Over the next four months, the kids helped out more around the house with chores and Hope was a godsend to Lauren, always catering for her every need… well that was when Joey wasn't around and there were some needs that only Joey was equipped to cater for.
They had grown closer than ever and Lauren couldn't remember a time when she had felt this happy and this contented. She loved Joey more than she even had and she knew that he did too.
They had an encounter with Hannah in the club a three months earlier. Joey had to go in to cover as there was a sickness bug going around and Lauren insisted that she would go in to help him. She was taking her break from serving behind the bar and she was seated at the end watching her husband working, he was wearing his tight white shirt that showed off his muscular frame to a tee. She got aroused just watching him working. When he bent down to pick up a bottle top lid that he dropped she couldn't help but ogle his nice firm shapely rear.
'He's a hottie isn't he' someone said sitting beside her at the bar 'He's also very married or so he leads you to believe'
'Is that right?' Lauren asked as she turned to look at the woman who had seated herself beside her.
'He'll flirt with you until the cows come home, make you think that you stand a chance and that you are the most beautiful woman that he's ever seen and then he throws the marriage card on the table'
'He is a flirt' Lauren nodded 'And he does make you feel like the most beautiful woman that he's ever seen' she agreed
'I'm Hannah' the woman said and she held out her hand to Lauren
'Nice to meet you' Lauren said knowingly 'can I get you a drink?'
'You work here?' Hannah asked
'I do, I'm on a break but I can get you a drink' she said to her
'White wine please' Hannah replied.
Lauren got up and she took her drink with her and she moved behind the bar. She was fixing a drink when Joey came over to her
'What are you doing?' he frowned at her
'Fixing a drink for Hannah' Lauren replied and she looked at Joey 'I have to say Joey she's not what I expected, she is very beautiful'
'I can throw her out' he said to her
Lauren smiled at him 'Oh no baby' she shook her head 'I'm going to put her in her place' she told him. Joey swallowed and watched Lauren go back to Hannah. Hannah waved at him and Joey turned away and started to serve more customers.
'He didn't look pleased with you' Hannah said
'Joey's bark is worse than his bite' Lauren replied as she gave Hannah her drink
'You know him?'
'Yeah we worked together here years ago' she said to her 'We both used to live in Albert Square' she took a sip of her drink 'so you and Joey?'
'Non-starter' she replied 'I thought I was getting somewhere on a few occasions but he would always bring up the married with kids line and that he just wanted to be friends. I was certain that he wanted to sleep with me' she frowned 'I bet he's amazing in the sack' she said as she ogled him
'I have it on good authority that he's still in love with his wife' Lauren said 'They have four kids and another one on the way' she said
'Really?' Hannah asked 'He's what 35, 36?'
'42' Lauren replied
'Wow he looks good for his age' Hannah took a sip of her wine and she watched Joey work 'I bet he works out' Lauren glanced over at him and she smiled enjoying the view as he bent over again and then reached up to get something off a high shelf.
Joey came over to them 'your break ended five minutes ago, I could do with a hand back here we're getting slammed!' he told Lauren
'And yet' Lauren sighed and she picked up her drink and took a sip 'I'm taking an extended break of you don't like it, fire me' she said to him her eyes sparkling mischievously
'I'll do more than fire you if you don't get your arse behind this bar in the next five minutes' he told her with a frown
Lauren smiled at him 'Mmhmm' she said 'There's some punters down the end waving notes around. You should probably go serve them' Lauren told him
He narrowed his eyes at her but he went off and served them. He shot her annoyed looks every few seconds and Lauren sighed 'I guess I better go help him before he throws a major strop' she said and she slid off her seat. 'Nice talking to you Hannah' she said as she walked behind the bar.
'Nice talking to you too…I'm sorry I didn't get your name' she said to her
'It's Lauren, Lauren Branning' she told her
'Oh are you related to Joey?'
'You could say that' Lauren nodded as she logged back onto the till 'Joey's my husband' Hannah paled considerably 'and if I were you I'd finish that drink and I wouldn't show my face in here again'
'Feel threatened?' Hannah asked her
'By you? Please' Lauren looked her up and down 'Joey wouldn't sleep with you if his life depended on it, besides why would he want to go slumming with you a tart like you when he has the best sex of his life at home with me and I'm quoting him on that' Lauren said and she turned and she walked over to Joey. Joey smiled at her and he slid his arm around her shoulders as she squeezed passed him, Hannah watched as his hand grazed her bottom.
She stayed for ten minutes and watched them together, the touches and caresses that he gave her every time she moved passed him, the way that he would watch her when she was serving someone or at the till. She finished her drink and she got up and left.
Back to the present day and Lauren got up in the middle of the night, she had been feeling progressively unwell for the past 4 days, and much to her amazement she had successfully hidden this from Joey and the kids, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, she opened the fridge looking for something to eat, of course everything that she fancied to eat she wasn't allowed to have, her eyes wandered over the forbidden delights in the fridge, cheese, Joey's famous chocolate mousse, sushi. He mouth watered.
