Disclaimer: You really wanna read it over? If that's what you're really into, then go back to Chapter 1. Otherwise, on with the story!
Author's note: Hello again! I hope you're all pleased with this next chapter. I'm still figuring out how all of this will play out, because I want to keep it semi-close to some of the happenings in Season 6, like keeping the concert in and Dawson going back to Natasha for a little while and everyone down in Capeside for Christmas. BTW, for the sake of the story and to fit a good time of events, Joey got pregnant in the last week of September and not on October 2, when the premiere aired. One more thing though, is that any scenes I reenact from TV may not be written verbatim. So please don't hold it against me. And any other characters other than the regular cast are of my own creation. Got it? Good. But feel free to let me know what you think please! Review or write to me at: The lyric used at the beginning of this chapter is not mine, not has it ever been nor ever will be mine. It's fromthe song "An American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Good song, if you haven't heard it, go find it!
Summary: With college, work and a broken heart to take care of, Joey has enough to deal with in her life. But when an unexpected reminder of Dawson and Joey's one night together arises, things will change, unsaid words will finally be spoken, and fate will go to show that some lives are just forever entwined.
Spoilers: set after Instant Karma!
Rating: PG-13/R, for language and sensual descriptions, depending on the chapter.
Forever Entwined
Chapter 14
"Well she was an American girl, raised on promises………"
Joey twisted the knob on the stereo up slightly as she continued half-singing, half-humming to the song playing on the radio. She walked back across the room, dancing along to the music as she laid a folded pair of jeans on the growing stack of clothes in her open suitcase. She looked around as she thought of what else she would need during winter break.
My laptop, she remembered.
She walked over to her cluttered desk as she closed up her laptop and carefully inserted it in her duffle. Joey picked up the open bag and placed it on the bed next to her suitcase. She reached over the bed for the stack of books resting on her nightstand.
Grabbing them, she sorted through them: What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, Your Pregnancy, Week by Week, and Hidden Fires. Joey smiled a little at the last book. She couldn't resist the romance novel when she had been at the bookstore, but it actually wasn't bad. She found herself liking it a lot.
After her early return from Thanksgiving, Joey had solely focused on the new direction her life was taking. It took her a couple of days to think things through, but now Joey had a plan and she was determined to make it work.
And speaking of work, Joey had thought about it and she didn't think it was in her best interest, or the baby's best interest to work long, late hours at a seedy, smoke filled bar. From what she had read, secondhand smoke could hurt the baby, even this early in her pregnancy.
So, with that having been decided, Joey had worked her last shift at Hell's Kitchen a few days ago. Emma had been sad to see her go, more for the fact that she was now the only girl working there, but it was touching nonetheless.
With one thing crossed off on her list, Joey then turned to focus on school. Truth be told, she had originally planned on moving back to Capeside, at least that way she was near Bessie and a fair distance away from the rest of the gang.
But after her early return from Thanksgiving, Joey realized that she couldn't stay in Capeside without drowning in her history, and in turn, her mistakes. And that was the last thing Joey wanted or needed to focus on. So Joey ultimately decided on staying in town, for the time being.
But, even though she wasn't moving, Joey completed her enrollment into Worthington's correspondence program and picked out all her classes for next year. At least then she could take her classes and deal with school around her psychotic life. On the upside, her energy was coming back and she didn't feel so tired anymore. Joey couldn't be more grateful.
Unfortunately, in midst of her running around and decision making, Joey hadn't been able to see anyone with the exception of her roommate. But in a way, it was a good thing. In all truth, being around them was becoming too difficult for Joey at that moment. Joey was getting to be waaaay too emotional and with Jen insisting on her telling Dawson, Pacey acting like such a goddamn know-it-all gumshoe on the track of a big case, and Jack just sitting in the middle of it all, completely clueless, it only tended to elevate the already whacked out hormones in her system.
But then again, maybe it was better this way. The next time she would see them was during Christmas and they would all be around other people and at least then, she could have her last normal Christmas, or as normal as it was going to get with her getting emotional at everything.
