Alex tried calling Derek, only to discover he hadn't taken his phone with him. She called Rachel and told her about what happened.
"If I happen to see him, I'll try to tell him to go home," Rachel told her. "I can't guarantee anything though."
"I think he might come around looking for them if he can't find them at any clincs after a while."
"But you said that Ilsa changed her mind, Alex."
"But Derek doesn't know that. If he thinks she's afraid of coming home, he might think Nick took her to you."
Rachel looked out her window. "He must've already canvassed the nearest clinics. He just drove up."
"Good, you can talk to him."
Rachel waited for Derek to come in, as she knew he would.
"Did Nick bring Ilsa here?" Derek asked her the moment he came in.
"No, he didn't, but Alex called me. Nick brought Ilsa back about thirty minutes after you left."
Derek turned to leave.
"Nick told Alex she didn't get the abortion."
He stopped. "She didn't? What changed her mind?"
"Nick didn't say. But... he said the doctor did an ultrasound and she's having twins."
This caused Derek to take a seat. "Twins? My daughter is having twins?"
"I think you might want to take it easy on Nick, Derek. From what Alex said, it sounds like that bit of news surprised him as much as it did you."
Derek found Nick in his room. "What changed her mind?"
Nick shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. She's been asleep ever since we got back and I'm not going to wake her up to talk to her about it." He turned to Derek. "What is it with her? She wants one thing, then she doesn't."
"It's called hormones. She'll drive you crazy when she starts getting cravings."
"Cravings?" Nick looked like he was already dreading the idea.
"Oh, yes. She'll wake you up at all hours of the night to get food for her. Did I mention you'll be sleeping in the same room as her until she gives birth?"
"What?"
"Someone has to stay with her at night. Besides, the doctor might decide to put her on bed rest at some point. Who better than the man who got her into the condition she's in?"
"This is your way of punishing me for sleeping with her isn't it?" Nick asked.
"That's exactly what it is."
Philip and Annika were quietly married within a few days.
Derek had taken her to the doctor the day before and an ultrasound had revealed that she was also having twins.
"You realize that if Ilsa decides she wants to keep her babies, you'll have four grandchildren running around the house?" Alex said.
"I know that. The real problem is; what if Nick's the one who wants to keep them but she doesn't."
"Well, that could be a problem. How is he handling you deciding to make them sleep in the same room?"
"He tries to act like he doesn't like it, but I think they're both secretly enjoying it. Philip told me he heard them... doing something last night. Apparently, the fact that she's pregnant isn't affecting their libidos."
"You're the one who decided to put them in the same room."
"And maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I went upstairs a little while ago and they had the door locked. My intent wasn't for him to... to... satisfy her... sexual needs."
"Derek, they're going to do that whether you like it or not. She is an adult."
Seven months later
Nick woke up during the night and realized Ilsa was clutching one of his arms. She was already breathing heavily. He had some difficulty sitting up in bed. "Hey, let go, honey. I've gotta get you to the hospital." Nick felt a growing wetness on the bed as Ilsa suddenly screamed in pain.
Derek came into the room seconds later.
"She's not letting me get her to a hospital," Nick told him.
"With the way she's acting her labor might be progressing too quickly for a hospital." Derek helped Nick pry Ilsa's hand off his arm. "We're going to have to get her into the birthing position now."
Less than ten minutes later, Ilsa had started to give birth. "C'mon, you've gotta really bear down," Nick told her. "Those babies want out."
"Shut up!" Ilsa roared. "You're the one who did this to me! You're never touching me again!"
"That's the pain talking," Derek said. "Baby's almost here."
Soon, the room was filled with the sound of a crying newborn.
"Nick, you have a son," Derek said.
"Hey, look at that," Nick said to Ilsa as Derek brought the baby over. "You're halfway there."
"You might want to hold him before the other one decides to make their appearance," Derek said. Derek handed the baby over. He had to wrap Ilsa's arms around the baby. "Don't be afraid of him. He's yours."
"Look at those little fingers," Nick said as tears slipped down Ilsa's cheeks. "And you've been afraid of this all this time?" Nick's finger brushed against a tiny hand and was grasped in the baby's tiny fingers.
"He knows who you are," Derek said.