"Is mom okay?" Zac questioned. I nodded, then tiredly plopped down into a comfortable chair.
"Is the baby born yet?" asked Mackie. I smiled at him and shook my head.
"It takes a lot longer than 45 minutes to have a baby," I informed him. Mac frowned.
"Can't they hurry? I wanna know if it's a boy or girl," he whined. Then he grinned. "I hope it's a boy. Then I won't be the littlest anymore."
"Either way, you won't be the littlest anymore," Taylor assured him. Mackie beamed. "I called Willow for you. She said she'd get here as soon as she can find a ride."
"Thanks Tay," I told him. I glanced around the room. "Why did Dad bring you all? It is going to take a long time and you are going to get really bored."
"We wanted to come," said Zac, who was sitting next to Reagan.
"I don't think that we're helping any by being here. I'm gonna go call Will and tell her that I'll pick her up, and then we're all going home," I announced. I went to the nurses' station and asked to use their phone. Once I filled Willow in on everything that was happening, she promised to meet me at my house. I left a note for my parents and the keys to the car with the head nurse and went back to my siblings. Taylor dangled the keys to the van in front of my face, then grinned and dropped them in my hand.
"Dad gave me these," he informed me happily. I grinned, then herded my family out into the van. Just as promised, Will was waiting in front of out house when we got there. Everyone jumped out and ran inside, with Tay and I following slowly. Willow smiled at us.
"Hey guys," she greeted us. Tay wrapped his arms around her neck and pretended to fall asleep.
"Why was that so energy draining?" he asked, stumbling up the front steps. Will smiled, nearly falling with him.
"Post-adrenaline rushes usually leave you like that," she giggled. Tay let go of her and went into the house. Willow turned to me with a big smile. "Here's the hero of the day."
I laughed as she put her arms around me to hug me. "I'd hardly call 'freaking out' heroic. But, think what you will," I joked. Will laughed and I followed her into the front hall. Zac and Reagan were on the phone with her parents, asking if she could stay over night. I motioned for them to hurry up just in case dad had to call with any news. Once they had retreated back to the tree house, Willow and I set about making dinner for my siblings.
"So, what's your opinion about the baby?" Will asked as she read the directions on the back of the macaroni and cheese box. I put a pot of water on the stove to boil before turning to her with a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, do you want a boy or a girl, brown hair or blonde hair? What?" she asked, putting the box down. I shrugged, leaning heavily against the counter.
"Well, it doesn't really matter. Blonde hair is a definite, since we all had blonde hair when we were born. I just want it to be healthy," I answered truthfully. Will smirked at me.
"Spoken like a true softy," she teased, giggling. Then she reached up and tugged a strand of my hair. "I don't know where the press get the fact that you're a 'blonde trio' from Tulsa. Your hair is brown."
"No thanks to my father," I murmured, turning back to the water. Once it was boiling, Will dumped in two boxes of the macaroni. After we fed all the other kids and it started to get dark, I began to pace by the telephone. Willow stuck her foot out to try and trip me, and I gave her a dirty look. She smiled innocently.
"Calm down," she told me.
"I can't. I'm worried," I admitted. Willow put her hands on my shoulders and guided me to the living room, where Taylor was passed out on the floor in front of the television. "Something is wrong, I can just feel it."
"Ike, chill out. Women have babies every day; it's a common thing. I'm sure your mom is fine," she tried to assure me, sitting beside me on the couch. As if on cue, our private house phone line rang. Tay woke up with a jump, and I lunged for the phone on the table beside the couch.
"Hello?" I asked anxiously.
"Hey Ike," Dad greeted. I was nearly out of my skin with anticipation. "Mom wanted me to see how you guys were, and I got your note. Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. How's mom?"
"She's doing really well. It'll be a little more time until the baby comes, but I'll give you a call when it happens," he assured me. I sighed thankfully and said goodbye. I turned around to see seven sets of eyes on me. I gave them weird looks.
"What?" I asked casually.
"Well?" Tay shot back.
"How's mom?" asked Zac.
"What about the baby?" added Jessi.
I waved my hands at them to quiet them and repeated the message that I had gotten from my father. Mackie groaned with irritation at still being the youngest. Taylor fell back on the floor and closed his eyes again. Slowly, the room returned to just Will, Tay, and I. Willow took my hand and grinned at me as we continued to wait.
"What are you doing up?" he asked groggily. I sat down beside him and leaned against the couch as he yawned tiredly.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Any news?" he asked, slowly removing his wrist and adjusting to the light before sitting up. I shook my head. Taylor groaned. We stayed up talking until around 1:30, when suddenly the phone rang. Isaac awoke with a jolt and squinted his eyes. Taylor grabbed the receiver.
"Hello? Dad?" he asked, then paused. Then he grinned. "Cool!"
"What?" Ike hissed, trying to snatch the phone from his brother's hands. Taylor pushed Isaac away and held the phone out of his reach.