After break was over was when it was going to happen. Joey was going to tell everyone about her pregnancy. She had a cover story in place in case the announcement became an interrogation, which she had a feeling it would. Something also kept telling her they would see right through her, but at this point, she didn't want to think about that.
Joey fitted the extra books into her book bag and zipped it up; placing it next to her other two bags. Hands flattened against the small of her back, she looked around as to visually pick up anything she forgot to pack. She went to zip up her suitcase as she remembered something.
Joey walked over to the dresser and tugged open the second drawer and rummaged around for her really cute blue shirt. Her eye finally caught a tiny corner of baby blue peeking out from under a few other shirts.
As Joey began to pull it out, her hand rubbed against something cold and smooth. She pushed the shirts away and looked at the smooth glass dome staring back at her. Joey picked from its nest of shirts and turned it upside down.
Flipping it back up, she watched at the little plastic flakes come to life as they danced fluidly around in their small, quiet world. Joey couldn't help but smile at the object with something of a bittersweet feeling in her chest. She had almost forgotten that this was the place she had stashed it last. It was like one huge game of hide-and-seek with her and her memories.
Well, it 's going to end now. She told herself, bringing her out of her hypnotic state. She walked over to the suitcase, shirt and snow globe in hand. She wrapped her shirt around the fragile object and buried it a few layers down into her suitcase. She flipped the top and zipped it up, at a remarkable speed.
There. I'll just leave it in Capeside and then I won't have to deal with running into it here anymore. She looked at her watch and hoped Bessie would be here soon. It was 2:30 and her appointment was at 3:00. Audrey had originally planned on taking Joey to the doctor's, but her final exam interfered with Joey's appointment, so Bessie insisted on coming up and taking her.
She smiled at how amazing Bessie and Audrey had been so far. She was lucky to have a sister and a friend willing to put up with every insane thing Joey did. She went to go sit down at her desk when she felt that now familiar sickening feeling in her stomach. Joey rushed to the bathroom, barely making in time to shut the door and relinquish the last of her stomach's contents.
When she finished, Joey flushed the toilet and slowly got up off the floor. The morning sickness wasn't as frequent as it had been and she took this to mean that she was over that less than pleasant symptom, at least that was what she thought she had read somewhere in one of her books. Even though it wasn't happening as often, it still hit her every now and then and it still hit her like a ton of bricks. She turned on the sink and splashed a little bit of water on her face, cooling down her flushed skin.
She grabbed a towel off the nearby rack and dried off her face. Joey looked at herself in the mirror, taking in a few deep breaths. She turned to the side, running her hands over her stomach, trying to feel out any new changes in her stomach. Joey's middle felt softer, just a little bit rounder. She hadn't popped out, but she could definitely feel the change in her clothes.
At least Bessie's taking me out shopping after my appointment, Joey smiled a little. She tucked her hair behind her ears and finished straightening herself up. Joey turned and opened the door, promptly running race-first into a wall of muscle and skin.
Two arms reached out and grabbed her from falling back as she instinctively clutched the fabric in front of her. Her heart felt like it was beating in her throat as just stood there for what seemed like eternity. Joey let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and relaxed for a second, feeling safe and comfortable in this position.
She inhaled the faint, clean scent of soap before panic cut through her as she instantaneously realized that these arms weren't that of her blonde roommate or her older sister. She started to push away when all attempts were silenced by the recognizable timbre of his voice.
"Couldn't wait to get back in my arms, could you?"
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Dawson walked up the stone steps leading up to the historic "student residence" as Worthington preferred to refer to them. He laughed at the formality of the name. But then again, this was an Ivy League school; the most mundane thing here was intended to sound elite and upper crust.
A girl in front of him was just punching in her access code and as soon as she walked in, Dawson grabbed hold of the door before it had a chance to close. He slipped in and headed up the stairs as he started to wonder what the hell he was going to say when he got there.
