A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. I really appreciate them. This chapter's a little shorter than I wanted, but hopefully you'll like it anyway.

Nick loved his sister-in-law as much as the next guy. Really, he did. But frankly, he didn't understand why he and Miley needed to be there when they found out what the baby was. But Lilly had insisted. She obviously loved having her best friend around for this pregnancy, since she couldn't be there when she was pregnant with Myles. And of course, Miley had insisted that Nick come along too.

So, it was a pretty crowded hospital room. Nick looked out the window as the doctors were talking to Lilly and Joe. He wasn't gonna lie. This was pretty boring. Miley seemed to be a lot more interested than he was. Then again, she was a woman.

He could see three small figures on the patio two stories below them. One was a small child obediently holding on to his father's arm. The other was an older girl who looked like she had too much sugar. Running all over the place while the dad tried to get her to settle down. Nick chuckled to himself. The things you see outside hospital windows. He chuckled again when he realized that would be Joe before too long.

"Nick, come here!", Miley breathed, capturing his attention from the family outside. He sighed, and made his way to her side. They were all staring at the baby's sonogram in wonder.

"So, that's my little nephew, huh?", Nick remarked, wrapping his arm around Miley's waist.

Joe and Lilly looked at the doctor, as if to ask if it was indeed a nephew.

"Would you two like to know what you're having?", she asked curiously, just to make sure that she didn't reveal anything if they didn't want to know.

They both nodded excitedly, but it was Miley who spoke. "Yes, they absolutely want to know. See, we have a bet on this", she informed the doctor, motioning to herself and Nick.

"If I win, we're dressing up as a hot dog and a milk carton for Halloween", Nick grinned. Everyone burst into laughter, even the doctor.

Miley rolled her eyes in amusement. "And if I win, we're dressing up as Superman and Lois Lane."

"You guys are actually gonna dress up for Halloween?", Joe asked, not entirely believing them. They nodded. "That is so not fair! Lilly never lets us dress up!"

"Okay, honey. You can dress up for Halloween. You can be Lex Luthor, so you can go trick-or-treating with Miley and Nick."

"We're not going trick-or-treating", Miley said as she and Nick laughed. "We volunteered to help out at the school for the Halloween carnival."

"Ohhhh. See, that makes more sense", Joe remarked. "Do they need anybody else?"

The doctor just chuckled, thinking it must be fun to be part of this family. "Well, Mr. Lucas", she said as she turned to Nick. "I think you might better be finding your red cape."

"Huh?"

"It's a girl?", Lilly asked, grinning widely.

The doctor nodded. "Congratulations, you two. You're having a baby girl."

Miley excitedly turned to Nick. "I told you!"

"Yeah yeah", he responded, though he couldn't suppress a smile himself. He looked at his brother, who looked shell-shocked. He patted Joe on the back. "Congrats, man. Looks like you're gonna have a daughter."

"Uh-huh", he replied, still in shock. He had really been counting on this baby being a boy because the idea of having a little girl terrified him. Belle was only in first grade and she had already been freakin' proposed to! He began to hyperventilate.

Lilly rolled her eyes in response to her husband. "Well, this is a lot different than when we found out Myles was a boy."

Miley giggled. "What is it about guys wanting to have boys? You can't be that intimidated by girls."

"I think it boosts their ego to get to brag on their star quarterback son. But it just makes them want to pull their hair out when they have to keep the boys away from their homecoming queen daughter", Lilly commented. "All that stress is what contributes to premature baldness in men."

Joe looked even more freaked out by that possibility. "Oh, no. I am not going to go bald. We'll homeschool her first."

Nick heard his stomach growl as they were leaving the hospital room. He decided he would stop by the vending machine, and the others agreed to wait for him in the parking lot. As he began to slip coins into the slot, he heard the distinctive sound of a woman crying.

He turned to see a woman sitting on a bench a few feet away with her head buried in her hands. It wasn't really any of his business. But he couldn't help but be concerned for her.

"Excuse me?", he said softly, approaching her. "Are you okay?"

He gasped when she lifted her head up, and it was none other than Macy. This was getting kind of weird. She hadn't been back in town long, but it seemed like he was running into her everywhere. But at the hospital? What was she even doing here?

"Nick?", she said quietly. "Why are you here?"

"My sister-in-law had a doctor's appointment", he replied, reluctantly sitting down next to her. "What's wrong? You look really upset."

She shook her head, and looked back down. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing. Come on, Macy. What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath, and then looked him in the eyes. "I'm sick. I'm really sick. And I'm really scared."

"What do you mean you're sick?", Nick asked gently.

"I have cancer", Macy whispered, letting a tear stream down her cheek.

"Cancer? But you're so young", he pointed out in disbelief. She looked perfectly healthy to him.

"Yeah, apparently breast cancer can happen in young women too", she sighed. "They said it was still early, so my chances of beating it are pretty favorable. But I'm scared. And I've never felt so alone in my entire life."

He didn't really know what to say. What do you say to someone who was just diagnosed with cancer? He just slowly put his arm around her, and let her cry on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay", he said softly. "You're going to be okay."

"Nick, are you okay?", Miley asked, noting how shaken he had seemed for the past few days. Like he was physically there but his mind was somewhere completely different.

He nodded, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I'm fine, baby."

She sighed as he walked into the other room to unload the clothes from the dryer. Following him, she propped her body up against the wall and stared at him. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not fine?"

"Miley, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Well, you kind of have to. Because we don't keep secrets from each other, remember?", she reminded him.

"It's not even about us", Nick said as he continued to toss clothes into the basket.

"But whatever it's about is upsetting you. Please tell me. Maybe I can help."

"I doubt it", he replied, setting the basket onto the washing machine. Then, he looked at her. "My ex-girlfriend has cancer."

Miley's eyes widened. "You mean Macy?"

He nodded. "It's just kind of getting to me. I mean, I hate it for her. But the worst part was when I thought about how I would feel if it was you."

"Oh, Nick", she said softly, wrapping her arms around him.

He held onto her tightly. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"You'll never have to find out", she assured him, brushing her finger against his cheek. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere."

She slowly pulled away from his embrace, as pity for the other woman set in. "I can't imagine how scared she must be", Miley said sympathetically. "If that was me, I would be terrified."

And she would be. But more for Nick and Belle than for herself. She knew that it would leave a huge void if something were to happen to her. But now, she could take comfort in the fact that her daughter would have a home, even if she wasn't there. That used to be her biggest fear. That Jake would eventually kill her, and Belle would have no one.

"I don't think she really has anybody", Nick commented, running his fingers through his hair.

Miley gave him a faint smile, knowing what had to come next. "She has you. And she'll get through this with your help."

His expression reflected his surprise. "You want me to help Macy through this?"

"I do. Because she needs you right now. I know how it feels to be scared and alone, and you wish more than anything that you had someone to be there for you. She shouldn't have to go through this alone."

He couldn't help but smile at her selflessness. "You know she had the intention of getting back together with me when she came back to town", he reminded her.

"I know", she replied. "And I can't say I really blame her. You're one in a million, Superman."

"Well, so are you, Ms. Lane", he uttered, slowly pressing his lips to hers.

He made a mental note to thank God for her before he went to bed that night. Because she was truly a miracle. Everything that she had been through couldn't manage to harden her heart. She still thought about others before herself. He didn't know how she did it. But he prayed that he would never know how it felt to live a life without her.

So, a hint for next chapter: It's time for Halloween! Will there be tricks or treats? Hmmm...