Beautiful Disaster (Completed *cries*) | PG-13

[OrliKeiraluva]

*clutches chest* Oh my aching heart!! Ok, breathe mj, breeaaathee...great update btw!

[venus567]

Please update soon!

[Miss Knightley]

Alright ladies, these next few updates will be rather emotional...


“I’m looking for the party that came in with Jillian Bloom.” Orlando lifted his head and I was immediately awake. We all looked in the direction of the elderly doctor as he came into the waiting room.

“That’s us,” Gary told him.

The doctor blinked. “All of you?” We nodded and he sat down, pulling slim glasses from his face and sticking them in his white jacket pocket. Looking at Orlando, he nodded slightly. “You are her brother?” Orlando said yes and leaned forward in his seat, ready to listen to whatever the doctor had to say. “Your sister is resting comfortably right now. We’ve managed to calm her down and she’s asleep for the time being.”<br>
“How is the baby?” I asked eagerly.

“The baby is fine,” he quickly reassured us. “We’re going to try and keep it nice and snug in there for as long as we can.”<br>
Ashley blinked. “So she hasn’t had it yet?”<br>
“No.” The doctor sighed. “Does she have a regular doctor?”<br>
Orlando glanced at me before shrugging. “I assume so.”<br>
“Mr. Bloom, your sister has sever pre-eeclampsia.”<br>
“What does that mean?”<br>
“There are toxins in her body that are working against her right now.”<br>
“What causes that?” Hayden asked.

“Well, it can be caused my many things. Too much stress, not enough rest, too much sodium…the cause of it hasn’t been pinpointed and tagged to one certain thing, but we do know that it can be deadly to both mother and child.” I gasped softly and bit my lip as Orlando reached for my hand. “She’s on a cocktail, mostly a magnesium saline drip right now to try and get her hydrated and a little more comfortable. She’s also been given a slight sedative to calm her down and try and regulate her blood pressure.” He saw my mouth open and smiled, anticipating my question. “The baby is fine for the moment. Heartbeat could be a little higher, but overall, she still looks good.”<br>
“She?” I looked at Orlando as his features melted into a smile and he repeated,” she?”<br>
The doctor smiled and nodded. “She.” I kissed Orlando’s shoulder and he grinned proudly. “If there isn’t anything else I can answer for you,” the doctor said as he stood. “I’ll get back and make sure everything is still alright.”<br>
“Can we go see her?” Orlando asked quickly.

He hesitated before he sighed. “I’m going to have to limit it to immediate family only for the time being.”<br>
With a nod, he grabbed my hand and looked at the others in the waiting room. “You all can go home. There’s nothing you can do here but wait. But I promise to call you as soon as anything comes up.” Looking at me, he said, “You can come in since you’re my fiancé.” I smiled slightly and nodded at his wink.

“Give her our best,” Mary-Kate said as she embraced me. “And try not to look too panicked or she’ll be even more stressed.”<br>
“We’ll keep her calm,” Orlando said, giving Ashley a hug. He got hugs from Hayden and Gary too before they all left. Taking my hand once more, Orlando looked at the doctor. “We’re ready now.” He nodded and told us to follow him.

The room she was in was dark and slightly chilly. There was a TV on the wall, a small refrigerator in the corner beside a very uncomfortable looking chair, and the bed Jill was tucked into. Her eyes were closed and her head was slumped slightly to the side with an oxygen tube secured under her nose. Her left arm was bruised where an IV needle had been inserted and taped and an oxygen meter was clipped to her middle finger. There were four or five monitors beside her bed, all beeping merrily as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

Heath looked up as soon as we came in, melting into a relieved smile. He stood up from the uncomfortable chair and first embraced Orlando, then me. “There hasn’t been any change,” he told the doctor quietly.

“That’s good.” The doctor checked the machines and nodded. “I’ll have someone look in on her every hour. If she wakes up, that’s fine. But as soon as she starts to feel uncomfortable again, push the call button and we’ll get someone in here to help her out.”<br>
“Alright. Thank you doctor.” He offered a slight smile before leaving us alone.

