Peyton sat in the hospital bed, looking straight ahead, lost in her own thoughts; vulnerable. She hadn't even noticed Joe, sat on a chair pulled right up to the bed, holding one of her hands; trying to comfort her. Though quick, the ride to the hospital felt like it took hours to both Peyton and Joe; both terrified at the potential loss of their unborn baby.

An ultrasound at the hospital revealed that their baby was unharmed, but more tests were needed to find out why Peyton had blacked out. Lost in her own thoughts, mainly how much worse this could have been, Peyton was on autopilot as she answered all the doctor's questions.

Joe felt utterly helpless; fully aware that Peyton could have miscarried his unborn child. The child that, foolishly, he had denied responsibility for. Now he would scream that he was the dad from the rooftops if asked. The fear that had coursed through his body as Peyton had blacked out and up until his baby's heartbeat carried around the hospital room, made him realise just how much he wanted this child. How much he would do to protect HIS child.

Having been unable to answer any of the questions regarding Peyton's medical history or about how far along the pregnancy was, Joe realised he had a lot of catching up to do. He had to get to know Peyton, anything and everything to do with this pregnancy and that affected his unborn child. He had a lot of catching up to do.

Now though, sitting in the hospital room, worry still overtook Joe's body as they waited for test results. Looking at Peyton, Joe had never seen her as vulnerable and lost as was there, she sat up in the bed, looking straight ahead at nothing particular.

Two sets of eyes locked on the doctor as he entered the room.

"Miss Morey, we have your blood work back. It would seem that you're anaemic; a common condition in pregnancy. It's the reason you've been feeling exceptionally tired and dizzy lately, you're body isn't making enough iron. Good news, it's easy to fix. I'm going to put you on some iron tablets and you'll be monitored more closely throughout your pregnancy."


After being discharged, Peyton barely noticed Joe put his large zip up hoodie on her, or wrap his arm around her as he slowly led her out of the hospital and to his car. With them being in Pensacola and after everything that had happened that afternoon, Joe decided it was best to stay at his parent's house that night. Peyton spent the whole journey staring out of the window.

In the chaos of everything, Joe's family was shocked to find out that Peyton was pregnant with Joe's child. As Joe went to the hospital with Peyton, his mom, dad, brother and one of his sisters who had been at the show, headed to Patricia and Sika's house in shock.

Reaching his parent's home, Joe lead an exhausted looking Peyton into the living room and onto the couch before heading to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

Quickly informing his family that the baby was ok and that it turned out that Peyton was anaemic, Joe wasn't surprised to find Peyton asleep on the couch. The day's emotional events evidently tiring her out.

Just as he pulled a blanket off the back of the large charcoal couch and covered up Peyton who still had his hoodie on, Patricia walked in, a small smile on her face.

"Poor thing, she must be worn out," Patricia said quietly as she watched a sleeping Peyton.

"I really messed up, mom." Joe said as he turned to face his mom.

"What's been going on, Joe? Talk to me baby boy," Patricia asked as she gently took Joe's arm and led him back to the kitchen. Clearly her son had a lot to tell her.

"I've been such an idiot. Apart from a brief few days when we actually seemed to get along, I've done nothing but be a jerk to Peyton and deny being the dad."

"That's what it was all about at the arena earlier today," Patricia stated, remembering back to the obvious tension between Joe and Peyton when she gave him the script. "That's why she didn't want to talk to you."

Joe nodded, his head dropping. "I messed things up, really bad, over a week ago. I told her I was done with her and the baby. I quickly realised later that night what a jackass I had been. I wanted to give her the night to cool off, she can be pretty fiery. I went to speak to her the next day, my day off, only to find out she had left the previous night to Connecticut for a meeting, then she was down at NXT for the next week. Working with the talent and writer's down there. I tried getting in contact with her, but she's good at being uncontacable if she doesn't want to be bothered. That's why I tried talking to her earlier at the arena, I wanted to make things right. Then…"

"You can make things right now," Sika said, having listened to everything his son had said.

"When you say you messed things up; how? Were you two together? I didn't know you had started seeing anyone after Carla," Patricia asked, trying to find out everything that had happened as she tried to get her head around the fact that her youngest child was about to be a dad. "How far along is Peyton?"

