~Chris' POV~

"Why hasn't Doctor Hopkins called yet?" Jonny asked, annoyed.

I sighed and pressed his head to my chest. "I'm sure he'll call soon, love. He probably decided to wait until your due date."

"But he said it was unlikely," my husband argued. Husband. I loved the way the word rolled off my tongue.

"He also said it's possible. Just be patient, Jonny."

It had been a week since our impromptu wedding and the doctor still hadn't called to tell us when he was going to induce labor on Jonny. His original due date wasn't for another two weeks, but I really didn't think that poor Jonny could wait that long.

"I can't be patient. I want my baby now!"

I chuckled and rubbed my fingers through his hair, a method that usually calmed him. "I know, babe, but you've gotta be patient."

"Maybe he lost our number or something. Let's go to the hospital and see what's up."

I wanted to look at his adorable baby-face, to kiss it and to tell him that it would be alright. "Would some lovely sex help to calm you?" I asked him, not really in the mood, but willing to try anything to make him happy.

He shook his head against my chest. "I'm too stressed for sex."

Aw, my poor little doughnut, I thought, kissing his head.

"I'm sorry, Jonny. Is there anything that will make you feel better?" I asked.

He sighed. "Holding my baby."

I groaned. Sometimes he could be so difficult. I loved him, but he could be very hard to deal with at times, especially when it came to his emotions. "You will, Jonny. You just have to wait."

He shook his head again. "Don't wanna."

I knew he was falling asleep by how short his answer was, and I smiled slightly as I rested my face in his hair. "I love you, Jonny," I whispered.

"Love you, too," he replied groggily, and I stifled my giggles. I ran my fingers through his hair some more and listened to his soft snores as he fell asleep on me. I held him tightly and rubbed his large belly.

"Your daddy really loves you," I whispered, referring to Jonny. I bet that will be confusing! I thought, wondering what the baby will call each of us.

I sat there for a long time before I was finally able to fall asleep, and both Jonny and I were woken up by the sound of my mobile ringing.

"It must be Doctor Hopkins!" Jonny shouted, his head immediately lifting up from my chest and looking at my mobile. Morning sunlight was streaming in through the blinds of the window and I rubbed my eyes before grabbed my mobile.

"Hello?" I answered, groggily.

"Hello, Christopher! This is Doctor Hopkins, and our staff is ready for Jonathan to have his baby." I stifled a grin.

"Oh, alright. Thank you so much."

I hung up the phone and pretended to look depressed. "Chris? Who was it? Was it Doctor Hopkins? What did he say?" His mouth started moving at nearly a hundred miles a minute.

"No, it was my dad," I lied. "He said the doctor was looking for me. They lost our number so he called my emergency contact number." I was surprised that Jonny didn't catch on then, since it was Phil was first on my emergency contact list, not my dad. "They said it'd be another month before they wanted to induce labor on you."

"A month?" Jonny squealed. "I can hardly wait a few hours! And they expect me to wait a whole month?"

At this, I laughed. "No, they want us to come in now."

His face lit up. "Oh, Chris! We're going to have a baby!" He laughed, then punched my arm.

"Ow!" I cried with a laugh. He smiled. "That's for tricking me."

I giggled. "Come on, Jonny Boy! Let's go have our baby, eh?"

I picked him up and he giggled. "I can't believe this is finally happening," he whispered.

I kissed him on the mouth and smiled. "Me neither, love. I've been waiting for this day since you told me you were pregnant. It's the best thing I could ever ask for."

"I love you, Chris. Thank you for giving me my child."

I chuckled. "You haven't even seen it yet."

He smiled. "I already know it's going to be beautiful."

I put him in the car and we both anxiously drove to the hospital. Jonny called Phil while I drove and told him the news.

"Yes! Today! Chris is driving me there now!" Jonny said and I laughed.

"No, Phil, he's not lying!" I shouted into the phone with a chuckle.

"Yes, that was Chris."