I bit my lip and clasped my hands together under my chin. “She looks so pale.”<br>
“She’s looking a lot better than when we first got here though,” Heath reassured. “When I found her she was white as a ghost and her hands and face were all swollen…” He sat on the window ledge and shook his head, looking at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless in my life.”<br>
“I don’t understand,” I cried softly. “She was perfect this morning, her usual cheerful self. Why didn’t she say that she wasn’t feeling well?”<br>
“The doctor said she could have had this - this eeclampsia stuff for weeks and she wouldn’t have known it. The symptoms are practically non existent until they hit you hard.”

Orlando walked over to the bed and gently pushed the soft blonde hair from Jill’s face. “Don’t worry, Jilly,” he whispered. “You’re going to be just fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, or your baby.”<br>
Heath sighed, looking exhausted. “I need a cigarette.” He cringed. “No, I don’t need a cigarette. I need to stop smoking.”<br>
“It’s not good for the baby,” he and Orlando said at the same time. Orlando nodded. “I know, I’m trying to quit too.”<br>
“Did he tell you what she’s having?’ Heath asked.

Orlando smiled and nodded, not taking his eyes from his baby sister. “A girl.”<br>
“A girl,” Heath repeated. Looking at Jill, he tilted his head. “She’s going to be such a good mother.”<br>
I nodded. “Yes she is.” A sudden thought struck me and I looked at Orlando. “Is Jeremy coming?”<br>
“No,” he answered after a moment. “He’s staying with Arianna. She was in an accident.”<br>
I gasped. “Is she alright?”<br>
Though it was slight, I saw Orlando’s expression harden. “She’s perfectly fine.” With a sigh, he finally looked at me. “I honestly don’t know if Jeremy is coming, or when. But I don’t want to talk to him right now, and I don’t want to think about him or Ari. I just want to concentrate on Jilly.” Heath and I exchanged glances, and settled into a silence that would carry us all through most of the night.

[venus567]

wow! That was emotional! ;D

[babybug]

as always...beautiful update!

[Miss Knightley]

She woke up at two in the morning with a scream to shatter glass. The three of us startled awake to see Jill sitting up in her bed with her hands over her ears, rocking back and forth screaming. Machines went off and before any of us had any time to react, three people rushed in and began to push buttons on her monitors, check the drip in her IV, try to hold her down as she screamed with all the power in her tiny body.

“It hurts!” she yelled, holding onto her head as thought it were going to explode.

“What’s happening?” Orlando asked, but his question was lost in the commotion. I clung to his side as we watched, helpless, as one of the doctors shoved a needle in her arm and she quieted some, finally laying back, collapsing into tears.

“It hurts,” she repeated, reaching for Heath. He clasped her hand in both of his. “It hurts.”<br>
“What’s wrong?” Heath pleaded with the doctor beside him.

“We’re going to have to do a C-section,” he said in a rush.

“But I thought…”

“We don’t have a choice. It’s now, or we risk losing both of them.” She was wheeled out of the room, still tucked into her bed and Heath still holding onto her hand. Orlando and I moved to follow, but the doctor we had met before stopped us. “I can’t allow more than one person in the room with her. Which person it is, is between all three of you. But decide soon. We don’t have much time.”<br>
I looked at Orlando. “Go. Heath will understand.” He nodded, kissed my forehead, and ran down the hall to catch up with them. It wasn’t long before Heath found me alone in the waiting room. I stood up as soon as I saw him and wrapped my arms around him.

“She told me she wasn’t feeling well,” he said softly, sitting. “When she went home, she said she wasn’t feeling well. I should have gone with her.”<br>
I knew nothing I said would make any difference in what he was feeling. There was no way to be sure he would even hear me. His mind was in the room with Jill as hours passed and we wondered if either she or her baby were going to make it.

