Thank you to everyone in the jolex group chat for throwing around ideas, helping me when I get stuck, and for beta reading this for me. I hope you all enjoy it!
xxxx
"Ah hem," Jo cleared her throat to catch her husband's attention as she walked towards him. "We need to talk about last night. That was insulting."
"Oh, it was," Alex said with a smirk. "And I accept your apology."
"You need to apologize to me, dummy. I don't have sex with you because I want stuff from the chief. I have sex with you 'cause I want one thing from you, orgasms!"
Jo felt briefly satisfied in the way that his smile dropped as she yelled. However, she saw someone in the corner of her eye and turned to see Webber's horrified look before she turned back to Alex.
"And maybe you should tell me when Webber's standing behind me so I don't say things like that."
Jo turned to Webber and smiled as she tried not to be as awkward as she felt before she let her smile drop. She grumbled as she walked away, dissatisfied at how Alex wouldn't take her seriously and more so at how horny she felt. They were newlyweds, but she wanted to jump Alex day and night. Jo hadn't been this eager since their first time together. All she wanted was an orgasm! If only her husband would stop being an ass and give her one.
Regardless of her anger, Jo's emotions quickly flipped back to being desperate for her husband. The next time she saw him, she grabbed him by his lapel and pulled him into the nearest on call room. Alex let her drag him in but didn't seem too happy, regardless, he still kissed her back when she pressed her lips to his. Jo's eager fingers made quick work of pulling his lab coat off, and she kissed her way down his neck before Alex pulled back.
"Jo stop, I thought you were mad at me?" Alex asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
"I am mad!" Jo insisted, glaring at him, but her harsh gaze quickly fell as she stared at Alex's lips and thought about all the ways they could please her. "But I'm also incredibly horny."
"Jo, please, I can't do this anymore," Alex pleaded with her as he sighed.
"What's wrong, can't keep up?" Jo said with a smirk, licking her lips as she fiddled with the v-neck of his scrub shirt, desperate for any amount of skin she could get.
"You know I love sex, especially with you, but this is a little much," Alex said, as he removed her hands and took a step back before he put his hands on his hips and ignored her frown. "We had sex four times yesterday with multiple orgasms each time. We've done it at least three times every day since we got back from our honeymoon. I can't do it again today. I'm completely spent, Jo. There's nothing left in the tank."
Jo couldn't help but laugh, knowing she had completely drained Alex. She had been pretty horny the last couple of weeks, but Alex hadn't complained before. Although he didn't seem to enjoy her laughter as he just shook his head and left her alone in the on-call room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Jo let out a cry of frustration. She was frustrated, sexually frustrated, something that never happened with Alex as his sex drive usually matched hers.
Jo couldn't help it. She had just been so sensitive lately, even her breasts were more tender and even a little sore, but that wasn't too unusual considering she was due to get her period. Jo suddenly freezes. She had been waiting to get her period for a while. She had manipulated her birth control pills so she wouldn't get her period when they were on their honeymoon. She had gotten her period the week before the wedding, and she was supposed to get it again last week, but she hasn't had a period. The morning of the wedding, she had forgotten to take her pill as she rushed out of the house.
It was all adding up in her head, and it wasn't just that her period was late and the fact that her boobs hurt. She had been more exhausted the past few days, but she had just chalked it up to the fact that she was running around the hospital chasing Bailey for her new fellowship. She had been a little bit nauseous, but not really. Although, this morning, she had gotten the yogurt out of the fridge and took one sniff of it before she almost threw up. However, she just thought that it had gone bad, and so she tossed it. Maybe it was bad, but it wasn't just that. She hadn't been this horny since the last time she was pregnant, even if those memories were hazy.
Jo walked out of the on-call room in a haze, not even sure where she was going. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she let her feet carry her through the hospital. Jo's brain told her to run, but her feet hadn't quite gotten the signal yet. She just stood in the middle of the hall, twisting her wedding rings.
"Karev," Bailey called out to her, catching Jo's attention as she walked over to her. "I've got a Pulmonary edema and Pleural effusion surgery with Pierce, you in?"
"No, no, I'm sorry, Dr. Bailey, I just," Jo fumbled with her words as she realized she couldn't focus right now. "I need to go, I'm sorry, I just, I need to go."
"Jo, are you all right?" Bailey asked, looking like she wanted to reach out and place a hand on her arm but didn't.
The use of her first name, something that Bailey had never used before, caught her attention, and Jo looked up and was finally able to focus.
"Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine really," Jo said, letting out a nervous laugh as she nodded, trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince Bailey. "I just um, I'm going to go, I'll find you later."
Jo's feet finally connected to her brain as she turned and ran down the hall before Bailey could form a sentence or yell at her again. Unfortunately for her, as she came around the corner, she ran straight into Schmitt, carrying something that Jo didn't catch. All she heard was it hitting the floor as she just kept running.
Jo was so overwhelmed with everything as she ran down to the ER. Before she knew it, she was standing in the supply closet of the ER where they kept the pregnancy tests. She had given out pregnancy tests in the ER before, but she had never taken one, not here at least.
She pulled out her phone to check her period app, and sure enough, she was definitely late. It could have been nothing. It could have been just stress from her fellowship or anything else. Jo tried to think of another possibility, but the only thing that occurred to her was pregnancy. She and Alex had been together for roughly five years, and in all that time, they had never had a pregnancy scare. Jo had been consistent with her birth control because she couldn't risk getting pregnant again.
Then again, she and Alex had agreed to start trying soon after they got married, or at least they had talked about trying. Yet, with her new fellowship and Alex's role as Chief, they had put off their plans for kids on hold, and Jo was relieved because she didn't know if she was ready. Then she manipulated her pills and forgot to take them, and now she might be pregnant, actually pregnant and Alex was going to freak out.
Actually, no, he would probably laugh and then smile, and he was going to be so excited. This was the one thing he had been asking for. Alex had wanted a baby for years, and Jo hadn't. It wasn't that she didn't want kids, it was just that there was so much that could happen to their kid and it terrified her. They had just started talking about it, but it was just talk, just a thing they were discussing and working out all the details. It helped, and it made her feel better about the thought of their potential child. Who would no longer be a potential if she was, in fact, pregnant and they were growing inside of her.
Jo picked up the pregnancy test. The last time she took a pregnancy test was in the bathroom of a pharmacy. She was terrified that if her ex-husband found out she was pregnant, he would force her to carry the baby. Then both of them would have been stuck with his abuse.
Jo shook her head as she looked down at the pregnancy test. This time was nothing like the last time. She had Alex, who supported her and loved her and treated her better than any man had ever treated her. If she was pregnant, then she wouldn't have to worry about Alex because he was a good man. He was going to be the best father in the world. He was going to be so excited and they were going to raise their baby better than they were raised. She knew deep down that so long as she had Alex, she could do this. She could be a mom. The question now was if she was pregnant or not?
The sound of a door opening and a nurse coming into the room startled her as Jo quickly grabbed the pregnancy test. She used all of her skills as a thief to slip it into her pocket, then went to the packages of drug tests and grabbed one well so as not to look suspicious. Jo smiled at the nurse as they collected their things before she left.
