Karen sat across the diner table from Joyce, who sat with her head in her hands. "Does he know about the baby?" Joyce looked up at her with so much distress that Karen reached across the table for her hands.

"I don't know if there's a baby. We've been so careful, Karen! Pills and condoms, every time! I'm too old to be starting over!"/div

"Have you taken a test yet?"

"I was trying to decide if I should tell him first or not. I feel like he deserves to know first."

"Buy some tests and go home to him. He should support you through this." Karen offered. "It's what I'd do."

"He's going to be so angry. He doesn't want anymore kids."

"If he's a real man, he'll just have to accept it."

.

Hopper motioned for her to sit, eyeing the paper bag she clutched so tightly. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He sat next to her on the couch, their knees touching, and he reached for her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Hop." She's angry at her inability to keep her hands from shaking. "I'm just so worried, I'm a week late-"

He tensed immediately. "You mean-?"

"I know we've been so careful, and I don't want this anymore than you do. I'm too old to start over. I can't handle a baby right now! What if I'm pregnant and my grand baby is born before I have another baby?"

He pulled her hands in his lap. "Are those tests?"

"Yes."

"Well let's get to it. You know, before we start freaking out too hard. Let's see what we're dealing with here, okay?"

She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What if it's positive? What will we do?"

He kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "We're in this together, honey. But you gotta take the tests so we know what we're dealing with."

He lead her to the bedroom with a hand on the small of her back. He sat on the edge of the bed closest to the bathroom door. "I'll be right here."

She disappeared into the bathroom with a click of the door and he held his breath. He wouldn't allow himself to feel anything until they read the tests.

.

"What does it say? He asked impatiently when she opened the door. /div

"It-it's positive, Jim."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Take the other one, sweetheart. Let's be sure."

She slipped quietly back into the bathroom and he sat with the positive test in his hands. Positive. A baby. Fatherhood. Again. Something he never wanted to think about again. What if it was another girl? How could he move on and be there for another little girl? How could he possibly be a father again without betraying Sarah?

Joyce looked defeated when she opened the door again. "Positive?" He asked.

"Negative. What does this mean, Jim? I'm so confused!" He pulled her into his lap and rested his chin on top of her head.

"This means you need to see a doctor, asap." He said, threading his fingers through hers. "I'm hoping that getting two different answers means we're not pregnant."

"Maybe I'm just starting menopause early." She offered, silently hoping.

"That's always a possibility."

.

Joyce was uncharacteristically quiet over dinner and both boys shot glances between her and Jim. He took her hand in his.

"Mom, is there something going on?" Jonathan asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Just not feeling very well today honey." She commented. She was as white as a sheet, and not eating. Jim kissed the back of her hand.

"Why don't you lay down sweetheart? I'll put up some leftovers in case your hungry later." She nodded and pushed back from the table. "I'll be with you in a few."

After dinner the boys volunteered to do the dishes and Jim padded his way down the hall and into their room. He heard the sniffles, as he suspected he would, and slipped out of his jeans and shirt to slide into bed with her. He pulled her shaking form close to his chest and wrapped his arm around her protectively. "You're going to worry yourself to death, honey. Either you are, or you aren't. And if you are, and don't want to go through with it, there's things that can be done about it. No pressure either way from me, this is all what you want. I'm here every step. This isn't the end of the world, sweetheart." She sniffled and shuddered against him and he kissed behind her ear. "This isn't a punishment for being happy, I promise."

She turned in his embrace and buried her face in his neck, her face wet with tears.