After a few minutes Lauren sniffed and she got up to get some tissues
'Do you feel okay?' he asked her 'The baby?'
She nodded 'The doctors did an ultrasound' she told him 'He said that she's healthy and developed to the stage she should be'
'She?' Joey looked at her 'We're having another girl?' he asked her and Lauren nodded as she sat down next to Joey.
'Yes' she nodded as she wiped her eyes.
Joey smiled 'Wow another daughter, another baby in the house'
'Yeah' Lauren nodded
'I thought….' Joey frowned 'I thought that what was we wanted?' he asked her softly
'It is' she said in between sobs. 'I just… I went to the doctors expecting to have the diagnosis of the menopause and instead I get sent up the hospital and get told that I'm pregnant and I have a brain tumour. It's kind of a lot to take in! My head is spinning. If I hadn't see the ultra sound for myself then I wouldn't have believed it, I mean I haven't had any symptoms. No morning sickness, no cravings, all my normal clothes fit, they're a little snug but I just assumed that I was putting on a little weight; I haven't even felt pregnant. I've been drinking, popping painkillers for my headache. I even ate sushi the other day' she told him
Joey looked at her 'Well what did the doctor say?'
'Doctors' she said 'I have two' she licked her lips 'and to be honest I didn't really take all that much in. Mum did though, she asked a lot of questions' she wiped her eyes again and she took a deep breath, 'We need to figure out what we are going to tell the kids' Lauren told him softly
'I know' he nodded and he looked down at his hands, 'we can send them upstairs to do their homework and then you, me, Max and Tanya can talk things through and come up with a plan as to what we ar going to tell the kids without worrying them' he said and he looked at her 'Do we need to be worried?' he asked her
She nodded her head 'I think so' she said quietly and started to cry again.
Joey put his arm around her 'Ssh' he whispered softly 'Don't cry, not until we know what all the options are' he told her 'Babe don't cry' Lauren sniffed as she heard a car door outside 'Oh god is that them already?'
'It's probably Lucy' Joey said as the doorbell rang 'I'll go' he told her and he got up and opened the door, he let Lucy in 'I'm going to take Lauren upstairs' he told her
'Okay' she nodded 'Do you want some coffee or anything?'
'No thanks' he shook his head
Joey went back into the lounge and he took Lauren's hand in his and he pulled her to her feet
'Where are we going?' she asked him
'Upstairs' he said softly. 'Come here' he said scooping her into her arms, carrying her up the stairs and into the bedroom and he kicked the door shut with his foot and he carried her to the bed, laying her down on it. He got on beside her and she moved into his arms. 'We'll figure things out okay?' he asked her 'Whatever happens we'll deal with it okay? I promise' he told her 'you and me together' he told her, he licked his lips 'did the doctors tell you how big the tumour is?'
'No' Lauren said 'they were going to give me a CT and MRI scan but when the blood tests came back to tell them that I was pregnant they couldn't do either' she shook her head 'The radiation could affect the baby' she explained
'What about the treatment?' he asked her
'I spaced out and I don't know what they said, mum got some information from them, I think she has it in her purse….I don't know' Lauren said with a frown
'The kids are going to have a lot of questions' Joey told her 'Questions that we don't have the answers to'
'I know'
'I think mum should be here' he told her
'Oh god I forgot about Sarah' Lauren said with a frown 'Of course she should be' she nodded 'You should phone her, ask her to come over'
'And what about Hope?' Joey asked her softly
'I can't deal with Hope right now' Lauren shook her head 'I said some terrible things to her…'
'I know she told me' Joey said softly 'And she also told me what she said to you'
Lauren looked at him in surprise 'She did?'