Once again, her feet carry her up to the attending's lounge. She wasn't sure why she picked this bathroom, but it had a door with a lock so she could sit against the wall and wait for the results to develop. Jo sent a quick text out to Meredith. She was due back from her date a while ago, but Jo hadn't seen her in the halls of the hospital. Not that she had noticed anyone in her panic to find the pregnancy test and then the bathroom.
Jo took the test and she waited. She sat with her back against the wall and curled up with her knees to her chest as she held the test and stared at it, waiting for the one or two pink lines to appear. It was an agonizing wait, but she watched as two very dark pink lines appeared on the test.
"Oh my god," Jo said, her jaw dropping as she stared at the test. She was pregnant.
Jo knew that she would need a blood test to confirm it, but with all of her symptoms, it just added up. Still, she knew she should seek out Carina to double check. Before Jo could get up, the door opened. She looked up, still in shock, as Webber opened the door she apparently forgot to lock.
"Oh Karev, my apologies," Richard said politely, turning his head away when he saw her, but then did a double take and stared at her, sitting on the floor, pregnancy test in hand, positive side facing up to where he could see. "Oh well, that explains it."
Jo scoffed as Webber closed the door and left her alone again. She knew he was right but still. She took a deep breath and looked down at the pregnancy test again. Jo got up and put the pregnancy test in her coat pocket before she washed her hands. She decided to go find Carina before she told Alex, but she still stopped by the OR board to see that he was still in surgery.
Jo let out a breath. She didn't know if she wanted to tell Alex right away. She knew Webber wouldn't tell him. Her former teacher was nothing, if not good at keeping secrets. On one hand, she felt like she needed him right now, on the other hand, she was still a little mad at him for denying her an orgasm. Well, she was more than a little mad, so she decided to wait. She would tell Alex she was pregnant as soon as he gave her an orgasm. Which seemed fair considering his orgasm was what put this baby in her in the first place.
Jo walked over to the maternity hall and wasn't surprised to find Carina in her office. She lingered in the doorway for a second, twisting the rings on her finger before she took a deep breath and knocked on the open door.
"Karev."
Alex let out a sigh as he looked up to see the OR swing open as Bailey walked in and immediately set him with a glare.
"What?" Alex gruffed, it had been a long day, and he was sick and tired of everybody yelling at him. This Chief job was kicking his ass, and Jo was trying to hit him up every five seconds for sex, and the last thing he needed was for Bailey to come in and yell at him.
"What the hell did you do to your wife?" Bailey asked as she stood there demanding answers. "She's just turned down a Pulmonary edema and Pleural effusion surgery, and you must have something to do with it. You're Alex Karev."
"What did I do to Jo?" Alex said as he scoffed and shook his head. "More like what did she do to me and it's none of your business, so just stay out of it."
"Karev," Webber says in a gentler voice next to him, and that was definitely the last thing that Alex needed. "I'm sure that whatever the two of you are going through, your wife just needs a little support right now."
"Support? She needs support right now? What about me? You saw how she was hitting me up for sex in the hallway. She's been like that for three weeks. I can't take it anymore."
"I really don't think this is an appropriate work conversation," Qadri said, leaning forward to whisper, although everyone else ignored her.
"Oh please, Karev, like that hasn't been a good thing for you, and besides, whatever I just witnessed was clearly not a sex thing," Bailey said as she glared at him even more than he thought was possible. "Your wife ran away from a surgery with me looking entirely too distracted, so much so that she ran straight into Schmitt, who caused a whole mess when he dropped a mountain of files."
"Jo ran away from a surgery with you?"
"Yes, and I'd like to know why?"
Alex froze. Jo had never run away from surgery before. She lived for surgery almost as much as Meredith did. She was always so eager and excited and he couldn't remember a time when she ever turned down a surgery. He knew that there that this meant that there was definitely something wrong, but what? All he had to go on was his horny wife and her sudden change to panic and running away, which was Jo's signature move when she was upset. Yet, he didn't think that this was simply because he insulted her. When they talked, Jo was mad, not worried, therefore something else had to have happened, but what?
"Karev, why don't we finish the surgery, and then you can go speak with your wife, and I'm sure she'll explain everything to you," Weber's calming voice was a much needed reassurance, and Alex nodded and looked back at his instruments.
"Will you just send Meredith or someone to check on Jo and make sure she's all right," Alex said, glancing up at Bailey before resuming the surgery.
"I'll see if Grey is back, yet," Bailey said in a softer voice, and Alex nodded.
"Thank you."
Bailey gave him her signature nod before she left and Alex looked back at Julius. He took a deep breath and focused on the surgery at hand. Despite how his concern for Jo overtook his thoughts, he had to make sure that this kid was okay. Then he could worry about his wife.
Alex looked around as he searched for his wife. He rounded the corner to the 4th floor nurses station, where he spotted Meredith. If Jo was going to tell anyone about what was going on with her, it would be Meredith.
"Hey," Meredith said, looking up as he walked over to her. "Okay, so before you ask, yes, the date went terribly, and no, I wasn't able to get away as quickly as I thought I would because of reasons. So you're just going to have to hold off, and I'll we can discuss whatever I owe you later."
"Whatever, have you talked to Jo today about anything?" Alex didn't mean to glare at her, but he was worried and grumpy, and he just wanted to know what was going on with his wife.
"Not yet, but I just had Bailey ask me to check on her too, and I saw that she texted me earlier, but I didn't get a chance to read it," Meredith asked, pulling out her phone to glance at Jo's text and Alex peeked over her shoulder as they both read it.
Jo: 'Hey Mer, do you have a second, I need to talk to you?'
"She probably just wants to talk about the INMAC machine she's trying to pitch to Bailey. She was going on and on about to yesterday," Meredith said with an eye roll and a shrug, but Alex wasn't so sure.
"She said 'Hey Mer,' Jo never says, hey, unless she's nervous. Something's up," Alex said, rubbing his chin.
"Alright, well, I'll text her back, but what do you think it is?" Meredith asked, glancing at him before she looked back down to reply to Jo.
"I don't know. She's been horny lately, like really horny. She keeps trying to hit me up for sex, and last night she was trying to turn me on, but I was worried about work, so we started talking, and she said she wanted an INMAC machine while her hands were all over me, so I got out of bed and left. Later, she came up to me and yelled that she didn't have sex with me for stuff but because she wanted orgasms and then walked away mad, but then came back twenty seconds later trying to sleep with me. I just, I don't know her emotions are flip-flopping back and forth, and she's horny 24/7. I don't know if it's just because we're newlyweds or what. Oh, and then Bailey came into my OR and said that Jo was freaking out about something and that she ran away from a surgery."
"What surgery?" Meredith asked, her interest peeking as he saw her eyes light up.
"I don't know, something with a Pulmonary edema, but Bailey said she was running Mer. Jo runs when there's something wrong," Alex said as he shook his head.
"Okay, so let's run this down. Jo is nervous and panicking, but also horny and angry, You sure it's not just marriage," Meredith said with a laugh. "I mean she did marry you, Alex Karev, and you're not the easiest person to live with. Sometimes you can be quite infuriating. Besides, you know how much Derek and I were doing it when we were newlyweds."
"No," Alex said with a shake of his head as he paused. "I know Jo, and this is something more, something else is going on.
