I don't own Melissa and Joey and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Based on a recent E!Online spoiler, which said "there'll be a pregnancy twist". After ruling out Mel (too soon) and Lennox (doubt there'll be a teen pregnancy on a comedy), I settled for guest star or a scare. Someone else said maybe it was Meredith, and while I doubt that is happening, my mind ran with the possibilities. And now, because of a spoiler released by Paula Hart in a radio interview literally just a little while ago, I'm reconsidering my position. Enjoy!
When Meredith called and requested to see Mel and Joe, the couple debated back and forth about going to the jail. Since she claimed it was important, they decided to visit and see what she wanted. Neither Mel nor Joe expected the bomb that was about to be dropped on them.
"Excuse me, you're what?" Mel stared at her sister and sputtered.
Joe's mouth dropped open. "You're knocked up again? Seriously?" He didn't know why he was so surprised. This was Meredith Scanlon after all – she always fucked up and made huge mistakes.
Meredith nodded. "I'm about ten weeks along. Eliot broke up with me and doesn't want the baby, and neither do I. Plus, I'm in jail. Can't really raise a kid here." She laughed nervously.
Mel cocked her head. "What are you saying?"
Meredith sighed. "I'm asking you and Joe to adopt this baby since you're already raising Lennox and Ryder. I don't want to deal with another kid at all."
Their minds racing, Mel and Joe couldn't say anything. "Can you give us a few days to think about this?" Mel finally asked.
She nodded. "Of course. I know this is pretty big, so I'll let you two have some time to talk. I'll see you again soon."
Still reeling from the news, Mel and Joe sat down in the kitchen later that night to talk about it. She grabbed a bottle of wine and poured some for both of them. "So, a baby. That we'll have to raise." Joe chugged down his glass and held it out for his girlfriend to pour some more. She did so and added some more to her own glass.
Mel couldn't believe how this new low her sister had sunk to, how irresponsible Meredith was about this. But she was acting responsibly about giving the baby up for adoption – to them. She had to give her some credit for that. "This is a pretty big decision, Joe. We haven't been together all that long. Do you think this is something we should do?" Her mind pretty much already made up, but Mel just wanted to know his thoughts.
Joe sighed. "Mel, we've been raising Lennox and Ryder for three years. Those two are our kids. And a baby is a huge-ass responsibility, but one I think we can handle. And we haven't been together that long, but I know we have a future together."
She beamed at him. "I know that too. I love you, and want to be married and have babies with you someday. Three kids are a lot, though."
"They are a lot, but both Lennox and Ryder are nearly out of the house. We'd only have to worry about the new kid. And I can't let that baby go into foster care." He didn't want that to happen at all.
"I don't want that either," Mel admitted. They were already raising Meredith's two kids, so what was one more in the grand scheme of things? Sure, teenagers were pretty independent and much different than raising a baby, but she wanted to do this.
"So we're going to adopt Meredith's baby?" Joe just wanted to be sure.
Mel nodded. "Yeah, we are. We're going to be parents to a tiny little baby." She hated the circumstances of this kid's conception, but she was glad Meredith was making the decision to give the baby up for adoption to them.
He laughed and squeezed her hand. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Mel smiled nervously at her boyfriend as they began to process the news. This was a big responsibility they were ready to take on.
They met with Meredith the next time they were able to and got the paperwork started on the adoption. "Thank you for agreeing to this. I know it's this huge thing for you to accept to do," Meredith told them.
Mel took a deep breath. "I have one caveat, and Joe agrees with me."
"What is it?" Meredith smiled at them.
"I don't want you to have contact with this baby at all. Once you're at jail and stop by for a visit, that's fine. But you can't stay that long. I don't want you coming in and messing things us for us. This will be our child and we are in charge of them."
"What about Lennox and Ryder?"
Joe stepped in there. "We can't stop Lennox and Ryder from seeing you. They are teenagers and can make their own decisions – It's up to them."
Meredith only had to think about it for about twenty seconds. "I'll agree to that."
The adoption lawyer Mel and Joe had consulted came with them to jail. A home study was scheduled, but that was more of a formality since they were already taking care of Lennox and Ryder. Telling the kids wasn't easy for either of them to do.
