AN: Let me be clear in saying that I have plagiarized myself with this story. It's been sitting in my editing folder for a while and I keep forgetting to finish it. I got inspired a little while ago and decided to rewrite this fic for Kathony and posted it a week ago. This is my original story that I wrote and since I'm plagiarizing myself, I don't really give a shit about it so enjoy this story and it's twin.

That afternoon, when Luna and Helena went down for a nap, Jo had laid down too. Alex decided to spend his alone time finishing putting up the family pictures Jo had wanted to hang in the hallway. They were the new portraits of the girls they had taken a few months ago after Luna turned two. They had gone to a professional photographer and studio to have them taken along with Jo's maternity pictures and family pictures. It was a little cliche with all of them dressed in jeans and white t-shirts against a grey backdrop, but they turned out well and Jo and the girls looked beautiful.

It was classic but cute and better than the maternity photos they had when she was pregnant with Helena. They had taken them in their backyard with Zola as their photographer. Although those had turned out pretty well, given that they were in the middle of a pandemic. The newborn photos they had of Luna in the NICU, were taken by Jo and one of the nurses who did photography as a hobby. Those photos were for her mom, Val. Although his favorite was the selfie they had taken together, of them sitting on the floors at their new home with one of the girls in each of their arms.

Alex took a second to admire the photos of his family. Luna was getting so big, but was still a skinny little toddler with a full head of blond hair. She had big blue eyes that made him want to give her the world. She was still learning how to sign as her speech and hearing therapy progressed, but she had always been so quiet and observant. She was so smart too. She loved to look at her picture books and had memorized several of them as she recited them to herself. She loved to learn about space and play pretend space explorer. Jo thought she was for sure going to be an astronaut, but Alex knew how much she loved books and could see a future for her in that.

Helena was the opposite, she was a leap first, look later kind of kid. Always physically active and ready to get up and go. Jo said she was like him in the sense, especially when she didn't think before she acted or spoke. But he thought she also got this partly from Jo. This caused her to be quite the troublemaker. She still had all of her baby fat with arm rolls and tummy folds and thick thighs that rarely fit into a pair of jeans. With wild Brown curls and big honey eyes that looked up at him with a spark of mischief. She was kind and helpful like Jo and had a soft spot for taking care of the younger kids like he did. Always willing to go get things for them and help them. She was so kind and loved to snuggle, making them forgive all her trouble.

And then there was his wife. Jo somehow looked even better with age, even while heavily pregnant. She was his everything. She was like a ray of sunshine and a single smile from her could brighten his day. She was so brilliant in everything she did and she was an incredible surgeon and doctor. She was so dedicated to her patients and providing the best quality of care for them. Her brain worked faster than he could even fathom, especially when it came to math. She was an amazing mother to their girls. Jo was so kind and caring and she would do anything for them. He would deal with any annoying stubbornness she had if it meant he got to see her smile. Each smile she gave him filled him with more love than he ever thought possible and when his girls looked up at him with similar smiles he was a goner. If this one was a little girl she'd have him wrapped around her finger, although regardless, they already did.

Now as he stared at the photographs of her, he no longer wondered which ones he would pick for her funeral. He just saw her beautiful smile and her glowing happy eyes. Still the possibility of Jo dying still plagued his mind. Her heart could give out when she went into labor and there could be another birth complication. Or her heart could just give out one day unexpectedly and he could be left to stare at her only in pictures.

Alex swallowed the lump in his throat and walked away from the pictures, going to find Jo to stare at her in person. Because he could, and it helped the fear inside of him. As he walked upstairs he heard the sound of the floor creaking as Jo walked around. He stepped into their bedroom only to find the sheets thrown back and the bed empty. Thus he followed the sound of Jo sighing and gasping to the nursery across the hall. Rather it was the new baby's nursery, he supposed he couldn't call Luna and Helena's room the nursery anymore.

"I thought you were going to take a nap?" Alex asked with concern as he saw the sweat on her brow.