He couldn't figure it out, but he knew he should just ask Jo what was going on. He tried to keep his mind from going to worst-case scenarios like brain tumors and thyroid issues or something else. He knew Meredith was probably right, that Jo was just enjoying being a newlywed with him and angry because he suggested she trade sex for the MRI machine, but he couldn't stop worrying.
Meredith's phone dinged and she pulled it out. She raised her eyebrows as she looked over the text, and Alex instantly went to her side and read it over her shoulder.
Jo: 'Yeah, everything's fine, but could you meet me in room 4323? I'll tell you why when you get here.'
"Okay yeah, that's concerning," Meredith said, looking up, but all Alex could do was stare down at Jo's text. "Alex, what is it? What's wrong?"
"The room number."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"That's a room in the maternity clinic, not gynecology, maternity," Alex said as he looked up at her in shock. "Jo's pregnant."
Meredith instantly smiled, and as the shock wore off, Alex smiled too. "You two are going to have a baby."
"We are," Alex said with a smile matching her excitement as he reached out and hugged her. "We're having a baby!"
It was the one thing he had wanted since, forever. Alex wanted a family, a baby with Jo. It was all so exciting as it was finally right in front of him.
"Alex, wait," Meredith said, pulling back to face him as she laughed. "Not just any baby. If Jo is just realizing that she's pregnant then, you two made a honeymoon baby."
"Not just a honeymoon baby, Jo forgot to take her pill the morning of the wedding because she rushed over to your house to tell me about the fellowship at Mass Gen. Then we used a condom in the shed. So the only time it could have happened was on our wedding night before our flight when we snuck into Avery's guest bedroom. We forgot about another condom, but we were both drunk and horny that we just said screw it and forgot. We're having a wedding night baby that we made in our friend's bed," Alex said, smiling so wide that his cheek started hurting.
"You made a baby in my guest bedroom, Karev?" Jackson yelled as Meredith and Alex turned around to see him standing there glaring at them.
"Yeah, it was in that king-sized four poster bed," Alex said, trying not to chuckle.
"That bed was an heirloom from my grandfather," Jackson exclaimed. "I slept in that bed when I was a child, and you made a baby in it!"
"Damn Avery, I knew you were spoiled, but I didn't think you were that spoiled," Alex said, letting out a chuckle as he shook his head.
"In their defense, it was their wedding night," Meredith said, holding back a laugh.
"That was my childhood bed," Jackson said as he stared off into space.
Meredith and Alex burst out laughing so hard that their sides started to hurt as they leaned on each other. All Jackson could do was walk away, and Alex couldn't wait to tell the story to Jo.
"Well, come on, let's go," Meredith said, grabbing Alex's arm as she walked towards the elevators.
"Wait," Alex said, pausing at the elevator with a smirk. "You go and check on Jo and make sure she's okay, then text me. Then I'll talk to her later tonight and see if she'll spill the beans to me on her own, but make sure she doesn't get an ultrasound without me."
"Okay," Meredith said, nodding and trying to appear serious despite how a smile bloomed across her face again. "Alex Karev is going to be a dad."
"I know," Alex said, it was all he could say as the excitement was so overwhelming and all he could do was smile. "Besides, I gotta figure out a way to make it up to Jo for ignoring her earlier."
"Well, I'm sure giving her an orgasm would go a long way since it's clearly what she wants," Meredith said with a smirk as she stepped on the elevator.
"Yeah," Alex said, shaking his head again. "I guess I do owe her that."
Jo took a deep breath. She was sitting on the exam table in nothing but a gown with a cloth over her lap. Carina had been patient with her and as they waited for Meredith. The second Jo sat on the table in the gown with a cloth over her lap, she froze, and then she threw up.
Her morning sickness chose that moment to appear, much to her horror. Carina had been so sweet with her about it, holding the bowl under her chin until it passed. She insisted that it wasn't the first time a pregnant mom had vomited in her exam room and it wouldn't be the last, but Jo still felt uneasy.
"Josephine, do you want to lay back?" Carina said with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You are looking a little pale. Why don't we get you some juice and a cold towel? That will feel good, no?"
"No, I need to sit up. I can't lay back yet," Jo said with a quick shake of her head.
"Okay, then let's take a few deep breaths, in and out," Carina said, modeling the deep breaths for her as Jo tried to focus and breathe and not remember.
The last time that she was sitting on an exam table like this while pregnant was when she was getting her abortion. She had had gynecologist appointments since then, but it was different today because she was pregnant. There was a baby inside her. A baby that she could keep. A baby that she wanted to keep.
"Hey," Meredith said, coming into the room and taking one look at Jo before her smile fell. "What's wrong? What's going on?"
"We've just had a little bit of nerves and a bit of morning sickness," Carina said as she rubbed her hand up and down Jo's arm.
"It's not just that," Jo said with the shake of her head.
She looked over at Meredith and reached out her hand for her, who came over, put one arm around her shoulders, and took her hand. Jo took a deep breath and finally started to relax as she leaned against her.
"It's just that I've been pregnant before, and I just, I just got a little nervous, that's all."
Jo saw Meredith and Carina exchanged a look as she took a deep breath. She hadn't told anybody about this, not even Alex. When Jo was in this situation last time, there wasn't anybody she could tell. At the time, she didn't have any friends. She pushed away Link, the boy who had been like her brother, and the rest of their friends were Paul's friends. They would have told him in an instant. Jo didn't tell anyone to keep herself safe, but now she had friends. She had people she considered family and she felt safe.
"Before I left Paul, my abusive ex-husband, I found out that I was pregnant," Jo said, looking up at Meredith, who just gave her a nod as she squeezed Jo's shoulders. "He didn't know, he never knew, I couldn't let him find out. So I had an abortion. I don't regret doing it. It's just that, it was a hard time in my life, and I had a flashback, and I just needed a moment."
"You take all the time you need, Jo. When you're ready, we'll move forward with the exam. If it gets to be too much at any point, you just say so and we will stop. We will take this as slow as you need us to," Carina said with a gentle hand on her arm and a soft voice as Jo took a deep breath.
She looked over at Meredith, who hadn't said a word yet, but she squeezed her shoulders and Jo leaned into her. Meredith was there for her in a calming presence.
"I was all alone last time," Jo whispered, looking over at her.
"Well, you're not alone anymore. You have Alex, and you have me. I'm right here, Jo. I'm not going anywhere and whatever you need, just say the word, and I'll get it," Meredith said as she pulled her in for a hug and Jo relaxed in her arms.
"You have me as well," Carina said, giving her hand a squeeze as Jo nodded. "I am here to support you throughout this entire pregnancy."
"Should we page Alex?" Meredith asked as Jo pulled back.
"No, I'm okay," Jo said, although she wanted him there, she also wanted to keep this to herself for just a bit longer. "Besides, I want to surprise him later."
"Okay," Meredith said with a quick nod.
"Can you stay with me though?"
"Of course," Meredith instantly responded and Jo was relieved.
"Okay," she said with a nod as she laid back down on the exam table.
She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling, she was ready. This wasn't a bad thing. This was her and Alex's baby, which would have her big chubby cheeks and his crooked smile. They would be loved and cared for and she and her baby were in a safe home.
"Jo," Carina said, catching her attention again. "I'm going to need both of my hands for the examination."
"Right," Jo said as she let go of Carina's hand. Meredith reached out to grab it and held on to both of Jo's hands, giving them a tight squeeze.
