Not Ready

"So… you kept your little date quiet last night. Didn't you?" Punk nudged Dean the next day in the gym, sitting in the office couch whilst Seth sat at the desk spinning around on the office chair.

"How did you know?" Dean turned to Punk.

"AJ talks." Punk smirked, "Why didn't you tell us?" Punk asked, having already spoken to Seth earlier this morning about Dean going on a date.

"Because I didn't think you'd take it seriously. And I was scared incase it didn't work out." He shrugged.

"Well did it?" Seth asked.

"I'm seeing her again tonight." Dean said as Punk smiled.

"So it went well?" Seth nodded, "What's so different about her then?"

"I don't know. She's just…. Different. I feel like I can just be myself around her. And for once it isn't even about the sex. Which is odd for me." He admitted, "I don't know…. there's just something about her."

"Well AJ reckons she might be good for you." Punk said, "You're growing up. This is good." Punk nodded as Dean and Seth laughed.

"She's a lot like us too. She wasn't an orphan or anything, but her parents died when she was really young. She lived with a foster family." Dean said, "We're actually pretty similar on the inside." He felt great after his date with Cora last night. Everything went perfect and he even got a kiss out of it. He was really interested in her and already couldn't wait to see her again.

"Well don't fuck it up." Seth said as Dean just smiled sarcastically.

"I'll try not to." Dean scoffed as Punk laughed.

Meanwhile at the hospital AJ was finding it tough to get through the first half of her shift. She felt more tired than usual and was actually feeling a little dizzy. She knew it wasn't anything to do with her bipolar. It couldn't be. She was taking her meds and doing fine. This felt more like a bodily problem rather than her bipolar disorder.

"Hey, AJ… you don't look so good." Tess, the hospital pharmacist said as AJ walked into the pharmacy in the back to collect some medication for one of her patients.

"Honestly. I don't feel very good." AJ admitted, nevertheless carrying on with collecting what she needed, "I think it's just something passing by me. I'll be fine." She convinced herself and Tess who just nodded, but still with concern.

Next thing AJ knew was she was reaching for a box of medication on her tip toes, suddenly feeling the blood rush to her head as she collapsed, fainting as Tess quickly rushed over to her.

Not long after, AJ awoke, the irony of sitting up on a hospital bed, looking around the room. She knew she'd fainted. She just couldn't remember why. She still felt a little dizzy and light headed. In all honesty, she felt like crap.

"You ok, April?" A doctor asked, a doctor AJ knew. This was her colleagues after all.

"I'm ok, Jan." AJ nodded to the older woman, "I don't know. I think I'm just coming down with something. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I was off sick." AJ admitted, swinging her legs over the bed, getting to her feet steadily.

"Well, April… as routine, we done some blood work on you." Jan said as AJ turned around to face her, "You, my dear, are pregnant." Jan smiled warmly as AJ's mouth dropped. Hadn't her jaw been connected with the rest of her face it would have fell right to the floor. Pregnant? She didn't believe it.

"C'mon! Cmon! Yes!" Punk piped up, jumping from the couch in triumph as he tossed the x-box controller down beside Dean who sat back in defeat, "You guys really suck." He looked at them both with sarcastic sympathy as they grumbled, "C'mon help me tidy up before AJ comes home." Punk said. Although he was very much still enjoying being a free man and spending some childish time with his friends clearly, he still played boyfriend pretty well. He always made sure the place was spotless since he knew how tiring AJ's job was. He'd also kept her some leftover pizza that they'd ordered for dinner.

"Why are you so whipped?" Seth groaned as they tidied up the living room, switching the x-box off and cleaning up the bottles of beer (for Seth and Dean of course) and some empty chip packets.

"I'm not whipped." Punk defended, "I just care about my girlfriend and I know how tired she gets when she comes home. Especially on late shift." He said, which AJ was on right now.

"I gotta shoot off anyway." Dean said, "I'm meeting Cora in town for a drink." He announced as Punk and Seth smiled to themselves.

"I'll head off too." Seth nodded, "Enjoy your day off tomorrow, man." He patted Punk on the back as they headed out in a collision of noise.

Punk emptied the trash and headed out the back garden with it to put in the can. By the time he'd done that, which took him quite a while to stuff the bag into the already bulging can, he made his way back inside to find AJ already in the kitchen.

"Jesus." Punk put his hand on his chest in fright, "You alright?" Punk asked her as she just nodded tiredly, "There's some leftover pizza in that box. The guys were round so we just ordered in. I guess I can make you something if you like-"

"It's ok." She smiled sweetly.

"Everything ok?" Punk wondered. She was oddly quiet.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." AJ nodded, "I'm gonna go for a shower." She smiled across to him as he just nodded.

"I mean… I already showered when I got in, but I can come for another one." He smirked, making his way over to her as she just placed her hand on his chest to indicate her own space.

"I… I know you don't hear no very often but…. Not tonight. Yeah?" She said as he raised his eyebrows. Never had she turned him away before. They were all over each other almost every single night, since the moment they started dating.

