Alec handed Ty the cool paper towels and looked at her friend. "You don't look well. Are you okay honey?"

"Fine." she ran the paper towel over her face and leaned against the counter. "He's scaring me."

"I think its safe to say he's scaring a lot of people right now."

"I meant what I said out there, I don't recognize him anymore. That isn't the man I married Alec."

"Did something happen?"

"Some things but its almost as if something in him snapped." she put her head in her hands and took a deep breath wanting to calm down.

"Just forget about him for right now and try to relax." she said rubbing her friend's back.

"I can't forget about him Alec...I wish I could...but he's still my husband...he's still my Howie..."

Kevin pulled AJ aside while David kept Howie occupied. "Alec took Ty to the ladies room."

"I'll find them...maybe I'll take her back upstairs and she can lay down for awhile. That had to take a lot out of her."

"Good idea." Kevin turned and studied D for a minute, "I don't know what's going on with him..."

"Maybe he's scared..."

"We all are...do you see the rest of us acting like that?"

"We're all doing stupid things."

Kev nodded, "You did sign..."

"Can we not get into that right now?"

"Fine..."

"AJ!!! Kevin!!!" Alec yelled frantically waving them over.

They ran over, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"She fainted...Ty fainted..." she said breathlessly.

"Where is she?"

"Ladies bathroom, E walked in just as Ty started to fall. She told me to get you."

"Okay lets go get her and take her to the hospital." AJ said taking charge.

Kevin and AJ walked into the women's bathroom, finding Ty sitting up groggily with E beside her. "She just came to." E informed them.

AJ crouched down beside them, "How do you feel?"

"Not so good."

"We're gonna take you to get checked out okay?" Kevin said kneeling on her other side.

"I don't know if I can walk that well."

"I'll carry you, come on." Kevin stated, slowly getting to his feet. "AJ you want to help me over here?"

"Course."

Howie turned around, completely ignoring his conversation with David as AJ and Kevin went by them, his wife in Kevin's arms. "What the hell..." he asked no one in particular.

E stopped in front of him, "She fainted. Their taking her to General. Its closest."

"Why would she faint?" Howie questioned, wishing more then anything he'd just been able to have been left alone and gone for that drink. He sure as hell could use one right about then.

"Stress...you..." David said pointedly.

D's eyes narrows, "We don't know that for sure..."

"Its a pretty good guess." E stated.

"What is this, national pick on Howie day? I don't remember asking any of you to jump into this. Kevin accosts me out here when I try and go to the bar, then he starts a fight..."

"I don't think Ty asked you to yell at her." David commented.

"Then she shouldn't be defending lowlifes like AJ McLean now should she?"

"AJ's your best friend."

"WAS my best friend. Can't anyone understand that?"

Paul tossed a few bills on the table and walked out of the restaurant. It had been a rather pleasant lunch even if he hadn't been able to convince Howie to sign the contract. That had to happen sooner or later so no need to dwell on that right now he thought to himself as he headed for the doors. Recognizing Kevin and AJ heading for the hotel doors he stopped and watched, that was Ty in Kev's arms. Perhaps something happened? Shrugging he headed outside into the warm Florida air, he had a business meeting it wouldn't due to be late for.

AJ opened the back doors of the Explorer. "You two go in the back and I'll get us there."

Kevin nodded his agreement and set Ty inside, "How do you feel?" he asked worriedly as he got in beside her.

"Weak." she answered, leaning her head on his shoulder. The two men exchanged nervous looks at her answer and AJ slammed the door shut as he headed around the other side to the driver's door.

"Wait!!" Alec yelled, running up. "I'm coming with you!!"

"Get in." AJ said, unlocking the passenger door as he started the ignition. He waited till Alec was in and buckled up before he raced out of the parking spot.

"Aren't you going to check on her?" David questioned.

"Ty??"

E resisted the urge to slap him, what was with these men? Something happened and they all refuse to see it. "I think she would want you there Howie. You are her husband..."

For the time being, he thought to himself, "Fine I'll go." The bar would have to wait. "Where were they taking her again?"

"General. AJ said it was the closest, he could get there the fastest in case something else happened."

Howie nodded and started fumbling through his pockets for the car keys. David glanced at E, "I could drive you." he offered.

"No I'm okay. Thanks anyways." Showing them the car keys he walked quickly away. He didn't need a babysitter, not now not ever. He was a grown man he could do whatever he wanted.

Alec walked down the corridor, she'd left Ty alone with the doctor for a few minutes while he examined her. At least she'd finally calmed down. Stopping for a coffee from the vending machine she headed for the waiting room nearly colliding with Howie.

"Alec!"

She sighed, "Hi D."

"Have they said anything?"

"Not yet, their examining her right now."

He frowned, "Is she alone?"

"I'll be going back in there as soon as the doctor leaves." and with that she walked down the hall to the waiting room, stopping to talk for a minute with AJ at the pay phones.

AJ glanced up as Howie walked past, "What is HE doing here?"

"Checking on her." Alec sipped her coffee, "Calling Jenn?"

"Yeah. Thought she may want to head straight here. How's Ty?"

"Nervous. The doctor kicked me out for a few but I'm allowed back in when he's through."

AJ nodded, "I hope she's okay."

Kevin's eyes narrowed as he saw Howie walk into the waiting room. David put his hand on his arm to keep him from moving, "Leave him be right now. Don't need to start something here."

"Ty wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for him."

"We all know that Kev...even he does."

Kev stared into his coffee cup, "He better, I swear I'd like to know what's going through his head right now..."

"Wouldn't everyone?"

Pick up, please pick up, pick up come on...AJ kept repeating in his head as he paced back and forth in front of the pay phone. It was a short pace due to the length of the phone cord.