After Pacey came to see him that day, he couldn't get Joey off his mind the rest of the day. He started to think of all the times he had seen her since her birthday and he was surprised how he could count them all on one hand.
There was that one time on set, when Natasha publicly ripped Joey apart in front of all the crew. He cringed just at the thought. Joey had looked so broken, so ashamed and it killed him to see her like that. Dawson so wanted to comfort her, protect her then, but that would have just sent Natasha off again and Joey didn't need that twice in one night.
Then, there was that night at Hell's Kitchen when he dropped off the tickets. Even though it had been some weeks since her birthday and a week or two since they had seen each other on set, their meeting was still quite awkward and uncomfortable. Dawson remembered how Joey looked, so worn out, but he had filed that as exhaustion from school and work.
And then there was the night of the concert. Talk about awkward. What in God's name were the probabilities that Joey and Audrey ran into him making out with the lead actress from his movie? Come to think of it, Joey also got sick then too, he recalled, right when they were being all 'blasé' during their awkward introductions. Dawson had wanted to go after her; after all she was her best friend and it was pure instinct to protect her. But Audrey wouldn't let him, and for some reason, he could still remember the look on Audrey's face, like she was thisclose to decking him. Apparently, Audrey and Joey never made it inside to watch No Doubt. He guessed he had wrecked their excitement for the concert.
And then Dawson had run into Bessie and Joey at the cemetery. He had really wanted to talk to her, but she froze him out with her civil, yet icy demeanor. But then again, Bessie had been there as well, so maybe that was the silver lining after all. Dawson couldn't help noting in his mind how every single time they were in each other's presence, Joey looked like she was ready to bolt, like she couldn't bear to be in his presence.
Or like she was hiding something she didn't want him to find out.
Then again, he couldn't blame her for the way she was acting. Things were pretty screwed up between them and he had been the catalyst. He childishly wished he hadn't left that night, but there was nothing he could do; he was just going to have to deal with the here and now. Dawson just hoped surprising her and making them have a conversation would help somehow. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his best friend. He needed to make this right somehow, if only he knew where to start.
He found his way to Joey's dorm and knocked hesitantly, not quite sure what to expect. Dawson could hear the radio playing, although slightly muffled through the door. He waited for what felt like forever before tapping his knuckles on the wood again. After no response, Dawson waited a few before testing the doorknob and to his surprise, found it unlocked. He opened the door a crack before hearing, nor seeing no resistance to his entrance and came in.
Dawson felt a slight apprehension coming into Joey's room. He hadn't been here since he walked out that night; feeling so defeated and so low after Joey had shut down. Dawson remembered how he came back; ready to battle it out with her at all costs. But just as his hand touched the door, something in him just stopped him and he dropped his stilled hand and just slowly walked away.
Dawson shut the door behind him and took a look around. Nothing had really changed in the last few months. He noticed the various pieces of luggage lying on both beds, all packed and ready to leave for break. With the radio on and her belongings still in the room, he wondered where Joey or Audrey were. Maybe they stepped out for a minute, he guessed. He hoped he could talk to Joey alone.
As Dawson contemplated whether to wait in the room or wait outside, he thought he heard sounds in the bathroom. He walked over to the door and reached to knock when it swung open and an oh so familiar brunette barreled right into his arms. Dawson reached out and grabbed her arms to keep her from falling back. She, in turn, held on to his shirt as they became pressed up against one another, chest to legs. With Joey enclosed in his arms, Dawson took in the feeling of her soft skin and the soft scent of her shampoo.
And for one split second, neither one moved. He could feel her body relax in his arms for a split second, then tense up just as quickly. Dawson figured he better say something and quickly, before she started beating the crap out of him. He figured he'd take a humorous approach to this, not a bad way to break the ice, he supposed. He smiled as he looked down at Joey.
"Couldn't wait to get back in my arms, could you?"
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Joey froze, but all her senses were on high overload, screaming loudly inside her system. This cannot be happening.