I laughed again and nearly honked at the stoplight in my excitement. "Ok, we'll see you there. Please tell Guy and Will and Dave for us!"

He hung up and groaned. "Are we there yet? I wanna hold my baby!"

I laughed. Both of us were so excited to see our baby that we could hardly do anything else. "Did you call your mum?" I asked.

"Phil is on it," he replied. "What about you?"

"I'll call my parents later."

Our anxiety both increased once we reached the hospital. When we left, we would have a baby. It was overwhelming, and so unbelievable that I wanted to cry.

"Are you ready, Jonny Boy?" I asked, taking a deep breath.

He smiled and nodded. "I've never been more ready for anything."

I grinned back at him. "Not even marrying me? I'm hurt!" I teased.

He laughed. "I didn't even have a vow written!"

I shrugged. "But I did tell you we were going to get married."

"Yeah, literally five minutes before we were married!"

We laughed. "You should've used your time wisely, Jonny Boy!"

I pushed him playfully and hugged him close as we walked into the large, white building. "Oh, hello Mr. Buckland!" The nurse greeted. "Mr. Martin."

I shook my head. "I go by Mr. Buckland now," I corrected, giving Jonny a knowing look.

The nurse looked confused for a moment, then, as it dawned on her, she smiled. "Oh! Congratulations!"

I hugged Jonny to my body and kissed his head. "Where do we go?" Jonny asked, changing the subject.

The nurse pointed to the door to her right. "Down this hallway and to your left, and you'll find the maternity ward, where Doctor Hopkins will be waiting for you."

I nodded to the nurse in thanks and took Jonny's hand, leading him down the hall, where the doctor was indeed waiting for us. "Good morning, Jonathan! How are you today?"

My husband smiled. "I'm wonderful, thank you doctor."

"Come on in here and I'll take your vitals and check on the baby."

He smiled and I grabbed Jonny's hand, pulling him into the room. Jonny laid on the large hospital bed, and I had bad flashbacks of when he had gotten into the accident and I thought I was going to lose him. I closed my eyes, and I saw the pained expression he wore as he slept, and opened them again before I could break down. I looked at Jonny now, who looked so happy as he laid in the bed, getting his blood pressure checked.

"It's a bit high, but you're just nervous I suppose," the doctor said. I walked over and grabbed Jonny's hand.

"Well, I'm going to give you pain medication before the actual surgery, but I'd like to request that you change into a hospital gown first."

Jonny groaned, making me giggle as I helped him out of bed. "I'll be back in ten minutes," he said.

I took Jonny's hand and grabbed the robe that the doctor left for Jonny. "I'm so fucking excited, babe, but these hospital robes are so annoying."

I laughed. "I'm sure they are."

He slipped into the robe with only a little bit of a trouble. I didn't laugh at him, instead I eased his anxiety by giving him soothing words and reminding him that in only a few hours, we'd be parents.

Jonny was in bed and feeling very calm by the time Doctor Hopkins came back. "Hello, again, Jonathan."

I grinned. This was it. This was when the process began. We were actually going to have a baby! It was unbelievable!

"I'm going to run you through the procedure," he began. "We're going to do a classic cut since we're going to take your baby a few weeks early. It'll be a bit more dangerous than the Monroe-Kerr, since you'll be cut open a bit more, but it shouldn't be anything life-threatening." At the mention of Jonny losing his life, I tensed. If he was killed in childbirth... I didn't know what I'd do. "We'll give you some anesthesia and Christopher will wait outside in the waiting room during your surgery." I shared a look with Jonny, and silently apologized for not being able to be there for him during the most important moment of our lives. "Christopher will get to see the baby first, if that's alright with both of you, and then you'll get to see each other and celebrate your baby."

I cleared my throat. "What about... Joseph Anthony?"

He nodded. "If you would also like to hold your lost twin, I will permit that."

I gave Jonny a sad smile, and squeezed his hand. "Are you ready, Mr. Buckland?"

