Over the next couple of weeks, the gang did their best to try and help Joy get over her pain and anger. The anger eventually began to fade, but the pain was still there, though dulled. Joy knew it was something that she would probably never get completely over. She would just have to learn to live with the feelings and move on.

About two and a half weeks after the wedding was canceled, Joy was starting to worry about her health. She had been feeling sick on and off for a while now, but had just been passing it off as stress. But she knew enough that too much stress can be bad for you, and her symptoms just weren't going away.

Sitting in the Dr. Connalie's office, the doctor had just finished a very thorough exam and was now doing work on the computer. Completing her work, she turned to Joy. "Well, it's sort of a good news/bad news deal, depending on how you look at it. The good news is, I wasn't able to find anything seriously wrong with you. The bad news, then, is that I still have no idea what's causing your symptoms. I know you said you've had a very rough last few months, so it very well could be stress, like you suspect. But just to be safe, I'd like to run some blood tests. There are some conditions that aren't detectable with a physical exam."

Joy sat their quietly for a moment. "Alright. Well, thank you Dr. Connalie."

"Ok. I'll put the orders in the computer right now, so you can head down. We'll call you with the results in a couple of days."

Leaving the doctor's office, Joy went down to the lab. After checking in, she sat and waited to be called back by one of the techs. She wasn't very fond of needles, so she spent the time with her eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths to try and calm her already frayed nerves.

"Joyce Summers?" one of the techs called from the door.

Joy opened her eyes and stood. "Here."

The tech gave her a friendly smile. "Come on back." She led joy into the lab and sat her on a bench nest to a table. "Alright, just give me a minute here… can I get your full name and birthday?"

"Joyce Summers, November 20, 2024."

"Alright. Let me just get a few things here…" Joy watched as the tech pulled several clear tubes with different colored rubber tops, some gauze pads, a rubber tourniquet, a band aid, and lastly, a needle with a tube adapter that sent shivers down Joy's spine. The tech noticed this and gave Joy a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, most people aren't too fond of the needles." She sat it down on the table, then took some of the gauze and placed it over the top so Joy didn't have to look at it. "Alright, can I have you rest your arm on the table here?" When Joy did, the tech took the tourniquet and wrapped it around Joy's arm, just above the elbow. "Can you make a fist?" Joy did and the tech felt at her elbow. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled out an alcohol wipe and opened it, then started wiping down the inside of Joy's elbow. "Alright. why don't you look away and just focus on taking some deep breaths, alright?"

Joy didn't need to be told twice. "Ok. Let me know when it's over."

The tech chuckled as she covertly set to work. "So, if I'm right, you're twenty, right?"

Normally, Joy would have been weirded out by this small talk, but she was too worked up to really care. "Yeah."

"I see. So did you go to high school here?"

"Uh huh. I've lived here pretty much all my life. My family's from California, but they moved around a lot before settling here."

"Wow, interesting. Well, all done, Dear."

Joy turned to look and saw that the tech was pressing a piece of gauze to her arm, the once empty tubes were now full of blood, and the needle was nowhere in sight. "Wow! That was amazing. I didn't even feel it."

The tech just smiled. "See, it's not so bad if you don't think about it." She placed the band aid over the gauze and gave Joy's arm a gentle pat. "We'll get these into the lab, and your doctor will call you in a few days with the results."

"Thank you. Have a good day." Joy stood and gathered her things to leave.

The next couple of days were rather stressful for her, though she tried to hide it from her loved ones. They knew that she was having test done, but she didn't want them to feel her worry. She didn't want them to be concerned if it all ended up being nothing. And if the tests did come back bad…. well, there'd be plenty of time for anxiety then.

She was sitting at home reading a book in the den when the phone rang. She threw the marker in the pages and jumped to answer it. "I've got it!" she called as she picked up the receiver. "Hello. Summers residence."

"Hello. May I speak to Joyce Summers please," a female voice asked on the other end.

"Speaking."

"This is Karen. I'm the nurse for Dr. Connalie. I'm calling with your test results."

Joy sat quietly and listened as the nurse explained everything, then thanked her and hung up. For a moment, she was in too much shock o do anything be sit there. Gaining just a bare amount of control over herself, she got up and walked out to the kitchen where Buffy was sitting at the table looking through some cook books.

