The Night of the Nurse's Ball
Later that evening

    At the end of the Nurse's Ball tape I realized that I was hungry again, which was unusual for me the last few days. Elizabeth and Emily also wanted something, so Zander, Lucky and Nikolas went into the living room to ask Sonny to get a light snack for us (since Sonny wouldn't allow anyone else in his kitchen, not even Carly).
   After our snack of carrot sticks, strawberries, and toast we decided to turn on some music and dance a little bit since we hadn't been out of bed in about a week. "Are you sure that you guys should be dancing, after all you haven't been feeling well lately," Lucky asked.
   "I feel better today, and we haven't been out of bed in so long, just a few songs, please, and besides, you promised us during the Nurse's Ball," I begged Nikolas.
   "I can't resist those beautiful blue eyes and you know it Autumn, but only 2 songs and then back to bed you go," Nikolas said.
   "Make it three and its a deal," Elizabeth said as she wrapped her arms around Lucky's waist, and let him help her out of bed.
   "You girls drive a hard bargain, but okay 3 songs, slow songs, that way each of you can pick one," Zander said smiling as Emily kissed him lightly.
   They noticed that the color had seemed to come back into our cheeks at the thought of being able to dance with them, and they relaxed a little about the idea. Sonny heard the radio click on and stood at the edge of the doorway, which was left open in case anything happened.
   "What are you guys doing?" he asked.
   "The girls begged us to let them dance, 3 slow songs and then back in bed, that way its more like us holding them then actual dancing," Lucky said smiling, enjoying the feel of Elizabeth in his arms, their unborn child in between them, kicking every so often.
   "Well you guys be careful with them, and have fun," Sonny said cracking a seldom seen smile as he watched us relax into the arms of our fiancees.
   He walked back over to Carly who was waiting for Bobbie to come over for their weekly chat. It had started as a guise for Bobbie to have a reason to visit to check on us, but it turned into something they both enjoyed. Sonny was waiting for Luke and Laura to come back from dropping Lulu off with Lesley, for a "business dinner" although only small bits of business were ever really discussed. Johnny announced that the guests had arrived and Luke, Laura, and Bobbie were greeted by the sight of Elizabeth, Emily, and I standing in the middle of the secret room in the arms of the men we loved, swaying gently to the nonexsistant music.
   Nikolas finally went over to the portable CD player, hooked to a set of speakers, and asked Emily what she wanted to dance to. "What will it be Em, your choice first this time?" Nikolas said opening the large collection of CD's.
   "How about Backstreet Boys-Drowning," Emily said.
   We almost forgot that our lives, and our babies lives were in danger as we danced to the song. Getting lost in our love was the one thing we needed at this moment, a moment which seemed to last forever. Tears of joy, frustration, fear, anger, all the feelings that had been bottled up in me for so long started to pour out. Emily and Elizabeth were also crying. Even the guys were having a hard time not tearing up.
   The small audience in the other room were also having a hard time controlling their emotions as they looked on from the couches. Luke and Laura sat there looking proudly at their children, they had survived so much, and they still had that passion in them that would make their love last through anything. Carly touched Sonny's arm, and he was so deeply focused on the other room that he jumped at her touch. And Bobbie sat looking on at all the good things that came from loving so deeply.
   "Elizabeth it's your choice," Nikolas said, as the first song came to an end.
   "Ok, I want to hear Nsync-God Must Have Spent," Elizabeth said, smiling at Lucky.
   "Of course, your song, I should have guessed," Nikolas said laughing.
   "Nikolas, I love you," I whispered, as we danced. Nikolas ran his fingers through my long hair, enjoying the feeling of the silky strands.
   "I love you too Autumn, I will always love you," Nikolas said.
   "Our love born out of tragedy and loss, built on honesty and joy, forever," I said, my eyes starting to droop a little.
   "Forever my love, in my heart, you will always be something that will never change in my life," Nikolas said, finishing our vows, which we intended to recite at our wedding. "Are you getting tired sweetie," he continued, as the song came to and end.
   "I'm fine, it's my turn to choose the song," I said smiling and trying to ignore the cramping feeling in my stomach. Part of me knew that I shouldn't ignore it because something might be happening to the baby, but I shook it off and smiled a little more to let Nikolas know I was fine.
   "Then what do you want to hear Princess," Nikolas said.
   "My special song, you know which one," I said.
   "The one on the yellow CD," he asked. I nodded yes and he put it into the CD player.

 

 Johnny's daddy was taking him fishing
 He was 8 years old
 Little girl came through the front gate
 Holding a fishing pole
 His dad looked down and smiled
 Said we can't leave her behind
 Son I know you don't want her to go
 But someday you'll change your mind
 And Johnny said
 Take Jimmy Johnson
 Take Tommy Thompson
 Take my best friend Beau
 Take anybody that you want 
 As long as she don't go 
 Take any boy in the world
 Daddy please 
 Don't take the girl
  
   As the chorus played, the pains started getting stronger, to the point when I started crying, not from sadness, but from fear and pain. I still didn't let Nikolas know that anything was wrong however, I was too scared to tell him that I thought that I was losing the baby. That would mean that Helena had won, she had succeded in ripping us apart by killing something inside of us right along with our son or daughter. No, I had to be strong and not let that B*TCH win again.  We continued to dance as I held onto Nikolas literally for my life.
 
 Same old boy, same sweet girl 
 Ten years down the road

 He held her tight and kissed her lips
 In front of the picture show
 Stranger came and pulled a gun
 Grabbed her by the arm
 Said if you do what I tell you to
 There won't be any harm
 And Johnny said
 Take my money
 Take my wallet
 Take my credit cards
 Here's a watch that my grandpa gave me
 Here's the key to my car
 Mister give it a whirl
 But please
 Don't take the girl
   
   All of a sudden I felt a white hot pain rip through my stomach. Nikolas could tell that there was something seriously wrong and called for Bobbie. "Autumn, stay with me, remember we promised forever, and you aren't getting out of marrying me that easily," he said. Nikolas felt me go slack in his arms, and he slid to the floor holding me in his lap.
   Lucky shut off the music abruptly and helped Elizabeth back to bed. She sat there stunned for a few moments, then clutched her stomach, as the pains ripped through her body as well. Emily also felt a tearing sensation in her stomach and her eyes filled with terror as she realized, before Elizabeth or I did, that we were bleeding.
   Bobbie had been upstairs putting Michael to sleep when she heard Nikolas's frantic call. She ran down the stairs and reached the door at the same time as Sonny and Carly. Bobbie immediately got to work, asking Sonny to help Nikolas put me back in bed, hooking up the ultrasound machines, and starting an IV on each of us. She only faltered when she looked at the ultrasound and realized that we were in full labor 12 weeks early, and that we were hemorraging severely. She decided in an instant to call for 3 ambulances to bring us to GH. "Helena's revenge be damned, they are going to have the babies in the hospital, or I'm afraid we will watch them bleed to death right here," Bobbie said at Sonny's feeble protest.
   Sonny called for a car to take Nikolas, Lucky, Zander, Luke, Laura, Carly, and himself to the hospital, as well as ordering Francis and Johnny to stand guard, one outside of our room, and the other outside the NICU, to protect the babies, if they lived, he thought to himself.
   Nikolas grabbed the CD player that still had my special CD in it. He figured it would give me some comfort if he played it in the hospital room. I had stayed awake long enough to whisper the words of our vow to Nikolas, and to ask Bobbie to save our baby. Then I slipped into sleep, waking time to time as we sped to the hospital.