Author's Note: Can you believe that this crazy story that started as a dream, is now over 400 pages long on my computer? I have never done anything like that before in my life and I have to say that, without your continued support, I don't know if I'd still have the strength. And, because you guys are just that amazing, I'm posting this chapter within 12 hours after the last one!

Also, this is the last chapter the 10 review rule applys to (no yelling at me Allie! ;-) LOL) but don't worry, I'll still update relatively quickly. However, reviews are still very very appreciated and needed! Also, due to the plotline I can't do previews for the next few chapters without giving stuff away. I hope you understand! :)

Now, as always: love, laughter, and good reading. Enjoy!
~JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"Every man is afraid of something. That's how you know he's in love with you; when he is afraid of losing you."
~Unknown
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There was complete silence for a moment or two following Carly's revelation.

After taking several deep breaths, Carly finally dared to look over at the people on Lee's side of the courtroom and inwardly winced as she took in their stunned faces.

Well, some faces were stunned. Lily, J.J., Parker, Mattie, Molly and Lee all wore similar grim expressions. It suddenly occurred to her that many people actually had known the truth and had only kept it to themselves for so long for her and the baby's sake. She felt an immense wave of love for them sweep over her and she blinked back tears of gratitude.

Carly's eyes traveled to Jack but she looked away again immediately at the powerful gaze he was sending back. There were so many emotions that she could see on his face, that picking just one out was impossible; not to mention she was more than a little ashamed and nervous to try.

"Your ex-husband is the father." Mitchell Polk reiterated slowly, shaking his head as if to display disapproval. "But you lied and said that Dr. Reynolds was the father of your child?"

"No, I didn't." Carly heard herself say and after a moment realized it was true.

Not once had she referred to Lee as the father of her baby in the entire seven months that she had known she was pregnant. While people had assumed that Lee was the father, she had neither confirmed nor denied and, surprisingly, no one had ever really asked the question of paternity point blank.

"Ms. Tenney, lying on the stand is a punishable offence." Polk said, his eyes wide at her audacity.

"Mr. Polk, during my entire pregnancy I have never said out loud that Lee was the father." Carly said and the veracity of her statement shone in her eyes and in her tone.

"Then why did everyone think that he was the father?" Polk asked, gesturing to the still shocked faces of her friends and family in the courtroom.

"I am not responsible for what anyone else thinks."

Polk took a deep breath and tried to reign in his anger towards the current witness.

"What about Dr. Reynolds? Didn't he say that he was the father of your baby?"

"How am I supposed to know what Lee said or not? You'd have to ask him." Carly said and Polk clenched his fists.

"Your Honor, a little help, please." He said, his voice not unlike a child who wasn't getting their way.

"Ms. Tenney, I don't want to have to remind you again to cooperate. If you don't, I am going to have to hold you in contempt of court." Judge Miller said, looking down at Carly sternly.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry." Carly said, forcing herself to curb her natural sarcastic instinct. "In answer to your question, Mr. Polk, I never heard Lee actually say to anyone that he was the father of my baby when I was around."

"And when you weren't?" Polk asked, his frustration showing.

"Objection, Your Honor. How would Ms. Tenney know what my client said or didn't say if she wasn't there? And anything that she could say she was told secondhand would be hearsay." Richardson said, shooting a glance to Polk as if to admonish him for a such a stupid rookie mistake.

"Sustained." Judge Miller said, nodding and waved his hand to move Polk along.

The attorney nodded curtly before frowning at Carly.

"So what you're saying is, that even though you never said it directly, you and Dr. Reynolds let people assume that he was the father?"

Carly tried to think quickly but in the end there was only one honest answer.

"Yes."

"Including your ex-husband, because of all people, you especially didn't want him to know you were pregnant?" Polk said and Carly frowned at him. Before she could even open her mouth to answer Polk added, "Is it because you were afraid that Detective Snyder would hurt you?"

Of all the things that Polk could have said to dumbfound her, that took the cake. Carly's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she gathered her senses about her to reply.

"What in the he…? Jack is an incredible man. He would never ever hurt me!" Carly said and felt the beginnings of aggravation build up at even the suggestion.

"Were you afraid he would hurt your child?" Polk said casually.

"Of course not! What the hell is wrong with you?" Carly looked at him in astonishment and felt her blood begin to boil. The way he was trying to paint Jack made her want to take a flying leap at the man and beat him senseless, 8 months pregnant or not.

"Jack Snyder is the most amazing father I have ever seen. He loves our kids more than his own life. Where the hell do you get off suggesting that he would ever hurt them?"

"Well, obviously he's not that amazing if you felt that you couldn't tell him that he was going to be a father to this child!" Polk said and Richardson stood up.

"Objection, your Honor. He's badgering the witness."

Judge Miller looked at Carly a moment before shaking his head. "I'll allow it."

"So how come, Ms. Tenney, if Detective Snyder is so great, did you hide your baby's paternity?" Polk asked forcefully.

Carly shook her head and it tore her up inside to know that at that same moment, Jack was probably thinking the same question. All she could do was answer it as honestly as she knew how and pray that he would understand.

"It wasn't about what kind of man Jack is. He's a great father. It's just…certain things happened and when I left Oakdale I was…confused…and I needed time to think."

"So in order to give you time to 'think', Dr. Reynolds lied for you! He claimed another man's child just like he is doing right now in this court room!" Polk said, smacking his fist into the palm of his other hand, and Carly shook her head fiercely.

