3rd May 2013. Be warned, there may be an argument brewing between Lauren and Joey... Sorry! Bizarrely though... this is one of my favourite chapters. Weird, I know. Oh and can I just say... GO CORA! And why is Lucy's hair pink?

Chapter 30.

Max followed after his nephew, recognising the expression on his face as one he'd worn on many an occasion. When he got outside he looked around, not sure where he would find Joey. His eyes finally settled on him, seeing him sitting on the floor a few feet from where he was standing. He was leaning against the wall of the hospital and his head was resting on his arms. Max walked over to him and sat next to him, "You wanna talk about it?"

"The consultant is running the tests again." He eventually said.

Max absorbed those words but knew that wasn't the reason for his reaction, "And...?"

Joey sighed, "He said the alcohol in her system might force us to change our plans." He whispered.

"So you're upset because you might not be able to have a baby? There are other ways you could have a child, Joey. I know it's not ideal but it's an option."

"You don't understand..." Joey whispered, a haunted expression on his face when he looked at his uncle. "The doctor said she might have to go back on the medication and she refused. She's determined to have a baby..."

"And that's not what you want?"

"Of course it is," He said quickly, "but not at the expense of her."

Max studied his nephew, seeing the devastation on his face. "We'll talk to her... together." He hugged Joey against him. "Let's see what the tests show first, okay?" he said.

*JL*JL*

Joey walked back into the hospital with his uncle, knowing he'd left her for more than twenty minutes. He wasn't sure what he was going to find when he went back into her. He couldn't get his head around what she'd said; he wanted the same as her, of course he did but he wasn't prepared to risk her health. If the doctor thought it was a mistake, Joey knew they should follow his advice. He was the expert in her condition.

He took a deep breath and walked into the room. Lauren was hooked up to the ECG machine. He opened his mouth to say something. "No, Joe. Not while I'm on this machine. I can't have this conversation until the tests are done." She was still hooked up to the oxygen and he could tell she was struggling to breathe.

"Okay." He said, taking a seat beside her bed. Over the next few hours he watched her go through the usual host of tests. He was silent the whole time. Lauren said nothing either and the atmosphere between them built to a crescendo. When they did start talking Joey knew there would fireworks.

*JL*JL*

The results for her tests were rushed through and it was the early hours of the following morning when the consultant was back at her bedside. "You've been lucky, Lauren. There has been a very slight impact on your heart but it could've been a lot worse. Now I know the alcohol wasn't your doing but you need to ensure you're extra vigilant in the future. This can't happen again because your body will react in the same way and your heart is only so strong. I know what you said earlier and I know that is something you and Joey need to discuss and it's really none of my business but I'd hate for this to affect your relationship. Having a child together is a big decision, Lauren. You're going to need Joey's strength to get through this... And you're going to need the support of your family. You have those now but if your situation changes and I am forced to tell you your heart isn't strong enough for this, I know that support will be gone. They love you too much to watch you take a foolish risk with your health... and it would be a foolish risk, Lauren. However much you think you can do this, you aren't strong enough to do this on your own... You need to think about that before you and Joey talk about this." He left them alone once he'd finished talking.

The atmosphere in the room increased as the minutes passed, the elephant in the room stood quietly in the corner, watching the pair as they sat in silence. Neither of them spoke. Lauren was staring at her lap, her fists clenched in place. Joey kept his focus on the beautiful girl on the bed. He wondered what she was thinking, hoping she was thinking through everything her consultant just said to her.

*JL*JL*

Max, Tanya and Lesley walked into the room, immediately sensing the atmosphere that hung in the air. "Okay, you two... you need to start talking to each other." Max said. The elephant stamped his foot impatiently in the corner of the room, tired of being ignored.

"There's nothing to say." Lauren whispered. "The doctor said everything was fine." Joey scoffed quietly and Lauren glared at him.

"Joey?" Lesley said softly, worried about seeing the two people she loved not communicating, silently or otherwise.

"It's not what the doctor said that's an issue." He said. "It's what Lauren said that's causing all this tension."

The elephant took two steps forward and pirouetted into the middle of the room, frowning slightly when they still ignored him.

"What did she say?" Tanya asked, scared to hear the answer.