Hearing footsteps, Buffy looked up and saw Joy standing just inside the doorway with a dead look on her face and her arms laid over her belly. Buffy could feel her stomach start to tie itself in knots, but she kept her outer appearance calm. If there was something wrong, Joy was going to need her support, not her loss of control. "Hi Sweety. Who was that on the phone?"

Joy's voice was just as bad as her appearance. "Dr. Connalie's nurse. She was calling with my test results."

Buffy took a deep breath to keep herself steady. "Really? Did they find anything?"

Joy just stood there for a few moments, not saying anything or even moving. Eventually, she took a deep breath and spoke. "Mama….. I'm pregnant."

Buffy's mind was blank for a second, then a wave of relief swept across her. Pregnant? Was that all? That was nothing compared to the horrors that had been plaguing Buffy's mind the last several days. She couldn't believe how light she felt in just a few seconds.

But she knew that this reaction wouldn't help Joy right now, so she kept her relief bottled up. Instead, she pulled out the chair next to her and held out her arms. "Come here Baby. Come sit with me."

Joy shuffled over, sat in the chair and leaned into her mother. The feelings finally began to register with her, and she broke down crying. Buffy just held her, rocking back and forth murmuring soothing words.

After a while, Joy was able to calm down and Buffy gently pushed her back to arms length. "So, you've got a choice to make here. Do you know what you want to do?"

Joy shook her head. "I…. I don't know. It's just…. all so quick. I'm so confused."

Buffy rubbed Joy's arms. "I know. I know, Sweety. So, let's take and break this down. Do you want to get an abortion?" Buffy really didn't like this option, but if that was really what her daughter wanted, she wasn't going to stop her, so she kept the disgust out of her voice as best she could.

Of course, she needn't have worried. Joy's response was immediate and very fervent. "No! Never." Her arms dropped unconsciously back to her belly, as if to protect the child she had just learned was growing there.

Buffy smiled in relief and gave Joy a hug. "Alright. Alright. That's completely fine. So, that leaves two other options: do you want to keep the baby or do you want to give it for adoption?"

Joy just sat there for a moment, calmer now but still overwhelmed. "I don't know. I just don't know," she shook her head back and forth. "I mean, I never planned on being a mother, at least not right now. And I CERTAINLY never planned on being a mother all on my own.

"Ok. That's fine. Since you are so against option A, you've got a few months to decide. But I just want you to know, no matter what choice you make, you aren't going to be alone."

Joy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I won't raise the kid for you, but I'll always be willing to help. You'll have me and Willow and Dawn to help you. Do you really think we'd let you do it all by yourself?"

Joy smiled. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

Buffy returned the smile. "I love you too. Now, your other dilemma… Are you going to tell Chad or not?" A thought struck her just then. "Chad… is the father, isn't he?"

Joy looked slightly insulted. "Of course he is. I'm not like him."

Buffy got minor guilt-face. "Sorry. Just had to make sure. So, are you going to tell him?"

Joy sighed, slumping a bit. "I don't know. I mean, part of me says that it's his child too and he has the right to know, but….." she trailed off.

After a pause, Buffy prodded her on. "But?"

Joy looked down, seeming rather embarrassed. "The rest of me is saying that after all the shit he pulled that he doesn't deserve anything, and I should just screw him. And if I do keep this baby, I don't want him to have anything to do with it."

Buffy chuckled. "Well, that's up to you. I won't say one way or the other there. But just always remember that we'll always be here for you."

Joy leaned into Buffy and the two just sat there holding each other for a while. A few minutes later, they were interrupted by Dawn coming in. She got about half way in, then stopped and stared at them for a moment. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Buffy looked up at her sister, then down at her daughter, waiting for her to answer. "Yeah, Aunt Dawn. Everything's ok. I just found out…..I'm pregnant."

Dawn was stunned for a moment. "Oh! Wow…. So, what are you going to do?" She walked over and joined the other two at the table.

Joy shook her head with a small, tired smile. "Not a clue yet. I just found out about fifteen minutes ago. My head is still kinda spinning."

Dawn gave a single chuckle. "I bet. Well, whatever you decide, we're here for you."

"Yeah, I know. Mom already told me that."

"And you'll probably hear it again from Willow, and maybe Xander, when they get here later."

She did, but she was glad to hear it. She knew that, no matter what, she would have the support of her family. It made the whole thing that much easier to deal with. That still didn't mean that she knew what she wanted to do just yet….