AN: This may or may not have been inspired by my own late night run to get a pregnancy test and ice cream. However, thankfully it was negative, but I couldn't help but think about how Jo could do the same thing.
"I need a pregnancy test," Jo announced as she got up from the couch and headed over to the door.
"What," Alex asked, picking his head up and watching in complete surprise as Jo grabbed her purse and her keys.
It was a usual Saturday night at the Loft, and up until two seconds ago, they had both been lounging on the couch watching the show on Netflix. It was a warm late August night, and they had opened up the windows as much as possible to let the cold breeze in, while ignoring the sounds of the city that also floated in. They were staying up late and watching Call the Midwife. It was Jo's new favorite show since she switched to OB, and Alex reluctantly watched it, never admitting that he enjoyed it too. Alex had been half asleep on the couch, waiting for Jo to fall asleep as well so he could pick her up and carry her to bed. Instead, Jo's mind had been consumed with the possibility that she could be pregnant.
"I need a pregnancy test," Jo said again as she slipped on her shoes.
"Jo," Alex said gently as he got up from the couch.
"We could go to the store up the street to get one and be back in five minutes," Jo said as she stood there, fully ready and waiting for him in the entryway to the Loft.
"Jo, it's too early. Your period isn't due for another week. You've got no symptoms and we just started trying this month," Alex said as he gently walked over to her, reaching out, and putting his arms around her waist, trying to gently pull her back to the couch, but Jo stood firm.
"I know it's early, but I just," Jo trailed off, and he could hear the anxiety in her voice as she played with her fingers. "Look, I can get a pack of first response tests, and I'll just take one. Then we can save the rest for the day before my period."
"I just don't want you to get disappointed if it's negative," Alex said, gently tilting his head to lean his forehead against hers.
"I know, but I need to do this," Jo said in a softer tone, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Jo," Alex said again, arguing with her just a little more because he couldn't bear the thought of her disappointment.
"I'll buy you a pint of ice cream?" Jo offered with a smile seeing his resolve instantly falter. "We'll go, and we'll buy a pack of pregnancy tests and a pint of ice cream. That way, regardless of the result, we'll have ice cream."
"Okay, fine," Alex said, letting out a sigh as he pulled back and went over to grab his wallet and jacket. "But if you really want to know, then we should go to the hospital and just do a blood test."
"No, I don't want to go to the hospital," Jo insisted as she crossed her arms. "I know everyone there on the OB floor, and the OB nurses are the worst gossips in the entire hospital. It's bad enough that everybody already knows that we're trying. I don't want them figuring out that we're pregnant at the same time we do."
"Okay, fair point, but do we really have to go to the grocery store? I bet Amelia or Maggie has a test that we could have." Alex said, going back over to her as he put on his sneakers.
"We are not asking our friends for a pregnancy test, Alex!" Jo said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, let's just go to the store, and if you're that embarrassed about it, you can stay in the car."
"No, it's fine," Alex said, although it wasn't nearly as much of a difficulty as he pretended it to be. "Besides, I'm not letting you do any of this alone."
Jo smiled as she grabbed the car keys from his hand, with a quick peck to his lips, and he knew how much it meant to her that he was there. Together, they walked down to the car. It was chilly despite the summer air, and they quickly climbed in. Jo put on some music and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove. He knew that she was excited and so was he. They were both so excited to have a kid that the first day they had started trying for a baby, they couldn't stop smiling, hence how everyone knew.
Yet, he had seen this little bit of anxiety that was bothering her all night. He hadn't asked her about it yet. It was always better just to let her tell him when she was ready unless it was a serious issue. However, as he watched her drumming her fingers and biting her lip, he realized just how anxious she was. Alex reached out to grab her hand and gave it a squeeze. Jo glanced over at him as she drove, giving him a smile before she looked back at the road.
Two minutes later, they were at the grocery store. They walked hand-in-hand down the aisles. Jo tugged on his hand to go straight for the pregnancy tests, but Alex pulled her back. "Let's get the ice cream first."
"But the tests are right here, and we'd have to swing back to get them," Jo said, already tugging his arm as if she could possibly pull him from his spot.
Alex just shrugged with a little bit of a smirk. "I'm only here for the ice cream."
"Seriously," Jo said in a deadpan. "What about our child?"
"Well, we don't have a child yet, but we could have ice cream now," Alex said with a shrug as Jo rolled her eyes, let go of his hand, and walked down the aisle by herself.
