This is just something fun I had floating around in my head. It isn't at all following the current story line on Grey's Anatomy. In my world the sadness of Season 11 & 12 never happened. This is Jackson and April happily married and expecting their first child. I own none of these characters. They belong to Shonda Rhimes. I am just playing.

Enjoy! Review if you wish!

Having a pregnant wife sucks. The end.

My whole life, I knew that one day I wanted to be a father. I'd meet a nice girl, we'd fall in love, get married, and then when we were ready...when we had nothing else going on and timing was absolutely perfect...we'd start a family.

So that is what I did. That is how life played out. Sort of.

Med school, internships, residency, and finally a career I'd worked hard for. Attending Plastic Surgeon and ENT. I met the girl I always planned on meeting. No, she wasn't who I had in mind, but she was perfect. She's a kick ass Trauma Surgeon and to see her in action is to see something remarkable. I'm not biased. We fell in love, married, and then decided that what the hell...let's start a family.

Now you hear stories about it taking months to conceive. Months of careless sex in hopes of creating that miracle you so long for. Yeah, that isn't how it worked. April got pregnant the first day I looked at her after she'd stopped taking birth control. The first day. I promise you. Pills hit the trash can and the next day she is telling me she's pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been looking forward to all the sex.

You hear about the pregnancy glow. Women at their best while growing new life. Not here. Oh no. The first ten weeks of her pregnancy, I was greeted by the sound of April retching in the bathroom every morning. In the beginning, you rush to her side. Offer to hold her hair back, offer to get some crackers and ginger ale, offer to do whatever she might possibly need because it's the least you can do, right?

Wrong.

After a few weeks of this morning ritual, she's sick of it and she's sick of you. You did this to her and while she's too nice to say so, she's thinking it. My advice to anyone nearing this stage, just quietly get up and get your shower in another bathroom. Don't dare complain about any morning aches and pains. Smile. Be pleasant and agreeable. Your life is wonderful compared to hers.

You will get beyond that stage and she really does start feeling better. You can see the glow they speak of. April had more energy, she was excited about the pregnancy rather than stuck on daily sickness. She started planning. She started shopping. Your credit card bills start rolling in and you start scouring the ER for surgeries to pay for all of this, but your wife is happy so everyone is happy.

When you get home from work, you will find various projects around the house. Painting. Assembling baby furniture and gadgets that may as well have instructions in a foreign language. Endless questions on what do you think about this color or that outfit or those nursery decorations. Smile and nod. She already has a preference and you really need to pick your battles.

It isn't all bad. There are fun things to decide also. Like if you should find out if baby is a boy or girl. We didn't find out, by the way. What you should name the baby. I'll tell you now, this can be some hairy conversation and it's never good to continuously suggest your Mother's name even if you do happen to think it's a nice, classy name for a daughter. On that same note, never make fun of her when she suggests naming a son after her Father. Even if his name is Joe.

Joe Avery?

No way.

Next comes the baby showers. Women love planning those. People just gather together to give you baby stuff. You'll never see so many tiny shirts, pants, gowns, bibs, hats, etc. in your life. She's going to want to wash all of it, everything has a certain place in the nursery, just do as she tells you to do with these things.

All of the above is how I found myself here. Lying on six inches of bed and swearing I must have wandered to the Arctic during my sleep. Word of advice, don't get your wife pregnant when she is due in the dead of summer. Trust me. We are currently experiencing a record breaking summer here in Seattle and wouldn't you know, this is the summer we are also experiencing pregnancy in the Avery household. I don't touch the thermostat. Flakes of snow could be blowing out of the vents and that is perfectly fine, whatever my Queen wants.

"Jackson..." I heard. I swear sometimes she can read my mind.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can you push the pillow behind my back under me a little more?" That is another thing I forgot to mention. Pillows. We have what seems like hundreds of them on our bed. Small ones, medium sized ones, some as long as April is tall. All of them serve their own specific purpose and must not be moved from exactly where she wants them.

I push the pillow a couple of inches under her back and that seems to do the job. "Better?"

"I'm sick of being pregnant," she sighed. "Is that awful to say? I know I should be thankful we are both healthy, and I truly am, but it sucks." My wife was not one that did well with idle time. She was like a machine, hence her nickname another surgeon had given her, at work. She could clear an ER quicker than anyone I knew. Taking it easy, as our OB had put it, had not been easy on my girl.

"It does, baby," I agreed. Truth be told, I was sick of waiting on the little guy or girl and I wasn't even the one with another human inhabiting my body. "It does." I scooted over behind her and rested my hand on her growing belly. "Just think, though, any day now..."

The sound of her laugh warmed my heart. "That is what everyone keeps saying, but I think this little one and I will be together like this forever." I was beginning to think the same. We were 39 weeks and counting. I know 40 is the magic number, but after you have waited this long and your wife is this uncomfortable, you don't feel so greedy wanting the little one to maybe arrive a couple days early. Is that really too much to ask?

"Maybe we shouldn't have packed our bags or put the car seat in the car," I joked. "Maybe we should have just pretended to be completely unprepared."

"He'd know," April replied. "He would so know we were trying to trick him."

"You still think it's a boy?" I didn't know what to think as far as the gender of this kid went. Some days I just knew it was a boy, other days I thought it was probably a girl. April, though? She had been convinced it was a boy from day one. I guess we would see. Maybe...

"I do," she replied. "Just a feeling I have."

"Still no name, though."

"You don't like Joseph after my Dad!" No, I didn't. Wasn't happening. Not naming this boy, if it was a boy, after my Father-in-law. "Baby Boy Avery will just have to work. Will they even let us take him home without a name?"

"Oh we're taking him home," I replied. We were bringing this kid home. Name or no name. I knew we'd figure it out. I knew that most likely Joseph would be somewhere in the name. I knew that when it came down to it I would do anything to see her smile. This woman meant more to me than anything on earth and I lived for her happiness. This whole pregnancy thing had been an adventure, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I couldn't imagine going through life with anyone but April.

"Can you turn the thermostat down a bit? I'm burning up."

"Yep," I said, getting out of bed and stopping to grab a long sleeve shirt and pair of socks on my way to the thermostat.

Don't let me fool you. I really do love it. I love her and I love the life we are creating together. This little one could hurry up and come out, though. I'm down to one pillow for myself and running out of winter clothes to wear around the apartment. Pregnancy isn't for the weak, I'll just tell you that right now.

"Hey, Jackson..."