Before I start to share this story, I want to say, yes this is very different from the actual show in many ways, mostly from the last two seasons. I feel like I should say, Dawson never left til the end of July. I am not bashing him in any way, he still going to be a big part of the story. However this is my verison and all from what I have in my head. If you like Dawson and Joey together, you may not like this story. But if you love Pacey and Joey as much as I do, I hope you stay around and Enjoy. Feel free to review, this is my first story.
"The only difference between falling in love and being in love is that your heart already knows how you feel, but your mind is too stubborn to admit it."
― Colleen Hoover, Maybe Not
July 4, 2001
It was two in the morning and Joey was sitting on the bathroom floor with her head on the toilet seat. She was scared to move in fear that she would throw up again. Ever since two weeks ago, Joey had been in the bathroom most of the day, and it was the most painful experience of her life. Joey's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by her older sister walking into the room.
"Hey. I brought you some water and crackers." Bessie whispered as she sat on the floor next to her sister.
"Thanks."
The two didn't say anything as Joey took a long sip of her water. "Small sips, Jo. You don't want to get sick again." Her sister reminded her as she handed her a cracker. "I hate being sick," Joey muttered as she put her head on her sister's shoulder.
"Well, you know you could always go to the doctor."
"No, I don't want to."
"Ok, well if you are just going to sit there then you are going to continue to hate being sick," Bessie whispered with a chuckle. Joey looked at her and rolled her eyes. It was quiet for a moment as Joey was trying to find the right words to tell Bessie what was going on.
"I am pregnant."
Bessie looked over at Joey in shock as she stood. "Excuse me?" She said to her. Joey sighed as she looked down at her feet and chewed her lip while a tear came crawling down her face.
"How long have you known?" Bessie asked her. "About a week," Joey mumbled. "Is this why you don't want to go to the doctors?" Bessie asked her. "That and I am still terrified to go. But I have an appointment with them next Tuesday."
Bessie let out a long sigh as she sat down next to Joey. "Do you know what you are going to do?" She asked Joey. "No. I thought about all my options but they just seem like too much right now." Joey whispered to her. "Have you told Pacey?" Bessie asked.
"No."
"Joey you have to tell him."
"Yeah, I will say hi, Pace. Remember the last time we had sex, oh yeah, you got me pregnant and I can't bring myself to do abortion so I guess your DNA is stuck with me."
" Josephine Liliana Potter."
"Well, it's true," Joey mumbled with an eye roll. "Look at me, Joey," Bessie told her in a firm voice. Joey then looked up at her sister. "I know you are scared, and I am doing my best right now to not yell at you over this. However, if you don't get your butt over to that phone and call Pacey. I will start yelling at you, do you hear me?"
Joey nodded her head at her sister. "What if he doesn't want to be apart of this?" Joey asked softly.
"Well, if he doesn't want to be apart of it, then that's his loss, not yours. But just knowing Pacey, he wouldn't do that to you. You two may have broken up, but I know you two still love one another and this is his baby. You know when Mom first passed away, you stayed home for days at a time especially after Dad went to jail. You and I refused to even put ourselves in public. Well, one day Pacey came knocking on the door because he felt sorry that his Dad arrested our Dad. You disliked him but I knew by the look on Pacey's face he wanted to do everything in his power to make things right again. But you refused to let him in, and I know it's not because you were hating him.
But it was you being you, because Joey, you are the most stubborn human being I have ever met. Even when you were a newborn, I was shocked at how stubborn you were. Now here you are at seventeen, being stubborn on not asking for help so you been sitting here for two weeks in the bathroom refusing to let anyone in. I will allow the bathroom thing because, to be honest, it runs in the family. But what I will not allow you to do is to be stubborn by not going to tell Pacey about this baby because you are refusing to ask for his help, or most of all because you are just too scared. Because I promise you, Joey, you will regret that decision for the rest of your life."
Joey felt tears coming down even harder than before. She knew Bessie was right about this and she just hoped Pacey would be able to see this as well.
"But also just because you two have a baby together, doesn't mean you have to get back together."
Joey raised her eyebrow at Bessie. "What does that mean?" She asked her sister. "Well, most people who get pregnant at a young age think that just because they are having a baby means they have to be together and let me be the first to tell you. If you do that to your child, you will not be teaching him or her anything about love because they will think that's what love looks like because their parents taught them that." Bessie explained to her as she wiped Joey's tears from her cheek.
"What if I want to do adoption?"
"If that is what you want to do, then you need to do some research and then talk to Pacey."
Joey then looked at the ceiling and then sighed. "Will you support me?" Joey asked with a low scared tone in her voice. "Always," Bessie said as she took Joey's hand. Joey looked down and smiled at her. At least she knew one person would be by her side throughout all this. "But I am still going to get Pacey when he walks through this house," Bessie told her with a serious face. "Very much noted," Joey whispered with a laugh.
