Part Two

Jo looks down at the blurry ultrasound picture in her hands as she stares at her phone screen.

So far, she'd pulled up her and Alex's old text log and scrolled through the past few texts. Her eyes tear up at the few "be home soon" and "love you forever" she sees before the "did you sign the divorce papers?" pops up. She did. She has them signed. And they've just been sitting on the counter in her kitchen, next to her laptop. She knows she needs to get them filed soon, but work has been hectic and her and Bailey are riding on the edge of a breakthrough, she can feel it.

She makes the excuses to herself. Anything to not fully accept that her and Alex are really, truly over.

She looks down at the ultrasound picture. There's a tiny greyish-white blob amidst the black and white photo she knows to be her baby–their baby.

Carina estimated that she was already ten weeks and one day. She knows. She knows it's been a while. She'd been putting off taking a test for almost two weeks at that point, until Meredith had caught her throwing up at work, shaking, knowing that the "food poisoning" she had the week prior wouldn't be a feasible lie any longer.

Her hands shook again as she looked back down at her phone. She swallows back the lump in her throat before beginning to type.

How in the hell does she even begin to tell Alex this?

A million thoughts run through her head. She even thinks about not telling him, but she can't do that. She wouldn't. Alex is too good of a man to not want to help raise his kid. After all, he left her to get back with his ex-wife for their kids. Kids he missed out on raising for five years. Jo wouldn't be like Izzie. As much as she was angry at Alex in the moment, she'd never deprive him of his child like she did.

She looks down, tapping her thumbs anxiously against the side of her phone before finally typing out a message she deemed worthy of sending. Ripping off the band-aid and closing her eyes, she hit send, watching the grainy photo and blue bubble deliver.

Alex, I don't want you to think this is a cry to get you back in Seattle. I'd never do that to you, but you deserve to know. I found out yesterday that I'm 10 weeks pregnant. I figured you'd want to know. You have no obligation to us, but I wanted you to know I'm planning on keeping this baby.

[ ]

She knows with just that information, and the sonogram photo attached, he'd know she wasn't lying.

Quickly, Jo locks her phone, placing the sonogram photo back in her purse, depositing her phone in there as well before shoving it back into its spot in the attending lounge closet and grabbing her scrub cap. She doesn't have all day to wait around for Alex's reply. She had surgeries and research to get to.

She turns, smiling at a frazzled Meredith walking through the door. "Morning, Jo."

Jo smiles weakly as she ties her scrub cap behind her head, and smoothing out her scrub top. "I texted Alex." She says bravely.

Meredith nods, reaching for Jo's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Have a good day at work." She wishes.

Jo nods in thanks before heading out of the lounge.

Twelve long hours later, dressed down in street clothes, Jo runs a hand through her hair after undoing her tight braids. She checks her phone after pulling her bag out of the cubby it was in, frowning not seeing any messages besides one from Meredith and one from Link. She ignores them for a moment, closing up shop and exiting the lounge, bidding goodbye to a few of the other surgeons and nurses around.

The automatic doors of the hospital slide open and the cool, rainy Seattle air hits her face. The blacktop parking lot glistens in the moonlit sky as she heads to her car.

She stops dead in her tracks at the figure leaning up against her car in a worn jacket and hands in his jean pockets, looking down.

"Alex."