"Alright, let's get started," Carina said as she continued to detail exactly what she was doing before she did it.
Jo took another deep breath as she looked over at Meredith, who held her hand and gave it another squeeze. Meredith was right, she wasn't alone in this. She had a family with Meredith and Alex, and if she thought about it, she knew everyone in the hospital would help her throughout this pregnancy if she needed it. She had more friends and family than she had ever realized, and her and her baby would be loved and taken care of.
Jo wandered around the halls of the general surgery recovery ward. She knew Alex was here with a patient and she wanted to be near him, but she didn't actively seek him out just yet. She was still absorbing the news of her pregnancy and the emotional exam and the walk had helped clear her head. Now she just waited for Alex to find her, knowing that he would.
"I'm sorry," Alex startled her out of her thoughts as he came up behind her and walked next to her.
"For calling me a hooker?" Jo asked, she was still a little mad about this and his soft voice in her ear made her frustratingly horny about it again.
"I never called you a…" Alex insisted, but Jo cut him off.
"You suggested I'd trade sex for a multimillion-dollar MRI machine, which makes me a pretty high-class hooker, actually."
"Look, just let me try and make it up to you," Alex pleaded with her.
Jo could instantly tell that something was up. Alex never gave up that easily when they fought. They once spent a week arguing about whether the bread should go on the counter or in the fridge. No way he would give up that easily, but regardless she was going to take advantage of him just a little bit. She was pregnant with his kid, after all.
"Oh, you're going to make it up to me, starting with sex, and I want that INUMAC because I'm making you a…" Jo trailed off when she heard a familiar voice and turned around. She couldn't believe who she saw standing at the nurse's station in dark blue scrubs talking to one of the nurses. "Is that?"
"Yeah, that's Link. He's the new…"
"Atticus Lincoln!" Jo called out to him, completely forgetting about Alex, their baby, and her MRI machine as she saw her best friend.
"Brooke!"
"Link!"
"What!" Link said as he held out his arms to her.
Jo screamed as she ran over to him. She threw her arms around his shoulders as Link wrapped his arms around her. It was his signature bear hug that she loved so much as he picked her up and twirled her around.
"Oh, my gosh! You work here?" Lincoln exclaimed, finally setting her down, but Jo could barely hear what he said as stars appeared in her vision and all of her excitement faded in an instant as she stumbled on her feet.
"Jo," Alex shouted as he was instantly at her side and she leaned into him despite how Link was still holding on to her waist.
"Brooke, what's wrong?" Lincoln called out to her, but Jo leaned forward and put her head in between her legs before she either passed out or threw up, although at this point, she was pretty sure she was going to do both.
"Deep breaths Jo, just take it easy. I got you," Alex said as he rubbed her back. "Can you grab her a chair?"
"Yeah, of course," Link said, letting go of her and running off.
Jo closed her eyes and leaned into Alex before he and Link gently moved her into a chair. She sat down with her head still in between her thighs as she tried to take a few deep breaths and wait for the dizziness to pass. Once she finally felt like she could sit up, she leaned over to Alex and reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulder and bury herself in him. His little words of 'I got you' rang in her ear. It was such a simple thing to say, but for some reason it stuck with her because Alex would always be there for her and their baby. His arms were her safe refuge. She could lean into him and he would catch her before she fell.
"Hey Brooke, you want some water?" Link's voice gently reached her ears.
"It's Jo now," Alex gruffed as Jo turned out from Alex's shoulder to glance at him.
"Thanks," Jo said, smiling at him as she took the water bottle from him.
Jo looked over at Link, who was now a man, yet he looked exactly like the boy who had been her brother for years when they were in college. Link had been one of her only friends, and he was the first person in her life who had been a best friend to her. With his light-hearted and optimistic personality, Link had been a light to Jo's darkness. Somehow, they just clicked. They were both in the same major at Princeton, pre-med, although he was a few years ahead of her. They studied together and worked together. They were their own little family. She even spent Christmas with him and his parents once. They had breakfast with his mom in New York and then dinner with his dad in California, and Link joked how they had liked Jo better than him.
"So, Jo, you changed your name?" Lincoln said with a chuckle as Jo smiled at him.
"Yeah, it's Jo Karev now," Jo said, giving him a smile before she affectionately looked back at Alex.
"Karev, are you two married?" Link asked, raising his eyebrow as he looked between the two of them.
"Link, this is my husband, Alex. Alex, this is my best friend Link. We went to school together and worked together when we were undergrads."
"Yeah, we've met," Alex said, and Jo could tell that he was a bit weary of him.
"Well, looks like we have a lot of catching up to do," Link said with a smile, putting a hand on her knee and giving it a squeeze as Jo smiled.
"We should catch up as I'm sure your life is just as different too, but tomorrow yeah?"
She wanted to connect with him again, but it had been a full day and all she just wanted was to curl up in Alex's arms.
"How about coffee tomorrow? I can pick you up, or we can meet up somewhere?"
"That sounds good. There's a great place just around the corner. I'll meet you there tomorrow," Jo said before she pulled out her phone and they exchanged numbers.
Link immediately texted her a little hello and a smiley face that made her laugh before he left. Alex still eyed Link wearily and Jo noted the way his lips turned down in a frown.
"Can we go home?" Jo asked, looking up at him, still tired from her dizzy spell.
"Of course," Alex said, his eyes instantly softening as he looked over at her.
He helped her stand up and put his arm around her waist as she leaned into him. They got their things from the lounge and quickly went home.
Jo leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked into the loft. Since her fainting spell at the hospital, Alex tried to be extra gentle with her and let her take it easy. He had taken her bag and kept one arm around her waist as they walked. For once in her life, she let herself rely on him as she leaned into his shoulder as he led her over to the couch. Jo sat down and propped up her feet on the coffee table as she leaned against the pillows. Alex just stared down at her with the same look of concern that he had had all night.
"I'm feeling much better, I promise," Jo said, tilting her head as she gazed up at him.
"I know," Alex said, as he moved to sit down next to her.
He put his arms around her waist as he leaned in for a kiss. Jo smiled against his lips enjoying his body against hers, as Alex's fingers drifted over her waist and his fingers danced over the button of her jeans. Jo pulled back, and she didn't have to say anything as Alex could tell from the look on her face that she was too tired to take it any further and nodded.
"Are you hungry at all?" Alex said, getting up and going over to the kitchen. "There's not much here, but we could order your favorite pizza or Chinese?"
"I'm not really hungry for anything like that," Jo said, looking around the Loft.
"Okay, then what are you hungry for," Alex said with a shrug as he leaned against the countertop and looked over at her.
Jo seemed to think about it for a moment before she looked over to the shelving of food that they kept above the sink. "I want cereal."
"Cereal, that's all you want?" Alex asked as he followed her eyes over to the boxes of cereals.
"Yep, I want honey nut cheerios and milk?" Jo clarified as she got up and went over to the kitchen.
"Jo, you don't have to eat cereal. I can actually cook, you know, or we can order something. We can have whatever you're craving, really?" Alex insisted as he watched her grab the cereal box from the shelf.
"No, you moron, I just want cereal," Jo said, setting him with a glare as she grabbed the bowl and cutlery from the drawer.
