Jason's Story

Hi new and faithful readers! It's taken me a little longer than the promised month; but I hope it's worth the wait. Please comment and vote...I love your feedback ;-)

Kitty

Four months later

Jason had struggled with his emotions after hearing the news. He spent even more time working; which had garnered him another promotion and salary increase, and had spent the remainder of his time at the gym.

He and Gina had practiced their "friends with benefits" relationship perk quite a few more times, and both were careful not to let touchy, feely emotions get in the way of that. She was open with him that she wanted to remain friends and was using him to satisfy her "carnal" needs and after a little while, he was okay with that.

He still couldn't keep

her

off of his mind for very long.

*****

Nigha entered her seventh month of pregnancy knowing that she was on borrowed time before Max put her on bed rest. Although Max and the other consulting OBs would've liked for her to be heavier; she had managed to gain a healthy amount of weight. Bria's teasing had come and gone after month five and now she just felt like a blimp.

Brett was pressuring her to go on an early maternity leave, but she refused just as he'd expected. It was her fighting spirit and determination that had made him fall for her in the first place. That and the fact that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on; before or since.

Brett fawned over her; making sure she ate when and what she was supposed to. She would wake up in fits from severe leg cramps in the middle of the night and he was quick to rub them out for her and hold her close until she fell asleep. He was so in love with the twins; who had finally revealed themselves to be girls after four separate ultrasounds, that he'd kiss both sides of her stomach every night before he went to sleep.

Sometimes she would just sit back and watch him rub her big belly and talk to the girls. He was like a child; amazed by the fact that there were two babies growing inside of his beloved wife. At times; he would just stop and look into her eyes, and melt her heart.

Everything was perfect; almost. In less than a month it would all change. Just how much; no one could fathom.

***************

Max had told Nigha that although she was still in excellent shape; the time had come for her to go on bed rest. The twins were mature enough to survive on their own, but the longer they stayed put before birth; the healthier they would be.

Brett looked on as Nigha furrowed her brow like a child; but did not protest. He reached out, took her hand and kissed it.

"Max, since it is Friday would it be alright if we had one last night out on the town?"

Nigha turned to her husband and smiled sweetly.

"Well I can't imagine one more night making that much difference. I know you'll take good care of her even if she won't" she said looking at Nigha amused by the fact that Nigha stuck her tongue out at her.

"Don't you worry Max. She's my girl carrying my girls; nothing will get to them as long as I'm around."

"Alright kids; go on out and have some fun" she said as Brett helped Nigha out of her chair.

As Brett walked and Nigha waddled out of the office, she looked up at him with those big brown eyes and smiled.

"You have no idea how much I love you."

"Oh, I think I do" he said as he leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips. She moaned softly at the contact and he placed his hand on her belly.

**********

Jason had been keeping himself closed off from the world outside of work. He'd backed away from what was happening with Gina. The fear of hurting her was too much and he couldn't bear to be the cause of someone else feeling the way that he did. She'd tried to reassure him that her intentions were less than honorable; but she understood and said that she wasn't ready to let go of their friendship, so she went along with his wishes.

He reached out and put his hand to the side of her face. She placed her hand over his and closed her eyes.

"You are truly one of the most beautiful women I've ever known" he said as he kissed her on the forehead.

"And you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen" she said as she planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Mmnh; if you ever change your mind about the benefits part of our friendship, I'm just two doors down" she said with a seductive smile.

As she walked toward the door, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Jason, does she know that you still love her?"

"She does."

"Does she still love you?"

"Yes."

"What the hell is wrong with the two of you? How long are you going to be like this?"

"Probably forever" he said with a solemn look on his face.

"What's keeping you away? She still loves you and you obviously still love her."

"Yes. Now and always; but there is someone else and she's...it's...complicated."

"Oh my goodness" she said with her mouth agape. "She's married!"

He didn't answer; he just looked down and ran his hand through his hair. For some reason, he'd only had it trimmed over the last few months and it now rested in inky waves on his shoulders.

