"Looks like it, yeah." Vera sniffed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I…Are you okay?" Bridget knew it was a dumb thing to ask. She could tell that obviously her friend wasn't okay, but of all the questions floating around in her mind, that was the one that came out.

"I don't even know," Vera shrugged.

"Okay." The blonde reached over, and squeezed her hand. "Why don't we eat, and then we can talk if you feel like it?"

"Yeah, alright." She stood to get the plates, but felt Bridget's hand on her shoulder, guiding her back down onto her chair.

"I got it." The blonde gave her a small smile.

They spent the first few minutes eating in silence. Bridget badly wanted to know more about what was going on, but she knew that she had to sit back and let her friend be the one to decide when she wanted to open up.

"I just feel so stupid." Vera sat her fork down on her plate. "I shouldn't have let this happen."

"You're not stupid," the blonde tried to reassure her, "sometimes things just happen. I assume you were using protection?"

"Yeah, we uh," she cleared her throat, "we started off with just condoms. I just wasn't thinking it would go there at the time. I've been on the pill for months though."

"Unfortunately, nothing is a hundred percent, but I know you know that." Bridget knew her friend didn't need a lecture on reproduction from her. How it had happened was irrelevant at this point.

"I don't know if he wants kids, I don't even know if I want kids." She picked up her fork then set it down again. "This is such a mess."

"Have you talked to him at all about this?" the blonde prodded gently. "I assume you suspected something, and didn't just randomly take a pregnancy test."

"I've just been feeling off, and a bit tired. Then last week, I missed my period." Vera wiped her eyes again. "I know I should have taken one sooner, but I guess I was just hoping it was nothing."

"It's okay." Bridget wasn't going to judge her. She knew herself how complicated and confusing something like this could be. "Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"What do you mean? Like, if I want to keep it?" She shrugged. "I don't know."

"You've got some time to decide." The blonde knew that there was a window in which certain decisions had to be made, but her friend still had a few more weeks left. "I know it seems like a huge mess right now, but after you guys sit down, and talk about it, things hopefully won't seem as bad."

"I can't tell him." Vera shook her head. "I wouldn't even know how to start that conversation."

"I know, but you have to tell him. Regardless of what happens." Bridget patted her friend's arm, and saw her give a small nod.

"What if he's mad?" she asked softly. "What if he leaves?"

"Vera," the blonde waited until she made eye contact with her, "do you really think he would do that?"

"I don't know." Vera knew she was jumping to the worst case scenario in her head.

"And what right does he have to be mad, anyway? He's just as much a part of this as you are. I assume he knew what precautions you were taking, and he knows how those things work?" Bridget took another bite of her food, hoping to encourage Vera to continue eating as well.

"Well, yeah," she pushed her food around with her fork, "he knew I was on the pill, and we decided that would be enough."

"It'll be okay." The blonde wished so badly that she could tell her friend how excited Shayne was for hers and Franky's baby, and how well he looked out for the brunette.

"I don't want to tell him just yet. I need some time to get my head around it." Vera could see Bridget's logic, but she wasn't ready to deal with anything more just yet.

"That's fine. A few days won't make any difference." The blonde gave her what she hoped was a small, reassuring smile.

"Will you come to the doctor with me tomorrow?" She felt a bit silly asking Bridget to come along, but she really didn't want to go alone. "I got one of the urgent appointments."

"Yeah, of course." She was happy to be her friend's support until Shaye was able to be there for her.

"Thanks." Vera let out a sigh. "You guys are so lucky that you'll never have to deal with something like this."

"It is a plus in some ways," the blonde said with a small chuckle. But also more difficult in others, she thought, as she remembered all the medical procedures and planning that had led up to their pregnancy...their pregnancy.

"Are you and Franky thinking of having kids someday?" Vera could see that she'd pulled her friend away from her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, yeah, most likely." Bridget hated how that had felt coming out of her mouth. She didn't like withholding things from her best friend, especially this, given the circumstances.

"I mean, you'd need to find a donor and everything." Vera stopped when she noticed that the blonde seemed distracted once again. "Are you alright?" She thought that maybe she'd hit a nerve.

