Zac sat with his arms folded across his chest. He stared around the busy hospital waiting room. Among the scattered crowd were the faces of his family, all gathered to celebrate the birth of Hanson child #7. His mom and dad had been in the delivery room for nearly an hour, and Diana had been in a maternity room for 5 hours before then. Despite urgings from his uncle to have Isaac take him home to get some sleep, Zac continued to refuse and had stayed seated for most of the long wait.

"You haven't said anything for an hour," Tay uttered while still gazing at the crumpled People magazine in his hand.

"Huh?" Zac awoke from his blurred daydream.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Zac rubbed his weary eyes.

"Well because you haven't said anything for an hour, ever since they took Mom to the delivery room."

"I was just thinking, that's all. Just a little...worried, I guess."

Taylor looked down at his little brother. For the first time in a long while he could see their age difference. For the past few years they had done almost everything together -- perform, work, school. Taylor sometimes forgot that Zac was still young enough to show his fear without any fronts or masks. His wide-eyes and shaky hands told Tay that Zac was more than serious when he said he was worried.

Taylor put his arm around Zac's shoulder. "She's done this 6 times before. She'll be fine."

Zac pushed Taylor's arm away from him. "I know, alright." He got up and walked to the soda machine.

"See if I try to comfort you again," Tay mumbled under his breath.

"Zac." A voice whispered from around the corner of the hall. Zac looked up from the soda machine. He turned the corner to find Manda standing against the wall, her hands behind her back and her eyes gazing down at her shoes.

"Manda? What the heck are you doing here?"

"I made my mom drive me. She was a little curious how things were going, too. I think she's trying to harass one of your family members over there." She pointed in the direction of Zac's cousin Wayne. Manda's mother was blabbering on and on and Wayne looked as if he wanted to be shot to the farthest solar system.

"Oh, yeah. How did you get in? Isn't there a bunch of police out there keeping the reporters and stuff out?"

"My mom pretended to be in labor. Then we ditched the nurse that brought her in."

"Your mom doesn't look pregnant."

"She does with a pillow under her dress."

Zac glared down at Manda. "Okaaaay."

"Hey, I can't keep apologizing for my mother. She is what she is. Weird." Manda shuffled her feet and swept her hand through her hair nervously. "So, what's happening?"

"Um, not much. My mom is in the delivery room."

"You look a bit green."

"Green? No, I'm not..."

"Yeah, you look kinda sick and green."

"Whatever, Manda." Zac sat down on the couch at the other side of the hall. Manda moved in to sit next to him. Zac whipped his feet up on the other side of the couch to keep her off.

"Well, that wasn't rude."

"I'm tired. I wanted to lay down."

"You could be a little nicer to me. I came all this way to see how you were doing. You looked so sad when you left this morning."

"I thought you said you came to see how my mom was doing."

"Well, yeah, I guess I did. But I mostly came to see you."

Normally, Zac would have taken her gesture to heart, but he was in no mood to deal with a girl right now. He had so much more important things to worry about. "I need...my rest."

Manda's eyes turned down and she slowly backed away from Zac. She headed over to her mother, who had finally let poor Wayne escape. Zac watched as Manda pulled her mother away from the windows into the maternity ward and away towards the exit. She gave him one last look and disappeared around the corner.

Zac was just about to shut his eyes when he saw the doctor push through the swinging doors into the waiting room. All the family rose to their feet as the stoic figure in white entered into their circle. Zac couldn't bear to get closer to him, so he stayed on the couch.

"Well, it looks like we have a few more hours to wait."

"What?" Ike said, his arms folded around Avery.

"We thought it was time, but the baby's got a bit of a heart murmer and we want to wait and try and stabilize it before we deliver."

"But the heart. I mean that's..."

"Don't worry about that. We're taking care of everything," the doctor assured Isaac. But his vague words weren't much of an assurance to anybody, especially Zac.

"I would expect probably in 3 hours we will pop that little bundle out." The doctor laughed. Taylor rolled his eyes.

"So is this heart murmer a serious problem?" their uncle asked.

"Oh, goodness no. It happens more frequently than you might think. Usually it's nothing serious."

"Usually?"

"There is nothing to worry about. We are taking good care of both mommy and baby. I would say that maybe some of the little ones out here could go home for a couple of hours."