After a lifetime of waiting, the doctor came back out and we stood. He looked weary and the amount of blood on his gown made me very uneasy. “Please sit.” We did and he sat across from us. “Jill is doing alright for the time being. It was touch and go throughout the surgery, simply because we couldn’t keep her blood pressure at a nominal level. She lost a lot of blood and we ended up putting almost a gallon and a half back into her throughout the course of the surgery.” My stomach lurched thinking of all that blood.

“But she’s going to be fine, right?” Heath asked

The doctor sighed. “We’ll know within the next 48 hours. This is a very critical time for her. She still has a lot of toxins in her, despite the fact that she’s almost has a complete blood transfusion over the course of these few hours.”<br>
I bit my lip, feeling tears in my eyes. “And the baby?”<br>
“The baby…” he said slowly. “She is also alright for the time being.” Both Heath and I let out sighs of relief. “She’s almost 14 inches long and she weights a little under two pounds. Three ounces under, to be exact.” I smiled even as I started to cry. “She’s in the Nic-U, which is the Neo-Natal Care Unit. We lost her heartbeat a few times and even now she can’t breathe without the help of a machine.”<br>
Heath blinked. “But she’ll be able to breathe on her own eventually, right?”<br>
“We’re giving her small doses of steroids to strengthen her lungs right now. Just like her mother, really, we’ll know more after 48 hours.”<br>
“But it sounds like she’s fighting, right?” Heath looked from me to the doctor. “You said you lost her heartbeat a few times, but she’s fine right now, so she’s fighting.”<br>
With a kind smile, the doctor nodded. “She is fighting. And let’s just pray that Jill does the same.”<br>
“She will,” I whispered, squeezing Heath’s hand. “When can we go see her?”<br>
“No one but the parent’s can see the baby just yet, and Jill is in recovery right now. I’d say in a couple of hours she should be back in her room and you can go see her then. Her brother is still with her if you two would like to go home. I can have him call you…”

“We’re staying here,” I interrupted. Heath nodded his agreement.

“Alright then,” the doctor said as he stood. “I will come and get you as soon as she is moved back to her room.”<br>
When he was gone, Heath sank in his chair and closed his eyes. “Oh, dear God….please don’t take either of those fragile girls from my life…”

[venus567]

wow! I hope both are okay!

[Miss Knightley]

Jill seemed to recover at a much slower pace than the doctor had wanted. Every time he came in to check on her he wore a frown. Heath, Keira, and I stayed at the hospital for the next two days, none of us wanting to leave. Though she tried to act as though she were feeling a lot better, my little sister was still very weak, and very tired. It wasn’t for two days later that I was able to see my tiny niece in the NICU.

Only allowed one visitor at a time other than Jill, Keira and Heath waited their turns in the spacious, kid-friendly waiting room, while Jill and I went in to see the baby. First we had to wash our hands with some sort of special soap, then dry them on lint free towels. After signing in, I pushed her wheel chair down the sterile hall and turning into a room with eight different incubators. “Right here,” Jill said softly. I turned the chair to our direct right and was surprised by the lump that rose in my throat.

She was spread out on her stomach with her little face turned to the side. There were IV’s and tubes stuck in the bottoms of her feet and oxygen under her little nose. Though her thin sheet of skin I could see her heart beating fast every time she breathed out. I watched her tiny fingers twitch as she slept and wondered if my thumb would even fit in the palm of her hand, she was so small.

“Gabriella.” I blinked and turned to looked down at the weary smile on Jill’s face. “It’s from Gabriel which means, ‘he who God protects.” Looking back at the baby, I smiled hearing her say it again. “Gabriella Rose.”<br>
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. “She’s beautiful.” Different alarms went off all around the room and I turned, wondering why no one was panicking. When one of Gabriella’s machines beeped out a warning, I looked for a doctor.

“It’s alright,” Jill said quietly. “It just means that she stopped breathing on her own and the machines have to kick in.” Pointing up to a monitor on the wall, she told me,” That’s her heart rate and the amount of oxygen in her blood.”<br>
“It’s so low.”<br>
“It’s alright, just watch.” A whirling sound made me look to a large machine behind the incubator and as I looked back to the monitor, I saw the numbers rise. “It’s breathing for her now. See how everything is evening out?” The beeping soon stopped and I realized I had been holding my breath.