It was quiet as Joey rested her head on Bessie's shoulder. "How come you were up anyway?" Joey asked her sister. "I could hear you from across the hallway for the past two hours. Let me just be the first to say, that our paying customers would probably really be disliking this place if they weren't all upstairs and weren't away from you."
Joey gave her a soft smile and took Bessie's hand. "Thank you for helping me," Joey whispered. "Do you need me to go to that Doctor's appointment on Tuesday with you?" Bessie asked her. "I think I need to handle it on my own for now, but I will ask if I need it," Joey told her with a small smile.
"Well, I am going back to bed," Bessie said as she got up but was stopped by Joey taking her hand. "Can you stay with me for a while?" Joey asked softly. "Of course," Bessie said as she sat back down with Joey and rubbed her back gently as Joey put her head against the toilet seat as the pain started to come back to her.
It was a small step but Bessie knew it was Joey's way of stepping out of her comfort zone and asking for help.
July 10,2001
As Joey sat in the doctor's office she felt her heart beating out of her chest as she stared at the posters around the room. One had caught her eye for the longest time, this poster was explaining everything that was happening in her body each month of the pregnancy. Joey swallows in fear of getting sick but she knew it wasn't due to morning sickness. It was due to the fears that continued to reach her head.
What if she couldn't be a good mom? What if she did do abortion, would that make her a terrible person? What if she put the baby up for adoption and she couldn't give her baby up? What if Pacey hated her for this pregnancy? What if he didn't want adoption if she wanted it?
Suddenly, Joey's thoughts became too much so she grabbed her phone to call the one person who she would have never thought to call five years ago.
"Hey, Jen," Joey whispered as her tears gently came down her face. "Hey, Joey what's up?" Jen said to her. "Do you think you can come to the doctor's right now with me?" Joey asked her.
"Yeah, sure. Where is it?" Jen asked her. "It's at the hospital near us, on the right side level fourteen," Joey whispered. "I will be there in ten," Jen said and hung up the phone.
Joey sighed as she then laid on the bench and closed her eyes. It was the first time in the past three weeks, where she could feel herself breathe and hear herself think. She thought about Pacey, how he would love and take care of her. How he would cook for her, talk about their future children with her, and show his love for her. A sudden memory came up at Joey that brought comfort and warmth to her heart.
February 27, 2001
Joey had to lay on Pacey's bed for what seemed like a lifetime since she was sick. Bessie didn't feel comfortable having a bunch of guests over at the B&B so she thought maybe she would cancel them til Joey got better. However Joey decided it would be best if she stayed with Pacey for the weekend so she haven't to deal with the guilt that people's room were getting canceled. While she was staying over, Pacey still went to school and then got Joey's homework for her. He figured since it was only Thursday, he could stay with her for the next three days till they have school on Monday. While Joey would stay in his bed and catch up on sleep.
Pacey walked into the room and gave Joey a weak smile as he kneeled on the floor to be beside her. He then took her hand and kissed it and then softly rubbed her arm. "Hey." He whispered to her as he then felt her forehead, it was warmer than when he left earlier. Joey smiled up at him as he took his hand. "I missed you," Joey whispered as she smiled up at him. "I missed you too, Potter," Pacey whispered as he gently kissed her cheek.
"Are you hungry? I made you some homemade chicken noodle soup." Pacey asked her. "What time is it?" Joey asked in a dazed. "Like four o'clock," Pacey said with a chuckle. "Can you help me up?" Joey asked as she sightly tried to get up off the bed.
Pacey then helped her get out of bed and looked at her in amazement. Even when she was sick, she was the most beautiful human being, he ever laid his eyes on. The way her brown hair was in a messy bun and the way she was wearing his sweatshirt and pants. He wondered if she had ever looked this beautiful before even though little drops of sweat were dripping down her neck and back. That didn't make her any less gorgeous than what he saw every time he looked at her.
As they started to walk down the hallway, Joey stopped as she felt her stomach turned. "I feel like I am going to throw up," Joey mumbled with tears in her eyes. Pacey softly led her to the bathroom but as soon as they made it there Joey fell to her knees at the toilet. She cried in pain as Pacey rubbed her back and got a wet towel to wipe off the sweat. He gently lifted the sweatshirt as he pressed the cold washcloth on her back and neck.
It was a few minutes of doing this as he put Joey into his arms. "I am sorry. I know this isn't attractive." Joey mumbled as she tucked her head into his chest. "Are you kidding? I still think you are the most gorgeous human being I have ever seen." He mumbled into her ear.
"You don't mean that," Joey whispered as she looked up at him. "I do too," Pacey said as he took her hand and squeezed it.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear. "I love you too," Joey mumbled as she laid her head on his chest.
