Dear readers, thank you for reading and reviewing Second Chances. Many of you are wondering if everything is ok with the baby Addison is carrying, and soon you will know. I'd like to know what you think about the plot.

Your reviews with ideas and advices will help Adrienne Forbes (the co-author) and me writing it. Read and enjoy.

Chapter 3

"I've had a lot of things go wrong in my life, I've made my fair share of mistakes and poor decisions, and at times find myself in what appears to be a bottomless pit of despair. But that's where work came in, the only constant thing in my life and my most successful relationship. Work was there when everybody else wasn't, it put my mind at ease and provided an escape from my daily struggles. My life is my work and it's because of that, that I met the people who mean the most to me and created my family. Sometimes it's hard to find a balance but I'm starting to believe in something different, something unfamiliar, to change my ways and not to place my faith in my work but to place it in the hands of those who care about me, my family."

Addison was sitting in her office doing paperwork and charting up. She had forgotten completely about the pending test results because it had been over a week since the amniocentesis. Jake walked into the office with an envelope tucked underneath his arm and slowly approached the woman.

"Addie, honey. I picked up the results of the amniocentesis from the lab" showing her a white envelope.

Addison panicked, she wasn't ready to face the results, and what if Jake had already opened it and knew the results, she was freaking out, she just needed the opportunity to escape from that situation and not face the reality, but the question was still stuck in her head, what if there was something wrong with the baby?

Her phone rang, it was the hospital, one of her patients had just admitted to St. Ambrose, she could go, could run away from that damn white envelope. "Jake, it's the hospital, sorry I have to go" she quickly kissed her husband, and grabbed her handbag and coat and walked away from Jake leaving him completely shocked.

"What about the results?" he asked before she left

"We will see them at home…Jake?"

"Yes?"

"I love you!" she said sincerely before disappearing behind the door of the elevator.

Addison had already finished checking on her patient at St Ambrose, it was just a false labor, so after a couple of hours she discharged the woman. She was finishing writing her patient's file chart, when she heard a familiar voice, it was Jake. He was at St Ambrose too, drinking coffee and talking with Amelia. She decided to remain unseen behind the wall, curious of their discussion.

"I want to be there for her and I want to be strong, but the truth is that I'm scared. I love her more than anything in this world, and this baby is so important for us. I don't want to lose her, Amelia, because she's my life and everyday I just want to hold her and protect her from the world. But, I'm only human and sometimes we just can't cope with it all."

Jake's words melted Addison's heart. She decided to go back home and wait for him.

She prepared a dinner for two. She set the table with attention. She put the white envelope on the table not to close or distant from both plate, because the results in that envelope were something that they had to face together.

Jake came in the house, he was happy to find Addison in the kitchen, "Honey, whatever you are cooking it smells delicious"

"Tagliatelle al ragù! They are almost ready… There's a bottle of red wine waiting for you"

Jake noticed the envelope on the table. This time Addison was not hiding from the truth.

The two of them finished dinner and Jake held her hand as he led her towards the envelope. The two of them sat down and looked at the envelope in an uncomfortable silence. He looked at her face trying to analyze how she was feeling and he saw the anxiety grow as her expression changed. Her eyes became glassy and her breaths unsteady but he knew that she wanted to do this, for them.

Jake took another glass of wine and asked, "Do you want me to open it?"

She nodded, and as he started open the envelope her heart started running fast. Jake's eyes scanned the contents of the letter. Jake immediately rushed on her side and hugged her tight, "Sweetheart, we are going to have an healthy baby. Karyotype 46 XY… He just have an heterozygosity for cystic fibrosis like you, but he's perfectly fine!"

She was still incredulous. She went to grab the paper from Jake's hand. Her hand began to tremble from all of the nerves in her body. They smiled at each other and their moods changed from scared to happy.

The sunlight danced on her porcelain skin as Addison Montgomery began to stir in bed. She was in a good mood after finding out about the positive test results and the fact that soon she was going to have a little baby boy. Addison extended her arm out to see if Jake had woken up yet and was taken back by the empty space. Instead of finding her husband beside her she found a small note with a chocolate heart next to it.

'My Darling Addison,

I'm so sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up because I got called into an emergency surgery. So that you won't be lonely on your day off I've sent reinforcements and they should be arriving any minute now. I promise I'll make it up to you.

Forever yours

J.'

Addison wondered what Jake could have possibly organized on such short notice to amuse her on a fay like today, just as she was going to go back to sleep. She heard the doorbell rang. It was just like Jake had said, "...any minute now." She couldn't help but smile at all of the possibilities that could be behind that door so she jumped out of bed and walked downstairs. The ring of the doorbell was becoming more frequent as she approached and when she opened it she couldn't believe what she saw.

"SURPRISE ADDIE!" The woman said carrying bags of food and other items.

"Oh my god Amelia, you didn't have to do this," Addison replied as a look of shock painted her face.

"Jake said that you needed company and today we are going to have a girls day in! I haven't talked to you in ages and I want some Addie time before this little one takes you away from me."

"Amelia, you know that I'll always have time for you. You're my sister!"

"I know Addie but babies take up a lot of time and I think that I should make the most of it while I still can."

"So what did you bring for me?"

"Well I have these books with baby names, soppy rom-coms and ice-cream… With which one do you want to start?" Amelia said all smiling

"Ice-cream! Can't wait to do breakfast with that vanilla chocolate chips of Haagen dazes, but don't tell Jake, he is controlling my diet… Sometimes I suspect he wants me starve!"

"Our secret is safe, Addie, Jake will never know!"

