DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Mark VII and NBC Universal. I own Julianna and Jillian.
Roy called his friend and told him he needed to come to the house.
Johnny had protested, but Roy practically begged his friend to come and Johnny agreed.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Johnny said.
Roy went inside and told Joanne Johnny was on his way. Joanne told Julianna and saw the real fear in her eyes.
'She should feel something,' Joanne thought to herself. Watching the young woman with her daughter, however, Joanne couldn't deny that Julianna loved that little girl.
Roy waited outside for his friend to show up.
"I told you I'd be over for dinner. What's so important I had to come over now," Johnny asked his friend as he got out of his car.
Roy ushered his friend into the house. "Go into the living room. I'll get us some drinks," Roy said.
Johnny shrugged his shoulders and went into the house, going into the living room. As he stepped into the room, he saw someone he thought he'd never see again.
"Jules," he choked out.
Before Julianna could respond, Johnny rushed to her, took her in his arms and kissed her. Julianna found her head spinning. She lost herself in that kiss. She knew it was probably the last one he'd ever give her and she wanted the memory.
'There you go being selfish again, Julianna,' she thought to herself.
She broke away and looked at Johnny.
"What happened? Where have you been," he asked.
She stepped out of his embrace. "I want you to know, I love you. I've never stopped," she said, tears coming down her face.
"I love you, too. We can talk about this later. Let's just go home," he said.
Julianna shook her head. "You don't know the whole story, Johnny and when you do, you're going to hate me," she said.
Johnny was confused. "Why would I hate you? I'm mad because you left, but we can talk about that later. You're back and that's all that counts," he said.
"No, Johnny. It's more than that. So much more. I found out the morning I left that I was pregnant," Julianna said.
Johnny was dumbstruck. "Pregnant? Jules, why didn't you tell me? You left because you were pregnant? Why," he questioned.
"I couldn't take telling you that happy news and then having something happen to the baby. I didn't think you could forgive me if something happened a third time," Julianna said.
Johnny put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry you thought that. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. You could have told me, Jules. I would have understood. Maybe it's not in the cards for us to have children. I won't pressure you about children. We'll talk about it, when you're ready," he said.
"I didn't miscarry, Johnny," Julianna said, turning around and walking to the patio door.
"I know you didn't have an abortion. Did you give the baby up for adoption," he said. The thought that his wife had given up their child for adoption hurt him almost as much as the thought of her aborting the baby. Knowing how Julianna felt about children, he was almost certain she wouldn't have done either.
"I didn't abort the baby and I didn't have give it up for adoption," she said.
She went to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
Joanne handed her the baby and went to join Roy in the kitchen.
Julianna came into the living room holding her and Johnny's daughter.
"Her name is Jillian Ruby Gage. She's six months old. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces at birth and was 21 inches long," she said.
Johnny looked at the little girl and then back at his wife. Julianna watched Johnny's face and knew it was mask of several different emotions. She handed her daughter back to Joanne, knowing Johnny was going to unleash all the anger on her that she deserved.
Johnny tried to digest the information. Julianna had left because she was scared and pregnant. She gave birth to his daughter on her own and hadn't even told him about it. He paced around the DeSoto living room like a caged animal. He lost focus, he lost all sense of what was going on around him. Suddenly, rage became the only emotion he could hold onto and he let it out.
Turning to Julianna he said, "You're one selfish, spoiled, immature, lying bitch, Julianna."
Roy winced at the tone in Johnny's voice. He wanted to rush in there and tell him to calm down, even though he was thinking the same things. At least to a point.
He was about to tell Johnny to calm down, when Joanne laid a hand on his arm. "Don't. They have to do this," she said.
Roy looked at the little girl his wife was holding and turned back to the scene before them.
"How in the hell could you do something like that? It's one thing to find out about the college miscarriage after the fact, but this? This is a child. MY child. I can't believe you'd do something so cruel. I can't believe you're family was a party to this. I thought they were better than that. I thought YOU were better than that," Johnny said.