It was the next day when Joey woke up to feel a small tap against her arm. She opened her eyes to find Pacey with peanut butter toast and a glass of water. "Good morning." He whispered as she sat up on the bed. "Hi." She whispered and took the plate from him. Pacey then sat on the other side of her as she laid against him.
"Hey, Jo."
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever thought about our future together?"
"All the time. Why?"
Pacey sighed as he softly rubbed her back. "I just had this dream last night with you and I and these two little kids. One was a boy and the other was a girl. The boy had your big brown eyes and the girl had your smile. I guess it just got me thinking about life when I woke up."
Joey gave him a weak smile as Pacey let out a small nervous chuckle. "I just want to know what you want after we get married, we never really talked about it before," Pacey told her.
"I thought about us having kids before. I think you would make a good father one day. The way I see you with little kids and even how you are when I am sick or not feeling well, makes me tingle a little on the inside. I would love to have a baby girl and boy with you one day." Joey whispered and then took a bite of the toast.
Pacey softly ran his fingers through Joey's hair as they sat in silents."What names would you want?"
"I don't know. I try not to think that far ahead at times." Joey whispered as she softly played with his fingers. "I haven't thought that far ahead of it either, I think when I think that far ahead I get nervous that something will go wrong."
Joey smiled up at him as he softly hugged her in his arms. "I do know one thing." He whispered to her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I will do everything in my power to make sure that kid has the best life."
"You will make a great father, I most definitely certain of that," Joey told him and then let out a loud nasty cough. "Yeah but for now how about you go take a nap so you can rest up for a while."
Joey laid down as Pacey took her plate and handed her water to her. "Here I don't want you to get dehydrated."
Joey started to drink her water as she let out a small giggle over the giddiness she was feeling in her mind. As she was talking to him about this she just knew even more than ever that Pacey Witter would somehow be the father of her children when they got older. She laid on her side and a minute later felt another body on her back and a kiss on her neck. She got all the tingling feeling as she wished so badly she wasn't sick so she could do more with him. But instead, she closed her eyes.
A few hours later, she woke up and turned to find Pacey gone, she got up and this time felt less dizzy than yesterday. She put the blanket over her body and walked downstairs to find Pacey watching Full house on the couch.
"I see you have more energy."
"I feel a lot better, but is that Chicken noodle soup still open for its invitation?"
Pacey gave her a small wink as he got up from the couch and started walking over to the kitchen. "Of course it is."
Joey followed him as Pacey turned on the stove and she walked over to hug him. "Daisy for a girl," Joey mumbled into his chest. "What's that sweetheart?"
"If we had a girl, her name would be Daisy. When I was little, my mom used to give me Daisies because she said it reminded her of me because of the light it brought to her eyes when she would see it. She used to call me her little Daisy. It brings me comfort to think about and I feel like that is one way to pass on her to the next generation."
Pacey smiled as he stared into her beautiful big brown eyes and knew how much meaning Joey's mom brought into the world. The way she would smile and always talk to Pacey. The way her painting and cooking brought some type of light into the world that still never seemed to go away and it brought him the same comfort as it did when he was seven.
"That's perfect, Jo," Pacey said as he brought her back into his arms and Pacey knew one day that name would bring happiness into his life even more than it just did when he just heard it.
July 10,2001
Suddenly Joey's thoughts were interrupted by Jen walking in. "Hey," Jen said as she set her things down. "Hi," Joey whispered while slowly sitting up. "What's wrong with you?" Jen asked as she sat down next to Joey. "Well,I'm pregnant and I thought I could do this on my own but turns out I can't."
Jen looked at Joey in shock. "Wow. Who else knows?"
"Bessie but she isn't here because I told her I could handle this appointment on my own but I realized I couldn't do that."
Jen smiled at her and took her hand. "I just feel like I can't do this without someone next to me."
"I would be the same way, Thank you for calling me," Jen said while squeezing Joey's hand as Joey smiled at her.
Then there was a knock at the door, and after twenty long minutes of Joey waiting a female doctor came in the room.
"Hello, which of you is Joey?" The doctor said. "I am," Joey whispered with a smile. "It's nice to meet you my name is Doctor Willis, and I will be running some tests today. First, we are going to ask you some questions."
"Ok."
"Any medical or psychological problems that we should be aware of?"
"No."
Doctor Willis then smiled and took her blood pressure, and check her height and weight. As she was checking Joey's breast and cervical she started to ask more questions.
"Do you know when your last period was?"
"May 8."
"Alrighty. Any history of abortions or miscarriages?"
"No."
"Anyone in your family that had any medical problems?"
"My Mom died of lung cancer," Joey whispered in an uneasy tone. "I am sorry to hear that." Doctor Willis said to her with a sad smile.