“She so small…”

Jill nodded and pushed her chair closer to her baby. “She’s only one pound and nine ounces.”<br>
“She’s lost weight then?” I was starting to freak out, but Jill seemed so calm.

“The doctor said that’s normal. She’ll get the weight back soon. Do you want to touch her?”<br>
I blinked. “I can?”<br>
Looking up at me, Jill smiled. “Yeah.” She reached up and undid two clasps on the sides of the plastic incubator, lifting it up to rest on the top. She reached a hand in and stroked the side of Gabriella’s face with a finger. “You have a visitor, Gabby. Say hello to your uncle Orlando.”

I took a tentative step beside Jill and slowly reached in, grasping her little hand between my thumb and my forefinger. “Hello, Gabby.” My voice broke as I stared at her. Touching her velvety skin made it all too real to me. This was my sister’s child that was lying so small and so sick, and there was not one thing I could do about it. “How do you do it?” I asked Jill after a moment. I still held onto that tiny hand.

“Do what?”<br>
“You’re so calm.”<br>
“I’m too tired to be anything else, to be honest.” She smiled a little. “Give me another day or two, and then I’ll become crazy.”<br>
I shook my head. “I don’t think you will.” Letting go of Gabriella’s hand, I crouched to wrap my arms around Jill. “I love you so much, Jilly.”<br>
“I love you too, Lando. I’m so glad you’re here.”<br>
We must have stayed in there for at least a half an hour before I decided to let Keira have a turn. As I wheeled Jill into the waiting room, I caught sight of two additions to our small group. Jill lost her composure and started to cry when she saw Arianna and Jeremy. Jeremy got up at once and came to embrace her. Neither of them said anything as they embraced and I went to stand beside Keira. “She’s beautiful,” I whispered, pulling her close to wrap my arms around her. She looked around, glancing at Arianna with confusion at my actions. Arianna looked at the floor and remained in her seat with her arm in a sling, silent.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner,” Jeremy told Jill. “I’m so sorry, Jill.”<br>
“It’s okay,” she cried, almost strangling him with her embrace. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”<br>
Keira let Jeremy go in ahead of her, then she had her visit and we left when Jill and Heath went back in, knowing they would be in there for awhile. As we waited for the elevator, Keira bit her lip and shoved her hands in her pockets, keeping her gaze fixed on the closed steel doors. I knew she wasn’t aware of anything that had transpired and a twisted part of me enjoyed watching Arianna, knowing she was wondering how much Keira knew. “Anyone hungry?”<br>
We all looked at Jeremy. “I haven’t had much of an appetite lately,” I smiled. “But I really do appreciate the offer.” As the doors whispered open, I placed a hand at Keira’s back and led her into the elevator. Jeremy came in as well with a reluctant Arianna behind him.

“We all need to talk, Orlando. You can put it off for a little while, but you can’t avoid it forever.” I looked at my younger brother, knowing he was right but hesitant to admit that.

“Fine.” I pursed my lips and looked up at the illuminated floor numbers, watching the light move as we made our way to the first floor. “Then let’s meet for dinner tonight. Keira and I have been here for quite awhile. I think I speak for both of us when I say that it has been a long couple of days and sleep sounds much more inviting than food at the moment.” Keira seemed to flinch when everyone looked at her.

“Yes,” she said with a glance at me. “Sleep would be lovely.”<br>
I nodded. “I’ll get in touch with you in a few hours and tell you a good place to meet.” The doors slid open as we came to our floor. Keira exited quickly with me close behind. When we got to the car and I opened her door for her, she stopped just before getting in. “We have a lot to talk about,” I said softly. She resigned to a nod and got in. I shut the door and sighed, watching Arianna and Jeremy drive off, silently wondering if any of us were ever going to be truly happy.

