19th May 2013. So this chapter will move on the pregnancy a little... not too far, but a few weeks.

Chapter 56.

The weeks passed much smoother after that little blip. The appointments with both Lauren's doctors were also a breeze. In fact her consultant reduced the frequency of her checkups down to fortnightly instead of weekly. By the time Lauren was twenty six weeks pregnant she felt huge; her belly was distended and she found it difficult to get comfortable. The only thing that kept her sane and not panicking about this disaster (in Lauren's opinion anyway) was that Joey seemed to like the way she looked. Their sex life was more than healthy, in fact she knew if it was up to Joey, it would be even more frequent. She could tell the way she looked turned him on. He was constantly moaning about the 'permanent erection' he sported, which was a little bit of an exaggeration but she got the point. And it certainly helped her feel a bit better about the weight she'd gained.

There was another appointment with her obstetrician today and then afterwards they were going shopping for the baby. Joey and Alice had decorated what had been a small study in a beautiful cream colour. After some persuasion from Joey, Lauren had planned out some paintings she was going to do on the walls. Joey had bought the paints and some brushes last night and Lauren was going to start on it this evening. Therefore today her and Joey were going to go and buy some furniture for the room. They didn't need a lot but they wanted a few things.

Joey walked into the room and smiled as he saw his wife sitting on the edge of the bed, "You okay, baby girl?" He sat behind her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing the side of her face.

"I'm okay." She whispered, leaning back against him.

"I see bump's active again."

"Yeah, bump's been awake for hours. I'm knackered."

"You sure you're up to shopping later?" he asked her in concern.

"I'll be fine." She assured him.

"Well, we need to get moving so we get to the clinic in time."

"Can you help me up, Joe?" she whispered.

"Sure can." He moved from the bed and stood in front of her. Standing up was usually a two person job these days. Lauren's heart condition had led to many dizzy spells so she had to be especially careful. As a result of this she was rarely left on her own now. At least two days a week she was over at Walford, spending time with her parents. Her dad would usually collect her each morning and Joey would pick her up in the evening. Joey took her hands in his and pulled her slowly to her feet. She closed her eyes and leant against him for a few seconds. "Okay?" he asked her softly.

She nodded against his chest, "Need the loo though." This was another downside of these later stages of pregnancy. Although Lauren had been affected pretty much throughout her pregnancy it had got really bad in the last few weeks. She was just glad she didn't have to bother drinking all the water before her scans anymore. Joey led her slowly from the room and into the bathroom. He stood in the doorway, watching in concern as she struggled to sit on the toilet. "I'm fine, Joe. You don't need to watch my every move." It was a useless argument which hadn't worked at any other time she'd used it but she tried again anyway.

"You're just too beautiful not to watch, baby girl."

"And that's not at all creepy." She sighed. She finished her business and moved to stand. She got to her feet but swayed wildly, leaning on the sink edge to stay upright.

"Want a hand?" he asked softly, a slight hint of 'I told you so' in his voice.

"Please." She sighed, giving up all pretence of being able to manage it on her own. She stayed where she was as he pulled up her underwear for her. "Another fourteen weeks of this..." she whispered.

"It'll be fine, baby. You know I'm here for you whenever you need me."

"I know." She smiled at him and kissed his neck.

Five minutes later Joey was helping her into their car and then they were on their way to the clinic. The appointment was on time today and they both made their way into their doctor's office.

"You look well, Lauren." She greeted them with a smile. "How are you feeling this week?"

"Tired. Bump's been awake for several hours, bouncing up and down and making its presence known."

"Well let's start with an examination," she suggested before Lauren could sit down. "Maybe Joey can help you up onto the bed." Once Lauren was in place the doctor came over and started to press bump. She measured the size of bump and made a note in Lauren's records. "Other than tired, how have you been feeling, Lauren?"

"Well, the hormones are back. I think Joe can attest to the mood swings. Standing up is a problem for me, I can't manage it on my own anymore... which makes going to the toilet somewhat mortifying." She stopped speaking, "Sorry, I feel like I'm permanently moaning to you." She wiped at her eyes, the tears brimming in them.

"It's fine, Lauren. That's what I'm here for. I want you to tell me everything that's wrong. I need to know in case anything indicates problems."

"My boobs are huge and really sore. And I'm resembling a beached whale now which makes me feel so miserable because there's still so many weeks to go so it's going to get worse."

"Well, I hate to tell you this, Lauren but bump is slightly small for twenty-six weeks. I'll check on the scan in a minute but it looks a bit like bump is going to be on the smaller side."

"Actually there's a part of me that thinks that's brilliant." Lauren said with a smile.