"She's eight weeks and no, we were never a couple or anything. The pregnancy is a result of a one night stand at the Christmas party," Joe explained. "As for how I messed up. I'd seen her around the arena a few times, but the first time we were introduced, when she took over from Robert. Well let's just say, it wasn't the best first meeting. We've constantly butt heads since then, constantly trying to one up each other. When she first told me she was pregnant, my reaction isn't something I'm proud of. Then, for a few days we seemed to be getting on. One of the guys she works with has a serious issue with her, as does Randy Orton after she basically refused to kiss his arse. They said some things, made it seem that Peyton had put a stop to a big career opportunity. I stupidly believed them."

Joe sat there and filled his parents, brother and sister in on his fears and how he had tried to bury his head in the sand. Patricia, though seeing how remorseful Joe was, was particularly disappointed in how her son had acted and told him he had to make things right with Peyton.

After talking with his family and saying bye to his sister, who went back home to her family. Joe went back into the living room, carefully cradling Peyton in his arms as he carried her up stairs and to one of the spare rooms. Gently placing her on the bed, he took of her ankle boots, leaving her in her leggings and his hoodie before pulling the cover over her.


Peyton woke up confused as to where she was as she sat up in the bed, before the events of the day before came flooding back and she remembered Joe driving to his parents. Her hand went to her stomach.

She was on autopilot as she made her way down the stairs, not knowing where the kitchen or anything was. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, she wasn't thinking properly. The events the day before had scared her, she still felt tired and, though she had been lucky not to get a concussion, her head still hurt that morning.

"You're awake," Joe greeted, walking out of what she assumed was the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," Peyton quietly replied, running a hand through her long hair. "I mean yes. Water, please," she added as she realised how thirsty she was.

Joe led her into the kitchen, where his parents and brother, Matt, was.

Peyton took a few sips of the water, Joe watching her the whole time.

"Go sit down, you need to rest. I'll make you some breakfast. Just rest today."

"What?" Peyton asked, looking up, having completely zoned out.

"Sit down, you need to rest. I'll make some breakfast."

"No, I need to go home."

Joe stepped forward, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "You need to rest, not be off driving. You can stay here for a few days, okay?"

Peyton shrugged him off, "NO," she snapped. "I NEED YOU TO BACK OFF, STOP WHATEVER THIS IS!. YOU NEVER GAVE A SHIT ABOUT THE BABY BEFORE, DENIED IT WAS EVEN YOURS! WHAT'S CHANGED NOW? TRYING TO EASE YOUR GUILT?" Peyton yelled. Her fear coming out in its usual way for her; anger and defensiveness. Peyton walked off leaving a stunned Joe standing there.

Patty walked over to Joe, resting a hand on his arm. "She didn't mean it. She's just scared," Patty said softly, reassuringly, having seen the scared look in Peyton's eyes.

Joe frowned, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "She's right though. I've been a complete jackass about everything. The thought of being a dad scares me, but yesterday, thinking Peyton might have lost the baby. That terrified me more than anything ever has.

"Tell her that. Talk to her, properly."


Joe found Peyton stood out the front, once again staring at nothing in particular.

"Hey," he spoke softly.

Peyton jumped a little, turning to face him. Joe noticed the vulnerable look on her face, the fear in her eyes. Before yesterday, he had never seen her so vulnerable, so fragile. She was always so strong and strong willed. Now, she looked like a lost little girl standing next to him, still wearing his hoodie which was massive on her.

"I'm sorry. Back there, what I said."

Joe cut in, holding a hand up. "I know. Yesterday terrified me too. I know I've been the biggest jackass in the world that stops now. I mean it."

Peyton turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. "At the hospital, when they were trying to find the heartbeat…" Joe could hear the pain in her voice. "I'm still scared now, thinking something is going to go wrong." Peyton turned back round, tears filling her eyes. "We could have lost our baby."

Joe pulled Peyton into his arms, holding her close as tears started to wet his shirt.

"Sssh. It's ok. Nothing is going to happen to our baby. Not with how stubborn you are, and me. This baby is going to be strong and healthy."

Joe stood there, running his hands through Peyton's hair as she continued to cry. He knew she needed to let it all out.

