Chapter 14:
Five months later….
Lulu remained in the hospital room at General Hospital. She got multiple blood transfusions during that time. She got several infections that were cleared up with antibiotics that were safe for the baby. Other than that, she was holding her own. Speaking about the baby, Lulu got a cute little baby bump. Johnny and the rest of her family couldn't help but place their gloved hand on her stomach, hoping to feel the baby move or kick.
Johnny held her hand as she got her first sonogram. They saw the little blob on the screen that will one day be their baby. When they heard the heart beat, Lulu could have sworn that she saw tears in his eyes but Johnny would never admit it. He claimed that he got something in his eye. Monica asked if they wanted to know the sex of the baby, Lulu declined, saying that she wanted it to her a surprise.
Johnny kept trying to get her to change her mind. He really wanted to find out.
Dante tried to see her; every single member of her family prevented him to do so. Dante was reduced to watch her from the window, in the hallway. He usually came in late at night when her family members were scarce. Epiphany threatened him to saying if he stepped foot in Lulu's room without her permission she would drop kick him from the roof after she called Alice to rough him up first.
As finding Lulu a bone marrow donor, they had come up empty. Monica and Robin kept the fact that the baby could be a match to themselves until Lulu was further along. They didn't want to get everyone's hopes. The amino was scheduled in a few days.
"We need to think of a name for the little one," Johnny said when he came in the room. He had a book of baby names in his hands.
"Shouldn't we wait until the baby is born so we could have a DNA test? I mean don't you want to know if the baby is yours or not?" Lulu rubbed her stomach.
"I really don't care if the baby is mine or not. I am going to be its father no matter what." Johnny handed her the book.
"That might not stop you know who," Lulu said as she flipped open the book.
"Do you still want it to be a surprise?" Johnny asked, changing the subject. He eyed her belly. "I really want to know. I want to know what color to paint the nursery."
"Paint it green or yellow to be safe. It's one of the few surprises that are left in the world," Lulu argued. "What names do you have in mind?"
"Are you set on naming the kid with the name beginning with an L? I mean there are Luke, Laura, Lucky, and Lesley Lu in your family," Johnny pointed out. "Do you want to keep the tradition alive, Lu?"
Lulu sighed. "I don't know, maybe. Why? What names do you have in mind?"
"We could always call him Lucas if the baby is a boy."
Lulu shook her head. "No there are three members of my family with that name. Lucky should have dibs on it in case he wants to name his next son Lucas Lorenzo Spencer III. What else do you have in mind?"
Johnny flipped through the book. "I like James and Robert. We can call them either Jimmy or Bobby."
Lulu nodded. "I like those names. What is the baby is a little girl? I don't want to call her Roberta."
Johnny made a face. "No, I don't like that name. That name reminds me of Sister Roberta from one of my boarding schools. She didn't like me very much."
"Did she hit you with a ruler or something?"
"The only person I will let hit me with a ruler, is you," Johnny muttered. "I will let you smack me on the ass with it."
Lulu laughed. "We have to wait a bit for that to happen."
"I am counting the days," Johnny grinned.
Lulu opened the book, flipping to girls names. "I like the name Bella." She looked at Johnny. "I liked that name since before vampires were all sparkly in the sun. I also like the name Sophia."
Johnny perked up. "Sophia as in Sophia Loren? I really like those names."
Lulu smiled. "Okay, we got the names picked out. I guess we have to see him or her to figure out what name fits best."
"Want me to tell Tracy what we picked out? She is in the waiting room talking to the doctors."
"More like strong arming them to put up a plasma TV in here or something," Lulu laughed.
"Tracy is a shark when it comes to you. She loves you like her own," Johnny pointed out.
"When it comes to Dante, the claws come out. We don't have to worry about him."
The door opened, Monica and Robin came in the room. "Good morning, Lulu. You are glowing," Monica noted.
"We picked out some names," Lulu said.
"As you know Lulu, your amino is coming up for a few days," Monica began. "We are going to be testing for something else."