[venus567]

fabulous!

[Kayla]

This story just gets better and better!!! KEEP GOING! ;D

[babybug]

oh my god, the whole baby thing really did make me cry

*goes off to read Be Mine for some happiness*

[Miss Knightley]

Aw, I dind't mean to make you cry sweetness!


I watched Orlando pace through the living room, smoking his third cigarette in five minutes. This action alone made me more nervous than I had ever been. He had been working on quitting and to see him so distressed to turn back to his security item could not mean anything good.

“How the hell did everything et so messed up?” he mumbled.

“Do you want me to make some tea?” He shook his head and snuffed out his half smoked cigarette, only to reach for another one a few seconds later. Tentatively, I rose from my chair and grabbed it before he could light it. “Whatever it is that has you so worked up, you need to tell me before you give yourself lung cancer or something.”<br>
With a wry smile, he finally looked at me. “Wouldn’t that be the cake topper?”<br>
“Orlando…” I cupped his face in my hands. “What happened?”<br>
With a long, deliberate sigh, his eyes fixed on the floor. “Arianna is pregnant.” Time stopped at that exact moment. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breath…couldn’t remove the frozen smile from my lips. Orlando took forever to look at me again. “We found out when she was in the hospital.”<br>
Slowly, I regained control of my body and pulled my hands from his face, everything in me sagging. “I…” I couldn’t think of anything to say that would be appropriate.

“And there’s more.” I wondered what else there could possibly be, but I couldn’t speak. “She’s slept with…been sleeping with…whatever - with Jeremy.” My eye bulged and I quickly looked at him. He nodded. “My reaction was a little more violent than that, but yes, my thoughts exactly.” My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “So we don’t know if the baby is mine.”<br>
“I don’t know what to say,” I managed at last.

“You don’t have to say anything.” He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. “Just tell me that it doesn’t change anything between us.”<br>
I pulled away slightly so I could look up at him. “But it does.”<br>
“No,” he protested. “It doesn’t have to.”<br>
“Orlando, you may have a child with Arianna. That changes everything.”<br>
“But we can’t let it.” He took me by the shoulders. “Don’t you see, Keira? I love you. I want to be with you. Only you. Nothing can make me feel any different.” I looked down. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said softly. “It doesn’t mean, just because she slept with my brother that you win me by default or anything.” He placed a gentle hand under my chin and lifted my face. “I loved you before I even knew. I made my choice before I went to see her, remember?”<br>
“I know.” Pulling away from him, I walked to the kitchen to find the phone. “I have to call Gary.” He gave me no reply and I dialed a phone number and shut myself in the bathroom.

“Hello.”<br>
Upon hearing Mary-Kate’s voice on the other end, my bottom lip began a tremble I couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry for calling you.”<br>
“Keira? What’s wrong?”<br>
As tears slid down my cheeks, I told her everything, trying to keep my tone soft. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said when I had finished. “I thought something had happened to Jill or the baby.” I was momentarily hurt that she was chiding me in my time of distress, but it made me see what a trivial thing this was compared to Jill’s situation. “I don’t mean to make it seem like I’m yelling at you,” she said tenderly. “You just scared me when the first thing you did was cry.”<br>
“I’m sorry,” I managed.

“Wow, so Arianna’s pregnant? That complicates things a bit, doesn’t it?”<br>
I sniffled and nodded, grabbing for some toilet paper to dry my eyes. “What if the baby is his?”<br>
“Well, then you’re in love with a man who is going to be a father. Does it make you love him any less? Or make him love you any less?”<br>
“No,” I bawled.