"No, they're all asleep, I believe. What? Okay. Yeah dad. Tell mom we love her. See you later." He hung up the phone and turned to Isaac and I with a deep sigh. There was movement at the top of the stairs, and seconds later Reagan, Zac, and Jessi stumbled into the room.
"I heard a phone," Jessi insisted, rubbing her eyes.
"That was dad," Taylor told them. "Mom had a girl."
Noise filled the room as everyone started talking at once. Zac grabbed Reagan and started to dance the tango around the room, as Jessi started jumping up and down. Isaac put his arms around my neck from his spot on the couch above me and gave me a tight hug. Avie and Mackenzie appeared in the room, their eyes filled with sleep. Mackie had a grouchy look on his face.
"Loud," he complained, curling up on my lap and snuggling up against me. I smiled at him and brushed his hair away from his face as he yawned and rested his head under my chin.
"Mackie, you aren't the youngest anymore. You have a little sister," I informed him. Mackie's face lit up with a smile, his eyes still closed. I laughed as he nearly fell asleep again. I carefully put my arms around him and stood up, clutching him against me. Jessi and Avie were jumping up and down together. There was a loud thump as Zac pretended to 'dip' Reagan and dropped her and fell down on top of her.
"Ow! Zac!" Reagan giggled, sitting up. I laughed at them before making my way to the stairs and up to Mackie's room. It seemed as though he'd had enough excitement for one day and was now completely out of it. I set him gently on his bed and covered him with his blankets. When I turned around to leave, I nearly collided with Isaac. He smiled in the darkness.
"Thanks for putting him to bed," he told me quietly. "This has been an important day for him."
"I can only imagine," I whispered back. Ike took my hand and led me out of the room. We passed Avery and Jessi, who were bouncing into their room. Isaac let go of me and held up a hand to make me wait there. He went into their room and emerged five minutes later, turning the light off. I smiled at him. "Big Brother Ike."
"Hey, it's my duty," he replied with a shrug. We went back down to the living room, where Taylor was once again laying on the floor. I laughed at him.
"Taylor, you do realize that you have a bed that is ten times more comfortable than that floor," I reminded him. Tay grinned and rolled over, then pretended to snore.
"So Reagan, you're sleeping over?" Ike asked. She nodded. "And where is she staying, Zac?"
"Um, well, that's what I meant to talk to you about. See, I figured it that I could give up my bed for Reagan and take Tay's bed, and he could have your bed," Zac answered with a small smile.
"And where would that leave me?"
"Um, on the couch?" Zac replied in a questioning tone. Isaac rolled his eyes.
"Tired?" she asked. I nodded silently, then opened my eyes slowly. She smiled down at me, and I couldn't help but feel my heart begin to race. I swallowed hard, trying to regain control of my senses. This was wrong. Everything I felt for her was wrong. I knew that I had to stop anything before it happened, but I was just so helpless. I reached up and touched her hair, then her cheek. Will leaned down and rubbed her nose against mine lightly. She brought her hand down and traced the bridge of my nose with her fingertips, then brought them down to my lips. Her blue eyes pierced into mine, holding our gaze tightly. I kissed her fingertips, then pulled her down to kiss her lips. She pulled away after a few moments, then finally broke our eye contact.
She glanced at her watch. "I should go home soon. Brad and Olivia went to some college party and shouldn't be home for a little while, so I won't get busted for being out late."
"You don't want to stay over?" I asked. "The loveseat pulls out into a bed, you know."
Will smiled at my offer, but shook her head. "No thanks, not tonight." She moved and got off the couch, and I grabbed her hand quickly, pulling her back down with me. She giggled. "Really, Isaac, I have to go."
"I know," I agreed, putting my arms around her. Will sighed softly and let herself into my embrace. "Just stay with me a little while longer."
"G'mornin' Tay," he mumbled, still half asleep. He attempted to roll over, then remembered that Willow was there. He shot me a guilty look. "This isn't what it seems."
"What isn't?" I asked, playing stupid. "I don't see anything wrong."
Isaac slowly managed to get out from underneath Will without waking her up, then grabbed my arm and dragged me into the kitchen. His face was bright red. "No really, Tay, we didn't do anything."
"I never said you did," I insisted.
"We just fell asleep. She was supposed to go home..." Ike trailed off, a look of guilt crossing his face. "Oh no. She never got home. I've got to call Brad."
"Looks like he's one step ahead of you," I commented as the phone rang. Isaac grabbed the receiver before it could ring again and greeted the caller. His momentary look of panic disappeared, informing me that it wasn't, in fact, Brad Carter on the other end. From hearing Isaac's end of the conversation, I quickly realized that it was our father. I went and poured myself a glass of juice, waiting for Ike to finish. When he hung up, he turned to me with a sigh.
"That was dad," he said.
"Obviously," I muttered against the edge of the cup I was holding.
"Mom and the baby are both fine. Dad is gonna come home and shower quickly, then bring us back to the hospital with him," he relayed the information to me. A soft noise in the hall caught both of our attention and we glanced at the door to see a sleepy-eyed Willow. She smiled slightly.
