“Hey D.! Whose the kid?” A.J. asked. He’d almost automatically spotted the girl, practically hiding behind Howie.
“Guys,” Howie smiled. “This is Nickolina.”
“Nickolina?” Nick said looking and sounding confused. “Why’s that sound familiar?”
“She’s the girl I’ve been helping out,” Howie added, having had noticed the look upon Nick’s face. “Remember?”
“Oh! Right!” Brian exclaimed. “I was wondering why I’d heard such a unique name before.”
Nickolina blushed slightly, even more so when Kevin brushed past her to enter the room.
Kevin turned to look at Howie. “So…this is the girl you’ve been buying apples for?”
“Yes,” Howie smiled. “I brought her hear to meet you all.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” A.J. smiled flirtatiously.
“He wouldn’t be so nice, if he knew why I was really here,” Nickolina thought to herself, though she did manage to smile back at him.
“I’m Brian! And this blond next to me is Nick.”
Nickolina giggled. “I know,” she told him softly. “I’m a fan.”
“Oh! Good!” Brian smiled, as Nick snickered at him.
“Ow!” Nick yelped, as he was jabbed in the ribs by Brian. “Frick! What I do now?”
Everyone laughed at the two, then realized that Nickolina was holding a Teddy Bear in her arms.
“Isn’t that…?” Kevin trailed off.
Howie nodded. “Yes. It’s Sammy.”
“Sammy? Wha? Whose Sammy?” Nick asked stupidly. “The Bear, Dumbass!” A.J. laughed, only to be whacked upside the head by Kevin. “Ow!”
“No swearing in front of children!” Kevin ordered sternly.
“Yeesh!” A.J. grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
“Well, c’mon in. Have a seat,” Brian told them. “Nobody here bites - unless you’ve McDonald’s food on you.”
Nickolina giggled again, as Howie lead her over to the couch. It was then that the room went silent, as the other Boys were able to see her stomach for the first time. At four months pregnant, she was showing more than what she’d been when she’d first come to Florida, in search of her favourite vocal harmony group.
“Wow!” Nick blurted, before he could actually process the information in his blond head. “You’re pregnant!”
Nickolina blushed crimson.
“Way to state the obvious, Nick,” A.J. replicated.
Brian elbowed Nick – hard. “Frack!” He hissed. “Shut it!”
“Now, you can see why I wanted to help her so badly,” Howie said, still smiling as he squeezed Nickolina’s hand.
“May I ask, who the father is?” Brian questioned softly.
“Well, you see guys, that’s just the problem,” Howie began. “She knows who he is, but doesn’t know how to tell him and have him believe her.”
“Why wouldn’t he believe her?” Kevin demanded, sounding almost angry.
“Because, you see, she’s never actually slept with anyone,” Howie informed them. “According to Doctors, she’s still virgin, but is yet somehow pregnant.”
“How the hell can you get pregnant without sleeping around?” A.J. snapped, relieved Kevin let his language go for once.
“They believe it was the cause of a dream she had one night,” Howie explained. “I know, you can’t get pregnant from a dream, but it’s the only logical explanation.”
“Well, who was the dream about?” Brian queried gently, not wanting to scare the poor girl. She already looked a bit frightened by A.J. and Kevin’s reactions.
“Actually,” Howie said slowly. “He’s in the room right now.”
“WHAT!?!?!” Nick exclaimed, jumping up from his spot on the couch. “IT’D DAMN WELL BETTER NOT BE ME!”
Nickolina’s eyes well up with tears, and she shook her head.
“Nick!” Brian said, yanking his best friend back down. “It’s not you, so chill!”
“Well, is it you?” Nick asked harshly.
Brian raised his eyebrows and looked at Nickolina, who shook her head once more. He gave a huge sigh of relief upon seeing her shake her head.
A.J. looked at her over his sunglasses. “Well, it’s either me or Kev.”
Howie took a breath, before speaking for the young girl sitting next to him. “It’s…”
