AN: So, we all will learn a little bit about abortion in this chapter. Sorry if it conflicts with any of your beliefs, but I think that getting information is good, no matter what.

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What to Expect When You're Expecting

Chapter Nine – Hope for The Future

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"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it."– Martin Luther King

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The Women's Center was packed and Gray was feeling a little out of place, since there were only him and another man there. He was nervous; it was all so real but he wasn't chickening out. Juvia was by his side, she was squeezing the sides of her purse and that was making him even more nervous. He had to be the rock at that moment.

"Everything's gonna be alright." He said and put a hand over hers, squeezing it. "We won't be doing anything today, remember?"

"Yes." Juvia whispered and grabbed his hand.

They had spent the Sunday together and talked again about their options. Gray had seen that the stress was eating Juvia up. She had excused herself three times to go to the bathroom to throw up and now that Gray knew what was going on, he felt bad for her; throwing up all the time isn't exactly the best way to spend your day.

And they also talked to Gajeel, promising to tell him what was happening on Monday evening, after they took care of something. The older man didn't like it at all, especially after his little words' fight with Gray the night before.

But most of all, Gray saw how that decision was overwhelming Juvia. His mother was right, he couldn't judge her, she was suffering with that decision to end the pregnancy.

"Juvia Lockser." A nurse called and snapped Gray out of his thoughts. He squeezed her hands one more time before they got up and meet up with the nurse. "Follow me." She smiled politely and started leading them to the doctor's office. "Here we go." The nurse knocked on the door and opened. "Miss Lockser, doctor."

"Thank you, Melissa." Came the voice of a woman from inside the room. The nurse, Melissa, then opened the door further so Gray and Juvia could get inside.

The doctor was a kind-looking woman; she was probably in her mid-fifties or something. Her hair was all white and carefully cut close to the scalp, heck, even Gray had longer hair than her. But it fit her, somehow. She had sparkling light blue eyes and a very nice smile.

"Good morning, Miss Lockser." The older woman offered a hand to Juvia, who took it. "My name is Erika McQuinn and I'll be attending you today." When she let go of Juvia's hand, she offered it to Gray, who took it. "Erika McQuinn."

"Gray Fullbuster." He nodded and then released the hand. The doctor then told them to sit in the chairs in front of her desk and when all of them were finally sitting and comfortable, Erika started talking.

"So, Miss Lockser. What brings you here today?" She asked.

"Hm…" The blue haired woman hesitated, but with a squeeze of Gray's hand, she took a breath and started talking. "A couple of weeks ago, I found out that I am pregnant." The doctor nodded and Juvia continued. "Juvia came here a few days ago and saw a different doctor, but everything was so crazy that she didn't pay much attention. And Juvia hadn't told Gray-sama yet."

"I see." The older woman nodded again and then stared at Gray. "You're her boyfriend, then?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"It's nice that the two of you coming here together. Normally it's just a girl and sometimes a friend." Doctor McQuinn turned to her computer and started to type something. "Here you are. You saw Doctor Jessica James. Lovely girl. Did she tell you about your options?" The older woman returned her gaze towards the couple.

"Yes." Juvia said. "Keep the baby, adoption and termination."

"Very good. What did you decide to do?"

Juvia squeezed Gray's hand harder as she tensed. Seeing that she was a little disturbed, Gray was the one who spoke up.

"We are seeing our options. We talked about keeping the baby, but if that's not what we decide it in the end, we want to know more about termination." He said kindly looking towards Juvia during the last words.

"Okay, then." The doctor said. "First, we have different methods for each stage of the pregnancy and we can't perform a termination after the 20th week. Do you know how far along are you?"

Juvia didn't say a word. Gray looked at her confused and then looked to the doctor. "She's seven weeks." He said. "We are certain because it was a one-time thing before we found out she was pregnant."