"No, Lee was trying to protect me!" Carly said loudly, reaching out to grip the railing of the witness box in front of her.

"Protect you? From what?" Polk asked, his beady eyes flashing. "I thought you said you weren't afraid of your ex-husband."

"It wasn't from Jack." Carly said, shaking her head. "It was from the pre-eclampsia. I had a really bad attack one day after something happened involving Jack and his ex-fiancée, which made me really upset. I almost lost the baby and when that happened Lee said I couldn't afford to be that stressed anymore so maybe it would be better if I got away for a while to figure everything out. In order to do that, I couldn't tell Jack what was going on so…"

Carly rambled on, trying to explain but Polk cut her off.

"…so you lied!" He exclaimed, finishing for her. "Were you ever going to tell the father of your child the truth?"

"Yes!" Carly yelled back but once again Polk just kept going before she could explain herself.

"Or were you going to keep this deception up and continue to drag my client's daughter deeper into your lies?" Polk dug at her, his eyes gleaming like a hyena intent on a kill.

The frustration that had welled up inside of her, along with the raging hormones, caused Carly to begin to cry.

"Stop it! Of course I was going to tell Jack! Everything was so confusing and I didn't know what to do! Don't you understand? I just needed time!" Carly repeated and then suddenly everything in her view went fuzzy. Swaying slightly in her seat, Carly placed her head in her hands in an attempt to try to calm the dizziness.

"Stop him! She can't have this much stress!" Lee yelled, all of his doctoring instincts taking over.

At the tone of Lee's voice, Jack's eyes narrowed and he took in Carly's appearance. Her eyes were closed and she was very pale with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Jack stood quickly and leaned forward to grip the divider in front of him.

"Carly?" He asked, desperately wanting to go to her but holding back out of respect for the judge.

"Jack?" Carly said, hearing his voice as if her head was wrapped in cotton. She tried again to open her eyes, but the light in the courtroom was suddenly excruciatingly bright. "I…can't…catch…my breath, Jack."

"Ms. Tenney, are you alright?" Judge Miller asked and they all watched as Carly struggled to get to her feet.

Without warning, Carly doubled over and let out a loud cry of pain.

"Mom!" Parker and J.J.'s combined yell echoed through the courtroom and spurred everyone into action.

Jack was the fastest, as he wasted no time jumping over the divider of the courtroom while ignoring the yells from the bailiff and judge. He made it to the witness stand just in time to catch Carly when her knees buckled. As she sagged in his arms, he could feel her hot tears on his skin as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Jack. God, I'm…so…sorry. Forgive me. I just…wanted…to keep…our baby safe." Carly sobbed and any hard feelings towards her actions disappeared for the moment.

Deep in his heart he knew that she had done what she thought was right to protect their child. And as angry and confused as he was, only one thing mattered right then. Carly and their unborn child needed him and he was damned if he would let his family slip through his fingers again.

"It's okay, Baby. Everything's all right." Jack said and kissed her temple, even as she slumped lower in his arms. Carly smiled with difficulty against his chest and then let out another gasp of pain. Her arms encircled her stomach and Jack tightened his grip on her, holding her close to him as he also simultaneously tried to hold her up. "Lee? Lee get over here!"

His frantic call for the doctor wasn't needed because, by now, Lee had rushed over too and was taking Carly's pulse. Glancing down, Lee noticed a small pool at their feet that he immediately recognized to be blood tinged amniotic fluid.

"Dammit," Lee whispered and Jack's eyes flew to look down and then back at the doctor's face. Lee met his panicked stare for a moment before turning away to look for the bailiff.

"Get an ambulance here now!"

"No! Jack…it's…too early. She…can't come…now." Carly cried and clutched at him as another contraction hit, bringing with it a wave of dizziness.

"Carly, Luv, you have to try and stay calm." Lee said, frowning as her pulse jumped under his fingertips.

Thankfully it was only a few minutes later that the courtroom doors opened and the EMTs piled in. Lee began giving them information as Jack held Carly's hand, whispering into her ear softly.

As the EMTs started to load Carly onto the gurney to wheel out, Lee paused by the others. Mattie flung herself into his arms and he kissed the top of her head.

"We'll see you there." Molly said, coming to stand by them, and Lee bent down to kiss her softly on the lips.

"Wait, your Honor. You can't just let him leave and take my client's daughter with him! The custody hearing isn't nearly resolved yet and..." Polk started to say but Lee cut him off. Growling, he grabbed the annoying lawyer's lapels and pulled him so he was inches from Lee's face.

"Do you not understand? If I don't get this woman to a hospital now, we could lose her and the baby! Carly is more a part of our family then that man will ever be. So I am going to the hospital and Mattie is going to meet us there with my fiancée, got it?"

"Your Honor!" Polk squeaked out but Lee let him go with a tiny shove and then pivoted on his heel. Polk turned an incredulous face to Judge Miller who just shrugged.

"I didn't see a thing." The judge said, before banging his gavel to officially announce that court was over.

Mattie had let go of Lee when he went for Polk and immediately latched herself onto both Molly and Parker's hands. Now, along with J.J., Lily, Holden, and Emma, they all watched as the EMTs rushed Carly out the doors, with Jack holding her hand and Lee barking orders as he hurried behind them.

"Carly and the baby are going to be fine. You'll see." Emma said but as they hastened to the parking lot to follow the ambulance to the hospital, it was Lee's urgent words to Polk, not hers, that echoed in all of their minds.