"Okay, adios folks." Taylor got up and put on his jacket.

"You're leaving?" Zac blurted. He headed towards his brother. "How could you leave at a time like this?"

"The doctor said that it won't be for another 3 hours."

"But the baby is in trouble. You are just gonna skip out?" Zac leaned closer to Taylor, trying to come face to face with him.

"I'm not skipping out. I'll be back. I just need a break, okay Zac!"

"Hey, hey, you two. Settle down." Their uncle pulled them apart. "This is not the time for that."

"I'm not the one doing anything. It's Zac who is being a little brat. You've been that way the whole afternoon. And I won't stay here and watch you be that way for the whole night too." Taylor grabbed Isaac's arm. "You're driving."

"Woah. I'm what?"

"We're taking Avery, Mackie and Jess home to take a nap. Then we are getting something to eat and then we are coming back here."

"Okay, Dad." Ike said sarcastically.

"C'mon, Ike. Look at them, they are exhausted."

Isaac glanced over at Jess and Avery who were doing high kicks and ballet moves for their Aunt. "Real exhausted, Tay."

"I just want to get out of here for a little while. Now grab the munchkins and lets go." Taylor waited as Ike rounded up the three kids. "Zac, do you want to come or not?"

"Not," he said defiantly. He was going to wait this out right here in the waiting room, even if it killed him.

"I guess they were tired." Ike looked in the rear view mirror to see Mackie and Avery keeled over in their seats snoring away. Jessica was staring out the window humming 'Wannabe.' He turned to see Taylor passed out as well in the front seat. "My goodness."

The slamming of the car door jolted Taylor awake. He looked at his watch. Two and a half hours until his mom was suppose to have the baby. Plenty of time for him to take a stroll down the block. As Ike woke the little ones and dragged them into their bedrooms, Taylor grabbed his hat and headed out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm taking a walk."

"Yeah, right. It's pitch black outside. And you are not suppose to be walking alone anywhere -- day or night."

"Don't be so mellowdramatic, Ike. There aren't masses of girls everywhere we go and there certainly won't be any out tonight. You overestimate your teen idoldom."

"And you underestimate it. Plus, I'm not talking about girls, I'm talking about reporters. We really should have had Jason come home with us. You saw the reporters out there this morning. I'm surprised we got out of the hospital in one peice."

"I'm still trying to figure out how they found out. I didn't tell anybody except Leigh-Ann when I called her. And you didn't tell anybody, so..."

"Except Ginger."

"You told Ginger?"

"Well, yeah, I mean..."

"I don't trust her. You know that."

"But I do. So can we leave this alone."

"Yeah, then I'll be back in an hour."

"You're crazy, man."

"I know. See ya in an hour."

It was nearly 10:00 when Taylor rang the doorbell of Leigh-Ann's house. He hadn't even thought that somebody might be asleep inside. Luckily, Leigh opened the door with a plate of fried chicken in her hand.

"Late night snack?" Taylor quipped.

"No, dinner." Leigh-Ann was wearing the glasses that she never had the courage to wear during the day. She was clothed in feetsie pajamas and her hair was swept up in a messy ponytail. She had no make-up on. She didn't seem the slightest bit embarrased that Taylor was standing right in front of her. "Nice hat."

"Thanks. My uncle gave it to me at the hospital." Taylor took off the USS Alabama hat to show her. "He toured the ship."

"Uh, huh. Interesting." She said quietly, not looking awefully impressed.

"Uh, can I come in?"

"Sure." She turned and walked towards the kitchen, leaving Taylor to close the door.

"Where's your mom?"

"She went to the market."

"At this time of night?" Taylor picked at some extra chicken lying on the counter.

"Well, she said she was going to the 7-11, but I know she actually goes to see my Dad."

"You're Dad? I thought that..."

"I think they're trying to get back together."

"You don't seem too thrilled about that." He leaned in closer to her and stared down at her thick black-rimmed glasses.

"Whatever. Look Tay, I thought that we weren't going to get into that whole thing. I'm supposed to handle this on my own."

"Right."

"I'm the one who has to deal with my alcoholic father, not you. I discuss it enough at Alateen."

Taylor sighed. At least he could take comfort that she was talking to somebody, even if it wasn't him. "So, you wanna, um..."

