Unexpected News - One Shot
A/N - This is for all of the Jouren girls on Twitter, this is some happiness clearly needed through the terrible break-up. Enjoy!
Lauren finds herself curled up on the couch at No.5 and she has no idea why and she has no idea why. Thinking back to the last few weeks it occurs to Lauren what her problem is but is forced to put her issues to the side when Abi enters the living room in her current depressed state.
Knowing how her sister feels, Lauren tries to get a closed-off Abi to speak to her, "Abs, you know you can talk to me, I don't need to be into work until later, so we can watch a movie, eat ice-cream, whatever you want" but with Abi refusing to open up and ends up storming off, worrying Lauren but she doesn't have time when she is forced to rush to the bathroom and shocks herself when she is violently sick...
Peter notices the sick look on his best friends face as they work together on another long shift at his dad's restaurant and with Lauren refusing rest, Peter is forced to allow her to continue her shift but as it looks like she is about to collapse, "Lauren, you need to go to home, get some rest or I will call Joey to tell him the truth about this recent behaviour. With Peter's concerns, Lauren heads home, unaware of her best friend phoning Joey anyways...
After resting in her bed for the past hour after getting spent home from work from Peter, Lauren is stunned when she feels her bed move and is surprised to come face-to-face with a concerned Joey and it doesn't take long for Lauren to realise Peter called Joey.
"Babe, what am I going to do with you, eh?", Joey finds himself stroking his girlfriend's hair and is stunned when Lauren runs out of his arms straight to her bathroom and ends up being sick in the toilet, with Joey holding her hair back.
After feeling like all of the sick has gone from her system, Lauren lifts her head up and locks eyes with a concerned Joey, "Babe, you know you can tell me anything so tell me", feeling the trust coming from her boyfriend, "I think I might be pregnant". "Ok, well we find out the truth, we say nothing to no-one, ok?". Lauren shakingly agrees and moves next to Joey and as she curls in his embrace, the young couple kiss, both secretly terrified on what being pregnant could do to their lives...
After barely any sleep between them, Joey and Lauren find themselves struggling to stay awake as they wait to be seen at the Hospital. Feeling Lauren's shaking hand in his, Joey turns to his girlfriend, "Lauren, whatever the outcome, we will get through it together, I promise you, just look at everything we have been through", Lauren agrees and they follow the nurse hand-in-hand as they discover their fate ...
After discovering the truth, Joey and Lauren made the decision to bring all of their family and friends together at No.5 so they are aware of it and Lauren finds herself feeling anxious to say the least. "Lauren, it is going to be fine, together, remember" "Yeah, I know, it is just Abs I'm worried about, with everything that is going on with her and Jay, I feel guilty for being so happy" "You have nothing to be guilty about, ok? Abs wants you to be happy". Lauren nods and leans into her boyfriend but just as they are about to kiss, her dad's voice from the living room and they are forced to face reality.
Seeing all of their family and friends gathered starts to make Lauren nervous again but as she locks eyes with Joey, she picks the strength to reveal the truth, "Ok, the reason why we have gathered you all here is because me and Joey found out that I'm pregnant". As everyone offers their congratulations, Lauren's eyes focus on one person, her sister. "I'm so happy for you, you deserve this". Abi gets off the couch and hugs her sister, causing the Branning siblings to cry happy tears and everyone else can't help but turn around and talk within their own conversations so the two sisters can have their moment.
After such a long day, Joey and Lauren curl up on the couch and after Oscar, Max and Abi go to bed, the young couple find themselves discussing their unborn child's future, "It is going to have your eyes with my charm" "Over my dead body, it will have all of the good traits from both of us not bad, Joe". The young couple continue to argue about this through the night but know that whatever the future brings, they will be together with their unborn child, a proper family...