Her last period had been just before she slept with Mac. Her heart suddenly started racing. This couldn't be true. She couldn't be pregnant with Mac Taylor's baby.

/

She was glad the case was solved fast that day. Suicide. The poor man had shot himself through the head about two months ago at that abandoned parking lot, but no one had even noticed he was missing. Usually Jo would have taken a moment to show her sympathy in some way or at least be grateful for everything she had in her life that would always keep her going. But today, she had hastily finished her report and left the lab. She was now on her way to get something she had never thought about getting ever again. As she pulled into the parking lot, she had to take a deep breath to compose herself. One part of her felt ridiculous about her own nervousness, but she couldn't help but be. She left the car and felt almost ashamed as she walked into the small pharmacy. She looked around and quickly walked towards the isle with pregnancy tests. She stopped and stared at the overwhelming amount of choices that were in front of her. She sighed. It had been twenty long years since she had last held one in her hands, and she had absolutely no idea which one she needed. As if out of nowhere one of the store's employees showed up next to her.

'Hello madam, can I help you with anything?' She asked. Jo stared at her, not even trying to answer. The girl couldn't be much older than Tyler. She suddenly seemed to notice what Jo was looking at.

'Oh, congratulations!' She exclaimed excitedly. Jo tried to smile at her, but it looked more like a grimace.

'Well, if you want to know how long you are pregnant, this one would be a good choice. If you're looking for something that is very easy to use you could take this one. Oh and this one might be a bit more expensive than the others but it is the most reliable test we have.' The girl was pointing at all sorts of test and Jo was starting to feel agitated. So she grabbed the last test the girl described. She could use one that was reliable anyways.

'I'll take this one.' She quickly said, trying to sound nice. She followed the girl to the counter and payed for the pregnancy test. As she walked back to her car, the paper bag in her hand, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

/

As she unlocked her apartment and found that it was dark, she felt relieved. There was a note on the table from her daughter, saying she was with a friend and would be back before dinner. The little 'love you' at the end made Jo smile. She set the bag on the table and sat down on the couch in front of it. She was terrified of actually taking the test, even though deep down she already knew the result. But actually seeing the result would make it definite. She sighed and got up, grabbing the bag from the table and making her way to the bathroom. She figured it was best to know for sure. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub while reading the instructions carefully. Smiley face means pregnant. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the cliché of it all.

/

Ten minutes later she had the result. Even though it didn't surprise her, she couldn't help but feel completely heartbroken. She had thrown the bag, box and the test into garbage can with full force before dropping down on the couch. Her head was resting in her hands. She couldn't help but wail in self-pity. She had absolutely no idea what to do. Even though she had never expected to have more children, if the situation were different she might actually be happy with it. But know, from Mac...

She wasn't going to give it up, to her that wasn't even an option. But how she was going to handle it was still a mystery to her. Suddenly she heard the door open and she quickly wiped her eyes before turning towards her daughter.

'Hey honey, I thought you were at Lacey's?' She asked.

'It's great to see you too, mom?' Ellie said, rolling her eyes before turning to put up her jacket.

'We finished homework and I thought I could make it home before you so I could make dinner. But you're already here.' She turned back to her mother and walked towards her.

'I hadn't expected you to be so early considering you had a case.' She said.

'Well, fortunately it was an easy case, quickly closed. So we could all make it back to catch up on some lost sleep.' Jo smirked. Ellie sat down on the couch next to her mother and noticed something was off. Her mother's face was pale and her eyes looked red, as if she had been crying.

'Mom, are you okay?' She asked softly.

'Oh honey, don't worry about me.' Jo asked, her voice filled with emotion while she softly stroke her daughter's cheek.

'That's not really an answer mom.' Ellie answered, leaning into her mother's touch.

'When did you get so smart?' Jo smiled.

'Learned from the best.' Ellie grinned, before wrapping her arms around her mother. Jo did the same with Ellie. As they were leaning into each other, Ellie tried again.

'You know you can tell me anything, right? I won't be mad, I promise.' Jo smiled. That was exactly what she told Ellie whenever she was too afraid or ashamed. She sighed.

'Just promise me you never fall in love, sweetie.'

'This is about Mac?' Jo looked up, confused.

'How did you know?' She asked.

'Oh come on mom, it's pretty obvious. You guys have been friends for years, and though I know you would never admit it but when he split up with Christine you felt relieved and when they got back together you felt horrible.' A small pout formed on Jo's lips, and Ellie noticed.

'It's not an insult mom, gosh, you're still just human.' She laughed a little.

'Don't worry mom. Real love conquers everything. It will all work out.' She leaned her head to Jo's shoulder, and Jo rested her head on top of Ellie's in return.

'I hope so honey, I really do.'

/

A few hours later Jo was in bed. The rest of the evening had actually been quite nice. She and Ellie had made dinner together and watched a sappy movie afterwards, curling up on the couch together with a cup of hot chocolate. When the movie had ended they had both gone to their own rooms, preparing for bed. Jo had taken a long, warm bath. Not as hot as she would usually take it, but she knew that could do harm to the baby.

The baby.

Jo's hands slowly travelled towards her abdomen, sliding up her pajama shirt. She slowly rested one of her hands on her now exposed belly. Goosebumps made their way over her arms as she placed her other hand of her belly as well, slowly holding the so far not-existing bump. She knew she still had a while before she would start showing, but it would happen, sooner than later. That would mean she would have to tell people. She had thought about telling Ellie this evening, but had decided not to. Because she herself still wasn't used to the idea, but also because she wanted to tell Mac first. She had no idea how he would react and was definitely not looking forward to the conversation. But the child was his. There was no doubt about that. Jo let out a long sigh and turned to her side, pulling the sheets as close around her as possible. She had the intention to make an appointment with her doctor tomorrow, to make sure everything was okay. Despite all the troubles the baby brought, she was definitely worried about its well-being. She wasn't exactly twenty anymore and she had a stressful job. She wanted to make sure her baby was okay. Her baby. She couldn't help but smile when she called it that. It was her baby, and she was going to take care of it, whatever issues she had to face first.