Until The End

Johnny sat watching tv while I anxiously awaited Naomi and Jimmy's return. It had been about a month since anything major had happened, which was Sam's arrival. The guys had been working on writing some songs, but as a whole, it had been pretty quiet.

Naomi stepped through the door, her face blank, followed by a beaming Jimmy. I stood up and went to her side as quickly as I could. She was as big as I was now, me at seven months and her at five. She looked at me, and I smiled.

"What's up?" I said.

"I'm..." She shook her head. "We're having twins."

"Twins?" I echoed. "That's awesome, Mimi!"

"Can you imagine two little baby Sullivans running around the house?" Jimmy said, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah," snorted Naomi.

"Naomi, what's wrong?" I asked.

She looked between Jimmy and Johnny, who was sitting in the chair closest to us. She took my arm.

"I gotta talk to you," she said, pulling me away from them. "Don't follow!" she shouted at the other two.

She pulled me into the dining room and shut both doors. She sat down in a chair, and she put her head in her hands. I was silent for awhile, waiting for her to tell me what she wanted to say, but she said nothing. I sat down beside her and took one of her hands.

"You're gonna make a great mom, Naomi," I said.

"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure," she replied.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"You remember when Jacoby was over?" she said.

"Yeah, of course I remember," I laughed.

"Well..." she began wringing her hands together, and I felt the color drain from my face.

"Naomi, tell me you know Jimmy is the father," I said.

She looked up at me and cringed.

"Jimmy's their father, right?" I continued. "...Naomi?"

"I don't know," she cried. "I mean, if I'm this far along, and I go back to the nights around that time that I had sex...most were with Jimmy, you know? But there was that time when Coby was over, and that's right around when we think they were conceived."

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm sure it's Jimmy. There's probably nothing to worry about."

"I hope you're right," Naomi said. "I'd be such a bad person if-"

"You are not a bad person," I said. "You and Jimmy and Jacoby were all in on it. It's nobody's fault. I'm sure even if they were Jacoby's, Jimmy would love them all the same."

Naomi nodded. She bit her lip and said, "I had them do a paternity test while I was there. The results won't get back for awhile."

"And then you'll find out there was nothing to worry about," I replied.

"I'm sure," said Naomi, trying to sound optimistic.

I attempted to hug her, but the size of our bellies obstructed my attempts. She smiled anyway, and I stood up. She followed me back into the living room. Johnny moved to the couch so he could sit next to me, and I smiled.

"Sam enjoying Huntington?" I asked, attempting to distract Naomi.

"She seems like she's been having fun," Naomi replied. "She and Brian are inseparable."

"That's awesome!" I said. "He needs a real relationship. It'll do him some good."

"Agreed," said Johnny and Jimmy in unison.

I chuckled, knowing they'd been trying to get him to have a real girlfriend for a long time. I knew Sam was a good pick for him, and I wanted him to be as happy as possible.

We all continued talking until dinner, and by then it seemed Naomi had forgotten her worry. I gave her one last attempted hug before she left, silently assuring her that she'd be alright no matter what. She seemed to understand and thanked me again. She was my best friend. What else could I do?

Johnny touched my stomach, and he smiled. I felt my face grow warm, but he brought his lips to mine and I melted. He put my hair behind my ears, and I sighed.

"Dinner?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"Let's head out then," he said.

"Nothing too fancy," I said. "Don't want to buy a dress I'm never going to wear again."

He just laughed and gently touched my stomach.