Lauren scowled at Joey but it didn't stop him from answering his aunt's question. "The doctor said there was a chance he might have to stop the baby plan; that she'd have to go back on the medication." He glanced at Lauren, seeing the expression on her face but not backing down from starting this discussion. The elephant took a deep breath and made its presence known, no longer giving anyone the chance the ignore it. "Lauren has refused. She said she wouldn't go back on the medication if he told her she should. She's going to have a baby regardless of the impact it might have on her health."

"Lauren, you can't do that..." Tanya said.

"Why not? I want this so badly. I want to be a mother. I want Joey and me to be parents." Lauren said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "And it's my body..." she added stubbornly.

"I'm not prepared to watch you kill yourself," Joey said, "And I'm assuming you won't do this without me?" He crossed his arms and looked at his... he briefly asked himself if she was still his fiancée. Would they be able to get past this? Unfortunately he wasn't so sure...

*JL*JL*

They were talking in circles and it was becoming very clear that Lauren wasn't budging on her decision. "Can you leave us for a few minutes?" Joey said, glancing at Max, Tanya and his mum. They shared a look and then walked out of the room, his mum squeezing his arm as she walked past. Joey stared at Lauren once they were alone again.

"What?" she said.

"I'm wondering why you would choose to do this?"

"Do what? Think about our future?" she hissed.

"That's just it, Lauren. You don't seem to be able to grasp this, do you? If you do this, we have no future, Lauren." He saw her bite her lip and he hoped that meant he was getting through to her.

"Are you ending this?" she whispered. "Are you ending us?"

He turned away from her. He couldn't see her cry. "No, Lauren. I'm not. You are."

"No I'm not."

"YES, YOU ARE!" He shouted, turning back to face her. "You know how much I love you, baby girl. If the doctor says us having a baby is a bad idea, we should listen to him. He's the expert in your condition. I can live with it just being the two of us. I can't agree to doing what you're suggesting if it means I end up on my own."

"I thought we'd discussed this already?"

"Yeah, we did. Then it was just a risk and we'd have the support of your doctor. When we talked about it before it was about the risk we'd be taking with your health to get through the pregnancy... when your condition hadn't worsened before you even got pregnant. Now it isn't a risk we're talking about... it's practically a foregone conclusion. You heard him, he said you wouldn't be strong enough to get through this. I would lose you and there's not even a guarantee I would end up with a child to raise on my own." He leant on the side of the bed, staring at the blankets as he tried to will away the tears. "It nearly killed me to see the paramedic trying to get your heart going again. It was the longest minute of my life." He took a deep breath, "I can't watch you commit suicide, Lauren. If you're determined to do this, against the doctor's wishes, then I'm walking away. I have to protect myself from the pain... because I don't think I'll survive watching you struggle through the pregnancy, wondering if each day may be our last together." He looked at her face and he saw the realisation of what he was saying to her finally sink in. He moved to the top of the bed and kissed her on the forehead, leaving his lips there for a few seconds longer than necessary. "Never forget I love you, Lauren. If I didn't, I would let you do this without any questions." Joey stood and walked out of the room, standing shakily before their parents. Any composure he'd maintained in the room was gone in an instant. Tanya reached him first as he began to crumble.

"What's happening, Joey?" she asked softly.

"I've given her an ultimatum, I guess." He whispered. "I've told her that if she chooses to go against the doctor's wishes, then I walk." He admitted. His hands were shaking and he couldn't stop the shortness of breath. He was practically gasping for oxygen. Max moved to his side and put his arm around him, dragging him over to the chairs. "I couldn't do it, Uncle Max. I can't pretend I'm okay with her taking such a huge risk with her health. I can't watch her destroy herself and take me with her."

"It's okay, Joey." He said softly, seeing how this was tearing his nephew apart.

"What if she doesn't care?" he said. "What if I'm forced to walk away from her? I don't want to lose her but I need her to understand how I feel; I need her to know that she is the most important thing to me."

"Joey..." Max said. He put his hands either side of his nephew's face and forced him to look at him, "Joey, you need to calm down. You're going to make yourself sick again and that is the last thing any of us want, especially my stubborn daughter." He glanced at his wife before looking at Joey again. "You know I understand how you're feeling. I've been in your position. The woman I love more than anything was doing exactly the same thing as what Lauren is talking about now. I can understand why you're pushing her to choose. Let me go and talk to her. I'm sure she won't push you away, Joey. She loves you too much to lose you."

"And I love her." Joey whispered.

