16th May 2013.

Chapter 51.

Lauren was quiet the next morning but Joey just kept his aunt's advice in mind and made sure he was there for her. In fact he barely left her side and that seemed to offer her some comfort. Max and Tanya had both been there when they left Walford, hugging them both tightly and asking Joey to let them know how the appointment went. Joey drove them home first so they could change before going to the clinic and he found his mum was there waiting for them. Lauren became a little weepy at this point and clung to his mum as she hugged her. Joey had to walk away; the sight of Lauren upset was like a knife to his heart and he needed to collect himself if he was going to get them both through this. Despite his words to his wife, he had to admit he was concerned about Lauren and their baby but he knew he had to be strong for Lauren. He would just freak out on the inside. When he went back into the room his mum offered to go to the clinic with them and Joey gratefully accepted. Lauren had already gone upstairs at this point but when he walked into their room she was standing indecisively in the middle of the room, dressed in some clean underwear. He walked over to the wardrobe and selected a few things for her to wear before going back to where she stood. He dressed her slowly and then led her to sit on the bed at which time he changed his own clothes.

"Mum's offered to come with us to the clinic. Is that okay, baby girl?" he asked as he sat beside her on the bed. She nodded her head, resting it on his shoulder. "We're going to be okay... you know that right? This is just tests." He tried to reassure her, "Talk to me, babe... I need to hear you say something."

"I'm scared..." she whispered, looking up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I know, baby. I'm here for you, babe. I'm scared too but we'll be okay."

"You don't know that, Joe. What if it's that pre-eclampsia thing? I've heard of that and read about it in my book. It's really dangerous... for me and bump."

"If it's that, we'll handle it. They'll have caught it early enough to do something about it." He lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Not really but I guess we'd better."

*JL*JL*

The three of them entered the doctor's office about twenty tense minutes after getting to the clinic.

"Sorry for the delay in seeing you, Lauren." She looked in Lesley's direction. "Is this mum?"

"Yeah." Lauren replied.

"Mum wanted to come with us because, well, we're both a bit freaked out by this." Joey said softly.

"Did you bring the urine sample with you?" Lauren nodded and passed it to her. "Okay let me check this quickly." She got up from her desk and moved to the corner of her office. All three of them watched as she did the test. "Lauren, do you have any pain when you urinate?" She asked as she stared at the tests.

"No." Lauren said hoarsely, her hand clutching Joey's tighter.

She turned back to face them, "Okay, there are very slight levels of protein in your urine, Lauren. When is your next appointment with your consultant?"

"Next month. Just over two weeks time."

"Right, well I'm going to call him today or tomorrow. I know you say you haven't got any pain but I'd like him to include a check of your kidneys in your next round of tests." Lauren was staring at her and she could see the devastation on the young girl's face, "It's probably nothing to worry about but seeing as you're being tested anyway, it's good to rule it out."

"And if it isn't that?" Lauren whispered.

"I've still got some checks to do, Lauren. We're not done yet." She got up and held a hand out towards her patient. She squeezed her hand slightly, "You need to stay calm, Lauren. I know this is a lot to take in but you need to be relaxed." She helped Lauren onto the bed and began to check her hands and wrists like she had at the last check-up. "You remember how I told you that you needed to stop pressuring yourself when you were trying to get pregnant?" Lauren nodded. "That doesn't change once you get pregnant. I know you have a lot going on and I realise it's overwhelming but it's not good for the little one. Can you take your boots and socks off so I can check your feet and ankles?" she asked. Joey moved closer and helped Lauren pull off her boots and socks. The doctor continued to check her over. "Now like I was saying, if you're anxious all the time your blood pressure will be affected and it will make you ill."

"Is that the pre-eclampsia thing?" Lauren whispered.

"Yes, it is."

"What does it mean if I have it?"

"I don't think you do, Lauren. Your hands and feet aren't swollen. The protein is a concern but I will keep an eye on it over the next couple of weeks. Now I need to measure your blood pressure, Lauren, so calm breaths. Maybe Joey can keep you calm while I take the reading." Joey stood and sat on the bed beside Lauren. He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. His hand began to brush through her hair and Lauren rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt Joey's hand brush down her cheek. "Perfectly normal, Lauren. Like I thought it would be. I'm afraid I need to take some blood from you too." She smiled at Joey, "You should probably stay where you are, Joey." Once again she took several vials of blood from Lauren.

"Is it healthy to take all this blood from me all the time?"

"The quantity of blood your body is producing at the moment, I think you can spare a little bit, Lauren." She told her with a grin. "Now, I'm going to send these away to be tested and we'll have the results when you come and see me next week." As she had the last time they were here she labelled each of the vials and wrote Lauren's name on them. "Just one test to do and then we're all done but you aren't going to like this one either."

"What is it?"