Alex sighed and quickly chased after her and grabbed her hand again. He tried to poke some fun at her and get her to relax, but he could see that she wasn't in the mood for his playfulness. Instead, she just anxiously walked down the aisle to the tests. The aisle had all of the baby things on the opposite side of the menstrual products and Alex tried not to stare at them. He didn't want to get his hopes up, nor did he want Jo to get any more worked up than she already was. They both just looked straight down to the end of the aisle where the pregnancy tests were on the shelf. As they stopped in front of them, Jo glanced over the shelf before she quickly picked up a box of first response tests before leading him away to the ice cream aisle.
It only took a few seconds to grab the test. Although he was glad that they didn't have to stop and stare at the tests, it was such a fleeting moment. He hoped that if they were actually pregnant, the moment they found out wouldn't pass by so quickly. He wanted a chance to settle into the feelings of possibly being a dad and appreciate the moment when it came.
After they had picked out their pints of ice cream, Alex got a double fudge brownie, and Jo got peanut butter and chocolate. They both went over to the self-serve checkout and Jo quickly paid for their ice cream and test. Before they knew it, they had purchased the pregnancy test, and we're walking back to the car. Alex looked over at Jo and he could tell that she was incredibly nervous. He was nervous too, but he tried to remain calm for her sake, gently squeezing her hand as he put his other hand on her back and led her back to the car. They drove home in silence, and as soon as they got back to the Loft, they both made a beeline for the bathroom.
Jo ripped open the packaging on the tests as Alex grabbed two spoons and ripped the packaging off the ice cream before joining her in the bathroom. He wrapped the spoons in a paper towel and put the two tubs on the floor next to the shower, where he knew they would end up sitting while they waited for the test to develop.
Jo didn't even bother reading the paper. Instead, she just ripped open the test and stared down at it. From the moment she got up from the couch, she had been so focused on her goal of getting the test, and now that it was in her hands, she had frozen.
Alex reached forward and put his hands over hers as he held the test. "You're going to be such a great mom, I'm going to do my best to be a great dad, and you and I are going to work together to make sure our baby has a great life."
He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek as she looked up at him. The frozen panic faded away and an incredible smile spread across her face. Her eyes lit up with excitement, and as much as he wanted to wait and not get his hopes up, he couldn't help but smile too.
"Okay, do you want to wait outside?" Jo asked as she turned around, but he kept his hands on her hips just over the hem out of her grey sweatpants.
"No, it's not like we haven't shared a bathroom and had sex for the past six years," Alex said as he gripped the hem of her pants and yanked them down along with her panties.
"Alex!" Jo shouted, with a giggle grabbing the hem of her pants at her knees as she shuffled forward out of his grasp.
He just smirked as he took a second to appreciate the sight of her bare ass. Jo glared at him but kicked off her pants and sat down on the toilet. She pulled the pink cap off of the stick and held it between her legs before she paused again and looked up at him.
"Alex, I have no pee," Jo said, looking up at him in a panic.
"Your bladder is the size of a grape. You always have to pee, you're just anxious," Alex said as he sat against the wall of the shower across from her. "Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax."
Jo nodded as she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth as he heard the familiar sound of piss hitting the toilet bowl. She opened her eyes, and the stream stopped as she adjusted the test before continuing to pee on it. After she finished, she put the top back on before handing it to him and cleaning herself up.
"Holy shit, it's already developing," Alex looked down at the test. Suddenly it all seemed very real, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't share her anxiety about possibly having a baby.
"What!" Jo said as she quickly dropped the toilet paper in the bowl, forgetting to flush, as she scrambled over to him.
Alex wrapped an arm around her bare waist as he pulled her to sit on his lap. They both sat there in silence and just stared at the test. Time seemed to fly by as they both stared down at the test as it continued to develop like a gray loading bar on the computer, but ten times faster. The first line developed first in a faint pink line, and then their eyes got wide as a very dark second pink line appeared.
They just stood there staring at the positive pregnancy test, unwilling to believe what was happening before their very own eyes. They looked down at the test before they looked up at each other. They shared a shocked expression before they looked down at the test again.
"Am I pregnant?" Jo asked in genuine disbelief.
"I think so," Alex whispered as she looked up and caught his eye. They were both still in shock as they just stared at each other.
"Maybe I should take the other two just to be sure," Jo said, picking up the box with the other two tests.