Julianna stayed quiet. Tears poured down her cheeks. "I haven't seen or spoken to my parents or Mike since the week after Jillian was born. They thought I'd tell you once the Jill arrived and when I said I wasn't, they washed their hands of me. Mike told me I was being selfish and he couldn't see how I could possibly be such a caring doctor if I didn't care about the feelings of the one person I loved so much. And he's right. You're right. I'm selfish, immature, emotionally stunted. I can't explain why I did it, but I can't change what I did. I just hope, one day, you'll forgive me," Julianna said.
"Julianna do you have any idea what you've done to me? You've just turned my whole world upside down. What do you intend to do now that I know? You going to run back to San Francisco," he asked.
Julianna just watched him.
Johnny turned around and pointed his finger at her. "You're not leaving this city with my daughter, even if I have to sue you for custody," Johnny said.
Julianna didn't say anything. She hadn't expected Johnny to threaten to sue for custody. The thought alone scared her, but she had essentially done that to him.
"I won't take her away from you. Despite the fact that I think you deserve it, I can't be that cruel," he said.
Julianna willed her heart to slow down. She had never seen Johnny so angry and she knew she deserved the anger, but a part of her wanted him to sweep her in his arms and tell her they'd work it out, for the sake of their family.
Johnny took a deep breath and looked at the woman that was still his wife.
"Are you staying in LA," he asked.
"Yes. It's only right that I stay close to you for Jill's sake," she said.
"Where are you going to stay," he asked.
"I guess I'll stay in a hotel until I find another job and a place to stay," she said.
Johnny sighed.
"Jill's going to need a room at my house anyway, so why don't we go and get what she needs so she can have a nursery at my place. You can stay there for a while. There's plenty of room," Johnny said.
Roy breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected Johnny to offer Julianna a room at his house, but he knew Johnny would do what was best for his daughter.
Julianna stared at Johnny. "You want me to stay at the house," she said.
"Yeah," Johnny said. He took his daughter from Joanne and sat down on the sofa with his precious bundle.
He was unable to fathom what had just occurred. He was a mixture of emotions and he wasn't sure how to deal with them.
He loved Julianna, but right now he didn't like her. He knew he couldn't trust her, at least not at the moment.
He couldn't believe he was a father. He also couldn't believe that Julianna had kept that from him for all this time. He was also shocked to hear that her parents and brother had cut off contact with her for what she did. He knew how incredibly close Mike and Julianna had been. He knew that must hurt her, but the way he was feeling, she deserved to be hurt.
He wished everyone had told him what had happened.
Despite how much he wanted to make her feel the same way he had, he felt bad for Julianna. 'Damn it, Gage. You're going soft now,' he thought to himself.
"Why did you come back? Why now," he asked.
Julianna wiped her face. "Beth Bellingham went into labor last night with her and Bob's second child. She had a section this morning. Bob called me to the OR and I got there just as she went into cardiac arrest. I worked with the OB for an hour and we couldn't get her back. I sat there with Bob while he asked me what he was supposed to do, what he was he supposed to tell his children. He then told me to go back. I realized that if something happened to me, Jill wouldn't have anyone. Jill needed to have you in her life, despite everything. You deserve to know your daughter," Julianna said.
Johnny stared at his daughter. 'My daughter,' he thought to himself.
"You named her after Aunt Ruby," Johnny said, looking at Julianna with a tenderness that had disappeared when he found out about her keeping Jillian a secret.
"She was special to you. To both of us. I wanted to honor her," she said.
Johnny looked at his friends in the doorway. "Can you watch her while I take Julianna to get stuff I'll need for her," he asked Roy and Joanne.
"Sure. Is that OK with you Juli," Joanne asked.
"I guess. Do you need me to come with you, Johnny," Julianna asked.
"I don't know what she needs and you do. Let's go. We'll come back and take her to the ranch when we're finished," Johnny said.
Julianna exited the DeSoto home and headed to Johnny's vehicle.
Julianna stole a glance at Johnny as he drove toward the department store. His jaw was set in a hard line. Something Julianna had only seen on him a few times and never would she have thought it would be directed toward her. 'You deserve it,' she reminded herself.
She tore her eyes away from him and focused on the scenery the went by. The tears silently slipped down her cheek as she saw just what she had done to the man she was supposed to love.