Even though I'm sad to say it, this is the last chapter for A Round About Way. I truly hope everyone has enjoyed this little story.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Chapter Eight: When First She Dreams

We're not broken, just bent

And we can learn to love again

-P!nk, Just Give Me a Reason

"Juliet, come back to me."

She fought her way through the darkness, searching for him and seeing no signs of him. Where was he?

"Juliet!"

"Carlton!"

Gasping, Juliet shot upright in the bed, her heart pounding and his name on her lips. The room was dark and warm, and the sound of Carlton's deep breathing lulled her back into a state of calm. When she could finally breathe again, she curled up on the bed, her eyes on Carlton. He was still asleep, his mouth curved in a small smile as he dreamed.

Memories of the previous night crept over her, sending a blush across her cheeks. Her hand went to her neck, where she was certain he had left several bruises. He was a passionate lover, and she couldn't help wondering why she hadn't made a move before her accident.

Shifting underneath the sheets, she scooted closer to him and tucked her head beneath his chin. In his sleep, Carlton wrapped an arm around her and drew her against his chest. Then he settled down again, sighing softly.

Comfortable and satisfied, Juliet wiggled her leg between his and yawned, the remnants of the nightmare almost forgotten.

He had a way of affecting her like that.


A month after her accident, Juliet was beginning to believe she would never remember the rest of her life. Carlton tried to reassure her, and God, she wanted to believe him so badly. But they had to face the truth. The more time that went by, the more likely it was her memory loss was permanent.

Carlton eventually returned to work fulltime, and to occupy the hours he was gone, Juliet slowly began reaching out to members of her family and old friends Carlton said she knew before her accident. They were more than happy to tell her stories of her childhood and of the woman she had been, the woman they insisted she still was. She wasn't so sure, but she would listen and try so hard to remember what they were telling her.

Two more months passed, marking three months since she was thrust into this new life, and Juliet found herself slowly adjusting. Days were spent visiting Carlton at work and reconnecting with her old life, and at night, she would find herself in his arms. Sometimes she caught him looking at her with a strange expression, and it hurt her. As hard as she was trying to remember her old self, as much as she wanted to really remember him, this had to be killing Carlton. He had stayed by her side through every day, every hour, every minute of this. He had never complained when she grew frustrated or when she exploded for no readily apparent reason. He had taken the brunt of her meltdowns, her anger and her fear. He was there for everything, sometimes offering comforting words and sometimes not saying anything at all. Either way, he always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

One bright Monday morning, Juliet headed to her doctor's office for a checkup. Carlton had offered to go with her, but she had gently refused. She hadn't been feeling well lately, and if something was wrong, she suspected she would need time alone to process whatever it was before she told Carlton. He had been hurt, but she remained firm in her decision.

"Good morning, Juliet. How are you feeling?" Dr. Anders asked as he guided Juliet into his office.

"Fine, I guess."

"Any headaches? Blurred vision?"

"No, not for the last two months."

"Good, good." He scanned through her paperwork, and her stomach twisted when he made a hmphing sound. "Well…"

Juliet twisted her hands in her lap. "What is it?" she whispered.

"We ran a couple of tests after your last visit, and the results are back." He finally looked up from the paperwork and smiled.

"Congratulations, Juliet. You're pregnant."


Lassiter was sitting at his desk filling out paperwork when his phone started to vibrate. Immediately he snatched it up and looked at the screen.

Juliet.

Steadying himself, he held the phone to his ear. "Juliet? Are you okay?"

There was a muffled sound, one that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "Carlton, can you come home?"

He was already out of his seat and grabbing his jacket. "I'll be there in ten minutes, sweetheart."

"Hurry."

The line was disconnected, and he felt a panic encroach upon him.

Shit.


After turning on the siren, Lassiter made it back to his apartment in under seven minutes. He barely remembered to lock up before jumping out of the Fusion and barreling into the apartment building. Horrible thoughts were racing through his head. Juliet had cancer. Juliet had some kind of tumor as a direct result of the head trauma. Juliet was dying. Every thought was worse than the one before it, and his hands were shaking by the time he burst into his apartment.

"Juliet!"

She was curled up on the couch, an afghan wrapped around her shoulders and a mug of tea in her hands. Her eyes were red and swollen.

"Carlton…"

"Juliet, what is it?" He shoved his jacket off and sat down beside her, roughly pulling her into his arms. "Are you okay? What did the doctor say?"