Alex just nodded as they opened up the two other tests. Jo once again peed on both of them, and once again, both tests were positive. As they sat there on the floor of the bathroom, Jo sitting in his lap as he held her in his arms, they stared at all three positive tests in their hands. The reality was slowly sinking in that they were going to have a baby. This moment seemed to pass by so slowly, but as the feeling settled in, Alex smiled. He was going to be a dad, and Jo was going to be a mom, they were going to have a baby just like they always dreamed about.
"I'm pregnant," Jo whispered, a smile spreading across her face.
"We're going to have a baby," Alex said, as he smiled too.
He was so happy that he couldn't help but start laughing in excitement. Jo turned around in his arms and put her hands on his cheek as she kissed him, but she could only kiss him for a moment as they both started giggling uncontrollably.
"You knocked me up on the first try," Jo said, although she was all smiles and not the least bit annoyed.
"Told you I was that good," Alex said, with a smirk that just made her laugh even harder.
Jo pulled back, letting out a full belly laugh, the sound filling the bathroom. Alex smiled as he took a second to look at her before his laughter joined her own. He couldn't wait for their child to start laughing like she did. His home was about to be filled with twice as much laughter and the thought of it made him incredibly happy. He wrapped his arms around her as their laughter died down and they kissed. Of all the happiest moments in his life, this was one of the best ones, and he knew that the birth of their baby would be another amazing moment too.
"We're having a baby," Alex whispered against her cheek with a kiss, as his hand snaked under her shirt to hold her belly where their baby was growing inside her.
Jo smiled as she leaned her forehead against his and put a hand over his on her belly. "We're having a baby."
Eventually, they both settled into their excitement as Jo put her pants back on and Alex popped off the tops to the cartons of ice cream. They both sat in the bathroom eating ice cream and staring down at the pregnancy tests in between smiles and giggles. They usually shared their ice cream, so Alex was surprised when he tried to dip his spoon into Jo's pint only to have her pull it away from his reach.
"Aren't you going to share?" Alex asked, giving her a pout as he looked over at her ice cream.
"No, I'm pregnant. I'm already eating for two, and you can get your own pint, so stop stealing from me and our baby!" Jo said, glaring back at him.
She was completely immune to his pouts at this point, whereas he was still struggling not to give in to hers every time she looked at him with those big eyes and adorable lips.
"Okay, princess or should I say princesses," Alex said with a shake of his head.
He knew that she would say that line again for the rest of her pregnancy whenever she wanted something. Yet, even if she stole all of his food, he wouldn't mind because she was carrying their baby.
"Prince or princess, we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet," Jo said, looking down at her waist and putting a hand over her stomach.
"Knowing my luck, it'll be a girl, but I'm kinda looking forward to that," Alex said, letting an easy smile form across his face as he thought about having a daughter.
"Yeah, either way, I'd be happy to," Jo said, sharing his dreamy smile as she leaned back against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her waist, and put his hand on her stomach again. They sat there in the bathroom eating their ice cream, completely giddy at the thought that they were going to have a baby and have a baby they did.
Nine month later, they were once again lounging on the couch. That night, Alex was trying to get Jo to relax. Their daughter was being annoying, as Jo put it, and hadn't given her mom a moment's rest since that morning. Tonight it seemed that Jo just couldn't get comfortable as she rolled and wiggled around. She kept adjusting her spot and was currently laying with her head in his lap as he ran his fingers through her hair. He was gently massaging her scalp in the hope that it would put her to sleep, but just like she had nine months earlier, suddenly, Jo's eyes flew open as she got up. She waddled over to the entryway to the Loft as quickly as she could at 39 weeks pregnant.
"I'm in labor," Jo said in a matter of fact tone, as she grabbed her purse and her pillow from their bed. "So we need to go to the hospital right now."
The second he heard the word labor, Alex jumped up from the couch in a panic as he raced over to her. "You're in labor right now. This is really happening right now!?"
"Yeah, hey, can you grab a bag of chips?" Jo asked as she looked through her purse and gestured over to the kitchen. "I want to snack on them while we're in the car. I don't think Carina is going to let me eat because we're still going back, and forth on whether I'll need a C-section."
Alex stood there and blinked. She was in labor, how was she this calm? "Chips, you're thinking about chips right now? We have to get the car seat, and your hospital bag, and the boppy, and, and."
Alex trailed off trying to remember all of the things they were supposed to get for the baby. He ran over to the nursery area they had set up and started grabbing things.
"Alex!" Jo yelled, causing him to turn around with an armful of diapers to see her leaning on the post in the middle of a contraction.
