Hi guys, sorry I've been slacking on the updating, especially with Patience. I'm swamped with work at the moment, hence the tardiness. Sorry :( I hope you guys will bear with me. Anyway, here's the new chapter. It's mostly Naley fluff again, I hope you guys are not tired of that already but I felt like writing it anyway so I hope you guys will like it. Thank you again for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter and I hope the reviews will keep on coming. Love you guys! Cheers! ;)

Warning: mature content ahead

Chapter 21

"Nathan, will you stop fussing already? You're giving me a headache," Haley complained when they got to the hospital for her routine check up. All morning Nathan had been all over her to make sure that she was as comfortable as she could be. As sweet as that sounded, it was starting to annoy her.

"I'm sorry. I just want to make sure you're alright," he said as soon as they were settled in and waiting for their doctor to come in.

She saw the disappointment in his face and immediately regretted being harsh. She knew that he meant well. She could only blame her irritation on her hormones and the fact that she was feeling a bit of discomfort lately.

"I'm sorry baby. I love that you love me that much but you need to calm down once in a while and leave all the panicking to me okay?" she said jokingly in an attempt to make him smile. Her tactics worked when she saw him grin and she grinned along with him.

Haley rubbed her stomach to ease the discomfort that she was feeling. She was already six months pregnant and she was still throwing up every day. She was afraid that something might be wrong but she didn't want to voice out her fear to Nathan. He already had enough to worry about.

"How's everybody doing today?" a voice jerked them both. They both looked up and saw Dr. Montgomery come in with a smile on her face and Haley's file in her hand.

Haley returned her smile albeit nervously. "I'm fine but I don't think Nathan is," she said.

"Hey!" Nathan protested. He looked at the doctor and laughed. "Well, actually it's true. But hey I'm gonna be a dad for the first time. I think I deserve to not be fine." Dr. Montgomery laughed along with him.

"Don't worry. You're not the first father I've seen behaving like this. It's perfectly normal." She clasped her hand together and looked at them both. "Shall we start?"

Haley nodded and laid down. She took a deep breath and let the doctor smear the cold gel on her stomach. Nathan noticing her nervously immediately grasped her hand tightly and gave her an encouraging smile. A few moments later, an image of their baby appeared on the screen. Nathan has seen images of his baby countless times, and it always left him in total awe, and this time was no different. He smiled broadly and squeezed Haley's hand. He looked at the doctor and his smile instantly disappeared when he saw the frown on the doctor's face.

"What is it?" he asked. Haley sat up a little bit trying to see what the doctor was seeing and felt panic rising in her throat.

"Is something wrong?" she asked fearfully.

Dr. Montgomery smiled kindly but they could tell that something was definitely not right. "I'm sure it's nothing but your baby's heart seems to beat a little slowly."

"What?" Haley asked. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure yet, but what I want to do right now is a fetal echocardiography, if that's alright with you."

Nathan looked at her quizzically. "Wait, an echocardiography?"

The doctor took a deep breath and looked at him levelly. "It's something like an ultrasound but in this test, sound waves are used to create a picture of your baby's heart. It's probably nothing but I'd like to make sure."

Nathan and Haley exchanged looks. "Nathan, I'm scared," she whispered fearfully.

He cupped her face in his hand and looked at her intently. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. Let's just do the test and see what happens okay?" She nodded and the doctor proceeded to set up the machines.

"So you're getting married this Sunday?" the doctor asked in an attempt to distract them.

"Yeah, we are," Nathan answered and smiled at Haley, who had turned pale.

"You must be excited," she continued to chatter although Haley didn't seem to hear a word she was saying. "Okay here we go. Haley, why don't you lie down again. I just need to remind you that it might take a while for the test results to come out but I promise as soon as it does, I will call you."

They both nodded and Haley laid down as instructed and a few minutes later it was over. "Okay, we're all done. That wasn't so bad, was it?" the doctor said smilingly although Haley didn't return her smile. She got up and got dressed quietly while the doctor talked to Nathan.

"Everything else looks okay. Like I said, I will call you as soon as I get the results. In the meantime, Nathan you continue fussing over Haley as much as you want okay?" she said teasingly.

Nathan shook her hand firmly. "Thank you Dr. Montgomery. Haley, are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said quietly and attempted a smile at the doctor. "Thank you doctor." The doctor squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and let them out the door. She stood watching them for the longest time before taking the printed result of the test and studied it and sighed.