Joey tilted her head back slightly until her eyes locked with his clear blue eyes. She then stepped back quickly, almost as if the mere touch of his body burned her. Dawson stayed where he was as Joey fidgeted with her hair, looked down at the floor, afraid to look at him straight in the eye again. She needed some composure and fast. This was not the time to break down, especially in front of him.
"W-What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too" He replied sarcastically. So much for the humorous approach, he thought. Joey looked over at him, not saying a word. "We finished principal shooting last week and I figured I would come by and see you." He finished. Joey, meanwhile, stood still as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to gain as much self-control as she could.
Dawson continued without her input into the conversation. "I knocked, but your music was really loud, I guess." He explained. "The door was unlocked." Never being someone with the issue of claustrophobia, Joey was surprised at how anxious she was getting, like the walls were slowly closing in. Only Dawson could make her feel claustrophobic. Either that or her hormones were playing with her mind again. Either way, she needed to get out of the very, very small bathroom.
With as much bravado as she could dig up, she started towards the door, and in turn Dawson. He didn't move immediately as she proceeded to the only exit. She stopped just short of him, tilting her chin up at him in defiance. "If you'll excuse me…" She inquired, one eyebrow raised challenging him to do other wise.
Dawson said nothing, just stepped back, allowing Joey enough space to get through. She made a break for the far side of the room, wanting to put as much space between them as possible. Being that close to him again and Joey wouldn't be able to control her actions.
Joey stood over her desk, fixing papers, staring down, shouting prayers in her head for this to be just another dream, for this not to be happening.
"My mom told me your dad was back. How are things with him?"
"Fine." Joey replied shortly as she kept her focus away from him on any of the random things she could grab a hold of. She could feel his gaze bearing down on her and it was unnerving.
"I came to see you after Thanksgiving, but you weren't home."
"Yeah, Bessie told me."
Dawson stood there for what seemed like forever before he broke his calm and collected demeanor. He need to snap Joey out this attitude. "Damnit Joey," He threw his hands up in the air. "Would you please say something!" Joey swallowed what little courage she had. Her hands released their hold on the stack of papers. Joey gripped the back of the chair and braced herself. She looked over at the boy who had her heart who was now a man who had broken it. "What do you want me to say?" She asked evenly.
Joey's cold tone and attitude made him want to shake her; knock something into her. "Anything Joey! I mean, you're supposed to be my best friend and I haven't seen or heard from you in months! Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives? Civil conversations and rigid attitudes toward each other?"
Joey bit her tongue, just because she really felt like letting him have it. But yelling at Dawson wasn't going to do her anything; it would only fall into a shouting match and as much as her heart swelled with love being this close to him, she needed him gone.
"I don't know how it's going to be for the rest of our lives. This is how I'm handling it right now, ok? I've got school and work and far more important things that supercede our 24 hour, roller coaster of a romance, so tend to your bruised ego elsewhere." Joey stopped for a minute before she carried on. "Besides you aren't my keeper anyway! I don't need to do anything I don't want to do." She pressed two fingers against her temple. "Damn" Dawson looked up at her. "What?"
Joey gritted her teeth as the pain rhythmically pulsed through her head. All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears as the headache ceased all thoughts in her head. "Nothing, I just have a headache." She muttered.
"Well me get some painkillers for you." Dawson offered, turning towards the bathroom. Joey, in between pulses of shooting pain remembered that the painkillers were in the medicine cabinet; next to the prenatal vitamins she was taking.
"No, don't. I don't want any." She squeezed her eyes shut. She reopened them and found him still standing there. "Dawson, just please go, ok? Just please leave. I'm not in the mood for another one of our legendary battles, so just get out of here. Besides, I don't think Hollywood Barbie would appreciate knowing you were here." She pulled out her chair and sat down in it, using both hands to rub her temples in small circles.
Dawson stood there for a minute, not wanting to leave, but clearly this wasn't the time to fight with her. He turned to head out when something caught his eye. He turned his head an inch and saw her day planner was lying open on her bed. It was turned open to today's date. The words inscribed in the small space just seemed to jump out to him.