"Everyday he controls my blood pressure and weight!" she confessed

"Weird… Never marry an ob/gyn, I'm taking note!" they both laugh.

"Better than neuro surgeons that paint brain and spine on the wall of the bedrooms!"

"I remember that, it was in the brownstone, right?"

"Yeah, Derek painted that huge brain aneurysm because he wasn't sure how to drain it! ...Ah, we were so young and both enthusiastic of our professions!" every time she remembered that days she felt a bit nostalgic.

"Hey, hey there's no time for sadness today!" Amelia told her.

"Sorry, Amelia, it's all fault of the hormones!"

A couple of weeks later, Jake and Addison arrived at the Practice, they were in a very good mood. Addison's pregnancy was going so well, and after a period relaxing at home she was ready to focus again on her career, even if Jake was still a little concerned.

"How many patients do you have today?"

"I have a new patient at 9 am, Dr Robertson sent her to me because she suspects a case of spina bifida" She answers while checking on her messages at the reception desk,

"Wow, it seems a very tough case… How high are the alphafetoprotein levels?"

"I don't know, I didn't see the patient's chart yet… The rest of the visits are just gynecological check-ups. I think I will have lunch with Amelia and I will be at home for 2 pm… At what time is your plane leaving?"

"10 am, I should land in Vancouver at 1 pm"

"Do you really have to go?" she was sad he had to leave.

"Just 3 days, sweetheart, I promise!" he placed a kiss on her forehead "You're jealous because you haven't been called at the conference"

"I'm not fond in human reproduction techniques, my fields are others… but I will deeply miss you cuddling me in bed and talking to Chicco"

"Speaking of Chicco, you say your first patient is at 9 pm, for that time I should leave for the airport, but we have time to take a look at him, do you want?" he proposed posing a protective hand on her belly.

"Definitely, you know how much I like the sound of his heartbeat!"

"The exam room is empty. Carpe diem!" he noticed.

Before leaving, Jake leant into her and deeply kisses her in the foyer, the feeling lingering on her lips as they broke apart. She hugged him as tight as she could one last time and smiled at him as he stepped into the elevator. Jake looked at the read head as if he was going to see her that night with his big brown eyes full of love for her. The doors closed and Addison deeply exhaled taking that moment to compose herself, she had an hour before she had to meet up with her new patient so she decided to have some quiet time to herself in her office.

Addison checked the time on her watch and realized that she was late to her consult at St. Ambrose, she had completely lost her train of thought reading over Lauren's file and familiarizing herself with the case. She grabbed her bag and headed to the elevator. As she crossed the foyer a familiar voice stopped her in her steps.

"Hey Addie so I have gossip about the office and it's the really juicy kind," The brunette said as she caught Addison from behind.

"I'm sorry Amelia, but I don't have time for gossip right now. I'm late for a consult and it's an urgent case, maybe we can talk about this later. How does lunch sound?" Addison asked the woman beside her not meaning to come off as annoyed but rather as just frustrated.

"Uhh, yeah lunch sounds good. I'll just meet you at the hospital in the cafeteria say around 1?" Amelia was a little taken back by Addison's tone and comments, she knew that Addison was sad about Jake leaving and thought that she might need someone to talk to, but she guessed that this wasn't the case and peacefully backed down from her earlier attempt to talk to the tall woman.

AT ST. AMBROSE

The tall red head quietly made her way through the halls of the OBGYN wing of the hospital in search of room 3741. She located the room as she made a left down the corridor and introduced herself to the soon-to-be mother.

"Lauren Jacobs?" She asked in a questioning tone to the woman in the bed, hoping that was the right patient.

The woman nodded at Addison's words and looked at her with wide eyes. She noticed that the doctor too is pregnant as is around the same gestation as herself and wondered about the child that she was carrying.

"Good Morning Lauren, my name is Dr. Addison Montgomery-Reilly and I'll be the surgeon on your case. Do you have any questions regarding your daughter's condition?"

"What possible questions could I ask about my miracle child, who I'm going to raise completely on my own has a life threatening condition that could severely impair her quality of life? Save it, I've already heard it all so don't pitty me."

Addison was shocked at this outburst but still remained calm enough to maintain her composure.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I am one the best in this field and that I will do everything in my power to make sure that your daughter is healthy and happy."

Lauren looked at Addison, scanning up and down her body and focusing her gaze at the ever present little bump on her midsection. She was jealous because her doctor was going to have a perfectly healthy baby with a loving husband to raise with her generous surgeon's income, whilst she was going to raise this child alone on a single wage that was just enough to cover the living costs and have a little extra on the side. Lauren was jealous of Addison, and Addison knew it.

"Don't look at me like that, ok. You reassure yourself because you're blessed and you're fortunate and let me guess everything is served on a silver platter to you." Lauren started "That's the think about doctors you're all arrogant and you come in here with you're healthy baby bump and have to rub it in everyone's faces. Just do what you have to do and leave me be."

Addison knew that the woman was being difficult because she was scared. She knew that she had to open up to her. It wasn't something that she was comfortable doing seeing as she couldn't even do it with Jake but as unprofessional as it was it had to be done to show Ms Jacobs that everyone has their own personal struggles and we all get through them.

I promise all of you that more is coming, we are working at new chapter and we have a lot of ideas. For the ones who are wondering Derek doesn't know of the baby because he doesn't show at the appointment with Addison and Jake in NYC, but maybe soon or later he will have a role on the story.

...by the way, what do you think of the baby's nickname? And, do you like Addison' and Jake's couple dynamics?