"Wait, really?" Lennox stared at the two of them in shock. That hadn't been what she expected to hear upon being informed the four of them had to talk.
"A baby in this house? With us?" Ryder wasn't a huge fan of the idea, but he didn't say that to them. He understood the gravity of the situation.
"A lot of things are going to change around here. We're going to need your help getting ready – can you do that?" Joe hated blindsiding his kids, but that's what Meredith had done to him and Mel.
"Sure. Another little brother or sister. Wow." Lennox was a mixture of pissed and excited about this. It was weird.
"I get to boss them around!" Ryder could find the bright side in anything and was pleased when the three of them laughed.
"That is definitely a positive."
The home study went well, and a social worker talked to everyone involved. She was satisfied in their preparations and plans for the baby, and signed off on the adoption. She – or another social worker – would drop by for one last home study after the birth.
Mel tossed and turned one night and repeatedly sighed. "Why can't you got to sleep?" complained a tired Joe.
She turned around to face him. "Are you scared? I'm terrified," Mel admitted. She wanted to take on the responsibility of caring for a baby, but she was still panicking about a lot of things.
He opened his eyes and stared at her. "Of course I'm terrified. Our lives are about to change in a big way. And I feel like Ryder and Lennox's dad, but I wasn't there to see them grow up. Things will be completely different this time around."
"I'm being stupid, aren't I?"
"Of course not. I think any new parent goes through this, and we're no exception. But we're going to love the hell out of Baby Girl, and she'll know it." Joe grinned at her, and she smiled back.
They found out the baby's sex at the twenty-week ultrasound and were excited to meet the newest member of the family. Nearing completion, the nursery looked beautiful. Now they had to wait for the actual baby. Plus, a baby shower was being planned, which Mel felt weird about since she wasn't the one pregnant. But hey, free gifts. That was always a plus.
"Yeah, she will be. And we really need to agree on a name." The fact that they hadn't chosen one yet was driving Mel up the wall.
"We'll figure it out. We still have a few months left." Joe leaned over and kissed her. Fortunately, they both fell back asleep about fifteen minutes later.
The baby shower went well, and Mel and Joe stocked up on a lot of items they hadn't thought about getting. Plus, it was nice to catch up with old friends. Gloria Longo flew into town (and planned on doing so again after the baby was born to meet her new granddaughter) to help celebrate too.
"Nothing can prepare you for meeting a new baby. Each one is different. But I know you two can handle it. Ask Lennox and Ryder for help when you need it. There's no shame in needing any." Gloria was thrilled for her son and his girlfriend (hopefully her future daughter-in-law).
"We'll definitely take that into consideration. Thank you." Mel wasn't surprised when Gloria pulled her in for a hug.
"Now have you picked out any names yet? She can't be nameless." Gloria didn't have to the patience for this.
"No, Ma. We're still debating on that," Joe explained.
She scoffed. "Well, you need to stop debating and make the final decision." And with that, she left to go find Ryder and Lennox.
When the call came a few weeks later that Meredith was in labor and had been taken to the hospital, a panicked Mel and Joe were driven there by a calm Lennox. "Stop it," she ordered.
"Why are you telling us what to do?" Joe squinted his eyes at their oldest daughter.
"Because you two are acting like children, and you need to stop that right now. Now get in there and help my baby sister be born." She shooed them out and then went to go park the car.
The wait was long. Lennox and Ryder paced back and forth in the waiting room while Mel and Joe tried to be encouraging to Meredith.
She glared at them. "I've been through this twice. Stop trying to talk to me because nothing you do or say is helpful."
"Sorry?" Mel didn't know what to do. She had just visited the hospital after Lennox and Ryder's births. They had been cleaned up by that point.
"Don't apologize. Get me some ice chips!"
Joe did just that and bolted out of the room to go find some ice chips. He was pleased when Meredith actually thanked him for the effort after he returned.
Seven hours later, Meredith was taken to a delivery room. "Would either of you like to look?" questioned the doctor.
Mel decided to brave and checked. Her nose crinkled up in disgust as soon as she did, and she returned to her sister's side. "Gross. Fuck, I need lots of wine to get that image out of my brain. I think it's seared in there forever now."
Joe laughed. "Yeah, I'm not looking now."