Alex shook his head and decided not to argue with his pregnant wife, lest he get on the wrong side of her mood swings. Jo continued to make her bowl of cereal and Alex just grabbed the leftover spaghetti from the fridge. She took the cereal with her when she went over to the couch, putting both things on the coffee table. She grabbed the remote and turned on the new episode of the Bachelor that she had recorded last night. Alex bit his lip holding back a comment on her choice of shows for the night.
He walked over to the couch with his spaghetti and wasn't surprised to see that Jo had grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and curled up. He sat his food down and picked up her feet and put them on his lap as he sat down. After he finished his food, and moved to lay behind her and put his arm around her waist as she scooted back to press against him. Her fainting spell from earlier seemed to have taken it out of her, and he wasn't surprised that after a bowl of cereal and halfway through a rather boring episode of the Bachelor, Jo's eyes became heavy, and she drifted off.
As soon as he noticed that Jo was asleep, Alex took a moment to look over his wife. Jo looked so peaceful while she slept. Her lips parted, and there was even a little bit of drool trailing down her cheek, but he still thought she was absolutely beautiful. Jo was usually a heavy sleeper, but he carefully moved back the blanket at her waist and pulled up her t-shirt. Although he knew that she wasn't very far along, he couldn't help but be disappointed when he saw her flat stomach. Alex ghosted his fingers over her stomach and down to her lower abdomen, where he held his hand against her belly. Just the knowledge that their baby was there inside of her was amazing. He gently shifted and moved his hand back to place a kiss on her belly.
Despite his excitement, Alex was also worried about becoming a dad. He worried that he and Jo would die and leave their kids orphaned. The life they had in the foster care system was one he never wanted for his kid. Realistically he knew that would never happen. Meredith would never let that happen, if anything ever happened to them, she would take their kid in a heartbeat. If anything, Meredith might have to fight Arizona and Bailey to get custody of their kid. They both had people looking out for them and their child.
His greatest fear though, was his anger. His father was the worst dad in the world, and while his mom had stable days, they were few and far between. Alex knew he had anger issues, and he remembered the way his dad used to yell at him and scream at his mom. He was so terrified that he would do that to his kid. That one day, he would just get so mad and he would lose it in front of them, and he didn't know how to live with that fear.
It was times like this when he missed Arizona. She would always say the right thing and reassure him, so he decided to pull out his phone and call her. He pulled back from his place behind Jo as she rolled over on her back and let out a sigh. Despite the time difference and the fact that it was late in New York, Arizona picked up right away like she always did for him.
"Hey you, what's up?" Arizona's cheerful voice instantly put a smile on his face. "Are you in trouble because usually you only call me when you're in trouble?"
"I'm not in trouble. Can't I just call you because I miss you," Alex said with a smirk.
"Aw, that's sweet," Arizona said, her voice full of sugar before she dropped the act. "But let's be real here. What did you do this time, Karev?"
Alex sighed and shook his head. "I didn't do anything, I mean, I sort of did, but."
"Just spit it out, Alex!" Arizona said, cutting off his nervous rambling.
Alex sighed as he looked over at Jo to see that she was still sleeping soundly on the couch, her belly still exposed from where he had pulled back the blankets. "Jo is pregnant. We're having a baby."
Arizona gasped and he could tell that she was hiding a squeal of excitement. Alex got up and moved over to the kitchen, knowing that Arizona's voice would definitely wake Jo up.
"Oh my goodness," Arizona said, her voice full of excitement. "That's so great, Alex. You're going to be a dad."
"I know," Alex said, letting himself smile despite his nerves seeping into his voice.
"Oh, I can't wait to see how dirty and cute your kid is going to be! Oh, you have to let me fly out for your guys' exams. Not that anything is going to be wrong with your baby, I'm just saying, I'm sure you two want the best. I mean, of course, Carina is great, but you know she's not a world-renowned fetal-maternal health specialist. Oh and I'll also come out as soon as they're born. I mean, I'm sure you guys will want time to yourself, but I just can't wait to get my hands on your baby, and with Jo's looks, they're going to be absolutely adorable. I mean, you're handsome, too, of course. Are you guys playing to move or do you think you'll renovate the Loft a little bit? Have you guys picked out names or anything else? I'll send you the website for this really cute baby stuff, and of course, you have to get that one car seat that turns into a stroller. All the moms have it here in New York and it's pretty cool. Oh, this is so great, you guys must be so excited!"
"Umm, yeah," Alex said as he absorbed all of the things that Arizona said.
He looked around the loft and realized that there was no way they could have a baby here. The Loft was set up for a pair of adults, not an infant or toddler. There were so many safety hazards and there was no way to block off the kitchen. All of the outlets were exposed and regardless, there was barely enough space for a full nursery.
"Alex, Alex, are you still there?" Arizona asked as he forgot that she was still on the other end of the line.
"What am I going to do, Robbins?" Alex said, letting out a breath as he moved to sit down on the bed and rubbed his pant leg. "The Loft isn't set up for a baby. We're nowhere near ready for this. We weren't even trying. It just happened and now we have less than seven months to completely babyproof the Loft. And what about our careers, Jo's still in the middle of a fellowship and I know how important that is to her. She would hate to have to take a step back from her career now. And what about me? You know how I am and how angry I can get. I mean, I would never ever lay a hand on them, but what if I scare our kid with my anger?"
"Okay, Alex, take a deep breath, just breathe and pause for a second," Arizona said, and Alex tried to do as she asked and take a deep breath to stop the panic spiral he was on. "First of all, of course, your kid is going to make you angry at some point. Kids push boundaries and break rules, it's what they do, but you can handle it in a healthy manner."
"I don't know if I can," Alex said as he sighed as he ran his hand over his face.
"When was the last time you got really angry at someone?"
"I guess the last time was with DeLuca?"
"And how many years ago was that?"
"Umm, like a year and a half ago."
"And since then, have you felt angry?"
"Yeah."
"Angry enough to hit anybody?"
"Yeah."
"But did you?" Arizona asked intently. "Did you hit anybody, or did you control your anger and your fists."
"I controlled my anger," Alex said, letting it sink in as he let out a breath.
"Well, there you go. I've watched you grow up so much, Alex, so listen to me now when I say that you are going to be an amazing father. And I know that because I taught you and I've seen how the babies and kids like you. Even teenagers like you and teenagers don't like anybody, but they like you because you are easy going and you are supportive. You listen to them, and you care about them so much. You are going to be all of these things for your child and more. Look, I can't promise you that nothing bad is going to happen, but I can promise you that I will be there for you and your child. If you need help, say the word, and I will be on a plane back to Seattle to help you out for a while."
"You'd really do that? You'd drop everything for me?" Alex asked, a little surprised, he thought that when Arizona left, he was on his own for good.
"Of course," Arizona said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But trust me, you don't need me, you know what to do, and you're gonna be great."
Alex took a deep breath in and let it out as he knew that Arizona was right. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," Arizona said before her voice turned back to excitement. "Now, have you guys had an ultrasound yet? Because I want to see this little baby of yours!"
"We haven't had an ultrasound yet, but as soon as we do, I'll be sure to send you a picture," Alex said with a smile as he couldn't wait to show off their baby to everyone. "But you can't tell anybody else, not even Callie and certainly not April, because Jo hasn't even technically told me yet?"
"What do you mean she hasn't told you yet?" Arizona asked in disbelief. "How do you know then?"