"Have you had a chance to look at and discuss with Joey about a birth-plan? We need to finalise that in the next couple of weeks so it's all set in place."

"Yeah, I've read about it in the book mum got me." Joey squeezed her hand, "I'd really like to have a home birth but I'm guessing with my other health issues that's unlikely to be possible."

"You're right, Lauren. The labour and birth are going to be critical times for your health and I would definitely say that a home birth would be out."

"So I have to go to the hospital?" Lauren asked, disappointment clear in her voice.

"Well, I've spoken to your consultant about this and I may have an alternative you'd like to consider."

"Okay..."

"We have a birthing suite here at the clinic. It's not as clinical as a hospital and yes, it may not have all the creature comforts of being at home but I think you may like it. I can get one of the nurses to show you around it after we're done if you'd like, unless it's in use."

"What about if something is to go wrong?" Joey asked, "How would that be handled?"

"That was why I spoke to your wife's consultant. He has agreed that once you're in labour, I can contact him and he will be on standby. The hospital is only twenty minutes from here and in an ambulance it would be even quicker. He would have everything in place in case you'd need to be transferred there. He's even said that once you're in established labour he could come over here so he's on hand if something was to happen. The quicker you get treatment the better it is for you." She looked at her patient and could see she was getting upset by the turn in the conversation, "You don't have to make a decision today, Lauren. It's just something to think about. Would you like me to get a nurse to show you around?"

"Please..." Joey said, answering for his wife. He bent down and kissed her softly, wiping away her tears.

"Right, let's have a closer look at bump..." the doctor said. She turned the ultrasound machine on and was soon looking at the screen. "Well, bump has grown from last week but I was right earlier, it's growth has slowed down."

"Is that something to be concerned about?" Joey asked.

"Not at this stage. It's something to keep an eye on." She smiled at them both. "I'll start worrying about it if this continues over the next couple of checkups. It could just be that bump is having a slow week and will catch up by next week." She turned the screen towards them and brushed the probe over her belly. They both stared at the image.

"Hello bump," Lauren whispered, a smile appearing that lit up her face. "Will I be okay to have a normal birth?" she asked.

"We'll only resort to a caesarean if either your health or bump's health is at risk."

"I really want to do it naturally." Lauren murmured. "I need to consider my pain relief options but I haven't made my final choice yet."

"Like I said you don't have to make any firm decisions today... you can even change your mind on the day." She pulled away the ultrasound and wiped away the gel. "Now I'd like to examine your breasts. You said you had a lot of pain in them and I'd like to check there is nothing wrong."

Joey eased Lauren upright and kissed her temple, seeing the worry in her eyes. "Do you want me to go?" he asked her softly.

"Stay..." she breathed, clutching his hand. "It's not like you haven't seen them before." She smiled at him. Lauren undid her top and then slipped her bra off as well. The doctor poked and prodded her for several minutes.

"Well, I can't see any problems, Lauren. The only thing I can suggest is getting a more supportive bra... although I'm sure you won't like it because they're particularly unflattering."

Lauren frowned. "I'll leave it for now." She said, putting her bra back on, followed by the top.

"Lauren, please consider it... you might find you're so much more comfortable." She advised. "Now, I need to test the urine sample you brought with you. And I need to take some bloods."

"It just never ends, does it?" she said with a smirk.

"Next week's appointment will be a longer one. I need to do a test for gestational diabetes and it will take three hours or so... so you might want to bring a book or magazine. You'll need to make sure your urine sample is first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. And you won't be able to eat anything until I've seen you and taken some blood." As she was speaking she tested Lauren's sample. There was nothing wrong.

"Okay."

"Any other complaints?" she asked Lauren.

"No."

"Okay, then you're done for the week."

"Time for shopping, baby girl, if you're still up for it?" Joey said as he eased the coat on her arms.

"We can't leave it much longer, baby. I'll tell you if I'm too tired, okay."

"Okay. Come on then." He took her hand in his and they left the office.

*JL*JL*

Three hours later Lauren and Joey walked back into their house. Lauren lowered herself carefully onto the couch while Joey unloaded the car. "I'll take this stuff upstairs, baby." He called through to her, "We can start putting it together tomorrow." He came back down the stairs a few minutes later and walked into the room. Lauren was sitting on the couch, her legs up on the furniture. "Would you like a foot rub?" he asked her.

"Please?" she said, lifting her feet so he could sit down. She put her feet back on his lap. She sighed as he pulled off her socks and began to massage her feet. He pulled a bottle from his pocket and poured some on his hand, rubbing it into her skin. "Oh that feels good." Lauren moaned softly.