Jonny and I both answered "yes" at the same time and we giggled. "We got married last week, so even though it's not official, we're sharing a last name now," I explained.

The doctor smiled. "Well, I offer my congratulations, you two! Hopefully we can have a successful surgery and you can celebrate with a baby."

Hopefully. Even though it was unlikely that anything would go wrong, I couldn'thelp but worry for the surviving baby and for my precious husband.

"Alright, Christopher. The nurse will guide you to the waiting room. Some of your friends are already there." He smiled and I nodded.

"I'll see you soon, Chrissy," Jonny said, the doctor putting the mask on his face, and I watched as he grew sleepy.

"See you later, doughnut. When you see me again, we'll be parents." I kissed his head and his eyes smiled back at me. Oh, his beautiful eyes.

The nurse walked me out of the room, and I snuck one last look at Jonny as he fell asleep. Parents! The word stuck out in my head. I would be a parent. I would watch my child grow up with Jonny by my side. Their first steps, their first word, their first day of school, their first boyfriend/girlfriend (whom I would probably kill that night), their graduation... I would watch them become a full-grown adult, and it would be incredible.

When we reached the waiting room, poor Phil was stuck beside Will and Guy's make-out session. "Don't act like you wouldn't do the same to Lara," I teased. He had developed a crush on a girl named Lara who was in one of his classes (I didn't care enough to bother remembering which one) and he never shut up about her. For the past three weeks, all we ever heard about was Lara, Lara, Lara. The poor girl probably didn't even know that he existed.

Phil blushed. "...Would not," he mumbled. We all laughed.

"Admit it, Phil! You totally would!" Guy said with a laugh.

His blush deepened and I sat next to him. "It's ok, mate. I'm sure she'll notice you someday."

"Maybe you should try actually talking to her," Will suggested with a playful smile.

"Or I could just hide from her all year."

"Ah, come on, man! You've gotta talk to her! It'll be good for you!" I argued.

"Nah, mate. I don't think I could do it."

"Aw, it's ok, Phil. We've all been there. Except maybe Chris. He's pretty straightforward when it comes to emotions," Will said with a laugh. I chuckled along. "But it was you who helped me tell Guy about my feelings, remember that? And it was the best decision I've ever made in my life." He smiled dreamily at Guy, who grinned and pressed his lips to Will's.

"Aw, I love my Willy Bear."

Phil smiled. "Yeah, and the worst decision of mine," he teased. My mind took me back to when Jonny thought that fucking me that first night was the worst mistake of his life. I was glad I had convinced him otherwise, but the thought hurt nonetheless.

"Just try, mate. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Suddenly, my parents walked in unexpectedly, and I smiled. They were holding hands, and it was as if they had never divorced in the first place.

"Hey Mum! Hey Dad." I greeted.

"Hi, Chrissy!" My mum replied, a large grin on her face. "Oh, I'm so excited for you! You're going to be a dad!"

"I know! It's unbelievable, really."

Will, Guy, and Phil all stood up to greet them, and it was then I noticed that Dave was missing. "Hey, where's Dave?" I asked.

"He's out of town. I believe his grandmother fell ill," Will replied quickly.

"Oh."

We sat in the waiting room, all chatting and waiting anxiously for any news when Jonny's parents showed up. "Hello, everyone!" His mum greeted. I hadn't actually met his parents, but they matched his descriptions perfectly.

"Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Buckland. I'm Chris, your unofficial son-in-law and the daddy of your son's baby."

They looked at each other silently for a moment, then started to laugh. "Hello, Chris! Jonny has told us so much about you!" Mrs. Buckland said, making me smile.

We all sat in the lobby for a long time. A very long time. So long that it worried me. However, finally, a nurse came over to me and asked if I would like to see them take out the twins. The others said that they wanted to see the baby, too, but the nurse argued that it was only tradition that the father get to see the baby first. There was a strange look in the nurse's eye, a look I couldn't put my finger on.