"We are going to do a blood test today which I am sure you knew and then an ultrasound, is your friend driving you back home?" The doctor asked.
"No," Joey answered. "Alright well it is recommended but if not we can give you sugar to renter your body before you leave."
"What is the blood test for?" Jen asked.
"Hemoglobin, hematocrit, Rubella, Varicella, Crystic Fibrosis, Hepatitis B, Tay Sach's, Suckle Cell, HIV, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit levels and to see exactly how far she is."
Jen and Joey's eyes got wide as the doctor continued to list the things. "Oh wow," Joey mumbled. "We will do the blood test and then the ultrasound afterwards."
Joey smiled as she got up and went to the other room to take the test.
It was about an hour later and doctor Willis was doing an ultrasound on Joey. "This may be cold." said. "Now, will the father be joining us today?" asked Joey. "No," Joey whispered. The doctor then smiled as she put the gel on Joey's stomach. It was quiet as she was feeling around but then there was a small low sound coming around the room. "Is that?" Joey asked with tears in her eyes.
"That's your baby. You are seven weeks along, which means you should have your baby around February. Congratulations." said with a smile. "We should call you tomorrow to say if we found anything wrong but your baby seems pretty healthy. Any concerns?"
"Is there anything I can take for morning sickness?" Joey asked her. "Vitamin B, ginger, and doxylamine would be perfect for a situation like this. You also want to start taking prenatal vitamins." told her. "Every information that you need will be given in the baggie at the front desk and that's where you set your next appointment."
"Thank you, ."
"See you next time."
Joey and Jen walked to the front desk and made the second appointment which was August 10 and the two walked out.
"Do you want me to come home with you?" Jen asked her. "No, I am ok. But thank you for coming with me." Joey told her. "What are friends for?" Jen said as they went down the elevator.
The two were silent as they walked to Joey's truck. "So, when are you going to tell Pacey?" Jen asked carefully. "I was going to tell him when I got in the truck," Joey said as she played with her fingers.
"Well if you need me-"
"I will call you." Joey said with a weak smile. Jen hugged Joey as she walked away and Joey felt tears coming down her face. She then dials Pacey's number hoping he picks up the phone and when he did his hello broke her into even more tears.
"I'm pregnant."
Silents had filled the phone so much, Joey wouldn't have been surprised if Pacey even had hung the phone up on her.
However, she was very glad that she was wrong when she heard his voice again.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, very much."
Joey could hear Pacey sighed through the phone. "How long have you known for?"
Joey sniffled and let out a deep breath. "Three weeks."
"Listen, I will be home in two weeks, do you think you will be ok till then? I will try to get there sooner if I can."
"I will be ok," Joey reassured him. "Ok, if you need me, just call me."
Once again it was quiet as the two were thinking of what to say to one another.
"Hey, Pace."
"Yeah, Potter?"
"I wish you were here with me."
Pacey sighed."I wish I was there with you too. But it will be soon I promise."
"I will see you when I see you," Joey said and didn't let him finish with a goodbye because then she ended the phone call.
Joey felt her whole body shake as she put her hand on her stomach. She reminded herself she needed to do better and that Pacey didn't hang up the phone and he was planning on coming back. Not that Joey felt as if he would run but most definitely scared of it.
Next Joey went to the grocery store to find the prenatal vitamins as she went down the aisle she found what she was looking for and started to walk away. But, she didn't get very far when she found herself running into someone. The one person other than Pacey that she was dreading to see was right in front of her, Dawson Leery.
"Oh sorry," Dawson said with a laugh. Joey let out a gulp as he looked at the bottle and then looked back at her. He handed her the bottle and walked away.
"Dawson wait," Joey said as she ran after him. "What?" Dawson snapped. "Let me explain, please?" Joey pleaded with him. "Are you pregnant?" Dawson whispered to her. Joey's eyes got watery and she took his hand. "Yes," Joey whispered to him.
Dawson then dropped her hand. "Unbelievable ."
Joey couldn't say anything else before Dawson started to talk again. "You know what I should have expected this from you and Pacey."
Joey felt herself getting angry at Dawson but she bit her tongue to not say a word. "You know what's going to happen is he is going to run away from you. He did after you two broke up so what makes this any different?"
Joey stared at Dawson and just simply punched him in the face. "Just shut up, Dawson. I am tired of hearing you talk about things when you have no right in saying them."
She then turned her head to the right to stare face to face with Doug and behind him was Jack. She smiled silently at the two as she walked over to the cash register.
As she was done, she felt someone run after her, and it was Jack. But Joey hadn't stopped crying since she left Dawson so she refused to turn around. But she started to get dizzier and dizzier. Joey couldn't tell if it was the lack of sleep and food or the events that happened that day but the next thing she knew everything was black.