"I see." The doctor took a deep breath and then took from a drawer a miniature of the woman's inside organs to show them better what was going to happen. "We'll use the method most common and comfortable for both woman and fetus. Well, first of all you'll have an ultrasound to determine the size of the pregnancy tissue and position of your uterus, Miss Lockser. Once the ultrasound is completed the nurse will offer you an anti-anxiety medication to take orally while you wait to see me. Before the procedure an IV is inserted to provide medications that will ensure a comfortable procedure." Juvia was staring blankly at the doctor, but nodded slightly. "You are not put to sleep during the procedure but you will feel very drowsy. Prior to the procedure I will do a pelvic exam, which means that I'll insert one finger into the vagina to determine the size and position of the uterus with my own hands to perform the procedure. Once the exam is complete a speculum, I think you're familiar with it if you have your appointments with your gynecologist right: it's the instrument used for pap exams, is inserted into the vagina to allow me to see your cervix, which is this opening of the uterus." Doctor McQuinn pointed to the miniature. "I will then freeze the cervix with a local anesthetic; this may cause a small amount of cramping or pinching."

"So, she won't feel pain?" Gray asked. Since he knew nothing about the subject, he was compelled to ask.

"No, just a little bit of cramping, nothing serious." The older woman said and Gray nodded for her to continue her explanation. "I will first gently open the cervix to gain access to the uterus; this may result in slight pressure and cramping. Once the cervix is open, I will empty the pregnancy tissue with a tube connected to a suction pump; you can feel minimal to heavy cramping as the uterus contracts and gets smaller. I will then clean the walls of the uterus to ensure all the tissue is removed and a final suction is done. The procedure should take no more than 10 minutes."

Gray nodded in understanding. It seemed simple enough. "Is that safe?"

"Very." Erika nodded. "It is expected that women do not eat or drink six hours prior to the procedure; this includes gum and water. She won't be able to drive for 24 hours after it; therefore you must make arrangements to have someone pick her up." She told Gray.

"I see." He said. "And what about rest?"

"A day would be enough, but if she could stay in bed for, let's say... a weekend wouldn't hurt." Doctor McQuinn said. "Do you have any questions, Miss Lockser?" Gray stared at his girlfriend and was concerned almost immediately; she was so pale that it scared him.

"Juvia, are you alright?" Gray asked and saw her hand go to her stomach and the other, she let go of his own and put it over her mouth. Seeing the clear signs of her nausea, he turned to the doctor. "Where's the bathroom?"

"I have one here." The older woman opened a door that was in the wall behind her and Juvia was quickly on her feet to get there. She didn't even have the time to close the door before bending over and emptying the few contents of her stomach on the toilet.

Gray went inside and held her hair, seeing that there was nothing else he could do at the time. He looked over his shoulder to doctor McQuinn.

"Sorry about that."

"If I got disturbed every time a person throws up, I would be a terrible doctor." Erika said, shaking her head lightly. "Don't worry. Take care of her." The older woman said kindly as she returned to her desk, while Gray stayed with Juvia.

After a few minutes, the girl was done. She had tears in her eyes when Gray's eyes met hers and again, he was concerned.

"Juvia? What is it?" He asked and she saw her sit on the bathroom floor and he didn't concerned himself with if it was or not sanitary at that moment.

"I can't do this." She murmured.

"What?" Gray asked, kneeling in front of her.

"The baby." She sobbed and let the tears fall. Gray's heart sank a little bit, but nodded in understanding. Maybe it was too much for her to have a baby at that moment.

"It's alright. I told you that I would be with you with whatever decision." He said kindly. "We can schedule the termination if that's what you wa-..."

Gray got interrupted by her. She was shaking her head. "No, no. It's the opposite. Juvia can't have an abortion." She said and Gray took a quick breath. "Not when this is your baby."

He shook his head; Gray couldn't let her choose to have the kid because he wanted it.

"Juvia, we talked about this... I don't want you making that decision because I want it..."

"It's not like that. Juvia can't terminate this pregnancy because this baby is yours and mine; we made it together. It doesn't matter how, it's ours." She put her hand over her lower stomach. "Juvia only thought about the bad side of having a baby right now, but you showed me that it is possible to have it all. And… maybe if this were anyone else's baby, Juvia could go through with the abortion, but it is ours. And like always, you give Juvia strength and hope." The girl changed her expression to one of despair. "Just… promise you will be there. Juvia doesn't know if she can do it alone."