Gina walked over and sat next to him on the floor in front of the sofa.

"Look Jason; I'm never going to be one to judge. I can't imagine a woman cheating on her husband...but then again I can't imagine a woman NOT being attracted to you. Honey, if you ever want to talk about anything; I could be your safe place. Anyone can see that this thing is tearing you up inside" she said as she placed her hand over his heart.

He looked into her eyes for the first time since she'd figured out his secret and his torment. She saw the pain and for the first time since they'd met, she saw it for what it was. It was a look that was always in his eyes; every time they were together, every time they'd had sex.

He placed his hand atop hers and smiled. "Thank you Gina. I'm not ready, but it's good to know that you're there whenever I am."

"Okay big guy" she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "You know where I am when you need me."

She made it to the door again before he called out to her.

"Gina; she's pregnant and it's killing me."

Her eyes met his as she turned around and even though he wasn't asking; she recognized that look as a plea for her to stay.

She walked over and again joined him on the floor. Over the next three hours he poured his heart out and told her everything. She could see his shoulders relax as he laid it all out for her. She felt privileged that he'd chosen her.

As she heard their story she couldn't help the thought that crossed her mind. How was he so sure that those babies weren't his? Why didn't he even question it? Being his "safe place", she thought it best to just listen to him and let him vent.

He was letting it all out when he was interrupted by his phone ringing. When he recognized Kane's cell number, he decided to let the machine pick up.

"J...uhh...man it's bad. You need to get here as quick as you can; it's Nigha..."

Jason scrambled to get to the phone before Kane hung up. Gina could tell by his quick reaction that 'Nigha' must be the one that he'd been talking about.

"K what's going on?"

J, there's been an accident and it's bad man...real bad

"Is she alright? Are the twins okay? Where was Brett?"

She's in bad shape and she had the twins at the scene of the accident. She lost consciousness after giving birth and the doctors fear that she won't come around. The twins are fine, but Brett was driving and he's clinging to life.

He stood; dazed and silent before his thoughts came to him.

"How's Bria holding up?"

She's an absolute mess. The situation is really grim and she's trying to be as strong as she can.

Thoughts were racing through Jason's mind. The hurt of her carrying another man's children; the fact that she'd chosen to stay with her husband; finding out about her pregnancy from his brother; none of that mattered at that moment. The only thing that did was getting to her; before it was too late.

"K, don't try to talk me out of it; I'll be there in a few hours."

I wouldn't dream of it bro. Why do you think I called? Please drive carefully though; Mom and Dad would kill me if something happened to you.

"Thanks man; I love you."

Yeah, yeah; I love you too. Now hang up the phone pack a few things and get your ass over here.

"Alright man, I'll see you in a few."

With that he hung up the phone and stood quietly for a moment. He was so caught up in the news that he'd forgotten that Gina was there.

She looked up at him standing there; dumbfounded, and placed her hand on his chest.

"So, Nigha is the one?"

He couldn't voice his answer; he nodded in the affirmative.

"So you'll be out of town for at least a few days then" she stated more than questioned and he nodded again. "Drive carefully and please call me when you get there to let me know that you arrived safely?"

She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Do you need some help packing a few things?"

"Gina" he was at a loss for words for what her being there meant to him when he just sighed and simply said "thank you."

"I'll call you when I get there; promise" he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"You better!" She smiled and gave him a hug before walking out of the door.

He was out of the condo less than ten minutes later.

**********

Although he was awake and alert for the record two hours it took him to get to Charlotte; he remembered nothing about the drive. True to his word; he called Gina to let her know that he'd made it alright and then he called Kane from the parking lot and was surprised to see Bria waiting for him at the nurse's station when he stepped off of the elevator.

Her eyes were red and puffy; the obvious result of crying. She gave him a sad smile as he walked cautiously toward her. He was surprised when she hugged him and paid close attention when he heard her whisper "play along alright."

"Jason. Thank you for getting here so quickly" she said loud enough for all of the attendants at the nurse's station to hear.

