AJ paced back and forth through the waiting room, hoping someone would have some news soon. With a long sigh he plopped himself into a chair and put his head in his hands. He jumped when he felt his pager go off. Looking at the screen her saw Nikki's number was on it. AJ got up and went to a pay phone to call her. His hands were shaking as he dialed the number.

"Hello?" Nikki said when she answered.

"Nikki?" AJ asked.

"Hey Bone! What's up?"

"You paged me a few minutes ago. Did you need something?"

"Yeah I just called over at Amanda's and no one answered so I paged you. Is she around?"

AJ fought back tears. "Yeah, she's around but not with me."

"What are you talking about? AJ you sound upset is something wrong?"

"Nikki I'm at the hospital. Amanda got really sick tonight."

"Oh my gosh! Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me something. I've been here for two hours."

"Which hospital are you at?"

"St. Marie's," AJ said softly.

"Okay I'll be right over," Nikki said quickly and hung up.

AJ hung his head down and hung up the phone. Not sure what else to do, he went back to the waiting room and sat down. A few minutes later Nikki and Howie came racing into the waiting room. AJ stood up and hugged Nikki.

"Have you heard anything?" Nikki asked softly.

AJ shook his head. "No, I'm starting to get worried."

Howie put his hand on AJ's shoulder. "Don't worry AJ, I'm sure she's fine."

"I hope so. Man I should have never let her go to school this morning. It probably made her worse."

"AJ you know Amanda as well as I do. You couldn't have stopped her if you had tied her to the bed. She's an extremely stubborn girl. Besides Howie's right, she's probably fine. There's not point in worrying until we find out anything."

"You're right. We'll just have to wait."

Just then, a doctor came into the waiting room. "Excuse me are you the gentleman who brought in Amanda Banks?"

"Yeah, that's me. Is she all right?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

AJ sighed apprehensively. "The bad news."

"The bad news is that Amanda has a bad case of the flu."

"And the good news?"

"The good news, the baby is fine."

AJ's mouth dropped. "B--b--baby?"

The doctor smiled. "Yes, Amanda's two months pregnant. Which would explain the vomiting. It's common for women to have morning sickness this early in pregnancy."

AJ stood there in shock. "She's pregnant? But. . .how?"

"Surely you know the process of the birds and the bees," Howie joked.

"I know how it works smart ass. I just don't understand how this is possible when we always used a condom."

"Well, condoms aren't 100 percent reliable. It's possible for her to be pregnant," the doctor explained.

"But isn't that rare?"

"It happens more often than you think. Would you like to see her?"

AJ nodded. "Yes, please."

"Okay let me see what room she's in. I'll be right back."

AJ gave Howie and Nikki a blank stare. "I can't believe it. I'm gonna be a daddy."

Nikki reached out and gave AJ's hand a squeeze. "Are you happy about this?"

AJ smiled. "I couldn't be happier. I always visioned Amanda being the mother of my child. I just never thought it would happen so soon."

"Well, you two have been together for over two years now. It was bound to happen," Howie pointed out.

"I know, but I figured we'd be married, you know?"

Just then, the doctor came back. "Amanda's in room 132. You can see her now."

"Thank you," AJ said then swiftly walked to her room. Howie and Nikki followed close behind. Amanda was sound asleep in her bed.

"We'll be keeping her here for a few days to make sure she recovers okay. After that she'll be free to go on home," the doctor said.

AJ walked over to her bed and sat down in the chair next to it. He placed his hand over hers. His eyes wandered down to the IV in her arm. "What's this for?" he asked.

"We gave her an IV to keep her hydrated. She had a high fever, so the IV was necessary. It's nothing to be alarmed of. There's a call button to her right. If she needs anything press the button and a nurse will come in. I will be back in a few hours to see how she's doing," the doctor said then left the room.

AJ looked at Amanda and smiled. "She's having my baby," he said in almost a whisper. "Do you guys have any idea how happy I am? I mean I know this all happened out of the blue and it wasn't planned. But she's having a child. . .my child. It's the most incredible feeling I've ever felt," AJ said with misty eyes.

Howie smiled. "You really love her don't you?"

AJ nodded. "More than words can say. I've never loved anyone the way I love her. No one has ever been able to touch me the way that she has. I wouldn't trade anyone else for her."

Nikki grabbed Howie's hand and smiled. "Well, we'll leave you two alone. We'll come back in the morning."

"See ya," AJ said then looked back at Amanda. A small strand of hair lay on her face. AJ reached over and tucked it behind her ear. He placed his hand on her cheek and gently kissed her lips. Amanda stirred and opened her eyes.

"AJ?" she said in a hoarse whisper.

"I'm right here sweetie," she whispered to her.

"Oh my head," she groaned. "I feel like I just got ran over by a semi."

AJ let out a small chuckle. "Get some sleep baby. You need it."

Amanda shifted her eyes up to him. "I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"For scaring you like that. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay baby. The important thing is you're okay now. Get some sleep," he said as he caressed her face with his hand.

"I love you," Amanda murmured.

AJ smiled. "I love you too," he replied, then watched her sleep.