She reached into the fridge and she pulled out the chocolate mousse and grabbed a spoon from the drawer and she took a huge mouthful, relishing the taste and the texture as she let it melt in her mouth.
'Mmmm yum' she murmured licking her lips, she grabbed the sushi and carried her forbidden food the lounge and settled awkwardly on the floor.
After she had eaten she felt a sharp pain, she rolled to her hands and knees to get up and go and find Joey when she felt her waters break. She frowned in annoyance that she had ruined the rug, she got to hand feet as another severe pain ripped through her causing her to cry out, she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to push, she frowned and she reached to feel between her legs and she felt the baby's head was already crowning.
'JOEY!' she cried out as she pushed 'Shit!' she frowned as she felt the baby move. The contractions were hard and strong and were barely separated by any time at all. 'JOE…..' her shout was cut off as the pain hit her again.
Five minutes later Lauren gave birth to her baby girl, alone on the lounge rug, her placenta followed a few minutes after. The baby wasn't crying or moving, she ran to the kitchen and got some towels and a pair of scissors and looked for something to clamp the umbilical cord with, but she couldn't find anything she rushed back to the baby and she picked up her daughter and she wrapped her in the towel with the placenta and she rushed up the stairs to the bedroom, she flicked the main light on and Joey groaned and he covered his eyes with his arm.
'Joey!' she hissed at him
'Mmmm' he frowned 'Go to sleep Lauren' he grumbled
'Joey..wake up….the baby…'
'The baby is fine go to sleep' he rolled over in the bed 'I'll go in a minute' Lauren rolled her eyes and she frowned at him and she looked at the lifeless body of her baby.
She put her down on the bed and she rushed to her office and found a bulldog clip, returning to the bedroom, she unwrapped the baby and clasped the clip over the cord, she raised the scissors and cut the cord and then she rubbed the baby until she gave a loud shriek. Joey woke with a start and she rubbed his eyes
'What was that?' he asked in confusion as Lauren wrapped the baby up again and left the umbilical cord on a towel on the duvet.
'Now you wake up!' Lauren rolled her eyes and she climbed into the bed and she started to suckle the baby 'can you phone an ambulance please?' she asked him
'Ambulance?' he frowned as she sat up, Lauren glanced down and saw she was losing a lot of blood, the pulled the duvet up over her legs 'Why?'
'Because I just had the baby Joey…can you call an ambulance please?' she asked him.
'I'll take you to the hospital we have time' he said as he walked into the bathroom barely awake.
Lauren shot him a disbelieving look and she leant over to grab the phone, the baby lost her nipple and started to cry as Lauren dialled 999. Joey heard the noise from the bathroom and he frowned, he finished what he was doing and he flushed the toilet and he opened the door and stared at Lauren as she spoke on the phone.
'You had the baby' he said when she hung up
'Well done you' Lauren frowned at him
'When …'
'About fifteen minutes ago' she said to him 'The ambulance is on its way'
'Is she okay?' Joey asked as he climbed back on to the bed and he leant over to look at her, 'Oh…' he gasped
'She has ten fingers and ten toes and only one head …she looks good to me' Lauren told him 'You should go wake up Hope tell her what's happened and then go downstairs to wait for the ambulance' she told him
'Okay' he said with a smile 'and how are you? Do you feel okay?'
'I'm okay' she lied not wanting to tell him that she was still bleeding quite badly.
Joey rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him and then he came back in, Lauren looked up at him as he crossed over to her and he gave her a hard kiss.
'I love you and thank you for another beautiful daughter' he told her and then he was gone again.
Lauren rolled her eyes and she looked down at her suckling daughter, she flipped the duvet back and she watched the blood seeping into the sheets, she began to feel a little lightheaded and dizzy. She prayed that the ambulance was going to get there in time.
A few minutes later she heard the door open and then footsteps coming up the stairs, two paramedics appeared and one of them took the baby and the other saw to Lauren. Joey stood by the bed, not wanting to get in the way.
'How are you feeling Mrs Branning?' she was asked
'I'm still bleeding' she told him, he flipped the duvet off her and he looked at the blood pooling.
'You've delivered the placenta?' he asked and she nodded
'The towel on the bed' she said, he left her side briefly to look at the bloodied towel. He exchanged glances with his colleague and then the baby was handed off to Joey. He glanced at the blood and then at Lauren and he saw how pale and pasty she looked and he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
'Okay we need to get you to hospital as soon as possible. Are there any medical conditions that we need to know about?' he asked her
'I have a pituitary tumour, diagnosed when I was five months pregnant' she told him 'When they told me I was five months pregnant'
The paramedic nodded 'Okay' he said 'I am going to go and get some things from the ambulance, my colleague is going to stay with you okay?'
'Okay' Lauren nodded
Ten minutes later, she was in an ambulance with the sirens blaring being raced to the hospital.
AN: What's happened? Why is Lauren bleeding so much?
What is going to happen next?
Read on to find out
Thanks for all your reviews R&R as always