"You know I couldn't stay away."

"I would expect no less from our favorite cousin" she said with a wink.

"This is my cousin, Jason. I'm going to take him back to the waiting room now" she said to the nurse, not waiting for a reply. She grabbed Jason's hand and led the way.

Quickly catching on to the charade, he started to talk to her.

"So they're not letting anyone but family back huh?"

"You got it" she replied; still holding his hand.

"Did Kane put you up to this?"

"No. I remembered that the only reason that they allowed him to come back with me was because he was practically carrying me. I knew that they wouldn't have let you come back, and they might have kept K out here too if he'd come to meet you."

"Thank you. I would've been going crazy out there" he said as he lightly squeezed her hand.

"You're welcome, but I didn't do it solely for you. Two people I love very much love you, so I did it for them. I am glad that you're here though" she said as she patted his hand with her free hand before letting it go. "Jason, I have to warn you; you're going to be going crazy back here too. I need you to keep your cool as much as possible, and to keep being our "cousin" no matter how hard this is for you."

Her words were a cryptic warning that he had no idea just how bad things really were. As long as the love of his life was still alive; it couldn't have been as bad as he'd imagined. As Bria walked him over to the window of the ICU room where she was, he felt his knees buckle at the sight of her.

Kane walked over and handed Bria a latté and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks baby" she said as she wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

Jason hadn't even noticed that Kane was there until he tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey man. It's good to see you; I just wish the circumstances weren't so grim."

"Yeah, me too. What happened?"

He turned back to look into the window as Bria spoke. Nigha had about 20 stitches holding the left side of her face together from her eyebrow to her jaw. She was wearing an oxygen mask, an IV, and she was hooked up to all sorts of monitors.

"She was going to be put on bed rest and Brett decided to take her out for one last night on the town. They were on their way home when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the driver's side of Brett's Escalade. It's by the grace of God that he wasn't killed instantly."

"Oh God. How is he?"

"Honestly, they don't expect him to make it through the night" she said trying to keep herself from crying; failing miserably. "He has so many internal injuries, they don't know how he's still alive" she said in between sobs.

"He's alive because of her and those babies" he said in a somber tone as he placed his hand on the glass. "How are the babies?"

Kane was comforting Bria as she buried her face in his chest; sobbing uncontrollably.

"J, they're fine. The stress of the accident sent Nigha into labor. Surprisingly, she was alert and calm as she gave birth, but immediately lost consciousness after she heard both of them cry."

"That's good. Is she going to be alright?" He felt tears welling up as he looked on at her and heard what she'd just been through.

"She's in better shape than Brett" he started as Bria shook in his arms "but the doctors tell us that if she doesn't come around within the next 24 hours, she may slip into a coma."

Kane stopped speaking when he noticed that Jason was shaking. He'd decided to fill him in on more of the details later, when Jason made him continue with a single question.

"What happened to her face?" he asked; barely audible.

"The impact shattered the driver's side window and sent the side mirror sailing through the car. It hit her in the side of head, splitting her face open, breaking her nose and fracturing her jaw in the process. The EMTs that responded couldn't believe how calm she was when they showed up. As big and pregnant as she was; bleeding profusely from the head, she was just sitting there holding Brett's hand when they came to help."

"Oh God" he said as he wiped his hand over his nose and mouth and squeezed his chin. "Tell me the rest."

"After they got Brett out of the car she went into labor. She was supposed to have a c-section in two weeks, but it was too late and she had the twins on the way to the hospital."

Jason looked on at her in shock as she lay there; her face battered and bruised, hair splayed out on the pillow beneath her. Her stomach still looked as though she was about nine months pregnant with one child underneath the covers that lay gently over her battered frame. A series of tears streamed down his cheek as he placed his hand on the glass and wept silently.

"Where is Brett?"

"He came out of surgery about an hour ago and at this point; they've done all that they can for him. I'm gonna go take Bria out onto the terrace for some air; you alright man?"

"No; not really, but a trip to the terrace with you isn't gonna help me right now" he replied with a small chuckle.

