Okay so this took a little longer than I would have liked, but I was so busy with the holidays, and I started my second semester of college (which blows my mind just a little because that means I only have 6 semesters left!) Thanks you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites, it means a lot that so many people are reading this story! I also hope to write a few chapters this weekend so that I can post them even when I don't have time to write! Well now after the world's longest author's note here is chapter 4!
Chapter 4: Realizations
Alex took Jo's hand as they sat down in the waiting room of Jo's doctor. Today was their first appointment, and Alex could tell that Jo was nervous. "Hey everything's going to be fine, you have nothing to worry about." Alex whispered in her ear as he gave her hand a squeeze.
"I just have a feeling, like something isn't right," Jo said looking Alex in the eyes.
"Everything is perfect," Alex reassured her. "You are prefect, and the baby is going to be perfect, and we will all be perfect together."
"I know, I'll just be happy when the appointment is over and we know that for sure." Jo said as she repositioned her hand in Alex's.
"Josephine Wilson," A nurse called a short time later.
Jo and Alex stood up and made their way over to the nurse, "Follow me." She said as she led them to an exam room. She took Jo's vitals, weight, and height, and then handed Jo a gown. "You can put this on and Dr. Kolba will be in shortly." The nurse said before leaving the room.
"Ugh, I hate these things," Jo said as she changed into the gown.
"I think it's a nice look for you," Alex joked.
"Ha-ha," Jo said sarcastically as she climbed onto the exam table. Alex smiled as he made is way over to Jo's side, he took her hand and then pushed his lips against hers, unfortunately their kiss was cut short by a knock on the door. "Come in," Jo said as she pulled away from Alex.
"Jo, how are you feeling?" Dr. Kolba asked, she was an averaged sized woman, about Alex's age with light brown hair and blue eyes.
"I'm fine," Jo answered.
"Good, well the tests confirm that you are in fact pregnant," Dr. Kolba confirmed as she took a seat on a stool. "So what do you say we have a look?" She said as she prepared the ultrasound equipment.
The doctor positioned the wand, before turning to face the monitor screen. "Well I only see one baby in there," She said as she examined the screen.
"Good," Jo said with a chuckle, as she turned to Alex, who hadn't taken his eyes off the screen. He smiled and looked down as her before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" Dr. Kolba asked.
"Yes!" Jo said excitedly, as she gripped Alex's hand.
Alex listened, as the room filled with the sound of their baby's heartbeat, he smiled and then looked down at Jo who had tears in her eyes. "Alex," Jo said her voice full of joy, and worries that she'd had were gone.
"I know," He said knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"Alright well everything looks good I'm going to estimate that you're 10 weeks along, so I'm going to estimate you're due date for July 24th, and since everything looks good I don't need to see you again until 18 weeks. Do you have any questions?" Dr. Kolba asked as she handed Jo and Alex a few printed ultrasound pictures.
"No I think we've got it all, thank you." Jo answered as she sat up.
"Alright then I'll see you in a couple months." She said as she left the room.
Jo changed back into her clothes and then placed her hand in Alex's as they left the exam room. They were about half way down the hall way when someone turned the corner and started walking towards them. They didn't think much of it until the person came closer and they could see who it was, "Karev," the person said, as soon as he realized who was coming at him. "Ahh and Jo," He said as a smile spread across his lips.
Alex and Jo both stopped, Alex taking a step in front of Jo to insure that his body was between him and the man in front of him, "No you don't get to talk to her, you lost that right the second you laid your hands on her." Alex said, as he stared at Jason Meyers.
"Hey man keep it down, the people here don't know about the..." Jason began as he looked around before leaning in a bit closer to Alex, causing him to push Jo just a little bit further behind him. "Theā¦ah incident." He said quietly to insure that no one would hear him.
"What the new people that you work with don't know that you beat up a woman?" Alex said a bit louder.
"Hey man, I left I didn't press charges and I left, so I don't know who you think you are coming in here and bringing these things back up." Jason said, after making a quick sweep of his surroundings to make sure that no one heard what Alex said.
"You think this is something that you can just pretend never happened!" Alex said, taking a step closer to Jason, he was getting mad, and Jo could tell. "You think that you can hit a woman and then move on like it never happened! You think you can hit Jo and I'm just going to let it go?" Alex said through gritted teeth.