"What? Is there something wrong with the baby?" Johnny asked.
"We are going to test to see if the baby is a match," Robin said. "If the baby is, once its born we will use the umbilical cord and the placenta to get the stem cells for your bone marrow transplant."
"Aren't the chances of that pretty remote?" Lulu asked in a small voice.
"They are a little better than getting a match from the waiting list. Lulu, this is your last chance," Monica said. "We will find out in a few days. That leaves you only a month at the most."
A month.
Thirty days.
That is all that she has left, Johnny thought.
He glanced at her baby bump. It was only a tiny bump. He if didn't know, he would never think that she was pregnant. The baby must be really tiny. He didn't like this.
"What are the chances that the amino is going to hurt the baby?" Johnny asked.
"There is always some risk as in any medical procedure. It's remote," Robin said.
"We can also perform a DNA test if you want us to, Lulu," Monica said.
Lulu thought about it for a minute. "I want to wait until the baby is born to have the DNA tested."
"Okay, that we can do," Robin said. "We will be back in a few hours to give you some more blood."
The doctors left the room.
It was a routine, Lulu getting the transfusions. She didn't even flinch when they changed the needles in her arm either. Johnny had to look away each and every time. A big bad mobster was afraid of a tiny needle. She found it humorous.
"I am going to run to Kelly's to get some food. Do you want anything, Lu?"
"A large strawberry milkshake and a double cheeseburger, the baby isn't very hungry today."
"You still need to eat something healthy. I am getting you a cup of soup and a salad."
"Can you bring me an apple pie too?" Lulu asked, giving him her best sad puppy dog eyes.
"A whole pie?"
Lulu nodded. "Yup an entire pie. The baby just got a craving and some vanilla ice cream too."
Johnny arched an eyebrow at her. "The baby wants it, huh?" He blew a kiss at her. "I will see you soon, Lu."
Dante sat at the counter at Kelly's. He was moving around the food on his plate with a fork. He wasn't really hungry. He needed something to take his mind off of Lulu. He was only aloud to see her through the window of her hospital room. W watched as her flat belly grew into a baby bump. He was dying to talk to her. She refused to talk to him.
The door opened behind him, Johnny walked in. He stopped when he saw Dante sitting at the counter. Then he walked to the counter.
"Were you waiting here long?" Johnny muttered. "You need to stop. She doesn't want to see you. You ruined your chance. Stop coming by late at night and watch her sleep."
"The baby could be mine," Dante said. "I have a right."
"The baby has a better chance to be mine," Johnny argued. "We weren't very careful."
The girl behind the counter came over to Johnny he gave her the order.
"Just a heads up, Lulu and I chose some names for the baby," Johnny said.
"What are they?" Dante asked.
"That is going to be a secret. We are not telling anyone."
"I have a right to know…"
"No you don't!" Johnny stated. "Just leave her alone. She doesn't need you in her life right now. She doesn't need the extra stress."
"She doesn't have much time left, does she? It's been five months and they haven't found a donor yet," Dante said somberly. "I really want to…"
Johnny grabbed Dante by the collar, pulling him roughly off of the stool. "Don't you dare say it! She is not going to die. You hear me? She beat this once, she will beat this again."
"Are you willing to raise the baby in your world? The single father that is also a mob boss raising a newborn baby. You are going to paint a target on that kid's back for the rest of their life," Dante pointed out.
"And the first born grandchild of Sonny Corrinthos won't?" Johnny shot back. "The kid will be in more danger with you than he or she will be with me."
Johnny released his rival. The men stared at each other, debating what to say next when the girl handed Johnny a brown bag with his order inside. "Thank you," Johnny told the girl.
He turned back to Dante. "Stay away from Lulu, okay? I am sick of telling you that."
"I am not going anywhere," Dante promised. "If the baby is mine, I am here to stay."
We'll see about that, Johnny thought to himself.
A/N- Sorry about the wait!