Disclaimer: I wish I did, but, sadly, own nothing Degrassi.
"Look, my friend was taken in there, like, forty-five minutes ago and all you've managed to do since then is shoot me dirty looks! What the hell is taking so long?" Jay asked the nurse behind the counter.
The heavy set woman looked like she was at the end of her shift and wanted to be anywhere but in this hospital emergency room, especially given that she'd been staring down this rude punk for the last half hour!
"When there's something to report, you'll be the first to know. Until then, sit your ass down and quit bugging me!" she yelled.
"Bitch!" Jay muttered under his breath, walking back to his seat.
Snake and Spike burst through the double doors just then, heading straight to the desk.
"Don't bother!" Jay yelled, waving them over. "That nurse won't tell you anything."
Snake gave Jay a look. "What's wrong?"
Jay shook his head. "I can't find out anything. The nurse hates me and apparently there's nothing to report. She's been in there for almost an hour."
Spike patted Jay's arm tenderly and said, "I'll go talk to the nurse and see if she can tell me anything. Thank you, Jay, for bringing her here."
Snake sat down next to Jay and continued to stare at him. "Why were you there?"
Jay sniffed. He'd left his car at Emma's and rode in the ambulance with her to the hospital. Once they were here, he'd phoned Manny who had called Snake. All he was thinking about this entire time was how he'd caused all of this. I pushed. I told her that I was tired of all of this sneaking around. I backed Emma into a corner and caused this.
"Jayson?" Snake probed. "I asked you a question."
Jay cleared his throat. "I was just visiting."
Snake sighed. He'd feared this. "Were you two having one of your usual fights?"
Jay rubbed his eyes. "We were having a discussion, not a fight."
Snake leaned in close to Jay so that no one else in the crowded waiting area could hear. "If you have in any way hurt my daughter or grandchild, you have no idea what I'm capable of."
Jay leaned in too. He whispered, "I care about them too."
Snake straightened and was looking curiously at Jay, who was leaning back in his uncomfortable plastic chair. Spike came over and announced, "The doctor will be out shortly to talk about Emma. She's stable and has apparently come around."
"The baby?" Jay asked, breathlessly.
"A good, solid heartbeat, but they're doing an ultrasound just to be sure," Spike smiled. She sat down next to Jay and gave him a small hug. "Thank you, again. I can't even imagine what might have happened if you hadn't been there."
This probably never would have happened, Jay thought. He looked over at Snake, who was still staring weirdly at him. What the hell is his problem?
Finally, the doctor came out and sat with the three waiting people. "My name is Dr. Gregory," he introduced. "I've been attending to Emma. The good news is that she's fine. We've hooked her up to a heart monitor and everything's fine there. We do have her on an IV drip to get some fluids into her, so don't be alarmed by that when you go in. We also have an oxygen mask at her disposal, but she's breathing well on her own and hasn't really been using it. There's a fetal monitor attached to her stomach, so we can keep on top of the baby's heart rate, which is fine. I've ordered an ultrasound within the hour just as a precaution."
"Why did she faint?" Jay asked.
The doctor looked at him and then at Spike, who nodded her head. "Her blood pressure is low, which can cause blackouts. The important thing for Emma over the next few months will be a well-balanced diet, with lots of fluids, minimal low-strain exercise, and a decrease in any stress. These fainting spells are minor, but can come on at any time, so the less stress, the better. You can go in and see her, but only one at a time, okay? Once she's had the ultrasound, she can go home."
Spike got to her feet after the doctor left, but Snake stopped her from following him. "Snake?" she asked, unsure of why he was stopping her from visiting her daughter.
"I think that Jay should go in first," Snake said.
Jay flashed him a surprised look. "Really?"
Snake nodded his head. "I understand why it's so important for you to see her."
Jay's mouth fell open. Was he saying what Jay thought he was saying? Did he know? He didn't wait around to figure it out, but instead, went after the doctor who was waiting for him at the doors.
He approached Emma's room tentatively, wondering if she would throw something at him as soon as she saw his mug. He hadn't meant to push her into a physical breakdown, but what else was he supposed to do?
"Hi," was all she said when he peeked around the door frame.
She was lying down in the hospital bed, propped up some, with her gown pulled up to just under her breasts. A small box with wires attached to some big machine was strapped to her protruding stomach. An oxygen mask was left discarded on the pillow just above her head. Tiny wires were coming out of the top of her gown, hooked up to some other machine that was beeping quietly. Jay had never felt more helpless.
"It's not as bad as it looks, really," Emma assured, seeing the worried look on Jay's face as he studied her. "It's just a precaution."
Jay stood by the door, unable to walk in any further. "I'm sorry."
Emma smiled. "It's okay. Besides, I should be apologizing to you. You just want to do the right thing. So you should do whatever you think is best. I'll deal with the repercussions that come my way."
Jay thought back to the doctor's words. The less stress the better. How stressful would getting told off by your best friend be? Emma was right, Manny would eat her alive if she found out. He couldn't put Emma through that, especially if it would have any kind of negative effect on his baby.
"I've changed my mind. I'm not telling Manny anything."
Emma didn't understand what had caused Jay to change his mind. He'd been so determined earlier in the evening. "Is this because of all of this?" she asked, waving her hand around the hospital room.
"No. I was wrong...to want to hurt Manny like that. I...love her."
Emma pursed her lips tightly together, not breathing. It wasn't like this was news to Emma, so why was she feeling so sad hearing Jay tell her he was staying with Manny and that he loved her? Maybe because you want him to love you? Emma asked herself, but shook that thought from her mind.
"I'm going to set a date for the wedding," Jay told her. He looked surprised by his own words. Where the hell did that come from, he asked himself. I've been trying to get out of this wedding and now I'm telling Emma that I'm going to set a date? Have I completely lost my mind? No, but you love this baby enough to make any sacrifice you can for its well being. I wish I was an asshole again! Things were so much easier then!
"Okay," Emma said.
Jay nodded his head, still standing in the doorway. He gave her one last look and left the room.
Emma put her head back on the pillow and sighed, willing herself not to cry. Jay was in love with Manny. He didn't love her and she just had to accept that.