"Uh… yeah, sure." Punk nodded. Maybe she was just really tired. It wasn't the end of the world, "I'll be in the living room." He told her as she just nodded, walking away and upstairs.

Punk contented himself in the living room, watching the sports highlights on TV whilst AJ showered upstairs. He wasn't really phased by her quiet behaviour tonight. Sometimes she did just want to come home and cuddle on the sofa and fall asleep in his arms. Sometimes those nights were the best ones. He didn't mind at all.

She came downstairs after a long shower, walking into the living room, hugging her sweater around her as she sat down beside him.

"Long day?" Punk asked her, wrapping his arm around her as she sunk into him. She was a bag of nerves. She was terrified. She'd spent the remaining half of her shift sitting in the staff room trying to figure out what she was possibly going to tell him.

"You have no idea." AJ sighed.

"At least we have the same day off this week. What do you want to do tomorrow?" He asked her. A day off meant having to face him which meant she really had no choice but to tell him.

"Uh… I don't know." AJ shook her head, looking up at him as he smiled suspiciously.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're… you're sorta off." He said. Maybe he couldn't read the situation completely, but he knew something was troubling her. He'd spent nearly the past year with her. He knew when something was on her mind.

"Am I?" AJ questioned as Punk nodded.

"What is it? Has something happened? Is it your bipolar?" Was his first guess.

"No… no, it's not my bipolar." AJ shook her head, sitting up straight, running her hand through her hair, "I'm pregnant, Phil." She said.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Paige was on a night shift as was most of the staff that was around later on in the day. She was heading into the pharmacy when Tess grabbed a hold of her, "Is AJ ok?" Tess asked as Paige just tilted her head with confusion, "She fainted… earlier. She didn't look very good. I'm worried it's her bipolar." Tess said with concern as Paige raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, really?" Paige said, suddenly realising her tone wasn't of concern of a best friend, "I mean… she never said anything. I haven't seen her." Paige said.

"Well tell her I'm asking for her. I think they done some blood work on her, but I don't know. I've been so busy I never got the chance to go see if she's ok." Tess said as Paige just nodded.

"O-Ok. Well I'll make sure she knows you were asking for her when I see her." Paige smiled as Tess nodded, walking on by past the pharmacy and down to reception, walking in through the back, "Can I use that computer for a second, Jill?" Paige asked one of the receptions who nodded.

"I'm going for a coffee right now anyway." Jill nodded, standing up and walking off as Paige sat down at the desk, looking up AJ's recent files on the system. If they done blood work on her the results should be in here somewhere. She scrolled and scrolled. Trying to figure out what meant what, suddenly seeing a word sticking out right in front of her that trashed all her plans completely.

Pregnant

"How can you be pregnant?" Punk said, having been pacing around the living room for the past ten minutes at this point, "I mean… we're careful… we are." Punk nodded, knowing that not to be entirely true.

"Not careful enough." AJ said, sitting on the couch, completely exhausted. But she knew she wouldn't have slept tonight if she hadn't told him. She wouldn't keep such a thing from him. She loved him too much.

"You know for sure?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I mean it makes sense. I've been a bit under the weather recently. I've not been eating certain things. I've been feeling sick and dizzy." She said, "I don't know how far along I am or anything like that. I'll know more when I book an appointment with the obstetrician." AJ said, watching Punk stand still in the centre of the living room. He looked like he was going to be sick or faint, or both perhaps. Clearly he wasn't expecting such a thing and neither was she.

"Pregnant." He whispered, "You're pregnant." He turned to her as she nodded, "What… what do we do?"

"What do you mean?" AJ shook her head.

"Is this what you want?" Punk asked her.

"I don't know, Phil. I'm just trying to let it sink in first." She admitted, "I don't know… I never thought I'd have kids because of my bipolar. I knew I'd pass it on to them and if-"

"Wait… what?" Punk raised his eyebrows, "If you have the baby… it'll have bipolar disorder?" He asked.

"What do you mean if I have the baby?" AJ questioned, "Are you under the illusion that I might not have it?" AJ stood up with anger.

"Answer my question. Will the baby be bipolar?" He said.

"Maybe." AJ said, "I don't know." She said truthfully, "Is that… is that the only thing that matters to you?" She asked, a little hurt.

"I don't know, April. I'm still trying to process all of this." He admitted. He knew he loved AJ. There was no doubt about it. But this… this was a really huge jump just a step too soon for his liking.

"Well I tell you what… you stay here and process it all. I'll wait until you're ready to talk." She nodded, "Yeah?" She began walking out of the house.

"Oh, yeah real mature." Punk nodded, storming after her, "Where are you going?" He shook his head.

"For a walk." AJ said bluntly, walking out of the door and slamming it shut as Punk groaned, placing his hands in his head. He'd never been so lost at words for how he felt in his entire life. He didn't feel ready for a kid. He knew it was something he could never be ready for. But he really didn't feel ready.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think? What were Paige's intentions? What will they be now AJ is pregnant? Let me know what you think and REVIEW!