"I want to do a quick test for anaemia, which I think is what is wrong. There's a more thorough test with the bloods I've taken but this will give me a quick indication." She went over to a cupboard and pulled out a test in a box and walked back over to Lauren. She took the test out of the box and then picked up Lauren's hand. "This will hurt a little, Lauren. I'm sorry." Lauren flinched when she pricked the end of one of her fingers. She proceeded to do the test, dropping some blood into a little device from the box. After a couple of minutes she put the test to one side. "We need to wait for ten minutes for the results of that one. While we're waiting, do you think gran would like to see her future grandchild?" she asked Lauren and Joey.

"Mum?" Joey said.

"Can I?" Lesley asked softly, glancing at her son and daughter-in-law, almost asking their permission as much as the doctor's.

"Well, I think mum and dad would like a quick look too... and we've got some time to pass."

"Oh, please." Lesley said.

"Right, slide back onto the bed, Lauren and get ready. I'll get the ultrasound. I'm going to do some checks on you, just like last time while we're here." After Lauren had pulled up her T-shirt and rolled down the top of her leggings the doctor started prodding her small bump, "You've grown a little since I last saw you, Lauren. This is good before you start worrying. This means baby is growing and that is definitely a good thing." She put some gel on Lauren's stomach and pressed the probe against it. She stared at the screen, taking images and measurements. She made notes in Lauren's file. "Okay, are you ready for your first look at baby, Gran?" She asked, glancing at Lesley. She nodded eagerly, Joey standing with his arm around her shoulders as well as holding Lauren's hand. "Now, we've not discussed it before but do we want to know the sex of the baby?" She asked Joey and Lauren.

"No." Lauren said, "We want a surprise..." She added, squeezing Joey's hand and smiling at him.

"Okay."

"Can you tell then?" Joey asked.

"I haven't looked... I was asking because everyone is different. Now I know what you want, I'll make sure that we don't reveal it to you by accident."

"Have you changed your mind, Joe?" Lauren asked him softly.

"No... I was just interested to know if she knew." He kissed her forehead, "I'm happy to wait, baby girl."

"Okay," the doctor turned the screen towards the three Branning's. "Now I'm going to record this for you so you can show the other grandparents."

"Mum and dad would really like that," Lauren whispered, staring at the screen. "Oscar too." She added.

"Who's Oscar?" The doctor asked in interest as she watched them all looking at the screen in awe.

"Oscar's my brother. He's only seven. I told him last night about the baby and he's super excited about becoming an uncle. The baby can't come soon enough for him. I tried to explain that the plan is for bump to stay where it is as long as it can."

"Bump?" Lesley asked.

"It's what we've been calling the baby." Joey said, his eyes also fixed on their child. Each time it just got more magical.

The minutes passed too quickly and all too soon the doctor ended the scan. She picked up the anaemia test. "Well this isn't a full test, the blood results will cover that better but it gives me a quick check. From this it does say you're anaemic. This is something we can treat easily. I'm going to prescribe you some standard iron medication that you should take as instructed on the packaging. I'm going to rush through the test results today and I'll call you tomorrow to ensure there aren't any other reasons behind your anaemia." Lauren got dressed again and Joey helped her down from the bed. "Here is the video of the scan." The doctor said, passing a disc over to them. "I'll see you next week. We'll then discuss your future appointments. I'd like to increase them in frequency until we've got control of what you're feeling at the moment. Over the next week I'd like you to keep a record of what you eat, drink. Every little thing you feel, be it heartburn, dizziness. All of it."

"Okay. Thanks again... for seeing us at such short notice." Lauren said softly.

"It's what I'm here for, Lauren."

*JL*JL*

Lauren lay on the bed, her hand resting on bump. "Hello baby. I know the book says you can't hear me yet but I thought it was time you and me had a little chat." She whispered. "I'm your mummy and I already love you so very much. You should know, bump, mummy's been through a lot the last few years and there's a very small chance I might not be able to be there when you get here. I'm going to try my very hardest to be here with you but just in case I can't be, I want you to know now that I love you. Your daddy is the strongest person I know and he's going to be the one thing to get me through this. He gives me the strength I need to do this. Whenever your daddy holds me in his arms he makes me feel so safe and loved and I know he will do exactly the same when he holds you in his arms too." She bit her lip and closed her eyes, glad no one could see her now. They'd think she was mad. "I need you to do me a favour, bump. I need you to do your best as well. You need to grow big and strong like your daddy and try really hard to stay well inside me, okay. And if the worst happens and I'm not here after you're born, please look after your daddy because you will be the thing that gives him the strength to carry on without me." She lifted her hand from bump and placed a gentle kiss on her fingertips. She then placed them back on bump, "Mummy loves you, bump." She whispered.

TBC

A/N: Okay, I admit the last paragraph makes me cry every time I read it. Thoughts? Back tomorrow...