"I will!" Gray reassured her, trying his best to calm her down. "I promised to be here for you and I'll be."

"Juvia can't be alone anymore, Gray-sama." She was still crying, the damn hormones kicking in. "Before, Juvia only knew loneliness, but now, she has friend and you. She can't be alone again." Gray frowned, not exactly knowing why they were at that subject.

"You won't." He said. "This baby will bind us forever; you'll never be alone again, okay?" Gray saw her nod lightly. "No matter what happens between us, I promise to be with you." Those only made her cry harder. "And I can't think of anyone else better to be the mother of my kid."

"Really?" She asked quietly.

"Really." He nodded. Gray saw her give him a small smile. "So, I guess we're keeping it?" He asked a little uncertain.

She hesitated, but nodded. Gray offered her a big grin. "First you scare me with getting pregnant, and then you tell me we won't be having the baby, and then you tell me that we are. I don't think I ever had this much excitement in only four days."

"Maybe we should stop the excitement for a while." Juvia said with a small smile.

"It would be good. I don't think I can take another four days like these." He laughed quietly, also sitting on the floor in front of her.

"It won't be easy." Juvia said.

"It won't" Gray nodded.

"Are we prepared for this?" She asked.

"Hell no." Gray scoffed. "We are most certainly not. But we'll figure things out as we go. We always have." He offered his hand to her and she took it. "Okay?"

"Yes." Juvia nodded.

"Now let's get up and go talk to the doctor. I don't think she wants us to be all mushy in her bathroom." Gray said getting up and Juvia giggled as he helped her up. Both of them washed their hands before stepping out of the bathroom. The doctor was sitting on her chair, with a small smile on her lips. "Sorry about that." He told her again.

"It's okay." Doctor Erika said. "We are always happy to see a couple deciding against the abortion because they decided to keep the baby." She grinned and Gray and Juvia returned to their seats. "Now that you will remain pregnant, Miss Lockser, I will prescribe you a few vitamins for you. This clinic can provide you pre-natal care or you can go to another one that you feel more comfortable with." The doctor said and Juvia nodded. The girl turned to look to Gray and he felt her gaze on him and stared back at her, and offered her a smile before returning his attention back to the doctor and that time, she was the one who reached for his hand.

She had been scared to want the baby and end up alone. She had been scared to have the baby and screw up. She had been terrified of scare Gray off with the pregnancy. She had been afraid of changing her life completely.

But then Gray had promised her to stay by her side. And she knew how strongly he felt about his promises. He would be there for her.

So, she had allowed herself to wonder about the child growing inside her belly. She had allowed herself to want to have the baby.

Gray was being so patient with her and her indecisions, but now her mind was set straight. She was still scared, of course. She never dealt with a situation such as that one, and it scared the life out of her, but she had Gray by her side. She could do it. For him and for their baby, she was going to get stronger to earn them.

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Gajeel was staring at the couple in front of him with wide eyes and was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Juvia and Gajeel were at the kitchen, each was sitting in one side of the counter.

"You are what?" He asked, looking at Juvia.

"Pregnant." She answered, and noticed that Gray was strategically standing behind her, even though there was a small wall between them and Gajeel.

"Fullbuster!" Gajeel was red on the face. "You got Juvia pregnant!" He got up and started to walk from one side to another like a caged tiger.

"It was an accident, Gajeel-kun." Juvia sighed in exasperation.

"No, no, no, no." The older man stopped his pacing. "Falling down the stairs is an accident. Getting hit by a truck is an accident! Forgetting to use a condom is not an accident!"

"We were drunk." Gray tried to tell him.

"Oh, you don't get to talk right now, you little motherfu..."

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia said.

"Shit! Both of you are stupid." Gajeel pointed to them with his eyes narrowed. "You two are stupid!"

"We know." Juvia sighed and went to stay by Gajeel's side, while Gray stayed in a safe distance from the red eyed man. "But it's done now."

"Yes, of course it's done. A couple of stupid's like you." Gajeel mumbled a few cuss words for a minute or two while the couple stayed in silence giving him time to get used to the idea that his friend, the closest thing he had to a sister, was pregnant. They certainly needed their own time to think too. "What are you two doing?" He emphasized the word, staring right into Gray's eyes, sending a very simple message.