Jo took Alex's hand and tried to lead him away, "Come on Alex, he's not worth it," Jo begged as she tugged on his hand, Alex turned and locked eyes with his girlfriend, "Please Alex, let's just go, this is a happy day, don't let him ruin this." Jo pleaded, she wasn't one who begged often, but she knew Alex and she knew that if she didn't get him away from Jason soon he would hurt him. And the last thing that she needed right now was Alex arrested for assault.
"You're right, I'm sorry," Alex apologized, as he pressed his lips to Jo's. He smiled against her lips as he let the kiss linger a bit longer than they normally would, for one it helped to calm him down, and for two he knew that if he couldn't beat the shit out of Peckwell than kissing Jo in front of him was the next best thing. "Let's get out of here," Alex said when they pulled apart, he then look Jo's hand in his own and they walked away without another word to Jason Meyers.
When they got back to their car they sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, "Are you okay?" Jo asked as she tried to take Alex's hand, but he pulled it away. "Alex stop, don't let this build up inside, don't block me out." Jo said, but Alex just sat there, eyes closed, fists clenched, and mouth shut. "Alex, look at me," Jo requested, getting frustrated when Alex wouldn't comply.
With still no response from Alex, Jo took his face in her hands and turned his head so that he was facing her. "Open your eyes, and look at me." She said, and Alex knew by the tone of her voice that she meant business, so he reluctantly opened his eyes. "Jason can't hurt me, okay? He's not going to touch me again, unless he has a suicide wish that is." Jo assured with a slight chuckle. "I think this might be one of the happiest day we have had together, and I don't want one encounter with some stupid douche to ruin that."
"I know, and I'm sorry, I really am, it's just that when I saw him, and then when he said your name, like-like nothing had happened," Alex said struggling to put words to his emotions. "I couldn't help it, and then he wanted to make sure no one knew what he did, and all I could think about was that night you showed up on my doorstep. That night, man that was a rough night because let me tell you wanted nothing more than to protect you." Alex said looking Jo straight in the eye, "Because I loved you, and then when you showed up all bruised I felt like I failed you."
Jo loved these moments, when Alex got emotional, they were so few and far between that when they happened she liked to soak them in, even if the circumstances were less than perfect. She herself had never been one to share her feelings, but there was something about Alex that made her want to, she could easily open up to him, well easier than she could to anyone else. It's a bit harder for Alex, and she knows that, she knows that he lives in fear, fear that because he loves her that something bad is going to happen to her. He is so worried about getting his heart broken again that it's hard for him to open up, and to be happy.
"Alex you can't feel like that, you can't live the rest of your life, the rest of our life together with that burden. I don't blame you, and I went a little crazy that night." Jo said as she linked her fingers with Alex's.
"That doesn't give him a right to hit you." Alex said, as he looked down at their intertwined hands.
"I know, and that's why I left, and came to you, because I knew that you would keep me safe." Jo explained as she rubbed her thumb over Alex's.
"I was so scared that night that he might die, I didn't know what I was going to do. I would have taken the blame for you, but I knew that you wouldn't let me, but by that point I knew that I wanted you." Alex said, still not looking back up at Jo.
"You're right, I wouldn't have let you take the fall for me, I was scared too, and I remember thinking the whole time I was at your house, that all I wanted was for you to come back and get me. I had this whole plan in my mind, that when you came back we would leave and go somewhere far away where they would never find us." Jo admitted. "But that didn't happen, and everything turned out perfect, I have you and you have me, and we both have this wonderful little surprise." Jo smiled as she took Alex's hand and placed it on her flat stomach.
Alex smiled and looked up at Jo, "I love you."
"I love you too," Jo replied as she leaned in and pushed her lips against Alex's.
"Well its only noon, and I don't have surgery until 3 so what do you say we go and get some real food," Alex asked as he started the car.
"Hmmm, I think the baby is hungry for a cheeseburger, mmm and French fries!" Jo said with a smile.
"A cheeseburger and fries it is then." Alex stated as he took off down the street toward a local diner.
Alex and Jo enjoyed a nice lunch together before returning back to the hospital. "Do you have any surgeries?" Alex asked as they walked through the doors of the hospital.