“Well there is your answer, hun. All you need is love. John Lennon, very smart guy.” I laughed a little. “I’m serious. You two can work through this. Just make sure you both talk when you need to. I know that you both tend to keep things bottled up until you explode, usually on each other.”<br>
“Okay. I’ll make sure we talk.” I sighed and looked at my wretched reflection in the mirror. “How did you get so smart, Mary-Kate?”<br>
This made her laugh. “Are you kidding? I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. I suck at advice giving. What you got was a one time only thing.” I smiled and from the tone of her voice, I could tell she was smiling too. “I love you guys.”<br>
“You know we love you too. Thank you for helping me.”<br>
“No problem, babe. Hey, can Jill have visitors yet?”<br>
“She can, yes, but no one that isn’t related can see the baby until she comes home I think.”<br>
“How long do you think that will be?”<br>
“I don’t know, to be honest, but I’m sure Heath and Jill would love to see you two.”<br>
“Alright, maybe we’ll go down after dinner. Try and relax, okay? This is only going to bring you two closer together, I know it.”<br>
“Thanks, Mary-Kate. I’ll talk to you later.”<br>
“Bye.”<br>
I hung up the phone and sniffled, trying to bring my breathing back to normal. I jumped when a knock came at the door. “I’ll be right out,” I announced, appalled at the red eyes and blotchy face in my reflection.

“Keira…are you alright?” His quiet question only made more tears come. I opened the door and fell into his arms, letting fresh tears fall as he nuzzled close to my neck, stroking my hair. “We’re going to be okay,” he whispered. “Alright? We are going to be wonderful.” I nodded. “We should have them over for dinner so we can all talk.” He took me by the shoulders and held me at arms length, trying to read my eyes. “Will you be alright with that?”<br>
“Yeah. That will be fine.” Again he held me close. “I’m sorry for crying.”<br>
“Don’t be sorry.” He kissed my shoulder. “Just know that I’m not letting you go. No matter what.”<br>

[venus567]

Fabulous update! I could just imagine it as if I was in a movie theatre watching this fanfic on screen.

[Miss Knightley]

I should warn you all, this is coming to an end soon. I think after this one there will be one more and then the final chapter.


Dinner was uncomfortable, to say the least. All four of us shifted in our seats, looking out the window, examining the pictures on the walls, making maps of the scratches in the table. I don’t know why, but I felt really sorry for Keira. I had never seen her so quiet or unconfident. She was the type of person that I thought always had the answers. But as she glanced at Orlando, waiting for someone to speak, I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“So how much do you know?” Jeremy finally asked her.

With another brief glance at Orlando, Keira bit her lip. “I, um…I think I know everything.”<br>
“But you two don’t.” The ironic tone Orlando used made us all look at him. He turned his dark eyes to me now and I shied away from his cold gaze. “The night you came to pick me up from the hospital…the whole reason I was coming to see you was to tell you that things were over between us.” I flinched, wanting to look away from him but unable to for some reason. “I was going to tell you that I had realized I was in love with Keira. I’ve been in love with her for awhile now, I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you and hurt you like that.”<br>
Tears stung my eyes. I knew I deserved anything but kindness from Orlando, but his words still stung. “I’m sorry,” was all I could manage.

“Why don’t you comfort her?” he asked his brother. “Can’t you tell that she’s unhappy?”<br>
“Orlando, please don’t make a scene.” I looked up slightly, watching the wordless exchange between he and Keira. “We can get through this without drawing unneeded attention to ourselves, right?” He took a breath and eventually nodded, obviously trying to find some sort of balance in her eyes.

“We can have a test done,” Jeremy said at length. Now I felt his hand reach for mine under the table and I thankfully weaved my fingers with his. “Trust me, this isn’t an ideal situation for any of us.”<br>
“Trust you?” Orlando repeated. “I’m sorry. We must have two different definitions of the word trust, because trust to me was believing someone was being honest and loyal to you.” Another look from Keira and he settled. It was amazing to me the effect she had on him. “Yes, a test should be done. As soon as possible.”<br>
Later, I sat in the hotel room I was sharing with Jeremy, tucked under a blanket as I sat at the window and watched as snow came down in soft flurries. Pressing my hand to the cold glass, I brought my face closer to the window and blew out, leaving a foggy cloud. I pulled back and used my finger to draw a sad face, then watched as the condensed moisture gathered at the eyes and edges of the mouth and ran down the window. My eyes followed them to the bottom of the window and stayed there.