"Yeah." Bridget knew it came out halfhearted, and after Franky, Vera was the one who could read her the best.

"I feel like I've just put my foot in something," she said with a small, nervous laugh.

"No," the blonde shook her head, "no, you didn't." She took a deep breath. She knew that they'd agreed not to tell Vera, or Liz about the pregnancy for another couple of weeks. They had planned on having Liz, Vera, and Shayne all over for dinner, and announcing it then. Now, however, that didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to blindside Vera in front of a group given her current situation, regardless of what she decided to do herself. She hoped Franky would understand. "Uh," she wasn't usually one to be at a loss for words, but she was struggling right now. She decided it was best to just get it over with. "Franky and I are expecting a baby. She's pregnant."

"Oh," Vera wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. She was happy for her friend though. "That's amazing! How far along?"

"About twelve weeks." Bridget couldn't help but have a huge smile on her face.

"Twelve?!" Again, Vera had been caught off guard. "You've kept this a secret for almost three months?"

"We wanted to be sure everything was going to be okay." The blonde was glad that her friend seemed happy for them.

"So this was what all the time off for appointments was about." Vera nodded her head slowly; it was all making sense now. "I was getting a bit worried that one of you was seriously ill."

"Sorry." Bridget gave her an apologetic look. "We just wanted to go through that part of it on our own."

"That's understandable." She knew that most couples didn't share the news for a number of weeks. "Have you told anyone else?"

"We told Em, and Shayne knows." The blonde waited to see her friend's reaction.

"He's close to Franky," Vera only realized after it was out of her mouth how that comment sounded. Yes, he was close to Franky, but she was close to Bridget. That wasn't what she'd meant, but she could see how it could be interpreted that way.

"He is. We didn't plan to tell him." The blonde felt like she owed the other woman an explanation. "You know he went with Franky to the hospital the day she passed out at the restaurant." She saw Vera nod. "He lied, and said he was her partner so that he could go in and sit with her while they waited for me. The nurse was the one who told him that both Franky and the baby were fine; assuming he knew she was pregnant."

"It makes sense now why he's been offering to work extra." In a way, Vera was a bit relieved. In the back of her mind, she'd thought that maybe he was just looking to spend more time away from her.

"Yeah," Bridget smiled, "he's been great. He's always watching out for her now. I think he's almost as excited as we are. He's already made it clear that he wants to be Uncle Shayne."

Vera could feel the tears starting again.

"Hey," the blonde reached out again, and took her hand, "this is encouraging, yeah? He likes kids. For the record, we told him not to tell you yet." She didn't want her friend to think that Shayne had chosen to keep something from her.

"Yeah, but this is different than being Uncle Shayne." She appreciated Bridget's efforts, but she still had a bad feeling about everything.

"I know, but just give him a chance." The blonde was fairly certain things would work out.

"I still want to take a few days, and I'd still like you to come with me to the doctor tomorrow." Vera dried her cheeks. She'd done enough crying for one night.

"Of course." Bridget knew that ultimately, what happened after this was up to her friend, and she'd be there to offer whatever support was needed.

"Thanks." Vera managed a small smile. "And I really am happy for you guys."

"Thanks." The blonde returned the smile. "You're Auntie Vera by the way."

Bridget was pleased that her comment earned a genuine smile from her friend. She knew the other woman was going through a lot right now, and she was glad she could give her a moment of happiness.

The whole drive home, all Bridget could think was that she had to tell Franky what had happened. She'd had her reasons for revealing their pregnancy, and she hoped that the brunette would understand. She knew her wife would keep Vera's secret, so telling her that wasn't an issue.

"You look tired, baby. Did you guys have a good evening?" Franky put her arm around the blonde when the older woman dropped down beside her on the couch. Emily, and Shayne had already called it a night, but she'd wanted to wait up.

"Yeah." She rested her head against the brunette's shoulder.

Franky didn't say anything, but simply turned, and placed a kiss on the top of the blonde's head. She knew something was off, and Bridget would talk about it when she was ready.

"Can we go to bed, baby?" The blonde could tell she was starting to drift off.