I stuck my tongue out at them and walked with the nurse to a small room with a large window overlooking my husband's surgery. I couldn't see his face, but I could see multiple doctors and nurses with their hands in Jonny's stomach. I stood watching with my mouth agape as they pulled out a small, screaming little girl. Maxine Grace Buckland, I thought, and my heart soared. There she was, in the flesh. Our little girl.

Right behind Maxine they pulled out a smaller baby, who was silent and still. My heart longed for the boy who never got to live. He would get to grow up, get a wife, have children, go to school, throw parties, play music or anything like that.

The nurse turned to me then, and she broke the eerie silence as the boy was carried to the nursery to be cleaned up, like his more fortunate twin sister. "There was a complication with the surgery," the nurse said quietly, so quietly that I almost didn't hear her. I almost wished that I hadn't, but then her next words would have been so much harder.

"I'm sorry, but Jonny is dying."

It was like a stab to my heart. At first, I was in denial. Surely they had just messed something up. He wasn't really dying. She was teasing me. It was a cruel, sick joke. However, I knew that the nurse spoke the truth, even if I wasn't ready to believe it.

"We've only lost one other patient to a C-section," she continued. "And her death hurt, but not as much as this." She shook her head, and I wondered when my tears would come. "What you and Jonny had... it was special. It was the most special kind of love that I've ever witnessed. You... you two don't deserve that kind of ending."

I knew then why she said only I could come back here. It wasn't for "tradition" or shit like that, it was because if the others knew, they would get to say goodbye, too, and take time away from us together as a family. "Shall I see you in to say goodbye?" She asked, and I nodded, numbly.

We walked into the room and I stared at Jonny. My precious doughnut. His face looked so relaxed as he watched me walk in, so much unlike the last time he was dying. I couldn't shake the part of me that wanted to believe that it was just the same, that he was going to get up and be fine and we would both leave the hospital with a baby.

"Hello, Chris," he said, weakly. His baby-face was pale and I already missed the tan ring he had that extended from his forehead down to the bottom of his nose.

I smiled weakly. "Hello, Jonny Boy." My voice cracked, but I didn't care. I ran over to him and hugged him as tightly as I could, and noticed that he smelled like sweat and lotion.

"There's so much I still need to tell you, Jonny. You can't die now."

He just chuckled. "It's these damn kidneys. Turns out my grandmum's kidney disease mattered more than I thought it did."

I shook my head, and felt the first tears fill up my eyes. "We were supposed to raise Maxine Grace together," I whispered.

He smiled. "So it's a girl?"

The nurse, who hadn't left the room, spoke up. "The doctor will be back momentarily with the twins. You can hold both of them... even the one that didn't make it."

I nodded. "Thank you," I responded. I turned back to Jonny and grabbed his cold hands. How could it even be possible that my beautiful husband could be dying right before my eyes? "How am I gonna live without you?" I asked quietly.

He took one of his hands and stroked my cheek. His beautiful green eyes were a pale green instead of their usual dark, emerald green that I loved so much. "Chris, you have to live. We have a kid now. You have to live for the Maxie now. She'll never forgive you if you leave her now. I'll never forgive you."

A sob escaped from my throat. "But I need you!" I argued. "I can't live without you. It's not possible."

He shook his head. "You have to, Chris. For me. For Maxie."

Suddenly, Doctor Hopkins came in carrying two babies in his arms. He handed the live one to me and the other one to Jonny. I paid deep attention to little Maxine. Her eyes were a deep, emerald green like Jonny's, and her hair was wispy and a light mix between my hair color and my husband's. Her face was squished in, but I could already that she looked much more like Jonny than she did me.

"Jonny... she's beautiful," I said, my tears landing on the blanket she was wrapped in. She stared back up at me, and I could've sworn that she smiled.

I looked back at Jonny, who was silently sobbing at the small body in his arms. "He could've been something," Jonny whispered.