Jenn glanced at her ringing cell phone as she pulled into the gas station. "Hello."

"Jenn its me."

"I can tell...you sound funny what's going on?"

"Ty's in the hospital..."

"Oh no...is the baby okay?"

"We don't know yet...not that it really had to do with the baby she fainted. With Howie yelling at her and all the stress of the last few days its not really a surprise."

E let herself into the beachhouse and found Lis and Bri sitting in the kitchen, working on a crossword puzzle. "Hey E, what are you doing here?" Bri greeted.

"Came to see if all hell broke lose here too." she sat down and poured herself a coffee.

"What do you mean?" Lis asked.

She took a sip of coffee and set it down, "Where to start, Kevin and Howie got into a fight...D yelled at Ty and later she fainted..."

"Is she okay?"

"AJ and Kev took her to the hospital."

"Oh no..."

E nodded, "So I thought I'd stop by here on my way over...thought the waiting room was going to be crowded enough right now. Where's the other two?"

"You mean Nick and Shan?" Bri asked, filling in another word on the crossword.

"Unless they've changed their names."

"Nick stormed off a couple hours ago...Shan left early this morning for the beach...wanted some time alone." he answered.

"Tell me he isn't drinking."

Lis got up and grabbed an apple from the counter, "No he's just being angry and secretive."

E shook her head, "I hate when he gets like that. I told him he had to tell you his fears."

"What fears?" Lis asked, confused.

"Ask him." she said, seeing Nick and Shan walking up the steps outside.

Nick glanced at the beachhouse, "Thanks for listening to me out there Shan."

"I meant what I said Nicky, we're friends. And I think Lissy deserves to know what you told me."

"I..."

"She's your wife Nick..."

"Yeah." he stopped in front of the patio door, "Well lets face the music."

"It'll be fine." she said patting his back as the door opened and they went inside. "Look who I found out on the beach." she said, dragging him inside. "Oh hey E."

"Hi guys."

Nick glanced at E then at Lis, "What is this an intervention?"

Brian sighed, "Look Carter not everything that's going on has to do with you. For your information E's here because she wanted to tell us Ty went into the hospital."

"Is she okay?" Nick asked concerned.

"We don't know yet," E answered. "I'm on my way over there now."

"Bri do you think..."

"I'll take us over there as soon as we change." he said getting to his feet.

"Lets go change," she said following her husband out of the kitchen.

The three remaining in the kitchen just looked at one another for a minute. Lis set her half eaten apple down on her plate. "I'll be upstairs. Bye E."

"Bye Lis." E waited till she knew Lis was upstairs before she confronted her best friend. "What is with you?"

Nick ran a hand through his hair as he sunk into the chair. "Me??"

"Bri and Lis filled me in on your behaviour lately. Am I the only one who knows?"

"Look I don't spill my heart out to everyone you know that."

"Don't you think they have a right to know? Especially your wife Nick?"

He sighed, "Why so I can find out I'm right?"

"You will be if she has to stay in the dark. Your not the only one who worries about things Nick but look at it this way...all five of you stayed silent about Lou blackmailing you and see what happened. Do you want to lose her because of that?"

"E get off my case..."

"I'm only on it because your my friend...and I don't want you crying to me if your silence..."

"Silence ruins my marriage. I get it."

"Then do something about it."

Nick glanced at the stairs, "Like now?"

"Like sometime."

"AJ??"

"Hi Lou..."

"Where are you? Sounds like a hospital or something."

"Your right."

"Your all right? Jenn??"

"We're okay...look I need a favor. I want to delay the press release..."

"Alex you know things are all ready in motion."

"Right now I don't care. I want it stopped."

"Why?"

He took a ragged breath, leaning his hand against the wall, "Something happened in the Backstreet camp...look it would just be best for everyone if this news didn't come out right now...there's enough stress and worry as it is."

"What's happened?"

"Ty's having some complications with the pregnancy...so can we PLEASE just hold off?"

"Of course, I haven't even sent the final draft into the office. I'll just delay it awhile."

"Thanks Lou."

"Why the hell are we delaying the press release?" Paul demanded, "That is going to put TransCon back on the map, once again you'll be a major player."

"Paul calm down. There's a situation."

"We're in a situation. Did you forget about all the publicity we planned?"

"Look there's some things going on personally with the guys. If we do this now it'll cause more disruption."

"Does it look like I particularly care???? Because I don't. I only care that their signatures are on the contracts. That's it, that's all."

"I think if we temporarily suspend the press release due to the goings on right now we may eventually end up in their good favor. Make them more easier to negotiate with...shows them we're willing to work with them..."

"And if their still as stubborn as they are now?"

"Then we'll deal with them as we've always done. But AJ asked and I think it would be a bad move to tell him one thing and do another."

"All right but there better not be any repercussions from this."

Howie paced the small waiting room, ignoring the glares he was getting from the rest of them. Why can't the doctor hurry up, he wondered, turning around and staring down the hall where he knew they'd taken his wife. Wasn't it enough that he'd offered Paul everything he had and he'd been turned down but now Ty and the baby could be in danger?? Resting his forehead against the wall he took a deep breath, when it rain it poured and it sure as hell was pouring trouble right now.

Jenn leaned over to AJ, "Maybe they should give him something."

"Don't think they give whoop ass." he said half seriously.

"He's worried about Ty."

"The hell he is. He just wants to know how they are so he can get out of here." AJ muttered, "I hate what he's turned into Jenn..."

"So do I...so do we all but nothing's going to change that right now Alex."

He sighed, "I know I just wish there was some way to get through to the old D...the one who's one of the best men I've ever known."

Jenn smiled, "That's the AJ I know and love." she said softly leaning over and kissing his unbruised side.