"Sure. I'll meet you in there." The brunette began her nightly check to make sure the outside doors were locked. They hadn't discussed it, but somehow this had become her job.

"Mm, you feel good." Bridget stretched as she snuggled in next to the younger woman, and rested her head on her chest. She liked that she could hear her heartbeat.

"So do you." Franky loved when she layed on her back, and the blonde cuddled into her side like she was doing now, with one leg draped over her own. It was like she was the older woman's personal living body pillow.

"Vera was upset when I went to see her tonight," Bridget said as she rested a hand on the brunette's stomach.

"Do I need to go pull Shayne out of bed?" Franky was sort of joking, but not really.

"No." The blonde sighed. She really didn't know how to best say what she needed to tell her, so she decided to just go for it. "Vera thinks she's pregnant. She took a test just before I got there, and it was positive." She could hear the younger woman's heart rate pick up.

"Does he know?" the brunette asked quietly.

"No, she said she didn't mention anything to him yet. She wants a couple of days to work through it herself." Bridget lifted her head, so that she could see the other woman's face. "I told her I'd go to the doctor with her tomorrow."

Franky nodded, but remained quiet for a moment.

"He has a right to know," the brunette understood that this probably wasn't easy for Vera, but she had to advocate for Shayne as well in this situation.

"I know," Bridget sighed. "Right now, I'm just trying to be there for her, and give her some support."

"He'll be pretty shocked, but I think he'll be excited about it." Franky remembered back to what he'd told her earlier that day. "He said this morning she's been acting a bit off for the past while. He was wracking his brain trying to figure out if he'd done something wrong, but it was probably about this."

"Probably, yeah." The blonde sat up, and turned so that she was sitting, facing Franky.

"Hey, where are you going?" the brunette asked with a chuckle. She patted her side, indicating that she wanted Bridget to lay down beside her again.

"I," the older woman reached out, and took Franky's hand in her own instead of returning to her spot, "uh, told her that we were having a baby. She had kind of brought up how we wouldn't ever accidentally get pregnant, and then I started thinking about how it wouldn't feel right to have her find out in a group thing like we'd talked about given how we don't know what she's going to decide." She let out a long breath. "I'm sorry."

"Gidge," the brunette squeezed Bridget's hand gently to get her to focus on her, "it's fine. None of our reveals have gone as planned anyway." She let out a small laugh, and saw the blonde smile. "Come here." Franky tugged on her hand to once again try to get her to lay back down, and this time, she was successful. "I just really want Liz's to be special."

"It will, baby. I promise." She shivered as she felt the brunette's fingers run along her spine.

"You're a good friend." Franky gave her a soft kiss.

"It'll be okay." Bridget reached over, and placed her hand on Vera's knee to stop her from fidgeting, much the same way she'd had to do with Franky before their first couple of appointments.

"Will it? What if he thinks I'm an idiot? What if I decide I don't want it, and he won't help me?" Vera took in a deep breath to try to calm herself.

"Yes, it will. He won't think you're an idiot, and if that's what you want, and he won't help you, then we'll find a clinic who will." The blonde wished that she could make it all better.

"Vera, good to see you again." The doctor entered the office, and closed the door behind him. "Who have you brought with you today?"

He was a younger man, who Bridget estimated was probably in his thirties. He seemed pleasant, and had a warm, welcoming smile.

"This is my friend, Bridget." She glanced over at the blonde. "I, uh, kind of felt like I needed some support today."

"Sure. Nice to meet you, Bridget." He gave her a quick nod then turned his attention back to Vera. "So what brings you in?"

"I had a positive pregnancy test yesterday." She could feel the tears starting.

"Okay." he made a note in his file. "I see here that you're on the pill, so I'm guessing it was unplanned?"

"That's an understatement." Vera tried to laugh at her own joke, but it came out as more of a half-sob.

"Alright, we'll get this figured out." He sat a box of tissues on the corner of the desk for her. "I'd like to start with a blood test to check your pregnancy hormone level. The same one your home test would have detected. Is the father in the picture?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "my boyfriend. I haven't told him yet."

"I recommend that you do, unless it would jeopardize your safety. He could be a source of support as well," he said as he glanced over at Bridget.