"Jo told Meredith about her appointment with Carina and Mer let me read the text," Alex said with a smile. Although he was shocked in the moment, he was so happy now.
"Okay, so she's had her first appointment, and everything seems to be going well, yeah?"
"Yeah, Meredith said that her HCG levels were normal and she and the baby look healthy."
"Good, that's good," Arizona said before she laughed. "Alex Karev is going to be a dad. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Alex said, letting the excitement feel his voice as he smiled.
"Alex?" Jo's sleepy voice caught his attention as he looked up to see her sitting up at the couch and looking around until her eyes met his.
"I should go. Thanks for talking to me, though," Alex said as he got up and went back over to Jo.
"As if I could ignore your calls for help," Arizona said with a chuckle before they said goodbye and he hung up.
"Why did you turn off the Bachelor?" Jo said with a yawn.
"You fell asleep, so I just paused it," Alex said, picking up the remote and handed it back to her.
Jo only shrugged as she took the remote from him and turned on the show again. Alex grabbed their dishes and put them in the sink. When he came back, Jo glanced up at him with a hesitant look.
"Hey, I know it's late, but do you think you could go out and get something for me?"
"Yeah, sure, what do you want?" Alex asked as he paused in front of the couch while Jo bit her lip.
"I know it's going to sound crazy, but just please go with it," Jo said, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.
Alex couldn't help but smile. He could never resist her puppy dog eyes and how adorable she always looked, and now that she was pregnant with his child, He would go to the moon and back for anything she wanted. "Okay, what is it?"
"Do you think you could go out to Dick's and get me a burger and then maybe some fries, but also could you get some hot sauce and some salmon?" Jo asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes as she twirled her rings on her finger. "Oh, and some nacho cheese too!"
Alex just nodded as he processed the weird request. He knew that Jo was bound to have some crazy pregnancy cravings, but he didn't think it would be this strange. "It's like 10 p.m., so I'm not sure where I'm going to find salmon, but I think I can get you a burger and fries as well as the hot sauce and nacho cheese."
Jo looked down with a frown and sniffed as she held back tears and just nodded. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was faking the tears. However, he had long since learned to tell when her tears were real. She turned away from him and brushed the tears off her cheeks, and he knew he had to at least try and find salmon somewhere. It was Seattle after all, there had to be salmon somewhere.
"I'll try my best to get you some salmon," Alex said as he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
"Thank you," Jo said as she turned back to him with a smile and laid back down on the couch.
Alex grabbed his phone and his keys and quickly Googled salmon restaurants that did take out at 10 p.m.. After driving halfway across the city and spending more money than he usually would for a plate of salmon with rice and vegetables, Alex returned to the Loft. Along with Dick's burgers and fries for both of them and the sauce and nacho cheese from the fast-food taco place that she loved.
Jo was surprisingly still awake and let out an excited squeal when he presented the food to her, including the salmon. She quickly added the salmon, hot sauce, and all of the nacho cheese to the burger as he looked away in disgust. He finished up their fries as they settled back onto the couch, this time watching a movie.
As soon as she finished her disgusting pregnancy craving burger, Jo seemed to have gotten her energy back. She quickly swung her legs over Alex's lap and moved her hips back and forth, making her intentions very clear as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jo was the epitome of desire. Her pupils were blown, and she looked straight at his lips. She tipped her chin up at him with clear expectation.
"I see you got your energy back," Alex said as he snaked his hands under her shirt to touch her skin.
"What about you, you up for it?" Jo said as she licked her lips.
Alex held back a sigh. It had been a long day and he had just spent the evening running around town, but he knew he owed her. Moreover, now that she was pregnant, he wanted to step up and be able to take care of her in every way she asked.
He wasn't sure if he could get it up for her, but he knew there were other things he could do. Alex gently picked her up and turned around before setting her back on the couch as he fell to his knees in front of her.
"I think we can work something out that would be favorable for you," Alex said as he stripped off her jeans and kissed his way up her thighs as Jo spread her legs for him.
Soon enough, the Loft was filled with the sound of Jo's moaning as he gave her several orgasms. A generous repayment for having turned her down earlier.
Jo walked into Alex's office and closed the door behind her. It had been a week since she found out she was pregnant, and although she thought she would tell Alex after he gave her an orgasm, and boy did he deliver to her on that, she wanted to see how long he would hold out. She had figured out that he knew she was pregnant and waited to see if he would bring it up on his own. So far, he hadn't, but every night when he thought she was asleep, he would place his hand on her belly and whisper to their baby.
She loved those tender moments he had with their child, but her conversation with Bailey had startled something inside her. She looked at her mentor, who was overwhelmed with the stress from her marriage and her job put on her. Jo didn't want that to happen to her and Alex, especially with a baby on the way.
"You're coming home," Jo announced as Alex looked over the binder of paperwork on the table.
"I was in an O.R. all day. I'm behind," Alex said, not even bothering to look at her as he picked up the binder and walked over to his desk.
"So, be behind. We're newlyweds. We should be doing newlywed things," Jo said, following him as she set down her bag and sat on the edge of his desk.
"Mm. Like what?" Alex said, dropping the folder onto the other pile of paperwork he had in front of him.
"Um, if you can't think of anything," Jo said, grabbing his tie as he finally looked over at her before tossing it over his shoulder. "Then I want an annulment."
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Alex said with a chuckle, finally giving in to her in a way he usually didn't.
"I heard you worked with Link today," Jo asked, testing out the waters.
"Yep, he seems like a pretty good guy," Alex admitted looking over something on his computer and Jo smiled.
She could see that Alex hadn't liked Link when they first met, but she was relieved that he was accepting of Link and had admitted to even liking him. It meant the world to her that her husband and her best friend got along. Jo pushed Alex's laptop down as she needed to be in Alex's arms.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked as Jo just turned his chair towards her with her foot and bit her lips before she climbed into his lap.
Alex's arms instantly went around her waist as Jo sat sideways and tilted her head to kiss him. Before she could let her hormones get the best of her, Jo pulled back despite how Alex's lips chased her. She let herself lean in for one last kiss before she put a hand on his chest and pushed away.
"Oh, so now you don't want me?" Alex teased her as he trailed his hands up her side.
"It's not that," Jo said with a laugh before she leaned in to kiss him again, unable to resist. "I will always want you, but we both have crazy jobs. Me with this fellowship and you being interim Chief. We need to make time for each other and for someone else who will be joining our family in a few short months."
Alex's lips parted as he just stared at her and Jo smiled as she reached down to her bag. She was also waiting to tell him because his present hadn't arrived until this afternoon. Jo had picked it up at the hospital's front desk before she found Alex, and now it was safely tucked inside her bag. Meredith had helped her pick it out and encouraged her to do something cute. She pulled out the mug from the box and held it up for him to see. Alex took it with one hand as he took in her surprise, the other still holding her around her waist as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"A plain white mug, that's nice Jo, thanks," Alex said, and she could tell he was disappointed.
"Look inside," Jo said with a laugh.
Alex shook his head but did as he was told. He read the words on the bottom of the mug, announcing her pregnancy to him, and his eyes grew wide as his lips slightly parted again.
"You're pregnant?" Alex asked, doing a terrible job at trying to seem surprised.
"Yes, I'm pregnant, and you can cut the crap, I know, you know," Jo said, swatting his chest. "What I don't know is how you figured it out."