He immediately dropped the diapers and ran over to her and put a hand on her back. She grabbed his hand and squeezed with all her might. He tried not to make a noise as she gripped his hand and squeezed the life out of his fingers. Alex counted the seconds as the contraction continued before Jo finally relaxed and let go of his fingers, but she still held his hand. She kept her eyes closed and leaned into him as she let out a breath.
"Are you sure we need to go to the hospital?" Alex said, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "If this is your first contraction, then maybe we should wait."
"This isn't my first contraction," Jo admitted, looking up at him with a guilty look.
"What? How long have you been in labor?" Alex asked, his eyes growing wider as he stared at her.
"Well, I don't know. I started noticing that my Braxton Hicks contractions were getting a bit strong this morning. Then I figured I might be in labor around dinner time, but I knew it would be a while before we had to go into the hospital, and it was nice to just labor here at home with you on the couch," Jo admitted with a small smile as she put a hand on his arm.
"Why didn't you say anything! You've been in labor for hours. You could be fully dilated and ready to push. I need to check to see how dilated you are," Alex said, immediately reaching to put his hand down her pants before she quickly smacked his hand away.
"Alexander!" Jo yelled at him again. "Just because you're my husband doesn't mean you can just stick your hand down my pants without warning me, and I don't need you to check me. We just need to go to the hospital."
"I'm sorry, but I just want to make sure that you and the baby are doing alright. It'll take like two seconds, and..."
"Alex," Jo said, getting ready to yell at him before her eyes widened, and they both looked down to see the front of her sweatpants grow wet as her water broke. "We need to go to the hospital right now."
"Okay, yes, hospital now, just wait right here," Alex said as he went over to the nursery more determined than before.
As he looked over at her, he realized that the last thing his wife needed was a panicked husband. So he took a deep breath and let go of all of his panic as he collected her things. He pulled open the second drawer of the dressers and grabbed the soft little lavender hat and matching blanket that his mom had knitted from them, and put it over his arm before he went back over to his wife. Alex helped Jo into her coat and slung her hospital bag over her shoulder. He grabbed the boppy under his arm and pulled open the Loft's door to usher her out.
Jo paused in the door frame and gripped his hand again as she had another contraction. This time Jo moaned as well as she leaned into him. Alex looked at his watch and his eyebrows shot up. Her contractions were only five minutes apart. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. They were going to have their baby girl in probably less than an hour.
"Okay, no chips. I definitely want a C-section. I can already feel how big this baby's head is, and there's no way she's gonna fit through my pelvis," Jo said as she kept her eyes closed as she hid her head in his shoulder and he put his hand around her waist and helped her over to the elevator. He had personally paid the repairman to fix the elevator and ensure that it would keep running smoothly when Jo hit 30 weeks.
"However you end up bringing our baby girl into this world, you're going to do great," Alex said as he took a moment to lean in and press a kiss to her forehead as Jo let out a sigh.
"Thank you," Jo said, pulling back to look up at him.
He took a moment to lean in and kiss her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. As much as he was excited to meet their daughter, he wanted to savor this moment. He knew that this was the last time he would be able to kiss her when it was just the two of them.
They made their way out to the car, and Alex made sure that she was comfortable before he put the hospital bag and everything in the trunk. He double checked the car seat, making sure it was safe even though their baby girl wasn't in it yet. As he got onto the freeway, Jo had another contraction. He reached out and grabbed her hand, letting her squeeze the life out of it again as he carefully drove to the hospital.
The car ride to the hospital was pretty peaceful, which Jo and Alex were thankful for as the second they got to the hospital, it was a whirlwind as Jo was rushed up to L&D. She was, in fact, 9 cm dilated and 100% effaced. They quickly got Jo settled in a room as Carina checked her, and she got the epidural she wanted, but she only got a few minutes to relax as she was ready to push less than half an hour after they arrived.
As he and Carina helped Jo move into the position she wanted as she sat up, the lower part of the bed had been moved down so she could squat and push. She had completely torn off the hospital gown in frustration a few minutes earlier and was now in only a sports bra. Jo leaned forward over the birthing bar, closing her eyes as she rested in between contractions. Alex gave her hand an extra squeeze as he leaned forward and rubbed her shoulders.
"Okay Jo, on the next contraction, bear down and push," Carina said as she settled in between her legs ready to catch their baby.