The drive back home was filled with silence to say the least. Nathan tried to make small talks with Haley but she just seemed distracted. He knew that she was worried about what the doctor said earlier about their baby. To be honest, he was too although he didn't want to show it. He knew that if his worry and fear showed, Haley would crumble more easily. They walked hand in hand into the house and Haley immediately went straight into the kitchen to make a cup of hot chocolate to calm her nerves. She had laid off coffee a few months ago since she read an article about how coffee would be bad for the baby.

Nathan continued to watch her in silence, letting her do her own things first before attempting to bring the subject up. He watched her settle down and took sips from her mug.

"If you put your nose in that mug any further, you're gonna need a snorkel," Nathan commented as he sat down next to her.

Haley looked up to him sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm just-" She left the words hang in the air between them, afraid to admit her feelings.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know. But the doctor said that she will let us know as soon as the test results come in. So why don't we leave the worrying till later and just enjoy this week," he said. "Don't you have to meet Brooke later to try on your dress?" he asked in an attempt to distract her.

"Yeah, but I don't really feel like going out anymore."

"Haley," Nathan said sternly. "You are going out and you are going to try on that dress and you're gonna look beautiful. Don't make me drag you out of the house," he said in his most serious voice.

"Are you gonna use that tone when our child misbehaves?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Why?"

"It's kind of sexy. Do it again," she said and grabbed the front of his shirt. Automatically his hands wrapped around her waist to draw her closer.

Nathan grinned at her playfulness and was glad that she was at least distracted. He could already feel his pants getting tighter. Unfortunately her distraction didn't last very long. "Wait, as much as I want to have sex with you right now, I don't think we should. At least not until the doctor says everything is alright with the baby."

He had to bite back his groan of frustration. "Haley, come on. You said before that having sex is good for the baby. And what's good for the baby is good for us, right?" he said, trying to make her change her mind.

She kissed his cheek and pushed him away. "Sorry babe. Not until we hear from the doctor."

"We might as well lay off sex altogether," he said sulkily.

Haley's face brightened at that. "Hey that sounds like a good idea. How about we don't have sex until the wedding?" She asked and waited for his reaction. "Do you still love me?" she asked cheekily.

"That's cruel Hales. The wedding is four days away!" he wailed. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, hoping with all his heart that she was just teasing him.

"Yeah, it would be fun. I want our wedding night to be special. So are you in?"

He groaned in frustration. "Ok if that's what you really want. So I can't do this to you?" he asked and planted soft kisses on her neck.

She felt her resolve wane with his every touch. "Well, I suppose you can do that," she said breathily.

"How about this?" he teased as his lips traveled from her neck to her cheek and finally settled on her lips. He tasted her, drinking her in and loving the way she thrust her tongue inside his mouth. "I think we should take this to the bedroom." She nodded compliantly as he led her to his bedroom and pushed her gently onto the bed. "I think we deserve one more night," he said softly and kissed her again. Her mouth opened immediately beneath his and her tongue darted out, licking his lips before pressing against his own tongue. He sighed against her lips, loving the feeling of her searing tongue tangling with his. He gently squeezed her hip, the contact startling her.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently and brought his hand up to caress her face, the contours of her face already etched in his memory.

"Nothing," she said quietly. As usual everytime they made love, she would feel her heart constrict at the amount of love that she had for him. "I love you," she whispered softly.

He lowered his face and kissed her again deeply. He quickly shed his clothings and threw them carelessly around him, not caring where they landed. At the sight of his naked form above her, her eyes darkened with passion and she thought to herself that she could never get tired of or get enough of his chiseled body. He then slowly unbuttoned her blouse, and when his fingers reached the button where her bulging tummy was, he lowered his face and kissed it gently. Haley's eyes glistened with tears at the sight of that act of love and reached out to touch his face. He smiled at her and continued to discard her clothes slowly. He sighed when he was finally rid of her last piece of clothing and marveled at her.

"You're so beautiful Haley," he said softly and began leaving a trail of soft kisses on her neck, making her sigh appreciatively. His lips traveled down until they reached the peaks of her rounded breasts. She let out a soft moan, encouraging him further. He deftly touched his tongue to one nipple, sending shudders after shudders up and down her spine.

"Nathan," she breathed. At the sound of his name on her lips, he closed his mouth on her nipple and suckled on her making her groan. God he loved the sounds she made when they made love. He ran one hand possessively down her side and slid it deftly between her thighs. She parted them willingly and moaned against his mouth as he touched her aching centre and groaned when he felt her wetness. He gently rubbed her centre before plunging his finger inside of her, making her gasp at the contact. She arched her back as she felt an intense heat radiating her body. "God Nathan, I want you so much," she whimpered.