Alex laughed and put the mug down on his desk before he put one hand on her belly, and she put her hand over his. It felt right to have their hands over their baby, even though Jo couldn't feel the baby move and she wasn't showing. Yet, there was a baby inside of her and that felt very real.
"It wasn't exactly that hard to figure out, especially with you hitting me up for sex all the time."
"I don't do it all the time."
"Okay, so you weren't trying to get in my pants just now?" Alex said, raising one eyebrow at her.
"No, I just like your tie and sitting in your lap," Jo said, biting her lip and wiggling a little bit and as Alex groaned.
"Okay, come on, Dr. Karev," Alex said, lifting her up as Jo squeaked in surprise before he set her on her feet. "Let's go home, and I'll fulfill all of your desires, but before then, let's go see if we can find an ultrasound machine. I want to see our baby."
Jo smiled and as she let Alex pull her out of his office. She put her arm around his waist as he did the same, and they walked arm-in-arm through the halls of the hospital in search of the nearest ultrasound machine. They headed over to the maternity ward and found Carina, who was just as excited to do an ultrasound for them as they were.
Before she knew it, Jo was lying back on the table in the ultrasound room with her feet in the stirrups and a sheet over her knees. Alex was right beside her, his arm around her shoulders as he sat next to her and leaned down next to her. It must have been an awkward position, but he didn't seem to mind. Jo squeezed Alex's hand as they exchanged a smile of excitement.
"Okay, so just like with your exam, we're going to take things slow. Now I'm going to insert the ultrasound wand and you'll feel a bit of pressure. If it gets to be too much, let me know, and we will pause or stop," Carina said, waiting for Jo to nod before she continued.
Jo looked over at Alex and squeezed his hand as he leaned down to rest his head next to hers, so they were cheek to cheek. Jo was more relaxed this time around, and her nervousness was more excitement than anything else. She took a deep breath as Carina inserted the wand. She felt pressure by her cervix as Carina moved the wand around before she stopped and turned the monitor for both of them to see.
"Now, I know it does not seem like much but, the little gray spot there in the middle of the black, that's your baby."
Jo looked over at Alex to see that he had tears in his eyes and a wide smile on his lips as he stared at the screen. His smile was so big and bright and beautiful and absolutely full of love. Jo easily shared his smile and his excitement. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he caught her eye. Jo had seen that expression across his face a million times, but she never tired of seeing it, especially when he looked at her that way, and now he looked at their baby with that love too. Alex leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before Jo turned to give him a proper kiss.
"That's our baby," Jo said as she turned back to look at the screen to where Carina had gone ahead and taken a few pictures as well as some measurements.
"It is," Alex said, his voice filled with the same awe that she had as he pressed cheek to cheek with her as they both stared up at the monitor.
"I take it you two will want lots of pictures, no," Carina said with a smile as she glanced down at them before looking back at the monitor.
"Yeah, I promised Meredith a picture, and my mom will want one, and Amber too, and everybody else."
"You want to tell people now?" Jo said, as they talked, both of them kept their eyes glued to the screen at the magical little gray dot that was their baby.
"Well, maybe, but there are a few people that already know."
"I guess, and I do want to tell Link as well."
"Yeah, maybe he can convince you to take it easy once in a while, and we should tell Bailey so she can keep an eye on you."
"Okay, but then let's keep it small, and we can tell your family and everyone else when I'm further along, like maybe once I'm in the second trimester or something?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Alex said, glancing over at her before they both stared back up at the monitor again.
"Alright, I've gotten everything I need," Carina said, pulling the wand out and starting to clean up. "Your measuring at 6 weeks and 3 days, which is in line with our timeline, of the last day of your period being June 2nd."
"We made a baby in a shed," Jo whispered to Alex with a laugh when Carina turned away from them.
"No, we made a baby in Avery's childhood bed," Alex said, his nose wrinkling as he chuckled.
"That was his childhood bed? That thing was way too fancy for a child," Jo said, still trying to whisper to him despite the shock in her voice as she sat up.
"Yeah, we are not going to spoil our child like that," Alex said with a shake of his head.
"Let's be real, our kid is going to be a little spoiled," Jo said with a laugh that Alex shared.
Carina gave Jo some tissue so she could wipe herself off and left the room so she could get dressed. Once she was dressed, Carina came back with the photographs, and they tucked them into Jo's bag before the two of them headed home. Once they were in the elevator, Jo pulled out the little photograph again and just stared at it and smiled. Alex wrapped his arms around her and pressed up against her, resting his head on her shoulder. They both gazed down at a little photo and Jo traced her finger over the little dark gray circle of their baby.
"They are so tiny," Jo whispered despite how they were alone in the elevator.
"They won't be for very long," Alex whispered as well, his voice soft in her ear. "Especially with your pizza cravings."
"I think we could both do well to lay off the pizza," Jo said, turning around for a second to pat his stomach. They had both gained weight over the course of their relationship after all bodies changed. It was inevitable, especially with their diet of takeout food.
"You say that now, but somewhere around 9 p.m., you're going to be asking me to go grab one of your crazy cravings," Alex said, leaning in to peck her lips. "But I promise to always get you what you want."
"Oh really," Jo asked, turning her head to look at him. "So you'll get me that INMAC machine?"
"Jo, we've been over this. I'm not getting you a billion-dollar MRI; besides, it's not in the budget," Alex said with a sigh.
"Come on, Alex, I'm giving you a child. It's the least you can do for me!" Jo insisted, pulling away from his arms and turning around to look at him. "Besides, you're the one who put me in this situation, to begin with!"
"Oh, I put you in this situation," Alex said with a laugh as he raised his eyebrows at her. "Because I remember you enthusiastically consenting."
"And I remember you forgetting to bring a condom," Jo said, as she raised one eyebrow at him.
"You're the one who told me it didn't matter and to just take off my pants," Alex said as he smirked back.
"Are you really going to argue with your pregnant wife right now, Alex Karev?" Jo said, setting him with a glare as she crossed her arms. "Because I'm the one with morning sickness, fatigue, and the baby that you put inside of me!"
Alex bit back a laugh as he reached out to grab a hold of her waist and pulled her back in before planting a kiss on her lips that had Jo melting on the spot. "Are you going to pull that card every time we argue from now on?"
"Depends on how right I am?" Jo said with a smirk before she tilted her head and kissed him again.
"Okay, I guess Mommy's always right," Alex said, as Jo smiled.
"I'm gonna be a mom. It still doesn't seem real yet," Jo said, leaning her head against his.
"Just wait until you're showing, or when they kick inside of you, it'll feel real then," Alex said, tilting his head to kiss her cheek as he put his hands over her belly again.
"Everything's going to change now," Jo said, putting her hand over Alex's and giving it a squeeze.
"It's going to be a good kind of change," Alex assured her.
"You and me and this baby, we're gonna be a family, and you're going to be great, and I'm going to be great, just like we promised," Jo whispered, looking back at the photo that was still in her hands.
"You're already great," Alex said, as he easily smiled at her. "Don't think I haven't noticed your prenatal vitamins in the bathroom or the baby books you hid in your nightstand. I also saw your little floor plan doodle for a layout for the nursery and I really like the zoo theme you have planned."
"We're gonna have to move the weights and stuff," Jo said as she pursed her lips, but then she smiled.