"Hi," she greeted. "This is strange. I thought I left."
"I think you got a little, err... sidetracked," I informed her, attempting to hold in my laughter. Ike shot me a nasty look. Will glanced at the clock on the wall and her eyes widened.
"Oh no! Brad is going to kill me!" she shrieked, now fully awake. She dashed for the front door. "Um, well, tell your parents I say congratulations. See ya!"
She disappeared out the door and away from our house. Isaac and I exchanged glances before he went upstairs to change his clothes and I poured myself another glass of juice.
Reagan went home as me and my brothers and sisters left for the hospital with my father. I couldn't wait to see the baby. I don't like holding babies, because they make me nervous, but I have no problem just watching them. So far, out of all of our baby pictures, my brothers and sisters were cute babies. I was the cutest, of course, and Tay was the ugliest. Just kidding. He's very self-conscious of his baby pictures, so I like to aggravate him.
"Hi everyone," Mom welcomed when we arrived at her room. Ike kissed her cheek, and Mackie climbed up beside her on the bed while everyone else found a place to stand in the room. Jessi and Avie squished together on the chair beside mom's bed.
"How are you?" Taylor asked. Mom smiled.
"I'm fine. A little tired, a little sore. But, I always survive," she joked.
"Where's the baby?" Jessi questioned.
"In the nursery. We'll go see her in a little bit," Dad answered. We stayed with mom for a while longer, until she was feeling up to a walk to the nursery with us. Dad had his arms around her for support as we slowly made our way down a few hallways. I heard, rather than saw, that we were near the nursery due to the many wails of the newborns. We eventually reached the large glass window and looked in at all the babies. Mom put her arm around Ike's shoulders as dad went in to get the baby. Jessi and Avie were cooing at all the babies as they watched us with little, bright eyes.
"What's her name?" I asked, seeing my father proudly lift a tiny pink bundle out of one of the hospital cribs.
"Zoë Genevieve," Mom replied softly. I looked at her and saw her watching Dad carry the baby over towards the door. We all went over to him and peered eagerly at the bundle. Wrapped in the blanket was a small, pink-faced baby with fine wisps of white-blonde hair. She yawned and stretched a tiny fist out towards us.
"She's beautiful," Tay breathed, watching in awe. Dad led us into a small room across the hall from the nursery that had a few couches and chairs, a radio and television. It looked almost like an overly furnished living room.
"Do you want to hold her?" Mom asked Taylor. His eyes lit up as he nodded and accepted the baby from our father's hands. Our parents sat down on one of the couches as I lifted Mackie up off the floor so he could see our sister.
"Hi baby," he greeted her. Zoë blinked slowly a few times. She looked around at the six faces above her before closing her blue eyes once more and falling asleep.
"Welcome to the Hanson family, Zoë," I whispered.
"Hope you survive the stay," Ike joked, and we all laughed.
Hanson stopped in Tulsa in the middle of February for a quick weekend break from promoting their upcoming tour. Ike called me up and invited over for dinner with his family that Saturday night and I decided that it was then or never. Dinner went smoothly as we all caught up with the happenings in their musical lives. Taylor talked excitedly about their future appearance on MTV Live, and Zac told me about their meeting with Johnny Lang, a popular blues guitarist. Isaac didn't say much, as neither did I. As I helped clear the table after the meal, I began to feel anxious and nervous. Once the dishwasher was filled and the table washed, Ike grabbed our coats.
"Come on," he told me, shoving my jacket into my hands. I gave him a strange look as he passed me and went out the back door into the dark night. I pulled my jacket on as I hurried to follow him.
"Where are we going?"
"Just out," Ike replied with no emotion. A chill ran down my spine, and it wasn't from the cold February temperature. "We need to talk."
I stopped walking, frozen in my place. The first thought that crossed my mind is that he somehow knew what I was going to say and was angry that I had kept it from him for nearly a month. Isaac also stopped and looked back at me curiously.
"Well? Are you coming?" he asked. I ran to catch up with him, nearly falling on a patch of hidden ice. Ike grabbed my arm and helped steady me, then let go and continued walking. We headed to the back of his yard and started into the forest that boarded it. I had to practically run to keep up with Isaac's long strides. It seemed like an eternity had passed before we stopped at a frozen stream. Ike looked around for a moment before pulling himself up onto a tree branch, then reached down a hand for me. He helped me up into the tree and together we climbed until reaching a small platform about 25 feet above the ground. I looked down uneasily, hugging myself to keep warm yet still shivering.
"Where are we?"
"This is my tree house," Ike told me. I gave him a curious look. "The one behind our house belongs basically to Zac, because he spends most of his time there. We all built it together. But this one is mine. I built it alone, I come here alone. Nobody else knows that it even exists."
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked in a whisper, another chill tingling my spine. Isaac's soft gaze hardened and tightened my arms.
"Because," he repeated, "we have to talk."