"Isn't your mom in labor?"

"Oh, yeah. But she won't give birth for a couple of hours."

"Tay. I've been thinking. Every time you talk to me lately, it seems like there is something you want to say or ask, but it's just not coming out."

"No...I don't think so."

"Uh huh. Why don't I believe you?"

"I dunno." He fiddled with a coffee cup absent-mindedly. Leigh-Ann stared suspiciously at him.

"Why did ya come over, then?"

"I thought we could maybe...watch some TV?"

"Sure, uh huh."

"Make out?"

She slapped his shoulder. "Guess again." She smiled. He had gotten her to laugh.

"But you look awefully sexy tonight."

"Taylor!" She slapped his shoulder again. "You shouldn't even be in here. If my mom found you here you would die a thousand deaths. A boy in the house after 9:00 -- oh, may we be forgiven!" She yelled dramatically.

"Oh, gosh. How will we ever make ammends!" Taylor joined in.

"We are soooo bad!"

"Aweful, aweful, wicked teenagers." Taylor laughed. "Gosh, if only they knew how pathetically tame we really are."

Leigh got serious. "We're not tame. We're just smart -- we take things slow."

"Yeah. Slow." Taylor looked down at his worn sneakers.

"Do you think people would be mad if they found out you had a girlfriend?"

"Some, maybe. I guess." He jumped onto the kitchen counter.

"Why don't you tell people then?"

"I haven't done an interview since we've been together."

"But when you and Rebecca were together..."

"I wasn't famous," he finished her sentence.

"Didn't you say that you had never kissed a girl. That you had never dated a girl?"

"That was...denial. I was mad at Rebecca. I kinda wanted to think that she didn't count. So it wasn't a lie -- it was improving the truth."

"Would you deny that we were going out?"

Taylor stared at her. He knew that a lot rested on his answer. "Um...I...don't know. It's complicated."

"Why? Aren't we together?"

"Yeah. But...the fans...they get disappointed and...gosh, Leigh, you should see how disappointed they get when rumors fly around."

"Don't we think a lot of ourselves."

"I'm just telling the truth. They all think that they want to know if we are dating anybody. But all they really want to hear is that we're not -- whether it's a lie or the truth."

"So you are willing to lie to your fans."

"I didn't say that. I just...I don't know what I would do. It's not like I've been in this kind of situation before." He pulled the rubber band out of his hair and let it fall forward into his eyes.

"Does Mercury tell you to lie about it?"

"What? No." He didn't know whether to be offended by the question.

"Just wondering -- I mean, record sales and all."

"I happen to believe that a lot of fans are more attached to the music than my face."

"Well, I'm attached to your music and your face." She smiled, obviously wanting to end a conversation that could have no good outcome. She walked up to where he was sitting on the counter and leaned up to kiss him.

"I thought we weren't going to make out."

"It's just a kiss. Just a kiss," she mumbled before softly touching his lips.

"Well, doesn't this just beat all."

Leigh-Ann whipped around and saw her mom and dad standing in front of her with groceries in their hands.

"Mom. Dad? What are you doing here?"

"I was driving your mother home. Her car broke down."

"At the market?" Leigh-Ann quipped. "What was Dad doing at the market?"

Her mother sighed and put the groceries on the counter. "Taylor, honey, it's time for you to go."

"Yes, ma'am." He jumped down from off the counter, glad that Leigh-Ann's parents hadn't totally freaked. He tried to avoid the look her father was giving him. He couldn't help but cringe when he thought about how he had punched the man a few weeks back. He didn't seem so out-of-control now.

"Oh, Taylor. Tell your parents congratulations on their new baby girl."

"What?"

"Your sister. We just heard about it on the radio."

Taylor didn't say a word. He didn't even say a goodbye to Leigh-Ann, but just bolted out of the door and ran back to the house. The car Ike had drove home was gone. He checked the house and so were his brothers and sisters. He paged his fathers beeper. Now all he could do was wait -- wait to hear that he had missed the birth of his baby sister.

"Let me see! Move, Jessica." Zac pushed his way in front of his sister to stare at the shriveled little face behind the glass wall of the nursery. "She's so...wrinkly and cute!"

"I'm glad you think so, bud," his father said as he layed his hand on Zac's shoulder.