I traded bodies with him and stared at the boy in my arms. He wasn't very developed, but I could tell that he was going to look more like me than Jonny. Why can't it be me now? I aked myself. Why was it Joseph's life taken and not mine?

"Doctor Hopkins?" I called. "Will you please take a picture of the four of us?" It would be the last time we would all be together for a long time, and I wanted this moment to last forever. Of course, I knew it wouldn't, but I still wanted the image captured.

"Of course," he agreed, and I scooted into position. I laid next to Jonny on the bed and held Joseph Anthony Buckland in my arms, as my husband held Maxine Grace Buckland in his arms. For a moment, I imagined what we could've been, a big, happy family. If Jonny's kidneys didn't suck, and if he hadn't taken that trip on Christmas, maybe we could've been. Or, maybe it was meant to happen like this. I doubt I'll ever know.

The nurse wrote baby names on their birth certificates, and everything felt ok for a minute. It didn't feel like my husband was dying, like everything was falling apart around me. It felt normal, just for a moment.

"It's time, Chris." Jonny whispered after awhile. I turned towards him and shook my head. He was smiling. He knew what was coming to him, and so did I. There was no point in fighting it anymore. The nurse and doctor had taken the babies from us and left us alone for our final goodbyes, and I could hardly handle it.

I hugged Jonny tightly and didn't want to let go. Memories flashed through my head of all it had taken to get here. Jonny bumping into me in the dorm, forming the band, us having sex, me being taken away from him and abused, finding Guy and thinking that Jonny hated me, running away to Liverpool, finding him at the pub at one of their first shows, hearing from him that he was pregnant, going home to my dad, moving in with Jonny, Jonny's accident, losing Joseph, the baby shower, our wedding, and now today. It all meant something, I knew. I knew that our time together and apart weren't for nothing. I knew that we were special. I knew we were. "I'll never forget you, Jonny. I'll love you forever and ever," I said, kissing his lips for the last time.

"I love you, too, Chris. I'll think about you, wherever I go after my time here is done. And... I'll find you. I'll always fucking love you, I promise."

That was the last thing he said before his eyes closed forever.

I sat there and bawled for a long time, before I finally had the courage to stand up and face him. I got one last look at his baby-face that would never mature, his 20-year-old body that would remain 20 forever. I wished that I could've done more, but I couldn't. What was done was done.

With that, I stood up and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Jonny's POV~

Seeing Chris in a state like that really hurt me. I knew that it was going to be rough on him. I knew that he was going to have a hard time coping, but I really didn't expect it to be that bad.

He probably cried in the hospital for a good twenty minutes. I stood behind him and patted his back the whole time. He deserved the whole world, and all I had done was destroy his. "I'm sorry," I whispered, though I knew it was pointless. He couldn't hear me.

I didn't watch the faces of everyone when Doctor Hopkins broke the news to everybody. I could hardly stand to listen to their sobs. I felt horrible about leaving them, though it wasn't as if I had a choice.

Chris took Maxine Grace home with him that night, and Phil and my folks stayed with him to help out. I watched Maxie as she took her first bath, and how Chris seemed to light up every time he was around her. Maybe it was the memory of me that came from her emerald green eyes, or maybe it was just the love of our baby that drove him forward, but he always seemed less low in her presence.

I even attended my funeral, despite my concerns. It actually was quite adorable, as Chris insisted that I was buried with little Joseph so that they didn't have to attend two separate funerals. I was honored to be buried with my son, and I hoped that maybe, Chris could be buried with Maxine.

I was supposed to act as a guide for Chris, but I really didn't think he needed it. There were a few moments, like when he depressed because Maxie's first word had been "chocolate" and not "dada". I just told him that he was being ridiculous and that his first word was probably chocolate, too. He laughed at that. It was in his dream, of course, but it still felt good to hear him laugh for once.

