "Just a contraction."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah Derek. I'm fine."

"Should I go get a nurse?" he gestured to the door.

"Yeah. That'd be good."

"Kay. Be right back." He literally flew out the door. Not a minute later he came back with a nurse right behind.

"Hi honey. How are you doing?"

I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm seventeen, pregnant, and in labor. How do you think I'm doing?"

The nurse just continued to smile. "Do you want something for the pain?"

"Yes please." I said desperately.

She filled a syringe and told me to roll over on my side so my back was facing her. Derek came around and knelt down next to me. He knew how much I hated needles. I had aichmophobia. The fear of needles or pointed objects.

I squeezed my eyes shut and Derek took my hand. He entwined our fingers together. Fear shot through my veins and my heart sped up. I started to shake slightly and adrenaline pumped through me. I whimpered the moment it pierced my flesh.

"Derek…" I squeezed his hand.

"Shh…it's okay sweetie." He stroked my hand. Through my fear, I swear I felt his lips brush my knuckles.

It felt like the needle was in me forever but it was probably only a few seconds. The nurse wiped where the needle was and said it should start to take effect soon.

Not a moment after she left then did I start to feel drowsy and lethargic. Derek helped me roll back to my back.

"Derek?" I said tiredly and my grip on his hand started to slip.

"Yeah?" he asked gently.

"You're not gonna leave me. Are you?"

"No. Don't worry about that."

I started to fall into a deep sleep. My eyes were closed and Derek pressed his lips to my forehead. I couldn't help but let a smile cross my lips before fully giving into the sleep that I so desperately needed.

Review.

I know I lost a couple readers because of the 6th chapter with the whole 'Caleb' thing. Here's a hint to my faithful readers. I love Dasey.