A few hours later, Joey woke up to Bessie beside her and Jack and Doug across the room from her. She sat up quickly but then felt a rush of pain throughout her body. "Joey just sit back for a little bit," Bessie said as she put her hand on her sister's arm.
She looked up at Doug and gave him a weak smile. "Hey, Bessie. Can I talk to Joey alone?" Doug asked.
Bessie smiled as she and Jack walked out of the room. "I called Pacey and he said he will be here by tomorrow night."
"He doesn't have to come, I'm ok," Joey whispered. Doug raised an eyebrow at her. "I am."
"What made you punch Dawson in the face?" Doug asked. Joey let out a deep sigh as she thought about what she was going to say to him. At this moment she so desperately wanted Pacey here with her.
"I told him I was pregnant and he told me that Pacey was just going to run away," Joey whispered. "Yeah, I figured it was something about that," Doug said as he sat in the chair next to her. "You knew?" Joey asked. "Well after you kind of had blackout, Dawson said, Make sure she is ok, she is pregnant and I also may had heard you beforehand ," Doug said to her.
Joey sat there in silents, as she thought about what to say about that but then there was a knock on the door and an older female doctor walked into the room.
"Glad to see you are up." She said with a smile. "Is the baby ok?" Joey asked her. "You and your baby are healthy. We just want to make sure you are alright by keeping you overnight. But I do have to say, Joey until the end of your pregnancy you are going to have to take it easy. I know when you first find out that you are pregnant it can be hard but this could happen again if you don't take it seriously. You are thinking of another one." The doctor said and then smile at Doug and she walked out.
"You know, Dawson is wrong about Pacey," Doug said to her. Joey said nothing as she just looked up at him. "My brother isn't the type to run away when it is something this big. He gets scared but is never too afraid to call his friends and family for updates. Then, there is you… for the past three years my brother will not stop talking about you. Especially when you two got together. I think the only thing Pacey is afraid of now is disappointing you or our family." Doug said with a smile and then got up to walk out of the room.
It was a few hours later when Bessie and Joey were sitting in the hospital room watching Buffy the vampire when Dawson walked in. Bessie looked at him and then looked at Joey who was pretending not to see him. Bessie squeezed Joey's hand and then walked out.
Dawson sat next to her and Joey didn't say anything. "I am sorry Joey. I guess once I heard those words, I'm pregnant. All my anger came out like fire. It was wrong of me, and I should have just kept those thoughts to myself." Dawson said to her.
Joey slowly looked at him to see his black eye. She gave him a small smile and then looked away. "You know even though you are pregnant, I will be by your side. But if you need a few days to calm down, I will wait. Just know I am here for you." Dawson said then begin to walk out the door but Joey stopped him.
"Dawson wait," Joey said. Dawson then stopped walking out the door. "Just stay," Joey whispered. "So you forgive me?" He asked.
"Not really, but I just really don't want to be alone with my thoughts right now," Joey told him. "I could get us some movies and we could watch some?" Dawson said.
"I like what is playing…if you don't mind watching."
"Yeah sure," Dawson said as he sat back down in the chair.
It was a few minutes later when Dawson started to move a lot in his chair. "Are you up to eating anything?" He asked her. "Not really," Joey said as she didn't take her eyes off the Tv. "What have you eaten today?" Dawson asked her. Joey then looked at him and took his hand.
"Dawson, I am fine, I promise. I will let you know if anything sounds amazing but for now, just watch the show." Joey whispered with a smile as she looks back up.
Dawson then relaxed back in his chair and closed his eyes. Joey looked over and smirked at him, finally that boy just kept his thoughts to himself. Joey thought to herself as she tried to make herself comfortable again as she watched her show.
It was the next night, it was one in the morning and Joey was in bed. She had been going onto an on and off sleep for the past hour that was until she heard a knock on the window. To her surprise, it was Pacey.
She walked over to the window in confusion as she opened it, "What the hell?" She muttered as he made his way into the window the best he could. She gave him a look as he smiled up at her. But it wasn't long before the two could say anything that Pacey gave Joey a big hug.
It was a hug that Joey had missed so much, warm and comforting. A hug that made her heart jump, and her emotions making her cry. Pacey looked at her and wiped her tears away.
"I'm not going anywhere. You just tell me what you need and I will be here. Just don't punch me now." Pacey whispered. Joey chuckled as she put her hand on his fingers that were still on her cheeks.
"I think we should talk now," Joey said as she looked down and took his hand to the bed. "No matter what happens, this doesn't mean that we get back together. I think we should continue to see other people. Whether we put the baby up for adoption or we keep this baby." She told him.