He brought her lips to hers and whispered against her soft lips. "I know baby. I want you you too," he said as he continued to stroke her. He was relentless, thrusting with his finger inside of her while he sucked and nibbled alternately on her taut nipples. Almost immediately, he felt her hips buckled as her orgasm overtook her. He waited until she came down from her high before he rolled off and pulled her gently on top of him. He didn't want to hurt her and was glad that she took to the idea instantly. He pulled her head down and kissed her with all the love and intensity that he felt for her. Still deepening their kiss, she lowered herself down and guided him until they were finally joined. He groaned at the contact and pulled her closer.

"God I love you Haley," he managed to say in ragged breaths. They stayed still for a moment and continued to kiss, their tongues tangling and their bodies joined. As she felt him move beneath her, she felt her her own passion starting to build up again. They moved slowly and surely and he closed his eyes in ecstasy. "I'll never stop wanting you," he declared as he drove into her again and again until they both cried out with pleasure, coming at the exact same time.

He stroked her head and laid still until their breaths returned to normal. Finally she lifted her head and smiled at him drowsily. He kissed her forehead and grinned. "Are you sure you want to lay off that till this weekend?"

She returned her grin and said, much to his disappointment. "Yes, I'm sure. And don't you dare pull that stunt on me again, mister," she said sternly. She extricated herself from his body and rolled over to her side. They laid there quietly facing each other. Suddenly her beautiful face contorted as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

"Haley? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. She didn't answer him as she rubbed her stomach soothingly. The truth was she didn't know what was wrong. She thought that it could be nothing and didn't want to worry him unnecessarily. "Baby? Talk to me," he urged and laid his own hand on her stomach.

She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just the baby kicking," she lied hoping her voice didn't betray her fear.

He didn't feel as if anything was amiss and smiled at the mention of their baby kicking within her. "That's my boy," he said happily and kissed the bulge. She laid there quietly and listened as he made baby talks with her stomach. She was torn between calling the doctor and voicing out her concerns and waiting for the results of the scan. She decided to wait, seeming that Nathan was excited about the wedding. She continued to listen to him talk to their baby, and laughed out loud as she heard him promise his "boy" to take him to the basketball court as soon as he could.

"You're unbelievable," she started to say.

"What?" he asked her innocently.

"And what if your "boy" turns out to be a girl?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, who says a girl can't play basketball too?" he retorted and returned his attention to her stomach. "Did you hear that, daddy's little girl. We'll show mommy that girls can play too."

Suddenly he propped his head on one elbow and looked at her. "Hey, have you thought about baby names yet?"

"No, not really. Everything's been going crazy around here. Why? Have you?" He looked at her guiltily and she laughed at his excitement. "Oh my God Nathan Scott. How many names have you got already?"

"A few," he said grudgingly.

"Well, let me hear it although I have to warn you, as I'm the mother, I have the right to veto any name that I don't like."

He looked at her in shock. "Hey, no fair! I spent a lot of time thinking of these names," he said, inadvertently admitting to her. She gave him a weird look and laughed at him. He ignored her laugh and said, "well, if it's a boy, I was thinking of Paul."

"Veto," she immediately said.

"What's wrong with Paul?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to veto it," she said mischievously. He gave her a dirty look which made her laugh even more. "And what if it's a girl?"

"Lily." He said simply. She said the name, loving the sound it made as it came out of her mouth. "I like that," she said, her face growing soft. He stared at her beautiful face and felt utter contentment. He knew that there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be, except by her side. He felt a sudden surge of elation as he pictured their baby. It didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl. He knew that he would love this baby unconditionally.

"You're quiet," he said, noticing her silence. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with the baby. She was used to the movements of the baby and lately, the movements had slowed. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about the wedding," she lied. She looked at his upturned face and kissed him. "I can't wait to be your wife."

He kissed her back obligingly and felt his desire for her ignite again. "Hey, what do you think about a second-"

She didn't let him finish his sentence. "Oh no you don't. I have to meet Brooke in an hour," she said and glanced at the clock.

"An hour is all I need," he said cockily before swooping down for another searing kiss, making her squeal in delight. "I think you're gonna regret making that suggestion," he said teasingly.

"I think I already am," she murmured as they continued to explore each other's body again, their sounds reverberating throughout the room. She felt all her worries disappear as he took her to new heights, again and again.