Chapter 37

It had taken a very long, tiring and worrying 5 hours for baby to be born. Once the baby had turned in the right position, the arrival had been quick, proving very traumatic for Lauren. A fast moving baby making for a painful birth. In the last couple of hours, Tanya had gone back to the room to be with Lauren, not that she was much use when she was there. Most of the time was spent in silence, or looks of disapproval from Tanya.

Despite her reluctance to be there though, she was needed, Lauren had become very tired and distressed during the labour and things were on the verge of being stopped, talk of Lauren being taken for a C-section happening. It turned out to be the breaking of Tanya and she snapped out of her selfish reverie and was there for her daughter when it was needed most.

After finally delivering the baby Lauren had passed out, baby had been taken by a specialist team so checks could be carried out, to see if surgery was needed. It was 20 minutes later when she woke again, everything rushing back to her in a split second. Her body ached, rebelling against the movement as she tried to push herself up in the bed. She could hear raised voices outside the door and was desperate to silence them. Trying to move again she let out a more prominent cry.

"No you don't, stay where you are" a voice proclaimed as they rushed over to her.

Lauren's head snapped up at the voice. How and why were the first things that flew through her mind, but then her eyes saw the other person in the room and her heart stopped, she'd done it.

"A baby girl, Lauren" they informed her smiling

"Is she okay?" she questioned, fear lacing her voice as she took in every inch of her tiny baby.

"She's absolutely perfect. Ten fingers and ten toes... no surgery needed"

"Can I hold her?" she asked, managing to push herself up against the back of the bed

"Of course you can, she's your daughter… All yours" they replied. She smiled as the baby was placed into her arms, her gaze falling to her, completely besotted immediately. Her hair was a soft brown, much like hers, but her nose was all Joey… "She has your mouth, Lauren"

Lauren's eyes tore away from her daughter for a few seconds… "Why're you here, Joey?"

A gentle smile graced his lips as he moved to sit in the chair by her bed. " My Mum called. She told me you'd gone into labour. I stayed at my flat, pacing for 2 hours or so. I did everything to try and get my mind off you but I couldn't so I grabbed a bag, shoved a few things into it and drove the 2 hours back here"

"You have a car?" she inquired

Joey laughed, out of everything she was more interested that he'd got a car. "Yeah. I saved some money and Uncle Jack found me a really good deal" he informed her. His eyes cast over her and he couldn't stop himself asking what he did next. "why did you push me away, Lauren? What happened in those few hours for you to send me a text like that? And then again when I went to uni" Lauren frowned studying him "why are you looking at me like that ?"

"I didn't send any text, Joey. It was you who ended it. You told me I wasn't worth it and you didn't want anything to do with me or the baby… After we got together a few months back, you were the one that left, you still went to uni" she replied

Joey shook his head, taking her hand in his … "I sent you that text because your Dad made me. He told me that he'd tell my Dad if I didn't leave you alone, I was trying to do the right thing, it killed me leaving you that day babe, it really did. And why do you think I came back Lauren... I wanted you to tell me to stay and I would have done."

It all made sense in that moment.

"You do realise what this all means, don't you?" she questioned sighing

"What?" Joey asked

"We've been played" she said softly looking at the baby "I can't believe we've been so stupid. They've kept us apart because they don't want us to be happy, they were too ashamed. Why are they so ashamed, Joey? Do they not want us happy"

"I don't know, babe" he replied, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear, her eyes closing at the movement. "I really don't know"

"I've missed you" she whispered after a few seconds silence

"I've missed you too, like you wouldn't believe" he admitted "my Mum's pretty angry with yours right now"

"Is that them?" she questioned, listening to the growing noise outside. Joey nodding in reply "when did my Dad get here?"

"Not long after I did. Your sister told my Mum everything that's gone on. She's fuming" he informed her "and I met Helen too, wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"Not really" she admitted

"Lauren, please" he begged "I want to know, I need to know"

"You'll be angry with me" she sighed, her free hand dropping his, fiddling with the sheets on the bed.

"Lauren, you've just had my baby. How on Earth do you think I could be angry with you?" he asked.

She looked up at him and seeing the look in his eyes, began to tell him everything about the adoption plans and what had happened before the birth… Joey leaned back in the chair running his hands over his face once she'd finished.

"You're angry with me, aren't you?"

"No, babe, not at all" he assured her "I'm glad you told them how you really felt before it was too late. I wish you'd have called me or spoken to my Mum or someone, I'd have been here in a flash"

"Well you're here now, that's all that matters...Can you take her?" she inquired

Joey nodded and took his daughter from Lauren, settling her into the cot by her bed "There you go, gorgeous girl"

"Joey, you won't leave, will you?" she questioned, wiping away her tears that had fallen over the last few minutes.

"Where's that come from?" he asked "of course I won't. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I love you"

"I love you too" she mirrored, smiling warmly as he leant down and gently kissed her lips.

"you've done me proud Lauren, you've no idea how much. She is absolutely perfect."

"Has a doctor spoken to you about her heart?"

Joey nodded "she was with the paediatrics when I got here, they've scanned her heart" he tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled "there's no hole, she has a small heart murmur that they aren't concerned about... she's going to be fine"

Lauren burst into tears, Joey holding her in his arms "she's going to be ok?"

"Oh babe...she's ok, nothings going to happen to her"

*JL*JL*JL*

"I will have to call security if you don't calm yourselves down. This is a maternity ward, not a boxing ring" the head midwife informed the three adults who were embroiled in a row that wouldn't have looked out of place in the house of commons.

"They're sorry" Abi replied, pulling her parents to sit down "how old are you? Do you not care one little bit that Lauren's just had the worst few hours of her life?"

"Of course we care, Abi" Tanya sighed

"Funny way of showing it" she snapped "I mean, look at you, you're too busy arguing, you haven't even noticed that Joey's gone. He's with Lauren, by the way"

"Over my dead body, he is" Max proclaimed beginning to stand up, but pausing when Abi started again.

"Joey is what she needs" Abi informed him rolling her eyes "he's been what she needed from the start but you couldn't handle that. You couldn't handle the fact that your 17-year-old was having a baby. Well guess what, Dad? She has. She's had a baby and she's an adult now. She doesn't have to do anything you tell her and that includes giving their baby up"

"She's right" Tanya interjected before Max could reply

"What?" Max questioned

"Well she is, isn't she? Lauren's 18 now" Tanya replied

"Finally, one of you talks sense" Sara proclaimed "it took you long enough"

"We don't need you interfering, Sara, thanks" Max sighed

"I'm the baby's Nan Max, whether you like it or not" she informed him "Joey…". She paused, all of them turning to face the young male as he walked out of Laurens room.

"How are they?" Tanya asked

"Lauren's in quite a bit of pain but the baby's fine, she's good" he replied, smiling proudly. He turned to look directly at his Mum "she's perfect, Mum, she looks just like Lauren… she's amazing"

"I'm so happy for you, Joey" she sighed, placing her hand on her heart.

"Have you seen a nurse around?" he inquired "Lauren needs some pain relief"

"I'll go and find one" Tanya informed him "you go back to Lauren"

"Tan!" Max scolded

"Leave it, Max" she sighed "why don't you go home and collect some things for her? And while you're at it you may as well get some of the baby things from the loft too"

"Are you out of your mind?" he questioned

"For believing you when you said this was what was best for the past few months?" Tanya asked "probably so. But for wanting our daughter to be happy? No chance. Just go, Max"

YAY ! Joey's back with his girl or i should say girls now. And Tanya well that was a little bit of a turn in events wasn't it ? XX