Joey nodded 'and James filled in the rest, she's really sorry Lauren, she cried all the way to mum's and I know that you are sorry too, she thinks that you wished that she hadn't been born'
'Sometimes I do' she replied and she sniffed 'She is such a handful Joey….I can't deal with her tantrums and her attitude' she told him 'Maybe it will be better if she stays at Sarah's'
'I am going take time off work and I will be here the whole time. She will not be a problem and I think she realises that I am not a pushover'
'You are when it comes to her' Lauren said softly
'I told her that she was grounded for two months and that after that two months was up she had to find a part time job after school and weekends' he told her 'She doesn't have a mobile phone, that's in the glove box of my car and I told her that it was about time that she started acting like a grown up'
'You did?'
'Mmhmm' Joey nodded 'She even made breakfast this morning'
'How many times did you have to ask her?'
'Twice, but she did it' he told her
'The other three got up early this morning, made their lunches, made breakfast and cleaned up, reorganised the chores and put a new chart on the fridge. The only chores I have to do is the shopping and the rubbish bins. They even organised a lift to and from school until I felt better' she told him 'I didn't have to ask them to do it. Sophie organised tonight's dinner, took some steaks out to cook and they even slept with last night, Sophie came in first and then James and Connor' she told her
'They did?' he asked her and she nodded
'It was so cute, they haven't done that since they were little, do you remember when the three of them were little and they came in to our bed because of the thunderstorm?'
'I remember' Joey nodded 'Connor was the most scared out of the three of them, James wanted to be where Connor was and Sophie and James were inseparable' he smiled 'Hope slept through most of it but woke up when one loud clap of thunder hit right over head and she dived into the bed and she clung to you like a limpet'
Lauren smiled 'She was so scared poor little thing, trying to be brave because she was the oldest, she was what.. 9 or 10?
'9 I think' Joey said and he looked at Lauren, brushed her tears away with his fingers, his hand lingering on her cheek before he lopped her hair around her ear with a smile 'Hope needs to be here Lauren, she needs to know' he told her softly 'Imagine how she's going to feel to find out that everyone else knows and she doesn't'
'She's not going to care Joey trust me' Lauren shook her head
'That's where you are wrong' he told her 'Look, I'll ask mum to bring her and if she even looks as though she is going to say anything nasty then I will kick her out myself' he told her
Lauren nodded and then sighed 'okay' she said
Joey nodded 'I'm going to see how Lucy's doing downstairs and call mum okay? I want you to wash your face and run a brush through your hair and I will come back up in a minute' he told her softly. He kissed her forehead softly and then got up and went downstairs.
He chatted to Lucy briefly and then called his mum and asked her to come over with Hope in about half an hour. He called Tanya and spoke to her and said for them to be back in half an hour too, Lucy had poured them both a coffee.
'Thanks Lucy' Joey smiled at her and he took the cups upstairs.
He could hear Lauren in the bathroom, he put the coffees on the bedside table and he walked into the bathroom. Lauren met his gaze in the mirror. 'All right?' he asked her 'Everyone will be here in half an hour' he said
'So what do we tell them?'
'Tanya's going to come upstairs with mum and Max, Lucy will keep the kids downstairs and we'll talk it through before we decide what we will tell them'
'Okay' she nodded
Lauren took a deep breath and she let it out slowly 'I'm scared Joey'
He nodded 'I know' he murmured softly 'I wish I was the one with the brain tumour not you'
'Don't' Lauren shook her head turning to look at him
'It's true. You've already been through so much, the miscarriages, Patrick..'
'You went through that too' she said quietly and she sniffed
Joey cupped her face in his hands and he brushed new tears away with this thumbs. 'This time we are going to have a healthy baby girl' he told her 'and you are going to be fine' he told her firmly 'Do you hear me Lauren Branning?'
She nodded 'I love you' she whispered softly
'I know. God I love you too' he said and he drew her into a soft kiss.
AN: So Joey has talked Lauren into Hope coming home …even if it is just to hear the news that they have to share and Sarah will be there too.
Lucy's being very supportive.
And they are having another baby girl.
Thanks for all your review
R&R as always
Back tomorrow