"Are you thinking about doing adoption?" Pacey asked carefully. "Can we give a baby a good life right now?" Joey asked. "You know, I am a huge believer in things working out perfectly during it's given time. If this baby is meant to be put up for adoption then wonderful people will come up. If not then we find jobs and a place. But I can most guarantee you that you will still go to school and we will find someone who can give this baby a good life. Or reverse we get this baby a good life and you, Miss. Josephine Potter will still go to Worthington in early September with a smile on your face. Pregnant or not, I promise you-"
"Pacey, you can't promise me something like that," Joey whispered. "I will because you are not going to be giving up your dream," Pacey told her.
"There was this time in April I thought I was pregnant-" She started to say but was interrupted by Pacey. "You thought you were pregnant before? Why didn't you tell me?" Pacey whispered in a hurt tone. "I was scared and you were on that fishing trip," Joey said while giving him a look. "Ok, I deserve that," Pacey whispered.
"Anyway, Bessie was yelling at me and said I will end up just like her and mom. I am just scared that she is right." She whispered.
"I will make sure on my grave that you don't end up like that."
"Pacey."
"I am serious Joey."
"So, if we do end up keeping this kid?" She whispered. "Then we do our best to co-parent." He reminded her. Joey put her head on his chest and Pacey rubbed her back gently. "You should get some sleep," Pacey told her. She then lifted her head and started to lay down on the bed. Pacey kissed her forehead and started to walk out the door.
"Where are you going?" Joey asked with a hurt tone in her voice.
"On the couch."
"I am already pregnant, Pacey."
Pacey let out a breathy laugh as he stared her down. "Well, I know that. I just think it's best for now that I do this plus I need to handle Bessie on my own in the morning."
"Promise you will not leave the house?"
"I pinky promise," Pacey said with a goofy smile as he walked over to put her pinky on his pinky. "Get some rest, Jo."
Joey smiled as she watched him walk out the door and then she closed her eyes.
Pacey's version
July 10 changed Pacey John Witter's life forever. It was the day he found out that Joey Potter was pregnant with his baby. He received the call around noon when he was fishing for lunch. Melanie was out shopping and Pacey wasn't really into that kind of thing therefore he stayed behind.
When he saw Joey's name on the flip phone, his heart dropped a little. As he answered the phone he heard sniffles from the other end. "Hello?" He asked. "I'm pregnant," Joey said.
Pacey's mind started to fill with thoughts. Was he ready to be a father? How long has she known for? How far along was she? Had she gone to the doctors, yet? Was she and the baby healthy? Should he get on the next flight and come back?
However, instead of asking any of those questions the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, very much."
Pacey let out a long sigh through the phone."How long have you known for?"
"Three weeks."
"Listen, I will be home in two weeks, do you think you will be ok till then? I will try to get there sooner if I can."
"I will be ok," Joey reassures him.
Pacey felt like he should say more however he didn't know what to say except. "Ok, if you need me, just call me."
He waited for a moment for her to reply but the thing she said warmed his heart. "Hey, Pace."
"Yeah, Potter?"
"I wish you were here with me."
Pacey sighed knowing things would be easier if he was by her side but he knew that would be impossible for a while now."I wish I was there with you too. But it will be soon I promise." He said."I will see you when I see you." Joey said to him.
Before Pacey could say anything else, Joey had hung up the phone call. He then let out a shaky breath. He wanted to hug Joey and tell her everything would be ok but instead, he was across the world from her. He sat there and just thought about everything that just took place. Joey Potter was carrying his child, he was going to be a father at eighteen. Was he even ready for that? Of course, he wasn't ready for that. Who was ready for that?
Pacey sat down in a chair on the boat as he thought about his father. The way he was treated by him. All the hitting he had done to him, the way he would talk down to him, the way he would remind him that he wasn't good enough. Pacey knew that's why he had to be there for this little boy or girl. He never wanted his child or any of his children to ever have to face such pain he had faced for many years.
It was less than an hour when Pacey got a call from Doug. The confusion came over him but he still answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Pacey. Have you talked to Joey recently?"
"Probably like half an hour ago," Pacey said then paused as he was about to tell Doug about the pregnancy. Should he tell his brother what Joey had just said to him or should he stay quiet? He was bound to find out sooner or later since Capeside was a small town. "She told me she was pregnant."
"So, I kind of heard about that when she was yelling at Dawson and then she punched him in the face."
Pacey laughed at the sound of that. "Do you happened to have a video of that on camera, Dougie?"
"Pacey, she passed out in the parking lot."
That got his attention without saying another word, he jumped up while dropping his fishing pole into the water. "Is she ok?"
"We won't know till she wakes up but they are running some tests on her right now."
Pacey looked down at the fishing pole and felt himself get emotional. He should have been there. He should have been there holding her hand. "Can you keep an eye on her, I will be there tomorrow night."
"Don't worry about her. I got you, Pacey. I will tell her when she wakes up." Doug reassures him. "Call when she does," Pacey said. "I will," Doug said and then Pacey ended the phone call.