Pulling away from Joe's embrace, Peyton wiped away the last few tears before looking up at Joe; grey meeting green.

"I want you to be a part of this baby's life, I always have. But I can't deal with this two steps forward, five back bullshit. I'm fed up of all the arguing. I know I'm not innocent when it comes to that and, as people keep telling me, I can be stubborn. But I'm willing to try if you are. I actually liked those few days when we were getting on."

Joe couldn't help the slight smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth at her mention of being stubborn. "I don't think I've ever met anyone quite as stubborn as you," Joe grinned. "But you're right, all the arguing and stuff needs to stop. I know I've not been the best since you told me, but that stops now. Yes, the idea of being a dad scares me, of completely messing up and harming my child. Jon actually spoke some sense into me. I'm here for the long haul, no more running. And same, I liked it when we were getting on."

Peyton smiled, "Okay I think you're going a bit far with how stubborn I am. I'm not that bad," Peyton protested. Joe just smiled. "I'm not!" Peyton smacked Joe in the shoulder, laughing.

"Yep, definitely not stubborn or fiery or anything like that?" Joe teased.

"If I am, then you're worse," Peyton retorted, grinning.

Joe held his hands up, "Hey, I never said I wasn't." Joe grinned. "Come on, let's get some breakfast and you need to take your iron tablet. Later, we should probably talk things through properly. Like we planned on before that shit with Orton and Kapoor."


Peyton smiled when Patricia placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of her. Peyton hadn't realised how hungry she was until that point. "Have you got any chilli sauce?" she asked innocently, smiling.

Patricia smiled, passing a bottle to Peyton. "Cravings?" She asked rhetorically, remembering from her five pregnancies what that was like.

"Yeah. I can't get enough of anything hot and spicy."

"You still eating chilli's with Nutella?" Joe asked, remembering her eating them loads over the few days they had previously been getting along.

"Mmm, chilli's and chocolate. Hey it's not that weird," Peyton said looking at Joe who had given her a funny look. "I remember when my cousin was pregnant and she had honey with everything she ate. And I mean everything."

Patricia laughed, "I remember when I was pregnant with you, Joe, and I had the weirdest cravings out of all my pregnancies. At the start of the pregnancy I was obsessed with mashed potatoes, it was l ate for a week at one point. Then there was guacamole sandwiches and then I loved the smell of citrus towards the end."

"I've just realised, you should probably call your family, let them know what's happened, dear." Sika said, inserting himself into the conversation. "I'm sure your parents will want to know what's going on with you and the anaemia."

Peyton swallowed her food before replying. "It's fine, trust me, my parent's won't care. My uncle and his family have gone camping, they won't be back for a few days, I'll let them know what's happened then."

Patricia, Sika, Joe and Matt all looked at each other. "I'm sure your parents will want to know that they're unborn grandchild is ok though," Patricia replied. Family was so important to her; she couldn't understand how Peyton believed her family wouldn't want to know what was happening. If it was one of her children she would want to know.

Peyton stopped eating, her plate nearly empty anyway, standing up. "I don't have the same relationship with my family that you have with Joe. I haven't seen my dad since I was twenty two and my relationship with my mom isn't much better. I'm one big disappointment to her. Having a baby with a guy I'm not even with, a wrestler none the less, is an embarrassment for her."

Peyton quickly grabbed her phone from her bag, "I should probably call Nick though, let him know I'm ok." Peyton said before quickly heading out of the kitchen, needing to call Nick and wanting to get away before sympathy and comfort was thrust upon her. As much as she hated talking about her relationship with her family, she knew it couldn't be avoided with Joe. She was having his baby, he was bound to ask at some point.


Walking back in after talking with Nick, Peyton found Joe sat on the couch.

"Hey, Nick ok? He's not on his way over here?" Joe joked, knowing how protective Nick and Peyton were of each other. He also noticed how tense Peyton got when she had revealed how she didn't have a good relationship with her family; an obvious sore spot with her, he noticed. He didn't want her feeling awkward now.

Peyton smiled. "I told him I was fine and you was looking after me." Peyton sat down the other end of the couch, handing Joe his hoodie back, bringing her knees up to her chest. "That worried him more, he thinks you're going to poison me or something," Peyton added, grinning.