'You are not leaving her.' His stare said.

"We talked and we are keeping it." Gray said, staring back at him.

"I see." Gajeel put his hand over his eyes. "This is so stupid. You were stupid, Juvia." He said. "And all this time you were sick because of the kid. And you didn't tell me." There was a slight note of disappointment in his voice.

"Sorry." Juvia stepped closer to her friend. "But it was something Juvia needed to decide with Gray-sama. Now that we did, you were the first one we told." She said. "Juvia promised to tell you once she was ready and she is. Before, Juvia was confused and scared."

"That's usually when you go to someone for help, baka." Gajeel snarled at her.

"Gajeel-kun, I didn't even know if I was going to keep the baby." Juvia said kindly to him and he frowned.

"What?"

"Juvia was considering an abortion, Gajeel." Gray told him. "Up until this morning, that was an option."

Gajeel stared at Juvia for a full minute before speaking, his eyes darker for a moment.

"If you have doubts..." He said.

"I do. But..." She was beginning to say when he interrupted.

"Do you know what are you doing by keeping it?" Gajeel asked her.

"Yes." She nodded and Gray frowned to their conversation.

"Do you remember how it was for us?" Gajeel asked again.

"Juvia will never forget." She answered.

"And are you committed to this?" They were looking into each other's eyes. "The kid will be someone you can't toss around if you get bored. You out of all people knows how that feels."

"Yes." Juvia answered simply. "I was scared at first, but Gray-sama promised to stay. And, Juvia thinks that even if he didn't." She told her friend and then looked over her shoulder to Gray. "It's just like Juvia told Gray-sama: this baby is ours. I'm still afraid, but in the moment I decided to have it, Juvia will not give it up. Ever."

The blunette returned her eyes to Gajeel. "It won't be easy, but no matter what happens, Juvia will never allow it to have the same childhood we had, Gajeel-kun." Juvia said and the older man nodded.

"Okay." He sighed. "It's done now. You have to take care of yourself now, you know, baka?"

"Yes." Juvia stepped close to him and gave him a hug, which Gajeel accepted awkwardly.

"And I'll have to get used to smell dirty diapers and wake up in the middle of the night." He groaned in pain with the thought and Juvia giggled.

"I guess you will."

"Well, if you had to wake up in the middle of the night when I came home from a night of drinking and sometimes you do use the bathroom after me, I guess that will make us even." He mumbled.

Gray let them have their moment, while he thought about what they just said. Juvia was currently roommates with Gajeel, not him. That was another point they had to carefully think about, along with many, many other things. Their living arrangement. How would that work out? For the moment, Gray pushed it away from his mind, relieved that at least Gajeel knew and didn't condemn them too much, other than telling how stupid they were. Gray needed to get used to be called that for a few more times once he let his friends know.

Oh, man. Telling everyone else was going to be a pain.

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AN: Hello, darlings! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Anyway, I'm gonna go back to college next week, so the updates will become more random, but I'll try to update two times a week so it can be done soon, alright? We still have plenty ground to cover in all of this. I mean, the rest of the guys don't even know Juvia and Gray are dating! I'll be taking a flight that will last in total about a day, so I'll most certainly write this and the sequel to "Call his name" during it. Oh yeah. Juvia will have her payback. Sorry, I just feel a little frisky. I went to THE biggest and awesomest Carnival ever. It is the bigger in the world, I think. Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil is the best, even if I didn't like the songs (not my style) and yet, it was amazing; that's how much fun it is! Oh man, I had a great time.

Anyways, I'd like to thank: Guest, Uchiha Evangeline, YamixTeaLover, Katy-Joanne20, NekoMaji, Darkhope, Yukistar, animegirl115, Guest, AngelBaby5643, cybercorpsesnake, Angel the Neko, AliceCullen3, XxPIPxX, Essence97, Chibi Waru-Chan, ke23, Jessicutie, Rochi-Chan, TAEMiNATOR18, amyskywalker, DarkSkiesBlueEmotions, Ushiio and FairyTailxoLove for reviewing! All of you rock!

02/15/2013 ~ BonneyQ