"Oh, uh," it took Vera a moment to realize what the doctor was actually saying, "he'd be, I'd be safe. I just needed some time to sort through everything first."

"Okay, good." He made another note in her file. "Let's get the blood drawn, then we can talk a bit more. I'll see if the lab can put a rush on it so we'll have the result before you leave."

"It shouldn't be much longer." Bridget reached out, and took her friend's hand. They had finished with the doctor, but opted to wait an extra few minutes for the results to come back.

Almost right on cue, the doctor appeared in the doorway, and called them back into the office.

"Was everything okay?" Vera asked as she sat down.

"Unfortunately, it's not good news." He sat down at the desk, facing her, giving her his full attention. "The hormone level is very low for where you should be at five to six weeks. In these cases, it usually means that the pregnancy is not viable. In fact, it's what we call a chemical pregnancy."

"A chemical…?" She shook her head, she'd never heard of it before.

"A chemical pregnancy," the doctor began to explain. "There is a period of time between when the sperm enters the egg, and when that embryo actually attaches to the uterine wall. During that time, the embryo releases hormones that could be picked up by a home pregnancy test, but you are not technically pregnant until it implants in the uterine wall. Your test results indicated that is very unlikely to happen."

"So what happens?" Vera glanced over towards the blonde, who put a comforting hand on her arm. "What do I need to do?"

"You don't need to do anything. There's really nothing that can be done. Your body will naturally get rid of the embryo, and you'll experience some bleeding, which will probably just seem like a heavy period." He pulled a sheet of paper from the desk drawer. "We'll monitor the hormone levels over the next few days. I suspect we'll see them drop fairly soon." He handed her the paperwork he'd filled out so she could get the tests done.

"There's nothing I can do?" Vera, who had been fairly certain she didn't want this baby a few moments ago, now suddenly found herself upset that her body was letting her down.

"I'm afraid not," he said with a sympathetic look. "This is more common than you think. Most women just think it's a late period unless they suspect something, and do a home test like you did. It's not an indication that there would be any issue with future pregnancies if you decide that's something you want down the road."

"How long until I know? You said it usually means it's not viable, so that means there's a chance it is, right?" She didn't know why she wanted to cling to that bit of hope so badly.

"There is a very small chance that the pregnancy will continue, but it's highly unlikely." He'd certainly heard of cases where the mother simply had low hormone levels, and the pregnancy continued on as normal, but he didn't want to give her false hope. "I expect you will experience your period within the next day or so. As long as the bleeding isn't too heavy, or too painful, it's something you can manage at home. Take it easy, and if you're feeling tired, take a day or two off work and stay rested. You can take paracetamol, too if you need it. And if anything seems like it's getting too bad, don't hesitate to go to an emergency room."

"Okay, thanks." Vera didn't really know what else to say, so she shoved the paper in her bag, and started to stand up to leave.

"Vera," the doctor stood, and gently placed a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving so quickly, "I need you to get the blood tests done regardless of what happens. Seeing the number drop back to zero is just as important so that we know we're not going to be dealing with any other issues." He saw her give a quick nod. "I really am sorry I didn't have better news for you."

"Thanks." She just wanted to leave. She needed to not be in that office anymore. She heard the blonde's footsteps behind her as they walked down the hallway back towards the waiting room.

"I'll hang out at your place with you today, if you want." Bridget offered when they'd reached her car.

"No, I'm okay. You probably have stuff planned with Franky, and Em." Vera reached for the door handle.

"Not really. We're pretty into just hanging out with each other at the house. Always room for one more." The blonde thought maybe she'd appreciate some company instead. Some people liked to be alone when they were upset, and others wanted a distraction.

"Are you sure?" Now that Vera thought about it, maybe allowing herself to wallow in her feelings wasn't the best thing for her right now. "I'm probably not the best to be around at the moment."

"I'm sure. Franky knows what's going on, and all Em will know is that you're sad, which means you'll probably get cuddles." Bridget tried to cheer her up a bit.

"What did Franky say?" Vera wasn't surprised that the blonde had told her. She knew they didn't have secrets, and this involved mutual friends of them both.