"Ha-ha. I'm not that bad." Peyton raised an eyebrow. "OK, so I've not been the best in the past with you, but I would never poison you. I mean, when we first met part of me was tempted to spearing you…"

Peyton burst out laughing. "The feeling's mutual, I wanted to chuck my coffee cup at your head. Lucky for you, I like my coffee too much. Having to limit it to one cup a day now I'm pregnant sucks," Peyton pouted making Joe laugh.

"You're actually kinda adorable when you pout," Joe smiled. "It's funny how we can go from shouting at each other one minute and getting on the next."

"I guess you just bring out my fiery side and my calm, sweet side. We just didn't get off to the best start. Let's start again?" Peyton asked, holding her hand out. Joe took her small hand in his large one, shaking it.

Joe looked slightly sheepish, "Yeah, I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods when we first officially met and I may have taken that out on you," he admitted.

"I hadn't noticed," Peyton grinned. "I wasn't much better," Peyton added, ruefully.

"I'd broken up with Carla a few weeks before that, so I wasn't the best person to be around at that point. Then some idiot had said something that had pissed me off that day," Joe explained. "I'll admit though, as pissed off as I was at the time, I liked how you didn't take any of my shit."

"I guess you learnt that day that I don't take people's shit and I can be pretty blunt. I've always been that way." Joe figured, from what she had said earlier, that a lot of that was to do with her parents. He could only imagine what her childhood had been like. "What happened between you and Carla?"

Joe sat forward slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were together for five years. I always thought I was going to marry her and have children with her; I guess that's why part of me has been so freaked out with this pregnancy. Not that there's anything wrong with you, but, I guess I always thought it would be her I was having children with. Anyway, not the point. She was always supportive of my career but the distance, always being on the road, barley seeing each other. It got too much in the end. She got a new job last summer, she's always working. Even on my days off we weren't always seeing each other. We're still friends, it didn't end badly. We just both realised, as much as we were trying, it wasn't working with the distance."

"Sorry, that's gotta suck. Maybe in the long run though, it's for the best. Relationships in this business are hard. It's why so many date within the company."

"So, I gotta ask," Joe started, a playful smile crossing his features. "It's obvious, these days, that you and Nick are very close; you're like a sister to him and vice versa-"

Peyton cut in, knowing what Joe was going to ask. "No, we've never slept together. A few months after we met, we kissed on a night out, but it just felt too weird for both of us. It was like kissing a sibling. We just get on really well, we're protective of each other. As you saw."

Joe laughed. "Yeah, I'll admit he's got balls. Not many people, with my size, stand up to me like he did. Or you have."

"Hey, I could totally take you in a fight."

"Uh-huh," Joe nodded, laughing.

"So, moving on. I realised yesterday, when the doctor was asking all the questions. I don't really know a lot about you or this pregnancy. I don't want it to be like that. I didn't even know how far along you was until yesterday. I want to know when your scans are, who your doctor is, what weird things you're craving. I want to know any medical conditions you have, all that stuff. I want to know about anything to do with this pregnancy. I meant it when I said I was done running. I want to be a proper part of our baby's life."

Peyton smiled, willing herself not to cry. Damn hormones!

The two continued to talk, Peyton telling Joe what he needed to know and answering any questions he had.

Patricia smiled as she watched the two talking. She was definitely a fan of Peyton.

"Lunch will be ready soon. I made some chilli, figured you'd like that, Peyton." Patricia told the two, finally walking completely into the living room making her presence known. "Oh, and Summer and Myritza will be here soon. Vanessa can't make it, Luca's got chicken pox. Poor thing."

"My sisters. Luca is Vanessa's son. Summer was the one there yesterday when you handed me the script." Joe explained to Peyton who had given him a slightly confused look. "You'll like them, don't worry."

Peyton followed Joe into the kitchen, feeling slightly apprehensive about meeting Joe's sisters.


See, the baby is fine! I'm not that mean. So, Joe and Peyton have finally spoken about the baby and are getting along, for good this time! Any weird cravings you want Peyton to have in the next few chapters? I'm open to suggestions lol

Let me know what you think, lovelies :)