In that second, Jo looked over at him, eyes wide as she froze. She had been so calm throughout her labor, up until now. Suddenly he remembered the night that they found out she was pregnant. He remembered how she had freaked out, standing there in the Loft, having just ripped the packaging off of the pregnancy test as their future stood before then. It was the same look as before.
"I can't do this," Jo said, shaking her head in a panic. "I can't have this baby. I can't, I can't push their giant Karev baby head out of my vagina. I can't be a mom. I'll mess them up, I just know it, I can't, I can't, I can't do this, Alex."
Alex leaned his forehead against hers and put his arm around her shoulders. "Yes, you can! You can do this, Jo. That fear that you're not going to be a good mom is why you're going to be a good mom. You are never going to let our kid grow up like you or I did. You are going to fight to make sure that they have a good life and that you're a good mom. You've come this far making our baby, and you can bring them into the world because you are the strongest person I know, and I know that you can do this."
Jo looked into his eyes, and just like she had that night they took the test, she believed him. Jo closed her eyes, collected her strength, and she pushed. After twenty painfully long, and hard minutes, she gave birth to their baby girl. Jo collapsed back, and Alex caught her and gently helped her lay back on the bed. However, both of them were fixated on where Carina was holding their baby and suctioning out her mouth. Finally, after what seemed like forever, when in reality, it had only been about five seconds, their baby girl let out a squawk before she cried with big healthy lungs.
Carina held her up for them to see before she placed her on Jo's bare chest. Jo squeezed his hand that she was still holding and pulled it forward and put their hands on their daughter's back, holding her for the first time.
"I did it," Jo said with a breathy smile as she glanced over at him before looking back at the little girl on her chest.
"You did, you made our daughter, and you brought her into this world," Alex said, he felt so overwhelmed by everything, and he couldn't hold the tears back as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, just thank you, Jo."
She glanced at him, giving him a smile as she squeezed his hand before they looked back at their baby girl. The labor room was still abuzz with nurses as Carina worked to clean Jo up and help her finish the delivery, but Jo and Alex could do was stare at their baby girl. Finally, the nurses started to filter out, and Jo and their baby girl settled in. Alex got to hold his daughter for a few minutes, but she had been fussing since she was born. However, she calmed down and immediately fell asleep once Alex placed her back in Jo's arms. As Carina gave them a congratulations when she left, the quiet of the room prompted their baby girl to wake up. She looked up at them for the first time with big dark eyes.
"Hello Layla," Jo said as she ran her fingers across her forehead, brushing away the dark curls their daughter had. Alex found a moment to reach into the hospital bag and grab the lavender colored baby blanket and hat. The pink and blue striped hospital hat was too small for her head, but the knitted hat fit just right, and he put the blanket over her and Jo as well.
"Layla Josephine Karev," Alex said, running his fingers over the embroidery on the blanket spelling out her name.
"Your daddy and I named you Layla because of the night that we found out about you, so naturally, you decided to be born in the middle of the night," Jo said as she and Alex exchanged a knowing smile.
"It was a very special night, and this is another special night too," Alex said, leaning forward and kissing Layla's forehead.
"I have the feeling she's going to be a night owl," Jo said with a little smile as she looked down at Layla and hugged her close, resting her cheek on the top of Layla's head.
"That's okay because Mommy and Daddy are doctors, and we're used to the night shift. We can get used to being up late for you, our little midnight surprise," Alex said as he just smiled, completely enraptured with his little girl.
"You know what we should do?" Jo said as she looked over at him with a smile as she bit her lip. "We should get a pint of ice cream, one for each of us."
"Are you sure you don't want to eat anything else? I could get you sushi or you could have a drink. I'll even get you a gas station hot dog?" Alex offered, listening off a few of the things Jo had complained about wanting throughout her pregnancy.
"No, we should get two pints of ice cream. One double fudge brownie and one chocolate and peanut butter because that's what we had the night we found out about her."
"Okay, so two pints of ice cream, one for me and one for you," Alex said, getting up and grabbing his phone to call Jackson for a favor. There was no way he was leaving Jo and their newborn for even a second, besides Jackson owed him one. "And don't worry, baby girl, you'll get ice cream in a couple of hours in your mama's sweet milk."
Layla looked up at him as her lips parted, and she licked her lips as if she was already excited for it. Alex winked at her while Jo shook her head as Alex talked to Jackson about the ice cream. Half an hour later, they were both eating ice cream, sitting side by side in the hospital bed with Layla in between them, just like they were the night they found out about her. As Alex looked down at their baby girl, he knew that their nights would forever be special.