“I made you some tea.” I heard Jeremy set a mug down on the table beside me, but I didn’t make any movement. As he sat, I could feel his eyes on me. “Are you alright? You haven’t said a word since before we left the restaurant.”<br>
“I’m fine,” was my whispered answer. I had meant for my voice to be stronger but when it defied me, I looked back out to window. “I don’t really feel anything right now. Just numb.”<br>
“It’s going to be alright, Ari.”<br>
“You don’t know that,” I stated calmly. “This could turn into something uglier than it already is.”<br>
“I don’t see how that could happen.”<br>
Shedding my blanket, I left my window seat to curl up on the couch. When I finally looked at him, Jeremy tried to smile. “Maybe I’ll just get an abortion.” His smile quickly left.

“Don’t even joke about that.”<br>
“Who said I’m joking?

“No matter who’s baby it is, neither of us would allow it.”<br>
“It’s my body,” I said, quiet but defiant. “I wouldn’t anyway. I don’t believe in it.”<br>
“I know you don’t”<br>
We sat in silence for awhile, both of us watching the snow fall and change colors in the failing light of the sun and turn neon from the lights of the city. I must have fallen asleep at one point because when I opened my eyes, the blanket was draped over me and the only thing that illuminated the room was the television. Sitting up slightly, I looked around, trying to remember where I was. “Jeremy?”<br>
“Right here, babe.” Suddenly he was standing over me and as he sat, I crawled into his arms, caught by unexpected sobs. “It’s alright,” he whispered, stroking my hair. “It’s going to be alright.”<br>
“I’m scared,” I finally admitted.

“It will all be sorted out soon. Don’t cry…”

I sniffled into his sweater. “What if it’s Orlando’s baby? I don’t want you to leave me. I can’t be alone!”<br>
Gently, he pulled me up to a sitting position and shook his head. “You’re not going to be alone, Ari. No matter what, I’m here. You’ve got me, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”<br>
“Promise.”<br>
A slight smile tugged at his lips as he chuckled. “I promise.” I fell back into his arms. “I’ll be here no matter what.”<br>

[venus567]

amazing chapter! ;D

[Miss Knightley]

Thank you dahlin!


Two weeks had passed and it was the final shoot of the day. The final shoot period. As soon as Gary said cut, a smile spread across his face and he stood up, shouting at the top of his lungs, ”That’s a wrap, people!” Both cast and crew burst out in applause, champagne was opened and bitter sweet tears formed in my eyes. I had worked on my fair share of films and grown close to everyone I had worked with, but not like this. Ashley, Mary-Kate, Hayden, Heath…even Gary had become more than co-workers and friends to me. They were family now. Emotionally, I had been through so many ups and downs in the short months I had known them all, and without question they were there for me. They spent long hours with Orlando, Heath, and I in the hospital while wait waited for news of Jill. They helped us throw a party when Jill came home, and let me call them when I needed to cry out my frustrations at little things.