Jo had the crib mattress propped up and was putting on a new bed sheet. She was changing the green sheet to a light gray sheet with green trees. They decided to go with a gender-neutral forest theme for the nursery. At Jo direction he had painted the walls a light green with one white and pine tree wallpaper accent wall. There were also lots of forest friends and pictures. They had moved the girls into toddler beds and kept Helena's light brown crib for the new baby that now sat parallel to the window.

There was a forest friend's rug on the floor. A little white tent set up in the corner that Luna and Helena loved to play in. There was even a tree shaped bookcase that climbed the walls next to the rocking chair he had moved from Luna and Helena's room into here. The nursery was completed a few days ago as Jo had put away all the clothes, books, stuffed animals, and toys.

"Do you know how hot it is in our bedroom right now? Let alone how hot it is between two toddlers that run as warm as you do?" Jo said with a huff, not even bothering to turn around as she stripped the sheet off and threw it over her shoulder.

"Well, given that we're in the middle of a July heat wave with no AC I know it's pretty hot."

"Pretty hot is an understatement, I'm sweating all the time and not just because I'm pregnant."

"I don't mind it when you're a little sweaty it makes you look hot," Alex said as she turned around, she shook her head but she also smiled and he knew she took the compliment.

"Well, either way it's too hot to nap. God I can't believe I'm still gonna be pregnant in August," Jo complained as she started to put on the new sheet.

"The AC should be fixed tomorrow so hopefully you'll feel more comfortable come August."

"I'll be nine months pregnant."

"Touche." Alex said, leaning in the doorway as he watched her with a slight smile. "You aren't starting another project are you?"

"No, I just figured we should change the sheets so they don't get too dusty," Jo said as she put the mattress back, nearly bumping into the woodland animals mobile above the crib.

"Should we just not put sheets on at all since we aren't going to use it for a while?" Alex asked for the shrug as he took the dirty sheet from her.

They both knew from past experience that the baby wouldn't sleep anywhere but the bassinet in their room for at least the first few months.

"No it'd be nice to use the nursery a little bit, you know, for feeding and play. Plus, it'd be good for them to nap in the crib every once in a while so they get used to it," Jo said as she ran her hands along the crib, holding her bump with a little smile.

Alex smiled as he came up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her bump. Jo melted back into him and their baby greeted him with a light kick. She sighed as she closed her eyes and he kissed her cheek. He looked over at the nursery all ready for their baby.

"We still have ten more weeks to go, though," Alex said with a smile as he felt their baby press their arm out.

"Ugh, don't remind me. They better come out before I hit 40 weeks. I'm already too big," Jo huffed as she glared down at her bump.

"Well now you've jinxed it and you'll go at least until 41 weeks," Alex said with a smile and a little laugh as Jo groaned and rolled her eyes.

Nevertheless, they had everything prepped and ready for the baby. The nursery was done. They had Frozen meals in the fridge, mostly from when Jo came home from the hospital. A list of take out and restaurants they could order from. His mom was already set to fly in when Jo hit 38 weeks to help with the girls and the baby. While Carina was ready to receive baby Karev when they made their entrance. Everything was ready for them, now they just had to wait.

"Well we're ready for you whenever you want to decide to come out," Alex said as he leaned down and kissed her bump.

"But not before we hit 38 weeks. We're not having another NICU baby," Jo scolded them as she looked down at her bump.

They both paused as they waited for the baby and he felt a series of excited kicks against his hand at the top of her belly.

"I don't think they're coming today," Jo said with a giggle as she stepped away and put a hand on her back, but he quickly took over for her and rubbed her back for her. She looked up at him with an adoring smile as she cradled her bump.

"You look beautiful," Alex said, turning his head as she smiled and kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as she stepped back into his arms. She reached up to hold his cheek like she always did and he held her in his arms. It was harder to hold her against him with the size of her bump between them, but that would never stop him. Especially as Jo pressed up against him and moaned into his lips as he deepened the kiss. He ran his hands up her back and under her shirt as Jo's hands in turn went to his neck and down to his chest.

"What do you say we take advantage of the free time we have together?" Jo asked with a smirk as she pulled his shirt down and played with his chest hairs.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Alex said although he smiled as he watched her roll her eyes.

"Just take me to the bedroom," Jo said as she rolled her eyes and he grabbed her hips and pulled her out of the nursery and to their own bed.