"Not a lot. She thinks Shayne has a right to know, but she understands that's your choice to make." Bridget studied her face for a moment. "She's your friend, too."

"I know." She gave a small nod. "If you could take me back to the house so I can get my car, then I'll meet you back at your place. I want to get some comfortable clothes, and I'll need to stop at the pharmacy as well."

"Sure." The blonde was glad that her friend had easily agreed to spend the day with them.

"Hey, babe. How did it go?" Franky was just finishing putting together some wraps for their lunch. She gave the blonde a quick kiss.

"Not good." Bridget wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist. "Remember the hormone tes you had done, and your numbers were good?" She heard a quiet 'mhm' from the younger woman. "Hers weren't. The doctor said it's not viable, and she'll probably lose it within the next day or so."

"Fuck." Franky knew that Vera was uncertain about the pregnancy, but she felt for the other woman. Something like this was never easy. "You should go be with her."

"Actually, she wanted to come here, and spend some time with all of us. Do you think you can add a plate?" Bridget gave the brunette her best smile, which she knew she didn't actually need.

"Of course." She lowered her head, and gave the blonde a slow kiss.

"Thank you." Bridget sighed. "That smells really good."

"Spiced chickpea wraps with a pineapple raita." She kissed the older woman again. "She knows Shayne will be home later, right?"

"Yeah, I assume." The blonde rubbed her back. "Maybe she wants some support when she tells him."

Franky was just finishing up plating lunch when Vera arrived at the house.

"Hey, I heard you were on your way." She nodded towards the plates on the island, indicating that one was for her.

"Thanks." Vera gave her a weak smile as she sat the bag of things she'd bought at the pharmacy, to the side on the kitchen counter. "I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks. Gidge told me what you found out at the doctor, I'm sorry." She reached out, and touched Vera's elbow, intending for it to be a simple, calming gesture. The other woman, however, stepped towards her with tears in her eyes, and Franky quickly wrapped her arms around her.

Vera had told herself that she wasn't going to spend the rest of the day crying, but the tears came anyway. She felt the brunette pull her in, and hold her close. She rested her head against Franky's shoulder. It reminded her of the day when the brunette had saved her from Juice and her crew. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, and felt Franky's hand move against her back.

The brunette glanced up, and saw Bridget indicate that she was going to take their food over to the table. She gave an almost imperceptible nod so as not to make Vera feel like she was rushing her so that they could go eat. Franky would stand there for as long as her friend needed.

"I'm sorry." Vera's voice was small.

"Don't be." The brunette knew they were each on their own journey right now, and hers and Bridget's happiness over their baby, didn't negate Vera's sadness over her own situation at the moment.

"We should eat." Vera started to pull away, and while she felt Franky loosen her arms a bit, the other woman didn't let her go completely.

The brunette waited until the governor made eye contact with her, and they exchanged small nods. They had an understanding.

"Are you sad?" Emily asked Vera as she joined them at the table.

"Uh, I'm okay." She tried to give her best fake smile, but it fooled no one.

"No, you're sad. Why are you sad?" The young girl picked up her wrap.

"Em, let's just eat, okay?" Franky tried to gently encourage her to drop her line of questioning.

"But I want to help." Emily looked over at Vera, then back to the brunette.

Bridget heard her friend take in a shaky breath.

"Em, love," the blonde waited until she had her niece's attention, "we can be there for people without needing to know everything that's going on. Vera's going through something that's private, okay? So we're just going to offer our support. You can still comfort her the same as you normally would if you knew why she was upset."

Emily didn't say anything, but just quietly got up and pushed her chair over close to Vera.

"I'll sit with you while we eat," she said as she climbed back onto her seat.

"Thanks." Vera did her best to give the young girl a small smile while she held back her tears.

Bridget had just gotten Emily settled in for the night, and had joined Franky and Vera once again in the living room, when they heard a car pull into the driveway. Franky had lent her car to Shayne that morning so he didn't have to get up even earlier to catch the bus. She figured it was the least she could do since he was essentially giving her the weekend off.