Dr. Appt – 3:00!
The second Dawson read the word 'Dr', something in his mind clicked together and a series of events flooded through his mind – all with Joey. He recalled her pale and tired at Hell's Kitchen, her being sick at the concert, withdrawn, face all tear stained at the cemetery a few weeks back and then there was what he had said to Pacey that kept circulating in his head.
"Of course I'd be concerned if something were wrong. But do you honestly think that if she were seriously in ill health, she wouldn't tell us?"
With his own words reverberating in his head, an image materialized in his head and it wouldn't let it go. It was of Joey; she was lying in a hospital bed, her eyes peacefully closed, though she looked withdrawn and pale. It was he was standing in the room with her. Dawson could hear the quiet except for that irritating rhythmical beep of the machines sitting at her bedside and her soft, even breathing. He broke out of his thoughts as he realized something. "Pacey was right." Dawson whispered.
"Excuse me?" Joey asked, not looking up to see what Dawson was talking about. "You're sick," He said simply, louder this time. She looked up and saw Dawson standing by her bed, grabbing her day planner.
Joey bolted out of her chair and ripped the book out his hands, dropping it onto her desk. "How dare you look through my things? Did you not figure out that lesson years ago or did it evaporate from your mind?"
"Joey, just tell me the truth, are you or are you not sick?" Dawson countered.
Joey just shook her head. "That's none of your concern." "I've been your best friend for the greater part of 15 years, I think that alone warrants my concern." Dawson fired back, his voice unconsciously rising.
Joey glared at him, grabbing the planner off her desk and pushing past him. He firmly grabbed her by the elbow, forbidding her to go any further. Joey whipped around, her hair flying around as well and hitting on her cheek. At the first contact with his fingers, she felt electricity shoot up her arm. Joey steeled herself, knowing if she gave into that right now, she was never going to get out of this. "Don't walk away from me Joey."
Joey pulled on her arm, but she didn't manage to brake free from his hold. Her eyes leveled with his as she stared back at him, her dark eyes on fire. "Don't tell me what to do."
"If you're not sick, then why do you have a doctor's appointment in less than 30 minutes?"
A cheery voice broke the heated silence in the room as the door opened. "Hey Joey, what are you still doing here? Oh my god, you're so not going to believe what happened! Ok, so I went to my - " Audrey stopped as she looked up and saw her roommate being held onto by her arm by the last person she ever expected Joey to be alone with.
This was definitely not what she anticipated when she got home.
"Umm, did I interrupt something?" Audrey asked, worry threading through her voice.
Joey looked over at her roommate, thankful to someone, anyone for the intervention. She yanked her arm out of his grasp, this time being successful. She walked over to the door, planner in hand as she grabbed her purse and coat hanging by the door. "Nothing I've got to get going. He was just leaving." Joey answered forcefully as she tugged the jacket on and wrapped a scarf around her neck. She threw the planner into her purse and stormed out of the room, slamming the door with all the strength she could muster.
Audrey looked back over at the lone, confused guy standing in the exact same place, his face mirroring his emotions. Well one thing was for sure; she never had to turn on another soap opera for as long as she lived. And to think she almost backed out of going to school on the East Coast, she thought with humor. Audrey dropped her bag and tossed her keys onto her desk as she shrugged out of her jacket.
"Ok, what the hell did you screw up now movie boy?"
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"So wait, he came to see you and now he thinks you're dying because he saw your doctor's appointment written in your day planner?" Bessie recounted as she looked at Joey. They had been sitting in the pastel painted room for about 10 minutes now as Joey finished recapping what had happened back in her dorm room.
Joey flipped aimlessly though a magazine, but threw it back on the coffee table. She just wanted to scream from everything that was running through her system. "I don't think we're at the point where he's scripting out my eulogy, but now thanks to Pacey and my stupid planner, he's now with the idea that I'm withholding medical information from him and that something bad is happening to me because I'm holding said information from him. I mean, I'm already on edge with everything and here I just walk out of my bathroom and boom! There he is." She rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.