When the baby's first cry echoed around the room, Mel and Joe stared at the newborn in awe. A nurse handed Mel the baby first. "Oh my God," she whispered.
"This is our daughter." Joe looked up at his girlfriend before turning his eyes back to the baby. She was tiny and perfect (even with how red she looked).
"She is." Mel then turned to her sister. "Thank you for giving her to us, Meredith."
Meredith waved her off. "You don't have to thank me. When I get out of jail, I'll be her cool Aunt Meredith." She had refused to hold the baby so she didn't get attached. It was easier that way.
Lennox and Ryder filed into the room about two hours later to meet their baby sister. Joe carefully handed her the baby.
"Hi you. I'm your big sister, and I promise to teach you everything I know." She already loved this little girl with every fiber of her being.
Ryder took a different approach. "Wow, she's a tiny person."
Everyone else laughed. "Well, yeah. That's generally what babies are," Joe responded. But he understood how his son felt. He was experiencing the same emotions.
The hospital decided to discharge the baby the next day, but she was still nameless. Mel and Joe kept coming up with names and vetoing them since nothing fit. Eventually, they turned to the kids.
"I got this," Lennox assured them.
"Can we name her after someone from Star Wars?" Ryder had a lot of suggestions that he hoped they'd take into consideration.
"No!" rang out from Meredith, Mel, Joe, and Lennox.
He sulked. "None of you are fun," he muttered. But Ryder grinned, got some money off Joe, and then headed down to the cafeteria to eat.
"How about a strong, kick-ass woman?"
"Like who?" Mel didn't know what her oldest daughter was thinking, but she liked the direction this was going.
Joe did too. "All right then. Hit us, Lennox."
"How about we name her Ripley?" She loved the name and it wasn't common – it'd fit right in with their family.
"After the character from the Alien movies?" Mel wondered why Lennox and Ryder were so obsessed with naming their sister after movie characters, but just shrugged and decided to go with it.
"Why not Ellen?" Joe knew why – the tiny, blonde-haired little girl didn't look like an Ellen at all.
In fact, Lennox pointed that out. "Ripley's a pretty cool name. We'll be Lennox, Ryder, and Ripley. What's not awesome about that?"
Mel and Joe stared at each other for a few minutes and had a silent conversation. She broke first. "Fine, we'll name her Ripley. But my one concession is that she has a normal middle name. Yours is Elizabeth. We'll come up with something," she declared.
Joe and Mel laid Ripley down in her incubator and headed to the chairs to talk. Eventually, they came up with Hannah.
When Ryder returned, his sister had a name. "Ripley Hannah Burke? That's nice."
"Burke-Longo," corrected Mel. Joe's head moved so fast in her direction that it surprised everyone.
"Burke-Longo?" He figured Ripley would be getting Mel's last name and had been perfectly okay with that.
She nodded. "Of course. She's your daughter too, Joe. She deserves to have her daddy's last name."
Joe was so happy he kissed her, ignoring Lennox and Ryder's groans.
The new family of five left the hospital half an hour later. Joe slowly drove home, irritating Lennox and Ryder, but it made sense to the adults – they didn't want Ripley getting hurt.
The first sleepless nights were hard, but they all adjusted to their new life. Joe made a move to get out of bed to pick up Ripley, but Mel stopped him. "I got her."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Mel pulled the covers back and headed towards the bassinet. She sat down in the rocking chair with the baby. "Hi you. What's got you so upset, little one? Daddy already fed you and changed your diaper. Do you just want attention?"
Ripley slowly stopped whimpering. Mel rocked her back and forth for fifteen minutes before returning the newborn to her bassinet.
Six months after Ripley's birth, the adoption was finalized. To celebrate, all five of them went out to dinner. "I miss the days of fancy restaurants, but she's better than all of them combined." Mel and Joe did have the occasional date night, but those were few and far between now. Neither of them minded all that much.
"I am waiting a long time to have one of them, but I do love hanging out with her," Lennox told them as Ripley started babbling.
"We're glad you're waiting." Joe didn't want his kids growing up too fast.
Mel and Joe ended up marrying five months later. Their fourth child joined the family a year and a half later, but he was their final child. Neither of them wanted that big of a family. No one once regretted the decision to adopt Ripley. It had been one of the best things they had ever agreed to do.