Pacey then called the owner of the boat who was the uncle of the girl he was somewhat seeing and explained everything to him. He somehow understood everything and told him to leave the boat with Melanie so Melanie and he can go back with it when he flies down there.
Pacey was feeling relief to hear all this but he felt guilty for not going back from the Caribbean with Melanie. Now the only thing he had to do now was to go explain everything to her.
He then sailed to shore where Melanie was waiting for him with a smile. Guilt started to hit Pacey very hard. He felt as if he couldn't tell her what was going on but he had to in order for him to go back to Joey.
When he got to where she was, she could see his facial expression and knew something was wrong. "What happened to you?" Melanie asked with a chuckle. "I need to go back to Capeside." He whispered.
"What?Why?" Melanie asked. "You may want to sit down for this," Pacey said as he went to the cabin of the boat. "Pacey, you are scaring me," Melanie said.
"I got my ex-girlfriend pregnant."
"Joey?" Melanie asked. Pacey nodded and put his hand on his forehead.
"and now," Pacey said as he sighed.
"And now?" Melanie asked. "And now I have to go see her since she is in the hospital," Pacey said as he sat next to her.
"Oh wow. You are just going to stop the trip?" Melanie asked.
"Your uncle is coming down to get the boat."
"But Pacey what about your dream?" Melanie said while standing up.
"I have to go back to Joey. I have a kid now, Mel." He said as he stood up and took her hand. "And if something happens to the two of them, I will never forgive myself."
Melanie smiled up at him and look down as she played with his shirt. "I think we need to call us done as well Pacey. But I will say you will make a great father, I have seen how you are around little kids. You light up, Pacey Witter. And if you need someone to talk to, you have my number."
Pacey looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you."
Pacey spent the evening packing his bag and Melanie watched him go. He hugged her for the last time before he got in the taxi. Now that he knew Joey was up and he felt more relieved but he knew that he should still go back for many reasons.
He slept at the airport as he waited for his flight which was noon. Then, when he got on the plane it felt like the longest ten hours of his life. He waited and waited to be able to see Joey but the time was just not his friend.
Finally ten hours of flying, and three delays at each airport he had to go to. He arrived at eleven o'clock at night. He got a taxi to Doug's house where he borrowed his car and then drove to Joey's house. He felt as if he should climb into Joey's window because of how Bessie would probably be with the whole pregnancy situation and the fact that it was one in the morning. He knocked on Joey's window knowing that she was in there.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw her. He couldn't hear what she was saying all he could focus on was her. The way her hair was in a bun and how her brown eyes were reflecting in the moonlight.
He climbed through the window and said nothing except hugged her. She was safe, she was healthy but most of all she was ok.
He could feel the tears coming down her cheeks and a couple went down his neck.
"I'm not going anywhere. You just tell me what you need and I will be here. Just don't punch me now." Pacey whispered as he softly wiped away her tears. His heart swirled as he heard her chuckle and he felt complete as she put her finger over his.
She then told him they needed to talk and Pacey watched her as she sat on the bed and started to speak.
"No matter what happens, this doesn't mean that we get back together. I think we should continue to see other people. Whether we put the baby up for adoption or we keep this baby." Joey told him.
Pacey didn't know what he had in mind when he came down here. Mostly to be apart of this kid's life. But his mind started to race when Joey said adoption.
Was he ok with that? He had to be, because in the end could he raise a child when he felt like a child himself half the time. But he knew this wouldn't change Joey's plan for college. How could he let that happen when she worked so hard for something so big like Worthington?
But at the same time, he only knew about this baby for a day and he had already given up his dream with the boat.
He knew he would have to do everything in his power to make sure Joey's dream to go to Worthington was completed and that he was going to be her biggest fan throughout all of it.
"Are you thinking about doing adoption?" Pacey asked carefully.
"Can we give a baby a good life right now?" Joey asked.
"You know, I am a huge believer in things working out perfectly during its given time. If this baby is meant to be put up for adoption then wonderful people will come up. If not then we find jobs and a place. But I can almost guarantee you that you will still go to school and we will find someone who can give this baby a good life. Or reverse we get this baby a good life and you, Miss. Josephine Potter will still go to Worthington in early September with a smile on your face. Pregnant or not, I promise you-"
"Pacey, you can't promise me something like that," Joey whispered. "I will because you are not going to be giving up your dream," Pacey told her.
"There was this time in April I thought I was pregnant-" She started to say.
It took Pacey a minute to process what she had just said to him. Where had he been throughout all this? Why didn't she tell him what was happening.
"You thought you were pregnant before? Why didn't you tell me?" Pacey whispered in a hurt tone. "I was scared and you were on that fishing trip," Joey said while giving him a look. "Ok, I deserve that," Pacey whispered.