"Well, if you ask me," Bessie said not so nonchalantly, "it sounds like things are getting a little dramatic and out of control". She crossed her legs, as she looked at her little sister.
Joey looked up, rolling her eyes. "Bessie please, you've seen Dawson and me grow up. Drama is no stranger to our lives; it's like this annoying neighbor that never goes away." She whispered, putting both hands on her belly. "Hell! This life growing inside of me was conceived of 19 years of drama."
She slouched a little into her chair. "Besides, I going to tell them in a couple of weeks, after all the holiday chaos has dissipated. I just don't want to do it right now. The last thing I need is another headache. God, I can't even get rid of the one I have right now." Joey muttered, rubbing her forehead, still feeling the headache she had earlier.
"Can't or won't?" Bessie countered. "Joey, The longer you put this off, the more problems that are going to come out of it. I mean, if this was just some stupid drunken one night stand you had," referring to Joey's flimsy cover story, at least that's what she thought of it, "wouldn't you have already told everyone?" Joey stayed quiet, just staring at the wall. Bessie continued softly. "Wouldn't you have run to your best friend, even if you two aren't the other's favorite person at the moment? After all, anytime you've had a problem, you go running to him, regardless the reason."
Bessie reached over and grabbed Joey's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Joey wrapped her fingers around her sister's hand in response. "Joey, I get that in some way, you're still in shock over this. I get that the longer you put off telling everyone else about this, the longer you can convince yourself that this just might be a figment of your imagination." Joey drew and released a shaky breath, not meeting her sister's gaze. Bessie carried on.
"Joey, I think you need to come to terms with the fact that this isn't just your baby, it's also Dawson's. At the risk of making you mad, you are not going to be able to hide this connection you have from him, no matter what you tell yourself or you let your hurt feelings tell you."
"Josephine Potter?"
Both women looked up at the nurse standing by the door, clipboard in hand. Joey let go of her hand and stood up. "That's me." She picked up her purse and followed the woman's lead through the door. Bessie sat back. Every time she looked at her sister lately, she could still see the scared little 12-year-old sitting in the corner of the cold, sterile waiting room.
It had been over 7 years, but she could still feel everything, remember everything like it was yesterday. She remembered leaving the hospital room, dreading every moment of being within the white walls, the horrible smell of ammonia. She hated having to do this all by herself. Bessie cursed her father inside for leaving this all up to her. Why did he have to go and mess things up even more?
It had barely been a week since their father had been arrested for drug dealing, having been busted selling to an undercover cop. It shocked the hell out of them, Bessie especially. They had no idea their father was a dealer. She knew her family was far from perfect, but her father, a drug dealer?
With their mom fighting against breast cancer in the hospital, it had been all up to Bessie then to take care of her mom, her baby sister, their home and the family restaurant, The Ice House. She still remembered how panicked she was. She was only 18! She had just graduated high school; she was almost packed and set to go to college at Boston Bay, where she was going to go out and live. But now everything had fallen apart and she wondered if her family was ever going to be ok again.
Bessie sat down next to her sister who was sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs, her head resting on her knees. Joey looked over at her. "How's Mom?" The lump in her throat grew as she struggled to take a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but Mom's gone." Joey looked at her and Bessie remembered the light almost dying at that moment in her little sister's eyes. She hugged her sister tightly, if anything to remind herself she wasn't alone.
Bessie felt Joey slowly hug her back and she pulled her in closer. She knew at that moment she stopped being a kid and became an adult right then and there. She swore to herself right there in the waiting room that she was going to take good care of her little sister, no matter what.
It was them two against the world now.
Bringing herself back to the present, Bessie looked at the door where Joey had walked through. Her sister had been walking though life from that day on with a wall around her heart, one that not even Dawson could completely penetrate most times. She had grown up afraid of the hurt, of people always leaving in one capacity or another. She had even come to expect it in some way. Bessie didn't want her baby sister to live out the rest of life like that. But would she ever let her guard down?