"Aren't you glad Poppy gave me that lesson now?" he asked her with a smile.

"Oh yes." She murmured. Another moan slip from her mouth and Joey smiled. Twenty minutes later she was a whimpering pile of goo on the couch and Joey had her feet settled on his lap once more. "Ow." She groaned.

"What?"

"Cramp..." she whispered, her hand rubbing at her left thigh.

"Let me, baby." He said, moving his hands to massage her thigh, hoping to relieve the pain and make her face relax again. Joey watched her, gradually seeing her face relax. "Is that better?" She nodded. Her hands moved to bump and stroked it. "Bump kicking?"

"No, just moving around." She glanced up at him, "What time is it?"

"About half four." He said.

"Up for some extra-curricular activities?" she whispered, her face glowing at the suggestion.

"You know... when do I ever say no?" He smiled at her. "Let's take this upstairs..."

"I can't move, Joe." She said, fixing her eyes on his face.

"You want to do it here?" he asked softly. She nodded, her eyes now closed and her face reddening. "What do you want me to do?" he said.

"Touch me." She whispered.

He smirked at her as he shifted towards her, moving her legs apart as they bent with his movement. He pushed her skirt up her legs, his hands brushing up both her thighs. "It's just as well mum's gone to a friend's tonight."

"What about Alice?"

"She won't be home till later." He promised her. He pushed aside her knickers and slipped a finger inside her, causing her to moan and her head to fall back against the cushion. He spent a couple of minutes using just one finger on her. He saw the look of disappointment on her face as he pulled his hand from her. He tugged her knickers down her legs and didn't miss the look of relief that washed over her face. Joey pushed a finger back inside her, resuming his previous action on her. Her legs relaxed and dropped open further. He added a second finger and she whimpered. "Feel good?" he asked her. She bit her lip and nodded her head. "Want more?" he said.

"Please..." she moaned.

He thrust a third finger into her opening and she groaned, her hips shifting on the couch. She was breathing fast now and she was definitely close to coming. He'd gradually been moving closer to her but now he needed to move away from her a bit. He had more planned for her. She lifted her head and frowned at him. He leant forward and kissed her on the lips. "Don't worry so much, baby girl." He smiled at her and winked. She lowered her head again as his fingers brushed her insides. He took her distraction and lowered his mouth to her clit, sucking it into his mouth. Because of bump this was different to when he'd done it in the past. He didn't have a direct line of sight to her face anymore and her body was all a little different now. As soon as his mouth was on her she whispered his name. His hand moved quicker on her and she moaned again. He pulled his hand from her and pulled her further down the couch. Her body was literally quivering when his mouth sucked on her clitoris again. Her legs moved inwards, tightening on his head, holding him in place. He nipped at the nub and she cried out his name much louder. His hand slipped from her and her knees fell apart again; her hand was on his head now, pushing him down against her. Joey moved his mouth lower, his tongue lapping at her opening. She tasted amazing, so good. He really could do this all day. He pushed his tongue into her and then pressed his thumb as hard as he could against her clit. She screamed, her body shaking as she came. He licked her clean once she'd calmed and then moved his mouth back up to her clit, kissing it softly. Joey kissed up her bump tenderly, his eyes meeting hers as soon as he could. He could see the love shining from her eyes. "Good?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question. She nodded.

The front door opened and she looked at him in horror. He moved quickly, pulling her skirt down her legs and picking up her knickers from the floor and shoving them in his pocket. Alice walked into the room about a minute later, finding Lauren sitting with her feet resting on Joey's lap. "Hi Alice," Lauren said, clearing her throat and shifting uncomfortably on the couch. "We weren't expecting you home yet..." she added.

"Yeah, I got a lift home from college." She glanced at them both, "I'm going up to my room, I've got some reading to do." She turned and started to walk out of the room, "You might want to open the window; it smells of sex in here." She added with a giggle. "And remind me to avoid the couch..."

The door shut behind her and Lauren slapped Joey's arm. "You said she wouldn't be home." She hissed.

"How was I to know she'd get a lift home? It's not like she caught us at it, baby."

"Yeah but she knows what we did."

He pressed his hand on bump, "I think the fact we have sex is more than self-evident, baby girl."

"Stop teasing me..." she said, crossing her arms, which only drew his attention to her chest. "Well go on then..." she snapped.

"What?"

"Open the window! I don't want your mum to know what we were doing too!"

"Okay, okay." He said, getting up from the couch and opening one of the windows.

TBC

A/N: So a slightly lighter moment for our favourite couple (see I can do them too - it's not just cliffhangers). Thoughts? Back later for another chapter... :-)