"Dick" Kane said with his own chuckle.

A few minutes after Kane and Bria had walked off; Jason had to step away from the window. He looked up and saw the sign pointing toward the restrooms and as he walked that way he was stopped in his tracks by the sight in the next room.

The only thing that looked remotely close to the man he'd met previously was his haircut. He was indeed worse off than Nigha; practically at death's door. He was hooked up to at least twice as many things as she was and a ventilator was helping him to breathe. Something about seeing Brett that way, compounding the shock of seeing her in such a state pushed Jason past the calm façade that he was trying to keep up and he broke down. He quickly found his way to the restroom to gather himself.

**********

"Jason...Jason...wake up."

He woke up and saw her leaning over him. With his vision still clouded by sleep; he reached up and touched her face.

"Nigha...baby, I'm so glad you're alright" he said with a sleepy smile.

"Jason, it wasn't a dream. It's Bria" she said as she gently put her hand over his and watched the brief joy fade from his eyes.

"I'm sorry Bria" he said as he looked at the floor.

She sat down next to him and put her hand on his. "It's okay Jason; I wish she was alright too."

"Why don't you go home and grab a shower and change of clothes. We'll call you if anything changes."

"I can't. I need to...I want..."

"To stay close?"

"Yes."

"Jason" she started; visibly tearing up "I left last night to go and take a shower and change of clothes; now it's your turn. It won't make a difference here whether you stay or go, but I promise you'll feel a little better" she said with a small smile.

"And you'll call if anything changes, right?"

"I give you my word."

With that he reluctantly left; but not before taking a trip to the hospital nursery. All of the babies were asleep but he quickly picked out Nigha's twins. They looked like identical little angels with heads full of jet black hair and little round faces; the world couldn't be cruel enough to make such beautiful little creatures orphans. After standing there for a few minutes, he left to go take Bria's advice.

**********

Jason did no more than take a quick shower, brush his teeth, examine the two day's worth of stubble and left it alone; before he was out of the house and on his way back to the hospital. He was back within an hour.

He easily bypassed the nurse's station after flashing that killer smile and a wink to the head nurse who had been there the night before. He noticed that there was an older couple in the waiting area with Bria and Kane and when he saw the woman's face; he knew who they were instantly.

Nigha and Bria; who looked practically identical, looked just like their mother. She had to be at least in her mid-fifties, but didn't look a day over forty. Not regular forty; Demi Moore/Halle Berry forty. She sat leaning on her husband's shoulder, wiping her eyes.

Jason approached the scene with caution and when Kane saw him, he stood up and walked over to hug him. As Kane hugged him, Jason noticed Nigha's mother look him in the eyes with a strange look in her eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. McShay; this is my brother Jason."

Nigha's father rose from his seat, smiled, and offered Jason his hand. He shook Jason's hand firmly before speaking, "Are you the Jason that saved my Nigha all those month's ago?"

Jason smiled while shaking his hand. "Sir, I was just in the right place at the right time. Nigha is a really good friend of mine" he said with a smile.

"Nonsense my boy" he said with a laugh. "Call me Simon."

Jason nodded in agreement but couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under Nigha's mother's gaze. She had yet to speak to him but stood along side her husband. After a few moments; she finally extended her hand and spoke to him.

"Nice to meet you Jason" she said with a cautious smile. "I'm Elise; Nigha and Bria's mom."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs....Elise" he said as he shook her hand. As if realizing for the first time that she'd been staring; she softened her gaze and visibly relaxed.

Sensing the change in her demeanor; Jason ventured on to ask the question that had been on his mind since the moment he'd left. As they all sat down; he asked.

"Has there been any change?"

"Nigha has yet to regain consciousness and Brett is still holding on. That son-in-law of mine is a fighter just like my Nigha" Simon said with a sad, proud look on his face. "Since Nigha has stabilized; they're going to be moving her to a private room possibly tomorrow. I know she and Brett are going to be fine...they have to be" he said as he looked at the floor.