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Joey slouched on the edge of the table as she waited for the doctor. She laid one hand in her lap to hold on to the paper "blanket" resting there, while the other hand kept shifting the paper top back onto her shoulders. The door opened and a woman in a white overcoat came in. She looked to be in her thirties, short, fiery red hair framed a pair of bright blue eyes and a pale ivory complexion. She smiled at Joey as she shut the door and walked over to her new patient, hand extended in greeting. "Hi Josephine, I'm Dr. Merrick."
Joey gave a small smile as she reciprocated the doctor's greeting. "It's Joey." She started. The doctor smiled and nodded. "Ok." She pulled up a small stool and sat down as she read some things in the folder in her hands. "And this is your first prenatal visit?" Joey simply nodded in response. "Well, I see you're almost 13 weeks?" Joey nodded again.
"Well, all your vitals look good so far. Your blood pressure is slightly higher than what I would like it to be; I'll keep an eye on that in the meanwhile. But just to be sure, keep high exertion activities to a minimum and try not to overexert yourself, ok?" "Ok", Joey replied.
Dr. Merrick closed the folder and got up, getting some supplies from a cabinet. The doctor placed them on a portable tray next to the exam table and pulled a sonogram machine from a corner. When she arranged everything, she turned to her patient. "Well, let's take a look inside. If you could lay back for me, please." Dr. Merrick instructed.
Joey followed her instructions and laid down completely on the table. Dr. Merrick folded back the blanket and the gown so that only Joey's stomach was only exposed. The doctor reached for a bottle, shook it up and squirted a generous amount of cold blue gel on Joey's tummy, which made Joey shiver instinctively. Dr. Merrick switched on the machine and reached for a wedged shaped wand and began directing it over her Joey's bared stomach.
Almost immediately, the room was filled with a whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh sound. Joey unconsciously tensed at the strange sound. "What's that?" The doctor looked away as she jotted some notes into the file. "That's your baby's heart beat." Joey relaxed as she listened to the soft repetitive sound. "It's so fast." She whispered. The doctor put down her pen and moved the wand some more to home in on the sound. "It's normal for a baby. Your baby's is 142, so that's good and strong." She stilled her movements as she turned on the monitor. "Now let's get a look at your baby."
The monitor came to life with black and white shapes. The picture weren't distinct and it was a bit grainy in general but if you squinted a bit, you could make out the general outline of a baby. "And here's your baby, in the flesh." Dr. Merrick joked. Joey heard the doctor saying something to her, but she didn't hear it. All she could see was the tiny moving figure on the screen. It all clicked, it made everything real. This was inside her, her baby.
Her and Dawson's baby
And as much as chalked it up to hormones and lust, this baby, this life was conceived of their love, their passion, and their need for one another in their lives. They were eternally bonded by their friendship for most of their lives, now they were physically bound by this life.
Joey looked up and as her eyes wondered around the room, she felt sadness seep in, wishing she had asked Bessie to be with her. "And now for baby's first picture." Dr. Merrick mentioned, bringing Joey out of her thoughts. As the picture was printing, the doctor cleaned up Joey's tummy. When it finished, Dr. Merrick reached over and handed it to the awe-struck girl. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" Joey nodded, staring at the picture in her hand. "Yeah" The doctor smiled. "I've been doing this for some time now and it still amazes me." She stood up as she grabbed the folder.
"Well, you can go ahead and get dressed. Everything looks good, both you and the baby are on the right track. So go ahead and make an appointment for 4 weeks, ok?" Joey nodded in agreement. "Great, in that case, Happy Holidays and I'll see you in the new year." The doctor slipped out as Joey sat up. She looked at the picture in her hand and looked down at her still exposed stomach. Joey blinked back tears as she smiled.
"I love you baby."
Well, there's Chapter 14, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Reviews greatly appreciated! Now on to Chapter 15!