Then, on her second birthday, he tried to kill himself, by getting himself very drunk and overdosing on sleeping pills. I told him that Maxine needed him and that the band was about to go big, and that they couldn't bear to lose another member.

I always found it strange listening to their music, since I had watched Chris write every song, and every song had been about me. The big one was Yellow, which was written only two weeks after I left him. It was a beautiful ballad, but I knew that he had cried as he wrote it, thinking about me.

That went on awhile. As predicted, the band went big, and Chris continued to write music. He wrote Green Eyes on Maxie's 3rd birthday, and everyone we knew could've guessed that it was about me. I loved his music, but I hated that he couldn't move on from me. He often touched the wedding band on his finger just to make sure it was still there. It was like the one piece of me  (besides Maxie) that he had left.

I didn't know whether to rejoice or cry when Chris met Gwenyth. I knew that she'd be the one he fell in love with, maybe have more kids with. I was surprised when he declined her request for children, but even more so when he actually proposed.

The day before the wedding, when Maxine was almost four, he sat her down and brought out the photo album of when we were together. I sat beside him and watched.

"This is your daddy, the man who gave birth to you," he explained, pointing to a picture of me from back at Uni, at a school football match.

"I thought only mommies could give birth!" Maxine called out, making me giggle.

"Well, your Daddy Jonny was very special."

"He was?"

Chris nodded sadly.

I kissed his cheek, and though I know he couldn't feel it, he smiled. "I loved him very much."

He reached the page of all four of us together, and a tear fell on the page. "That's you, Maxie," he said, pointing at the baby in my arms. "Daddy Jonny was dying," he added quietly.

"Who's that?" Maxine asked, pointing at Joseph, in Chris' arms.

"That's your little brother, Joseph Anthony Buckland."

"Did he die, too?" Maxie asked very matter-of-factly.

Chris nodded. "That's why I don't want you to have any more siblings."

She nodded. "I love you, Daddy," she said, hugging his torso. I smiled and hugged the other half of him. He of course hugged Maxine instead of me, but I didn't mind.

"I love you, too, cupcake."

I didn't want to watch his wedding (though Maxine made an adorable flower girl), so I waited until after the honeymoon to come back. Chris looked so much older then, so much more mature, so much happier. I couldn't be more proud of my husband, that he had found someone that made him happy again.

I was there when Maxine had grown old enough to understand everything that had happened to her family when she was born, and she couldn't help but feel guilty. "It's ok," I told her. "You were worth it."

I was there for both of them when Chris and Gwen divorced in 2013, and his music turned sad again. Actually, I don't think it was ever happy, just sad lyrics put to an upbeat melody. Some of his songs were about me, some about Gwenyth, some about Maxine, and even some about Joseph.

I was there for Guy and Will's wedding. I even cried. 15 years they had waited, and they had finally gotten it. I didn't cry when Phil married Lara, but it did make me feel very proud of him, for not giving up on himself and going to get the girl he loved.

I was there when Maxine left for college. Chris was really depressed, but every time I patted his back, he was reminded that his little girl had truly turned out to be the miracle we had dreamed her up to be.

I was there when Chris was on his death bed. He had lived a long life, and he understood that it was time for him to go, time for him to come be with me again. I was giddy with excitement, but also sad, that the show was over. Someday Maxine would be here, too, and Chris was on his way.

When Chris arrived, he was no longer that 78-year-old man that I had last saw him as, but that wild haired 20-year-old that I had first fallen in love with.

"Hello, Jonny Boy," he said, sending a chill down my back. We were together now, and not even death could hold back our love.

"Hello, Chrissy." I kissed him, and I never, ever lost him again.

~Author's Note~
That's the end! I'm sorry that the ending was so sad. I cried while writing it and I knew from the beginning that Jonny was going to die lol. I can only imagine what it must have felt like not knowing that.

Anyway, thank you for reading (even though I'm hated now lol) and I hope that you'll stick around for my next buckin story, which will hopefully come soon! I love you peace out ✌💙