"We can go in the bedroom if you want some privacy." Bridget didn't want to make her friend feel like she couldn't talk to Shayne here, but she also wanted to give them some space.

"No, it's okay. I think I'll just ask him to come back to my place, and we can talk there. Thank you though, and thanks for everything today." Vera gave her friend a weak smile, then took in a deep breath as the front door opened.

"Hey, I saw Vera's car out front, is everything oka-" As soon as he came around the corner, he saw his girlfriend sitting on the couch between the other two women.

Even though she'd promised herself she'd hold it together until they'd gotten back to her house, she could feel the tears already running down her cheeks. She had too many emotions running through her body at the moment.

"Hey, are you alright?" He let his bag slide from his shoulder, and fall onto the floor as he made his way across the living room.

Bridget stood, and moved to sit beside Franky, allowing him to take her spot beside Vera. He sat sideways, so that he was facing her.

"Yeah, I, fuck." She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She really had planned to wait until they were alone to tell him what was going on, but she just needed to get it out. "I took a pregnancy test yesterday, and it was positive. I went to see my doctor today, and he did a couple of tests. He said the pregnancy wasn't viable."

Shayne didn't know what to say; he was still processing everything, but he knew that his girlfriend needed comfort. He reached out, and put his arm around her shoulder, and she immediately leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

Bridget stood, and silently motioned for Franky to join her in the kitchen, where she began to make cups of tea. Vera could take it from here, and they'd still be close by if she needed them.

"What does that mean, 'not viable'?" He asked after a couple of moments of silence. "Like I know what it means, but what happens to you?"

"The doctor said it would be basically like a heavier than normal period with some extra cramping." She lifted her head, and wiped her eyes. "It started about an hour ago." She glanced over towards the kitchen. She hadn't mentioned it to her friends. "I'm so sorry. I know this was unwanted. I don't know what happened."

"Unplanned," he said quietly.

"What?" Vera gave him a questioning look.

"It was unplanned, but not unwanted." Shayne reached up, and wiped her cheek with his thumb.

"But you said…" Vera remembered the conversation they'd had before about their plans for the future. Not necessarily plans for them as a couple, but just kind of how they pictured their lives going, and he had seemed pretty sure that he was not ready for kids any time soon.

"That I wanted to be older before I thought about having kids? Yeah, I did say that, but sometimes things don't work out like we want them to." He made eye contact with her before he continued. "It would have been okay. I like kids, and I love you."

"I love you, too." Vera felt relief wash over her. ""I was so worried you'd be upset, or want to leave."

"Is that why you didn't say anything sooner?" He realized now that this had probably been the cause of her odd mood towards him the past week or so. He saw her give him a small nod, and he reached down, and took her hand in his. "I understand, but from now on, just know you can tell me anything. I would have been there for you, and gone to the doctor with you today."

"I just, I wasn't thinking straight." Vera didn't really have a good explanation.

"It's okay." He leaned in, and gave her a quick kiss. "What do you want to do tonight? I can drive us back to your place if you want. Or I can drive you back, and then I'll come back here, or you can have my bed here, and I'll sleep on the couch." He suddenly was unsure of what would make her feel the most comfortable right now.

"I'm really tired. I think I'd just like to stay here with you. If that's okay?" She directed the question over towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, of course," Bridget quickly agreed.

"Okay, I'll go shower, then I'll join you in bed." He gave her another quick kiss, then stood, and made his way towards the bathroom, picking up his bag along the way that he'd dropped on his way in earlier.

Vera let out a long sigh.

"You alright?" the blonde asked as she joined her friend on the couch.

"Yeah, just exhausted at this point." She gave Bridget a weak smile. "I think I'll just go lie down, and wait for him."

"Sure." She returned the small smile. "Goodnight."

Bridget watched her disappear down the hallway, then turned her attention to Franky, who was leaning against the kitchen counter, her mug cradled in her hands.

"Tea in bed?" the brunette asked.

"Sounds perfect." Bridget gave her a warm smile as she watched Franky pick up her mug as well, and head down the hallway. It had been an emotional day, and they were all feeling the effects of it. A warm cup of tea while cuddled in bed with her wife seemed like exactly what they both needed right now.