*JL*JL*

Max walked into the room and saw his daughter sitting on the bed. She was crying as he knew she would be. His nephew's threat wasn't an idle one and Lauren would realise that by now. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her softly.

"Daddy?" she whispered, lifting her tear stained face to look at him.

He sat beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "Talk to me..."

"I guess you're on his side?" she sobbed.

"It's not a choice of being on sides, princess. We all love you. You must believe that... right?"

"I thought you did..." she whispered.

"You know what it's like to watch someone you love deal with an illness. You were there when your mum was sick. You struggled with it like we all did. You turned to booze as a way of handling it." She flinched against him and tried to push him away. "Stop that... you're going to listen to your dad, Lauren and listen good." He tightened his hold on her and she stopped fighting him. "Joey is scared of losing you, babe. He wants a child with you but not at the cost of your life. You're more important to him than that." Max brushed his hand through Lauren's hair. "None of us want you to put yourself at risk, Lauren."

"At least you're not trying to blackmail me into thinking your way."

"I would if I had to, babe." He told her gently. "Joey is doing what he has to because he's really scared of losing you."

"So he says he'll walk away from me, unless I do as he says?" She looked at her dad, "When have you ever known me to respond well to threats?"

"You don't, Lauren... but you've also never been in love before. And don't try to pretend you aren't." He sighed, "I watched him last night, Lauren. I saw the emotions on his face in the ambulance. You remember what it was like when you thought Joey was going to die after the stroke? He was watching you, Lauren. And it wasn't if you were going to die... you were already dead. They had to restart your heart. Do you know what it was like for me to watch that?" he asked. "I saw Bradley die and I can't watch you go as well, Lauren. You mean so much to me. You're my little princess and I can't let you take this path so if what Joey said doesn't work... I'll give it a shot too."

"But I want to be a mum to someone. I want a child..." she whispered.

"You want a child with Joey and if you choose to do this, it wouldn't be with him either... so neither of you will get what you want. He's not saying he doesn't want a child with you, babe. He's just not prepared to do it if the doctor says you aren't healthy enough."

"Can you ask him to come in here?" Lauren said softly.

"Are you going to be nice to him? The last time he came in to see you after a disagreement like this you told him you hated him and he had a stroke. You're not the only one who has to be careful about their health, babe."

That stopped her short and she looked at her father. "I'll be nice, I promise. You're right, I love him, dad."

*JL*JL*

Joey walked into the room, not sure if this was a really good idea. "Your dad said you wanted to talk..." he whispered.

"I do. Why don't you sit down?" she said softly.

"I'm good here."

"Please Joey?" He stayed where he was despite her plea and she took a deep breath to prepare herself. "You remember our trip to Italy?" Lauren whispered. He nodded. "I planned every little detail of that trip. I wanted to show you how much I loved you... that I wasn't scared of a future with you. It's the reason I proposed... Fuck, Joe, I learnt a foreign language for you. I wanted it to be special... because you're special to me. I wanted to make our trip special; I wanted to make your birthday special. I had a mortifying experience in the lingerie shop, buying those outfits because I wanted you to remember every second of it. I ignored the knowing looks from the smug shop assistant... especially with the crotchless knickers. It was humiliating but I wanted you to enjoy the whole break. I asked you to marry me because I know I can't live without you in my life. I guess in the last hour or so I forgot about that because I want a baby with you so badly," Joey was staring at her, "Say something, Joe..."

"What about what I said?" he asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"You're right. I can't do this without you... and more importantly I don't want to."

"So you won't take any unnecessary risks?" he whispered.

"No. If the doctor tells us it's dangerous for me to get pregnant... then we'll have to look at other options. I just know I want you with me." She brushed away the tears that were pooling in her eyes, "I'm sorry for hurting you, Joe."

He walked over to her and pulled her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry too... I didn't mean to hurt you either, baby girl, but I needed you to understand what it's like for me. I need you to know how it tears me apart to see you sick. I know it's something that will probably happen at some time... I'd be stupid to not accept that but I'm right there with your dad in hoping it doesn't happen until sometime in the way distant future." He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes, "I want us to have a baby. It's as important to me as it is to you, I promise you but I'm not prepared to risk you in the process." He kissed her softly before hugging her tightly.

TBC

A/N: Phew... that was emotional. What did you think? Got to love Max in this chapter. Back tomorrow.