"Anyway, Bessie was yelling at me and said I will end up just like her and mom. I am just scared that she is right." She whispered.
"I will make sure on my grave that you don't end up like that."
"Pacey."
"I am serious Joey."
"So, if we do end up keeping this kid?" She whispered. "Then we do our best to co-parent." He reminded her. Joey put her head on his chest and Pacey rubbed her back gently.
At this moment, Pacey felt his mind racing. He wanted so badly to help her through this but he knew he couldn't.
But he could be getting a job, showing up to appointments, doing whatever she needs, but most of all what he knew he was needing to do was to show up. He needed to work on being there and prove everyone wrong. He was going to be there for Joey no matter what they chose to do.
"You should get some sleep," Pacey told her. He watched as she climbed into bed but he knew that he wouldn't get into bed with her. It was already hard being around her but he knew the hardest part of co-parenting was going to be having to find new habits with Joey.
He then started to walk out the door but was stopped by Joey."Where are you going?" Joey asked with a hurt tone in her voice.
"On the couch."
"I am already pregnant, Pacey."
Pacey let out a breathy laugh as he stared her down. "Well, I know that. I just think it's best for now that I do this plus I need to handle Bessie on my own in the morning."
"Promise you will not leave the house?"
"I pinky promise," Pacey said with a goofy smile as he walked over to put her pinky on his pinky. "Get some rest, Jo."
He then walked out the door and closed it behind him. She was safe and happy. As he continued to quietly walk into the living room, he found Bessie sitting on the couch reading a book with the lamp on.
"I reckon that you are here to plan my murder?" Pacey joked. Bessie raised her eyebrows at him as he stand in front of her.
"This is the only time, I get to myself," Bessie whispered. "Why don't you sit down? I promise I will not murder you." Bessie whispered.
Pacey sat down next to her and waited for her to say something. "I am not completely upset with you. But there is a part of me that sees Joey struggling. The way she spent half of June in the bathroom getting sick and the way she may not have a future with college tends to make me want to protect her from all this since she is my little sister." Bessie whispered.
"I am not going anywhere," Pacey told her. "I believe you, Pacey. But you are saying that now. If you change your mind in the future you will not only be hurting Joey but somehow you hurt a little boy or girl that is in this world. That child will have to face many things already with parents who aren't older and married that is if you two decide to keep this baby."
"I already promise Joey that no matter what I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she graduates from Worthington and I mean it. I want to see her walk across that stage."
"And I want to believe you. But just promise yourself that as well. I would hate to see you not disappointing the two of them but you as well." Bessie whispered as she closed her book."I am surprised you didn't sleep with Joey in the bed."
"We need to find a way to co-parent when we aren't together, we need to start somewhere."
Bessie smiled up at him and then went to the closet to get blankets for him.
"Just a fair warning, Joey may come out at three in the morning to get sick. It's just part of pregnancy." Bessie whispered and then started to walk to her bedroom but then stopped. "Oh and Pacey?"
"Yes?"
"You hurt her badly and I will hunt you down for the rest of your waken days. But for now, welcome home."
Pacey smiled at Bessie as she walked away. He turned off the lamp and started to get comfortable on the couch.
However, it was the uncertainty of it all that causes him pain. Not knowing, what would happen in a year. Not knowing what will even happen in a month. Yes, he was a fan of the unknown but a lot of it just made him scared not to know.
But deep in his heart, he imagines what their child would look like, he felt like he had done this a billion times. He always imagines a little boy with Joey's big brown eyes, his curly hair, and his nose. He imagines playing with him and teaching him how to fish. Giving him piggyback rides, and teaching him how to treat women. He would slowly become Joey and Pacey's whole world. He would be goofy and love to wrestle with others. At the end of the night, Joey would tuck him in bed while Pacey read him stories, and then Joey would sing the boy goodnight.
As for the little girl, he imagines the little girl changing his whole world. She would have Joey's sweet warm smile and maybe even her eyes. He hoped that she would look like her mother. She would be stubborn as ever but always making him laugh. He would teach her how a lady should be treated and listen to all her stories. He would love on her and tell her how stunning she looked every second of the day. He imagines when he came to pick her up she would run into his arms and love on him while Joey Smiles at the two of them.
No matter what the gender of this child was Pacey knew that this kid would be loved no matter where he or she was. He was thinking of all these things and realized he had no idea where this kid was even going to be in eight to nine months from now. He didn't even know if he or she was going to be with him to experience all those moments with him.
Would the two of them do open adoption? Would they be allowed to see their child as they grew up? Will the kid hate the two of them for not keeping him or her.
All of these fears slowly exhausted Pacey as he slowly went into a deep sleep, and started to let go of his fears, and fell asleep.