"Oh just a little brain surgery, Dr. Shepard and I are removing a Pituitary Tumor from a fifty-nine year-old lady at 4!" Jo said excitedly.
"When are you back on my service?" Alex asked as they got on the elevator.
"Ugh, not until next week, but maybe I can do some trading and make it back a bit sooner. How is Emma?" Jo asked. It had been three weeks since the infant had come on to the E.R. and Jo had become very attached to her young patient. Emma's parents had left the night she came in and never came back, the police had gone to their house, and there was no sign of anyone. Their house also showed no sign of having had a baby live there, except for a small pile of blankets in the corner of a bed room that the police assumed was where the child slept.
"She's doing fine, but her other kidney is hardly functioning, I'm putting in a catheter today so we can start dialysis next week." He explained as the elevator began to move.
"Today?" Jo asked a bit concerned, she knew that Emma was only a patient, but she felt for her because she too had been abandoned by her parents, and she felt bad because she knew what the baby's future would be. She tried to make up for it by showing her as much attention as she could, she figured that she might as well give her some attention before she was thrown into the foster care system.
"Yeah, she's my 3 o'clock surgery," Alex said looking down at Jo. "She's going to be fine, it's a simple catheter placement that will take me less than an hour." Alex assured, even though he knew that Jo knew all about the catheters they put in to preserve dialysis patients' veins. He also knew that she cared for the little girl more than she did most patients.
Jo glanced at her watch and then looked up at Alex. "There's still a half an hour until her surgery, and my surgery isn't until 4, so do you mind if I prep her?
"I guess it couldn't hurt." Alex agreed as the elevator arrived in the Peds floor. Jo smiled and followed Alex off the elevator to and headed straight for Emma's room, the room that she had visited almost every day for the past three week. Alex followed Jo to Emma's room, he loved watching Jo interact with the baby he felt like he was getting a sneak peek into the future.
Jo walked into the baby's hospital room and smiled as she laid eye on the sweet little girl sitting in the crib. "Hi Emma," Jo said in her 'happy baby voice' as Alex called it. Emma smiled and clapped her hands as Jo reached her crib. "How are you today?" She asked as she pushed her hand through the baby's short hair. "It's kind of a big day, you're going to get a little tube put in right here," Jo said as she ran her finger over Emma's tiny abdomen. She knew that Emma hadn't a clue what she was talking about, but it helped her to talk through the procedure. She was feeling nervous about the surgery, even though she knew that she shouldn't she was starting to get attached to Emma, she felt so bad for the child. She hadn't even been alive for a year, and she had been treated like shit, abandoned by her parents, and now need a new kidney, she couldn't help but feel bad for her. She felt like she had been through enough in her short life, and all she could think about was the struggles she had ahead of her, it just didn't seem fair.
"You don't have to worry though because your doctor, he's right there," Jo said as she picked up Emma and turned to face the nurses' station she knew Alex would be at. He thought that she didn't notice, but he always watched her when she was in Emma's room. "Yeah him, he is the best." Jo said with a smile as she put Emma back in her crib, much to Emma's despair. "I know sweetie, you just want someone to hold you, I know." Jo said in a calming tone, as she began to prep Emma for her surgery.
"She sure spends a lot of time with that patient." Arizona said, startling Alex from his trance.
"Huh," Alex said a bit confused at first, "I know, she's just concerned about her, that's all."
"Yeah, I'm concerned about all my patients, but that doesn't mean that I spend all my free time taking care of them." Arizona replied.
Alex looked back down at his chart knowing that Arizona was right. "I know, she's just close to the case, it's personal for her." Alex explained knowing the reasons behind Jo's strong connection to the poor abandoned baby.
"Well she'd getting attached, you can see it in her eyes, that's the way I look at Sophia." Arizona said as she finished writing in her chart and walked away. Alex continued to watch as Jo prepped Emma for surgery, watching her every move, as she cringed when Emma cried in pain after a needle stick, and when she would take a few moments just to stare at the baby. He knew what was happening, and he knew that he only had one option, he just wasn't sure how Jo would react.
Well here you are, a bit later than I'd hoped, but here none the less. It is currently 3 am so I apologize for any typos it's late and I'm only have awake so mistakes are inevitable. Anyway, I always love reviews, favorites, and follows from you guys, they make me happy!
