"Right I'll go sort Lauren something" Tanya sighed as she and her husband arrived home in their dinner hour a little later, it become routine now for one if not both of them to return home at lunch to check on Lauren. "Max… Max!"
"What is it, babe?" he questioned, making his way up the stairs, pausing as he saw Lauren's bedroom door wide open, the lock off the screws and the wood around it kicked in a little.
"Where is she, Max?" Tanya inquired worriedly. They saw the mess on the floor their eyes immediately falling to the broken china.
"Abi" Max shouted, making his way into his daughter's bedroom but not able to find her either. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialled Abi's number, it going straight to voicemail "No answer".
*JL*JL*JL*
"Dad's just called me. I guess they went home" Abi informed Joey as she arrived back in the waiting room, handing him a coffee she'd from the canteen. They'd been there for nearly 4 hours and had been given little information. Abi knew what was probably part of the problem and had had a discrete word with one of the doctors.
"Maybe you should let them know we're here?" Joey suggested, raising an eyebrow at her "and then they can explain why they've done what they've done"
"I don't want any more arguments, Joey" Abi admitted, sighing heavily "all I've heard for the past few weeks is shouting and screaming. I'm done with it, you know what arguing does to Lauren"
He smiled at her apologetically and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him… "Just ring them, yeah? They need to see the consequences of their actions"
"Okay" she replied
*JL*JL*JL*
"Where's our daughter? Where's my baby?" Tanya questioned half-an-hour later as she and Max arrived in the A&E waiting room. To say they weren't impressed when Abi called them, was an understatement. They were worried all their hard work would have been undone in the space of a few hours.
"She's been taken for some tests" Joey informed them through gritted teeth.
"I take it you're responsible for the damage in our home?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I take your responsible for the damage of your daughter ?" he retorted.
"Dad…" Abi went to talk but was soon shot down by her Mother.
"Not one word Abi, I'll deal with you later. YOU, on the other hand, what the hell do you think you were doing… you kicked down a door, we could have you arrested "
"If you hadn't of locked Lauren in a bedroom for God knows how long, it wouldn't have happened" he replied
"well how is she?" Tanya inquired
"Little late to be concerned, don't you think?" he questioned
"Don't you talk to my wife like that" Max proclaimed
"I'll talk to you both however I like" he informed him "what you've done is disgusting. You're the ones who've done this. You wanna know what Abi and I found when we managed to get into the bedroom you'd locked? Lauren unconscious. She looked like she was seconds away from cutting herself again. Anything could be wrong with her and if it is, it's all your fault"
"Max" Tanya whispered
"She'll be fine, Tan" he assured her, wrapping his arm around his wife
"But what if she's not though? What if we've hurt her?" she questioned
"We did what was best" he replied, kissing her forehead
"What was best? For who?" Joey inquired "for Lauren? Yeah, because her being in hospital is really what's best"
"I think you should go" Max admitted
"I'm not going anywhere" he informed him "not until I know Lauren's okay"
*JL*JL*JL*
"Mr. Branning?" a nurse questioned
"Yeah?" Joey asked, turning to the doorway where the nurse was stood
"Lauren's back from her tests. You can come and see her now" she informed him
"Thank you" he replied, smiling at her warmly as he made his way out of the room.
Joey sat at Lauren's beside, his hand entwined with hers as Max and Tanya watched from outside, neither of them daring to go in. His head turned as the door creaked open and he saw a doctor walk into the room, holding what he assumed were Lauren's notes in hand.
"Is she gonna be okay, doctor? How come she's not awake yet?" he questioned
"We've put her under some sedation to monitor her more closely" the doctor informed him "when Lauren was brought in she was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. That isn't good for her." He flicked through the notes "it's even worse for the baby and given her history I'm a little concerned for her welfare, she's severely underweight and I'm begging to wonder if her mental health issues are running deeper than we know"
"Hang on ..The baby?" he asked shocked, but things finally making sense to him though. He understood now why, Max and Tanya had done what they had, not that he agreed with it of course.
"Yes, Miss. Branning is pregnant, about 5 months to be precise"
Anyone expecting that? Now before I lose readers, I know I've covered the Lauren being pregnant issue before but I promise you this isn't the same "Lauren and Joey have a baby and live happily ever after" story. It's far from it... so please please read on and let me know what you think and can I ask if your in twitter dont leave any spoilers, I need the shock factor in this one :) xx