Punk and AJ got back home after Punk driving them back, to which AJ sat in the passengers seat, looking out the window as the rain lashed down. The sound of the window wipers swished back and forth while he watched her trace with her finger, the droplets of rain down the outside of the window. She was refusing to acknowledge it. He knew she was.
They got home where Punk thanked Dean for looking after the kids, to which he'd actually put them both to bed. It was past their bedtime now, they probably fell asleep on Dean.
"Have you ate all day?" Punk asked her as she strolled like a lost puppy into the living room, taking a seat on the couch, moving the toys out of the way that belonged to Dylan, bending over to untie her converse.
"Yeah." She whispered as he nodded, walking over to her and taking a seat beside her.
"Talk to me, April." He sighed, watching her turn to him after taking her shoes off, looking into his eyes, those wonderful, understanding eyes, that only she knew what lay behind.
"I'm scared." She told him, looking up in embarassment to hold in her tears, "I... I can't go through all of that again." She shook her head. When she seen those two blue lines on the pregnancy test she took, her heart skipped many beats. What if something were to go wrong with this baby? She wouldn't live with herself. Yet she wasn't so cruel to be responsible for taking away an innocent life. She felt nervous and she couldn't explain to anyone with words why. It was just a horrible feeling in her gut.
"I'd be worried if you didn't feel scared." He admitted, "What you went through... even if I was here, I wouldn't have been able to imagine how it felt. But this baby is going to be ok." He edged a smile to her.
"You don't know that." She shook her head, "Things can go wrong." She said as he nodded.
"I know, but you just gotta believe things will be ok. Because they will. Look how perfect the twins were when we had them? You remember... their tiny little fingers and toes, their soft little heads, those little noises they'd make..." Punk said as she smiled to herself, remembering back to the day she held her first borns in her arms, "This is us moving on, April." Punk smiled.
He truly believed that this baby was just another clear and loving sign that they were ready to move on after his fight. The twins would be soon heading off to school once the baby got here, which gave him and AJ time to raise their third child. He was sure the twins would be thrilled to hear about having a baby brother or sister anyway.
"I just don't want anything to be wrong." She sighed, for the first time since finding out... taking her hand and placing it over her stomach, acknowledging the growing, developing little life inside her.
"We'll book an appointment with the midwife. I can take a day out of training, you can take a day off work. Everything will be ok." He tucked her hair behind her ear, "I promise."
"You know how much your promises mean to me, don't you?" She smiled to him with tired but relaxed eyes.
"I have an idea." He nodded with a smile, "You don't have to be afraid, ok?" He smiled to her as she nodded.
Even just a few reassuring words from him was enough to put her ease at mind. He was right, of course she was going to be worried, it'd be wrong if she wasn't after what she went through. But what mattered was he was here, and she felt like she was getting another chance at this. Not that Rachel could ever be replaced. Never. But it was a chance for them to welcome another child into their family, who could have the luxury of taking it's first breath, it's first glance at it's parents, it's first words and steps. And he was right by saying they were moving on, this baby was a clear sign that they were moving on into another chapter.
A week had passed by and their booked appointment to see their baby for the first time surely came around. With the twins being watched by Dean again, who they had already grown a liking to just by thew few times they had encountered, Punk and AJ headed off to the hospital.
The last time AJ ever walked into a maternity department in a hospital, there was so much gloom and darkness around. Now she was back and at the first hurdle of her third pregnancy, taking into account that the twins came in a package, which she sometimes forgot and miscounted.
"Just hop up on the bed there, roll your t-shirt up for me and we'll get started." The elderly midwife smiled to AJ who nodded, laying up on the bed and rolling her shirt up, revealing her stomach which had the curviest, tiniest bump on the planet. She was nervous, but with the feeling of Punk's tattoo'd hand gripping hers, she felt the nerves calm down.
"Ok... let's take a look." The midwife smiled, rolling the probe over AJ's now gel'd stomach, a black and white, fuzzy image appearing on the screen across, a loud swishing noise detected through the monitor which was such a relief to hear. A heartbeat. Something Rachel lost.
"Look..." Punk tapped AJ's thigh lightly, pointing over to the monitor, "Hear that?" He smiled to her as he nodded with a nervous laugh.
"This little one has a very strong heartbeat." The midwife smiled, "Everything looks wonderful." She said, "You're twelve weeks along already." She said as AJ smiled.
"Is that it... is that the baby?" AJ pointed to the image on the monitor.
"That's it." The midwife nodded, "Takes your beath away, doesn't it?" She said as AJ nodded, "I'll give you both a minute. I'll be back to give you your forms and books." She said after wiping AJ's stomach, leaving the room where AJ sat up on the bed, swinging her legs round to the side where Punk was standing.
"What'd I tell you?" He smiled to her as she stood up.
"Where the hell would I be without you?" She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck as he smiled. She wouldn't even have made it to the phone to book an appointment if it wasn't for him. He was her back bone. In everything she done. She sensed this little one in her tummy knew it's father was here, unlike Rachel, who may have sensed nothing but her mothers sadness over his departure. This baby was going to be so loved, just like Heidi and Dylan. Since Heidi and Dylan were grown up, she missed the tiny outfits she'd buy them, and feeding them their bottle in the morning whilst lying up on the couch. She was ready to be a mother again, as long as she had Punk.
After AJ and Punk took a detour on their way home, stopping by at a diner to satisfy AJ's cravings, they eventually got home to their children who had driven Dean up the wall, his words.
They weren't sure how they were meant to go around telling the twins about their new baby sister or brother, but they figured the sooner the better.
Saturday night was always a chilled out night in the household anyway. Normally the four of them would pick a movie to watch on the couch. Dylan would settle beside his father while Heidi took priority of her mother's lap, sometimes falling asleep when AJ's fingertips would featherly trace over her forehead. So Punk made sure he sped things up.
"Hey, you guys..." Punk watched Heidi lift her head and turn to him, while Dylan nodded, listening but still looking at the TV.
"Daddy, shh... this the good part." Dylan tapped his fathers thigh for silence as AJ chuckled, watching Punk nod. He guessed that was him told.
"It's really important, Dyl." Punk said as his son huffed.
"How about I just pause it?" AJ made the insanely easy decision, reaching for the remote beside her and pausing the movie while both children looked round to their father.
"Ok... you guys know that because mommy and daddy love each other very much, we decided to have you guys, a few years ago. Yeah?" He said as Heidi nodded whilst hugging her blanket.
"Yeah." Dylan nodded, mouth agaped as he tiredly listened to his father talking. It was a voice that lead his way, and always would. His father and his mother's voices were ones he would only listen to. Along with his sisters.
"Well... just like we had you guys, we've decided we're going to have another baby." Punk said, "So that means you guys will have a baby brother or sister in a few months." He told them as Dylan kneeled up on his little knees, hand pressed on his fathers shoulder while Heidi sat up on her mother's lap.
"Can I have a baby sister?" Heidi whispered quietly.
"No!" Dylan yelled across to Heidi, "No, a baby brother. Not another sister." He shook his head as AJ smiled.
"It isn't really up to us." Punk chuckled.
"Well I hope it's a brother. Or I's moving out." Dylan folded his arms as AJ chuckled, resting her head on Punks shoulder.
"You'd love another sister. Stop playing." Punk nudged Dylan who wasn't impressed by his fathers attempts to joke.
"No... Heidi is enough." Dylan said as Heidi snuggled back down into her mothers arms, the movie being put back onto play as the twins settled back down to watch. They were too young to really acknowledge the significance of being siblings, and having a new little brother or sister to look out for. But their humourous outbursts and demands brought a smile to their parents face's.
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