Mary-Kate looked in my direction and tilted her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips. She came over to me and wrapped her little arms around me. “If you cry, I’ll cry. How about we don’t cry together, okay?” She pulled back and I nodded, trying to smile. “Just because the filming is done doesn’t mean we’re done being friends.”<br>
“I know,” I said softly. “I’ll just…” Sighing, I looked around. “I’ll miss coming in here everyday. It was almost like therapy at times.”<br>
“Ladies,” Gary interrupted. He handed us both glasses of champagne, knowing full well we were both underage. “No tears, save those for later. It’s time to celebrate.” He looked around. “Where’s Orlando?”<br>
I was suddenly aware that I hadn’t seen him since a few hours before we had wrapped. I scanned the sound stage. “I don’t know,” I said at last. “He should be here.” Catching the strange glint in Mary-Kate’s green eyes, I paused and smirked. “You know something.”<br>
“I know lots of things,” she replied passively. “You told me that once. I should quote you for…I don’t know. Something.”<br>
“All right,” I laughed. “What is he up to?”<br>
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”<br>
“I’m quite sure you do.”<br>
“Hey, Gary.” Gary turned around to see one of the security guards. “There’s some bozo out here in a suit of armor and he won’t stop honking the horn of his car until Miss Knightley comes outside.”<br>
Gary knitted his brows and looked at me. “Well, I have no idea who it is! Why do you look at me like that!” The three of us followed the security guard to the back of the soundstage and out the door that would lead us outside. He opened the door and led us out onto the fire escape. I looked down to see, just as had been described, someone in a suit of armor in a white convertible Ford Mustang. “Here I am!” I called, laughter in my tone. “Who are you, brave stranger?”<br>
The man stopped beeping, finally, and stood up in his seat behind the wheel. As he pulled his helmet off, I recognized the dark curls that spilled out and framed his face. “It is I,” Orlando called back, a wide grin on his face. “Your knight in shining armor. And I’ve come to you…” He made a grand sweeping bow and motioned to the car. “On a white horse, no less.”<br>
I squealed, feeling my heart jump in my chest. He remembered my silly fantasy and had made it some true! “Your steed is larger than I expected,” I returned, trying to keep myself from jumping over the edge just to be in his arms. “What breed it is, Sir Knight?”<br>
“I’ll never tell, my lady.” His brown eyes glittered in the sunlight, his smile dazzling me. In all my time of knowing him, I had never wanted him more than that moment. “I see you are being held captive by a brute, an old man, and a dwarf.” He tried not to laugh as Mary-Kate’s jaw dropped, knowing she was the one being called a dwarf. “Shall I rescue you then?”<br>
“Yes, please!” Dropping his helmet into the backseat, he managed to climb out of the car and get to the fire escape. Halfway up, he paused to catch his breath. I looked down through the grated metal. “Perhaps you are the one in need of rescuing, my good sir.”<br>
“Perhaps I am,” he wheezed, trying to stay in character. “Bloody cigarettes…”

“What was that?”<br>
“T’was nothing, fair maiden…only my eagerness to hold you in my arms making me say things only a crazy man would dare mutter. I beg of you, save me from myself.”<br>
Giggling, I clasped my hands under my chin. “How can I leave you in misery after such a request?” Gary moved out of my way and I took the steps at quick pace. When I reached the landing Orlando had stopped on, I paused a few feet from him. “Pray tell, my handsome champion, what thou hast planned for me.”<br>
He grinned. “I fear you would not come willingly if I confessed, lady.”<br>
“You’d be surprised.” I went forward and he caught me in a kiss, embracing me as best he could in the suit of armor that limited his movement. Clapping and cheering erupted overhead, but we scarcely heard anything. When I pulled from his soft lips, and smiled softly.

“Marry me.”<br>
Pretending to think a moment, I grinned. “Okay.” He kissed me again and there were hoots and hollers from above. Eventually we made or way back down to the car. I helped Orlando out of the armor, then climbed into the passenger seat.

“You’re going to invite us all to the wedding, right?” Gary yelled.

“Knowing you,” I answered, “whether you got an invitation or not you’d be there!”<br>
“Ah, you know me too well, Keira.”<br>
Orlando got behind the wheel and turned the car on. He turned to smile at me and I kissed him. “Take me home.”<br>
“With pleasure.”<br>

[venus567]

Let me guess the babay wasn't Orlando's? Great conclusion! Hope you write another because this one was absoultely divine!

[Araminta Ditch]

amazing that was!!! Sorry for my absence. Went on a much needed vacation. Loved it!


hehe...and loved this line:

All you need is love. John Lennon, very smart guy.


i heart john lennon




most adorable ending

[Jems]

great chappie hun, but I know its not the end Sorry haven't got round to replying on the other board where its complete but just wanted to say it was brilliant. Extremely well written etc ;D

[Araminta Ditch]

*gasp* you made Nikki cry!! lol god shes so sentimental these days.