She buried her face in his shoulder, her fingers clutching at the material of his shirt. "I'm pregnant, Carlton."

Those three little words knocked the wind out of him, taking along the grief and terror as well. "You're pregnant?" he repeated, his fingers instinctively winding through her hair. She nodded against his shoulder, her entire body trembling subtly. Unable to process the thought, he slid his arm under her legs, pulling her into his lap. Then he rested his head against hers and let out a sigh. "You're pregnant." This was his fault. He should have been more careful, more diligent. She had so much to deal with already. They both did. But at the same time, happiness was swelling in his chest. She was pregnant with his child. The mood swings and emotional explosions suddenly made much more sense.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered, nuzzling her nose against his neck.

"We'll handle it," he assured her. "We didn't plan on this, but you love children. You've always wanted a family of your own."

"But I can't remember…" She groaned in frustration.

"Shh…" His hand travelled up and down her back in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "We'll figure this out, sweetheart."

Like they did everything else, they would do this together.


Juliet's first appointment was a week later. Carlton insisted on going with her, no matter how much she pointed out that she would be fine on her own. He refused to let her go through it alone. So they went together, and Juliet felt just a little less alone as he accompanied her into the exam room and helped her change into a thin paper gown. Then she climbed onto the exam table, her head aching.

Carlton seemed to notice her expression, because he reached out and touched her cheek lightly. "Headache?"

"Yeah." Juliet made herself as comfortable as she possibly could while Carlton sat in the chair beside her. She barely paid attention as the doctor came in and measured her stomach, examined her, then finally smeared some kind of jelly onto her stomach. There was a machine beside the exam table, probably to allow them to see the baby, and Juliet felt horrified at the hesitance she felt. Did she even want to see the baby?

The doctor fiddled with the machine, and Juliet was awestruck when the sound of a tiny heartbeat flooded the room.

Carlton squeezed her hand tightly. "That's…that's her heart," he whispered.

The doctor smiled at the two of them. "Everything looks great." He moved the wand around Juliet's belly. A blurry image came up on the screen. "And there's your baby."

Juliet and Carlton stared at the spot the doctor indicated on the screen. Their baby was no larger than a peanut, and Juliet's headache suddenly worsened. She turned away from the screen, wincing.

"Juliet? Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes tightly against the worsening pain. "I…"

Then it hit her. Memories of working with Carlton, memories of Miami, memories of dating Shawn… It all came washing over her like a tidal wave. Standing with Carlton on the top of a clock tower after Yang kidnapped her, his excitement after the birth of Vick's baby, the first time he gripped her hand when they met…

"Juliet."

His lips were against her ear, and she moved her head slightly. Her eyes flew open.

"I remember."


"Mama!"

Juliet groaned and buried her face in her pillow as her bedroom door flew open. Maybe if she stayed really still…

Yeah, right.

The bed creaked under the additional weight as Jackson jumped onto the bed. "Mama, get up!" Jackson Carlton Lassiter was five years old and the embodiment of everything good Juliet had ever done in her life. "I gotta go to school."

"Jack, leave your mom alone."

Juliet smiled at Carlton's voice. She heard two very familiar giggles, and she could picture him at the door with Matthew Gregory in one arm and Samuel James in the other. The twins were three years old now, and Juliet was feeling quite outnumbered with three sons and a husband. Carlton, on the other hand, couldn't have been more pleased if he tried.

Rolling onto her side, Juliet groaned and settled her hand on her swollen belly.

Jack eagerly climbed up to her head and gently patted her belly. "Hi, Rosie!"

Juliet gave Carlton a look. For the past two months, Jack had been convinced his newest sibling would be a girl and her name was Rosie. Juliet certainly hoped for a girl, and Carlton just wanted a healthy baby. This time they had decided to be surprised by the baby's sex. They would know in about six or seven weeks, anyway.

The baby chose that moment to deliver a swift kick, and Jack's cerulean eyes widened. "Hey!"

"Sibling rivalry at its finest," Juliet muttered. Carlton winked at her.

"Okay, boys, come on. Your mom needs to get some rest."

Jack pouted, and Juliet was once again struck by how much Jack resembled his father.

"Go on, Jack. I'll see you in a few hours." She hugged her oldest son and kissed his forehead. "Be good."

He gave her a familiar grin and scrambled out of the bed.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart," Carlton called out to her as he herded the boys out of the bedroom.

"I will."

The door closed and Juliet exhaled deeply. Her hand ran absently over her ever-growing belly.

"I hope you're a girl."

Finis.