"Dad, I swear we tried to find Tay before we left. But the girls were getting excited and..."

"It's okay, Ike. I'm sure we'll find him. I'm just sorry he's not here."

"I wanna see mom," Zac blurted.

"In a little while."

"Now," he insisted.

"Zac, I said in a little while," Walker said in a more stern voice.

Zac pushed his way out of the crowd of people, slumped down on one of the nearby chairs and began to pout.

"Zac, you stop that. Your mother is fine."

"I'll believe that when I see it Dad," Zac yelled back at his father.

"Dad, your beeper is vibrating," Ike noticed.

"Three guesses who that is. Go get him Ike."

Ike sighed and grabbed Wayne. If he had to go then somebody was going with him. "Hey, man. Where are we going?"

"To get Tay, the incredible missing boy."

On their way out a surge of news people swarmed on Ike and Wayne, yelling questions about the baby as well as about Taylor's supposed "assault" on a reporter in a restaurant a month back.

So far, the family hadn't answered any accusations about the non-existant incident, but Isaac was getting fed up. It took everything he had to smile and nod as he dragged Wayne through the doors.

"What the heck was that, Ike? That's never happened before."

"The tabloids are just starting to figure out that we're celebrities." Ike started his dad's car and drove away from the hospital. "Tay and I were trying to figure out who told them that Mom went into labor today."

"I didn't. That's for sure." Wayne leaned back in his seat, trying to grab a few minutes of sleep on the way back to the house.

"But who did?" Ike continued.

Wayne sat up, realizing that his dream of sleep wouldn't come yet. "Okay, well who knows?"

"Um, the family..."

"And we wouldn't tell."

"Taylor told his girlfriend, Leigh-Ann."

"Would she?"

"Leigh? Nah, she's not like that. She's sometimes a little weird, but she's sweet."

"I think Jessica called her friend Missy. She's nine, so..."

"Her parents?"

"No, they hardly ever leave the house, so I doubt they would call the whole Tulsa news industry." Isaac sighed. "Oh, Zac's friend, Manda and her mother. But somehow I don't think it's them."

"Maybe there is a whole conspiracy...like one of the doctors was payed to tip off a reporter. Maybe that reporter is that nasty one that said Tay beat him up. They're in cahoots together to bring down Hanson no matter the cost. They don't want young people to succeed. They want the world to be filled with hate-rock and Manson-like creepy devil-musicians. And you are the first step in their master plan."

"Yeah, okay Wayne." Ike rolled his eyes.

"I'm just joking, man." Wayne laughed.

Suddenly Ike got a sullen look on his face. "I told Ginger."

"That chick..."

"Girl, thank you."

"Okay, that girl you've been hanging out with?"

"Tay doesn't trust her. But I don't think she could do something like that."

"Are you sure?"

Isaac paused. "Yeah, I'm sure." He pulled up into the drive-way. Taylor didn't even wait for the car to come to a stop. He jumped in.

"Let's go."

The car was quiet on their way back. Isaac flipped the radio on to the news. "In local Entertainment news, that pop-trio Hanson welcomed baby number 7 to their clan. No word as to the name, but it is a girl. Hey, maybe they'll let her join the band."

"Oh, paleeease." Taylor moaned.

"In related news, local reporter Barry Bobo was very sketchy when asked if he would press charges against the middle Hanson, Taylor. Taylor reportedly assaulted Bobo in a restaurant last month. Bobo's attorney, Samantha Reed, had only to say that her client was still reeling from the attack by the 14-year-old boy."

"Oh, gosh, I don't feel so good." Taylor layed back in his seat. "Wait. Wait a minute." He sprung up. "Ike, what was that attorney's name?"

"Um, Samantha Reed...oh, gosh." Isaac froze.

"What? What?" Wayne was practically jumping in his seat.

"Isaac, you don't think that..."

"I don't know Tay."

"What?! C'mon guys."

Isaac parked the car and looked back at Tay. "I can't believe that she has anything to do with this."

"You heard it, Ike."

Isaac could handle people hating their music. He could handle people claiming to hate them. But never has someone close betrayed him or hurt him like this. Only if it's true, he thought to himself. He still needed to confront Ginger and ask her why she never told him that Barry Bobo's attorney was her mother.