"I know," Alex said as he smiled too, it would be a happy change. "And then there's the little yellow lion stuffed animal blanket that you keep looking at online, but haven't added to the cart yet. Which you don't need to buy because I already bought it, it should be delivered to the Loft tomorrow."
Jo's lips parted as she gazed into his eyes as he just smiled at her. She didn't know why she was surprised at what he had done. Yet, it was so like him to see something that she was keeping an eye on and go ahead and buy it for her, but this wasn't just for her this was for their child. It was the first thing that either of them had bought for the baby. It brought tears to her eyes that she blamed on her hormones. Jo reached out and wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, burying her face in his shoulder as he, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.
"We're gonna be parents," Alex whispered to her, his voice full of so much excitement that she couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, we're gonna be parents."
Eight months later, Jo laid back in the hospital bed as Alex pressed a cold washcloth across her forehead. Jo closed her eyes, trying to relax as Alex whispered encouraging words in her ear. Despite her epidural, she had been laboring for several hours and she was exhausted. Their daughter was just as stubborn as they were and was taking her sweet time as she made her way into the world.
She put her hands on her huge belly. Ever since she hit the third trimester, she just ballooned out, and from the scans, they estimated that the baby would be at least 9 lb. Jo couldn't believe that she ever thought that her baby was little, the baby was certainly not little right now.
"Good news," Carina said, pulling her hand back from where she was checking Jo's cervix. "You are now dilated to eight centimeters which means you are getting close, but given your progression, I would say we still have a few hours to go."
"Only eight centimeters!" Jo nearly cried as she closed her eyes again. "Isn't there any way we can speed this up?"
"Well, there are several things we can try including manual stimulation," Carina said, stripping off her gloves.
"Stimulation?" Alex asked with a frown.
"Yes, nipple or clitoral stimulation with orgasm, of course, can provide pain relief and speed up your labor," Carina said, holding up her fingers and moving them in a circular motion to demonstrate for them.
"Yes," Jo said, sitting up and looking expectedly over at Alex.
"But, you're in labor!" Alex protested, looking a little mortified.
"So, sex is why I went into labor in the first place, and you said you'd put out for me whenever I asked, and I'm asking now," Jo said, squeezing his hand and pulling him closer. "An orgasm is what put her inside of me and an orgasm is going to get her out."
"Please don't talk about orgasms and our daughter at the same time," Alex said with a grimace.
"I'll leave the two of you alone, but page me when you are finished so I can check you again," Carina said with a smile as she pulled the curtains closed and left them alone.
"Please, Alex," Jo begged him, she was exhausted and in pain, and she needed some relief.
Alex took one look at her and she knew he would give in. He sat on the bed next to her and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. She let him take the lead as he pulled back the blankets and her gown and soon enough, Alex's talented fingers were providing her a generous amount of pain relief. It worked so well that her labor progressed immensely and Jo was pushing out their baby before either of them realized what was happening. Their daughter Eden Josephine Karev was born in record time, much to the surprise of both of her parents. Jo pushed only twice, and Alex had to catch her, as they were the only ones in the room.
Jo looked up at Alex wide eyed and slack jawed as he placed their daughter on her bare chest. Jo held her daughter and quickly recovered from the shock of her sudden appearance as she cradled her daughter. The pink, crying newborn had quite the set of lungs and a big dark head of hair as she waved her limbs around.
"Hey, baby girl," Alex said, as he cradled Eden's head.
"She's here," Jo said, still in disbelief as she ran her fingers down Eden's arm and held her hand.
"Yeah," Alex said with a bit of a laugh. "I can't believe an orgasm is what brought her into the world. I mean, I guess I can since it's the only thing your body has wanted since the moment you got pregnant."
"Your orgasm is what made her and my orgasm is what birthed her," Jo said as she looked down at Eden before her eyes widened, and she looked up at Alex. "We can never tell her any of this. She'll be mortified!"
Alex just laughed again as they both stared down at Eden, who had calmed down and stared up at them with big dark eyes. She was absolutely perfect. She was a mix of both of their features, with Alex's crooked smile and her chubby cheeks. She definitely had the Karev head and Jo was pretty sure she tore because of it, but she didn't care as she just stared down at Eden. She glanced back up at Alex as they exchanged a smile before he leaned in to kiss her.
"You did it, Jo," Alex whispered as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You had our baby."
"I did," Jo said, smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt as they both looked back down at Eden. They were both so in love with her already.
Their little family time was short-lived as Carina came back, and having discovered that Jo had given birth quickly brought in several nurses to help her complete the birthing process, and Alex took Edith so she could be checked over. But a few hours later, the three of them were alone, and Jo and Alex both got to know their new daughter.
Jo smiled from her place lying on the couch as she watched Alex and their daughter, Eden, play. Their newborn daughter was barely a week old, and although she didn't do much, Alex and Jo were absolutely enchanted with her. She was lying on Alex's lap as he waved around the little lion plushie blanket and sang a song from The Lion King to her. Eden watched her father intently and despite her exhaustion, Jo watched them too.
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king, roar," Alex sang, bearing his teeth like a lion and making claws with his hands as he pretended to roar like a lion.
Jo could see Eden's eyes go wide as she stared up at Alex. She took it all in and processed it for a few seconds before her lips turned down into a pout, that was so much like her father's, before she burst into tears.
For some reason, Alex froze up, and although Jo couldn't help but laugh, she instantly got up and swooped down to scoop up their daughter. She cuddled Eden close to her chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Oh sweetie, did Daddy scare you?" Jo said, holding back a laugh as she pulled down Alex's shirt that she was wearing so her daughter could press her cheek against her heart as she gently swayed from side to side. "It's okay, Mommy's got you now."
Jo gently rocked her and held her close and soon enough, Eden calmed down and closed her eyes as she settled in Jo's arms. She sat back down on the couch and continued to stare down at her. Their daughter was so perfect in every way, and over the past week, the two of them had put off sleep just so they could stare at her for a little bit longer.
"I scared her," Alex said, looking up at her with wide eyes from where he still sat against the couch on the floor.
"Yeah, but not intentionally," Jo said as she smiled down at him.
"I know, but still," Alex said with a shake of his head.
"You're her dad, dads are supposed to play monsters and scare their kids just a little bit. She'll be giggling at your funny faces soon enough. I can already see it in her eyes how she enjoys it when you play with her," Jo said, tilting her head at him and moving to cradle Eden with one arm and pat the spot next to her.
Alex smiled back at her and moved over to sit next to her. He put one arm around her as they both stared down at their daughter. "You swooped in there pretty fast and I'm surprised you were able to get her settled so quickly."
"Yeah, well, I'm her mom," Jo said confidently, although she was slowly settling into the role.
It was part instinct and part of what she had learned about her daughter over the past week. Jo had noticed that she liked to be swayed back and forth and cuddled as close as possible. She also liked to listen to Jo's heartbeat when they did skin to skin.
"Yeah," Alex said, staring down at her as he reached out to take Eden's hand as her fingers instantly wrapped around his, and Jo knew she wouldn't let go anytime soon.
"We're parents," Jo said, looking over at Alex with a smile.
"We're parents," Alex said, leaning in and kissing her before he pulled back and they both stared down at their daughter, who is now fast asleep in Jo's arms.